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The Man Makes Her Choice
WWE; USA Network
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Raw Thoughts (1/28/2019)
- Seth Rollins comes out to a big ovation from the crowd with loud "BURN IT DOWN" chants. Seth says he's going to WrestleMania. The fans chant "You Deserve It!" Seth says he has to point at the sign. And he does. All Seth ever wanted to do is point at that sign and go to the main event of WrestleMania. Seth discusses the paths that he can take. The fans wants Seth to take Brock's belt. Seth says he needs to think about his decision.
And here comes "The King of Kings" Triple H. Triple H would have disappointed if Seth didn't point at the sign. Triple H gets emotional talking about the challenge of wanting to go to WrestleMania and main event it. Loud "Burn It Down" chants again. Triple H tells him to make the decision tonight. The machine moves quickly, and WWE needs to know who Seth chooses. Seth has to pick his challenge tonight. Both Bryan and Lesnar will be here tonight. Whose butt will Seth kick at WrestleMania? Seth starts talking and...
Dean Ambrose comes out. He says he's sick of the Triple H and Seth Rollins. He tells Rollins that Triple H never believed in him when he tried to get them fired. Ambrose and Triple H argue back and forth. Ambrose tries to tell Triple H that this doesn't concern him. Triple H: "Everything in this ring involves me." Ambrose goes on a rant about Rollins never being able to beat him without someone helping him out. He tells "Chuckles" to make the match. Ambrose asks Triple H if he needs his father-in-law's permission to make the match. "YES HE DOES!" chants. Triple H calls for a referee.
(16 minute segment here. The crowd participation carried this over the top. I liked the set-up for later tonight for Rollins to make his choice. As for Ambrose, he got some good lines in. But just like usual, everything Ambrose is involved in basically leads to him becoming an after-thought. This guy needs repackaged again in the worst way.)
- Rollins jumps on Ambrose immediately and beats Dean all around the ring and ringside. Rollins hits a springboard clothesline off the barricade at ringside. Ambrose catches Rollins jumping into the ring and knocks him down on the mat. Ambrose goes after Rollins with a flurry of kicks. Superkick by Rollins. Burn It Down stomps. Ambrose rolls away from the stomp. Rollins gets thrown into a couple ring posts on the floor. Ambrose goes back on the attack and locks in an STF in the ring. Rollins gets caught going for the Suicide Dive by Ambrose. Ambrose goes back on the attack as we go to commercial break.
We return from break to see Rollins crossbody Ambrose from the top rope. Rollins and Ambrose continue to duel. Rollins gets in his typical offense. Suicide Dives to Ambrose. Enziguri by Rollins. A third Suicide Dive connects. Back in the ring, a Frog Splash misses. Rollins gets rolled up and just barely kicks out at 2.9. Ripcord Knee. Buckle Bomb. Superkick. Burn it Down stomps. BIG CURB STOMP! 1-2-3! (That sell by Ambrose was either brilliant or ridiculous. Ambrose was bent over standing up while Rollins nailed him with the stomp. And then, Ambrose stood up and fell back flat on the mat. They never showed it on the replay.)
Ambrose is going nuts in the ring selling the loss. We return from break, and he's still in the ring sitting in a chair. He starts talking, and here comes Nia Jax and Tamina. Ambrose and Nia get face-to-face. Tamina walks behind Ambrose. Nia knocks Ambrose out of the ring. There are a bunch of referees keeping Ambrose from the ring. Here comes Alexa Bliss and Mickie James for our next match.
- Nia Jax and Tamina take on Mickie James and Alexa Bliss in a Qualifying Match for the Women's Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber Match. Tamina and Alexa start it off, but Nia gets the tag and drives Alexa into her own corner. Mickie James falls to the floor as we go to our commercial break.
We return to see Alexa getting beaten down by Tamina. Alexa gets a Code Red, but it only gets a 2 count. Tamina and Nia take turns beating up on Alexa until Mickie gets the tag. Thesz Press off the ropes on Tamina. Head Scissors Takedown by Mickie. Neckbreaker gets a 2 for the former Trish Stratus Superfan. Tamina gets kicked into Nia to get the tag. Mickie goes for the DDT, but Nia just throws her off. Samoan Drop to both BLISS AND JAMES BY NIA!!!! 1-2-3! Tamina and Nia advance to the Chamber Match.
(Tamina and Nia deserve to be in that match, and I would personally like to see them win the match. It would start off the titles with some momentum.)
- Kurt Angle is interviewed about his upcoming match with Baron Corbin. Angle blames Corbin for losing his position as GM. They then replay McIntyre humiliating Angle a few months ago. Angle is still upset about that. But Baron Corbin should be worried about what Angle will do to him.
(Overall, I have to give the first hour of Raw a thumbs up. We got two entertaining matches and a set-up for later tonight, which will have WrestleMania ramifications. So, I can't say that it wasn't an eventful hour of TV.)
- The next match is Baron Corbin vs. Kurt Angle. Corbin cuts a promo about Angle being great back in the day. He promises to humiliate Angle. Angle jumps him before the bell. The bell rings. German Suplex by Angle. Ring Post Clothesline by Corbin, followed by continued stomps to Angle. Corbin continues to beat down on Angle. Angle fights back with some boots to the face of Corbin. German Suplexes by Angle. Big Boot by Corbin. Angle Slam. 1-2-Kickout by Corbin. (Corey and Renee are overly distracting on commentary during all of this.) Ankle Lock by Angle. Corbin rolls over and kicks Angle off. Deep 6. 1-2-3. Corbin wins.
(The story continues to be told of Angle being out of his prime and being easy pickings by the Raw roster. This is likely leading to Angle's final match at WrestleMania where he'll pull out one more great match.)
Corbin goes after Angle and hits End of Days.
Finn Balor is shown walking around backstage and will supposedly be out next.
- Finn Balor comes out as WWE tries yet again to make someone look better after being victimized and conquered by the greatness that is Brock Lesnar. Oh, I mean "WHAT AN EFFORT! HE'S AWESOME NOW, RIGHT?" Balor admits that Brock Lesnar beat him. And then he beat him again. Today, Balor is hurt. He cuts the old "I'm standing out here with my head held high" promo. He supposedly made Brock Lesnar believe.
Here comes Bobby Lashley. (Lashley only lasted 12 seconds in the Rumble last night, for the record.) Lio Rush puts over Finn as almost beating Brock Lesnar (watch the match. No, he didn't.), but Bobby Lashley is better and stronger than Brock Lesnar. The butt-whooping Finn got last night is only a dose of what he'd get with Lashley. Balor points out Lashley's short run in the Rumble. Lashley beats up the "Wee Little Man" again. It's an episode of Raw: Finn Balor can't go two weeks without being beat up and left defeated. And... this is a push?! Thumbs down on this whole segment and WWE's pathetic attempt to make something noble out of another stereotypical Lesnar match. All people will remember in a few weeks is that Balor was just another Main Roster talent Brock Lesnar chewed up and spit out at his Altar of Awesomeness. (Can someone throw a Raw script at Vince like Lesnar threw the Universal Championship at him and stay employed? Just asking.)
- Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder team up to face The Revival. Is this The Revival's farewell tour in WWE? Ryder and Hawkins dominate the opening moments. Wilder and Dawson double team Ryder in their half of the ring. Hawkins gets the tag and goes after The Revival. Dawson knocks down Ryder, but he almost gets rolled up. Wilder and Dawson get Shatter Machine in on Hawkins for the win.
(I'm surprised only so much. Hawkins isn't exactly known for winning.)
- Daniel Bryan gets interviewed backstage about the finish of last night's match. Bryan has a black eye. He talks about Rollins advocating air pollution by "Burning It Down." If Rollins chooses him, Bryan and Rowan will end Rollins' WrestleMania dreams tonight.
- Hello. He is Elias. Loud "Oh. Walk with Elias" to the tune of Seven Nation Army. Elias goes heel on the crowd telling them that they should be cheering him with signs all over the globe. They are in the presence of greatness, after all. It's too late. "WE'RE NOT WORTHY!"- The crowd. Elias says he only writes songs for himself from this point on. He goes to sing...
And it's Jeff Jarrett again! And he's got a guitar. "Listen up, Slapnuts!" Lol. He goes on about Elias having a problem with him. J-E-Double F.... OH MY GOD! THE ROAD DOGG IS HERE!!!! (Well, we know he's there. He works backstage after all. Lol.) He goes off about Elias not wanting to perform for the audience anymore. He tells Elias to play with himself on his own time. 2 Words. Crowd is chanting "Holy (bleep)." THEY ARE SINGING "WITH MY BABY TONIGHT!" Corey: "Where's Bruce?!" LOL! ELIAS BREAKS THE GUITAR OVER ROAD DOGG'S BACK! Jeff goes after Elias, but Elias beats him down. Jarrett starts fighting back. Jarrett gets the guitar. Elias punches him low and smacks the guitar over the back of Jarrett.
- We see Mojo Rawley cutting a promo backstage about someone being to blame for his lot in life. He says the fans don't know who he is because of "you." That "you" is a reflection of himself in the mirror. Cue the 5th time of trying to make Mojo Rawley work. I hope it works for him. I really do. There's just so many times you can repackage someone.
- Natalya and Dana Brooke take on Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan. Dana cut a promo before the match saying that she was better than Ember Moon (Natalya's original partner who was injured) or Natalya. Sarah Logan gets entered into the match and overpowers Morgan immediately. Logan and Morgan hit a Faceplant/Bulldog combination for a 2 count. Dana gets the tag to Natalya. Ruby Riott distracts Natalya. But Natalya gets the Sharpshooter on Liv. Sarah Logan throws Dana into Natalya, and Liv gets the roll-up for the 3. The Riott Squad advance to the Elimination Chamber Women's Tag Team Championship Match. (Um. That was nasty in a few spots. Thankfully, they didn't try to make this longer than it needed to be.)
- Ronda Rousey puts her championship up for grabs in an Open Challenge next.
(Despite my love for seeing Road Dogg and Jeff Jarrett doing their singing, I have to give this hour a thumbs down. Corbin thankfully was kept to one segment, but it was still torture to sit through. Meanwhile, other than the fun of the Elias segment, every segment on this fell flat. I again love the WWE's attempt to salvage anything positive for their main roster talent when they get bulldozed by a part-time talent. "You got destroyed, but at least you tried. That makes you awesome!")
- Rousey comes out to a mixed ovation. The crowd starts chanting "Becky!" She starts cutting a promo, and the crowd starts booing immediately. The crowd is listening to none of it. She puts over Sasha Banks, but the crowd starts chanting "BECKY! BECKY!" She tells the crowd that they got her to stutter. She points at the WrestleMania sign. She says "Becky, I know you are watching." The crowd continues chanting "Becky!" She plays with the crowd to talk. Bayley's music plays. She puts herself over and challenges Rousey for the title tonight. Rousey holds the title up and tells her to bring it.
The bell rings. Rousey goes immediately to work on Bayley. Bayley gets to the ropes. Bayley goes after the arm. But after some jockeying, Rousey gets an armbar over the ropes on Bayley. Bayley gets Rousey on the ropes. Rousey goes up and over in the corner, but her leg gives out apparently coming down. Bayley does a Dragon Screw, sending Rousey to the floor. Commercial break.
Bayley gets the leg of Rousey and starts working on it. Bayley continues pressing the attack to Rousey in the corner. Rousey is doing flips into positions in the ring. So, I think she's ok. (I could be wrong.) Rousey starts getting momentum by doing the arm drags. Rousey stops, clutching at her arm. Jabs by Rousey. Bayley kicks out after getting hit with a flurry of offense. Knees to the midsection of Bayley. Kneebar on Rousey. Rousey reverses and gets to the ropes. Both fall to the floor. Bayley to Belly to Rousey into the barricade. Another commercial break.
We return to see Bayley going back after Rousey in the ring. Rousey gets dumped to the floor. Running dropkick by Bayley through the hole between the bottom rope and the mat. 2 count in the ring. Bayley climbs back up. Elbow drop! BANK STATEMENT BY BAYLEY! Rousey gets to the rope. Bayley shows frustration in not getting the win. Bayley lifts Ronda up in the corner. She climbs up after her, but Rousey gets out. Bayley kicks Ronda to the mat. Rousey goes to the corner and flips Bayley to the mat. She gets the armbar!!!!! Bayley taps!
(Again. I'm loving these Ronda Rousey matches. I know they don't look clean and perfect. But damn, they look legit. And I'm a fan of these matches.)
After the match, Rousey offers her hand to Bayley. Bayley takes it. Bayley offers her a handshake again. BECKY LYNCH IS HERE!!!!! THE CROWD GOES NUTS!!!! THE MAN IS HERE! Becky limps to the ring. Becky gets the mic. THUNDEROUS BECKY chants! "The Man is back on Raw!" She calls out Rousey for not coming after her after what happened a few months ago. She's back to prove that Rousey is NOT the Baddest Woman on the Planet. Great ovation from the crowd. Becky makes it clear: SHE CHOOSES ROUSEY!!! The crowd cheers loudly! Rousey gets the mic. She tells BECKY she can rebreak her face and kill her without breaking a sweat!!!!!! She cuts a promo on Becky not being "The Man." Rousey has been a household name. She owns everywhere she walks, and she's going to own her at WrestleMania!
(As bad as Rousey was going into this whole segment to begin the third hour, she (and Becky) delivered in that last bit. The energy was absolutely undeniable. I cannot wait until WrestleMania. The fans continue to chant "Becky!" during the backstage meeting between Rollins and Strowman. This has MAIN EVENT written all over it. Do not mess this up, WWE.)
- Braun congratulates Seth on winning, and he tells him to make it count. Not that it matters since the crowd was chanting "BECKY!" over a good bit of this whole conversation.
- Drew McIntyre takes on Braun Strowman next. Drew takes the fight directly to Braun, but Braun knocks Drew down and out of the ring. Braun calls for the round-the-ring tackles, but Drew kicks the legs, sending Braun into the barricade. Braun is selling his knee when we come back from commercial as he continues to fight off Drew McIntyre. They go back to the floor. Drew throws Braun into the ring post. Braun flips Drew off the apron onto the floor. Strowman goes to hit McIntyre with steel steps, but Baron Corbin attacks him from behind for the DQ.
After the DQ, Strowman is thrown into the ring post and hit with several chair shots. Strowman throws Corbin around ringside a few seconds later. Running Ringside Tackle to McIntyre and Corbin. Strowman rearranges up the steel steps and bounces Corbin's head off of them. CLAYMORE KICK TO STROWMAN on the floor! McIntyre and Corbin start moving away, but Strowman won't stop moving. Now, they start going after Strowman. Double Chokeslam to Strowman on the Steel Steps.
(That really wasn't much of a match as much as it was an angle. They seem to be setting up who will be helping out Strowman to take on both Corbin and McIntyre. Kurt Angle would be the obvious choice, but I'm not sure if that is his path or not.)
- Brock Lesnar comes out first for the main segment. Paul Heyman advocates for Seth Rollins to choose the safer route: Daniel Bryan. Seth Rollins should not get into a fight with Brock Lesnar. "BURN IT DOWN!" Seth runs to the ring and gets in Brock's face. Seth sucker punches Brock and kicks him in the gut. F-5 to Seth Rollins! Just like that, Seth is done. Another F-5 to Seth. And a third one. And a fourth one. And a fifth one ON the Universal Championship. "HEY LESNAR! IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!" Brock picks up Seth and delivers ANOTHER F-5! The show finally goes off after that.
(The third hour just earned this show a thumbs up. I really enjoyed the Rousey-Bayley match, and I enjoyed the Becky Lynch aftermath. The energy was absolutely amazing in that segment. If any other match is put over that match for the main event, it is being set up for failure. And please, for the love of God, no Charlotte Flair in this match. Let it be what the fans want. And I think it is obvious that Rollins has chosen The Beast and a trip to Suplex City. I'm interested in seeing what WWE will do in order to push Rollins in the next few weeks as a viable conqueror of The Beast. Overall, this was a really good show.)
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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