The show started with a promo from the four men in the Universal title match: Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, and Big Cass. Rollins took easy jabs against his other competitors while Owens and Cass killed it in the comedy department. Reigns opted for deeds over words (good move) and cleared the ring. This was a nice way to set up the main event, and it was wise to let the talkers talk and not cap things off with an awkward Reigns promo.
Chris Jericho took on Neville, coming out on top with a Lion Tamer submission. Jericho did a great backstage interview before the match, mixing his usual pomous "gift of Jericho" stuff with some amausing antics. This is that match on Raw; the good one you want to see more of where they stick a commercial smack dab in the middle of it.
Nia Jax beat down another local gal. Like he entrance music says, she's not like most girls. Similar to Braun Strowman, they haven't put her in a proper feud yet, she's just squashing smaller wrestlers every week.
Gallows and Anderson did another skit, this time about sending the Dudleys to a retirement home. I've heard these guys on the Talk is Jericho podcast and they are quite funny when left to their own devices, but stuff like this doesn't always translate well with wrestling fans. I hope it doesn't hurt their momentum.
Sami Zayn beat Jinder Mahal in a short match. Mahal is already jobber status with his lack of a televised entrance.
Bayley and the New Day beat Dana Brooke, Gallows, and Anderson. This was a formulatic six person match designed to keep Bayley looking strong. This one got some time so everyone got to contribute a little something to the match. Nothing mind-blowing here.
Backstage, we learn that the winner of Cesaro and Sheamus's best of seven series gets a title shot. (I forgot this feud was even happening, silly me.)
Throughout the night, they aired video packages about the four men in the main event. Nobody does video packages like the 'E. NOBODY! But seriously, these were all pretty good.
Sheamus furthured his lead in the best of seven series by defeating Cesaro using a slam against the ring post and a Texas cloverleaf submission. Cesaro is starting to sell the wear and tear on his body. I like the progression of that and I hope both men keep it up as the series continues.
They showed a video honoring Mr. Fuji, who passed away on Sunday. The man was a legendary manager with a lengthy in-ring career of his own. Combine that with Gene Wilder passing yesterday and it's been an emotional week so far. 2016 has been harsh.
Braun Strowman beat and unmasked a wrestler named Americo. He's continuing to dominate guys until they find a babyface for him to feud with. I heard Strowman interviewed on Steve Austin's podcast and he sounds like a guy who really wants to develop his character and do something unique with his size. We'll see if he gets the chance; for now he's just your usual monster heel.
Sasha Banks did a pre-taped interview about her lingering injuries and was shut down by Charlotte. Banks didn't look very strong here, but Charlotte got some cheap heat and I guess that's what matters.
It was announced yesterday on social media that Brock Lesnar will have a rematch with Randy Orton at an upcoming live event in Chicago. That was never mentioned during the in-ring segment with Stephanie McMahon and Paul Heyman. This soap opera continues, probably culminating in something lame like Shane vs. Brock. I really don't want to see that. Heck, I've been bored to tears by Lesnar in his last couple of matches. He's going to need to give us a little more than Suplex City next time around.
Finn Balor status report: He'll be out for six months at least. He'll be back by Wrestlemania, so take that as some minor consolation. The Raw "brand" is really missing something special without him on it.
Dareen Young beat Titus O'Neil and no one seemed to care. This feud would be much more impactful is the Primtime Players had gotten a title run or at least been a team for a longer period of time. Bob Backlund has been the best part of all of this. I wrote a little about Backlund vs. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine the other day. You can find it HERE.
The main event elimination match started with 20 minutes left on the show. Owens capitalized on Reigns kicking Cass in the head and Frog Splashed him to score the fir elimination. (I like how they set that up earlier.) Then things got interesting when Triple H appeared and hit a Pedigree on Reigns on the outside. This helped Rollins eliminate Roman. (I guess we know where they're going with Reigns for the time being.)
Wait. Nevermind!
Hunter turned on his old protege Rollins and helped Owens win the title. I guess Owens is Triple H's "guy" now. That caught me off guard, whoa. Raw ended with Owens celebrating his win and the crowd chanting "you deserve it!" That was great, I really thought Reigns was going to win. Good stuff, WWE.
Alright Smackdown Live, you have your work cut out for you this week! Thanks for reading, and as always, you can hit me up on Twitter @ChrisBComics.
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