Other than an NXT star finally doing something on the main roster, you missed nothing by missing this episode of Raw. Here's the scoop on what happened:
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| WWE ; Raw 2/4/19 |
Raw Thoughts (Recorded As Show Aired)
2/4/19
- Stephanie McMahon is in the ring to start off the show. She goes to introduce Becky Lynch, but The Man comes out before Stephanie can finish. She needs no introduction. Becky talks about smiling during Rousey's promo last week. Stephanie asks about Lynch's leg injury. She shows the pictures from the Rumble where she was attacked by Nia Jax but still won the Rumble. Lynch refuses to have doctors look at her leg. Stephanie tells Becky that she cannot compete unless she is cleared by medical staff. Becky tells Stephanie that she's not moving for anyone. She knows she's a glitch in the plan. Becky goes off about Stephanie never having to struggle for anything whereas Becky has had to struggle for every step to WrestleMania. No doctor will stand in her way. Stephanie demands Becky get the doctor visit done. She is worried for Becky's health and wants to guarantee the match happens at WrestleMania. Stephanie tells Becky that she will suspend her if she doesn't see the doctor. Becky refuses. Stephanie decides to suspend her. BECKY BEATS ON HER AND GOES NUTS! SHE'S ATTACKING AGENTS AND STEPHANIE! Becky continues to sell the leg as she falls to the mat.
(Corey talked about this being more action-packed than last night's Super Bowl. Truer words have never come out of Corey's mouth. As for the segment, Becky continues to be the best act in wrestling. As for Stephanie, she was less Stephanie-ish than usual. In other words, she wasn't trying to demean Becky as she used to do. I think I see what they are going to do here. They are going to push Becky to the side while Charlotte wins another opportunity to face Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania. Then, Becky will be brought back in and be inserted into the match for the 3-Way at WrestleMania.)
We return from break to see Becky being escorted out the building. Ronda Rousey meets up with her. She tells Becky to be more professional, not to jeopardize their main event match at WrestleMania, and "take some Advil..." (She then called her something that rhymes with witch. You get the idea.)
- Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan is our first match. God help Liv. Then again, Liv wrestled Brie Bella and lived to tell about it. This may be a walk in the park compared to that. Liv plays mind games with Rousey early on, staying away from direct confrontation until she gets caught. Armbar. Tap out. (That was quick. Did Ronda even break a sweat?)
Rousey goes nuts and calls out Sarah Logan. Logan runs in. The bell rings. Logan takes the fight to her! Armbar on Logan, but she gets to the ropes. We get a commercial break. (This might actually be more of a match. They are telling the story of Rousey having her back against the wall with everyone against her, including the fans. This could be fun to see develop over the next few weeks.)
We return from break to see Rousey being overpowered by Logan. But Rousey quickly regains the advantage and gets the armbar in on Sarah Logan. Tap out. Ronda Rousey wins. (Less than a minute from break, and we get that result. Oh well.) Ruby Riott refuses to get in the ring with Ronda Rousey and goes to leave with her squad. Ruby is asked about running away from Rousey. Ruby talks about making Ronda wait because the Squad needed her. She's not an opportunist like Rousey.
(So, I guess we're getting Ruby Riott vs. Ronda Rousey at Elimination Chamber? Ok then.)
- Sasha and Bayley are interviewed about their failures against Ronda Rousey fueling them for their Tag Team Championship Qualifying Match. Nikki and Alicia interfere and talk about being crazy. (Fox and Cross are a team that on paper sounds off whack. But once you realize both play "batpoop crazy" characters, you see how well it works. Lol.)
- Heavy Machinery come out for their 4-Corners Tag Team Match to determine the #1 Contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championships. (Remember, they are not assigned to any brand yet. So, they can go to any brand they want.) They are facing Lince Dorado and Kalisto (of the Lucha House Party), The Revival, and The B-Team. Dozovic is the Shawn Michaels of Heavy Machinery. There's really no debate at the moment. Heavy Machinery send The B-Team flying to the floor. The Luchas moonsault off the top rope onto The B-Team. Heavy Machinery pull a Battering Ram out of The Bushwhacker Playbook. Dawson of The Revival gets dumped to the crowd below the ring. Commercial break.
We return from break to see the Lucha Dragons and The Revival go at it in the ring. Dorado gets a Double Stunner on The Revival. Otis tags himself in. The B-Team gets flattened by Otis. Catepillar by Otis. Axel breaks up a pin attempt. Compactor stopped. Tag by Dawson on Otis. Shatter Machine to Bo Dallas. The Revival win.
(I guess threatening to quit and go to AEW pays off. Lol. Unless Gable and Roode get booked to beat them again.)
- Ryder and Hawkins are shown backstage. Hawkins calls himself "toxic." Hawkins says he's lost 250 matches in a row. Zack tells Hawkins that they spelled his name wrong. Zack calls himself a loser, just like Hawkins. Ryder promises to end the losing streak together. Ryder jokes about not being able to spell his own name right. Lol. (He did botch it up during the promo.)
- Kurt Angle comes out to give his address. He talks about accomplishing everything he set out to accomplish. The 3 I's have turned into the 3 D's: Doubt, Defeat, and Depression. He goes over his losses recently. There's one opponent that Angle cannot defeat: Father Time.
Baron Corbin comes out. Angle needed to say this two years ago, according to Corbin. Angle brought this pain on himself by wanting to prove that he's still a superstar. He calls Angle a broken man. Angle threatens to break his ankle in two. Drew McIntyre comes out next. He talks about humiliating Angle a few months ago. Angle continues to show up despite the humiliation. McIntyre tells the crowd to shut up and get their cameras ready. Because McIntyre and Corbin threaten to put Angle down for good. They charge the ring... AND HERE COMES BRAUN!!!! McIntyre and Braun fight on the outside. Angle sends Corbin to the floor. Corbin runs off with McIntyre through the crowd from Braun and Angle.
(I really have nothing to add here. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop on this Angle storyline before I make an opinion. Here's hoping WWE has something good for him at WrestleMania for his probable last match.)
After the break, it is announced that we will get the tag team match later tonight between the four men in that segment. (Well, that's the other shoe dropping, I guess. Lol.)
- We get a recap of Seth Rollins's victory at Royal Rumble and the choice to face Brock Lesnar. And the visit to Suplex City.
- Sasha and Bayley are attacked by Alicia Fox and Nikki Cross before even coming to the stage. Fox and Cross just destroy Sasha and Bayley. Fox and Cross make title motions as we go to commercial break. We return to see Bayley getting beat down by Alicia and Nikki. Nikki and Alicia continue to dominate for several minutes. Nikki gets caught running towards Bayley. Sasha pulls Bayley out of the way to send Nikki into the post. Alicia gets tagged in. Bayley rolls her up, and Bayley gets the win?! Sasha wasn't in that match from what I can remember. Bayley and Sasha advance to the Elimination Chamber Match for the Women's Tag Team Championships.
(Well, that happened. Nikki was a heel this week. Then again, with Nikki's character, she can transition back and forth easily enough. One has to think Sasha and Bayley will be one of the final teams left in that Elimination Chamber Match.)
- Apollo is talking about the Kurt Angle situation. He's interrupted by Drake Maverick and the non-injured AOP member (Razar). Um, ok. They are arguing about someone else's storyline.
- Elias takes on Double J next. Road Dogg comes out next and does his schtick, dressed in Portland attire. He introduces Double J. Jeff comes out to 2000's Jeff Jarrett attire instead of Double J attire. Thank God. Lol. Road Dogg and Jeff Jarrett do "With My Baby Tonight." Elias comes out and interrupts the song after the first verse. He cuts a promo heeling on the two in the ring, the Super Bowl Halftime Show, and the city. He refuses to perform for the people in Portland. Jarrett and Elias go at it in the aisleway. The bell rings once they get in the ring. Elias plays "get away" as we go to commercial break.
Elias is beating up on Jeff as we return from break. Jarrett gets some offense in, but he runs into the knee of Elias. Elias mocks the Jarrett strut and the DX chop to Road Dogg. Elias continues beating down on Jarrett for a good minute. Jarrett gets a jawbreaker on Elias, but Elias kicks down Road Dogg. Enziguri by Jarrett. Drift Away to Jarrett. 1-2-3. Elias wins. Road Dogg jumps Elias and does his punches and jive. Jarrett gets the guitar. He smacks it over the back of Elias.
(Jarrett could still move better than a lot of the other "legend" wrestlers. But I have no desire to see any more of this.)
- Dana goes backstage and apologizes to Nattie for what she did last week. Dana talks about pumping herself up last week. Dana yells that the silent treatment is unfair. She says she's going to get a match against Natalya next week. Natalya removes her earbuds once Dana heads off screen.
(Weak.)
- In a review of what happened earlier tonight involving Stephanie and Becky, it is shown that Stephanie kicked Becky in the knee in "self-defense" during the scuffle.
- Finn Balor, The Ordinary Man Who Brock Lesnar Beat Down, takes on Bobby Lashley next. Balor jokes about Irish Pride going around here. Balor discusses his supposed elbow injury. He's not backing down or pushing back against Bobby Lashley. Balor promises that he'll take the Intercontinental Championship from Bobby the first opportunity he gets. Bobby Lashley tells Finn Balor that he doesn't belong to be in a match against him as Lashley can CLEARLY beat Brock Lesnar. He should be fighting a man his own size: Lio Rush. If Balor "ENTERTAINS" Lashley enough, he may give Balor what he wants.
Lashley beats down on Lashley prior to the "match" with shoulders and boots to the midsection. Finn demands that the bell rings. Rush takes advantage of the attack. Balor fights off Rush and sends him to the floor. Lashley pulls out Balor from the ring. Lashley is thrown out of the ringside area. Rush hits a Suicide Dive on Balor as we go to commercial.
Back from break, Lio Rush uses the advantage from earlier to pound Balor to the mat. But Balor is able to avoid a big attack from Rush off the corner and gets the Running Dropkick into the Coup de Grace for the win. Lashley runs to the ring to go after Balor, but Balor runs away.
(I'm sorry. Lio Rush facing any heavyweight wrestler, even one on the lighter side like Finn Balor, doesn't interest me. And I'm getting tired of the "Finn Balor faces a monster" storyline too.)
- Paige is out as soon as Finn Balor goes through the curtain. She talks about "Fighting with my Family" and introduces the trailer.
- Next we get the return of A Moment of Bliss. (REALLY?! I thought we were done with this.) Alexa introduces EC3 who comes out with his tights on. He goes to speak about which show he wants to be on when Nia Jax does her usual run-in on the program. She talks about how great she is and suggests that she take Becky's place at WrestleMania.
Dean Ambrose comes out while Alexa gets annoyed. "How dare you interrupt my interrupt?"- Nia Jax. Dean tells Nia that he understands why Nia is attracted to his "raw sexual magnetism." EC3 goes to talk, but Dean knocks out his mic. He cuts a scathing promo about EC3 and challenges EC3 to a match. EC3 just decks Dean and knocks him down. EC3 walks to the ring.
(That might have been the best "Moment of Bliss" ever. The standards are admittedly low from the other 4-5 they've done, but I was actually entertained by all of this.)
- EC3 vs. Dean Ambrose is next. EC3 spears Dean to start off the match. Flying clothesline by EC3. EC3 does his elbow drop. But Dean sends EC3 into the ring post and starts working on him. EC3 catches Dean Ambrose with a Jackknife cover. 1-2-3.
(Look. We know Dean Ambrose is on his way out, barring some sort of "shoot/work" storyline where Dean isn't really leaving. So, this is a great way to get a rub on EC3 who is actually staying and needs pushed.)
- Angle and Braun are interviewed backstage. Angle talks about all the things Braun has flipped over the years. Braun promises that Drew and Baron are going to get these hands.
(Why am I smelling a heel turn from Angle here?)
- Another Mojo Rawley "Promo in the Mirror" segment. (On a side note, I hope Gronk retires and goes into pro wrestling.)
- In the main event, we get Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre vs. Kurt Angle and Braun Strowman. Angle and Corbin start things off. After a scuffle, Corbin sends Angle into the ropes where he's attacked by McIntyre. We go to commercial. Angle is worked on by both heels for a good few minutes. McIntyre hits Angle with an Angle Slam for a show of humiliation. Ankle Lock on Angle by McIntyre. But Angle gets out and tags Braun.
Braun does Braun things to McIntyre and Corbin. Corbin and McIntyre send Strowman to the floor and begin the assault. Corbin sends Braun into the ring posts around the ring. Corbin drives Strowman into the barricade. Now, it's Strowman's turn to be assaulted by the heels. After a couple minutes of that, Strowman double suplexes them. Tag to Angle. Germans for the heels! McIntyre goes out to the floor. Corbin rams Angle into the corner. Angle Slam to Corbin. McIntyre stops the pinfall attempt. Strowman dumps out McIntyre. Corbin gets sent to the floor as the ref calls for the DQ.
(How many times have we seen the illegal competitor get offense in on one of the legal wrestlers and NOT get DQed? Phony finish here to this match. Any fan that pays attention to the product can smell the desperation of trying to find a cheap way out of a match and give "heat" to the heels.)
McIntyre Claymore Kicks Strowman over the barricade. Angle gets beat up by Corbin and McIntyre around the ringside area. Steel Steps are brought into the ring. Strowman stops the double team. Chokeslam to McIntyre and Corbin onto the steps. Angle and Strowman stand tall.
Overall, I didn't hate this episode of Raw. But I didn't love it either. A lot of stuff was just there. Most everything remained the same. In fact, you could have skipped this show and basically have missed nothing. The only significant development was the beginning with Becky Lynch being "suspended" to set up whatever they have planned for Ronda going forward. Other than that, this episode of Raw might as well have not existed at all.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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