Kicking off this week’s Raw with Michael Cole & Pat McAfee stood in the ring and spoke about the Battle Royal that would determine the new Womens World Champion.Cole labeled the battle royal as the main event and set up a video package that recaps Rhea Ripley relinquishing the Womens World Title due to a shoulder injury.
Jey Uso says he’s in Columbus then says Backlash is in 2 weeks where he will be challenging Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Title. He says he has a lot to prove to both himself and the rest of the world.World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest’s music hits and he makes his way down to the ring. He tells Jey to take it easy and says he just wants to talk. He says Jey’s presentation and vibe suits him then recalls the two of them going to war last year. He says there was one night Jey beat him down so bad that he went over to him in the locker room and earned his respect. He explains that’s why he wanted him to join Judgment Day and he invited him to drinks. He says he may not remember much from that night but he does remember Jey telling him that they were next. He says he’s standing with Jey proud to say that he was right but only half right because he was next and not Jey. He says the title he holds is proof of why he’s now. He says Jey is the 1st of many to show why Priest’s title looks good on him and although he’ll be the 1st to fall, he’ll be the first to lead the people in rising for him.Priest looks to leave the ring but Jey stops him. He asks if all Priest sees him as is just another tag team guy and says that’s strong talk coming from the leader of Judgment Day. He says the only reason Priest is the leader is because Rhea Ripley is out with an injury then says Priest is getting fed to him because he’s next. He says he’ll be the next World Heavyweight Champion and stares down Priest.JD McDonagh looks to blindside Jey but Jey sees him coming and superkicks Priest. McDonagh looks on in shock as Priest looks back at McDonagh with fury in his eyes.
Match 1 World Tag Team Titles Match:Awesome Truth (c) vs DIY
R Truth & Johnny Gargano lock up to get this match started before Truth hits an arm drag before The Miz tags in and double teams on Gargano with Truth.Miz charges at Gargano in the corner then looks to cinch in a Figure 4.Gargano avoids it and tags in Tommaso Ciampa.Miz cinches in a Figure 4 on Ciampa but Gargano breaks the hold.Truth dumps Gargano out of the ring but Miz dumps Gargano onto the apron.Gargano tags in and hits a spear to Miz through the middle rope.He then sends Miz through the outside & hits a over the top rope crossbody then DIY sits on the apron & claps as we go to a break.After the break Truth sends Ciampa crashing into the mat face first and tags in Miz.Miz hits a pair of clotheslines to Ciampa then fires off IT Kicks on him in the corner and hits a splash in the corner.He looks to fly into the ring from the apron but Ciampa catches him with a jumping knee.Truth becomes legal and delivers a flying shoulder tackle to Ciampa before Ciampa catches him with a superkick.Ciampa hits Miz with a knee on the apron but Gargano flies through the ropes to level him on the outside.Ciampa lands a forearm on Truth in the ring then hits a knee to the side of his head.DIY then hits Meeting In The Middle and Gargano pins Truth but Miz pulls Gargano out of the ring.Miz sends Ciampa crashing into the crowd then tags in and hits Truth Crushing Finale to Gargano for the win.Winners & Still World Tag Team Champions:Awesome Truth (STILL CHAMPIONS!!!)
After the match Gargano shakes hand with and hugs Awesome Truth but Ciampa elects not to and storms to the back.
Backstage Damian Priest scolded JD McDonagh while noting that he didn’t ask for his help last week or this week. Dominik Mysterio & Santos Escobar showed up. Mysterio had his arm in a sling and said he was supposed to team with McDonagh but he was banged up and asked Escobar to fill in for him. Escobar told Priest that he didn’t need to worry about him. Priest told McDonagh to handle his own business and stay out of his.
Gunther says fans expect him to talk about WrestleMania and take shots at Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn but he has something different on his mind. He says he took some time away to digest him and took the Intercontinental Title to new heights during his reign as titleholder. He says his name will forever be embedded in the history of the Intercontinental Title and for the 2 years he held the title, he was walking around with a target on his back. He says the weight has been lifted off his shoulders now that he doesn’t hold the title then says thank you. He says he’s the hunter now rather than the hunted and with the Draft around the corner and the turn of a new era, he’s officially declaring himself as the 1st entrant in the 2024 King Of The Ring Tournament. He gives other champions some advice.New Day then makes their way down to the ring. Kofi Kingston says Gunther is correct in saying it’s a new era but what better way to usher it in than New Day. Xavier Woods says Gunther is looking at the reigning King Of The Ring winner. He continues to brag about being a 2x King Of The Ring before Gunther takes a shot at Woods then they go back & forth leading Woods to challenge Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci to a Tag Team Match against him & Kingston.
Match 2 Tag Team Match:New Day vs Imperium
Match starts off with Kofi Kingston & Ludwig Kaiser lock up before Kingston lands a dropkick on Kaiser but Giovanni Vinci & Xavier Woods tag in.Woods hits a double ax handle on Vinci then Kingston tags in and hits a crossbody off the top rope. Kaiser tags in and delivers a double dropkick to Kingston with Vinci.Vinci then tags in and Kaiser turns Kingston inside out with a clothesline as we go to a break.After the break Kingston levels Kaiser by flying out of the corner and tags in Woods.Vinci tags in and hits Woods with a boot then hits a suplex.Woods then connects with a tornado DDT and a chop then tags in Kingston.Vinci turns inside out with Kingston and Imperium looks for Imperium Bomb on Kingston.Kingston escapes by landing a hurricanrana on Vinci then tags in Woods & New Day hits Midnight Hour for the win.Winners:New Day
After the match Gunther throws the chair he was sitting on and storms to the back without Kaiser or Vinci. Kaiser then hugs Vinci and helps him to the back but Kaiser then sends Vinci crashing into the LED board. He then sends him crashing through the ring post and onto the announce table before he sends him into the ring steps. Officials then run down to the ring and escort Kaiser to the back. Kaiser then runs back down to the ring and dropkicks Kaiser. Kaiser then runs into Gunther in Gorilla Position and both men smile.
Andrade was featured in a vignette. He said to be careful when you hear about somebody. because you might be hearing it from the problem. Andrade said he is many things, but he is not someone’s fool. Footage was shown of Andrade attacking Dominik Mysterio. Andrade said he didn’t betray Judgment Day because they were never loyal to start with. Andrade said they wanted a servant but nobody tells him what to do. Andrade said he is now their biggest problem.
Drew McIntyre takes a seat in the ring cross legged as fans chant CM Punk & McIntyre questions why fans continue to chant for him. He says the evidence over the years proves that Punk hates fans but says he hates himself even more. He says he loves professional wrestling so much but it doesn’t quite reciprocate that love and says fans won’t understand complex relationships like the one he has with professional wrestling. He says Punk is too much of a coward to face him 1 on 1 and reviews a couple of instances of him doing so. He looks to speak about King Of The Ring but Sheamus’ music cuts him off and he makes his way down to the ring.Sheamus asks McIntyre what’s going on and says he keeps complaining about everyone being a coward. He says all he sees is a person who refuses to take accountability for his mistakes and that makes him a coward. He calls for McIntyre to stand up and says he’s known him for 20 years. He says McIntyre finally had his moment after much complaining as his brother and wife watched on from the crowd but he blew it. He says McIntyre should be World Heavyweight Champion but he threw it all away over a meme and a t shirt. He says he & McIntyre have traveled the world together and had banger after banger when it comes to matches then gives McIntyre a reality check and says Punk gave him a good beating.McIntyre gets real with Sheamus and says while they had banger after banger before Sheamus got injured it now looks like burger after burger. Sheamus says McIntyre has gotten really good at one liners and while he can lose weight McIntyre can’t lose stupid. He tells McIntyre to stop blaming everyone else for his mistakes. McIntyre tells Sheamus that he cares what everyone has to say about him, and says he’s still there for him right now even though their current conversation isn’t worthwhile. He says he’ll be watching Sheamus’ upcoming match from ringside and tells him to watch his back.
Backstage shots aired of Shayna Baszler & Ivy Nile preparing for the Battle Royal inside their locker rooms
Match 3:Sheamus vs Shinsuke Nakamura
Match starts off with a lock up before Shinsuke Nakamura fires off right hands and kicks on Sheamus then low bridges him onto the apron.Nakamura then drapes Sheamus across the top turnbuckle.Nakamura hits a knee to his midsection before Sheamus hits 10 Beats Of The Bodhran and connects with a jumping knee on Nakamura on the apron.He gets him back in the ring but Nakamura rolls out on the other side.Sheamus meets him there but Nakamura sends his face bouncing off the announce table and hits a knee to the back of his head off the barricade as we go to a break.After the break Sheamus hits a backbreaker to Nakamura.He ascends to the top rope and hits a clothesline to Nakamura but Nakamura hits a German suplex through the middle rope and climbs up it.He hits a knee before Sheamus gets him on his shoulders and climbs up to the middle rope. He then hits White Noise and goes for a pin but Nakamura kicks out.Sheamus sends Nakamura crashing into the mat then looks to hit a Brogue Kick.Nakamura avoids it by rolling up Sheamus but Sheamus kicks out.He then hits a jumping knee and sets up for Celtic Cross but Nakamura escapes.He hits a knee and a kick but Sheamus catches him with a Brogue Kick for the win.Winner:Sheamus
We get footage of last week’s main event and Chad Gable attacking Sami Zayn afterward.
Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn was interviewed by Cathy Kelley. Zayn said he wasn’t sure how Gable could defend his actions but he would be watching to hear what he had to say like everyone else. Bronson Reed showed up and told Zayn that he has bigger problems. Zayn held up the Intercontinental Title and asked if that’s what Reed wanted. Zayn told him any time, any place. Reed appeared to leave but then hit Zayn from behind. Producers and referees showed up. Reed splashed Zayn against a storage crate.
Highlights aired of Charles Barkley talking about Gable attacking Zayn on The Pat McAfee Show.
Chad Gable says it’s safe to say Zayn’s had a rough couple of weeks after what just happened backstage then says what he did to Zayn last week blindsiding him with an attack post Intercontinental Championship match as justified. He says he & Zayn tore the house down but Zayn had to rub it in. He says he laid down his title in the ring but that wasn’t enough. He says Zayn then rubbed it in further while celebrating his life.Gable says he’s been wasting his time training a bunch of losers in Alpha Academy then tells Akira Tozawa all he does is dance around the ring while racking up losses. He then tells Maxxine Dupri that she’s pretty as a princess but as dumb as a box of rocks. He says he’s given her everything but gotten nothing in return. He then tells Otis not to get started on him and says he’s proven himself without a shadow of a doubt to be the biggest disappointment of them all. Gable says Tozawa, Dupri & Otis all signed up for honest feedback. He says they’re all now going to focus on him and winning his Intercontinental Title. He demands to hear Otis say that out loud and Otis does.
Ricochet was warming up in the backstage area when he was approached by Dominik Mysterio & said Ricochet was luck that he was injured. Ricochet said he looked forward to beating Mysterio but now he & Andrade would have to settle for JD McDonagh & Santos Escobar. Ricochet told Mysterio to tell McDonagh that he would further embarrass him on Speed this week. Liv Morgan approached Mysterio after Ricochet left the area. They looked at one another without saying anything.
Nia Jax cuts a promo in a backstage area. She said there would be 14 women and one monster in the match. She called herself the monster and said she would eliminate them one by one until she became the last woman standing and the new Women’s World Champion.
Match 4 Tag Team Match:JD McDonagh & Santos Escobar vs Andrade & Ricochet
Andrade fires off right hands on JD McDonagh before McDonagh tags in Escobar & Andrade hits him with a shoulder tackle.Ricochet tags in and hits a double back elbow with Andrade. Ricochet then hits a dropkick and a snapmare to Escobar before he follows it up with a hurricanrana and a 2nd dropkick.McDonagh tags himself back in and fires off kicks on Ricochet.He connects with a back elbow on him, then runs the ropes.Dominik Mysterio grabs his ankle while the referee is distracted.Opening the door for Escobar to hit a hurricanrana to Ricochet off the apron as we go to a break.After the break McDonagh tags himself in again and hits a suplex to Ricochet.Escobar tags in and pins Ricochet but Ricochet kicks out.Ricochet hits an enzuigiri to McDonagh on the apron and tags in Andrade.Andrade hits a pair of dragon screws to Escobar and connects with a back elbow then hits a pair of running double knees and goes for a pin.Escobar kicks out before Ricochet tags in and hits a clothesline off the top rope.He follows it up with a standing Shooting Star Press and goes for a pin but McDonagh breaks the fall. Andrade then takes out McDonagh.Escobar & Ricochet level one another with crossbodies then Andrade & McDonagh tag in and exchange strikes with one another.Andrade hits 2 of 3 Amigos to McDonagh but Escobar gets in and ring and hits a double suplex to Andrade with McDonagh.Ricochet looks to fly off the top to level him but Escobar catches him with a pair of double knees mid air. Escobar & McDonagh sit Andrade & Ricochet on adjacent top turnbuckle.Andrade sends McDonagh crashing into the mat and Escobar does the same to Ricochet.Andrade then hits The Message to McDonagh for the win.Winners:Andrade & Ricochet
After the match Damian Priest appears out of nowhere and sends Andrade crashing into the ring post shoulder first. He hits Razor’s Edge to Ricochet and hits Andrade with South Of Heaven. He then chews out Dominik Mysterio in Spanish and McDonagh asks what he just said. Priest repeats in English for McDonagh and says he doesn’t need them. He says that they need him.
Kayden Carter & Katana Chance were shown warming up for the battle royal and then they cut to a shot of Natalya doing the same in another dressing room.
A Zoey Stark video aired. She said it was 1 year since she’d been drafted to Raw. She recalled being told to be humble and patient, but she said no. She recalls beating Becky Lynch and being inches away from winning the Women’s Money In The Bank ladder match. She also said she was this close to becoming Women’s World Champion at Survivor Series. She said the scariest part of it all is that she’s just getting started.
Backstage Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae were interviewed by Jackie Redmond & Redmond spoke about their recent tactics. Hartwell tried to defend them but LeRae said they wouldn’t defend their victory from last week. Redmond pulls away due a lot of commotion. The camera showed Adam Pearce and others trying to keep Liv Morgan & Nia Jax apart. Becky Lynch strolled past them and then took the mic from Redmond.Lynch talks as she walked about the most important battle royal in the history of Raw. Ivy Nile was talking with Maxxine Dupri. Lynch stops and noted it was Dupri’s 1st shot at a World Title and told her to go out there and show it would not be her last. Lynch walks through the Gorilla position area and then made her entrance for the battle royal.
Main Event Womens World Title 14 Woman Battle Royal:Chelsea Green vs Piper Niven vs Natalya vs Nia Jax vs Maxxine Dupri vs Candice LeRae vs Indi Hartwell vs Katana Chance vs Kayden Carter vs Liv Morgan vs Becky Lynch vs Zoey Stark vs Shayna Baszler vs Ivy Nile
Everyone goes after Nia Jax & Piper Niven then Niven & Jax push everyone away and begin brawling with one another.Natalya gets Becky Lynch over the top and onto the apron but Lynch gets back inside.Natalya is then sent over the top rope but hangs on.Zoey Stark looks to eliminate Kayden Carter but Carter hands on.Natalya then goes after Stark and dumps her over the top as Chelsea Green tries eliminating Katana Chance.Ivy Nile is sent over the top rope and onto the apron by Candice LeRae but Maxxine Dupri sneaks up on her and dumps her out of the ring to eliminate her.Dupri turns around into a boot from Indi Hartwell but Dupri manages to toss her over the top rope and out of the ring as we go to a break.After the break Natalya looks to eliminate Lynch but Lynch fights her off and gets back in the ring. She then tosses Natalya over the top rope and onto the apron.Katana Chance & Kayden Carter double team on Dupri,Nile,Stark & Shayna Baszler.Chance connects with a hurricanrana on Baszler and tosses Stark over the top rope and onto the apron. Carter delivers a kick to her on the apron.Baszler tosses Chance over the top rope but Carter catches her on her shoulders.Stark then hits a superkick to Chance & Carter to eliminate them both.Jax sits Nile on the top rope but Nile looks to lock in an arm submission on Jax using the ropes for extra leverage. Jax then sends her crashing into the ring post to eliminate her.Jax turns around and Dupri gets in her face before Jax shoves her and Dupri lands a pair of kicks on her.She then hits an enzuigiri and looks to land a boot but Jax catches her and sends her to the back.Lynch low bridges Niven over the top rope but Niven hangs on.Lynch then hits a forearm and a kick through the middle rope to eliminate her.Niven pulls Lynch under the bottom rope and sends her crashing into the ring steps.She lands a cannonball on her as Green fires off forearms on Jax in the ring.Niven clears the announce desk back on the outside as Green looks to level Jax in the ring.Niven sets up Lynch on the desk while Jax gets Green up on her shoulders.Niven drags Jax under the bottom rope to save Green & Jax chokeslams Niven on top of Lynch on the announce table.She then gets Niven on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop to her on top of Lynch.Green looks on as she yells at Jax from inside and Natalya takes advantage.She dumps her out of the ring over the top to eliminate her but the referees don’t see her being eliminated and Greens slides back inside the ring as we go to a 2nd break.After the 2nd break Stark fires off stomps on Liv Morgan in the corner as we see Jax powerbomb Lynch through the announce table during the commercial break.Green & Natalya brawl on the apron and Green hits a boot to Natalya.Stark then clotheslines Green out of the ring and over the top rope to send her to the back and Baszler sends Natalya crashing off the apron to eliminate her.Stark tosses Morgan over to Baszler & Baszler catches her with a jumping knee.Baszler locks in a Sleeper on Jax but Stark superkicks Jax.Jax then dumps Stark onto the apron over the top rope and sends her crashing onto the floor.We are down to 4:Lynch,Morgan,Baszler & Jax.Jax dumps Baszler onto the apron over the top rope and pushes her onto Stark on the outside to eliminate her. Lynch slides into the ring and both Jax & Morgan charge at her.Morgan hits a hurricanrana to Jax and a dropkick to Jax’s spine but Jax sends her crashing into the corner. Morgan looks to land a codebreaker but Jax catches her.Lynch then hits a neckbreaker to Morgan as Morgan lands a codebreaker on Jax.Jax catches Morgan with a Samoan Drop before Lynch fires off right hands on her and a kick to her midsection.Lynch sends Morgan over the top rope and onto the apron and Jax does the same to Lynch.Jax charges at Morgan & Lynch but Lynch & Morgan hits a double jawbreaker to Jax sending her face bouncing off the top rope.Morgan & Lynch then look to land a double suplex on Jax but Jax suplexes both of them and drags them into the corner.Jax looks to land the A Nia Lator but she gets sent onto the apron.Morgan hits a codebreaker to her and Lynch hits a leg drop off the top to eliminate her.We are down to the final 2 Lynch & Morgan & they fire off right hands on one another and Morgan dumps Lynch over the top rope and onto the apron.Lynch catches Morgan with a kick to her head and ascends to the top rope.She looks to fly but Morgan moves out of the way.Morgan looks to toss Lynch over the top rope but Lynch reverses the momentum and dumps Morgan over the top rope and onto the apron.Morgan catches Lynch with a right hand and onto the apron through the middle rope.Lynch hits a kick to Morgan’s midsection but Morgan lands a codebreaker on Lynch.She sets up for ObLIVion but Lynch catches her and counters into a Manhandle Slam and Morgan is sent crashing onto the floor.Winner & New Womens World Champion:Becky Lynch (NEW CHAMPION!!!!)
After the match Lynch celebrates becoming the new Womens World Champion with the WWE Universe to close out this week’s Raw.
WrestlingWithEthan 