ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Brian Cage is about to become a free agent.
A new report from Fightful Select notes that Cage’s AEW contract is set to expire in a matter of weeks. That could change at any time if an extension is reached.
Cage originally signed his AEW contract in 2020 when he joined the promotion, and it was a two-year deal. However, his option year was picked up by AEW. At that time, word going around was that Cage was pleasantly surprised as he didn’t expect to have his option year picked up because he had been off TV for almost one year.
WWE Interest?
The report noted there have been feelers within WWE to gauge the company’s interest in possibly bringing Cage in. As of this writing, it remains to be seen whether either side has an interest.
While away from AEW, he had been working for Warrior Wrestling, XPW, and other indie promotions. Cage has received internal praise for his work since returning to AEW TV in September.
Cage is currently on a four-match winning streak in AEW as Cage has picked up wins over Schaff, Carl Randers, and Willie Mack before beating Mack again on last week’s Rampage episode.
This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite will feature Cage vs. Bryan Danielson in singles action.
Bianca Belair went on to win the 2021 30-Woman Royal Rumble match and headlined WWE WrestleMania 37 with Sasha Banks. This came one year after she was called up to the main roster from NXT.
For the past nine months, Belair has been the Raw Women’s Champion. Belair’s rise was discussed on the Public Enemies Podcast by former WWE writer Chris Dunn.
This is where the original plan for the 2021 Women’s Royal Rumble match was revealed.
Original Winner
He revealed that Charlotte Flair was penciled in to win the match. The finish had been practiced, and Flair was going to go over. Belair was going to be eliminated midway through the match. However, fellow writer Ryan Ward presented his case to Vince McMahon about why Belair should win instead of Flair.
“I was in a Tampa Hotel room and we were watching some sort of football game and an assistant had just left the Royal Rumble (2021) night-before meeting and they changed the finish and Charlotte [Flair] was going to go over and they rehearsed Charlotte going over and Bianca [Belair] was going to get eliminated like midway through the match and it got changed to Bianca going over and I think a lot of people voiced it but this guy, Ryan Ward, he’s been there for like 14 years, he was [John] Cena’s writer and probably, for my money, I think has had the biggest hand in the women’s revolution.
He was lead writer in the golden days of NXT with Kevin [Owens] and Sami [Zayn] and The Four Horsewomen, all that stuff. From my understanding, what I heard, he kind of said something to Vince [McMahon] to the effect of, ‘Vince, if you look at the Royal Rumble tomorrow, you have Edge winning and Charlotte winning. We’re not making any new stars’ and I think that really resonated and Bianca was on such a roll where it kind of made sense and she also had to, again, right after that match, really nail that post-match promo and she did it and she was just awesome and great.”
Belair will make her next title defense at the Royal Rumble against Alexa Bliss this Saturday.
WWE did an angle on Monday at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, with Bron Breakker and Grayson Waller.
Breakker retained his WWE NXT Title over Waller a few weeks ago at New Year’s Evil via count out. They will run it back at NXT Vengeance Day next month inside of a steel cage at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The angle was first seen when Miss Indiana USA Alexis Lete posted a video on her Instagram Stories in what was supposed to be a clip about what she’s been learning while training to become a WWE Superstar. At the end of the clip, you can see a bunch of other trainers and wrestlers swarm Breakker and Waller to try to break things up.
Another View
An alternate view of the fight can be seen below, where Breakker was throwing hands after taking down Waller.
A match or two will likely be added with the event a week away, but the current lineup features four matches. The other bouts previously announced for the show include NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne, NXT Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. Gallus vs. Pretty Deadly, and NXT North American Champion Wes Lee vs. Dijak.
Roxanne Perez has revealed how Mandy Rose reacted to finding out that she’d be dropping the NXT Women’s Title to her.
Last month, Perez shocked fans when she pulled off a surprise win over Mandy Rose on an episode of NXT to capture the NXT Women’s Title. However, shortly after, Rose was released from the company.
It was alter determined that Rose was let go after releasing explicit content on her subscription fan page. Perez recently spoke to Faction 919 about the entire ordeal, and what it was like working with Rose in her final match with the company.
“For her to be such a good human being, I was always so grateful for her. In a way, I was a little sad, because of the way it was happening, but she was so supportive and being like, ‘You deserve this.’ It made it so much more special.
“To have Booker T, my trainer, on commentary. My boyfriend was also there as well, he was a big part of my training and me becoming a wrestler. To have them there and when they gave me the championship, holding it in my hands, it didn’t feel real until that moment.
“Everything I went through, all the trials and tribulations, the ups and downs of this wrestling journey that I’ve been on since I was 13, all those moments were so worth it. It was finally real and it finally happened. It was crazy.”
(via WWE)
Perez noted that Rose was actually supportive of her throughout the title win, telling her she deserves it.
Perez is in the midst of her first title reign as NXT Women’s Champion. She only signed with the company last March and is already a former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion alongside Cora Jade.
Monday’s 30th anniversary edition of WWE Raw was an eventful show. Perhaps the most buzz-worthy moment of the 3-hour marathon broadcast was the face-to-face confrontation between The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt.
The Dead Man whispered something into Wyatt’s ear that had a profound impact on the Eater of Words. Wyatt took a moment on Tuesday morning to share his feelings about the interaction with his legion of fans on social media.
Wyatt says that one moment with The Undertaker at Raw 30 “justified a lifetime of sacrifices” for him. Whatever you want to say about Wyatt’s WWE character, you have to agree: he’s unique. This uniqueness has brought adversity, including people encouraging him to change and confirm. He’s resisted these calls, and now feels reassured that he hasn’t compromised himself to fit someone else’s narrative.
This moment justified a lifetime of sacrifices for me. A lifetime of people treating my uniqueness like it was a disease. Through all the bad times I never changed myself to fit anyone’s narrative. I’m proud of that. Thank you Taker. #SuckItLAKnightpic.twitter.com/nQHYWNq7CL
The interaction with Bray Wyatt on Raw was also meaningful for The Undertaker. He echoed the sentiment that pro wrestling is all about moments. He’s created countless moments throughout his legendary career, but his brief encounter with Wyatt on Raw was a special one he’ll remember for a long time.
Many are looking at The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt’s interaction as a passing of the torch, of sorts. Taker has been WWE’s resident supernatural character since he arrived on the scene in November 1990. Many others have come and gone, but nobody has pulled it off quite like The Undertaker.
They’ve worked together before, most notably a feud that culminated at WrestleMania 31. The Undertaker has publicly expressed his respect for Wyatt, his creativity and his persona. He’s called Wyatt a “phenomenal talent” who has a lot to offer the industry.
AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin has given some new details on his television show as he finished filming the pilot for the series.
The show was announced last year as it replaced “Rhodes to the Top,” which had aired on TNT but was put to an end once Cody and Brandi Rhodes left the company.
TNT contacted D Allin about his own TV show, which he discussed when speaking with Tony Hawk and Jason Ellis ‘Hawk vs Wolf Podcast’. Allin mentioned that a pilot for his television show has been filmed and that he wore a dog’s shock collar while trying to skateboard during the filming.
Due to his interests outside of the ring of doing various stunts, there has been speculation the show may be like the “Jackass” franchise, where he puts his body on the line.
The Show
“I was wearing one (electric shock collar) when we were filming the pilot for my TV show and we were trying to do some skating with the shock collar and stuff like that and I was like, this is impossible. I couldn’t imagine putting that on a dog. Crazy.”
Allin won the TNT Title for a second time to kick off the year and has made three successful defenses against the likes of Mike Bennett, Juice Robinson, and KUSHIDA. Darby’s next scheduled defense is against Buddy Matthews this Wednesday.
WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley has reacted to missing out on RAW XXX this week.
This week’s episode of RAW celebrated the show’s 30th anniversary. The show featured the return of several notable legends such as The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, and many more.
However, one notable absence was none other than Mick Foley. Foley took to his Facebook profile to explain that he “politely declined” an invitation to be part of the special episode.
“Sending out happy 30th anniversary wishes to everyone involved with Monday Night Raw. It is no exaggeration to say that some of the very finest moments of my life took place on this program – and I’m hoping for another 20 years. I was not able to make it this time, but I just might be there for the 50th anniversary in 2043!
“I’m wondering what a few of your favorite Mandind, Dude, Cactus or Commissioner Foley moments are from the Monday Night archives… Winning the title from @therock the first time is the no-brainer end so try to take a little deeper dive than that!
“Thanks to all of you who watched for so many years, and have a nice day!”
Foley occasionally appears on WWE programming from time-to-time but hasn’t been a regular since his stint as Monday Night RAW general manager ended in 2017.
He has admitted that he has been reluctant to be on WWE programming as he has had issues remembering his lines as of late. Foley was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2013.
Mercedes Moné will only wrestle a handful of times a year for New Japan Pro Wrestling, but fans will see plenty of her in the coming months.
Moné made her debut for New Japan at Wrestle Kingdom 17 earlier this month, confronting IWGP Women’s Champion KAIRI after a title defense against Tam Nakano.
The former Sasha Banks attacked KAIRI after the match and a title match between the two has been set for next month.
Future Plans
Moné hopes to become the second-ever IWGP Women’s Champion on February 18, but more details are being presented about future matches.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that Moné is only contracted for a handful of matches, with her second set for NJPW Sakura Genesis on April 8, at Ryogoku Sumo Hall.
Moné’s third match will see her compete at a STARDOM event at the Yokohama Arena on April 23.
Other than the Battle in the Valley match, no opponents have been announced for Moné’s other matches.
It has been reported that New Japan has already planned for a sequel to Moné Vs. KAIRI next month.
Outside the Ring
Reportedly contracted to just a handful of matches a year with New Japan, Moné has plenty of time for non-wrestling projects.
The former Superstar has a budding acting career, having appeared as Koska Reeves in Disney+ hit ‘The Mandalorian.’
Last month, Moné informed her fans on Twitter that she had wrapped up shooting for her first feature film in Boston, MA.
During her hiatus from WWE, the former Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion walked the runway for New York Fashion Week alongside fellow wrestler Naomi.
Should women be blading in professional wrestling? Willow Nightingale says yes.
While blood is common in men’s matches for promotions that allow blood, women’s wrestling has often gone years if not decades without a single laceration.
That has changed in recent years, though there are some (including Ric Flair) who are opposed to the idea of women blading.
The Tag Match
During the January 13, AEW Rampage, Nightingale teamed with Ruby Soho to face Tay Melo and Anna Jay, which saw plenty of the red viscous liquid.
Speaking on The Sessions, Nightingale recalled the match and the restrictions put in place before the bell rung.
“We are all very excited to be given the opportunity to do something like this. Anna and Tay have already done this a year ago on Television. They had a lot of fun with it. There are limits, I guess, on how grotesque it’s allowed to be. I can only speak from my experience. I don’t know if this is the case with other matches, other tag matches, or men’s wrestling. I don’t know what those conversations are like. I only know the conversations that we had and for us, it was that one person from each team was allowed to bleed.
“We all wanted to get our hands dirty and we all wanted to do crazy stuff.”
Willow Nightingale.
“We all wanted to get our hands dirty and we all wanted to do crazy stuff, but we were like ‘okay, understood.’ We didn’t have to worry about it because Ruby bled enough for everybody. I felt it was awesome, I thought she looked killer. She thought she looked great. She had to get stitched up after and I held her hand as she got injected [with an anesthetic.]”
The match saw Soho and Nightingale get the win in the main event of Rampage
Backlash
While the match was lauded by many, many fans also criticized the match, arguing that the level of blood wasn’t fitting for a women’s division match.
Speaking about the negative response, Nightingale felt fans needed reminding that countless women will bleed once a month, whether they want to or not.
“We were just really excited about everything and I think if people are getting their panties in a bunch about [women blading in wrestling,] then that’s the least of your concerns. Like, we bleed every single month. Nobody talks about that, and I’m sure if that happened [in the match] or if it happened ever on the show, people would make a big deal about that too. You know, If someone was to bleed through their gear.”
“If people are getting their panties in a bunch about [women blading in wrestling,] then that’s the least of your concerns.”
Willow Nightingale.
“We bleed the same as men do. We take the same bumps in the ring as they do. We’re at the same risk so I just don’t understand why there has to be a double standard about physically seeing blood. Ultimately, it’s what we signed up for. We were aware of this possibility.”
WWE presents a new episode of NXT tonight on the USA Network live from Orlando, Florida.
We’re less than two weeks out from NXT Vengeance Day, which takes place next weekend on Saturday, February 4. The event will stream live on Peacock at 8pm (Eastern).
Tonight’s broadcast will see an NXT Vengeance Day Women’s Championship Summit. What will happen when Gigi Dolin, Jacy Jayne and NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez go face-to-face (to-face) ahead of their clash on 2/4?
We’ve also got several matches advertised, including:
Alba Fyre will battle NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Kayden Carter and Katana Chance in a 1-on-2 handicap match with the titles on the line.
Tiffany Stratton vs. Indi Hartwell
Elektra Lopez vs. Wendy Choo.
Fallon Henley and Kiana James be in action
Check back later tonight for our weekly NXT Results feature. Catch up on all the happenings from last week’s show right here:
The New Day are one of the most remarkable success stories of WWE’s current era. The trio of Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E started off as a completely different kind of faction. Plans changed however and the group ended up getting over with completely different characters. Even today, the trio can’t believe that they get paid to do things such as swivelling their hips in front of arenas full of people.
Kingston was recently interviewed by Under The Ring podcast. The former WWE champion was asked if there has been a moment with the New Day where he thought it was ridiculous that he was getting paid for it. The wrestling veteran laughed at the question and explained that there are many such moments:
“There’s so many moments. It was probably at some point in time when I’m out there twerking. E’s out there swivelling his hips, Woods just swivelling his hips and the entire crowd is doing it along with us. They’re going to buy our shirts.
We’ll leave the arenas and people will be waiting to see WWE superstars on the way out, and then you’ll have the entire crowd just swivelling their hips and we’re like, ‘Man, this is out contribution to society.'” said Kofi Kingston,
“People are out there from all ages, little kids all the way up to old ladies out there swivelling their hips, and trying to say what’s up? So when you sit back and think about all the crazy things that we have done, it’s really quite remarkable. We say often, ‘We can’t believe that we get paid actual money to do this, it’s crazy.'”
WWE attempted to present a feel-good show for Monday’s Raw 30th anniversary special. Despite the company’s best efforts, but many fans were left disgruntled and dejected over the way women were booked on the show.
Raw 30 (Results) saw some memorable moments, including The Undertaker’s interaction with Bray Wyatt, Ric Flair proudly introducing his daughter Charlotte, DX interacting with Imperium and Brock Lesnar’s show-closing return.
Despite these high points, there’s been a lot of negative feedback over the lack of emphasis on female Superstars. The top women’s match advertised for the show, a steel cage match between Becky Lynch and Bayley, never took place.
Due to earlier segments in the show running long, the decision was made to cut the women’s cage match and simply run a quick ‘attack’ angle instead. We did get Bianca Belair vs. Sonya Deville, as well as a backstage promo from Alexa Bliss and a special appearance by Charlotte Flair. Rhea Ripley even got involved during the Usos vs. Judgment Day tag title match. However, there was enough backlash to get #WWEWomenDeserveBetter trending on Twitter.
WWE advertised the Bella Twins for RAW 30, but they were nowhere to be found. They posted a video on social media venting about WWE’s poor treatment its female talent. Nikki mocked WWE for getting upset that Sasha Banks was “too over” and Brie added, “there’s a bunch of us they doin’t want to show.”
It’s not a great look for WWE. They’re quick to pat themselves on the back for empowering women, but they’re falling short in the eyes of fans and even their female talent. Women have been part of some of the biggest moments in Raw history. Some of those moments were featured during the ‘flashback’ segments that aired throughout the broadcast.
At the end of the day, feedback from fans (and talent) matters. Even if you think you’re doing a great job, substantial backlash like this needs to be considered.
This was all a LIE, the Women were totally overlooked last night and it was embarrassing, that photo was the only recognition they got, @WWE showed they don't give a d*mn about their Women's and history through all these years, they DESERVE better #WWEWomenDeserveBetterpic.twitter.com/2P7qlgN47A
Mark Briscoe will still not be allowed to appear for All Elite Wrestling, even after the death of his brother Jay.
Jay Briscoe died in a car accident last week when a vehicle driving the other way swerved onto his lane, mere minutes from Jay’s home in Laurel, Delaware.
Briscoe was 38 at the time of his death, and his daughters, who were in the vehicle at the time, have since undergone surgery.
Controversy
The Briscoes were one of the most popular tag teams of their era but were banned from appearing for AEW.
The decision was made by AEW’s partners at Warner Bros. Discovery, who did not want the Briscoes given controversial statements from Jay’s past.
In June 2011, Jay stirred controversy when he tweeted “a lot of f*gs out in New York today,” and would share a similar homophobic message following Hurricane Irene.
When the Delaware Senate passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry in May 2013, Briscoe said “try and teach my kids that there’s nothing wrong with that and I’ll f*cking shoot you.”
After considerable backlash, Briscoe explained these comments as his redneck heel character, and did not reflect his personal beliefs on homosexuality.
Briscoe also agreed to donate his full salary from the next two shows to the Partners Against Hate charity.
In 2021, Ian Riccaboni said “If folks only knew how Jay supports and puts over all talent, specifically LGBTQ+ talent, as a leader in the locker room.”
Following his death this month, Dave Meltzer said that Briscoe was considered to have completely reformed his views on the LGBTQ+ community, and that he enjoyed the support of LGBTQ+ wrestlers.
Banned from AEW
Though it was Jay who made the comments that saw the Briscoes banned by WBD, his brother Mark will suffer the consequences.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alverez read asked if Mark will be allowed on AEW TV and to join the roster following Jay’s passing.
“I already know the answer. The answer is no. Okay? I can’t tell you more. It could change, but that is the answer.”
Dave Meltzer.
Both Meltzer and Alverez were evidently frustrated, and Meltzer said he hopes this changes.
This isn’t what fans had originally expected, as many believed it would have been Reigns Vs. The Rock, but that match is now unlikely to happen.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said there has been talks in WWE about Austin facing Brock Lesnar this April.
“The match that was pitched was not with Roman Reigns. It was Brock Lesnar, but as you can tell, pretty much from the show tonight [Raw is XXX] it’s not happening. It’s not on. Something could happen now [but it’s not on at this time.]”
Dave Meltzer.
Meltzer added that talks of Lesnar Vs. Austin is nothing new and was happening backstage as far back as early December when reports broke that Lesnar Vs. GUNTHER was the WrestleMania plan.
“It’s been talked about, probably for months. Because I know when they had that Brock Lesnar-GUNTHER thing came up, I was told immediately it’s not happening, or that’s not the idea right now. Maybe it’s going to happen. But the idea [for Lesnar’s WrestleMania opponent] was a secret. Austin was that secret.”
Lesnar Vs. Lashley
On last night’s Raw 30th anniversary episode, Brock Lesnar made his TV return, costing Bobby Lashley a shot at the U.S. title.
On his show, Meltzer said that all signs are pointing to Brock Vs. the All Mighty at WrestleMania.
“The match is not on. It looks like it’s going to be Lesnar with Lashley, based on the show tonight. I don’t have that confirmed if it’s a WrestleMania match. Obviously, both will likely be in the Rumble, probably feud. Whether that means Montreal where the Pay-Per-View is there [Elimination Chamber 2023] or WrestleMania, I don’t know, but it seems like it’s probably something to do with WrestleMania.”
When speaking about Roman Reigns and a potential match with Austin, Meltzer said we should have a clearer picture after this weekend’s Royal Rumble.
“As far as Roman Reigns goes, I don’t know, but I figure that whatever Roman Reigns’ situation [for WrestleMania] will be, we will know on Saturday night, based on who wins the Rumble match.”
Gracie has regained feeling below her knees, after being left with no movement below her waist and no sensations below her knees after the crash.
Her strength is said to be improving after working with physical and occupational therapists, and she was able to assist with her transfer into a wheelchair on Monday afternoon.
Jaleigh’s feeding tube was removed on Saturday night, and the nine-year-old was allowed to eat as much as she wanted on Sunday.
On Monday, she was able to get out of bed and stand up, and was able to spend some time with her older sister.
After returning to her bed, Jayleigh’s wound VAC (vacuum-assisted closure) on her abdominal incision was removed.
Mark Briscoe
Mark Briscoe wasn’t in the vehicle at the time of the crash, but has kept silent to the public since the accident.
In his update, Wharton shared a text message from Mark, reading “GOD IS ON THE THRONE.”
Wharton added that he spoke to Mark over the phone on Monday night and described him as “chipper” as can be given the circumstances.
Our thoughts remain with the Pugh family at this awful time.
John Cena may have been lambasted by fans for years for his alleged inability to wrestle, but that didn’t stop him and Shawn Michaels from putting on a classic in 2007.
At that year’s WrestleMania, Cena retained the WWE Championship against Michaels in the main event, a year after defeating Michaels’ best friend Triple H at the show.
Meeting in a non-title rematch on the April 23, 2007 edition of Raw, Michaels and Cena wrestled for close to an hour before Shawn got the win with Sweet Chin Music.
Easy
The Cena-Michaels match would go for approximately one hour (including commercial breaks) and is heralded by many as one of the best matches in Raw history.
While speaking on WWE’s The Bump, Michaels recalled the match with the 16-time WWE World Champion.
“This is the end of the tour and John and I had to go an hour. No, look, there is no better guy to do it with than John, honestly, and I’ll say this — it sounds strange, but because, you know, it’s not a full hour and you feel like in your mind, even though you’re not dealing with commercial breaks, it’s not, it was really easy.”
Shawn Michaels
Michaels would later face Cena in a fatal four-way at WWE Backlash 2007 (which included Edge and Randy Orton) which Cena would win.
John Cena
It would be a long time before fans would come to appreciate John Cena’s talents in the ring (with many not doing so to this day.)
Addressing the WWE icon, Michaels called Cena a dream to share the ring with.
“John is, is such a dream to work with, John and I got along very well. It was a fantastic night and I had a chemistry with John that was darn near effortless … It was absolutely a piece of cake because you know, it was just a lot of fun.”
Shawn Michaels.
Cena is expected to next compete for WWE at WrestleMania 39, with rumored opponents including Austin Theory and Logan Paul.
Not everything went according to the plan at Raw 30th Anniversary special and the company had to change things on the fly.
The Trial of Sami Zayn segment featuring The Bloodline went ‘extremely long’ and exceeded the length originally allocated for the segment.
This caused the company to adjust the length of several segment. The thing that was affected the most was the planned Steel Cage match between Becky Lynch and Bayley.
According to reports from PWInsider, the original plan was for The Man to win the Steel Cage match and then get beaten down by the members of Damage CTRL.
The officials decided to go right to the post-match segment due to the shortage of time. While the stars did show up for the bout, the match never officially went underway.
Becky Lynch tried to get the upper hand by attacking Dakota Kai and IYO SKY at the start but Bayley hit her with the steel cage door. This allowed the trio to get the advantage and they beat the former Women’s Champion down.
The beatdown continued until WWE producer Adam Pearce came out. He cut open the cage door. The segment ended with Damage CTRL standing at the top of the cage while Pearce checked on Becky Lynch.
WWE Hall of Famer’s The Bella Twins were excluded from the Raw XXX celebration and it appears that the female stars are not happy about it.
The duo were originally advertised for the special episode of the show. They were later removed from the lineup however and ended up not making an appearance.
Mike Johnson of PWinsider noted that both Nikki and Brie Bella flew to Northeast over the weekend but they attended a performance of Wicked on Broadway in New York instead of making an appearance on the episode:
“It appears that the two sides may have had a disagreement on how their planned appearance was going to go, so The Bellas ended up not going to RAW in Philly.”
The Bella Twins Call Out WWE
After the Raw episode, the duo questioned the limited inclusion of the women’s revolution in the various packages and graphics during the show.
Nikki Bella claimed that the reason behind it is because the company does not want to show footage of Sasha Banks. Brie Bella chipped in saying that ‘there is a bunch of us they don’t wanna show.’
Nikki further slammed the company saying that ‘when you do what they don’t wanted you, they don’t show you’:
Brock Lesnar is back and he is in the feeding mood.
WWE celebrated 30 years of Monday Night Raw this week with a show full of legends. There were a number of veterans who made an appearance on the episode including people like The Undertaker and DX.
The main event of the show saw Austin Theory defending the United States Championship against Bobby Lashley in No Disqualification match. The All Mighty had won a Six Way Elimination match last week to earn the title shot.
Towards the ending of the bout, Lashley sent Theory into a steel chair at the ring post. Lashley followed it with a number of moves including a superplex off the top.
Theory tried to low blow Bobby Lashley but the former WWE champion managed to send him through a table that had previously been set up.
This is when Brock Lesnar’s music hit and the Beast Incarnate made his return. He delivered an F5 to Lashley and another one to Austin Theory.
Theory landed on top of the All Mighty and got the pin. Lesnar then left the ring and the show ended with the former world champion standing at the stage.
Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar have faced each other a couple times with both the stars having a win over the other. The latest encounter suggests that we will be seeing the rubber match between the two sooner rather than later.
WWE loaded up the Raw 30 anniversary show on Monday night with several big matches and legends.
One of the matches promoted for the show was a Steel Cage match between Bayley and Becky Lynch. WWE had a lot more planned, but the company had to call an audible, according to a new report.
The Original Plan
Fightful Select reports that the entrances and the match were scheduled for two segments. Instead, they had to cut things short because of the opening segment with The Bloodline running long.
The Trial of Sami Zayn opened the show with Roman Reigns telling Zayn that he would have to pass his final test this Saturday at the Royal Rumble when “The Tribal Chief” defended his Undisputed WWE Universal Title against Kevin Owens.
The report also noted that several segments had to be trimmed, but the most affected thing on Raw was Bayley vs. Lynch.
As noted, WWE nixed a Bloodline Acknowledgement Ceremony on this show because Afa and Sika weren’t ready to make the trip, and Rikishi was sick, so WWE nixed the entire segment.
The Young Bucks and The Briscoes have had a long history and spent many years together. After Jay Briscoe’s sudden passing last week, they weren’t even sure that they could wrestle the following night.
The latest episode of Being the Elitewas a tribute to their longtime friend and dancing partner. In the opening segment, the brothers talked about how they didn’t know how they could wrestle and that their hearts were broken and they were in shock. According to Nick, “today is completely voluntary for the wrestlers to come to the show.”
The Young Bucks Wanted The Briscoes in AEW
Nick said he told Matt that Jay’s death hurts more than his only own family members dying and he’s lost quite a few relatives over the last couple of years. Matt pointed out that “you go through this bond where you wrestle someone, it’s such an intimate experience. You go through war and there’s just so much pressure and you’re holding their life in your hand. When you get through that, it’s something nobody else understands unless you are a wrestler. And he was one of the good ones.”
Matt went on to say, “I remember when we first started AEW, we told them we started the tag division, we need the Lucha Brothers and we need the Briscoe brothers. We need those sets of brothers; the three best brother tag teams in the world. They were one of the first teams we tried to hire. We couldn’t get it done. But, I’m so glad they got to have their final little run in ROH. They got, as far as wrestling goes, go out in style.”
The Young Bucks did end up wrestling Top Flight that night where they paid tribute to Jay with black armbands and by doing a Doomsday Device in the match. After the match, they said they were so distracted that they forgot to bring out their Trios titles. Neither one remembered until they heard it mentioned on commentary that they won them the week prior. They also said that Mark texted them after their match because he watched their tribute.
After Dynamite, a tribute show was filmed for Jay. The show will air on Honor Club and on the ROH YouTube. The air date has not been announced.
However, people behind the scenes in WWE had to push for Belair to become a star on the main roster. Former WWE writer Chris Dunn spoke with the Public Enemies Podcast about what it was like working with Belair in her first year.
Dunn worked with the company from 2016 to 2021. He shared that he wrote with The Street Profits closely in NXT and was brought up with them. From working with the Street Profits, he pushed to write for Belair.
“…The biggest thing that I’m most proud of is working with Bianca. That whole year it was such a wild thing, said Dunn. He continued…”I was really worried at the time because I think anybody that sees Bianca Belair that she’s unbelievable like it’s kind of undeniable. I think for whatever reason, we had a couple of writers on the team that weren’t around that long, who I think were having a negative impact on the women’s division and I’m also close to Tez, so I kind of campaigned to let me work with Bianca. So we started developing those Mr. Perfect vignettes and the goal was to get her to the main event of WrestleMania year one, because we needed new stars and it felt like that was legitimately possible.”
How Dunn Helped Get Bianca Belair over with Vince McMahon
The first significant accomplishment for Belair on the main roster was winning the 2021 Women’s Royal Rumble Match. It helped push her to become a champion at WrestleMania 37 and make her one of WWE’s biggest stars. However, it took a creative push from Dunn and other writers to get McMahon on board with Belair.
Dunn spoke about getting to know Belair and praised her talents. He also shared how the Bayley and Belair obstacle course segment helped get Belair over with McMahon.
“…Vince loved the Lashley and Sami Zayn obstacle course. Loved it, and also we have the numbers to back it up. You’d be shocked stuff that wrestling Twitter hates, like arm wrestling contest, obstacle courses, things like that they rate well,” said Dunn. He went to Bayley’s writer, and they began to think of ideas for the obstacle to show off Belair’s ability.
“…I didn’t produce it or write it; I pitched it. I was around helping, like Jen Pepperman, who’s brilliant with the women’s division; she handled producing it.” He continued, “…Daniel Bryan and Adam Pierce jumped in and added elements to make it bigger. I forgot which one of them came up with the idea of lifting Otis, and then the other one doubled down of like, ‘Okay, you do Gable, but then you do Otis to build it.’ It really blew Vince away.”
The Original Winner of the 2021 Women’s Royal Rumble
Despite the impressive showing during the obstacle course, McMahon wasn’t sold on making Belair a main event star at that time. As a backup plan for Belair, Dunn revealed he pitched an idea for her and Billie Kay to team together, with the idea that it would replicate The Rock and Sock Connection. However, the pitch went nowhere. Heading into the 2021 Women’s Royal Rumble, McMahon didn’t have Belair winning the match.
“…I was in a Tampa hotel room, and we were watching some sort of football game, and they an assistant had just left the Royal Rumble night before meeting, and they changed the finish. Charlotte was going to go over, and they rehearsed Charlotte going over, and Bianca was going to get eliminated midway through the match, and it got changed to Bianca going over.”
Dunn continued, “…I think a lot of people voiced it, but like this guy Ryan Ward who’s been there for 14 years. He was Cena’s writer and probably for my money, I think has had the biggest hand in the women’s revolution. He was lead writer for golden days of NXT, when like Kevin and Sami, the four-horsewomen, all that stuff. From my understanding, from what I heard he kind of said to Vince something to the effect like ‘Vince, if you look at the Royal Rumble tomorrow, we have Edge winning and Charlotte winning. We’re not making any new stars.’ And I think that really resonated and like Bianca was on such a role where it kind of made sense and she also right after that match had to nail that post match promo and she did it and she was just awesome and great.”
Since the pivotal 2021 Women’s Royal Rumble win, Belair has succeeded in WWE. However, if people in WWE like Dunn did push for her creatively, it may not have happened the way it did.
Elsewhere in the interview, he also spoke about the infamous Lashley sister segment, backstage reaction to Kofi Kingston losing the WWE Championship, and more.
The Undertaker made his return to WWE television, but wasn’t portraying his Deadman character. Instead, he brought a fan-favorite gimmick for a segment on WWE Raw XXX to help celebrate the 30 anniversary of the show.
The Undertaker underwent a gimmick change in 2000 when he ditched his Deadman persona for something that was more in line with his real-life personality and called the gimmick “The American Bad Ass.”
On Raw, The Undertaker brought back the gimmick when he interrupted LA Knight’s promo at the Wells Fargo Center. He helped Bray Wyatt lay out Knight before telling him something.
The Moment
WrestleVotes shared this interesting story about Wyatt and Taker as they had a match at WrestleMania 31 in 2015 where Taker went over.
“Feels like a good time to tweet this, following their match at WrestleMania 31 Undertaker told Vince in the post match embrace to “take care of him” in reference to Bray. Regardless of what happen in the interim, Taker has always been a huge Wyatt supporter. It showed just now.”
WWE presents a special 30th Anniversary edition of Monday Night Raw tonight from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Live Coverage
The show begins and WWE Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart make their way down to the ring! Hogan says he and the WWE Universe will celebrate 30 years in the past and 30 years in the future. Hogan gives a quick nod to the Philadelphia Eagles, who just won an NFL Playoff game this past weekend, which receives a massive pop and out Hogan and Hart go.
We’re then treated to a nice video package reliving some of the best (and most controversial moments) from the past 30 years of Monday Night RAW.
The Trial of Sami Zayn
Back at the arena, our commentary team of Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves welcome us to tonight’s show and out come Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns alongside Jimmy and Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn of The Bloodline. Reigns and co. are here for the Trial of Sami Zayn following Kevin Owens’ attack on Reigns during this past Friday’s episode of SmackDown, where Sami Zayn wasn’t around to have Reigns’ back until Owens was well out of the ringside area. The crowd is hot behind Zayn until Reigns is handed a microphone by Paul Heyman. Reigns proceeds to tell the Philadelphia fans in attendance to acknowledge him and Reigns calls for everyone to be seated to begin tonight’s proceedings. Heyman now has the stick and introduces himself before the crowd begins pouring down the ‘E-C-DUB’ chants. Heyman says those three letters are close to him but ECW is dead…and he hopes the same for Sami Zayn. Heyman says in Samoan that Zayn is a conspiracy theorist and has been in on a partnership with Kevin Owens since day one. Heyman takes a shot at the Philadelphia Eagles and says they’re going to get conquered by Brrrrrock…Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers. Purdy is the 49ers’ starting quarterback for those who don’t know and the Niners play the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, next Sunday right there in Philadelphia. Heyman directs his attention back to the issues at hand and says he has several pieces of evidence against Zayn and presents his findings on the big screen. We see a video of Drew McIntyre attacking Jimmy and Jey Uso from several months back and Zayn retreated instead of helping The Usos out. The next video shows Zayn refusing to hit Owens with a steel chair which caused Owens to defeat Jey Uso on a past edition of Monday Night RAW. Heyman then shows Zayn celebrating by himself after he and The Bloodline defeated Owens and co. at Survivor Series in WarGames a couple of months ago. Heyman’s final piece of evidence is from an episode of SmackDown last month where he accidentally bumped elbows with Reigns during a heated promo. Heyman says that was an assassination attempt on Reigns so he could become the leader of The Bloodline. Heyman says he doesn’t beg often but he’s begging everyone to find ‘this rat bastard’ guilty as charged. Heyman says he rests his case and now it’s Sami’s turn to respond as the crowd is in a frenzy. Zayn says he had a whole defense written in his head but what he didn’t count on was just how he was going to feel. Zayn says after hearing what Heyman had to say tonight hurt him ‘so much’. Zayn asks Heyman what he thinks is happening here. Reigns snatches a microphone and asks Zayn if he even cares and says that he has such a big ego that he won’t even defend himself. Reigns slams the microphone down and calls for Solo Sikoa. Solo stands behind Zayn and is about to nail him with a Samoan Spike but Jey Uso jumps in and stops him. Jey grabs a microphone and says no disrespect to Reigns but he has his own evidence to show. The video shows Riddle about to defeat Jey on an episode of SmackDown but Sami played Reigns’ entrance video to distract Riddle and allow Jey to pick up the victory. The next video shows Sami coming to the aid of Reigns when he was attacked by Drew McIntyre. Two more videos are shown of Sami helping The Usos pick up wins with the final showing Sami stopping the referee from counting when Owens was about to win WarGames as well as Sami turning on Owens to finish off the victory for The Bloodline during the match at Survivor Series. Jey says Sami has taken endless bullets for the entire Bloodline and calls Zayn bulletproof. Jey says everyone knows he didn’t like him at first but Sami never gave up and that’s what family does. Jey says he loves Sami like a brother and tells the crowd if they want Sami to stay in The Bloodline, to throw their 1’s in the sky. The crowd goes crazy, Jimmy Uso throws his 1 up and Reigns stands out of his chair as the crowd pours down ‘Sami Uso’ chants. Reigns says as Sami’s Tribal Chief and The Head of The Table, he finds Sami not guilty…for now. Reigns tells Sami to look at Jey and thank him because he bought him some more time. Reigns calls for Sami to make The Bloodline proud tonight and he doesn’t want to even hear from Sami until Saturday night at the Royal Rumble and that’s where he can deliver his final test…and that will truly tell if Sami’s in The Bloodline or not. Reigns drops his mic and he exits with Sikoa, and Heyman. Sami and The Usos embrace and they stick around for the opening contest of the evening.
Back at commentary, Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves runs down the rest of tonight’s card and announces that Bobby Lashley and Austin Theory’s United States Championship match will main event tonight and will also be a no disqualification match. Next up, we’ll see Jimmy and Jey Uso right back as they’ll defend the RAW Tag Team Titles against Dominik Mysterio and Damian Priest of The Judgment Day.
Jimmy & Jey Uso (C) (with Sami Zayn) vs. Dominik Mysterio & Damian Priest (with Finn Balor & Rhea Ripley) — RAW Tag Team Championship
Priest and Jimmy start this one off. Jimmy quickly tosses Priest out of the ring and nails him with a drop kick on the outside before Priest backs away to recover. Dominik distracts Jimmy and Priest launches Jimmy into the announce table before tossing him back into the ring, where he makes the tag to Dominik. Jimmy tries to crawl to his corner but Dominik stomps on the back of his neck and reigns down some shots before making the tag back to Priest. A leg drop lands for Priest, who then goes for the cover but Jimmy kicks out at two as we see Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and Paul Heyman keeping a close eye on this one backstage. Jimmy finally breaks away and makes the tag to Jey, who cleans house and drops Dominik on his head with a Samoan Drop. Jey nails Dominik in the corner with a backslide and goes for the cover but Dominik lifts the shoulders at two. Jey cracks Dominik with a drop-kick but Dominik sneaks a tag into Priest. Jey makes the tag to Jimmy and Jimmy drops Priest down with a suplex and goes for the pin but Priest kicks out. Jimmy knocks Dominik off the apron and goes for a dive off the top rope but Priest clocks him with a punch. Priest takes an attacking Jey and tosses him to the corner before launching Jey to the opposite corner and he nails the champions with a pair of corner splashes. Priest launches both Usos out of the ring and goes sky high over the top rope and takes out the brothers on the outside. Priest tosses Jimmy back in the ring and goes for the cover but Jimmy keeps the titles safe for the moment as he lifts the shoulders at two and a half. Jimmy breaks free of Priest, makes the tag to Jey and The Usos take out both Priest and Dominik. Jey drills Priest with a super kick and goes for the cover but Priest kicks out. Jey goes up top, Balor knocks Jey off the top rope and the referee catches him and ejects Balor from ringside! More officials come down to make sure Balor exits, back in the ring, Jey goes for a splash, Priest gets the knees up and rolls Jey into a cover but Priest kicks out! Jey slams Priest to the mat, makes the tag to Jimmy, who goes up top and lands the splash then goes for the cover but Priest lifts the shoulders at two-and-a-half! Ripley is shouting at commentary, Jimmy flies over the top rope and knocks Priest down at ringside with a dive but the referee holds up the X and it appears as if Jimmy is done for the match. Officials come down to escort Jimmy to the back and Adam Pearce comes down says if Jimmy can’t continue, The Usos must forfeit the tag titles. Sami Zayn grabs the mic and offers his services to replace Jimmy for the remainder of the match and the crowd is in an absolute frenzy. Reigns, Sikoa, and Heyman are shown backstage seemingly intrigued by the possibility and Pearce says since he’s allowed it in the past for The Judgment Day, he’ll allow it now and the match will continue with Sami replacing Jimmy! Reigns, Sikoa, and Heyman are shown once again backstage and here we go! Sami and Jey rush the ring and take out Priest and Dominik. Sami launches through the ropes and takes out Dominik at ringside before tossing Dominik back in the ring. Priest trips Sami, Dominik rolls Sami up and uses the middle rope for leverage but Sami kicks out just in time! Sami tosses Dominik to the corner, Ripley distracts Sami, Priest choke slams Sami behind the referee’s back, Dominik goes for the cover but Sami again lifts the shoulders before three! Dominik sets up Sami for the 619 but Jey makes the self-tag and nails Dominik with a super kick. Ripley jumps in the ring and stands between Jey and Dominik to stop another super kick but Dominik trips Jey into the middle rope, lands the 619, goes up top and lands a splash before going for the cover but Sami breaks it up just in time! Sami launches Priest out of the ring, Dominik dumps Sami out with him but Sami jumps back on the apron and gets tagged in by Jey. Sami and Jey hit the 1D and Sami pins Dominik for the 1-2-3 and the win!
Winners – Jey Uso & Sami Zayn/Jimmy Uso (C) (and STILL RAW Tag Team Champions
We then see Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and Paul Heyman backstage and Reigns orders Heyman to make sure he doesn’t see Sami until the Royal Rumble.
John Bradshaw Layfield and Baron Corbin are shown walking around backstage. JBL tries to get Corbin into the legend’s poker game and The Godfather is running security for the game. JBL asks to speak to ownership and Farooq/Ron Simmons comes out! JBL and Corbin hand Farooq and Godfather each a stack of cash and they happily allow both JBL and Corbin into the room.
A video package of some more memorable moments from the past 30 year’s of Monday Night RAW and back at the arena, LA Knight is in the ring. Knight says to cut his music and hits us with a ‘Lemme talk to ya!’. Knight mocks Bray Wyatt for bringing back the Firefly Funhouse from this past Friday night’s edition of SmackDown. Knight says Wyatt is living on past glory just like the legends that are in town for RAW XXX. Knight calls for any legend to come out and he’ll give them a little preview of he and Wyatt’s Lights Out match for Saturday night at the Royal Rumble. Nobody comes out so Knight starts mocking the legends…but the famous gong hits…but then the American Badass music starts playing and The Undertaker is here! The WWE Hall of Famer comes down to the ring on a motorcycle and the crowd is white hot for The American Badass! Knight escapes the ring and says he heard what Taker said on Joe Rogan’s podcast about the locker room being soft and he agrees and the top of the list is Bray Wyatt. Knight posits that he and The Undertaker should send Wyatt to The Undertaker. Knight says he’ll allow Taker to live to see another day and to enjoy his family in his retirement but he wants Taker to watch the Lights Out match on Saturday between he and Wyatt because then he’ll be the King of Darkness. The lights go out and Bray Wyatt’s music starts playing. Knight throws the mic down and Wyatt pops up behind Knight, who starts walking back to the ring. Wyatt starts walking slowly towards Knight, who realizes he’s out of room and jumps into the ring. Taker chokes Knight and Wyatt gets into the ring as he and Taker lock eyes. Taker tosses Knight to Wyatt, who lays Knight out with Sister Abigail. The crowd reigns down the ‘HOLY S**T’ chants as Wyatt and Taker come face-to-face. Taker walks past Wyatt and whispers something in his ear before exiting to a raucous ovation from the Philadelphia crowd in attendance.
We head back to the poker game and Chad Gable, Otis, DDP, Madusa, JBL, and Baron Corbin are at a table together. They all argue who rightfully won and it appears that DDP is the big winner of the hand.
Back at the arena, the steel cage is being lowered and out comes Bayley, being flanked by the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Dakota Kai and IYO SKY. After we come back from our first commercial break of the evening, Bayley will face Becky Lynch inside of a steel cage.
Bayley vs. Becky Lynch — Steel Cage Match
Before the match officially begins, Dakota and IYO attack Becky during her entrance. Bayley tosses Becky into the cage, IYO and Dakota follow Bayley in and lock themselves in with Becky in a three-on-one scenario. The beatdown continues inside of the cage, Dakota clocks Becky with a chain from the lock on the cage and WWE official Adam Pearce rushes down with lock cutters and breaks into the cage but Damage CTRL rushes up the cage wall and sit atop the cage walls as the match is called off and we head to a commercial break.
Winner – No Contest
Back from the break and Triple H, Shawn Michaels, X-Pac, and Road Dogg of D-Generation-X make their way down to the ring being flanked by Kurt Angle. Road Dogg introduces DX in the classic Road Dogg way but pauses before he says Billy Gunn and asks Kurt Angle what he’s doing out there. Kurt says he always wanted to be in DX and takes off his shirt to reveal a DX shirt underneath. Michaels says if Angle’s going to be in DX, he has to pass a test. Triple H asks Angle and the crowd if they’re ready and continues with the famous DX introduction. Before Triple H can finish, Intercontinental Champion Gunther alongside Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci of Imperium interrupt and make their way down to the ring. Kaiser says shame on DX for all the ‘filth and nonsense’ they’ve displayed tonight. Gunther calls DX degenerates and says they’re making a mockery of the great sport of professional wrestling. Gunther tells them to leave, unless they’re going to do something about it. Triple H gets in Gunther’s face then backs off and says he’s retired. HBK says he’s too old, X-Pac says he has a bad case of shin splits or otherwise he would’ve. Road Dogg says he’s not fighting anyone and HHH calls for a huddle with the rest of DX. HHH tells Gunther that Kurt said that he’d fight him but Kurt quickly shuts that down. HHH says it looks like they’re in a bit of a jam and he wishes someone would come down and offer to fight them…and Seth Rollins’ music hits! The crowd pops huge and sings along to Rollins’ theme as commentary notes that Rollins can’t fight all of Imperium by himself, possibly hinting that he won’t be coming down to the ring alone. DX starts singing along with Rollins’ music now and X-Pac says there’s only one of Rollins and three of Imperium and it would be great if there was a team that could help even the odds. The Street Profits music hits and out come Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins! DX says they need someone to take this one official and out comes Teddy Long! Teddy makes the six-man tag match official ‘playa’ and DX huddles again to determine who could be the referee for this one. Kurt Angle reveals that he has a referee shirt on and this match will go down after the break!
Seth Rollins & Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs. Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci)
Before the match begins, WWE Hall of Famer Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler makes his way down to the ring and joins Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves on commentary for this one.
Rollins and Vinci start this one off. Rollins rushes back to his corner and makes the quick tag to Ford. Montez slams Vinci and makes another quick tag to Angelo. The Profits nail Vinci with a double slam, Angelo goes for the cover but Vinci lifts the shoulders after a count of two. Rollins and Gunther are tagged in but we quickly head to a commercial break. Back from the break and Imperium are making quick tags and seclusion Rollins in their corner. Rollins finally breaks free and makes the hot tag to Ford and Ford immediately goes to work and clears the ring of Imperium. Gunther makes the self-tag to Vinci and the Intercontinental Champion gets right in Kurt Angle’s face before going on the attack on Ford. Angle shoves Gunther, Rollins uses the distraction to attack Gunther and Ford and Dawkins nail the big man with a double slam. Ford and Dawkins both dive on the outside to take out Kaiser and Vinci. Back in the ring, Rollins gets laid out by a Gunther lariat then the IC Champion plants Rollins with a massive power-bomb before going for the cover but Rollins kicks out at two. Rollins with the comeback now and lights up Gunther with a bevy of strikes, finished off by an Angle Slam, Ford and Dawkins dispatch of Kaiser and Gunther with a pair of double-team moves, Kaiser tagged himself in during the chaos, and Rollins plants Kaiser with a pedigree followed by a curb stomp for the 1-2-3 and the victory!
Winners – Seth Rollins & Street Profits
After the match, Rollins, Ford, and Dawkins celebrate with Angle and we head backstage. We see the poker game from earlier and Irwin R. Schyster makes a cameo as Farooq/Ron Simmons interrupts to yell his patented ‘DAMN!’ before we head to a commercial break.
Back from the break, Ric Flair makes his way down to the ring. The 17-time World Champion introduces his daughter and SmackDown Women’s Champion, Charlotte Flair. ‘The Queen’ makes her way down to the ring as Ric heads backstage. Before Charlotte can say much, RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair makes her way down to the ring. Again, before Bianca can even get going, Sonya Deville interrupts and makes her way down to the ring. Deville calls out Charlotte but Charlotte says since this is Bianca’s show, Bianca is more than welcome to ‘take care’ of Deville for her. Bianca smiles and she’ll face Deville, after the break.
Bianca Belair vs Sonya Deville
Bianca slides out of a lariat attempt by Sonya and plants her with a back-slam. Bianca tosses Sonya into the ropes and slams her on the mat. Sonya dives at Bianca but Bianca leaps over her and lands on her feet before a kip-up and a corner spear on Sonya. Bianca tosses Sonya into the opposite corner and goes for a slam but Sonya slides behind the RAW Women’s Champion and slams Bianca to the mat by her hair. Sonya sends Bianca into the corner, then into another corner and slams her face into the top turnbuckle. Sonya tosses Bianca back to the first corner and knocks her back with a lariat then a sliding kick to the face. Bianca trips Sonya and goes for the quick cover but Sonya lifts the shoulders at two. Bianca nails Sonya with a sidewalk slam onto her knee then a spring-board standing moonsault before a pin attempt but Sonya kicks out at two. Sonya trips Bianca to the mat but Bianca launches her out of the ring. Sonya jumps right back up on the apron but Bianca sends her right back out with a boot to the face. Bianca gets on the apron and looks for a diving attack to a floored Sonya but Sonya slides out of the way and sends Bianca back-first onto the floor as we head to a commercial break. Back from the break and Sonya clocks Bianca with a drop-kick and goes for the cover but Bianca kicks out. Sonya is frustrated and goes for another quick cover but again, the champion is able to lift the shoulders. Bianca kips up, scoops Sonya on her shoulders and plants her with the K.O.D. for the 1-2-3 and the win!
Winner – Bianca Belair
After the match, Bianca grabs a mic and says this was just a preview of what’s going to happen to Alexa Bliss, this Saturday at the Royal Rumble. Bianca says Alexa can bring herself, Uncle Howdy, Bray Wyatt, and the entire ‘Funhouse Playhouse’ but at the end of the match, it’ll still be ‘and STILL RAW Women’s Champion, Bianca Belair!’ Alexa Bliss pops up on the big screen and says she is the only obstacle in front of Bianca, not Uncle Howdy, Bray Wyatt or anybody else and she doesn’t need any help to ‘rip her eyes out’ and she’ll be able to see for herself at the Royal Rumble.
We then see the fourth ‘comeback’ video package hyping up Cody Rhodes’ return at the Royal Rumble before heading to another commercial break.
Back from the break and we see some more clips celebrating some of the best moments of the last 30 years of Monday Night RAW.
The first trailer for WWE 2K23 is shown, centered around cover star, John Cena and special pre-order bonus Bad Bunny.
We then cut back to the arena and The Miz is in the ring. Miz asks where the celebration for him is on tonight’s 30th anniversary show. Miz says he’s the first grand slam champion in WWE history and says he deserves a Miz TV segment or a title shot. Kevin Owens pops up behind Miz and plants him with a stunner. Owens then grabs the mic and he doesn’t look happy. Owens says Sami Zayn may have not been guilty but Roman Reigns is guilty of holding the WWE Universal Championship hostage over the past two years. Owens says he gives everyone his word that he’ll do everything he can do to make change in WWE and give everyone a champion that they can be proud of. Owens says he’ll keep fighting until he has nothing left and on Saturday night at the Royal Rumble, he’s going to take the title from Reigns or he’s going to die trying. Owens slams the mic, Miz gets back up to try and fight Owens but Owens nails him with another stunner before storming to the back.
Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves rundown this Saturday’s Royal Rumble card which features both the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches, Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, Bianca Belair defending the RAW Women’s Championship against Alexa Bliss, and Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight in a Lights Out match.
United States Champion Austin Theory makes his way down to the ring and he’ll defend his title against Bobby Lashley in a No Disqualification match, after the break.
Austin Theory (C) vs. Bobby Lashley — United States Championship, No Disqualification Match
Lashley launches Theory to the corner the second the bell sounds. Lashley dumps Theory to the outside and fires him into the steel steps. Lashley scoops Theory and sends him ribs-first into the apron and we head to a commercial break. Back from the break and Lashley goes for a suplex but Theory pops up behind Lashley and drops him with a back-body drop before going for the cover but the challenger kicks out at two. Theory retrieves a steel chair from the outside and hits Lashley with it before setting it up between the top and middle turnbuckles. Lashley takes out Theory while he’s doing so and launches him out of the ring. Theory trips Lashley to the outside with him and grabs a table from underneath the ring. Theory slides the table in the ring and gets back in but Lashley locks up the Hurt Lock. Theory rolls backwards but Lashley turns it into a cover but Theory slips out before the three-count. Lashley launches Theory into the steel chair that Theory setup earlier in the corner and the challenger sets up the table. Theory rolled out of the ring to recover, Lashley follows the champion to the outside but Theory baited him out there and sprays a fire extinguisher into Lashley’s eyes and we head to another commercial break. Back from the break and Theory plants Lashley with a DDT. The champion goes up to the top turnbuckle but Lashley follows him up there and nails Theory with a super-plex. The pair exchange strikes back in the center of the ring, Lashley scoops and slams Theory with back-suplex. Lashley lines Theory up for a spear but Theory avoids but Lashley grabs Theory and tosses him through the table. Both men are down and Brock Lesnar’s music hits! ‘The Beast Incarnate’ is here and he’s making a beeline for the ring! Lesnar gets in the ring and plants Lashley with an F-5 and quickly turns his attention to Theory, who suffers the same fate but Lesnar positions Theory onto Lashley and the referee counts the 1-2-3! Theory retains!
Winner – Austin Theory (C) (and STILL United States Champion)
The show nearly went too long and the feed cuts as soon as the 1-2-3 is counted! That’s a wrap for RAW XXX!
Although WWE didn’t get their dream match between The Rock and Roman Reigns, the company has tried to make another major match happen. This time it features Steve Austin.
As previously reported, The Rock indicated that he wouldn’t be in ring shape in time for the match at WrestleMania 39 in April. The company knew about this for a while.
Fightful Select reports that a pitch was made internally for a “huge opponent” for Austin, and that was Reigns. The report noted, at the very least, Austin’s camp was approached with the possibility of it happening, which was said to have been for “enormous” money.
Past Talks
Last summer, it was reported that Austin was approached with a deal that wasn’t as appealing from a financial standpoint. After speaking with those in WWE, they claimed they hadn’t heard back on whether the most recent offer was accepted. One source indicated that another “big name” was offered in the months prior.
It was previously reported by WrestlingNews.co in December that the internal plans for top WrestleMania title matches called for Drew McIntyre/Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins one night and TBD/Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns another night.
Austin came out of retirement last year for a match against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38.
