Here are the results from tonight’s (Mon. April 17, 2017) episode of WWE Monday Night RAW (courtesy of PWInsider):
Raw opened with Braun Strowman coming to the ring, where he announced that due to the beating he gave Roman Reigns last week, he would not be appearing. WWE Raw GM Kurt Angle came out and said that Braun would face Roman at the Payback PPV on 4/30. Braun asked for competition tonight and Angle said that for what he did last week, Braun should be suspended. Braun demanded competition. Angle said, “Or what?” Angle appeared to be bending his knees to look smaller than Braun. Braun stared at him and walked off, with the implication being that he was going to do something dastardly because he didn’t get his competition.
Chris Jericho vs. Samoa Joe.
They showed footage of Joe and Kevin Owens beating up Jericho to set the stage for this. Since Owens is gone, Joe will continue the feud.
Joe attacked Jericho in the corner at the bell and nailed a series of knees then went for a Bootscrape, only to be dropkicked. Jericho hit a flying bodypress off the ropes for a two count. Joe kicked up and charged at Jericho, who dropped down and Joe went over the ropes to the floor.
When they returned to commercial, Joe was beating down Jericho in the ring and drilled him with with shots to the back. Joe nailed a back senton splash. Joe put on a nerve hold and tried to wear Jericho down. Jericho fought back with chops and came off the ropes with a double axehandle. He rebounded off the ropes and was nailed with a nice scoop powerslam for a two count. Good action thus far.
Jericho came back to nail the Quebrada for a two count. Jericho nailed a series of kicks but was blasted as he charged Joe in the corner. Joe went to the center turnbuckle and went for a back senton splash, only to miss when Jericho moved. Jericho locked on the Walls of Jericho. Joe fought his way out and drilled several strikes. Jericho tried to turn him back over but was kicked off.
Joe locked in a sleeper and Jericho dropped to his knees after attempting to fight it. Jericho got a second wind and pushed off the buckles (think Piper vs. Hart, Wrestlemania 8) to cover Joe for a two count. Joe scissored Jericho and finally forced him to tap.
Your winner, Samoa Joe.
Really good back and forth match. Jericho went down fighting and looked good in doing so. Joe winning was the right call to help build to the Rollins PPV bout. Joe looked great in the ring.
Joe took the mic and called out Rollins. He said, “Behind the mighty kingslayer.” He asked Seth if he remembered what it sounded like when Joe debuted. Joe said it was the sound of Rollins’ ligaments and joints breaking as he begged for mercy. Joe said that was just business because Seth was the chosen target to his benefactor, Triple H. Joe said that he cared about his clientele and he’s going to take out Seth for what he did to HHH and his wife, Stephanie McMahon. Joe said that it’s going to be very personal.
Rollins stepped atop the announcing table and said of course it’s personal. Joe tried to end his career. He said in two weeks, Payback is going to be a b***h.
Gallows and Anderson walked through the back and encountered the Drifter, Elias Samson, who was playing his guitar. The announcers said they would be facing The Golden Truth. Cameras shifted to R-Truth and Goldust walking in the back, but they were attacked by Braun. He beat them down until WWE Producers Dave Finlay, Jamie Noble and Adam Pearce interceded.
When they returned from commercial, referee John Cone informed Strowman, who was sitting in his locker room, that Kurt Angle told him he has the night of. Braun said he would leave when he wanted to “unless you have a problem with that.” Cone smartly did not, so Strowman sat back down, fuming.
Gallows and Anderson were in the ring. Anderson asked why they were the ones left on stand-by because Braun gave The Golden Truth “The United Airlines Treatment.” Gallows demanded Angle round them up some competition. Enzo and Big Cass’ music hit. They did their deal.
Gallows and Anderson vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass
They acknowledged Dash Wilder’s injury at the onset of the bout and said the Revival would be out of action for eight weeks. That sounds like they are going to keep Scott Dawson off TV during that time.
Cass controlled Anderson early, including a clothesline over the top. He went to the floor and tossed a charging Enzo into Anderson on the floor. Gallows soon got the same treatment as they went to commercial.
When they returned, Anderson now had control and scored a two count on Amore. They showed that during the commercial, a distraction led to Enzo being trapped in the defensive. Gallows and Anderson worked him over in their corner, running him hard into the buckles. Gallows worked over Amore’s arm. Anderson tagged in and continued the beating.
Enzo tried to fire his way past Anderson but was caught with a spinebuster. Gallows worked him over but was kicked off during a charge. Enzo dove off the ropes with a DDT and was THISCLOSE to making the tag but Anderson cut him off. That was awesome. Anderson missed a charge in the corner when Enzo ducked. Enzo faked out Anderson and made the hot tag to Cass.
Cass cleaned house with a big sideslam and nailed the Empire Elbow followed by a big boot. They went for the Rocket Launcher but Gallowed interceded. Gallows was hit with a running big boot that sent them both over the ropes, including Cass’ momentum sending him over in scary fashion. Enzo came off the ropes on Anderson, who caught him and just rudely tossed him into the corner where Enzo crashed and burned down and was pinned.
Your winners, Gallows and Anderson!
This was, sincerely, great. Gallows and Anderson looked like bad-asses, first trying to wipe out Enzo’s arm and then with the rough way they killed off Enzo to win. Cass was working hard here and his offense all looked good. That bump over the ropes was great. Anderson was bumping his rear end off here too. Even the mic work was a lot of fun. Really entertaining tag match.
The Miz and Maryse came out for MizTV. They showed the footage of WWE Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose coming out last week and beating up Miz, ruining his Raw return. Before Miz had a chance to say much, Ambrose again came out. They went back and forth. Ambrose mocked Miz’s suit and shoes.
Ambrose sat there as Miz ranted. Miz said that Ambrose never gets anywhere because he’s lazy and complacent. Dean said that he could be wearing Zumbaz and a fanny pack, but it doesn’t matter what he’s wearing, but “what’s in here” as he points at his heart. He mocked Miz for caring about branding. He said he doesn’t even know what they means, because he’s Dean Ambrose, not a brand. He said he loves what he does and would do it in front 20 people or 20,000. He said that he loves black eyes and spitting his teeth out and fighting and bleeding and sweating. He said that’s why he’s the IC champ. Dean said Miz should know, since Dean beat him for the belt.
Maryse called him a dirty little street rat. She said having the belt doesn’t mean anything. She said the man doesn’t make the champion, the championship made the man. Dean began getting ready to fight but Miz was oblivious, cutting a promo that he made the belt mean something while Dean ruined it. Miz said the belt is like Dean, a joke. Miz was attacked. Maryse hit Dean, who turned towards her. Miz tried to grab Dean, who went for Dirty Deeds but Miz scampered out of the ring. Miz and Maryse stood in the aisle as Dean dared him to come back and fight. Just a segment to further the obvious PPV bout that is to come.
Backstage, Braun was dragged Kalisto by his arm. He said that Roman was garbage and now, “so are you.” He topped Kalisto into a dumpster. Someone knocked Braun down. It was Big Show. He told Braun to try and pick on someone his own size. I suspect we have a main event.
When they returned from commercial, Show vs. Braun was made official for later tonight.
Cruiserweight division: TJ Perkins vs. Jack Gallagher
They showcased Perkins’ new attitude with clips from last week. They announced Cruiserweight champion Neville was “making a special appearance” and he came out, pyro and all, dressed to wrestle and stepped into the ring. He looked down both competitors and left the ring. He sat at ringside.
Before the match could begin, Austin Aries came out. He said he was inviting himself to the viewing party, saying he was making an even “specialer” appearance. He sat next to Neville at ringside. The crowd chanted a bit for Aries.
They finally rang the bell. Neville moved his chair away from Aries. OK, the match is going to be the backdrop for the Aries-Neville deal. Perkins scored a two count but Gallagher rolled through and locked on a side headlock. He used a takedown and scored a two count in the headlock. Perkins and Gallagher went back and forth with some good action with Jack ending up on the floor as they went to commercial.
When they returned to the broadcast, Perkins was working over Gallagher in the ring. Gallagher fired back with a series of uppercuts. He tossed Perkins and nailed a nice slam for a two count. Perkins came off the ropes with a leaping forearm. Gallagher’s nose was bleeding. Jack drilled him with a headbutt but knocked himself a little loopy. Gallagher grabbed his umbrella and preened to the crowd. He unfurled it and came off the top with a sit down senton while holding the umbrella open.
Perkins was tossed into the ring but rolled out on the other side. Gallagher followed and they locked up, Gallagher was shoved backwards into Aries, wiping him out. Aries wasn’t happy and turned his attention to Perkins but Neville attacked him. The referee was distracted, allowing Perkins to kick the ropes into Gallagher’s face and then hit the Devastation Kick for the pin.
Your winner, TJ Perkins!
Perkins is much more comfortable as a heel. The action was fine but this was about adding to the issues between Aries and Neville.
Backstage, Akira Tozawa and Apollo Crews were talking. Tozawa was happy his old friend is now on Raw. Titus O’Neil showed up and congratulated Crews about becoming a father for the first time. He asked Crews what he was going to do to make an impact. He pitched Crews becoming a member of the Titus brand. He gave Crews a pitch and it was pretty awful but Titus did a nice job trying to sell it. He gave Apollo a business card and told him to think about it.
WWE Raw Tag Team champions Matt and Jeff Hardy were interviewed. Matt said they were facing some of the most athletic competitors EVAH faced. I loved how he slipped in a little Broken Matt Hardy. Cesaro and Sheamus showed up and said that since no one has done this yet, they wanted to officially welcome Matt and Jeff back. Sheamus said they were the innovators of TLC and earned everyone’s respect, including theirs. They noted Cesaro vs. Jeff Hardy would take place later. Sheamus said it would be an honor the beat the legendary Hardys to win the belts back. Matt said ladders are wonderful, but they don’t need ladders to beat them.
Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Mickie James vs. Nia Jax
The winner will challenge Bayley. Jax used lots of monster spots early. Bliss actually drilled her with a right and tried to run away. Jax grabbed her by the hair but James knocked her out of the ring. They showed Bayley watching in the back.
Mickie and Sasha faced off. This may be the first time they ever faced off. James shoulderblocked Banks. James went to the floor, where Jax went after her. Sasha nailed a dive through the ropes as they went to commercial.
When they returned from commercial, Alexa was working over James in the corner. Nia caught her coming off the ropes and slammed her. She then slammed Sasha atop of her and slammed James atop them. She covered Mickie for a two count. She worked over Mickie and tried to choke her out with a Cobra Clutch variation. James tried to fight her way out but Jax tossed her aside.
Nia tossed Alexa across the ring by her hair. Banks was nailed with a back elbow and trapped inside a bear hug. Sasha fought back with forearms but couldn’t break her grip. Sasha tried to cinch in a guillotine choke but was turned into a suplex. James breaks up a pinfall attempt but was grabbed and choked in the air. Jax looked a little hesitant. James was able to maneuver herself into an armbar. Jax was able to pull her up and slammed her down. She turned to Bliss, who was preparing for a missile dropkick but realized Jax saw her coming and thought better of it, going right down the ropes.
Jax missed a charge on Sasha and Mickie, hitting her shoulder on the ringpost. The other three all traded moves and teased finishers. Banks nailed her double knees off the corner on Bliss for a two count but Nia pulled her out of the ring. Bliss knocked James off the apron onto Jax, who crashed to the floor.
Sasha and Bliss faced off. Bliss screamed this was her division now. Sasha nailed the Bank Statement but James broke it up. Mickie and Sasha battled back and forth. Banks was nailed with a Flapjack. They battled to the corner. Jax knocked Mickie off the top to the floor and hit a Samoan Drop on Banks. Bliss jumped in and stole the pinfall.
Your winner, Alexa Bliss!
A very good match. There were a few moments where they were off a beat or too but 90% of this was very good with some great sequences and near falls. They told a really nice story bell to bell and this was a lot of fun.
Backstage, Big Show said he was going to give Braun Strowman a taste of his own medicine, “Giant Style.”
Curt Hawkins was in the ring and said last week, Big Show stepped into the ring with him and now he’s in a main event. He said if you step in the ring with him, you become a main eventer. He also had a clever Xavier’s School for the Gifted. He called someone out. Out came Finn Balor. Looks like someone may have passed his Impact test today.
Hawkins missed a right hand and was nailed with several chops and a Slingblade. Hawkins was sent into the corner with a dropkick. Balor hit the top rope double stomp and scored the pin.
Your winner, Finn Balor!
Short match where Hawkins pinballed all over to make Balor look strong and strong he did. Balor didn’t take any bumps except the dropkick.
They showed Dule Hill, a big wrestling fan, at ringside to preview the WWE Studios film Sleight.
Backstage, Chris Jericho was being interviewed. He admitted he lost to Samoa Joe but said he was sidetracked by his Payback match against Kevin Owens. He said Owens called himself the face of America. Jericho said that Owens is a pretty ugly guy and America deserves better. They deserve the face of America. Jericho said that if he wins, he has to go to Smackdown live. Jericho riled up the fans to chant for him. Jericho thought Mike Rome was Tom Phillips and when Rome tried to correct him, Jericho was going to put him on the List, but Elias Samson walked through the promo, so he ended up on the List instead. Good promo.
They did a spooky Bray Wyatt promo with all sorts of clips as Bray asked what you were afraid of. Bray said fear brings everyone together but he is not like them and doesn’t bow down to fear. Fear lives within his house. He said he could smell the fear on Randy Orton and promised that in his House of Horrors, all of Randy’s fears will come to life. He promised all sorts of terrible things would happen to Orton. He promised Randy would know fear and horror. He said that Orton’s fear and pain would push Bray harder. He said his House of Horrors would forever be Randy’s nightmare and when Bray leaves it, he will leave alone. He said that before he goes, he will burn it to the ground with Randy inside. He invited Randy to join him in the “fire where it all began.” Good promo.
Alicia Fox was showing Dana Brooke what happened to her last week on 205 Live with the powder exploding in her face. Emma showed up and sowed the seeds of an issue between them by claiming Dana was making a joke about what happened to Fox. Fox got mad and stormed off, saying they were no longer friends. Dana told Emma what she said was a lie. Emma told her she wanted to stand on her own two feet so “let’s see how your balance is.” As a way to build the Emma vs. Dana deal, it was fine.
WWE Raw Tag Team champion Jeff Hardy with Matt Hardy vs. Cesaro with Sheamus
They locked up and Cesaro used his power to keep Hardy off balance early. Hardy made it to his face and Cesaro backed off. Hardy grabbed a side headlock but was shoved off. Hardy kicked off Cesaro and sent him to the floor. Jeff nailed a kick through the ropes and then hit a dive off the apron onto Cesaro on the floor. Cesaro was tossed back in the ring for a two count.
Cesaro caught Jeff in mid-air and slammed him. Jeff went to the floor, limping. Cesaro charged around the ring and caught him with a running uppercut. That looked great. He covered Jeff for a two count. They went to commercial.
They returned with Cesar working over Hardy and scoring several two counts. Hardy made a comeback with a clothesline and an inverted atomic drop. Hardy scored a two count. Cesaro cut him off and nailed a springboard into a flying uppercut for a two count. He set up for the big swing but Hardy tried to maneuver out of it and drilled Cesaro. Jeff went for the swanton but was caught with an uppercut while on the top.
Cesaro climbed the ropes and went for a superplex. Jeff blocked it and sent Cesaro to the ropes. He crotched himself after almost crashing down in a scary way. Jeff dropkicked him from the top, sending Cesaro off the ropes to the floor. Cesaro was nailed with a twisting moonsault off the top for a two count. Cesaro was dropkicked in the corner.
Cesaro cut off Jeff and went for the Neutralizer. Hardy backdropped him and hit the Twist of Fate. Jeff went to the top for the swanton bomb and scored the pin.
Your winner, Jeff Hardy!
Good back and forth athletic bout. Jeff seemed to be a step off as they got later into the bout, so I wonder if one of the uppercuts caught him a little hard.
They showed the footage of the Braun vs. Show.
Backstage, Heath Slater and Rhyno were talking about being on Raw when a pissed off Braun walked past them and spooked them. They showed Show walking through the back.
Big Show vs. Braun Strowman
They brawled at ringside before the bell. Strowman was nailed with several punches and sent into the ring steps.
They entered the ring and the bell officially rang. Show sent him to the floor and hit a sliding kick. Wow. He sends Strowman into the barricade. When Strowman returned, he hit a dropkick for a two count. They went back and forth working over each other’s arms. Braun whipped out an armdrag and even did a kipup. Wow. That’s pretty damn impressive. Even more impressive is that one of the armdrags almost killed Show. Whew, that was close.
Braun nailed another armdrag. He went to slam Show but Show blocked him. They each tried to slam the other but couldn’t get the advantage. Braun took control and drilled Show with kicks. He walked over Show’s chest, posing. He continued to work over Show with a right hand to the jaw. Show was picked up for the slam but slipped behind him and shoved him into the corner. Show then charged with a splash in the corner.
Show placed Braun on the top rope for a superplex attempt but was shoved off. Braun leapt off but was grabbed for a chokeslam and covered for a two count. Show went for the KO but Strowman ducked and sideslammed him for a two count. Show came back and they battled to the ropes. This time, Show teased a superplex but Strowman countered. Show was crotched on the top and stumbled back into the ring, hurting.
Strowman took some time to recover on the top and came off the top but was nailed with KO punch in mid-air but still kicked out at the last second. This is fun stuff. Show wondered what to do next and went to the top but Strowman caught him and again went to top for the superplex and they DESTROYED THE RING, which collapsed with ref Jon Cone taking a bump to the floor and everything, even the ring steps bouncing.
As everyone scrambled to check on Show and Braun, Braun recovered and stood up, strong and dominant, screaming at the crowd. Show was out and never recovered. The story was that Braun was such a tough SOB that not even the complete decimation of the ring could phase him. They did a hell of a job making him look like a beast and this was a great main event, even with the obvious lack of a conclusive finish.
