The Road to WrestleMania passes through the TD Garden!

Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, Becky Lynch, and a WWE Intercontinental Championship rematch, all on one Monday Night Raw!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• The Usos VS Austin Theory & Logan Paul; Theory & Logan win, by disqualification.
• Je’Von Evans VS Grayson Waller w/ Kofi Kingston; Evans wins.
• Bayley & Lyra Valkyria VS The Kabuki Warriors; Bayley & Lyra win.
• WWE Intercontinental Championship: PENTA VS Dominik Mysterio; Penta wins and retains the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

BROCK LESNAR is here!

Accompanied by The Oracle, the Wiseman, The Advocate, Paul Heyman, The Beast heads to the ring, wearing the new #FAF5 shirt. Lesnar goes to the ring, steps inside, and has Boston fired up after last week’s shocking moment. In fact, the fans are already chanting for “O~BA!” Heyman starts his usual introductions, “Ladies and gentlemen,” but the fans boo. Heyman says he serves as “the Advocate for the only being on the face of the planet to hold the NCAA Division I Heavyweight Championship, the UFC Heavyweight Champion, the WWE Heavyweight Championship, the Beast, the Conqueror, the Main Event of WrestleMania, BRRROCK! LENSARRR!”

The fans are torn, but Heyman continues by saying he has to tell us, “You’re pissing off Brock Lesnar. And the reason why you’re pissing off Brock Lesnar is because let’s all be honest with each other about what happened last week. Last week, Brock Lesnar laid to waste five, ten, fifteen, twenty masked men, splayed them all over the floor, over the desk, into the crowd, in the ring, beat up 20 men. Then, then, got distracted by Seth Freakin’ Rollins, and that is when a man so overhyped by WWE, it evoked my gag reflex, this overhyped, wannabe Ruler, comes down and takes advantage of the fact that Brock Lesnar had been in 20 fights, that Brock Lesnar was distracted by Seth Rollins…

“And this overhyped Ruler takes advantage to the point…” The fans chant for Oba harder, but Heyman says for those watching at home, they’re reacting to the fact that Heyman is talking about one Oba… Femi…! The fans cheer that! Heyman says, “This, ladies and gentlemen, is the saddest part of it all. How many times have we heard the same narrative coming out of the WEW hype machine? ‘Oh, oh, this opponent for Brock Lesnar is the next Next Big Thing. This is going to be the Slayer of the Beast. This will be the Conqueror’s Conqueror.’ When the Undertaker got his streak conquered by Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania…”

The fans boo but Lesnar takes a bow. Heyman says that still pisses people of how many years later. Did Taker get his revenge? No! And then came along everyone else that was gonna be the one to beat the one in 21-1. Let’s go through it: Goldberg? Nope! Braun Strowman? Nope! Dean Ambrose? NOPE! Bobby Lashley? NOPE! It wasn’t AJ Styles or John Cena, either! And it won’t be Oba Femi! Oba had his Mania Moment when he put his foot on Lesnar’s chest and pointed at the sign! That’s Oba’s moment, he peaked! That’s the biggest moment of his career! Because at WrestleMania, Oba will be beaten, taken to Suplex City, F5’d, victimized, and CONQUERED by BRRROCK! LESNARRR!!

But wait! OBA IS HERE! The fans cheer on The Ruler as he goes to the ring, but Lesnar is smiling this time. The two titans stare down, then Lesnar attacks! Fireman’s carry, but Oba slips free! And he LARIATS Lesnar up and out! Boston is going wild, Oba dares Lesnar to come back for more, but Heyman talks Lesnar down. They’re set for WrestleMania in 26 days, so just wait until then! Lesnar tells Oba he ain’t that lucky. Lesnar smiles as he leaves, but will nothing stop The Ruler from slaying The Beast?

Dominik Mysterio speaks.

This match with Penta shouldn’t even be happening tonight, if not for Finn Balor. But Finn got what he deserved when Judgment Day exiled him. Tonight will be very different, “because now I can focus on you, and once again become the Greatest Intercontinental Champion of All Time, and the King of the Luchadores, ‘Dirty’ Dominik Mysterio!”

The Usos are in the concourse!

Jey asks they please hit his music! UH UH, YEET! Main Event Jey & #BigJim head to the ring, ready to fight what is left of The Vision. Will The Usos deny Logan Paul & Austin Theory their golden tickets to the tag titles? Or will Logan & Theory apply the pressure?

The Usos VS Austin Theory & Logan Paul!

Raw returns as The Vision makes their entrance. The teams sort out and Theory starts against Jey. The bell rings, Jey and Theory circle, then tie up. Theory headlocks, grinds the hold, but Jey powers up and out. Theory RUNS Jey over, then talks trash on him. Theory runs, Jey stays low, and Jey ELBOWS Theory down! The fans cheer while Jey stands Theory up. Tag to Jimmy, and the Usos double whip to DOUBLE ELBOW, then DOUBLE ELBOW DROP! Cover, ONE! Jimmy wrenches Theory but Theory kicks low! Theory fires hands, then headlocks Jimmy. Jimmy powers up and out but Logan tags in.

Theory reverses the whip, Jimmy ducks the lariat, but Logan grabs Jimmy! Jimmy BOOTS Theory away, ELBOWS Logan down, but Theory BOOTS Jimmy out of the ring! And Logan LARIATS Jimmy into the timekeeper’s area! The fans boo but The Vision eats up the heat while Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again as Logan has Jimmy in a headlock. Jimmy fights body shots, kicks, but Logan blocks! Logan spins Jimmy but the DRAGON WHIP hits! Both men are down, the fans rally up, hot tags to Jey and Theory! Jey rallies on Theory, fires haymakers, “YEET! YEET! YEET!” The fans fire up as Jey pops, locks ‘n’ DECKS Theory! “YEET!” Jey then RAMS Theory into a corner, rolls him, but the buckle pad comes up! Theory CHUCKS the pad at Jey’s face, then DECKS him! SOMERSAULT BLOCKBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Theory is frustrated as Jey survives, but Boston cheers Jey on. Theory RIPS the shirt away, then stands Jey up.

Theory winds up, but Jey dodges! SPEAR! The fans fire up with Jey as he goes to the corner. Jey climbs, but Theory distracts the ref! Logan trips Jey up! Jimmy runs up to whip Logan, but Longan reverses and POSTS Jimmy! Logan has the brass knuckles out! But L A KNIGHT is here! YEAH! And he comes outta nowhere to POST Logan! Knight slides the knuckles to Jey, and Jey figures why not. The ref sees it, though! Jey says screw it, and he DECKS Theory with the knuckle duster! DISQUALIFICATION!

Winners: Austin Theory & Logan Paul, by disqualification

Logan double checks on that, and yes, Jey choosing to do what he wants rather than what he should’ve done gives The Vision a win. But Jey just DECKS Logan with the knuckles! The fans like it, but Jimmy is a little unsure. Will The Usos just have to get the real win when the gold is on the line?

Becky Lynch is here!

Boston is torn as Raw hits The Big Time. Becky also gave us a shocking moment last week, but she grabs a mic to speak. “You boo me? You boo me. You cheer someone who abandoned you for a decade, but you boo me. I get it, I get taking breaks. I took a break, I took ten months off, not ten years. But I did it because you people got sick of seeing me succeed. You got sick of seeing me win world titles, so I went home. I went home to my family, to people who appreciate me, to my daughter, to the love of my life. And when I came back, I made a point. I didn’t go for world titles, no. I went for the Intercontinental title.

And I turned that title in the most important, most interesting, most represented women’s title in ALL of wrestling! And I am damn proud of that title. I am damn proud of what it represents. I love that title, I MADE that title! But now… I have to watch as AJ Lee prances around like she deserves that title. And after it was robbed from me at Elimination Chamber, I went home to my sanctuary, and I tried to take a break with the people I love, but… When I went home, my daughter, my greatest accomplishment, she was singing that stupid Light It Up song, and she was skipping around the house and flipping her hair like she’s that Jersey scum!

“And it’s almost as if she doesn’t realize her mom is the greatest female wrestler o fall time, and it’s not just me saying it, other people say it. Sports Illustrated says it, The Bleacher Report says it! Meanwhile, AJ Lee’s greatest claim to fame before this was that she mastered the Diva’s Era. Well, I MURDERED the Diva’s Era! I put a stake through the heart, it’s butterfly-belted wings and ripped them off! And that’s exactly what I’m gonna do to AJ Lee! I’m gonna get my hands on her-” AJ LEE IS HERE! The fans fire up as the Black Widow rushes the ring! But Becky runs away! The fans boo Becky but AJ says she should’ve known.

AJ grabs a mic of her own, and she jumps on the desk so she can stare Becky down. “Why won’t you face me head on? You like to fight dirty, don’t you? Because you know every time that we’ve met in this ring, I have walked you like a dog!” The fans cheer that! AJ knows Becky doesn’t wanna get embarrassed, but maybe that’s what it’ll take to get Becky out of AJ’s life and away from the title. AJ will embarrass Becky again and tap her out on the Grandest Stage of Them All! Yeah, yeah, Becky wins, okay? AJ will show Becky why she’s the best of her generation, and Becky’s, and maybe the next!

AJ will show us why she’s your favorite wrestler’s favorite wrestler, and apparently Becky’s daughter’s favorite, too! The fans cheer but Becky is mad. AJ says she will give Becky what she wants: AJ VS Becky, Women’s Intercontinental title, at WRESTLEMANIA! Becky says AJ just skipped right into the trap, ya dope! AJ has no idea what she’s in for! AJ can shine Monday to Friday any time she wants, but Mania is Becky’s domain! That is where she is The Man! Oh, oh, wait a second! Becky remembers AJ’s last WrestleMania 11 YEARS ago. What happened the day after?

Oh yeah, she skipped into the office and handed in her resignation, and we didn’t hear from her for a DECADE! But don’t worry, in Vegas, when Becky takes the title back, she’ll just save AJ the trouble. Becky will end AJ so we’ll never from her again! Welcome to the Big Time! We’re less than four weeks away, will AJ regret taking this gamble in Las Vegas? Or will The Man put her through Hell in Sin City?

The Usos & LA Knight regroup backstage.

The loss aside, the Usos appreciate the help. Knight says he had to do something. Jey could’ve still hid them, though. Jey says no, Uce, he ain’t hiding nothing! Everybody gotta get got! You talk down on the family, you face consequences! Straight up and down! Knight knows that, he understands what Jey is saying, but talking like that, it sounds like Roman Reigns. Jey says he is tired of people talking like that. They gonna have a problem if Knight is talking like that! Knight says he’s just saying what it sounds like. Jimmy has Jey calm down, and says CM Punk found out. Knight should mind his words around them.

The Usos head out, but Knight brushes that off. Will The Mega Star tread lightly? Or will he have to learn the hard way, too?

Je’Von Evans VS Grayson Waller w/ Kofi Kingston!

The Young OG said thanks but no thanks to the New Day’s offer to “mentor” him, and now the Aussie Icon is looking to teach him why that was a mistake. But was it a mistake to choose doing things his own way? Or will Waller see that dat boy’s BOUNCY~?

The bell rings and the two tie up. They circle, Waller headlocks, but Evans powers up and out. Waller RUNS Evans over, talks trash, then speeds up. Evans drops, hurdles, but Waller shoves him away. Waller drops, hurdles, but Evans stops himself! Evans then goes up and over, then does it again, and DROPKICKS Waller down! Waller staggers back up, and Evans runs up, BOUNCY~ RANA! Waller bails out, Evans builds speed, and Evans DIVES! Direct hit at the ramp and Evans almost takes himself out with that! Evans shrugs it off and puts Waller back in. Evans then climbs up and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO!

Waller survives but Evans shakes that off. Evans storms up but Waller KNEES low! Waller CLUBS away, then fires KNEES into Evans’ head! Waller TOSSES Evans, then argues with the ref, but Kofi chooses not to sneak attack. Waller goes out, SMACKS Evans off the apron, then puts him in the ring. Waller talks with Kofi, Kofi says he’d just get Waller disqualified. But Evans FLIES and down goes Waller in front of commentary! Evans gets on commentary to say, “WE OUTSIDE~!” The fans cheer that while Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again as Waller scrapes Evans in the corner. Waller talks trash, says Evans doesn’t belong, and then runs side to side. Evans SUPERKICKS Waller down! The fans fire up as Evans is feeling it now! Evans kicks, Waller blocks, but Evans ducks to ROCK and UPPERCUT! Then he bumps Waller off buckles, SPIN KICKS, then goes up, out, and springboards for a CROSSBODY! The fans fire up again, and Evans ducks ‘n’ dodges to RED DOT GAMANGIRI! Cover, TWO! Waller survives, Kofi coaches him up, and the fans rally with Evans. Evans goes to a corner but Waller ROCKS him! Evans ducks the kick to ROCK Waller back!

Waller swings,. Evans bobs ‘n’ weaves, then Evans BOOTS! Evan runs, but Waller JUMP KNEES! Then Waller sidesteps to ROLLING ELBOW! Waller whips Evans to ropes, but Evans slingshots, slips around, and waistlocks to GERMAN SUPLEX! Waller stumbles around while the fans fire up! Evans runs, but Waller ducks the Red Dot! Waller rolls out, slingshots back in, but into a DROPKICK! Then JUMP KNEE! The fans fire up for Evans as he climbs the corner! But Waller hurries to hit the ropes and trip him up! The fans boo but Evans tumbles down! Waller runs up, THROWBACK DRIVER! Cover, TWO!

Evans survives and Waller grows frustrated. Waller POSTS Evans, then goes up, and he reels Evans in. But Evans slips free to SUPERKICK! Waller wobbles up top, Evans climbs up to join him, and he goes to the very top. Waller SHOVES Evans, Evans backflips through, then he goes right back up! Clinch and SUPER DUPER STEINER! The fans are thunderous as Evans goes up, up, and O G CUTTER!! Cover, Evans wins!

Winner: Je’Von Evans, by pinfall

Waller tried to hold Evans down, but you can’t stop a rising star! Will the Young OG prove he’s got everything he needs all on his own?

Adam Pearce meets with Paul Heyman.

The Raw General Manager as The Wiseman has sure had a hell of a night. Brock Lesnar, The Vision, not looking good. Heyman asks Pearce to schedule a match for Madison Square Garden, with The Usos defending the tag titles against Logan & Theory, and Heyman wants it to be a Street Fight. Pearce says Heyman has given him something to consider. What the Hell is there to- Heyman stops himself before he loses his cool, and thanks Pearce about that. Pearce says okay, but Heyman’s going the wrong way. Heyman should be going to the ring. Why would he do that…?

Well, Heyman requested time to address Seth Rollins, didn’t he? That time is now. After the night he’s had, he still has to- Pearce says Heyman wanted the time, so the time is now. Heyman says he is getting sick of this. But okay. The Wiseman goes to the ring, but will The Architect have something planned for tonight?

Raw returns with Paul Heyman in the ring.

Boston boos The Wiseman but he has the mic again to say, “I’m having a really bad night. And not just because after a 40 year Hall of Fame career, I’m relegated to a contractual appearance in Boston, Massachusetts… I’m having a bad night because there’s no one left for me to hide behind> Bronson Reed will not be back any time soon. Bron Breakker will not be back any time soon. Brock Lesnar is so pissed off, he has already left the arena. Logan Paul is half conscious, Austin Theory is half-conscious, which means that just leaves me. And I have a stalker, a jaded ex, a psychopath that fancies himself a Visionary, and his name is Seth Freakin’ Rollins.”

The fans cheer, but Heyman says despite the character he portrays on TV, here’s a newsflash for everyone: He’s a man. And he’s a man that has been pushed too far. And Seth Rollins is a man who feels the same way, which means WWE isn’t big enough for the two of them. No, that’s not a challenge for a match at WrestleMania, we all know Heyman stands no chance in that. Nor is it a challenge to fight tonight, but to be honest, what other choice is Heyman left with? So, maybe it’s time that Seth Rollins came down here and put Heyman out of his own damn misery. Maybe it’s time that they do this right here, right now!

The fans cheer, because here comes the man in the mask and hoodie. Heyman says, “If you think that I’m afraid of circumstances like this, you’re 100% correct. But sometimes, a man has to do what a man has to do.” The fans cheer as Paul E. Dangerously turns around, and waits on the masked man to do something. That man steps onto the desk and Heyman asks, “Are you freakin’ kidding me? Here’s your moment, Seth, let’s do this! I’m standing in your ring, Mr. Visionary! I’m waiting for you!” And yes, that IS Seth Rollins! Heyman thought it was a bluff for a second! But now Boston Police step in?

The fans sing for Rollins, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” Is BPD why Heyman could stay put? Rollins says okay, okay, he’ll hop down. Heyman says he promised to settle this like a man. And men in the Heyman family are snitches! They file lawsuits, because there is a restraining order on Rollins, which he is in violation of! That is a felony, Rollins is going to jail! And since it was a felony, Rollins’ wife will divorce him, and when she’s married to half of the locker room, someone will call Child Protective Services! But don’t worry, Heyman will adopt their daughter so he doesn’t go through life knowing that her father as-

ROLLINS BREAKS FREE! He runs into the ring and CLOBBERS Heyman!! The fans fire up but BPD apprehends Rollins! Rollins tells Heyman that’s what he gets for being a POS! Rollins asks if this is the FA or FO? Pearce hurries out here to try and talk some reason into Rollins but Rollins just taunts Heyman. But Heyman laughs because his plan worked out. Will Rollins end up missing WrestleMania because of this?

Bayley & Lyra Valkyria VS The Kabuki Warriors!

The Women’s Tag Division is on fire lately, but it’s a rough Road to WrestleMania for the Raw side of things. Will the Role Model & Morrigan gain some much needed ground towards the gold? Or will they still not be ready for Asuka & Kairi Sane?

The teams sort out and Bayley starts against Asuka. They circle, feel things out, and Kairi spooks Bayley. Asuka then THROWS Bayley by her hair! The ref reprimands but Asuka rains down fists! Asuka drags Bayley up, whips her to ropes, but Bayley stops herself. Bayley BOOTS Asuka, but Kairi runs in! Bayley DECKS Kairi, tags Lyra, and Lyra SOBATS, FRONT KICKS, and snapmares Asuka. Lyra tags Bayley back in, and Bayley runs to basement UPPERCUT! Then SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, TWO! Asuka is tougher than that, but she bails out to regroup with Kairi. Bayley goes outside to run up on them, but Kairi helps Asuka avoid the dropkick!

Asuka gets mad at Kairi, shoves her aside, and she still POP-UP KNEES Bayley! Lyra hurries over, but Kairi URAKENS her down! Asuka puts Bayley in, tags Kairi, and the Kabuki Warriors double whip Bayley for the KICK, AX KICK, and BULLDOG into the basement DROPKICK! The fans are torn as The Kabuki Warriors stand tall, but Raw goes to break.

Raw returns as Kairi whips Bayley to the corner, but Bayley BLASTS Asuka! Bayley then dodges Kairi, but Kairi hurries to anchor the legs! Bayley BOOTS Kairi away, but Asuka is there. Asuka gets mad at Kairi again, Kairi defends herself, but Bayle hot tags Lyra! Lyra goes up to DOUBLE CROSSBODY! The fans fire up with Lyra, and she ENZIGIRIS Asuka! Then she LARIATS Kairi! And LARIATS again! Lyra whips Kairi to ropes, but Kairi reverses, only for Lyra to cartwheel through and reel Kairi in! POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO!! Kairi survives but Lyra stays focused. Kairi fights the lift this time, but Lyra ducks the uraken!

Lyra kicks low, reels Kairi in, and she suplexes. The fans cheer the stalling suplex, but Kairi DDT counters! The fans fire up while both women are down, and Kairi crawls to her corner. Kairi BOOTS Lyra, Asuka tags in! CODE BREAKER to BLOCKBUSTER, then cover, TWO! Lyra survives and the fans fire up again. Asuka is frustrated but she drags Lyra up. Asuka whips but Lyra goes up, up, and over! WHEEL KICK! Asuka is down but Lyra brings her over! Tag to Bayley and the fans fire up again! Bayley goes up while Lyra scoops, FISHERMAN BUSTER to the MACHO ELBOW! Cover, TWO!!

The fans rally as Bayley pulls at her hair. Bayley tags Lyra back in, but Asuka GERMAN SUPLEXES Bayley! Asuka crawls, but Lyra runs to BLAST Kairi! Asuka ROUNDHOUSES Lyra, reels her in, and hoists her to the top rope! Kairi tags in, then she climbs up! Lyra is in the Tree of Woe, so naturally, WOE STOMPS from Kairi! Cover, BAYLEY BREAKS IT! The fans fire up but Asuka BUZZSAWS Bayley! Asuka roars, then she goes out after Bayley. But she gest a BAYLEY2BELLY onto the desk! The fans fire up as Bayley then climbs the barriers! MACHO ELBOW but Kairi saves Asuka! Bayley gets desk, but the Kabuki Warriors get WRECKED!

Lyra puts Kairi in the ring, fireman’s carries, and NIGHTWING DRIVER!! Cover, BayLyra wins!

Winner: Bayley & Lyra Valkyria, by pinfall

Bayley gets up, and she celebrates with Lyra in the ring! All that frustration, all that hard work, but now Bayley & Lyra are back on top! Jackie Redmond interviews them in the ring, giving them a big congratulations. This is a huge win just four weeks away from Mania. Have they been feeling the pressure to find their way to Vegas? Pressure? After beating one of the best tag teams in the world, do you really think they’re feeling pressure? Nah, they’re feeling amazing! Lyra says she has to say something, and she borrows the mic from Jackie.

Lyra calls out Lash & Nia! They’ve already got BayLyra’s names in their mouths, cuz they know BayLyra can beat them! Bayley has an idea! Nia & Lash talk a big game on SmackDown! Lash might be new, but Lyra & Bayley are the ones running the tag division! So if the champs are as big and bad as they say, they’ll meet BayLyra in the most famous arena in the world… The fans boo but Bayley apologizes, and promises they’ll beat Nia & Lash. The fans cheer that, but will the Irresistible Forces meet Bayley & Lyra in Madison Square Garden?

Penta prepares backstage.

And streaming sensation, IShowSpeed, is excited to finally meet him! Can he show Penta the walk? He’s been trying to do it this whole time. Penta says of course, it is very easy. Just do as he does. Walk the tightrope, stick out the tongue. Yeah, good! Then Dragon Lee checks in and Penta introduces them. Dragon and Speed shake hands, and if Dragon’s a dragon, then Speed is a dog. Take it easy, Speed, take it easy. They all shake hands and Speed heads out. Dragon then tells Penta that their match, it was amazing, true lucha libre. Penta says whenever he wants a rematch, he’s got it. Dragon wishes Penta luck, will the champion still have #CeroMiedo?

IShowSpeed talks with Adam Pearce.

The Raw GM asks Speed how he’s enjoying the Road to WrestleMania, and Speed says he is having the time of his life! Tonight alone has Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, CM Punk- And then Danhausen jumps in! The cheers come through, and Speed asks who is this. Danhausen introduces himself as WWE legend, Danhausen, nice to meet you. So Danhausen has a question: How is Speed so famous when he only has 180 human followers? No, that’s 180 million followers. Oh? Danhausen double checks the stats, and yes, that’s true. So here’s a proposition. Speed shares his account with Danhausen, they can call it, “IShowSpeedhausen,” and they split the profits.

Speed says no. No?! Speed thinks he’s better than Danhausen!? Here’s a new achievement for you! You Are Cursed! W-What? Then Danhausen disappears! Speed is upset about the curse but Pearce is pretty sure Danhausen is kidding. Have a good night, Speed. Pearce heads out, what will the stream look like if Speed is now IShowCursed?!

The Kabuki Warriors regroup backstage.

And Asuka blames Kairi for their loss! If Kairi cares about the team, she’ll make it up to Asuka. Don’t touch her! Asuka storms off, and Iyo Sky steps in. Kairi tenses up but Iyo knows they’ve had their ups and downs, but… Kairi doesn’t deserve to be treated like this! Kairi deserves better friendship. But Asuka still shouts for Kairi, and Kairi is compelled to follow. But then Raquel Rodriguez steps in. How pathetic, Iyo. First, Rhea Ripley leaves for SmackDown, and clearly Kairi wants nothing to do with Iyo, so what? She tries to befriend Stephanie Vaquer? All Iyo did was cost Raquel the satisfaction of putting Vaquer down.

Iyo says she’d do it again if she had the chance. Oh, if that’s how she wants it, let’s play! Raquel will meet Iyo in the ring, and she’ll finish what she started. Iyo says she’s on! Raquel storms off, but is the Genius making the right move angering La Ruda?

WWE Intercontinental Championship: PENTA VS Dominik Mysterio w/ Liv Morgan JD McDonagh!

The Man with No Fear made Dirty Dom the man with only one title, regardless of Finn Balor’s part to play. But will Dom get this title back? Or will he have to live as “just” the AAA Mega Campeon?

OH SNAP, Stephanie Vaquer CLOBBERS Liv Morgan! Vaquer HEADBUTTS away on Liv, then she DECKS Dom! Refs rush in, but Liv goes after Vaquer! And THROWS her into the LED tron! Liv is furious as she drags Vaquer up and they fight to the back! Liv DRIBBLES Vaquer off the wall, then THROWS her into chairs! Everyone else back here is shocked to see this, but then Vaquer SPINEBUSTERS Liv! JD McDonagh gets in here, too, as the two are pulled apart! Producers, refs, and more pry a shrieking Liv and Vaquer away from each other! Will things return to order after this? We see, after Raw goes to break!

Raw returns as Penta makes his entrance, with his pyro in the ring this time! The fans are fired up already and the main event hasn’t even officially started! The introductions are made, but Dom just CLOBBERS Penta! Dom is furious after what happened with Liv and Vaquer, and he’s taking it out on Penta! The fans are torn but the ref reprimands. Dom backs off, flexes as he soaks up cheers and jeers, then Penta stands. The bell rings, Dom runs up, and he stomps a mudhole in! Dom whips Penta corner to corner, then runs up for a LARIAT! Dom whips corner to corner, but Penta goes up and over to keep on moving!

Penta ducks ‘n’ dodges to RANA Dom! Dom staggers up, Penta scoops him, BACKBREAKER! Then SUPERKICK! Dom goes to a corner, Penta GAMANGIRIS! Penta sits Dom down, and he headstands on the corner to SWINGING DROPKICK! The fans fire up while Dom flops out of the ring. Penta builds speed, but Dom gets in and DROPKICKS first! Dom then DIVES for a TORNADO DDT on the floor! A rough landing for both men while Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again as Penta KICKS Dom’s leg, then whips him to ropes. Dom reverses, but Penta KICKS Dom away! Dom comes back, Penta dodges to mule kick the leg, then SLING-DOG! Dom bails out but Penta builds speed, and Penta FLIES! Down goes Dom at the ramp and the fans fire up again! Penta drags Dom up, puts him in the ring, then hurries up a corner. The fans fire up for the CROSSBODY! Penta blocks a kick, slips under and hooks Dom up for a suplex! Cover, TWO! Dom survives but the fans rally behind Penta. Penta feels the energy and he rises back up. Penta pump handles but Dom fights free!

Dom shoves Penta, scoops, but Penta slips free to then spin Dom! Pump handle and PENTA DRIVER! Cover, TWO! Dom survives but the fans continue to rally behind Penta! Penta rises again, and he goes to the corner. Penta calls his shot, runs up on Dom, but Dom scoops to MICHINOKU DRIVER! Cover, TWO! Dom goes to ropes, then he wheelbarrows Penta to body scissor throw him into ropes! Dom dials it up, but Penta SUPERKICKS first! Then Penta runs, but JD is on the apron! Penta runs JD off, but that lets Dom DROPKICK him to ropes! Dom redials for the 619! Dom goes up, but FINN BALOR is here!!

The fans fire up as The Prince has returned! Judgment Day didn’t break him like they thought, but JD runs up on Finn! Finn sends JD into the LED tron! Then THROWS him over road cases! Dom panics, but he still FROG SPLASHES, but onto knees! Penta cradles Dom, AND WINS!

Winner: Penta, by pinfall (still WWE Intercontinental Champion)

The fans fire up as Penta snatches this one from Dom, and now Finn goes after Dom himself! The fans fire up as Dom is all alone! Finn throws down fists on Dom, but Dom gets loose! Dom staggers around, but into a SLINGBLADE! And then the SHOTGUN! Dom is sent into buckles, then he flops into the drop zone! The fans fire up again as Finn climbs, but JD returns to save Dom! Though maybe not, because Finn FLIES and wipes them both out! The fans cheer as Finn puts Dom back in the ring, gets a leg, but JD spins Finn around!

Finn ducks the lariat, and he hits the EYE OF THE STORM! JD is down, but Dom is running away! Dom watches from far away as Finn DROPKICKS JD! Finn goes up the corner again, and JD suffers the COUP DE GRACE!! Finn throws up a Too Sweet, and he sends a message to Dom: He’s next! Will the King of the Luchadores look more like a clown when he faces off against The Prince?

CM Punk is at gorilla.

But waiting for him is Jimmy Uso. Jimmy says he’s not trying to tell Punk what to do, but he’d be very careful out there. Jey’s not in the right mood. Punk says sure thing, Uce. Punk then makes his entrance, and Boston sings along with Cult of Personality! Punk makes sure to high-five and hug the fans on the far side, and he has Boston join in with, “IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME~!” The WWE World Heavyweight Champion then goes down the ramp, high-fives more fans, then goes to the ring. Will the “line-stepper” watch his step tonight? We see, after the break.

Raw returns as the fans continue to sing along with Cult of Personality. Punk has the mic but he revels in the fans chanting his name first. “Y’all wanna have some fun tonight?” The fans cheer that! Punk asks if the fans heard what Jimmy Uso had to say before he came out here. Jimmy wants Punk to watch himself because his brother, Roman Reigns’ cousin, one half of the World Tag Team Champions, is on a warpath tonight! Well, Punk supposes he should watch what he says. No? Well, the ayes have it. Goes to show that Roman can’t do anything without his cousins! What Punk didn’t know is that the cousins can’t do anything without Roman!

It seems no one in the entire FAMILY can do anything they want on their own, they always need help! Nobody in that family can be World Heavyweight Champion on their own. They’re all so shook that Roman made a decree: ALL the Samoans can go after Punk if they so choose. And do you know how many Samoans have even looked at Punk since then? A big fat ZERO! Now pardon Punk’s language, maybe earmuff the kiddos, but this is the S*it Talk Business! They do and say awful things to each other to sell the big title fight, and that’s Punk’s job. But these are all just words. And Boston, to be honest, being in a badass city like this, Punk’s tired of talking.

The fans like where this is going! Punk says sticks and stones, and all of these things, are just empty words. But Roman did say one thing last week that pissed Punk off. Fans cheer for “O T C!” “Roman, Roman Reigns~!” Punk says Roman called Punk old. The fans are torn on that, and Punk says some might understand this. It isn’t what was said, it’s who said it. And in this ring, in front of the world, Punk will tell you that his “Young Boy” doesn’t get to disrespect him and call him old. So to get down to it, Boston, is he old? The fans cheer, “YES! YES! YES!” Wait, is he old? “YES! YES! YES!” Well, if he told us all that he wasn’t, they’d know he was a liar.

Is Punk old? Yeah, he is old! Is he ashamed of it? HELL NO! The fans cheer that! Punk says in fact, he is PROUD of being old. If he was ashamed of it, he’d be covering up the gray whiskers with Just For Men, JUST LIKE ROMAN! Punk is proud of who he is, his age, what he’s done, and where he came from. Punk’s middle-aged and crazy, just like Terry Funk! Punk’s the same age as Nolan Ryan when he beat Robin Ventura’s ass on the mound, still throwing no-hitters! Gordie Howe was playing hockey until he was 52 years old, and they call him MR. HOCKEY! Punk is Mr. Game 7. The older he gets, the more pressure he feels. And the more pressure he feels, the better he is!

Age, ladies and gentlemen, is just a number! Ask him how he feels! How does he feel? Old but not insecure. He doesn’t ask people to ACKNOWLEDGE HIM~, he comes out here to tell us he feels great! He feels like the Best in the World! Punk comes out to ask the fans, “Is it great to be alive on a Monday night in Boston or what?!” The fans cheer that! Roman, if you look at Punk and all you see is an old man, you’ve already lost because you’re underestimating him. This old man dropped Roman with one punch! At Mania, this old man will tie Roman into nights!

And twenty minutes deep, after all that oil and j*zz Roman covers himself in dries up, so will Roman’s chances of being World Heavyweight Champion! Punk will hit Roman with a GTS, Roman goes to sleep, then wakes up on Monday realizing Punk IS the Best in the World. You got beat by an old man, but not any old man, Roman got beat by THE Old Man! Punk thought this was gonna be tough. Y’know who was tough? Someone who didn’t underestimate Punk and still couldn’t get it done? GUNTHER! Y’know who else didn’t underestiamte Punk and couldn’t get the job done? JEY USO!

And if Punk’s gonna fight all the Samoans, he’ll start over with Jey! He’ll do it here in Boston! What’s Jey gonna do? YEET him to death!? Well, Jey is making his way out here, so we’re about to see! Punk waits on Jey, even eggs him on, asking if this is to throw hands or to talk. Jey steps in, mic in hand, and he paces as he stares Punk down. Jey says Punk’s ass IS old! He go thit in the head too many times, just like Jey! Cuz Punk is still out here running his damn mouth! YEAH! Running his mouth about Jey’s family! And about Jey himself! They could throw right now, Uce! Jey will run it back on Punk’s old ass right now!

Punk did say he was tired of talking, and Jey never did get the rematch. Wanna run it in Boston? Punk ain’t even dressed for it but he’ll do it! Jey says YEET! Only for Jimmy to hurry out here. Jimmy asks why Jey is out here. Punk asks why Jimmy’s out here. Jimmy says he wasn’t talking to you, Punk! Jimmy tells Jey he gets how Jey is feeling, but Jey getting emotional means Jey doesn’t think. Jey’s only seeing red. It’s why they got disqualified against The Vision tonight. And now they gotta put the titles on the line. Jey says he don’t care about that right now! Jimmy says no, Jey has to lock in. Leave Punk to OTC, aight?

Because honestly, The Usos have nothing to do with Punk. But Jey says they have EVERYTHING to do with this! They can’t let Punk run around and talk s*it on the family! Matter of fact, where Roman at? He ain’t eve out here! But Jey’s here! Punk says he agrees there, but then Roman finally makes his entrance! Boston fires up as the Tribal Chief goes to the ring, no time for pyro or any of that. Roman has a mic but he takes a moment to look at The Usos, then at Punk. Punk puts his hands behind his back, waiting on Roman to make a move.

The fans sing for “Roman, Roman Reigns~!” but he finally says, “Last time I checked, you already had a tag match. Is that right?” Jimmy says that’s right. So it’s handled? That’s right. So Roman will say this as respectfully as he can. “Get your brother and leave my ring.” The fans are torn on that, but Jimmy accepts that. Punk says they should stay, Roman needs the help. Jey runs up on Punk! Punk DECKS Jey, then Jimmy goes after Punk! Punk ROCKS Jimmy, but Roman SUPERMAN PUNCHES Punk down! Roman tells Jimmy that now he needs to get Jey out of here. Jimmy does as told, but Adam Pearce and the refs rush out here.

Roman argues with Pearce that Punk was again the instigator, and the fans are certainly on Roman’s side chanting, “O T C! O T C!” Jimmy holds Jey back but Jey tells “Joe” to get Punk! Roman knows what to do! GET HIS ASS! Roman agrees, and SPEARS Punk back down!! Jey says yeah, get him! Roman stomps Punk out of the ring, then snarls as he hauls Punk up to POST him! And POST him again! The producers tell Roman to stop, but Roman refuses to listen! Roman reels Punk in, lifts him up, and even as Pearce shouts to stop, Roman POWERBOMBS Punk through the desk!! Boston goes nuts as Punk is down in the wreckage!

Roman looks to the WrestleMania sign, then he looks down at Punk. Pearce says enough, but Roman shouts at Punk, “What you think I was gonna do?!” Roman DECKS Punk with a right hand, then he paces around in anger. Pearce says enough, but Boston says, “One More Time!” Roman sees Punk writhing, but is Punk also smiling and laughing?! Because Punk claims he’s not the one that needs help! Punk and Roman continue to combine mind games with beat downs, but will either man even make it to WrestleMania like this?

My Thoughts:

A great Raw that really turned up the heat for WrestleMania. For one, the links between the Heyman stories and the world title story really helped the episode flow. Lesnar and Heyman opening the show with Oba Femi was great. Heyman bats a thousand with promos, and him talking down on Oba is a great way to get Face heat on Oba. Oba overpowering Lesnar once again was great, but I feel like Lesnar has to get one up on Oba before Mania. Otherwise, the go-home math feels like Lesnar wins at Mania. Heyman and Rollins also had a good segment, though I’m a little surprised there weren’t a dozen other masked men decoys again. I do appreciate them recreating Stone Cold being arrested with Rollins, can’t wait to see how that plays out.

LA Knight helping the Usos only for Jey to still get himself in trouble was a nice twist. The tag title Street Fight will be great stuff, hopefully The Usos win out. But the Usos being heated with Knight, then just as heated with Punk, all great stuff. Another great closing promo segment from Punk, especially with The Usos getting in on it was great, too. Roman came out feeling a bit like the Tribal Chief of old, but it was an interesting twist where Jey’s prompting the attack made Roman go through with it. Is there a power shift within the family dynamic? Or will Jimmy and Jey be more like the angel and devil on Roman’s shoulders here? Punk laughing it off was also a nice touch, because he’s basically being proven right. Roman only hit his moves on Punk cuz Usos went first.

Very good promos from Becky and AJ Lee, but of course they established AJ VS Becky for the title at Mania. They’ve got four weeks to build this, even though we already know how heated this is between them. Very good tag match from BayLyra VS Kabuki Warriors, and a great win for the Faces here. They had a good promo after to call out Nia & Lash, and that’ll be a great match. But given Charlexa VS Bella Twins is Friday, the winner of that might show up on Raw next week to “ruin” Irresistible Forces VS BayLyra and bring us to that big tag title match for Mania. Good promo from Kabuki Warriors, Iyo and Raquel afterward. Iyo will certainly get through to Kairi, but I wonder if Asuka tries to cost Iyo against Raquel next week.

Very good match from Evans VS Waller, but of course Evans won. Kofi not cheating for Waller and generally being impressed by Evans, that’s the real intrigue. IShowSpeed had a good promo with Penta and Dragon, and a hilarious promo with Danhausen. I wonder how “the curse” will affect Speed’s next stream or public appearance… Vaquer going after Liv right before Penta VS Dom was some wild stuff, real good for the build. Penta VS Dom was really good, even with Finn and JD getting involved. Penta winning quickly was a good way to keep Dom strong as Dom is now going to build his match with Finn. They might even get Dom’s AAA Mega Campeon story involved with this, but I suppose that depends on AAA’s schedule.

My Score: 8.9/10