The Road to WrestleMania’s final lap!

We are just DAYS away from WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, and all the stars are shining tonight in Sacramento! But given the tension, is that a good idea or a bad idea?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Charlotte Flair w/ Alexa Bliss VS Lyra Valkyria w/ Bayley; Lyra wins.
• Six Man Tag: LA Knight & The Usos VS MFT; Knight & The Usos win.
• Iyo Sky VS Kairi Sane w/ Asuka; Kairi wins.
• Je’Von Evans & Dragon Lee VS JD McDonagh & Rusev; Evans & Dragon win.

PLAY BY PLAY

Roman Reigns speaks.

“What’d I tell you? I told you to take advantage of your time. When I won the Rumble, I told you to enjoy the relevancy that you had left. And what’d you do? You did exactly what I thought you would: You lied. You tried to revise all of the Tribal Chief’s history. But that’s the thing: Our fanbase, our crowd, the WWE Universe, they lived through it all, and all you did was expose yourself as a hypocrite.” Scenes review how Punk contradicted himself from his past, and even over the past year. Even Pat McAfee called Punk out on being a fraud. “What’d I say? Embarrassing.”

Roman admits he likes Pat, he really does. But never in the world has a punter ran his mouth to Roman. No one believes in Punk, it’s not 2012 anymore. The Tribal Chief doesn’t lie. That’s why everyone believes in him and trusts him. Tonight, Roman gives Punk one last opportunity: Either Punk tells the truth, or Roman will. “This message has been approved by Your Tribal Chief.”

Triple H and Adam Pearce are in the ring.

The Raw General Manager welcomes us to Monday Night Raw, and says that in order to make sure this match makes it to WrestleMania, Pearce has decided that the contract will be signed separately. But then “Ladies and gentlemen…” Paul Heyman walks out, makes his introductions, and says that for once in his life, Adam Pearce is correct! You damn right they’ll sign separately, because now it is Fight Week! That means no one needs to even get CLOSE to the Beast, BRRROCK! LESNAR!! With that, Sacramento cheers as Lesnar himself makes his entrance, pyro and all.

Lesnar & Heyman go to the ring, and Lesnar takes the pen to sign on the dotted line. No time wasted as Lesnar even tips his cap to HHH and Pearce. The fans cheer Lesnar, and Heyman says there we go. History made, contract signed, and it may as well be a death warrant with one man’s name across the bottom of it. The fans already cheer for “O~BA! HOOT!” Heyman frowns, but he says he is glad- OH, Lesnar takes the mic! “You wont’ even know his name after this weekend!”

Lesnar hands the mic back, and Heyman says this is what it boils down to. Sunday, in the REAL main event of WrestleMania, this is not a prediction, this is a spoiler: There is going to be a winner, there is going to be a loser. This Sunday, at WrestleMania, the loser’s name will be OBA, FEMI! The fans boo, but Heyman says the rumors that there can handle The Beast, the winner will be the greatest combat sports athlete ever, The Conqueror, BRRROCK! LESNARRR!! Lesnar & Heyman leave, but will Oba’s response be with actions, not words?

IShowSpeed starts training.

Austin Theory & Logan Paul meet up with him and ask if he’s ready. He says he’s not a pro-wrestler, this is his first match, and it’s at WrestleMania! Logan asks what Speed is saying. It doesn’t matter! Doubt looks disgusting on him! He’s a phenom! He IS IShowSpeed! Time to lock in! Grandest Stage of Them All! Think about it: The Usos are no longer WWE World Tag Team Champions, because of Speed; LA Knight got hit by those brass knuckles by Speed. They’re out to get him! If he thought being thrown into his computer was bad, it’ll be way worse. Lock in! Everyone hates Speed, except The Vision!

The Vision has Speed’s back, so time for Speed to have their back! Lock in! Let’s get this bread! Show of Shows! Speed says okay, let’s do it. The training montage begins, Logan & Theory coaching Speed through the drills. They tell Speed to tie up like you mean it! Speed does the scoops, the jumps, and even a suplex. Speed even goes the extra mile with a Boston Crab! Logan & Theory like it! Speed has locked in, but will he get shut down to start WrestleMania Saturday?

Charlotte Flair w/ Alexa Bliss VS Lyra Valkyria w/ Bayley!

The Queen helped “Blisster” sneak one on Bayley last Friday Night SmackDown, but now she must face The Morrigan! Will The Daughter of the Dirtiest Player in the Game have some more tricks up her proverbial sleeve? Or will Lyra make sure there’s a Change of Fortune before WrestleMania in Vegas?

Raw returns as Lyra makes her entrance, Bayley by her side. The bell rings and the fans rally as the two circle. The fans “WOO~” for Charlotte but Lyra brushes that off. The two tie up, are in a deadlock, but Lyra headlocks for a takeover. Charlotte slips through to get a leg, but Lyra kicks her away. The fans cheer, Lyra headlocks for another takeover, but Charlotte headscissors. The fans rally up, Lyra moves around, and Lyra handstands to walk free! The fans “WHEW~!” for Lyra but Charlotte kips up, and the fans “WOO~!” Charlotte then eggs Lyra on, dodges her, and waistlocks for the SLAM!

The fans cheer while Charlotte taunts Lyra. Lyra rises, runs up, but Charlotte dodges and runs to RUN Lyra over! Charlotte throws up the Four Horsewomen for Bayley, but Lyra gets up to pie face Charlotte! The fans rally, Charlotte gets mad, but Lyra still pie faces her! Charlotte CHOPS Lyra, but Lyra dodges the next to CROSSBODY! And WHEEL KICK! Cover, TWO! The fans cheer and Bayley coaches Lyra. Lyra whips Charlotte, Charlotte reverses, but Lyra goes up and over! Lyra runs up, Charlotte dodges, but Lyra BOOTS her! Charlotte GAMANGIRIS in return! Charlotte whips, Lyra reverses, but Charlotte goes up and out!

Charlotte BOOT- NO, Lyra blocks the leg and SWEEPS the other! Lyra then WRECKS Charlotte with the dropkick! The fans fire up with Lyra, she takes aim, but Charlotte avoids the plancha! Charlotte BOOTS Lyra down, the fans “WOO~,” and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again as Charlotte stands tall, then steps on Lyra as she goes to the corner. Charlotte climbs up, but Lyra anchors a foot! Charlotte kicks Lyra away, adjusts, but Lyra YANKS her down! The fans rally as Lyra goes up, and PERIPETEIA!! Cover, TWO!! Charlotte survives the flying leg drop but Bayley coaches Lyra through. Lyra goes up the corner, the fans cheer, and she MOONSAULTS, but onto knees! Charlotte steps through but Lyra makes it a cradle, TWO! Charlotte escapes, but Lyra ENZIGIRIS! Charlotte staggers to the ropes, but she BOOTS in return! The fans rally again while Charlotte drags Lyra into the drop zone.

Charlotte climbs back up the corner, Bayley warns Lyra, MOONSAULT still hits! Cover, TWO! Lyra survives and Charlotte is shocked! Charlotte snarls, runs, and NATRUAL- NO, Lyra dodges, ghost pins, TWO!! Charlotte escapes again, but Lyra dodges the boot to ROCK her with a forearm! And RAM, then KICK, and CLUB away! Charlotte CHOPS back, then talks trash on Lyra. Charlotte kicks, Lyra blocks, and Lyra hooks the leg to FISHERMAN BUSTER! Cover, TWO! Charlotte survives and the fans fire up! Lyra is frustrated but Bayley coaches her again. Lyra drags Charlotte up, fireman’s carries, but Charlotte fights free!

Charlotte TOSSES Lyra out onto Bayley! Charlotte then hurries to get Lyra back inside, pushes her to a corner, then runs up. Lyra ENZI- NO, Charlotte ducks it! Charlotte O’Conner Rolls Lyra, but Bayley trips Charlotte up! Lyra has the O’Conner now, AND LYRA WINS!

Winner: Lyra Valkyria, by pinfall

Bayley just returned the favor for Friday, but that pisses Charlotte off! Alexa gets in on this, too, but the ref tries to keep this from turning into a fight! Add in the Irresistible Force AND The Bella Twins, are we about to see fireworks at WrestleMania?

LA Knight meets up with The Usos.

He asks them if they saw the IShowSpeed training montage, and they say nope. They just saw Knight throw him through his own screen on his own stream. Knight says they’ll all get a chance at those cross-eyed halfwits at WrestleMania. But wait, what’s MFT doing here? Solo Sikoa leads JC Mateo, Talla Tonga & Tonga Loa in, and he says good to see them, too. But this is what he was talking about! This family is just one big mess! Solo’s dealing with a lot on SmackDown with Jacob Fatu, and Tama Tonga isn’t here when he should be. And every time he watches Raw, The Usos make the family look bad just hanging out with this clown!

Jimmy says lil’ brother has a big problem. Knight says hey, they were all wondering how to get themselves on Raw tonight, and here’s our solution! Any three of the MFT goon squad can meet Knight & The Usos out there, they can get a Six Man Tag practice in! It’ll be him, Jim, and Jey, and ALL of MFT will get slapped back to factory settings! YEAH! Knight head out, Solo asks what Jey says to that. Jey says YEET. The Usos head out, will they and the Mega Star tear down Solo’s family tree as a warm-up for WrestleMania?

Stephanie Vaquer is here!

The fans cheer as La Primera heads to the ring, the WWE Women’s World Championship on her shoulder. Cathy Kelley is in the ring to talk about the escalation between Vaquer and Liv Morgan. OH SNAP, Liv CLOBBERS Vaquer into Cathy! Liv gets payback for Vaquer knocking Liv into Roxie last week, and Liv HAMMERS away on the champ! The fans fire up as Vaquer turns things around, but producers and refs rush out here already! The fans boo, they want to “LET THEM FIGHT! LET THEM FIGHT!” Liv is shrieking, Vaquer is seething, but Liv grabs a mic to shout that Vaquer fight her here and now!

Liv knew Vaquer’s mama was trash, but who knew she raised such a little b*tch!! Liv throws the mic down, Vaquer grabs it up and tells Liv off in Spanish, “Why wait ‘til WrestleMania?!” Vaquer storms the ring and the brawl is back on! The fans fire up, but the producers and refs hurry to pull them apart! Vaquer and Liv get what kicks they can, then Vaquer gets loose! Vaquer CLOBBERS Liv against the ropes! Liv tumbles out but she wants back in! “YOU’RE DONE FOR!!” There’s madness in Liv’s eyes, there’s determination in Vaquer’s, but who will survive when these two finally have it out?

Backstage interview with Iyo Sky.

Jackie Redmond is with The Genius and brings up her helping Rhea Ripley over the last few weeks. But after her match with Jade Cargill on SmackDown, is there anything Iyo wants to say? Iyo says she lost, but she doesn’t regret fighting for her friend. And at WrestleMania, no one will be rooting for Rhea Ripley more than Iyo Sky! But then in step the Kabuki Warriors. Asuka smirks as she tells Iyo that Rhea is not her problem, dummy. Last year, Iyo went into WrestleMania as Women’s World Champion. But this year, it’s just as “Rhea’s sidekick.” Iyo says she has had enough of this!

Iyo tells Kairi that she does NOT have to take this from Asuka! Asuka tells her to shut up! Asuka says Kairi is loyal to her senpai. And she’ll prove it tonight against IYO! Kairi is worried but Asuka says Kairi’s got this. Kairi says, “Right, senpai.” Asuka says good girl! Asuka leads Kairi away, but could this fight be just the thing to reach through to her? Or will the Empress of Tomorrow always have an iron grip on the Pirate Princess?

The Usos are in the concourse!

The fans are already fired up as Jimmy & Jey come through! Uce, please, please, hit their music! UH UH, YEET!! Sacramento bounces along, and it is time to see if #BigJim, Main Event Jey & The Mega Star can work as a trio!

Six Man Tag: LA Knight & The Usos VS MFT!

Raw returns as LA Knight makes his entrance, joining The Usos in the ring. Now MFT makes their entrance, and they’ve selected Tonga Loa, JC Mateo & Solo Sikoa himself to fight this one out. The teams sort out, and JC starts against Jimmy. The bell rings, the two tie up, and JC throws hands on Jimmy! JC whips, Jimmy goes up and over to mule kick! Then pop, lock and UPPERCUT! Jimmy RAMS JC into the corner, he tags Jey, and Jey runs up to ROCK JC! Jey waits on JC, runs up and LARIATS him up and out! JC flops to the floor, Jimmy holds the ropes for Jey to FLY! Direct hit on JC at the ramp and the fans fire up!

Jey hurries back into the ring, he gets the fans to YEET, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again, and Solo has Jey down with a shoulder claw! The fans rally for Jey, he fights up, and he fires body shots! Jey ROCKS Solo, then ROCKS JC and Loa for good measure! Jey fires more hands, then runs, but Solo CLOBBERS him! The fans boo but Solo BLASTS Jimmy! Solo mocks Knight by spelling it out, then he drags Jey up. Solo taunts Knight, but he blocks Jey’s kick! Only to get the DRAGON WHIP! The fans fire up while both men are down, and they both crawl, hot tags to Knight and Loa! The fans fire up as Knight rallies on Loa & JC with a LAIRAT, a BIG back suplex, then a TOSS!

The fans cheer as Knight waves by to JC, but Loa scoops! Knight slips free to REVERSE DDT! Knight rolls back to his feet and goes to the corner! The fans join in as Knight spells it out, “L! A! KNIGHT! YEAH!” BOX JUMP ELBOW DROP! Cover, but JC SPLASHES on it! Jimmy SUPERKICKS JC! Solo SAMOAN SPIKES Jimmy! Jey dodges one, then he DUMPS Solo out! Jey builds speed and DIVES, but Solo catches him! And SLAM DUNKS him on the desk! The fans boo but Solo then spots… Tama Tonga! Solo demands to know where Tama was, as does Tama’s brother, Talla. But in the ring, B F T for Loa! Cover, Knight & Usos win!

Winners: LA Knight & The Usos, by pinfall

Solo is speechless! He got distracted by dysfunction and he lost the match! Does this not bode well for the coming Street Fight against the Wyatts?

GUNTHER is here!

Sacramento boos Der Ring General as he walks down the ramp and to the ring, a smile on his face. But what will “The Career Killer” have to say about his coming match with Seth Rollins? We’ll find out, after the break.

Raw returns with Gunther in the ring, mic in hand. The fans boo but Gunther just soaks it all up with a laugh. But then SETH ROLLINS rushes the ring! Rollins TACKLES Gunther and the scrap is on! The fans cheer as Rollins takes the fight to Gunther, but Gunther bails out of the ring! Rollins throws off the jacket, grabs the mic, and shouts, “Two weeks in a row, you’ve jumped me! That’s your receipt, Gunther! And in six nights at WrestleMania, I finish the job!” The fans cheer that! Rollins says Gunther thinks this is personal for him.

If that’s the truth and not just Gunther kissing Heyman’s ass for a favor, then be a man and walk back into the ring, look Rollins in the eye, and tell him why he wants to fight Rollins! The fans cheer but Gunther hesitates. Gunther tells Rollins off in German, but then he storms back down to ringside. The fans sing “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” for Rollins while Gunther grabs a new mic. Gunther gets right in Rollins’ face and tells him, “Yeah, sure, Seth. I am solving Heyman’s problem, and I’ll do it with a smile on my face, because you are pissing me off!” For years, Rollins strutted around like he’s the best when in reality, he’s NOT, GUNTHER IS!

And if Rollins were honest with himself, he never wanted to find out! Because when Gunther was World Heavyweight Champion, seeking out the highest level of competition, Rollins became a useful idiot for Heyman! So at WrestleMania, it IS personal! Gunther is setting the record straight as he shows Rollins can’t lace Gunther’s boots! The forearms fly again and the fans fire up! Rollins fires more shots, but Gunther KNEES low! Gunther reels Rollins in, but Rollins slips free to BOOT Gunther down! Gunther bails out again! But then Rollins lines up a shot, only for Gunther to avoid the Curb Stomp!

Gunther runs away into the crowd, Rollins’ eyes locked on him like a hawk! Rollins goes back to the ring to stand on the corner, and the fans all sing “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” Rollins and Gunther finally have it out, but who will #BurnItDown in Las Vegas?

Dominik Mysterio talks with Adam Pearce in his office.

Dirty Dom complains that not only does Pearce give that deadbeat dad, Rey Mysterio, a chance at Dom’s Intercontinental Championship in that ladder match, and now Dom has to face THE DEMON at WrestleMania?! Finn Balor swore The Demon was dead, so that doesn’t even make any sense! The contract was for Dom VS Finn, not a demon! This is not fair, cancel the match. Does all Dom do is complain? First of all, Rey is a WWE Hall of Famer, he deserves to be in a title match like that at WrestleMania.

And if we wanna talk Dom VS Demon, when Dom goes back to the clubhouse, he should stop in front of the first mirror there is and stare right into the face looking back at him. Dom will hopefully see one of two things: One, Rey does deserve this match; and when it comes to Finn, Dom is getting what he deserves. Have a great night. Dom says that’s not fair! Dom got himself into this situation, can he find a way out of it? Or will The Demon drag Dom to Hell in Sin City?

Iyo Sky VS Kairi Sane w/ Asuka!

The Genius did what she could against The Storm on Friday, but now she handles some personal business of her own here on Monday. Will Iyo find a way to free Kairi from Asuka’s emotional manipulation? Or is Kairi already too far gone?

Raw returns as Kairi makes her entrance, Asuka by her side. The bell rings and Kairi runs up! Iyo dodges, but Kairi comes back to THESZ PRESS! Kairi rains down fists, but Iyo turns things around to return those shots. Kairi HAMMERS Iyo, DRIBBLES her off the mat, then stomps Iyo down! Cocky cover, ONE! Kairi whips Iyo but Iyo reverses, only for Kairi to reverse back. Kairi then RAMS Iyo into the corner! The fans are torn as Kairi runs corner to corner, SLIDING D! Then Kairi pushes Iyo to the drop zone and climbs the corner. Kairi hits a FLYING KABUKI ELBOW! Cover, TWO! The fans rally while Kairi sits Iyo up.

Kairi kicks Iyo around, pushes her around, and eggs her on. Kairi drags Iyo up, but Iyo fires body shots. Kairi snapmares and chinlocks, but the fans rally for Iyo as she endures. Iyo fights up, but Kairi CLUBS her back down! Kairi squeezes tight, but the fans rally up harder. Iyo rises again, but Kairi kicks low! Kairi whips, Iyo reverses, and Iyo hip tosses, only for Kairi to roll through! They speed things up, Kairi goes up and RANAS, but Iyo handsprings through! The fans cheer Iyo as she then ducks, redirects, and pommels over Kairi! Iyo sweeps the leg and SHOTGUNS Kairi out!

The fans fire up for Iyo while she goes to the apron. Kairi anchors a leg and she YANKS Iyo down! Iyo smacks off the apron, then Kairi sends her into barriers. Iyo mule kicks in return, then goes up onto the barriers, to QUEBRADA! Direct hit on Kairi and Sacramento cheers while Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again as Iyo CLOBBERS Kairi! Kairi comes back, but Iyo dodges to ELBOW, UPPERCUT, and SHOTEI! Kairi ducks the buzzsaw but not the HEEL KICK! Iyo whips, Kairi reverses, but Iyo goes up and out. Iyo KICKS Kairi in the ropes, then goes up top for a MISSILE DROPKICK! Iyo kips up and the fans fire up for the crazy taunt! Iyo runs corner to corner for the SHINKANSEN! Iyo drags Kairi into the drop zone, steps on her as she goes to the corner, then climbs again. But Kairi trips Iyo up! Iyo hits buckles, but she fires a forearm in return! Kairi goes outside now and Iyo climbs up.

Iyo drags Kairi to the very top of the corner, and the fans fire up again. Kairi resists whatever Iyo is planning, and she HEADBUTTS Iyo! Iyo falls into the Tree of Woe, but she manages to SHOTEI! Kairi distracts the ref, Asuka SMACKS Iyo off the post! The fans boo, the ref wonders what happened, but RHEA RIPLEY is here! Iyo helped Rhea, now Rhea’s gonna help Iyo! Rhea runs up and HEADBUTTS Asuka! Then a pump handle for- NO, Jade Cargill CLOBBERS Rhea! The Storm followed Mami to Raw for a moment like this! But Iyo DIVES and takes Jade down! Asuka eggs Iyo on, but Kairi drags Iyo up!

Iyo ducks the uraken to GAMANGIRI! Kairi falls into place, Iyo climbs up again, but Kairi again distracts the ref! Asuka trips Iyo up again! Kairi rolls Iyo up, Kairi wins!

Winner: Kairi Sane, by pinfall

Iyo can’t believe it! The Kabuki Warriors celebrate their victory together, is there no freeing Kairi from the hold Asuka has on her?

Triple H and Adam Pearce are back in the ring!

Just as they did to open the night, The Game and the Raw General Manager are here, ready for the other signature on the contract. Pearce welcomes out Brock Lesnar’s WrestleMania opponent, The Ruler, Oba Femi! The fans cheer as “O~BA!” indeed struts his way to the ring. Oba takes the contract and the pen, signs his part, then takes the mic. But HHH points to the stage, because Heyman has reappeared. The fans continue to chant for “O~BA!” Heyman says he’s been in this industry for his entire life, and he has never, ever seen someone come across to the audience as the biggest star as fast as Oba Femi.

And being in the industry his entire life, Heyman knows where he is safe and where he is not, for Oba is a violent man. Heyman will stay here on stage, if that’s okay with Oba. But being the violent man Oba is, he is the most violent person to come into the WWE since… Well, Brock Lesnar! Oba is the fastest rising star in the WWE since Brock Lesnar. Oba is the most impressive athlete, most impressive fighter, most impressive combat athlete. The fans chant more, but Heyman says they’re starting to piss him off. But the fact of the matter is, on Sunday, this all comes to an end.

On Sunday, everything that Oba has built comes crashing down! It comes crashing down in Suplex City, it comes crashing down with an F5, it comes crashing down when Oba is conquered by BRRROCK LESNARRR! The chants just get louder, but Heyman says there is no shame in a loss like this. There is nothing but pride, because Oba is in the real main event of WrestleMania! And when you get conquered, and by God you will be conquered by Brock Lesnar… Heyman gives Oba his word, that when Oba needs to rebuild after WrestleMania, Heyman’s door will always be open to Oba Femi.

The fans boo, but Oba says, “Paul, it’s taking everything in me to not come down that ramp and beat you pillar to post.” The fans cheer for that! They even chant, “BEAT HIS ASS!” Oba says it is deeper than that. The physical pain and scars will heal. If Oba beats Heyman up, the physical will heal. But the emotional wounds from Oba beating The Beast will last forever! The fans cheer again, and Oba says as far as that door, go ahead and close it. The only door Oba needs open is already open, and that is the door to WrestleMania!

Because two months ago, Heyman and his Beast issued an Open Challenge to whoever dared to step up, without even caring who would. And why would Heyman? Because there has been 25 years of history that says Lesnar cannot be beat. But Oba has four weeks of history that says Lesnar absolutely can! And this has never been personal, it is all just business. But this time, it is different! Heyman can feel it, Oba can feel it, the fans can feel it! It is time to put an end to The Beast! Heyman’s been there the whole way, has been Lesnar’s friend, Advocate, mouthpiece, and a good one at that. But he’s never been an honest one!

The fans chant for Oba again, and Oba says if Heyman were honest, he would’ve come out here and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman, and my client, Brock Lesnar, is SCARED of Oba Femi! He is AFRAID of Oba Femi!” Because this is The Ruler, the Bringer of War, the Mountain You Cannot Conquer, and at WrestleMania, Oba will slay the Beast, because he is THE ONE! The fans fire up again, and Oba says he IS the one. He knows it, the fans know it, and at WrestleMania, Heyman will know it, too! Heyman seems forlorn. But is it for Lesnar? Or over what Lesnar will do to Oba to prove Oba wrong?

Je’Von Evans & Dragon Lee VS JD McDonagh & Rusev!

Before they all battle in the Six Pack Ladder Match, the Young OG teams with the Boy Wonder against the Irish Ace and Bulgarian Brute! Which side builds momentum before things truly escalate at WrestleMania?

Raw returns as JD makes his entrance, joining the others in the ring. The teams sort out and JD starts against Dragon, but then BLASTS Dragon and Je’Von in the corner! JD stomps Dragon, SLAPS him, then CHOPS him! Dragon turns things around to CHOP, but JD kicks low again. JD bumps Dragon off buckles, CHOPS him, then stomps him down. JD stomps away on Dragon but stops as the ref counts. JD drags Dragon up to short arm LARIAT! Then he BOOTS Evans off the apron! JD drags Dragon back up to snap suplex! Cover, ONE! Dragon is tougher than that, but JD drags him around.

JD bumps Dragon off buckles, then tags Rusev. Rusev drags Dragon up for a GUT WRENCH PLEX! Rusev brings Dragon back up to suplex high and hard! Rusev runs to ELBOW DROP! Dragon flounders but Rusev KICKS him in the back! Rusev drags Dragon up, tags JD in, and they mug Dragon. JD wrenches Dragon to then hit a BIG back suplex! Dragon writhes but the fans rally up. JD drags Dragon back to the corner and tags Rusev back in. Rusev and JD stomp Dragon down while the fans tell them off. Rusev and Dragon trade shots, but Rusev KNEES low! Rusev reels Dragon in, lifts him up, but Dragon fights to RANA!

The fans cheer as Dragon hurries, hot tag to Evans! Evans hurdles over Rusev, BLASTS JD, then dodges Rusev to DROPKICK! Evans says time to go crazy! He DIVES onto JD! Rusev storms up to the ropes but Evans GAMANGIRIS! Then he springboards to FLYIGN LARIAT! The fans fire up again, and Evans goes up and over to dodge JD! Evans clinches but Rusev whips! Evans grabs ropes, he DUMPS Rusev out, and he builds speed again, but Rusev blocks the kick! Rusev SWATS Evans, Evans staggers, but JD YANKS Dragon from the apron! JD RAMS Dragon into the apron, then goes up to ASAI MOONSAULT!

Down goes Dragon, but Evans DECKS JD! The fans fire up for Evans as he runs in around the way, but Rusev catches the crossbody! The fans fire up as Rusev FALL AWAY SLAMS Evans up and over the desk! The Son of Thunder roars while Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again with Evans and Rusev both down! They crawl, hot tags to Dragon and JD! Dragon runs to FLYING RANA JD onto Rusev! Then Dragon puts JD back in, he dodges JD to SNAP GERMAN! And SUPERKICK! And then he builds speed, but JD STANDING SPANISH FLIES to counter! Cover, Evans breaks it up! But Rusev returns to CLUB Evans, whips him to ropes, but Evans hits the RED DOT GAMANGIRI! Rusev goes outside, but Evans FLIES out to take him down! Dragon aims at JD, but JD dodges the Dragon Blade! Dragon slips through JD’s lariat, sunset flips and stacks, TWO! But into the STYLES CLASH!! Cover, Dragon & Evans win!

Winners: Je’Von Evans & Dragon Lee, by pinfall

It was fast ‘n’ furious to finish, but Rusev CLOBBERS the winners for it! FALL AWAY SLAM for Evans, SWINGING SLAM for Dragon! Rusev stomps Dragon Lee and clamps on the ACCOLADE! But REY MYSTERIO rushes out here! The King of Lucha slides in, dodges Rusev, and fires off fast hands! Rusev shoves Rey but Rey dropkicks the legs out! Rusev’s on the ropes, and the fans fire up as Rey dials it up! But Rusev LARIATS first! Wait, here comes PENTA! The final piece of the puzzle is here, and he GAMANGIRIS Rusev! Then he CHOPS, CHOPS, CHOPS! Penta runs, springboards, but into a MACHKA KICK!!

Evans ROCKS Rusev, then goes up, up, O G- NO, Rusev catches Evans to URENAGE! Rusev is rampaging, he even shoves JD to MACHKA KICK! MACHKA KICK for Rey! MACHKA KICK for Penta! And then a MACHKA KICK for Dragon Lee! Rusev clamps the ACCOLADE back on, and he bends Dragon back! Dragon taps, but it doesn’t matter now! Rusev shoves Dragon down, will nothing stop him from rising up to take the Intercontinental Championship?

Adam Pearce is on the phone.

The Raw GM says it doesn’t get any bigger! The Greatest of All Time, JOHN CENA, hosting WrestleMania 42! Yeah, that’s huge! But then Danhausen interrupts. Is that him? Him who? John Cena. Speaking of which, Danhausen would like to address his demandhausens. Since Danhausen is undefeated at 1-0 and surely a future Hall of Famer, some referring to him as the Uberest of All Time, Danhausen demands to speak with Mr. Cena. No, not happening. But since Cena is hosting WrestleMania, Danhausen can talk to him there, surely Cena will be delighted for that. Now, if you’ll excuse Pearce, he has to finish this call.

Danhausen hopes he can see Cena, since you can’t see me. Pearce says he needs a drink. He ends his call, but then Danhausen is gone. Maybe we really can’t see Danhausen… But is WrestleMania about to be cursed?

Roman Reigns heads to the ring!

Sacramento cheers, raising their ones to the sky for the OTC! Roman gave CM Punk the ultimatum to open the show, how will the WWE World Heavyweight Champion choose to close the show? We’re going to find out, after the break.

Raw returns as Roman stands in the ring. He raises his finger to the sky and gets the pyro. Roman then grabs a mic, and the fans chant “O T C! O T C!” Roman takes a moment while the fans duel between “Roman, Roman Reigns~!” and “C M PUNK! C M PUNK!” The “O T C! O T C!” takes over, and Roman nods before saying, “Sacramento…! ACKNOWLEDGE ME!” The fans cheer, but then CM Punk makes his entrance after all! The fans cheer all the same, and they even sing along with Cult of Personality. Roman waits, but Punk doesn’t come out from the stage! He’s in the crowd!

Roman realizes this, and he watches Punk make his way down, high-fiving fans as he goes. Punk eventually reaches ringside, and he smiles as he sees Roman’s eyes are locked on him. Punk steps up onto the desk, shows off the Sacramento Kings colored merch shirt, and says, “After watching the cold open, what amounts to a political smear campaign put together I assume by yourself, I’ve come out here to tell the truth. And I’m gonna have the people of Sacramento be my witnesses, and Roman, you can be the judge, the jury, and the executioner. So, as I tell my story, as I tell my truth, tell me when I’m telling lies.”

Punk hops off the desk, but Roman tells him if he steps into the ring, they won’t need these mics. Punk still walks up the steel steps, goes to the apron, and he stares Roman down while the fans continue dueling chants. Punk says he thought about this over the last few weeks. He hates Roman, because he envies Roman. “This is all I ever wanted. This is the only dream I had in my heart since I was a little kid. And I envy the fact that it was handed to you. And I hate that you were champion for 1,316 days. Because after some self-reflection, I hate that I know how hard you worked your ass off to be that great.

“In the history books, in the future, when they talk about legacy, they’re not gonna ask how, they’re gonna ask how many. And I hate that number, 1316. I hate the amount of times you’ve main-evented WrestleMania. Tell me when I’m telling lies, Roman. Have I lied? I hate that I envy, I hate that I feel this way. Sika was a great man. Sika was a great wrestler. Sika was a champion, Sika’s a Hall of Famer. And I love and respect the old-timers. And I hate the fact that I invoked your father’s name in vain. And I sincerely apologize to you.”

The fans are a bit torn over that, but now Punk steps into the ring, steps closer to Roman, and Punk says, “I hate that there’s more than one royal family in professional wrestling. And I hate that I envy the fact that I wasn’t born into a dynasty. I don’t know what having that kind of family is like. CM Punk was born in the backyards, avenues, and alleyways of Chicago. I was a misfit who had to find my own family, and I found my family in the streets of Sacramento.

“I found my family in the locker rooms of every VFW Hall or Knights of Columbus, or in dilapidated, burned out, Midwest barns, Fireside Bowl bowling alleys, abandoned churches. I found my family and my people on the indies, and I conquered the indies, and then I went to Japan. I went to England, I went to Puerto Rico, I went all around the world twice. I wasn’t handed anything, I wasn’t born on third base with a silver spoon. I busted my ass, and I made pro-wrestling my home, and I made them my family.” The fans cheer all that, too!

Punk says he hates that he feels this way, that he has to share any of it with Roman, especially the fact that it’s his first singles match headlining WrestleMania. Tell him when he’s telling lies. Punk says on April 19th, he has gold on his shoes, gold around his waist, and later that night, after the desert sun has set and the dry air gets cold with steam rising off his beat up, bloody face, he’ll have gold above his head. The ring announcer will be saying, “AND STILL Heavyweight Champion of the World,” with Las Vegas chanting, “C! M! PUNK!” The fans duel again while Roman starts to get anxious.

Punk says again, “Tell me when I’m telling lies.” Roman says that’s the truest stuff he’s ever heard Punk say. Until the end. Roman will tell Punk some truths. Roman hates Punk, too. Roman has hated Punk for a long time. But the main reason is because of Punk’s relationship with all the fans. Roman hopes he can get to the point where when he leaves, the fans all miss him as much as they missed Punk. That one day, when Roman leaves, they chant for Roman for ten years straight. That’s the truest thing Punk has, it’s the connection with the fans, and no one can ever take that from him.

But on Sunday, that is Punk’s truth, but it is not the reality. The reality is that time is up. Punk had two months and he did nothing with it! On Sunday, it ain’t #AndStill, it is #AndNEW! This nostalgia act experiment is done. On Sunday, they fix the mess Punk started. On Sunday, they make this place where they had it: at the very top, worth every single dollar! On Sunday, Tribal Chief takes over, and Punk will ACKNOWLEDGE HIM! Roman and Punk stare down while the fans chant for them both. Raw goes off the air, but who wins the most important match of all at WrestleMania?

My Thoughts:

A very good go-home episode of Raw, though it couldn’t quite escape the Go Home Syndrome. Very good promo from Roman to call out Punk, and a very good segment from them both to end the show, but they already maxed out the heat so there wasn’t much they could add. On the flipside, really good stuff with Vaquer’s interview promo turning into a brawl with Liv. They turned up the heat again, which I didn’t think was possible, and those two are gonna tear each other apart. Kudos to Cathy Kelley for taking that bump, too.

Rollins and Gunther had a good brawl that then turned into a promo that then turned back into a brawl, but I don’t know if it really explained why this was “personal.” Gunther might dislike Rollins being flamboyant and all, but this is still just to get the eventual match with Lesnar. Speaking of Lesnar, very good stuff with him, Heyman, and Oba Femi. Heyman does great on the mic as always, but Oba held his own, especially for only being in pro-wrestling for just a couple years. I would really hope Oba does win at Mania, especially with it opening WrestleMania Sunday, which they’re making sure to have air even on “ESPN proper,” the cable channel! The most eyes on that match possible, and WWE better make the right move.

Very good matches to send some people to Mania with momentum, though the Women’s Tag Division is missing some fire given Nikki Bella is still a game day decision. Charlotte VS Lyra was a very good match all the same, with Bayley cheating Charlotte back for what happened on Friday. No idea where the math lands on that, but that makes the Fatal 4 Way tag a lot of fun. Meanwhile, Rusev clearly go-home-mathed himself out of winning the Intercontinental title after he destroyed all five other men in that ladder match. To me, it’ll either be Rey Mysterio winning or Penta retaining, and we can have something just as fun for Backlash.

Very good interaction from Knight, Usos and MFT, though MFT showing up was literally just so they could do this Six Man Tag and have a team lose to Knight & Usos. Well, they did add to the MFT dysfunction so there is that. It might be a bit obvious, but someone is likely leaving MFT this Friday during that Street Fight. The obvious move is Tama being exiled, but I would love if Tama got his literal brothers, Talla & Loa, on his side to exile Solo. Good montage from IShowSpeed with Logan & Theory, but this is still wrestling tropes/cliche where Speed doesn’t just apologize and wash his hands of this. Either Speed should ditch Vision, or Vision ditches Speed.

We finally got some better stuff with Rhea and Jade, but that was only because it joined the Iyo-Kairi-Asuka triangle here on Raw. It’d be a little last minute, but #RheYo VS Kabuki Warriors could be a good go-home match on SmackDown to see how Rhea looks going into her match with Jade. The Iyo-Kairi-Asuka triangle can also continue with a proper build going towards Backlash.

My Score: 8.7/10