WWE RAW aired live from the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Brock Lesnar’s opponent for Super ShowDown was revealed in the main event.
WWE RAW Results (2/3)
- Liv Morgan def. Lana
- Drew McIntyre def. Mojo Rawley
- AOP & Buddy Murphy def. Kevin Owens & Viking Raiders
- Aleister Black def. eric Young
- Rey Mysterio def. Angel Garza via DQ
- Asuka def. Natalya
- Ricochet def. Seth Rollins & Bobby Lashley to become #1 contender for WWE Championship
Here are 7 takeaways from this week’s show:
Randy Orton Didn’t Explain His Actions
Randy Orton came down to the ring to kick off this week’s show. Last week on RAW, Orton brutally attacked Edge with a steel chair. Orton stated that he owed everyone an explanation for his actions as the crowd booed him out of the building.
Orton tried to talk but the crowd drowned him out with a loud “you suck!” chant. Orton said that he cannot do this and dropped the microphone. Randy got out of the ring and walked backstage as the crowd continued to boo.
Ruby Riott Returned & Attacked Liv Morgan
Liv Morgan once again battled Lana tonight on RAW. Lana pretended to injure her arm early and baited Liv into a boot to the face for a two count. Liv quickly slammed Lana to the canvas for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Ruby Riott made her return and came down to the ring. Ruby made it seem like she was going to hug Morgan but wound up attacking her. Riott leveled Morgan with a Clothesline and Lana capitalized by attacking Liv as well.
Opinion: It is great to see Ruby Riott back and hopefully this feud leads to good things for her and Liv Morgan. I thought it was frustrating to watch the Riott Squad continuously get jobbed out when they were a solid stable and should have had more of an impact on the division.
Kevin Owens Couldn’t Overcome The Odds
Kevin Owens & Viking Raiders squared off against Buddy Murphy & AOP in a Elimination Match tonight. Seth Rollins was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: AOP and Murphy dominated early and isolated Erik in the the corner. Ivar went for a Crossbody outside the ring but Byddy got out of the way and Ivar crashed into the LED board. Rollins hit Erik with the Stomp as the referee was distracted and rolled him in the ring. Buddy then pinned Erik to eliminate him as Ivar was ruled out due to injury. Owens took out AOP outside the ring and planted Buddy Murphy with the Pop-Up Powerbomb to eliminate him. Owens quicky planted Akam with the Stunner for the elimination.
Rollins fired up Rezar but Owens quickly hit him with a Superkick and then a Cannonball. Owens climbed to the top rope and connected with a Senton for a two count. Seth hopped on the ring apron for a distraction and Rezar capitalized with a Clothesline. Rezar followed it up with two massive Spinebusters for the pinfall victory.
Angel Garza Demolished Rey Mysterio
Angel Garza came down to the ring with Zelina Vega tonight on RAW. Garza claimed that Humberto Carrillo disgraced their family and attacked him. Angel set up Humberto for the Hammerlock DDT on the concrete but Rey rushed the ring to make the save. Rey then battled Garza in match.
Match Recap: Rey controlled the match early and locked in a Headlock. Garza battled to his feet but Rey sent him to the canvas. Angel asked Rey to shake his head but Mysterio declined. Garza hit Rey with a Dropkick and followed it up with a knee to the chest for a near fall. Angel took a break to pose for the crowd and went for a Moonsault but Rey was able to get out of the way. Mysterio hit a Destroyer and went for the 619 but Vega pulled Garza out of the way. Vega distracted Rey and Garza capitalized with a Superkick. Angel then hit Rey with a Hammerlock DDT onto the exposed concrete and the match ended in a DQ.
Opinion: Garza is great and has a ton of charisma. He got more of a reaction tonight than Humberto Carrillo has ever gotten. I’m wondering if Rey was just written off of television like Andrade and is about to go on 30-day vacation.
Rhea Ripley Interrupted Charlotte
Charlotte Flair kicked off the final hour of RAW to announce who she will face at WrestleMania. Flair stated that she has held the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships multiple times. Charlotte added that she has already defeated Bayley and Becky Lynch multiple times.
Flair boasted about being a 10-time champion but was interrupted by NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley. The crowd loudly chanted “NXT!” as Rhea told Flair that she has never beaten her. Ripley added that she has actually beaten Charlotte and raised the NXT Women’s Championship in her face. Charlotte smirked at Rhea before getting out of the ring. Flair stopped at the top of the entrance ramp and said “woo!” to end the segment. It was later announced that Charlotte will be on NXT this week to answer Rhea’s challenge.
Becky Lynch Will Defend Her Title Against Asuka Again Next Week
Asuka tapped out Natalya tonight on RAW. After the match, Asuka stated that she wanted a rematch with Becky Lynch for the RAW Women’s Championship.
Becky came down to the ring wearing the “deal with it” glasses and claimed that beating Asuka at Royal Rumble almost gave her super powers. Lynch wondered why she would put her title on the line so close to WrestleMania but said that it fun beating up Asuka and she wanted to it again.
Kairi Sane tried to attack Becky but she fought her off and sent her to the outside. Lynch joked that one of her super powers was that she has eyes in the back of her head. It was later announced that the match will go down next week on RAW.
Opinion: I’m hoping that the storyline is that Becky has become too cocky and winds up dropping the title. I doubt that will be the case but one can hope.
Ricochet Will Face Brock Lesnar At Super ShowDown
Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, and Ricochet competed in a Triple Threat match tonight in the main event. The winner of the match will face Brock Lesnar at Super ShowDown for the WWE Championship.
Match Recap: Ricochet controlled the action early and made his way to the top rope. Buddy Murphy and AOP rushed the ring and beat Lashley and Ricochet down. Kevin Owens and Viking Raiders joined the party and hit Akam and Rezar with steel chairs. Lashley connected with a Spinebuster on Seth for a two count. Ricochet connected with the 630 Splash on Lashley for the victory and earned a shot at the WWE Championship at Super ShowDown. After the match, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar attacked Ricochet and hit him with the F5.
Opinion: I’m expecting Ricochet to get demolished at Super ShowDown and sell the hell out of some German Suplexes. I really cannot bring myself to get invested in this match since the outcome is so obvious. Overall, this week’s episode of RAW was a solid show.