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‘WWE Monday Night Raw’ Results: Goldberg Accepts Brock Lesnar’s Challenge — When Will The Match Happen?

By Dustin Murrell
Published on: 11:10 PST, Oct 17, 2016

With WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 just around the corner, all seven champions (counting all three members of The New Day) from the Raw brand are preparing to defend their titles at the red brand’s next exclusive PPV. For Raw Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, WWE United States Champion Roman Reigns, and WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens, the stakes have been raised by their gold being put on the line inside the career-shortening Hell in a Cell steel structure.

Meanwhile, potentially over-shadowing the forthcoming Hell in a Cell Matches, Goldberg made his highly-anticipated return to a WWE ring on Monday Night Raw this week. He was there to respond to the challenge issued by Brock Lesnar (via Paul Heyman) on last week’s Raw.

WWE Monday Night Raw Results

The following includes the results of all the matches and segments from WWE Raw on October 17, which aired live from the Pepsi Center in Denver. Raw has won the “ratings war” ever since the separate rosters were established, although SmackDown Live continues to keep the competition close. Will the return of Bill Goldberg and the build-up towards WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 and WWE Survivor Series 2016 be enough to keep the rating victory streak alive for Raw?

Raw Pre-Show on the WWE Network

Scott Stanford hosted the Raw Pre-Show, and was joined by Booker T and Jerry “The King” Lawler in the studio. As the show airs live on the WWE Network, it can be viewed on this page through the YouTube video feed below. Once again, Lita was assigned to backstage duty, reporting live from the Pepsi Center in Denver.

The panel took a quick break to show a video package highlighting the recent drama between Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg. They also aired a pre-recorded segment featuring Mark Henry, The Golden Truth, The Shining Stars and Titus O’Neil, setting up a six-man tag team match for Monday Night Raw.

A video previously released on WWE’s Facebook page featuring Curtis Axel talking to Bo Dallas about his upcoming Raw match against Neville also aired on the Raw Pre-Show. As has become a weekly tradition, WWE correspondent Cathy Kelley gave an update on all things consuming the WWE Universe on social media.

Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho called out Seth Rollins

WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens was joined by best friend Chris Jericho for an in-ring promo that opened this week’s Monday Night Raw. The pair talked about Kevin’s upcoming title match at Hell in a Cell and his speculation that General Manager Mick Foley has it out for the current champ. Before long, No. 1 contender Seth Rollins interrupted JeriKO, eventually issuing another challenge to Y2J. All parties agreed that it would be best for Owens to go backstage during the match, so that Jericho could prove once-and-for-all that he is better than Rollins.

Seth Rollins defeated Chris Jericho

In a rather lengthy match for Monday Night Raw, Seth Rollins hit Y2J with the Pedigree once again, getting the clean, pinfall victory over the champ’s BFF. As expected, Owens made his way out to ringside during the match, despite agreeing earlier to stay backstage. The heel-ish tactics and distractions weren’t enough, however, and Jericho lost to Rollins once again.

Lita interviewed Charlotte

In a pre-recorded sit-down interview with former Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte, Lita asked about her upcoming match at WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 with Sasha Banks. Charlotte reminded Lita that she’s 12-0 in PPV title matches, meaning Sasha’s title run comes to an end in less than two weeks.

Mark Henry & The Golden Truth defeated Titus O’Neil & The Shining Stars

In a six-man tag team match that was set up after Primo and Epico tried selling Mark Henry some counterfeit watches, the launch of the Titus O’Neil brand suffered another set back. After the World’s Strongest Man hit him with the World’s Strongest Slam, O’Neil gave up the pinfall victory for his team.

Big E defeated Sheamus

Just as Sheamus hopped on Facebook Live last week during Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston, the Swiss Superman did the same as the Celtic Warrior took on one-third of The New Day. Predictably, as Cesaro’s shenanigans distracted Sheamus, it led to a victory for Big E. The New Day defends the Raw Tag Team Championship against Cesaro and Sheamus at WWE Hell in a Cell 2016. Prior to the match, the team made note that they had “legally” been the World Tag Team Champions for 420 days, coincidentally the same day that WWE happened to be moving through Denver, notorious for it’s progressive stance on legalized marijuana.

Bo Dallas defeated Neville and turned on Curtis Axel

Inexplicably, Curtis Axel seems determined to reunite with Bo Dallas, despite being left by his former Social Outcasts stablemate during their tag team match together on Monday Night Raw last week. This week, after Dallas scored a clean victory over Neville, he attacked Axel, who had come in to the ring to celebrate with his fellow second-generation WWE Superstar.

Dana Brooke defeated Bayley

In what many will certainly consider an upset, Charlotte’s protégé Dana Brooke got a clean victory over Bayley in a finish that was anything but smooth. It’s possible the spot was botched, but the intended outcome wasn’t clear.

Paul Heyman pleaded with Goldberg

About an hour before Bill Goldberg finally returned to Monday Night Raw, Paul Heyman joined the show via satellite from the WWE Studios. He warned Goldberg that accepting the challenge would only make Brock Lesnar mad, and that it would be in his best interest to “just say no,” an ironic use of the phrase previously used for the War on Drugs, being said in front of the state known for their use of marijuana.

Braun Strowman defeated the Mile High Trio

In a three-on-one handicap match that felt eerily like something from Ryback’s initial push on the WWE main roster, Strowman made easy work of three local enhancement talents. After grabbing the mic and voicing his displeasure with the competition Mick Foley was lining up for him, he started to make his way to the locker room to find a worthy opponent on his own. He was interrupted by Sami Zayn, however, who stood up to Braun face-to-face in the ring. With one motion, Strowman shoved Zayn completely out of the ring. It seems safe to assume that Zayn will be the first legitimate in-ring competition Strowman will face since being split apart from the Wyatt Family during the WWE Draft and brand extension.

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Rusev left Roman Reigns down after in-ring promo

Tired of always hearing about Roman Reigns and his Samoan heritage, the former WWE United States Champion decided it was time to introduce the WWE Network to the Rusev family. Of course, it wasn’t long before Rusev and Lana were interrupted by Reigns. However, after Lana stepped up to the U.S. champ and momentarily stunned him with a slap, her husband took advantage and connected with a Superkick. From there, he ended up putting Reigns in The Accolade on top of the steel stairs. The two men square off inside Hell in a Cell for the title a week from Sunday.

Roman Reigns and Lana on WWE Monday Night Raw [Image by WWE]

Colin Cassady defeated Karl Anderson

With Luke Gallows and Enzo Amore at ringside, Big Cass got some retribution for what happened last week between these two teams, scoring a clean pinfall victory over Karl Anderson. As Raw’s Tag Team Division continues to heat up, these two teams are sure to have another match in the very near future.

Lita interviewed Sasha Banks

Along with the interview Lita conducted earlier, Sasha Banks was given an interview in which she could respond to anything Charlotte had said. The interview primarily focused on the fact that Sasha will have a “home field advantage” in Boston and that she can’t worry about “fear” of the Hell in a Cell Match.

Rich Swann tapped out to Brian Kendrick in Six-Man Cruiserweight Tag Team Match

After a backstage segment made it clear that Kendrick hoped to soften-up champion T.J. Perkins before their title match at WWE Hell in a Cell 2016, the six-man tag match was set: Brian Kendrick, Drew Gulak and Tony Nese vs. T.J. Perkins, Rich Swann and Cedric Alexander. In the end, Kendrick forced Swann to tap, earning the victory for the heels.

Goldberg accepted Brock Lesnar’s Challenge

Bill Goldberg made his big return to WWE with an old-school introduction that began with backstage footage of the WCW icon walking to the ring. As expected, he accepted Lesnar’s challenge to a fight, saying that he missed being a hero to all of the kids and felt that there weren’t enough heroes like himself in the world today. The former world champion didn’t elaborate on when the match will take place, but WWE did confirm that Brock Lesnar will be appearing at Monday Night Raw in Minneapolis next week.

In all likelihood, Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg will take place at WWE Survivor Series, potentially stealing the main event spot from any of the Raw vs. SmackDown elimination matches. While originally thought to be a match big enough for WrestleMania 33, more recent speculation is that they’ll book the match for Survivor Series, as they continue to use the feud to promote WWE 2K17.

Next week on Monday Night Raw

Two matches for next week’s Raw were announced before the show ended, including The New Day vs. Cesaro and Sheamus in a non-title tag team match, plus Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho vs. WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens in a non-title Triple Threat Match for the main event. Both matches will help set the tone for WWE Hell in a Cell 2016, the winners obviously building momentum in their favor less than a week before the event in Boston. Although not scheduled for Hell in a Cell, Brock Lesnar is scheduled to make an appearance on Raw next week.

The above WWE Raw results will be corroborated by WWE’s official Monday Night Raw page.

Updated WWE Hell In A Cell Card

  • Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins — WWE Universal Championship Hell In A Cell Match
  • Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks — WWE Women’s Championship Hell In A Cell Match
  • Roman Reigns (c) vs. Rusev — WWE United States Championship Hell In A Cell Match
  • The New Day (c) vs. Cesaro and Sheamus — WWE Tag Team Championship Match
  • T.J. Perkins (c) vs. Brian Kendrick — WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match
  • Braun Strowman vs. Sami Zayn (unconfirmed)
  • Enzo & Big Cass vs. Gallows & Anderson (unconfirmed)
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte: Hell in a Cell [Image by WWE]

Unless otherwise noted, the matches above were confirmed on WWE’s official Hell in a Cell preview page. WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 will air live on Sunday, October 30 from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

Where To Watch

WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 will air Sunday, October 30 on the WWE Network. The program will begin at 8/7c. The Hell in a Cell Kick-Off Show will air at 7/6c.

WWE Monday Night Raw airs live on the USA Network at 8/7c, with the Raw Pre-Show airing on the WWE Network at 7:30/6:30c. Replays of WWE RAW aren’t made available on the WWE Network until several weeks after the original air date. However, a 90-minute version of Monday Night Raw is available to stream on-demand the following day on Hulu.

[Featured Image by WWE]

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