Last week on Raw, we ended the show with Samoa Joe attacking Seth Rollins, and injuring Rollins’ surgically repaired knee in the process. Tonight, we have Samoa Joe’s official Monday Night Raw contract signing, and we find out WWE’s plans for Fastlane, and potentially WrestleMania without Seth Rollins.
Contract Signing
After the assault of Seth Rollins at the end of Raw last week, Samoa Joe is here to sign his Monday Night Raw contract. Mick Foley doesn’t like the acquisition, because of how he debuted and his association with Triple H. Joe signs the contract, and Roman Reigns makes his way to the ring.
Since Joe put the entire locker room on notice, Reigns knows that it’s directed toward him as well. After the two stare down, Mick Foley makes a match for later on tonight: Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe.
Bayley vs. Nia Jax
Bayley squared off against Nia Jax about a month ago, and with some help from Sasha Banks, Bayley would win the match and become #1 Contender for Charlotte’s Raw Women’s Championship. Jax is still feuding with Banks, and Bayley regained #1 Contendership when she pinned Charlotte in a 6-person mixed tag match last week. For now though, they face each other because Raw only has a 4-woman division.
During the match, it is announced that Bayley’s Women’s Championship rematch will take place next week on Raw.
Charlotte comes down to the ring to distract the referee, who is in the middle of counting Nia Jax out. The referee gets to 9, tries to prevent Bayley from attacking Charlotte instead of counting to 10, and Jax takes advantage with a Samoan drop. Winner: Nia Jax
Braun Strowman vs. Four Local Wrestlers
We’ve seen Braun Strowman defeat two wrestlers at once, but this time four local wrestlers will lose to the mountain of a man at the same time. To no surprise, Strowman wins. Winner: Braun Strowman
Strowman grabs a microphone, and storms to the back to find Mick Foley after getting no real competition. Foley makes a match for Fastlane: Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns.
Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak
Akira Tozawa made his 205 Live debut last week, where he showed his fast-paced, hard-hitting arsenal against Aaron Solow. Tonight, Tozawa takes on a more experienced competitor when it comes to the WWE Cruiserweight Division, Drew Gulak.
Gulak misses with a clothesline, and Tozawa counters with a snap German suplex, quickly picking up the victory. Winner: Akira Tozawa
In-ring Segment
Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho make their way to the ring for their weekly promo segment. Chris Jericho puts Tom Brady on the List of Jericho, then proposes a match for WrestleMania: Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens for the Universal and United States Championships. Owens is cautious, because he isn’t sure if he can fight his best friend. Before a decision is made, Goldberg interrupts.
The former WCW Champion gets right down to business. Goldberg accepts Brock Lesnar’s challenge for a one final match at WrestleMania, then he challenges Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship at Fastlane. Y2J accepts on Owens’ behalf, which obviously frustrates the champion.
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Sheamus & Cesaro – Raw Tag Team Championships
At the Royal Rumble Kickoff Show, Sheamus and Cesaro defended the Raw Tag Team Championships against Gallows and Anderson. Due to cheating in their previous matches, there were two referees around for the match to make sure it ends fair and square. However, Sheamus accidentally hit one of the referees with a Brogue Kick, and Karl Anderson cheated to win his team the gold. Tonight, the former champions cash in their rematch clause.
Enzo Amore and Big Cass sit at ringside to scout the match, since they have intentions of challenging whoever comes out of this match as the champions. Cesaro clotheslines Luke Gallows out of the ring, and he lands on Amore. Big Cass sees this, and immediately hits Gallows with a big boot, forcing the disqualification. Winners, and STILL Raw Tag Team Champions (via disqualification): Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
The New Day vs. The Shining Stars
Since the New Day broke the longest-reigning Tag Team Championship record, they have been doing a bunch of nothing. They had to deal with Titus O’Neil for weeks, they all got eliminated from the Royal Rumble at the same time, and now they’re facing the Shining Stars.
As they’ve done for over a year, Xavier Woods and Big E work together to put the Shining Stars away with the Midnight Hour. Winners: The New Day
Chris Jericho (c) (w/Kevin Owens) vs. Sami Zayn – United States Championship
Raw is just giving away title matches before Fastlane. Sami Zayn earned this opportunity by defeating Chris Jericho in non-title action last week. If the Underdog from the Underground wins, he will earn his first championship on the main roster.
While the referee is tied up with Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens superkicks Sami Zayn, setting up for the champion to retain with the Codebreaker. Winner, and STILL United States Champion: Chris Jericho
In-ring Segment
Austin Aries manages to get an interview with Neville, but before any questions are asked, Aries announces some breaking news. Tomorrow night on 205 Live, Cedric Alexander, Jack Gallagher, Tony Nese, Noam Dar, and TJ Perkins will compete in an elimination Fatal Five Way match to determine the new #1 Contender for the Cruiserweight Championship.
All five potential challengers come down to the ring, and a brawl starts when TJ Perkins attacks Tony Nese. After they all show their athleticism by jumping out of the ring, Neville just stands tall and robs the crowd of seeing him jump over the top rope.
Tony Nese, Neville, & Noam Dar vs. Jack Gallagher, Cedric Alexander, & TJ Perkins
All that brawling turned into a match during the commercial break. Neville walked out on Noam Dar on 205 Live last week, and he does it again to Dar and Nese. After making it a 3-on-2 handicap match, the ending is pretty obvious.
TJ Perkins tags in Cedric Alexander, who hits the Lumbar Check on Noam Dar to pick up the win for his team. Winners: Jack Gallagher, Cedric Alexander, & TJ Perkins
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
While Roman Reigns is coming down to the ring, Samoa Joe attacks him from behind. Joe doesn’t completely assault the former WWE World Champion, but he attacks him enough to have an advantage when the match actually starts. Joe is the first-ever two-time NXT Champion, beating both Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura to win the titles, so he is definitely a credible challenger to Reigns.
Braun Strowman comes down to the ring and distracts Roman Reigns, so obviously Samoa Joe takes advantage. After hitting a Uranagi (of all moves), Joe pins Roman Reigns in his Raw debut. Strowman assaults Reigns after the match, ending it by powerslamming him through the barricade. Winner: Samoa Joe
