Posted on 2/03/126 by Bob Magee
Show Recap —
Instead of the usual start, Raw kicked off immediately with
a shot of Bron Breakker marching around ringside. He tore up
the announce table and confronted the announcers, who begged
off. Breakker tossed the announce table over and demanded a
mic.
Breakker entered the ring as his Vision teammates
frantically made their way down. Breakker called out Adam
Pearce as the Vision and Paul Heyman urged him to calm down.
Breakker accused Pearce of ruining his Rumble appearance,
and he threatened to ruin Raw.
Heyman took the mic as the Vision continued to talk down
Breakker. Heyman said this was all Pearce’s fault. Pearce
has to approve every Visa for the trip, so he had to know
who the masked man was. He also accused Pearce again of
making Bron the number two entrant.
Breakker grabbed the mic and demanded that Pearce come out.
Pearce entered and was guarded by security. Pearce was in no
mood for this. Pearce reminded them that the Rumble drawing
was random. He said he would give Breakker a gift and let
him keep his job after that piss-poor performance on
Saturday.
Breakker snapped and scrambled out of the ring (tripping
over in the process because he was so upset), but he was
stopped by Bronson Reed before he could try to get through
security. Pearce bailed.
LA Knight’s music hit. He appeared from the crowd and
blindsided Austin Theory and Logan Paul with a steel chair.
Reed chased him off. An upset Breakker went to the back.
(This was a good start to the show. The only negative was
Theory and Paul got up almost right away and weren’t selling
the Knight chair shots.)
********
There was a Royal Rumble recap video. Liv Morgan, Stephanie
Vaquer, and Gunther were shown at the arena earlier today.
They let us know Je’Von Evans lasted the longest in the
men’s Rumble match with a time of 40:58.
Je’Von Evans vs. El Grande Americano (w/ Bravo & Rayo
Americano)
Evans’ shoulder and ribs were taped up. He was off to a good
start until he missed a Stinger splash. El Grande took over,
and there was a modest, “We want Gable” chant. Evans came
right back and hit a crazy leaping dive to the outside,
almost flying right over El Grande.
Evans was distracted by Rayo, so El Grande nailed a dropkick
on the apron and lawn-darted him into the ring post. El
Grande had control through a break, and it was really dull.
(Perhaps they need to be reminded that much of the world can
see what they’re doing, or not doing, during commercials.)
Evans fought back with chops, forearms, kicks, and a
satellite DDT. Evans fought out of a submission hold, and
with El Grande lying on the other side of the ring, Evans
went to the top and hit a senton leg drop all the way to the
other side. It was a long way to go, so he didn’t quite nail
it.
Rayo distracted the referee, allowing Bravo to trip Evans
off the top rope. Rayo handed El Grande the metal plate
while the ref dealt with Bravo. The original El Grande
Americano (Chad Gable) entered to his music and posed in the
aisle.
The distraction allowed Evans to hit a running knee strike
and OG Cutter for the pinfall win.
Match result: Je’Von Evans defeated El Grande Americano
(Ludwig Kaiser) (12:30)
This match was ok. It was a bit more deliberately paced than
I expected, with a lot of striking. The crowd liked Evans,
but they were pretty quiet during the bulk of the match.
********
Michael Cole announced an attendance of 13,746.
There was a Rumble video package, this time highlighting
some of the newer faces from NXT, recent callups, and Royce
Keys (Powerhouse Hobbs).
Jimmy and Jey entered during a break. Jimmy’s back after
being gone for a few weeks as the company was out of the
country. They issued a warning shot to Alpha Academy, who
they would be defending their tag titles against next week.
They shouted out Roman Reigns for winning the Royal Rumble,
and that was that.
Cole congratulated Bad Bunny and Jelly Roll on their success
at the Grammy Awards.
********
Gunther segment
AJ Styles’ music hit, and the crowd cheered, but Gunther
excitedly walked out instead and did Styles’ pose. The crowd
booed as Gunther tried to speak. Eventually, he said Styles
found out what Goldberg and John Cena did. When you step in
the ring with the career killer, your career and legacy die.
Dragon Lee ran out as Gunther spoke. He attacked Gunther,
nailed a great-looking suicide dive, and sent him into the
ring post using a hurricanrana.
Dragon Lee charged at Gunther while he was in the
timekeeper’s area, but Gunther popped up and nailed him with
the ring bell. Gunther put him in the dreaded sleeper hold
until officials quickly broke it up.
Gunther went into the ring and picked Dragon Lee up by his
mask (while Lee was ringside). Gunther put him in the
sleeper again, this time with Dragon dangling over the side
of the ring. Officials desperately tried to pull Gunther
away (including Shawn Daivari, who grabbed Gunther by the
hair), but he only let go after Lee passed out. Gunther put
his coat on and left.
********
There was a replay of Reed and Logan trying to kill Knight
weeks back when Reed gave him a Tsunami on top of a car.
Heyman approached Pearce and asked him to make a match
between Breakker and Knight. Pearce said no. Pearce didn’t
appreciate Breakker interrupting his show. He told Heyman to
escort Breakker out of the building and tell Reed he has a
match against Penta.
Heyman asked Pearce if he knew who he was talking to and in
which city. (Fans chanted “ECW.”) Pearce told Heyman,
“F.A.F.O” (a line Heyman used on Pearce on Saturday). Heyman
chuckled, and he left.
*******
During a break, Maxxine Dupri told Byron Saxton she was
still shocked over what Nattie did. But just like there was
a new Nattie, there was a new Maxxine. She beat the greatest
women’s wrestler of all time to become the IC champion. This
Maxxine was breaking ankles and taking names.
She was sick and tired of being walked over. Nattie didn’t
elevate her, she elevated herself. Nattie taught her how to
train, but Dupri taught herself how to survive. Dupri would
give Nattie a lesson next week: that no one can decimate
this Maxxine.
********
Breakker was still pissed and tossing stuff around
backstage. Heyman tried to calm him down by telling him that
Pearce had plenty of ammunition against him already.
Breakker screamed at Heyman that he didn’t care. Breakker
barged through a door and left.
Oba Femi destroys The War Raiders
Erik and Ivar entered, presumably for a match. They were
surprised upon hearing the music of Oba Femi. The announcers
were surprised too, as they were expecting a tag match.
Femi entered the ring and destroyed both guys. He gave Ivar
a chokeslam and gave Erik a powerbomb. Femi posed as fans
chanted his name.
(This was a cool segment for Femi. Not so much for the other
guys.)
********
Finn Bálor video promo
Finn Bálor said this was a business based on respect. He
always gave respect in the indies and on the main roster.
But he was realizing that the respect was not returned to
him. He was taken for granted over and over. What happened
in Belfast was not a one-off.
He’s been showing up and showing off his entire career, but
Pearce still tried to tell him the Rumble was full. It turns
out, respect only gets you so far. He wanted the world
title. He didn’t think of himself as a bad guy, but warned
CM Punk he was willing to do bad things.
********
Nikki & Brie Bella segment
The Bellas entered. The crowd was chanting something that
sounded like booing, and Nikki asked if that was for the
Eagles not making it to the Super Bowl. Brie said they were
probably saying “Coop,” and Nikki bragged that she had good
taste. He was a pro bowler, after all. (I guess she’s dating
Eagles player Cooper DeJean.)
Nikki said the Bella twins haven’t appeared on Raw together
in over seven years. Nikki shared everyone’s excitement that
Brie was back. There were light “Yes” chants.
Brie was happy to be back home. She joked that she didn’t
return because Nikki was getting her butt kicked every week.
She returned because they were the “original tag team.” The
division was better than ever, and they wanted in. It was
time for the Bella twins to go for the tag titles.
(This was not a good promo, and this segment was a reminder
as to why people don’t like the Bellas.)
********
Otis, Akira Tozawa, and Dupri had a backstage segment with
Bret Kreischer. Otis was in a good mood seeing Kreischer,
but Dupri was all business. She planned on breaking Nattie’s
ankle next week. Dupri left. Otis and Kreischer were
excited, and Kreischer took his shirt off.
********
The first hour of the show included just the one 12-minute
match. The second match of the evening started a full 40
minutes later…
Penta vs. Bronson Reed (w/ Paul Heyman, Logan Paul & Austin
Theory)
…and this match went to commercials after 2 minutes.
Penta hit a dive ahead of the break, but it didn’t matter
because Reed got the heat moments later. Like the opening
match, not much happened during the break. (I guess all
these guys did just fly halfway across the world.)
Penta came back and hit a springboard tornado DDT for two.
Reed hit a powerslam for two, and Penta came back with a
backstabber for two.
Theory jumped on the apron, so Penta kicked him off. Penta
also knocked Logan off the apron and wiped out both guys
with a dive. Penta accidentally knocked the referee out of
the ring when he attacked Logan.
Penta took too much time dealing with the Vision, so Reed
hit him with a Jagged Edge (DVD) and Tsunami, but the
referee was still out.
Reed went outside and grabbed a chair, but was attacked by
LA Knight, who gave him a BFT onto the chair. Knight was
chased away by Logan and Theory (who quickly recovered
again, as they did in the opening segment).
Reed couldn’t get back in the ring by ten, so Penta won by
count-out.
Match result: Penta defeated Bronson Reed via count-out
(12:55)
********
The Americanos were interviewed by Saxton during the break.
This included Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate doing bad accents.
********
Liv Morgan, Dominik Mysterio, and Raquel Rodriguez segment
Dominik Mysterio entered. He’s back after being gone for a
few weeks with an injury. His mustache is even thicker than
before. The crowd chanted “Dirty Dom.” Dom said the only
reason he would come back to a place like Philly was to
celebrate the winner of the women’s Rumble. He introduced
Liv Morgan.
Morgan entered and jumped into Dom’s arms. The crowd
chanted, “You deserve it,” (not that loud), and she
responded, “I know!” Morgan said they were all in the
presence of the greatest Royal Rumble winner of all time.
Morgan wasn’t sure who she wanted to face at WrestleMania
yet. She planned to attend SmackDown on Friday to assess her
options. What she did know was that we were going to crown a
new Women’s World Champion tonight. Morgan introduced her
best friend and sister, Big Sexy Raquel Rodriguez.
Rodriguez entered. She said Judgment Day celebrated Morgan’s
big win all weekend, but they never addressed something else
that happened during the Rumble. Rodriguez asked Morgan why
she eliminated her from the match.
Morgan said she knew Rodriguez wasn’t a selfish person.
Rodriguez had a title opportunity, and now she did too. A
win for one Judgment Day member was a win for them all.
Rodriguez agreed with that sentiment, but told Morgan to
stay in the back for her match. Beating Vaquer on her own
would make winning the world title that much sweeter. Morgan
was on board with this (and relieved Rodriguez didn’t seem
upset with her anymore).
Philly Street Fight for the Women’s World Championship:
Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez
Vaquer has new generic-sounding music, and it seems like an
immediate downgrade. She also wore new gear, which included
long pants. It is a street fight, after all. (Rodriguez
wrestled in ripped jeans.)
Vaquer grabbed a table early on to the crowd’s delight, but
was unable to use it. Rodriguez powerbombed her through the
table moments later. During a break, Rodriguez wrapped a
chain around Vaquer’s previously injured ankle, dragged her
around ringside and slammed her leg into the barricade and
into the side of the ring.
After the break, Rodriguez booted the steel steps into
Vaquer’s ankle. Vaquer avoided a steel chair shot and
attacked Rodriguez with a kendo stick. Rodriguez attacked
Vaquer with the cardboard cover from the announce table,
before lawn-darting her into the ring post (second time
we’ve seen that spot tonight).
Vaquer came back with a kendo stick shot and a back suplex.
She set up for Devil’s Kiss, but Rodriguez powered up to her
feet with Vaquer still on her shoulders and dropped her onto
the top rope. Vaquer managed to respond with a thrust kick
for two. Rodriguez hit Vaquer on the head with a trash can
for a two count. Fans chanted for the Eagles.
Rodriguez tossed a bunch of chairs into the ring, and Corey
Graves gave Terry Funk a shout-out. Rodriguez caught
Vaquer’s crossbody attempt and hit a fallaway slam onto the
chairs. Vaquer avoided a corkscrew elbow drop and hit
Rodriguez with Devil’s Kiss onto a steel chair. Vaquer
wasn’t done there. She rolled to the outside and hit Devil’s
Kiss on top of the steel steps. The previous quiet crowd
chanted, “One more time.” She didn’t do it.
During a break, Vaquer attacked with the kendo stick and
chucked the trash can in Rodriguez’s face. Rodriguez fought
back and wedged a chair between the turnbuckles. She also
set up a table outside the ring.
After the break, Rodriguez tried to use the steel steps as a
weapon, but Vaquer ducked it and dropped her onto the steps
instead. Vaquer placed the trash can over Rodriguez and hit
a running meteora in the corner for two. Rodriguez booted
the can into Vaquer’s face moments later for two.
Rodriguez took her time setting up a table while the ref
checked on Vaquer, who was favouring her ankle. Rodriguez
tried a Tejana Bomb through the table, but Vaquer slipped
out. Rodriguez hit a clothesline instead.
19 minutes into the match, Morgan entered through the crowd
and handed Rodriguez the title belt, urging her to use it as
a weapon. Vaquer used the distraction to chuck Rodriguez
into the wedged chair, and knocked Morgan off the apron.
Roxanne Perez tried to interfere too, but Vaquer knocked her
off the ropes, through the outside table.
Vaquer set up Rodriguez for a hurricanrana off the top and
through the table, but Rodriguez blocked it and set up for a
powerbomb. Vaquer blocked that and hit the hurricanrana
anyway. The move sent Rodriguez through the table, but it
didn’t look good.
Vaquer followed with a Spiral Tap (corkscrew splash) for the
pinfall win.
— After some replays, Morgan laid out Vaquer with an
Oblivion. She posed with the title belt before dropping it
onto Vaquer.
Match result: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Raquel Rodriguez in
a Philly Street Fight to retain the Women’s World
Championship (21:55)
This was mostly a good match, but it dragged at times and
felt really long, and the lack of crowd reaction really
brought it down.
********
Next week on Raw:
Maxxine Dupri vs. Nattie
The Usos vs. Alpha Academy for the tag team titles
Elimination Chamber qualifying matches begin
********
Roman Reigns and CM Punk main event segment
Roman Reigns arrived in a Range Rover (he had a driver), and
he immediately made his way to the ring. Reigns said he’s
had highs and lows in Philly. He won his first championship
here on his daughter’s birthday, but he also lost his last
championship here. He won his first Rumble here, too. (He
acknowledged the fans booed him at the time.)
He won his second Rumble on Saturday, and the next city on
the schedule was Philly. This was the perfect city to be in,
because he had a decision to make. He was about to pose the
question of which title he should go after, but stopped as
the crowd chanted for CM Punk. Reigns said, “So you don’t
want me to go after Drew McIntyre?” Reigns asked if they
preferred Punk, and they cheered.
Punk entered. The crowd chanted for Punk as the two men
stared each other down. Punk looked into the camera to
address Finn Bálor. Punk said Bálor wasn’t sure if he was a
bad guy, but Punk warned him that when he was pushed, he was
the baddest guy, and he would get his hands on Bálor soon.
Reigns was perplexed at Punk interrupting his segment to
talk about Bálor. Punk said he wasn’t interrupting anything.
Reigns was a visitor on his show. “I’m the champ, CM Punk,
and I call the shots.”
Punk said Reigns had a big decision to make. Punk saw that
Reigns was asking for the fans’ help. He mentioned McIntyre,
and the fans booed. Punk proposed Reigns vs. McIntyre at
WrestleMania, and they booed again. Punk proposed Reigns vs.
the best in the world, CM Punk, and they cheered.
Punk told Reigns to take the easy way out and pick McIntyre.
Reigns scoffed at the idea that McIntyre was the easy way
out. McIntyre was four times Punk’s size, and the last time
they fought, he had Punk crying over a little plastic
bracelet.
Punk told Reigns to be careful. The last time he wrestled
McIntyre, they ran out of staples putting his dumb ass back
together. Punk knew that Reigns had beaten McIntyre in the
past, but Punk beat him in the most dangerous match this
company had to offer, Hell in a Cell.
Reigns said he beat McIntyre for three years straight. Punk
said he did, along with all of his cousins. Reigns warned
him against talking about his family. They were the only
reason this company was where it was today. And the only
reason Punk had a company to come back to.
Punk said Reigns manipulated his family and a great number
of people into thinking he was this great messiah who put
the company on his shoulders and held it high, but all he
really did was hold it hostage. Punk heard what Reigns said
on Pat McAfee’s show. He laughed at the idea that Reigns
took mini-vacations to give others an opportunity, and he
had the audacity to say nobody stepped up during that time.
Punk reminded Reigns that he was once champion for 434 days
with Paul Heyman by his side. That must sound familiar,
because Reigns followed in his footsteps and was champion
with Heyman for 1300 days. Punk said he may have done it
longer, but that doesn’t mean he did it better.
Punk said Reigns earned the right to call his shot and show
up when he wanted. Punk wasn’t mad about it. Reigns chose to
be a part-timer. Punk chose to go to ten countries in three
weeks. He chose to see the fans worldwide. He chose to go to
Poland, Scotland, Denmark, Belgium, London, Toronto, and
Philly.
Punk chose to be a fighting champion, just like he chose to
bring Reigns into the company along with the rest of The
Shield. Reigns followed in his footsteps, and he learned
from the best.
Punk said Reigns had a decision to make. Reigns could face
the guy he thinks he can beat (McIntyre), or the guy who, on
Reigns’ best day, he couldn’t touch. He could face McIntyre
or climb Mount Everest with no Sherpa and face the best in
the world.
Reigns said Punk made all these towns because he took a ten-
year vacation and wanted to get in as much as possible.
Reigns laughed at the idea that he learned from Punk. The
only thing he learned from Punk was what not to do. Punk
wouldn’t be here without him.
When they re-signed Punk, they asked Reigns first. He made a
promise to Paul, and he did the best he could. But he would
never forget ten years ago when Punk went on his friend’s
podcast and made Reigns’ life way harder than it should’ve
been. Punk came back, took his wiseman, and brainwashed his
cousins. Punk almost brainwashed him, too. Reigns shook his
hand like a man (at Survivor Series), but Punk mocked him
behind his back.
Reigns made his choice. He could pick Punk because he was
the biggest star available. He could pick Punk because he
was on the “best show.” But no.
Reigns said, “I’m picking you because I hate you. I’ve
always hated you. And WrestleMania is going to be the best
day of my life, because in the main event, you will
acknowledge me.”
Reigns dropped the mic and left. Punk smirked as Reigns
walked away.
(This was a very good setup for WrestleMania, and they gave
us plenty to chew on with the show still more than two
months away. The rest of the show mostly felt like filler in
front of another quiet, big city crowd.)