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Cleveland Ohio was in for a stellar edition of Raw. There were plenty of highly anticipated matches in store including a match to determine Brock Lesnar's opponent for the Royal Rumble.
With on-going stories like Woken Matt Hardy and whatever is going on with Enzo Amore and Nia Jax, who knows what could happen next? You can never count out Paige and Absolution as they run roughshod over the Raw Women's Roster or maybe they might finally meet their match.
This was an action-packed night full of unexpected moments. So let's get right into it.
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
Samoa Joe and The Bar ambush The Shield
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Raw started out this week with Samoa Joe already in the ring. He cut a promo on the entire Shield as a unit and talked about all they did during their first run in WWE. But Samoa Joe said he wasn't impressed.
Then he singled out each member and talked about how weak they were. Samoa Joe messed up Seth Rollins' knee when Joe debuted on Raw. He called Dean Ambrose a little cockroach and then Joe moved his hateful rhetoric to Roman Reigns.
Joe spewed some vengeful words at Roman Reigns as the camera cut to backstage where Seth Rollins happened to be watching this go down and Ambrose walked up to him. Rollins told The Lunatic Fringe to go get Roman Reigns as Samoa Joe continued in the ring.
Joe kept hating on Roman Reigns to drive home the point that he was superior until the camera cut to another backstage shot where all three Hounds Of Justice were backstage. "I got this boys" Reigns said before walking off.
Reigns entered the arena in Cleveland where he and Joe traded some promo work back and forth before Reigns entered the ring and started beating Joe down. Suddenly, Sheamus and Cesaro jumped up and distracted Reigns.
All three men beat down The Big Dog until Ambrose and Rollins ran down. Sheamus and Cesaro ran out to fight them while Samoa Joe kept Reigns down in a Coquina Clutch.
Rollins ran in the ring but by that point, Sheamus and Cesaro were up and able to make the 3-on-1 advantage work for them. Dean Ambrose tried to fight back, but got a uranage slam for his troubles.
The opening segment ended with the heels standing tall over a broken-looking Shield.
Mickie James & Bayley(w/ Sasha Banks) vs Absolution(Mandy Rose & Paige w/ Sonya DeVille)
Before the match started, Paige cut a little promo saying she got to "squash a boss" in her first match in over a year. Mandy Rose said they were going to purge the entire Raw Women's Division while Sonya Deville had the best lines when she said it's time to "put your hair up and square up" followed by, "Absolution is a symphony of carnage and the music is about to start." They were working double-time in the possible catchphrases department.
Paige really let go every moment she had in this match. It's like she's living for the moment and in love with pro wrestling once again. After this recent return, she's been fire and Absolution seemed to be fanning her flames intensely.
After a nice back and forth match which wasn't controlled entirely by Absolution, the new stable on Raw still went over after Paige caught Mickie James with a kick to the head while she wasn't paying attention and Mandy Rose rolled her up for a pinfall.
Paige & Mandy Rose defeated Mickie James & Bayley
Woken Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt promo
Hardy and Wyatt had another promo where they went back and forth as the screen cut from one to another. They spoke in strange puzzles which is common for both of their characters. Bray Wyatt said it's a battle of light vs dark, good vs evil, and it's his favourite game.
Woken Matt Hardy said, Sister Abagail's soul is centuries old and they used to know each other and walk around Babylon but she now lives in Bray Wyatt and he sentenced him to DELETION.
Then the two laughed a lot and the screen cut from one manic laugh to another. It kept going just until it was almost enough and then it stopped.
One thing which seemed to be evident is when the two were finished the crowd in attendance cheered for its execution.
Romance is brewing and a Finn Balor match
Backstage with Enzo Amore
Enzo Amore was backstage flirting with his WWE Cruiserweight Championship when Drew Gulak walked up and broke the news that since WWE took Rich Swann's #1 contender match spot away that they were holding another fatal four-way match to determine who would face him next week. The winner of next week's match would be facing Amore for his title.
Enzo Amore said it didn't matter who he faced and started naming off 205 Live roster members until he slipped up and mentioned Nia Jax. Drew Gulak asked him why Almore put Jax' name in there and there was an awkward pause before Gulak said he knew why Enzo Amore did that.
Gulak said it was because he wanted to be prepared for anything which was funny. They're playing off the idea that Enzo Amore can't stop thinking about The Girl Who's Not Like Most Girls.
Finn Balor vs. Curti Axel
It doesn't look like Finn Balor will be getting a Universal Title Match at the Royal Rumble, but a match against Curtis Axel is a nice consolation prize. Both Balor and Axel have something in common where neither are used to their true capacity.
Curtis Axel started things out on top but Finn Balor has a way of getting out of tough jams like that. It didn't take long before Axel took a shotgun dropkick and a Coup De Gras with Finn Balor going over in a clean fashion.
Finn Balor defeated Curtis Axel
Kane cut a backstage promo to hype the main event of the show where he would square off against Braun Strowman to determine who gets to take an F5 from Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble.
Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus
Rollins and Sheamus had a nice back and forth match for a minute. Sheamus was extremely stiff and Rollins can take a lot of punishment so it really does match well. There was a spot where Sheamus was sent to the outside by Rollins but would quickly turn it around and get back in the ring before Rollins.
By the time Rollins was getting back in the ring, he ate a knee to the face and toppled to the floor while The Celtic Warrior was left alone to pose in the ring for a minute.
Sheamus started focusing on Rollins' knee and tried just about anything he could to damage Rollins' knee which infamously has problems with. Rollins popped out to hit a DDT and score a two-count. Rollins avoided a charge to the corner and scored another two count with a roll up. Then The Architect hit a kick to the head for another two count.
Sheamus picked Rollins up and just heaved his knee into the top turnbuckle and climbed to the top rope. Rollins stopped Sheamus with a bunch and climbed up to join him to hit the superplex into a falcon arrow move he does so well while selling an injured knee, but Rollins only got another two count.
Sheamus had a little comeback with a rolling senton and then he geared up for the Brogue Kick which he missed. Rollins hit the knee to the face finisher and scored a pinfall.
Winner: Seth Rollins via pinfall
Renee Young asked Dean Ambrose if he had any plans for his match against Samoa Joe later in the night. The Lunatic Fringe said he needed to avoid a couple of things, namely getting kicked in the face and ending up in the Coquina Clutch which is a very good plan when you're facing Samoa Joe.
Mustafa Ali vs. Tony Nese vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Ariya Daivari - "Second Chance" Fatal-4-Way to face Drew Gulak for the #1 contendership
These four guys get to be in the "second chance" fatal four way after Rich Swann had his spot "revoked" which is a very nice way of explaining his current situation. Daivari kept Alexander down the best he could after the two were left in the ring along but it didn't last long before Cedric Alexander retaliated but the pin was broken up.
These guys fought as hard as they could while Drew Gulak kept cutting a promo on the commentary booth. All four guys were down after a little sequence of spots where everyone took a power move while the Cleveland crowd cheered on.
These guys had counters for counters and were excelling in a big way. Daivari hit a powerful spinebuster on Mustafa Ali for a two count and continued to work on his opponent while the two were alone in the ring for a bit.
Ali turned things around on Davairi just as Nese slid in the ring to take advantage. Tony Nese placed Mustafa Ali on the top rope but was knocked down. Then Ali connected the 0-5-4 but Alexander jumped in to break up that pinfall attempt.
Ali and Alexander hammered away at each other until Alexander connected with a Lumbar Check but Daivari tossed him outside to steal the pin. 1-2-kick out. Tony Nese jumped on Alexander on the outside and exposed his knee before ramming it into Cedric Alexander. 1-2-and Mustafa Ali broke up that pinfall attempt.
This match was fast paced and the crowd seemed to be into it. Ali was outnumbered by Nese and Daivari but countered them both. Alexander hit Davairi with a top rope clothesline and a Lumbar Check for the win. Drew Gulak still didn't seem too worried about facing Alexander next week.
Cedric Alexander defeated Ariya Daivari, Mustafa Ali & Tony Nese
After the match was over, Cedric Alexander cut a promo promising to become the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion. "I've beaten him before, I'll do it again," Drew Gulak said on the commentary booth.
The Enzo Amore and Nia Jax Story continues
Enzo Amore was backstage with his "boo" the Cruiserweight Championship when Drew Gulak found him and said after next week he'll be on his way to becoming the next WWE Cruiserweight Champion.
This didn't set too well with Enzo Amore so The Realest Guy In The Room started cutting a promo on him. Amore insulted Gulak's Powerpoint presentations and started to describe them as S-A-W-F-T but got distracted by Nia Jax off-screen.
"How you doing?" Enzo Amore asked Nia Jax.
"I'm doing just fine Nia Jax replied, "it's really great to see you." Then Jax said she liked Gulak's Powerpoint presentations and said her and Enzo Amore need to talk when he's not busy.
Corey Graves said, "I just threw up in my mouth a little bit."
Roman Reigns vs Cesaro - Intercontinental Title Match
Reigns jumped Cesaro from the bell but Cesaro quickly took over with some stiff European uppercuts.Cesaro grabbed Reigns' arm and jumped to the floor to injure his arm. The Big Dog clotheslined Cesaro over the top rope but was selling his arm afterwards.
Cesaro put the pressure on The Big Dog after kicking him out of the air during a failed dropkick and then swinging Reigns into the barricade. The Swiss Superman kept Reigns down on the mat with a submission hold and twisted at his arm.
Reigns reversed out of a submission hold into a small cradle pin for a two count but it seemed everything Reigns did was countered by Cesaro using some kind of arm submission hold.
Roman Reigns fought back with some headbutts and hit the drive by for a two count. Reigns went for a Superman Punch but sold his arm injury and Cesaro capitalized on it. The Swiss Superman interrupted the Superman Punch from Reigns and hacked away at Reign's bar arm.
After taking, even more, abuse, Reigns took a shoulder to the ring post from Cesaro but would soon turn it around when Cesaro went outside after hitting a Superman Punch with the help of the ringside steps.
Reigns went for a spear but got a knee to the face. Cesaro hit the Super European Uppercut for a two count and locked on another arm submission hold but The Big Dog fought out of it. Cesaro was going for the swing but Reigns picked Cesar's full weight up and dropped in down into a sit-down powerbomb for another two count.
After some more intense back-and-forth action with the crowd into everything these two superior athletes did in the ring, Cesaro attempted a Neutralizer but Reigns countered with a back body drop. The Big Dog was immediately in position for the Spear and caught his finisher to retain his title.
Roman Reigns defeated Cesaro to retain the Intercontinental Championship
Strowman cut a backstage promo about how badly he was going to destroy Kane tonight and how much he was going to enjoy it.
Absolution finally get their hands on Asuka
We were told that Asuka would be facing Alicia Fox but Foxy didn't come out when the time came. Instead, Paige and Absolution came out and they showed Alicia Fox on the screen being tended to by a backstage official complaining her arm was injured.
Paige cut a promo on Asuka telling her to move out of the way. They surrounded her and just when Paige and crew were about to get in the ring, Asuka jumped Mandy Rose and knocked her off the apron. The Empress Of Tomorrow took out Deville and then she locked an armbar on Paige.
But just when Absolution started to gain the upper hand, Sasha Banks ran down to the ring followed by every other woman in the Raw locker room. It was an all-out brawl of Absolution vs everyone else.
Nia Jax picked Paige up for a Samoan Drop, but Paige squirmed out of it just in time. That was the only real interaction Jax had and she didn't do much else during the melee, yet they played her music anyway as Absolution pulled Mandy Rose from the ring to scamper off. The rest of the Raw Women's Roster just stood in the ring while Nia Jax' music played looking furious at Paige and Company
Kurt Angle was standing backstage telling a guy wearing a headset to reinforce the ring for the Strowman vs Kane match. Jason Jordan came in and they hugged. He said he would keep his cool this week then chastised his father for not putting him in a match against Samoa Joe.
Angle said Jordan's not the only guy who has a problem with Samoa Joe but he's the only one who can beat him. Then Angle said he'll give Jordan a match against when he's ready.
"Okay, dad... I mean Kurt" Jason Jordan said before walking away. Angle did not like being called his first name by his son.
The heel turn is coming soon!
Samoa Joe vs Dean Ambrose
During the beginning of the match, Jason Jordan came out and put a chair down on the ramp so he could get a better view of this match. This was somewhat distracting to Samoa Joe at first.
Samoa Joe and Dean Ambrose beat on each other pretty hard and brought the fight in a big way. It resulted in trading shots in the ring and Samoa Joe seemed to win that exchange thanks to his painful working punches.
Dean Ambrose chopped Joe but was tossed to the ropes where he came back and almost got caught in a uranage slam but he escaped. Ambrose kept nailing Joe with clotheslines until both men finally fell to the ring.
Ambrose tried for a DDT but Samoa Joe countered out of it with a suplex. Then Joe turned his attention to Jason Jordan who walked down to the ring. Both men ended up tumbling over the top rope to the floor and Jordan rolled Ambrose back in the ring.
Joe locked a Coquina Clutch on Jason Jordan and Ambrose hit them both with a suicide dive. Ambrose hit a top rope elbow but Jason Jordan was distracting the referee so he only got the count to two.
Ambrose rolled out of the ring and got in Jason Jordan's face. As the two butted heads, Samoa Joe hit a suicide dive of his own. Joe landed a senton to Jordan before rolling Ambrose in the ring and locking on a Coquina Clutch.
Dean Ambrose did not tap out, but he certainly went to sleep and the referee called for the bell once he was unconscious.
Samoa Joe defeated Dean Ambrose
Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews were welcoming Dana Brooke into Titus Worldwide and said she was in research and development. Then The Club walked in and called them nerds. Anderson and Gallows really deserve to be highlighted more.
Braun Strowman vs Kane
They showed the ring crew reinforcing the ring so it didn't collapse like it did the last time these two monsters locked horns in the ring.
Braun Strowman hit a dropkick on Kane early on which is always impressive. The action moved outside as Kane took a shoulder to the steel ring steps and Strowman loomed over him.
Kane kicked Braun Strowman while he was getting in the ring but it just looked like it annoyed The Monster Among Men. Braun hit a couple more moves but Kane pulled off a chokeslam for a two count.
Kane went for another chokeslam and was successful in his second attempt as well but Stowman kicked out again. Strowman was really selling his injured back as Kane picked him up for another ride but Braun Strowman hit his own chokeslam that time for a two count.
Kane rolled out of the ring while Strowman remained laying in the ring but he would soon get up to give chase. Kane met him with a big right hand and then the fight spilt out into the crowd.
They hammered at each other until Strowman hit Kane with a tackle through the barricade. The action was intense outside the ring, but the referee continued to count inside and eventually got to ten as the bell rang to stop the match.
The match ended in a double count-out
After the match was over, Braun Strowman continued his attack and they eventually both had steel steps in hand. They collided on the outside and Kane fell to the floor.
Strowman started looking under the ring and tried to crush Kane's throat with a set of equipment but Kane fought back.
"We want tables!" the crowd chanted as Strowman pulled a table from under the ring. Kane rolled out of the ring and grabbed a steel chair to whack Strowman across the knee. When Kane returned to the ring with the chair in hand, Strowman tried to fight back but ended up taking some serious damage from the chair courtesy of Kane.
"This actually started as a match, it's broken down into a brawl," Michael Cole said as a double tackle took both Kane and Strowman out until Kane sat up followed by Strowman and then they looked at each other at the same time.
Kane scooted across the ring and Braun Strowman charged at him. Kane caught Strowman by the throat and tried to chokeslam him through the table, but Strowman countered out of it and hit a running powerslam through the table.
Raw concluded with Braun Strowman's music playing loudly and The Monster Among Men celebrating in the ring.
