Welcome to the first Monday Night Raw after Elimination Chamber, where we found out both Becky Lynch and Drew McInytre will be competing for world titles on the show of shows. And with just forty days until Wrestlemania, Cody Rhodes takes on Grayson Waller. Plus a violent street fight between Imperium and the New Day promises to be one to remember.
RHEA RIPLEY IN-RING PROMO
Dominik Mysterio is in the ring solo to introduce the Women’s World Champion, Rhea Ripley. Rhea talks briefly about Mami always being on top before being interrupted by the new number one contender Becky Lynch. Becky congratulates Rhea for her success on Saturday, but also notes she had quite the night herself. Dominik tries to interrupt Becky, but she calls him a kumquat and threatens to put him in his place. Becky says that while Rhea has been the face of the company this year, she spent most of it having Dominik feed her grapes. However, Becky was busy becoming a grand slam champion and putting the division on her back. Rhea congratulates Becky on winning the Chamber and says it’s about time Becky won something to get close to Rhea’s level. Rhea leaves but Nia Jax jumps Becky from behind and lays her out. Really don’t need Nia to be involved in this Mania match. She has been impressive but the money is in Becky v.s. Rhea one on one. As far as the promo, solid exchange but they definitely have more to say.
NIA JAX INTERVIEW
Jackie Redmond found Nia Jax who says she beat Becky clean, which should mean she heads to Wrestlemania. I mean that’s a fair point, even if she did lose her shot at the World Championship so…
SAMI ZAYN DEFEATS SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
Commentary is pushing this as a very important match to Sami Zayn’s quest for a Wrestlemania match. Shinsuke Nakamura dominated the early portion of this one but the “Contender” Sami refuses to stay down. Sami hits a Blue Thunder Bomb that gets a close two count. He tries to follow up with the Helluva Kick but Shinsuke connects with a nasty knee followed by a jumping knee from the top rope that gets what easily could have been called a three. They find themselves outside and Shinsuke hits a third knee from the apron onto a prone Sami who is laying across the barricade. Sami barely breaks the ten count and then gets a rope break to prevent the three count. It’s been all Shinsuke since the Blue Thunder Bomb. Shin goes for the Kinshasa but Sami sidesteps and hits a Helluva kick to the back of the neck! This crowd is going nuts. Sami follows up with a proper Helluva Kick for one hell of a win.
IMPERIUM & NEW DAY VIDEO PACKAGE
We get a video package to show just how brutal the rivalry between Imperium and the New Day has been. I cannot wait for this street fight.
RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ DEFEATS CHELSEA GREEN
Chelsea Green says she submitted a complaint to WWE management, so she is competing tonight under protest. Chelsea complains about Raquel Rodriquez winning last week, and calls her a big dumb loser for not winning the Elimination Chamber. This brings out Raquel to shut up Chelsea. Raquel doesn’t fall for Chelsea’s tricks and just woman handles her. One Texana Bomb later and Raquel wins it. I’m sure Chelsea will be filing a formal complaint soon.
SAMI ZAYN INTERVIEW
Jackie Redmond is with the victorious Sami Zayn. She asks him how much he needed this win tonight. Sami says needed is an understatement. Sami can’t even explain what a loss would have done to him tonight. But he doesn’t need to worry about that, because that win tonight reaffirmed that he is a contender. Ludwig Kaiser comes into frame and behind him are Giovanni Vinci and of course GUNTHER. Wow GUNTHER laughs at Sami Zayn, and I think we just found Sami’s path to Wrestlemania.
CODY RHODES INTERVIEW
Cathy Kelley is backstage with Cody Rhodes. She asks Cody his thoughts on challenging the Rock. Cody says it wasn’t strategy, it’s simple – the Rock slapped him so he challenged the Rock to a fight. Cody says as far as Grayson Waller goes, he has plenty of talent. Many people may not like Grayson, but he should like Cody. Cody points out that he’s given a few good scoops to Grayson, and tonight he gives Grayson the main event on Monday Night Raw.
GUNTHER IN-RING PROMO
GUNTHER comes to the ring flanked by Kaiser and Vinci. GUNTHER says he actually felt the championship slipping away from him last week against Jey Uso. Wow that’s a big compliment. GUNTHER says he got lucky last week but no one is perfect. “But I’m very very close.” GUNTHER says for over six hundred days he has given his all to make the Intercontinental championship the most prestigious championship in WWE. So that leaves him with one question, who will be GUNTHER’s opponent at Wrestlemania. He says he can read and hear all the ridiculous claims online. He lists Sami Zayn, Chad Gable, The Miz and even R-Truth. But it’s…the Judgment Day who come out to answer. Hmm. Damian Priest says they don’t sweat GUNTHER, and they plan on running the table at Wrestlemania. Priest says they plan on adding more gold, including the Intercontinental championship. GUNTHER asks which member of the Judgment Day will it be and…Dominik steps up. GUNTHER is laughing lol Dominik says that title belongs to the Judgment Day. GUNTHER pushes Dominik and that gets Priest to almost jump the champion. GUNTHER and Priest have a stare down but, what are we doing here man. I’m all for seeing GUNTHER and Priest go at it but it should not be at Wrestlemania. Unless we are heading towards a multi-man match with GUNTHER? I think not giving either Sami or Gable the one on one dethroning moment is a mistake. But let’s see where they go.
BACKSTAGE WITH THE JUDGMENT DAY
The Judgment Day are walking backstage where they catch up with Rhea. She is concerned with Dominik’s decision to step to GUNTHER but he says he will be okay. Rhea leaves and Dominik goes after her but runs right into Andrade. Looks like Andrade might pick Dominik as his first opponent.
IMPERIUM DEFEATS THE NEW DAY (STREET FIGHT)
The New Day come out dressed in San Jose Sharks uniforms and Imperium meet them on the ramp to get this one started. Xavier Woods and Vinci fight near the entrance way while Kaiser and Kofi Kingston brawl on the stage. Woods brings out Francecsa and smashes her over the back of Vinci and Kaiser. All four men fight through the crowd until they get back to ringside. My god these guys are colliding with such force. Vinci hits one of the fastest running crossbodies I’ve ever seen onto Woods. Kofi throws Pat McAfee’s chair at Kaiser and the New Day both grab kendo sticks. They wear out Kaiser with them and Woods calls for the tables! They set up a table on the outside and place Vinci on it. Woods hits an elbow off the top rope onto Vinci! They have the match won but Kaiser breaks up the three count. Woods picks up Kaiser for a Big Ending and Kofi goes up for the assist but Vinci pushes Kofi off and through a table onto the outside. From there it is a barrage of attacks on Woods including a sheet pan to the head of Woods with Kaiser stacking him up for the win. BIG win for Imperium and the right team won. Great finish too.
BACKSTAGE WITH ADAM PEARCE & CHAD GABLE
Adam Pearce is on the phone with Bronson Reed and says he will take it into consideration. Chad Gable comes in and says he knows GUNTHER is looking for a Wrestlemania opponent. Gable says he is coming here not just as a wrestler, but as a Father. Gable brings up GUNTHER making his daughter cry. “To anyone else this match is about a championship, but to me this just means more.” Pearce thanks him and says he will keep it in mind. Okay I like that everyone is pitching to be GUNTHER’s opponent.
SHAYNA BASZLER & ZOEY STARK DEFEAT INDI HARTWELL & CANDACE LERAE
Before this one gets started we hear from Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark. They say they should have been the ones challenging for the tag titles at Elimination Chamber. Candice is taking out both women to start before Shayna catches her and plants her with a knee. Once they have the advantage, Shayna and Zoey don’t relinquish it. Shayna locks in the Clutch on Indi and makes her tap out.
BACKSTAGE WITH R-TRUTH, THe MIZ & D.I.Y.
R-Truth is backstage in the Judgment Day lair. The Miz and “DX” find him. Judgment Day is gone for the night and Truth is there reminiscing of the good old days. Tommaso Ciampa asks Truth if he is ready and now Truth thinks it’s “Regeneration X” Pretty funny segment, I wonder what Ciampa’s plan is.
DREW MCINTYRE IN-RING PROMO
There is no one person who has benefited more from the CM Punk injury than Drew McIntyre. Never good to see someone go down but Drew has put himself in a position to be easily inserted as Seth’s opponent and I’m really looking forward to this one. The first thing Drew says is “We did it.” Drew thanks all of the fans for praying hard for him to win the Elimination Chamber. Drew says he had his ear drum burst in the Chamber. The doctor told Drew that he was hurt and he might not make Wrestlemania. Drew says he told the doctor “Who do you think I am, CM Punk? Nothing is going to stop me from making Wrestlemania.” LOL Drew hits the cross legged pose and ugh I’m so happy we have this feud. Drew says he knows Punk doesn’t drink, so on the way home he drank twice as much for the both of them. Drew then calls out Seth Rollins who answers. Seth says Drew climbed his way back to challenge for the World title in front of fans and not an empty warehouse. Drew says he knows beating Seth isn’t easy, but neither is beating Drew. He tells Seth to stop getting involved with Smackdown business and the Bloodline. He doesn’t want a tainted victory with Bloodline interference at Wrestlemania and asks Seth to back off. Seth says respectfully some risks are worth taking. Seth says he has been selfish in his career. Every single time he got to the end of that road he still felt empty inside. But once Seth had his daughter he understood there are things bigger than himself. He tells Drew that taking down the Bloodline is bigger than them. Really good stuff here, not surprised as Drew and Seth have delivered every time.
NIA JAX DEFEATS LIV MORGAN BY DQ
Liv had a very strong showing in the Chamber, but one has to wonder where she fits in on the Wrestlemania card if it’s not in one of the title matches. Maybe her and Raquel will reform their tag team for one night. Nia locks Liv into a Stretch Muffler and then swings her face first into one of the turnbuckles. My god that looked great. Nia misses her apron leg drop and Liv connects with a suicide dive. Liv’s offense is coming after Nia makes a mistake and it’s working. Both women are back on the outside and Becky Lynch is here! She jumps off the barricade and attacks Nia! Becky slams Nia’s head on the announce table over and over, getting a little measure of payback after what happened to kick things off tonight.
GRAYSON WALLER INTERVIEW
Cathy Kelley is backstage with Grayson Waller and Austin Theory. Grayson says Cody’s scoop was great for him and Australia but he can’t let Cody disrespect Grayson like that. He also mentions the attack on Theory. I’m starting to think they are turning Theory face since Grayson did nothing to help save him and now Theory is side eyeing Grayson. I think Theory has an interesting story to be a babyface and it could be the reset he needs.
BACKSTAGE WITH BECKY LYNCH & ADAM PEARCE
Becky Lynch is backstage telling Pearce that she wants Nia Jax, and he gives her to Becky next week. Liv comes in and tells Becky that she was in the middle of something out there “but you never care about anyone else do you?”
JEY USO INTERVIEW
Jackie Redmond is backstage with Jey Uso, she asks him how he plans to get back into the championship picture. Jey says he plans to keep being him. Jey says every time he tries to take a step forward his past comes back to him. Drew comes in and tells Jey that “from the bottom of my heart, you deserve this.” Jey throws a punch and they are going at it!
CODY RHODES DEFEATS GRAYSON WALLER
Grayson holds a short advantage that Cody easily takes from him. Michael Cole on commentary mentions that the internet is freaking out over catching Paul Heyman in the background of Grayson and Theory’s interview earlier. I love that they reward the viewer for watching. Cody hits the Disaster Kick on Grayson but only gets a two. Theory causes a distraction which allows Grayson to get back the momentum. Grayson goes for his rolling stunner but Cody counters it and hits a Cody Cutter. He follows it up with a Crossrhodes for the win!
Cody is celebrating but here comes Paul Heyman with three men in suits. Cody quickly grabs a chair and a microphone. Heyman says the only member of the Bloodline here tonight is himself. He says the men in the suits are off duty police officers. Heyman tells Cody to take the Rock’s name out his mouth. He pleads with Cody to withdraw his challenge to the Rock…or else. Cody asks or else what? Cody says the reason he hasn’t run the Rock down on the microphone or in the media is because he respected the Rock. But he is done being nice and if this is a Bloodline set up then he is ready for it. Heyman and the suits try and come in the ring but Cody takes out all three officers with the chair. Cody tells Heyman to call the Bloodline because “the Bloodline isn’t hunting me, I’m hunting the Bloodline.” Hilarious moment of Heyman pulling out a second phone with a Brahma Bull phone case to call the Rock. A bit of a clunky segment that still worked because of just how ready the fans are to see Cody take out the Bloodline.
