WWE RAW Results – January 18, 2016

WWE Raw on the USA Network – January 18th, 2016
Live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio

– RAW opens up with a Martin Luther King tribute video and a shot of the crowd before the opening video rolls.

– We’re live from Columbus, Ohio. The pyro hits and Michael Cole welcomes us to the last RAW before the 2016 Royal Rumble. Cole, JBL and Byron Saxton talk up Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar appearing on The Highlight Reel later.

– WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns comes down through the crowd and hits the ring. Roman Reigns cuts a promo calling out Brock Lesnar. Jericho hits the ring and welcomes us to RAW Is Jericho. Jericho invites Reigns to join him on The Highlight Reel with Brock Lesnar later on in the show, and Reigns accepts. The League of Nations music hits and out comes Rusev, King Barrett, Sheamus and WWE United States Champion Alberto Del Rio. They set up a match to take place right away: Roman Reigns vs. Rusev, with Chris Jericho as the special guest referee.

– Roman Reigns def. Rusev (w/Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, King Barrett) in a non-title match. A few minutes into the match, Sheamus interferes and gets ejected from ringside by Jericho. Jericho then ejects Barrett and Del Rio, and dances around the ring. Reigns hits a superman punch and a spear on Rusev for the win. Jericho and Reigns will be back later in the show for The Highlight Reel with Lesnar and Heyman.

– Stephanie McMahon confronts Jericho backstage. Stephanie says he didn’t have the authority to make that match, and cuts a promo on him for messing with “her show.” She says if he does it again, he’ll “never, ever” be the same again.

– Natalya def. Brie Bella in a singles match. Brie Bella gets in some offense early on. Natalya plays possum after Brie misses a kick, then hits the sharp shooter for the win.

– Coming up: Ryback and The Dudley Boyz vs. The Wyatt Family, and we find out who gets the #1 spot in the Royal Rumble.

– The Wyatt Family def. Ryback and The Dudley Boyz in a six-man tag match. The match starts with back-and-forth action until Bray Wyatt gets the tag and unloads with offense on DVon. Wyatt misses a splash on DVon and Ryback gets the tag. Ryback cleans house, then eventually tags in Bubba. Bubba and DVon go for a 3D on Harper, but Rowan interferes and lays out DVon. Harper kicks Bubba then hits a discus clothesline for the win.

– After the match, Wyatt cuts a promo about how there will be “no salvation” at the Royal Rumble.

– The Big Show def. Heath Slater in a singles match. Big show comes out first, then The Social Outcasts – Heath Slater, Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel and Adam Rose, come out and cut a promo. Slater retreats to the floor to try to avoid the match early on, but the Big Show lifts him back into the ring and hits the knockout punch for the win. Show lays out the remaining members of The Social Outcasts after the match.

– Backstage: Stephanie McMahon tells the League of Nations that Jericho punked them, and tells them they should do something about it.

– Vince and Stephanie McMahon come out to draw for the #1 entrant in Sunday’s Royal Rumble. Stephanie spins the tumbler full of names and Vince picks one, but he says he doesn’t like it and puts it back. He picks another one, and it’s Roman Reigns. Stephanie puts the name back in, and they draw two more times, and both times it’s Reigns again. Vince says Reigns will be the first man in the Royal Rumble, but after Sunday, he won’t be #1 any more.

– Ric Flair with WWE Divas Champion Charlotte are sitting at ringside.

– Becky Lynch def. Tamina Snuka in a singles match. Becky starts off in control and unloads with kicks and strikes on Tamina. Tamina comes back with some kicks. Tamina runs into an elbow, then Becky applies the Dis-arm-her from out of the corner for the win.

– After the match, Becky calls out Charlotte for a Divas championship match at the Royal Rumble. Charlotte declines, but Becky says she’s a coward like Ric Flair has become in his old age. Flair freaks out and accepts the match for his daughter. Charlotte doesn’t look pleased, and it looks like Becky Lynch will challenge Charlotte for the Divas title on Sunday.

– Kevin Owens comes out and joins the commentary team.

– Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio def. Kalisto and Dean Ambrose in a tag-team match. After some back and forth action to start, Ambrose knocks Del Rio to the floor and catapults Kalisto onto everyone else. Sheamus and Del Rio take control, but Ambrose is able to get in some offense with a running bulldog and a swinging neckbreaker. Sheamus gets the tag and hits the Irish Curse backbreaker on Ambrose for a 2 count. Kalisto gets the tag. Sheamus blocks Salida del Sol and hits a Brogue for the win.

– We get a look at Jericho destroying Xavier Woods’ trombone last week. They cut to WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day having a memorial service for Francesca The Trombone in the back. Jey Uso vs. Big E is announced.

– Big E def. Jey Uso in a singles match. Back and forth for the first few minutes of the match until The New Day cheap shots Jey on the floor, in honor of Francesca The Trombone. Jey takes control of the match until Woods distracts him from the apron and Big E hits the Big Ending for the win.

– Mark Henry, Neville, R-Truth and Titus O’Neil def. The Ascension, Tyler Breeze and Stardust in an 8-man tag match. Henry nails a World’s Strongest Slam on Breeze, and then Neville follows up with the Red Arrow for the win.

– “The new savior of WWE” Chris Jericho welcomes us to The Highlight Reel. Paul Heyman cuts a promo on Jericho, and tells Jericho he’s lucky his client Lesnar isn’t interested in him. Heyman says Lesnar is only interested in Roman Reigns. Jericho poses the question: What if he is in the Royal Rumble and eliminates Brock Lesnar himself? This brings out the former UFC champ. Lesnar’s music hits and he walks down to ringside when Roman Reign’s music interrupts. Reigns makes his way into the ring from the crowd, with Lesnar looking on from the floor. Lesnar enters the ring and gets a spear from Reigns. Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, King Barrett and Rusev run in to beat down Reigns. Lesnar hits a German suplex on Rusev and all hell breaks loose. He hits an F-5 on Sheamus, then Reigns hits Lesnar with another spear. The lights go out, and when they come back on, the Wyatt Family is surrounding the ring. They lay out both Lesnar and Reigns, then Bray Wyatt cuts a promo saying the Royal Rumble belongs to him. The Wyatt Family stands tall over Lesnar and Reigns in the ring as RAW goes off the air.