WWE Monday Night RAW took place from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Here’s all the action that went down the night after Elimination Chamber.
Asuka, Sasha Banks and Bayley def. Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax and Mickie James
Alexa Bliss may still be the RAW Women’s Champion after a cunning showdown in the Elimination Chamber, but she’s not out of the woods just yet. Surrounded on all sides by challengers, an impromptu tag team match last night saw Bliss focus on Sasha Banks in an effort to prove her worth as the reigning champ, while Bayley flatout refused to help her teammate and left her hanging.
Thanks to Asuka however, fortunes were reversed and her deadly arsenal of submission holds trapped Mickie James in a painful armbar that quickly saw a tapout victory awarded to the Empress of Tomorrow.
John Cena addressed his Road to WrestleMania
This year’s Wrestlemania is going to be a showcase of the immortals, but don’t expect to see John Cena challenging for the Universal Title or taking on the Deadman himself. Shooting down rumours that he’d be facing the Undertaker, Cena instead claimed that his Wrestlemania match still had one option left: A Smackdown LIVE challenge, as was befitting of his free agent status within the WWE.
Bray Wyatt challenged “Woken” Matt Hardy
Woken Matt Hardy may have won the battle at Elimination Chamber on Sunday, but the Great War with Bray Wyatt ain’t “OVAH” just yet. Quickly annihilating Heath Slater in the ring, Bray Wyatt grabbed the microphone and demanded that the Woken one face him once again, as the eater of worlds would not rest until he had extinguished the light from Hardy’s world.
Seth Rollins def. Intercontinental Champion The Miz
The Kingslayer may not be wearing any gold around his waist, but his monumental achievements in the WWE ring haven’t gone unnoticed. Back in the main event scene, Rollins faced an uphill battle against not only The Miz but also The Miztourage as he had to fight with eyes in the back of his head. A taste of who The Miz might face at Wrestlemania for the Intercontinental Championship, The Miz eventually fell to a stunning revolution knee and frog splash combo, that saw the architect fly across the ring.
A bad night for The Miz, and one that was about get worse as Finn Balor entered the scene.
Finn Bálor def. Intercontinental Champion The Miz
The other potential Wrestlemania for The Miz? None other than Finn Balor, as the A-Lister attempted to avoid back-to-back matches by having his cohorts jump the first-ever WWE Universal champion. With some timely back-up from Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Balor survived the ambush. That prompted RAW General Manager Kurt Angle to hit the ring and announce a few proclamations: No Miztourage or Good Brothers at ringside, and if the restarted match had no definitive winner then The Miz would be out of Wrestlemania.
The end result? Finn Balor standing back up and thrashing the depleted Miz, knocking the wind out of the champ with his signature Coup De Grace.
Roman Reigns addressed Universal Champion Brock Lesnar
After a massive effort in the Elimination Chamber, Roman Reigns finally triumphed on Sunday when he got the decisive pinfall victory over Braun Strowman. A greater challenge awaits Reigns at Wrestlemania however: A return to Suplex City, as the conqueror known as Brock Lesnar awaits him at the end of that road.
Addressing the WWE Universe, Reigns called out Lesnar who had decided to no-show RAW that night, labelling him as a disrespectful champion who was happy to hide behind his contract when it suited him. A rematch two years in the making, Lesnar faces a challenger who doesn’t respect him either, nor does he fear the Beast Incarnate.
Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Sheamus def. Titus Worldwide (2-out-of-3-Falls Match)
If last night’s RAW tag team championship bout didn’t answer who the better team was on Sunday, then last night’s RAW showdown between Sheamus and Cesaro against Titus Worldwide certainly did. Evening and then bettering the score of Apollo Crews and Titus O’Neil having a 3-2 win record against the champions, The Bar agreed to a 2-out-of-3 Falls title defense that saw them emerge triumphant yet again.
Earning the first pin just seconds into the bout with a pinpoint Brogue Kick to a distracted O’Neil, The Bar worked their magic towards a second victory in the night by isolating O’Neil and finishing him off with a White Noise-DDT combo. At this rate, Wrestlemania is going to look pretty short for The Bar and their lack of credible opponents to challenge them for the belts.
Braun Strowman def. Elias via disqualification
The gift of destruction was in a foul mood last night, following his record-setting main event at Elimination Chamber that saw him eliminate a staggering five men within Satan’s structure. Not too happy about facing a titan who couldn’t be stopped by a concerted team powerbomb effort on Sunday, Elias pulled every trick out of his playbook in an attempt to avoid the Monster Amongst Men, ducking and dodging Strowman at every turn.
Eventually scampering underneath the WWE ring, Elias returned with a fire extinguisher that he used to blast Strowman in the face with, earning a DQ and escaping the clutches of the monster at the very last moment.
Ronda Rousey demanded an apology as Triple H laid out Kurt Angle
It’s officially official: Ronda Rousey is now a WWE employee. It’s also official: She’s already on the verge of being fired after her contract signing last night saw her smash WWE COO Triple H through a table in the ring after she was slapped by Stephanie. A livid Stephanie McMahon and Triple H weren’t exactly pleased with that turn of events, as she called out both Rousey and RAW general manager Kurt Angle to remind them of their roles in the company.
Heeding the call, Rousey and Angle hit the ring and got a reminder of just who they were dealing with, as apologies from the most powerful couple in the WWE were merely a prelude to Triple H decking Angle out in the middle of the ring. Welcome to the WWE, Ronda Rousey. Hope you survive the experience!
Last Updated: February 27, 2018
