WWE RAW aired live from the Huntington Center in Toledo, OH. It was the final RAW before Royal Rumble this Saturday night. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley had a weigh in tonight ahead of their title match at the PPV.
RAW Results
- Bianca Belair def. Queen Zelina
- Kevin Owens def. Damian Priest via DQ (Priest retained US Title)
- Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Dana Brooke def. Carmella, Tamina, Nikki A.S.H.
- Randy Orton def. Chad Gable
- AJ Styles def. Austin Theory
- The Mysterios def. Street Profits
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Lesnar & Lashley Weighed In
The weigh in for the WWE Championship match at Royal Rumble kicked off the show. Adam Pearce were in the ring and introduced Bobby Lashley first. The challenger came to the ring with MVP. Graves introduced Lesnar but he didn’t come down to the entrance ramp. Paul Heyman interrupted and told Grave not to steal his shtick and introduced WWE Champion Brock Lesnar to a great reaction from the crowd.Lesnar was wearing a cowboy hat and tipped it to the crowd before his pyro went off.
The WWE Champion circled the ring a couple times before entering. Corey Graves told Brock that he wasn’t wearing appropriate attire for a weigh in and Brock jokingly asked if he wanted him to get naked. Lashley hopped on the scale and weighed in at 273 pounds. MVP cut a promo and referred to Lashley as “273 lbs of bottled lightning” that Lesnar is going to have to contend with at Royal Rumble.
MVP claimed that Lashley will gain the exact amount of weight of the WWE title after the PPV. Brock asked Heyman to kindly hold his hat and got on the scale. Brock weighed in at 286 pounds. Lashley vowed to beat Lesnar for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble and added that it was not a prediction, it is spoiler. Brock then made another “Bobby who?” joke before leaving the ring.
Bianca Belair Picked Up A Win
Bianca Belair battled Queen Zelina in the first match of the night. Belair took control of the match and leveled Zelina with a Dropkick. Bianca posed for the crowd before lifting Zelina up for a Suplex. Zelina escaped and connected with a Jawbreaker. Queen Zelina sent Bianca to the corner and delivered a running knee to the face. Zelina climbed to the middle turnbuckle but Belair caught her with a forearm to the head. Belair lifted Vega up but she countered into a sleeper hold.
Belair tried to bash Zelina into the turnbuckle but Vega unloaded some elbows to the face. Belair finally broke the hold and caught Zelina with another Dropkick. Bianca hopped to her feet and hit Zelina in a couple Suplexes. Bianca went for a Moonsault but Queen Zelina got her knees up. Zelina went for a Sunset Bomb but Belair blocked it and hit KOD for the pinfall victory.
Kevin Owens def. Damian Priest via DQ
Damian Priest defended the United States Championship against Kevin Owens tonight. Owens hit a shoulder tackle and followed it up a Senton for a two count. Owens sent Damian to the corner and stomped on him until the referee backed him away. Damian went for a Chokeslam but Owens blocked it. Damian followed Owens out of the ring and launched him into the barricade.
Back in the ring, Owens caught Priest with a Superkick and the champion fell to the floor outside the ring. Owens went for a Senton off the apron but Damian got his knees up. Damian Chokeslammed Owens onto the ring apron as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Damian connected with a slam and went for the cover but Owens kicked out at two. Priest perched Owens up on the top turnbuckle and joined him up there. Owens caught Damian with a headbutt and connected with a Tornado DDT. Owens climbed to the top rope and hit a Frog Splash for a near fall.
Owens hit a boot to the face and went for a Pop-Up Powerbomb but Damian held onto the ropes. Priest leveled Owens with a roundhouse kick for a two count. Owens once again made it seem like he injured his knee like last week and Damian wasn’t buying it. Priest stomped on Owens several times before the referee backed him away. Owens rolled up Damian and grabbed the tights but Priest kicked out. Damian got fired up and hit a big Clothesline. Priest lost his composure again and attacked Owens in the corner until the referee called for the bell. Owens won the match via DQ but Priest is still the United States Champion. Sonya Deville warned Damian Priest to get his temper under control backstage after the match.
Nikki A.S.H. Attacked Rhea Ripley
Carmella, Tamina, Nikki A.S.H. faced Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Dana Brooke in a 6-woman tag team match. Ripley hit Tamina with a couple Clotheslines and a Northern Lights Suplex to start off the action. Ripley went for a cover but Carmella broke it up at two. Everyone got in the ring and brawled before Carmella tagged in with her face mask on. Rhea was pissed and got Carmella in the Stretch Muffler for the submission victory. Nikki A.S.H. knocked Rhea to the mat and posed on the entrance ramp to end the segment.
Orton def. Gable, Scooter Race Set For Next Week
Alpha Academy and RK-Bro squared off in a spelling bee. Alpha Academy got both of their words wrong. RK-Bro spelled both of their words correctly and won the spelling bee. The Academic Challenge will span a few weeks between RK-Bro and Alpha Academy. Orton and Gable then battled in a singles match. Another promo for Veer was shown before the match.
Gable connected with an Arm Drag and followed it up with some chops. Orton battled back and Gable got out of the ring to regroup. Orton followed and planted him on the ring apron. Otis distracted Orton and Gable capitalized with a Moonsault for a near fall as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Orton took control and hit Gable with two Backbreakers. Orton set up for the RKO but got distracted by Otis attacking Riddle outside the ring. Gable rolled up Orton but he was able to kick out at two. Orton connected with a Powerslam as Riddle attacked Otis with his scooter. Ortn then hit the RKO on Gable for the pinfall victory. Riddle announced that next week’s challenge will be a scooter race.
Alexa Bliss’ Journey Back To RAW Continued
Alexa Bliss’ Journey Back to RAW continued tonight with another therapy session. Bliss claimed that Lilly always as been with her and met her once after some bullies shoved her down. Alexa said that she blacked out and Lily was there when she woke up. Bliss added that they went and got ice cream.
AJ Styles def. Austin Theory
Austin Theory had another conversation with Vince McMahon tonight on RAW. Theory boasted about destroying Finn Balor and vowed to main event WrestleMania after winning the Royal Rumble match. Austin then asked Vince for a good number in the rumble match and Vince got pissed.
McMahon told Theory that he was in a match against AJ Styles next. Theory didn’t seem bothered by it and almost left without his phone. Vince handed the phone to him and told him to come back with a really good selfie. Another promo for Veer Mahaan aired before the match. The action started off back and forth with Theory sending AJ to the outside with a Dropkick as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Austin connected with a Backbreaker and went for the cover but Styles was able to kick out at two. Theory followed it up with a Blockbuster but still could not keep AJ down. Theory went for a Powerbomb but AJ escaped and connected with the Pele Kick. AJ escaped from the ATL and applied the Calf Crusher but Theory was able to reach the ropes to break the hold.
AJ set up for the Phenomenal Forearm but Theory shook the ropes and AJ crashed to the mat. Theory went for the cover and used the ropes for leverage but the referee caught him. Austin got distracted with arguing with the referee and turned around into a Phenomenal Forearm from Styles for the pinfall victory.
Doudrop Attacked Becky Lynch
RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Doudrop were interviewed via satellite tonight. Big Time Becks will put the title on the line against Doudrop this Saturday night at WWE Royal Rumble. Lynch and Doudrop traded insults before Doudrop walked away. Doudrop showed up in the room Becky was being interviewed in and attacked her. WWE security quickly broke it up.
The Mysterios def. Street Profits
The Mysterios (Dominik & Rey) faced Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) this week. Street Profits controlled the match and Ford dove onto the Mysterios outside the ring as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Rey and Montez battled in the ring. Ford lifted Rey up in the Electric Chair but he countered into a roll-up for the pinfall victory. After the match, Dirty Dawgs came down to the ring. Dominik tried to return the favor from last week and throw Rey over the top rope. Rey reversed it and sent Dominik to the floor. Mysterios and Street Profits threw Roode & Ziggler over the top rope to end the segment. Rollins was interviewed backstage after the match to promote that he will be on SmackDown the night before Royal Rumble.
Edge & Beth Phoenix Crashed Maryse’s Birthday Celebration
The Miz came to the ring to host the birthday celebration for his wife, Maryse. There were gifts in the ring and Maryse wanted to open the big one. Miz claimed to not know what that box was and thought that Maryse had possibly gotten him a gift. Miz demanded that his security open it and it was revealed that they were joking and it was the brick Maryse hit Beth Phoenix with.
The “Grit Couple” Edge and Beth Phoenix interrupted and beat down the security team in front of the ring. Beth hit a Spear as Miz and Maryse retreated to the outside. Edge and Beth hit a 3D as Miz and Maryse watched on with concerned looks on their faces. Edge hit a Powerbomb through the gift table and posed with Beth to close the show. Edge & Beth Phoenix will battle The Miz & Maryse at Royal Rumble.