WWE RAW aired live from the ThunderDome. It was the first episode of RAW following the Elimination Chamber PPV. In addition to the takeaways below, a vignette aired during tonight’s show and it was revealed that Rhea Ripley is on her way to RAW.
RAW Results (2/22)
- Riddle def. John Morrison
- New Day def. RETRIBUTION
- Hurt Business def. Lucha House Party
- Damian Priest def. Bad Bunny
- Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax def. Charlotte & Asuka
- Sheamus def. Jeff Hardy
- Naomi & Lana def. Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke
- AJ Styles def. Ricochet
- Lashley def. Braun Strowman
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Lashley Warned The Miz
RAW kicked off with a championship celebration edition of Miz TV. The Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank contract last night on Drew McIntyre and became the new WWE Champion. Miz raised the WWE Championship above his head and pyro went off.
The Miz boasted about his career and that how everyone else from his generation are gone but he is still standing in WWE. The Miz started rambling about how the fans do not respect hit before Bobby Lashley and MVP interrupted.
MVP congratulated Miz on his victory and said Miz must have forgotten to mention that Lashley attacked McIntyre last night. Miz claimed he was getting to that and thanked them both. MVP said it was time to reveal the terms of their business arrangement and that Lashley deserves a title shot because Morrison was a part of the reason he lost the United States Championshionship last night.
The Miz agreed that Lashley deserves a title shot but said he never set a date to it. The Miz added that he is really busy and that there is just no time right now. Lashley grabbed Miz by his tie and told him he has an hour to give him what he wants or he will send Miz to the emergency room. A countdown to “Lashley’s Ultimatum” was then shown for the remaining first hour of the show.
Riddle Picked Up A Win
New United States Champion Riddle squared off with John Morrison in in a non-title match. Riddle and Morrison traded shots in the middle of the ring to begin the action. Riddle shrugged off a boot to the face from Morrison and planted him with a Gutwrench Suplex for a near fall.
Morrison poked Riddle in the eye and beat him down to the canvas. John then locked in a Dragon Sleeper hold in the middle of the ring. Riddle escaped but Morrison booted him to the outside. Morrison leaped onto Riddle and then rolled him back into the ring.
Riddle battled back and connected with a Brainbuster on the ring apron. Riddle followed it up with the Floating Bro and then a German Suplex for a near fall. Morrison hit an awesome Spanish Fly on the middle rope and went for the cover but the United States Champion was able to kick out at two.
Riddle connected with the Bro 2 Sleep but Morrison regrouped and booted Riddle to the apron. Morrison slammed Riddle to the canvas and made his way to the top rope. Morrison went for Starship Pain but Riddle got his knees up. Riddle then quickly hit the Bro Derek for the pinfall victory.
New Day def. RETRIBUTION
New Day faced RETRIBUTION tonight on RAW. Woods and T-Bar started off the action. T-Bar beat Woods down before Kingston tagged in. T-Bar brought Kofi to the corner and Mace tagged in. Mace knocked Kofi to the canvas and slammed the back of his head on the mat a few times. T-Bar tagged in and hit a Backbreaker for a near fall. RETRIBUTION hit High Justice on Kingston but Mustafa Ali demanded that they hit the move again. Kingston sent Mace out of the ring and hit T-Bar with Trouble in Paradise for the pinfall victory.
Strowman Will Earn A Title Shot If He Defeats Lashley Tonight
Bobby Lashley and MVP came down to the ring with Adam Pearce to begin the 2nd hour of RAW. The Miz and Morrison then made their way to the ring. The Miz told Lashley that he needs more time and Bobby told him to quit stalling. The Miz said he just needs some more time to give the fans the WWE Championship match they deserve. The Miz suggested that they wait a week or so before Braun Strowman interrupted.
Strowman shouted that he deserves a title shot and complained about Pearce & Shane McMahon holding him out of the Elimination Chamber match last night. Shane McMahon joined the party and came down to the ring. Shane told Pearce to tighten things up around here a bit and informed Strowman that he can’t just demand a title shot whenever he wants it.
Shane said that the Elimination Chamber was for former WWE Champions only. Strowman shouted that idea sucked and everyone else sucks. Strowman demanded a title match tonight and Shane told him that idea sucks. Shane said that if Strowman can defeat Lashley tonight, it will be The Miz vs. Strowman vs. Lashley for the WWE Championship next week. After the promo, Lashley attacked Strowman from behind and hit him with a chop block to the knee.
Hurt Business Dominated
RAW Tag Team Champions Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin) faced Lucha House Party tonight in a Tornado Tag Team match. Hurt Business dominated early and beat Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado down in opposite corners of the ring.
Dorado dragged Cedric out of the ring and booted him in the face. Lucha House Party planted Benjamin with a DDT and followed it up with a Splash for a near fall. Gran Metalik went for a Double Stomp but Cedric got out of the way. Shelton hit Metalik with Paydirt for the pinfall victory.
Damian Priest def. Angel Garza
Damian Priest faced Angel Garza tonight on RAW. 24/7 Champion Bad Bunny was ringside for the match. Priest started off the match in control but Garza battled back and brought Damian to the canvas. Angel unloaded some punches to the face and started taunting Bad Bunny.
Damian booted Garza in the side of the head and connected with the Broken Arrow but Angel kicked out at two. Garza hit a massive Clothesline that knocked Damian out of the ring. Garza dared Bad Bunny to get into the ring and Priest capitalized on the distraction by connected with Hit the Lights for the pinfall victory. After the match, Drew Gulak tried to attack the 24/7 champion but Bad Bunny sent him over the ropes.
Randy Orton Is Distracted By Alexa Bliss
Randy Orton cut a backstage promo and said “failure” is not a word he is familiar with but it has surrounded him lately. Orton noted that he was the first man eliminated last night during the chamber match and wondered what the distraction was. Orton then rolled footage of him setting The Fiend on fire two months ago at WWE TLC. Orton claimed that he was distracted by Alexa Bliss. Orton then coughed up a bunch of black liquid and scampered away.
Charlotte Flair & Asuka Aren’t On The Same Page
Charlotte Flair and Asuka faced Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler tonight on RAW. Asuka and Shayna Baszler started off the action. Asuka took control and sent Shayna out of the ring with a Hip Attack as Charlotte connected with a Dropkick on Nia Jax as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, RAW Women’s Champion Asuka was the superstar isolated in the corner and beaten down as Charlotte waited for a tag. Flair tagged in and unloaded some stomps to Baszler’s midsection. Nia Jax planted Charlotte with a Powerbomb and went for the cover but Flair kicked out at two.
Asuka tagged in and made her way to the top rope. Asuka leveled Shayna with a Dropkick and followed it up with a Hip Atttack. Asuka hit Nia with Double Knees and went for the cover but Jax kicked out at two. Asuka went for an Armbar but Shayna broke it up with a kick to the face. Charlotte accidentally booted Asuka in face and Nia hit a Leg Drop for a pinfall victory.
Later on RAW, Charlotte had a discussion with her dad and said he cannot focus with this Lacey Evans stuff. Charlotte told Ric that it wasn’t funny that he pretended that he was the father of Lacey’s baby. Charlotte got emotional and told her dad to go home and let her create her own path.
Opinion: Charlotte’s backstage promo with Ric was performed well, I just don’t care about the material. We’ve already seen it. I also find it comical that Charlotte wants to be different from Ric Flair, but comes down to the ring in a robe, struts like Ric, does the chops, has a remixed version of his theme, and the Figure Four is one of her finishers. That seems to be a gigantic contradiction.
Lana & Naomi Picked Up A Win
Naomi & Lana faced Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke tonight. The Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax were shown watching the match backstage. Rose and Brooke dominated the match early and isolated Lana in the corner. Naomi tagged in and teamed up with Lana to hit some kind of Facebuster on Mandy Rose for the pinfall victory.
Sheamus def. Jeff Hardy
Sheamus battled Jeff Hardy tonight on RAW. Sheamus dominated the action early but Jeff was able to battle back. Jeff sent Sheamus out of the ring and hit Whisper in the Wind off the steel steps and Sheamus fell in to the barricade as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Sheamus was back in control and hit White Noise for a near fall. Jeff booted Sheamus in the face and hit a Splash off the middle turnbuckle for a two count. Sheamus caught Jeff with a knee to the face and followed it up with the Brogue Kick for the pinfall victory.
AJ Styles def. Ricochet
AJ Styles faced Ricochet tonight. Omos was ringside for the match. AJ quickly took control and Suplexed Ricochet into the turnbuckle. Ricochet battled back and went for the 450 Splash but Styles got out of the way. AJ then hit the Styles Clash for the pinfall victory. After the match, Omos planted Ricochet with a Chokeslam.
Lashley Dominated Braun Strowman
Lashley faced Braun Strowman in the main event of this week’s RAW. If Strowman won, he would be added to the WWE Championship match next week. WWE Champion The Miz joined commentary for the match.
Lashley connected with a slam and went for the cover but Strowman kicked out at two. Braun hit a Splash in the corner and tossed Bobby out of the ring. Strowman charged at Lashley but he moved and Braun crashed into the steel steps.
Back in the ring, Lashley hit a Dropkick to Strowman’s knee and followed it up with a Flatliner for a near fall. Lashley went for the Hurt Lock but Braun blocked it. Lashley then went for a Suplex but Braun escaped and connected with a Clothesline. Strowman planted Lashley with the Running Powerslam and went for the cover but Lashley somehow kicked out at two.
Lashley hit a Spinebuster and followed it up with a Spear for the pinfall victory. After the match, Lashley got Strowman in the Hurt Lock and threw him out of the ring. The Miz tried to attack Lashley from behind but Bobby planted him with a Spinebuster. Lashley followed it up with a Spear and raised the title to close the show. The Miz will defend the WWE Championship against Lashley next week.
Opinion: Lashley looks as dominant as ever and will absolutely deserve the WWE Championship when he wins it. Overall, this week’s RAW was a forgettable show with several stale rematches.
