With one week before the 25th Anniversary of Monday Night Raw, tonight’s episode of WWE’s flagship show still tries to pack a lot in. Most of the show features Braun Strowman destroying the set, security, and Michael Cole, but there are a ton of matches as well. Titus Worldwide gets another shot at the bar, Nia Jax faces Asuka, The Revival continues to build momentum, and Finn Balor takes on Seth Rollins in the main event.
Opening Segment
Last week, Braun Strowman destroyed Kane and Brock Lesnar using the backstage set. After bragging about it in the ring, he is interrupted by Raw General Manager Kurt Angle. Angle says that what he did is unacceptable and he will not be competing in the Universal Championship Triple Threat match with Kane and Lesnar. In fact, he outright fires the Monster Among Men.
As security tries to escort him out of the building, Strowman turns around and throws them all around the backstage area.
Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Titus O’Neil & Apollo Crews (w/Dana Brooke)
Last week, Titus Worldwide got their biggest victory since Akira Tozawa won the Cruiserweight Championship. With Apollo Crews working on Cesaro outside the ring, Titus O’Neil took advantage of a distracted Sheamus to roll him up and steal a win. This week, the former three-time Raw Tag Team Champions look to bounce back on their way to facing Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan for the titles at the Royal Rumble.
Sheamus and Cesaro look to double team Crews when Jason Jordan’s music hits out of nowhere. Jordan watches the match from the ramp and the distraction leads to Crews getting a second roll-up win in a row for Titus Worldwide. Winners: Titus O’Neil & Apollo Crews
Cedric Alexander (w/Goldust) vs. Tony Nese (w/Enzo Amore)
Last week, Cedric Alexander defeated Enzo Amore in a Cruiserweight Championship match… by count out. This means that Amore is still champion and Alexander will get another title shot at the Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View. Amore banged up his ankle last week so tonight, Alexander takes on “Tony Abs.”
Alexander reverses Tony Nese’s attempt at a pumphandle slam and immediately launches him into the Lumbar Check, scoring a secure win before the biggest match of his career. Winner: Cedric Alexander
Strowman’s Rampage Continues
After everything that happened earlier, Strowman continues to destroy the Raw set. He makes his way to the stage where Kurt Angle tells him that Stephanie McMahon re-hired him to prevent any further destruction. Then, just because he feels like it, Strowman throws Michael Cole into the group of security guards.
Asuka vs. Nia Jax
For the first time since joining the man roster, Asuka and Nia Jax go head-to-head. They both have faced each other in NXT where of course, Asuka was victorious. Nia Jax has become one of the most dominant forces on Raw and her experience can give her an opportunity to be the first one who defeats the Empress of Tomorrow.
While Jax is on the steel steps, Asuka kicks her leg from out from under her. Jax’s leg gets caught between the steps and the ring apron, twisting her leg. When she tries to stand in the ring, her leg buckles and the referee ends the match. Winner (via referee’s decision): Asuka
The Revival vs. Unnamed Tag Team
After making their return to Raw a few weeks ago, the Revival just destroys a team so bad that they have no names. After a minute of hard-hitting offense, they win with their signature Shatter Machine. Winners: The Revival
Roman Reigns vs. Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel (w/The Miz)
After losing to the Balor Club last week, Roman Reigns was assaulted by The Miz and the Miztourage. Before Reigns defends the Intercontinental Championship against Miz next week, Reigns has to take on both members of the Miztourage at the same time. Finn Balor defeated Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel at the same time a few weeks ago, so there is no reason why Reigns cannot do the same.
Even while being outnumbered 3-1, Reigns gets a pretty easy win over Dallas and Axel. Winner: Roman Reigns
Sasha Banks (w/Bayley & Mickie James) vs. Sonya Deville (w/Paige & Mandy Rose)
Over the past few weeks, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Mickie James have been tied up with Absolution. After a two-on-two tag match with Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose, Banks returns to face Deville in a singles match. However, the spotlight is on Paige who is rumored to have been forced to retire without any official announcement.
As Banks jumps from the top rope, Deville counters with a kick to the midsection and picks up a shocking victory over the former four-time Raw Women’s Champion. Winner: Sonya Deville
Woken Matt Hardy vs. Heath Slater (w/Rhyno)
This is the latest challenge in Rhyno’s quest to toughen up Heath Slater. This has failed against the likes of Braun Strowman and Kane, while Slater now takes on Woken Matt Hardy. Hardy rapidly changed from one half of Team Extreme to a rambling psychopath who believes to transcend time and space.
Unsurprisingly, Hardy’s unorthodox offense gives him an edge as he takes care of Slater. Winner: Woken Matt Hardy
Announcement
The first member of the 2018 Class of the WWE Hall of Fame is former Universal Champion Goldberg.
Finn Balor (w/Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) vs. Seth Rollins (w/Jason Jordan)
On the way to defending the Raw Tag Team Championships, Jason Jordan believed that Seth Rollins needs a warmup against Finn Balor. The last time these men competed against each other was at SummerSlam 2016 where Balor became the first-ever Universal Champion.
In an act of payback from earlier tonight, Sheamus and Cesaro try to distract Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins to prevent them from winning. Instead, they accidentally attack the Good Brothers and start a brawl outside the ring. Rollins takes advantage of this to hit Balor with a Curb Stomp (which hasn’t been seen in months) and he picks up a win over Balor for the first time in his career. Winner: Seth Rollins
