WWE RAW aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. It was the first episode of RAW following WrestleMania 36.
WWE RAW Results (4/6)
- Asuka def. Liv Morgan
- Street Profits & Bianca Belair def. Garza, Theory, and Zelina Vega
- Aleister Black def. Apollo Crews
- Cedric Alexander & Ricochet def. Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan
- Seth Rollins def. Denzel Dejournette
- Nia Jax def. Deonna Purrazzo
- Humberto Carrillo def. Brendan Vink
- Drew McIntyre def. Big Show to retain the WWE Championship
Here are 6 takeaways from the show:
Asuka Got Back On Track With A Win
Asuka squared off against Liv Morgan in the first match of the night. Morgan defeated Natalya last night on the WrestleMania Kickoff Show. Asuka and Kairi Sane dropped the Women’s Tag Team Championships to Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross at WrestleMania 36.
Match Recap: Morgan tried to roll Asuka up but she blocked it and stomped on Liv’s midsection. Asuka connected with the Hip Attack and went for a kick but Liv ducked and rolled Asuka up for a near fall. Liv hit Asuka with a Dropkick that sent her out of the ring.
Morgan followed her out there and Asuka sent her into the apron. Asuka knocked Morgan to the floor outside the ring as RAW went to a commercial break. When RAW returned, Asuka was still in control as the action had returned to the ring. Liv battled back and hit Double Knees to Asuka’s face.
Asuka planted Morgan with a German Suplex and followed it up with a Shining Wizard. Asuka went for the cover but Liv Morgan got her foot on the bottom rope to break it up. Asuka then applied the Asuka Lock for the submission victory.
Bianca Belair Joined The RAW Roster
Street Profits defended their RAW Tag Team Championships against Angel Garza & Austin Theory in a WrestleMania rematch. Zelina Vega was ringside for the match in her wrestling gear.
Match Recap: Austin Theory and Angelo Dawkins started the match off. Dawkins connected with a shoulder tackle and quickly tagged in Ford. Montez leveled Austin with a Dropkick and delivered a Back Body Drop to Angel Garza when he hopped in the ring. Street Profits then Dropkicked Garza and Theory to the outside as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Dawkins had Theory in an Arm Bar. Theory escaped and hit Dawkins with a Dropkick. Angel Garza tagged in and continued to beat Angelo down in the corner. Theory tagged in and Dawkins battled back with a Side Slam. Ford and Garza tagged in and Montez hit a Crossbody. Ford followed it up with a Dropkick and then a DDT. Zelina Vega hopped up on the ring apron and the referee stopped the match.
Garza and Theory attacked Montez Ford and Bianca Belair rushed the ring. Belair knocked Zelina out of the ring and grabbed a microphone. Bianca told Vega to get in the ring or she will have to come and get her. Belair then battled Zelina Vega with Street Profits, Garza, and Austin Theory ringside.
Vega slapped Bianca in the face and tried to run away but Belair caught her. Bianca launched Zelina across the ring a few times as Street Profits cheered her on. Belair charged at Zelina but she got out of the way and Bianca went flying into the ring post. Zelina hit a DDT and went for the cover but Belair kicked out at two.
Bianca connected with a Suplex and then caught Vega when she went for a Crossbody. Belair lifted her above her head and dropped Vega to the canvas. Austin hopped on the apron and Montez Ford beat him down. The referee then threw the match out again. Montez grabbed the microphone and said his brother and wife is here (Bianca Belair). Ford then suggested a 6-person tag match as RAW went to a break.
Ford and Theory started it off and Montez hit a Dropkick. Garza hit Ford with a cheap shot while the referee was distracted. Theory capitalized with a Clothesline for a near fall. Belair tagged in and connected with a Backbreaker on Vega. Belair hit Moonsault but Garza broke up the cover. Ford chased Garza around the ring and wound up getting a Superkick to the face from Theory. Dawkins took out Garza and then chased Theory to the back. Belair then hit the KOD on Vega for the pinfall victory.
Aleister Black Defeated Apollo Crews In A Great Match
Apollo Crews is now on the RAW roster as well and battled Aleister Black tonight. Tom Phillips said that Crews was picked up via a draft pick that was about to expire.
Match Recap: Crews applied a Headlock to start the match off. Aleister escaped and got Apollo in a Headlock of his own. Black sent Crews out of the ring as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Aleister was in control and had Crews in an Arm Bar. Crews escaped and knocked Black out of the ring with a Dropkick.
Crews followed it up with a Suplex on the floor outside the ring. Apollo connected with a Moonsault off the apron as RAW went to another break. When RAW returned, Crews planted Black with a Powerbomb for a near fall. Apollo shrugged off a kick to the face and connected with a Clothesline.
Apollo went for a Splash but Aleister got out of the way. Aleister locked in a Knee Bar in the middle of the ring. Apollo fought through the pain and reached the bottom rope to break the hold. Crews avoided Black Mass and hit an Enziguri that knocked Aleister out of the ring.
Back from another break, Aleister connected with a Moonsault for a two count. Apollo hit another Dropkick to give himself some time to regroup. Crews sold his knee injury and hobbled over to Aleister. Crews drove Black to the corner but Aleister booted Apollo in the knee. Apollo perched Black up on the top turnbuckle and hit a Superplex for a two count.
Crews followed it up with a Powerbomb and went for a cover but Aleister kicked out at the last moment. Apollo hit a Standing Moonsault and followed it up with a Standing Shooting Star Press for another near fall. Crews climbed to the top rope but Black caught him with a boot to the face.
Apollo sent Black to the canvas and then leaped towards him but Aleister hit a knee to the face. Aleister then hit Black Mass for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: I was expecting this to be a quick win for Aleister Black but instead we got a very good match that lasted multiple segments. Apollo Crews has always been excellent in the ring but hasn’t been featured much on the main roster. I don’t really understand the “expiring draft pick” that sent him from SmackDown to RAW but hopefully he finally gets a chance to perform every week.
Ricochet & Alexander Picked Up A Win
Cedric Alexander and Ricochet are officially a tag team now and battled Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch.
Match Recap: Burch and Lorcan dominated early and isolated Cedric in the corner. Ricochet tagged in and hit Burch with a Dropkick. Alexander tagged in and hit Lorcan with an Atomic Drop. Ricochet hit Lorcan with a Standing Shooting Star Press and tagged back in. Alexander took out Burch with a Suicide Dive and Ricochet connected with the Recoil on Lorcan for the pinfall victory.
Nia Jax Returned
Nia Jax made her return tonight on RAW after a year out of action following double knee surgery. Jax faced Deonna Purrazzo tonight.
Match Recap: Jax shoved Deonna to the corner and followed it up with a massive Clothesline. Nia grabbed Deonna by the hair and dragged her around the ring. Jax hit another Clothesline and then another one while taunting Deonna.
Jax planted Deonna with a Samoan Drop but didn’t go for the cover. Jax followed it up with a Cradle DDT for the pinfall victory.
Drew McIntyre Defeated The Big Show To Retain The WWE Championship
Footage was shown of Drew McIntyre after his victory over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Drew was interviewed in the ring and said the magnitude of what he has accomplished hasn’t hit him yet.
McIntyre added that he doesn’t believe this real but was able to get the plates changed on the title. Drew thanked Paul Heyman because he said during the match that he will stay down if Brock keeps getting back up. Drew stated that he has fought his entire life and he stopped getting hurt after an F5, he started getting angry.
The Big Show interrupted and came down to the ring with a referee. Big Show said McIntyre was no giant and challenged him to a match. Drew told Big Show that he is not fighting right now because he just beat Brock Lesnar. Big Show claimed that McIntyre is afraid of him and slapped Drew in the face. Drew then defended his WWE Championship against Big Show.
Match Recap: Big Show dominated the match early and beat McIntyre down. Big Show went for a Chokeslam but McIntyre escaped and planted Big Show with a Body Slam. Big Show hit a Chokeslam and went for the cover but McIntyre kicked out. Big Show went for the KO Punch but Drew ducked and hit the Claymore Kick for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Big Show’s Netflix sitcom came out today so this was just done to promote it. Still, it was ridiculous to see Big Show in a WWE Championship match in 2020. I also found it hilarious that Big Show was a face when he returned for the Fist Fight in January and was now a heel tonight. Big Show’s absurd amount of heel turns has been a running joke for a while and WWE even capitalized the word “TURNED” in the tweet above. Overall, after I briefly lost my mind because Big Show was going to win the title to promote his show, it was just a forgettable match. There were a several of those tonight with Black versus Crews being the exception.
