Is Raw about to #BurnItDown?

After GUNTHER of all people attacked Seth Rollins last week, The Architect returns to call out Der Ring General! Will these two turn Raw into a warzone?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• LA Knight VS Austin Theory w/ Logan Paul & IShowSpeed; Theory wins.
• Finn Balor VS JD McDonagh; No Contest.
• Bayley w/ Lyra Valkyria VS Lash Legend w/ Nia Jax; Bayley wins.
• Six Man Tag: PENTA, Dragon Lee & Je’Von Evans VS Los Americanos; Penta, Dragon & Evans win.
• Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky VS Mia Yim & B-Fab w/ Jade Cargill; Rhea & Iyo win.

PLAY BY PLAY

Seth Rollins- No, CM PUNK kicks off Raw!

The WWE World Heavyweight Champion isn’t exactly a fan of The Architect, and he’s got his own business to handle as he goes from parking lot to gorilla to the ring! The fans in Houston sing along with Cult of Personality, and Punk grabs a mic to then sit cross-legged in the center of the ring. The fans cheer Punk on, but then they also cheer for “O T C! O T C!” Punk says, “Houston is a wrestling town. That’s right, there’s a lot of pro-wrestling history here. This building in particular, I’ve had some pretty great moments in, but there’s also some ghosts in this building. Some things that were supposed to happen that haunt me to this day.”

Punk says this is Paul Bosch territory, Houston wrestling. Punk always loves hearing about the old timers. Never missed a chance to do so. “Can’t help but compare yourself against the old timers, and wonder exactly how they would operate in times like this. Sometimes, that dream, ‘What would Harley Race do?’ But dreams are just stories we tell ourselves. The important stuff happens when we’re awake. Houston, I’m awake. Is it great to be alive on a Monday night in Houston or what?!” The fans cheer that! Punk continues by saying Roman Reigns is NOT here tonight! The fans boo that.

Two weeks ago, shockingly enough, with help from his cousins, Roman put Punk through the commentary desk with a bomb, then strutted out very slowly, like he was king of the world. And Punk couldn’t wait to get to Monday in Madison Square Garden to get revenge! He showed up, by himself, with the World Heavyweight title and his two fists, and he got his receipt! Punk put Roman through that desk, alone! Roman says he hates Punk? Punk says good! Because if Roman hates Punk, then Punk is where he needs to be: fraud checking goofs like Roman, who hate Punk because Punk won’t trade authenticity for approval!

“Being hated by losers is the price I pay for not being one of ’em!” Punk goes outside, sets his belt on the desk, and the fans keep chanting “O T C! O T C!” Punk says they can keep chanting, maybe Roman shows up, but Punk doubts it. What, they mad at Punk that Roman isn’t here because Punk damn near crippled him? Punk showed up, and he’s “old!” The fans are torn there but Punk says he may be old, but he’s not weak. The fans cheer Punk on again, and Punk says Roman says he hates Punk. Punk knows why, but now let’s take a moment to explain to everyone who bothered to show up why Punk hates Roman Reigns.

Punk steps up onto the desk, takes off the jacket, and says that sign says WrestleMania Las Vegas, the biggest show of the year, the granddaddy of ’em all, and both Punk and Roman have the tools to climb up the ladder in this sport of kings. The difference is, Punk’s tools are self-made, sharpened to a point, through years of self believe, hard work, sometimes spite, but always sacrifice! Roman’s tools are store bought, hand delivered, and plastic! Back in the day, Punk was too young and stupid to understand, but now he’s too rich and too old to care. But he now understands why WWE and TKO sends Roman’s beltless ass to stuff like Jimmy Fallon!

It’s because Roman is safe, and boring, and plastic! And he’s saccharin and manufactured! Punk is dangerous, you don’t know what he’s gonna say! Why is it that Punk can film a half a dozen television shows and movies, and not miss a gaddamn day, but ROMAN uses it all as a crutch to not show up! And somehow, the fans boo him when he gives them the news that Roman’s not here? They know he’s right! And when Roman does bother to show up, it’s late, he leaves early, and he puffs his chest out like he’s The Rock! At least The Rock is a Hollywood superstar. Oh, sorry, WAS a Hollywood superstar! Just like Roman was a champion!

But that fairytale is long over! This is pro-wrestling, not cinema. See, Punk’s bloated cousin isn’t on the board of directors, and he isn’t surrounded with Wise Men and Advocates and yes men who protect him from the truth! Punk’s dad wasn’t a pro-wrestler who gave him a spot just cuz he sucked at football! Punk has paid his dues, and he has earned everything he busts some ass for! Roman’s just a buck-toothed nepo-baby who ate dog food for a weird old man! The fans are thunderous for “C M PUNK! C M PUNK!” Punk continues by saying that weird old man treated Punk like a dog and expected him to smile.

But Punk had “F U” level money, so he took his dignity and left. That is why Roman hates Punk! Because Roman can’t control Punk like he does the people, his cousins, and his family! And “THEY” can’t control Punk, either! The fans cheer again, and Punk takes a moment to soak it all in. “Are we having fun yet?” Punk says be careful what you wish for when you ask for the “pipe bomb” and don’t understand what that means. This is what you get! Punk tells Roman he can brag about how many times he’s been in a WrestleMania main event, but if anybody else were afforded as many opportunities as Roman, and sucked at the first eight of them, they’d be fired and blackballed!

You can’t blackball Punk! THEY can’t blackball Punk! Punk could stand on the bridge and blow it up, cuz b*tch, he knows how to swim! Punk hops off the desk, and he says you’d think he’s done, but he’s not! Everyone is getting it tonight! PAT MCAFEE!! The fans boo for that name! Punk tells the “buggy-whipped arm, no-brain hillbilly” that he thinks he can just come here to the business, PUNK’S business, and run his mouth? Pat just wrote a check his narrow ass can’t cash! Talk about ticket sales, call up that agent who foolishly tried to shoehorn Pat into the business and tell him to lower the ticket prices! The fans really love that!

Punk will be damned if he’ll have Pat, a man who kicked a ball for a living, come to this business and tell us what puts butts in seats! Pat’s got a receipt coming! The fans cheer that! Punk tells Houston to lower the prices so that all the families can come and watch Punk stand on Roman’s neck at WrestleMania! Because he is C M PUNK, and he approves this message! Punk then hops into the crowd to embrace the people as they embrace him! Punk is ready to fight, will he make sure the Tribal Chief goes to sleep in Las Vegas?

IShowSpeed is backstage!

And he is furious! LA Knight got the drop on him on his own livestream, and now he just wants out. But Danhausen is here! Speed says he’s been looking for him! He has to lift the curse! Knight broke into Speed’s house, there’s all sorts of bad stuff going on in his life, they can’t keep doing this to him! Wait, what is that jar? It’s his jar of human teeth, obviously. And yes, Danhausen did watch that stream where L A Knight YEAH came in and threw Speed into his screen. Danhausen had an idea: he can uncurse Speed if Speed gives him a mansion. Speed says stop playing, but then Adam Pearce walks in.

Pearce asks what Speed is doing here tonight and Speed says he has to undo the curse! What? Danhausen is gone… DAMMIT! Speed knows he cost The Usos their titles, but Pearce has to help Speed! His life has been a disaster! Pearce’s advice is to go home, let Usos and Vision work this out, and- then Theory & Logan step in. Theory says don’t listen to “Doctor Evil” here. Listen to the NEW WWE World Tag Team Champions. Logan says Knight threw Speed through his computer, that is unforgiveable. Speed says he’s just leaving. Pearce says good idea. Logan says newsflash, you’re screwed! Knight hates Speed, Usos hate Speed, everybody hates Speed.

Speed’s only safe if he’s with The Vision. The parking lot is not safe. Houston is not safe. So Speed is sticking with them! The Vision bring Speed along and Pearce says this is a terrible idea. Will Speed survive the night? Or will Theory apply the pressure to the Megastar?

LA Knight VS Austin Theory w/ Logan Paul & IShowSpeed!

Raw returns as Knight makes his entrance and goes right to the ring. The bell rings and Theory circles with Knight. The fans rally up as the two tie up, and they’re in a deadlock. Knight SHOVES Theory to a corner, and the fans join in with “YEAH!” Theory says “NO!” and he circles with Knight. They tie up, Theory HIP TOSSES Knight away, but Knight nods and shakes it off. Knight and Theory rest, tie up, and Knight HIP TOSSES! Then he scoops to SLAM! Knight then dodges to scoop and SLAM again! Theory bails out, the fans boo, but Knight eggs Theory on. Logan coaches Theory up, Theory storms back in, and he ties up with Knight again.

Theory powers Knight to a corner, then fires off fast hands! The ref counts, Theory stops to bump Knight off buckles, then he soaks up the heat from Houston. Theory ELBOWS away on Knight, LARIATS, then says “AUS-TIN THEORY!” Theory snap suplexes Knight, covers, ONE!! Theory grins as he laughs that off, then whips Knight to a corner. Knight rebounds to LARIAT Theory down! Knight drags Theory up, whips him to ropes, but Theory bails out again! The fans boo but Knight just WRECKS Theory with a DRPOKICK! The fans fire up as Theory flounders away! Knight runs up to LARIAT Theory up and over barriers!

The fans fire up with Knight as he hops up onto the barriers, “YEAH!” Knight stands tall as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again as both men fight for suplex control. Theory suplexes Knight up and over, but Knight lands out to then NECKBREAKER! Logan is frustrated but the fans cheer Knight on. Knight and Theory rise up, Logan tells Corey Graves to watch their belts while he focuses on the match. Knight fires haymakers on Theory, “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” then he whips. Theory reverses, Knight ducks ‘n’ dodges to LARIAT! Then RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Knight then SHOVES Theory into buckles and hits a JUMP NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Theory survives and Logan grows worried, but Knight drags Theory up.

Knight whips, Theory reverses, ROLLING ELOBW! Knight drops to his knees, Theory somersaults to BLOCKBUSTER! Cover, TWO! The fans rally for Knight while Theory looms over him. Theory drags Knight up, fireman’s carries, but Knight slips free! Knight shoves Theory to ropes, then LARIATS Theory up and out! Knight goes out after Theory, and he brings Theory up to SMACK off the desk! And again! And again! The fans cheer as Knight dribbles Theory, “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Knight stares Logan down, then SMACKS Theory off the desk again! Knight refreshes the ring count, then tells Logan to back off.

The fans rally as Knight and Logan stare down. Knight also says Speed better watch himself. Speed says no, he learned his lesson. Knight puts Theory in the ring, but LOGAN SHOVES SPEED INTO KNIGHT! The fans boo, and Knight only knows Speed hit him! Speed runs away while apologizing, but Knight pursues! The fans are torn as Speed hurries up the ramp! But the USOS are here! Houston is ready to YEET, but Speed finds himself stuck. He HURDLSE over Knight! Knight pursues, has Speed in the ring, but Logan gets on the apron! Knight BLASTS Logan, but Theory rolls up Knight! With tights! THEORY WINS!!

Winner: Austin Theory, by pinfall

Speed is still stuck in the middle of all this as The Vision uses him again! Speed tries to defend his case, but the fans tell him he messed up! Jey grabs Speed, Jimmy says get him! Jey whips Speed, but now Logan saves Speed! The fans boo as Logan holds onto Speed as The Vision retreats. Knight grabs a mic to say hold on, don’t nobody go anywhere! And while he’s at it, Pearce should walk himself out here right now! YEAH! The fans cheer as Knight says he’s got something for ya! Knight & The Usos, they were the tag team champions, then there’s Speed costing them the belts. Knight tried to get revenge, Speed helps Theory cheat the match.

Knight has the perfect place for a match this big! WRESTLEMANIA! Logan, Theory, and Speed VS The Usos, YEET, and L A KNIGHT! So, what you gotta say, Pearce? Pearce appears, mic in hand, and he says, “You want a Six Man Tag at WrestleMania? Is that right? Logan Paul, are you willing to step in the ring at WrestleMania in a Six Man Tag?” Logan says he and Theory sure are! Speed, Pearce told ya you should’ve gone home. But now, you’re going to WrestleMania, because IT IS OFFICIAL! The fans cheer but Speed panics! Knight says the one thing that will be official is those three getting stomped out by The Usos & L A KNIGHT, YEAH!!

Speed can’t believe this is his life right now. Curse or not, can he survive in Sin City? Or is he going to be dragged down by The Vision?

Finn Balor VS JD McDonagh!

The Prince is going to settle things with “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania, but there’s the matter of settling things with the Irish Ace that betrayed him in the coup. Will Finn clear out the pawn to go after the supposed King of the Luchadores? Or will JD make sure Dom doesn’t even have to worry about WrestleMania?

But speaking of Dom, he attacks from behind! The fans boo and the ref reprimands, but Dom mocks the Finn pose. Dom then storms up on Finn, but Finn fires off fast hands on Dom! JD runs up but Finn kicks low! Finn POSTS JD, then fires off on Dom! Finn puts Dom in the ring, Dom pleads, but still runs up! Finn ELBOWS Dom down, then stomps away at the ropes! JD gets in the ring, but Finn kicks and TOSSES JD! But Dom CLOBBERS Finn with the AAA Mega Championship! The fans boo again but JD slides a chair into the ring. Dom SMACKS Finn in the back! And again! JD adds stomps between SMACKS!

The fans tell Dom off but he CHOKES Finn with the chair! Dom points to the WrestleMania sign while JD stomps Finn. Judgment Day lets off of Finn so they can stand tall. But will Finn make sure Dom pays for his sins in Sin City?

Sit-down interview with AJ Lee.

It was before the show that Michael Cole was with the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion in the Houston Rockets Bar, and he says, “Trailblazer. To me, that’s the apt way to describe the Women’s Intercontinental Champion, AJ Lee.” Cole is sure he speaks for the whole WWE Universe when he says he still can’t believe she’s actually sitting here, a couple weeks away from her first WrestleMania in 11 YEARS! How is she feeling? AJ says it is a lot. It is surreal- But then Becky Lynch interrupts, saying, “There he is! The worst interviewer in history, Moaning Michael! There he is, throwing softball questions.

“It’s not enough for you to be the worst announcer in the history of WWE. We’ve had 29 years of you being a terrible announcer, and here you are.” Cole tells Becky that he doesn’t need this. Sorry, AJ, good luck. Cole leaves, Becky sits down, and she says one thing Cole got right is that we can’t believe AJ is sitting here. Becky remembers AJ Lee’s last Mania. Does she remember seeing Becky backstage? Becky was a young upstart from NXT, and AJ gave her a hug with her fake niceness. Becky saw it in AJ’s eyes. That nervousness. Not because she was about to wrestle in front of 70 THOUSAND people, but because she saw her replacement.

And what happened the very next day? Monday night Raw, AJ quit cuz she knew Becky was coming for her. But Mania 42 won’t be like it was at Elimination Chamber. No homefield advantage, because Mania is Becky’s home! AJ says yeah, keep underestimating her. It’s what everyone has done her entire career. Whether you believe it or not, AJ is proud of Becky. What? AJ doesn’t get to be proud of Becky! Don’t condescend- AJ tells Becky to shut up, she’s still talking. AJ is proud of Becky and everything she has done, for the business and for the locker room. Becky has made history! But none of that happens without AJ Lee.

Because those heights that Becky soared to? AJ shattered the glass ceiling in her way. Those doors Becky ran through? AJ knocked them down for her. AJ is not replaceable. Ten years away from the business and the call kept coming. Those fans never forgot her. AJ knows exactly who she is: She is THE Women’s Intercontinental Champion, Your Favorite Wrestler’s Favorite Wrestler, and their favorite wrestler! When Becky goes home tonight and tucks her little girl into bed, and ask her who her favorite wrestler is, she ain’t gonna say “Becky Lynch.” She’s gonna say A J Lee. See you at Mania. AJ picks up the belt, walks out, and Becky kicks the chair over!

The Man can’t stand that AJ won’t be held down, but will Becky still find a way to take the title back? Or will AJ show Becky just what the “big time” really looks like?

Bayley w/ Lyra Valkyria VS Lash Legend w/ Nia Jax!

While the tag title match last week was ruined, we know there will be a Fatal 4 Way for the titles at Mania. That means momentum is key on the homestretch! Will the Role Model lead by example? Or will the Bougie Bully slam dunk her in the home of the Rockets?

Raw returns as the Irresistible Forces make their entrance. The bell rings and the fans rally as the two circle. They tie up, Lash powers Bayley to ropes, but Bayley powers back. Lash THROWS Bayley out, and Nia is there to talk trash. Bayley pushes past Nia, avoids Lash as Lash slides out, then stomps away on Lash as she slides back in! Lash SHOVES Bayley away, then runs up, but Bayley dodges in the corner! Bayley CLUBS away on Lash, but Lash SHOVES Bayley again. Bayley runs back in, Lash puts her on the apron, but Bayley EKNES Lash int eh ropes! Bayley fires off KNEE after KNEE, then KNEE LIFTS Lash!

Bayley goes up the corner, takes aim, and AX- CHOP!! Lash takes Bayley out of the sky, then PUMPS THE BRAKES! Bayley tumbles out of the ring while Lash soaks up heat, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns as Bayley HOTSHOTS Lash down! Bayley stomps away at the ropes, but stops to go to the corner. Bayley runs up, but Lash picks her up! Lash RAMS Bayley into buckles, then pops her around for the SWINGING BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up for Bayley while Lash argues the count. Lash reels Bayley in, lifts her up, but Bayley fires shots! Bayley RANAS Lash to the corner, then gets moving. Lash UPPERCUTS Bayley down! Cover, TWO! Bayley survives, Lash grows frustrated, but Nia coaches her to focus. Lyra and the fans cheer Bayley on but Lash drags Bayley around. Bayley kicks from below!

Bayley grabs ropes, kicks at Lash again, but Lash YANKS Bayley to center! Lash runs to SPLASH, but she FLOPS as Bayley dodges! Bayley goes to the ropes, Lash storms up, but Bayley fires hands! Bayley ROCKS Lash, but Lash runs up, only for Bayley to dodge! The boot gets caught on the ropes, and Bayley DROPKICKS Lash to the corner! Bayley runs in and DROPKICKS again! Lash stays up so Bayley KNEES her down! Bayley then goes up the corner for the ELBOW DROP to the back! Cover, TWO! Lash survives and Bayley grows frustrated, but the fans rally up again. Lash stands, Bayley fires forearms, but Lash shoves her to ropes.

Bayley rebounds, ducks ‘n ‘dodges, but Nia trips Bayley up! The fans boo and Lyra protests, but Lash runs in! Bayley dodges, Lash POSTS herself! Lyra LEAPS at Nia, but Nia catches her! Nia RAMS Lyra into the apron! But then CHARLEXA ix here! Alexa JUMPS on Nia, Charlotte uses her jacket to lash her, but Bayley goes up to CROSSBODY them all down! Bayley goes back up the corner, but Lash ROCKS her! Lash climbs up, talks trash, and brings Bayley up for a SUPERPLEX but Lyra trips her up! Bayley makes it a CROSSBODY, and then Lyra anchors a leg in the cover! BAYLEY WINS!

Winner: Bayley, by pinfall

Lash is furious, but turnabout is fair play! And at WrestleMania, it’ll be anything goes in their Fatal 4 Way! Will #BayLyra pull out all the stops when it comes to taking the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on the Grandest Stage of Them All?

NOW Seth Rollins is here!

Houston cheers and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” as The Architect goes to the ring, dressed in all black and even a trench coat. Rollins grabs a mic and he shouts, “HOUSTON, TEXAS! I’ve been gone for six months! I’ve been waiting to walk down that ramp, to stand in this ring! I’ve been waiting to hear you sing that damn song!” The fans indeed sing for Rollins, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” Rollins revels in it, goes out to walk around ringside, and he tells the fans to let ’em hear you! “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” continues as Rollins rolls back inside. Now let him say this with his full chest: “I! AM! BACK!!” The fans cheer that!

Rollins says in less than two weeks, WrestleMania, he goes 1v1… with Der Ring General, Gunther. The fans boo that name, but Rollins says he has to be honest, he’s trying to put this all together to how we got here. Rollins and Gunther don’t have a long history. There is no personal issue here. But over the past week, Rollins was running it through his head. The only logical conclusion is that Gunther has entered into some sort of business relationship with Paul Heyman. The fans boo that, too! Rollins will put this as plain as he can: He has two missions in his head. One is to take back the title he never lost, HIS World Heavyweight Championship!

The second is to KILL the Vision! Now, Logan Paul, Austin Theory, they got themselves in some sort of blood feud with the Samoans, that won’t end well for them. Bron Breakker, on the shelf. Bronson Reed, on the shelf. Paul Heyman, left to his own defense, Rollins knew he’d try to find someone. Rollins thought he’d serve up Brock Lesnar on a silver platter for Oba Femi. The fans cheer “O~BA! O~BA!” Rollins says they’re right about that, that man is the future, no doubt about it. But let’s not talk the future, let’s talk right now. If Gunther is listening, if it is his intention to maintain a business relationship with Heyman, to be a shield for Heyman…

Then this may be business for Gunther, but he has made it very personal for Rollins. The fans cheer, but then GUNTHER slides in! SLEEPER, but Rollins slips out! SLEEPER on Gunther! Gunther throws Rollins away, avoids the Curb Stomp, but Rollins BOOTS him off the apron! Rollins throws off the jacket to DIVE, but Gunther catches him! And then THROWS him over the desk! The fans fire up as Rollins gets up to jump onto Gunther! Pearce, officials, refs, they all hurry out here, but they can’t hold Gunther back! He BOOTS Rollins down! The fans boo as Gunther gets a cheap shot in!

Gunther leaves while the fans boo more, but Rollins isn’t done! Rollins gets up, storms his way around the ring, but more producers stand in the way. Gunther escapes, if only for now. Rollins storms back into the ring while the fans sing, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” Cameras follow Gunther now as he returns backstage, and he grins as Heyman is there waiting. Heyman says he doesn’t know why Gunther did what he did last week in Madison Square Garden, because to Heyman’s knowledge, there isn’t anything personal here. So then, sir, all Heyman can say is that he owes Gunther a very big thank you. Gunther says it is obviously personal to Rollins now, which Gunther is glad.

Because it is very personal now to Gunther. Just not for the reasons Rollins is thinking. And to Heyman, Gunther offers a handshake. Heyman accepts, but Gunther pulls Heyman in close. Heyman owes him so much more than just a big thank you. Gunther leaves and Heyman worries what that will mean. What kind of favor could Der Ring General ask of The Wise Man?

Stephanie Vaquer speaks.

“Liv Morgan, that bleach blonde box dye must’ve gotten to your brain if you are stupid enough to think making mom jokes after middle school is clever. You can do better than that. But, if you want to play dirty, I will play dirty. You are a pathetic, cheap, brainless b*tch who talks a lot, but says nothing. You run your mouth better than you claim to run Raw. You are scrambling for purpose and all you can settle on is trying to solve your daddy issues with a sorry excuse for a man who’s jealous of his own daddy’s success. My purpose? Inspire girls everywhere to forge their own path, no matter where they are born.

“You said where you come from, it’s on sight. Where I come from, you won’t see it coming. And that goes for your spineless little lacky, Roxanne, too. In Vegas, you will never your hands on the Women’s World Championship. Because at WrestleMania, I’m taking you where no one can follow. Welcome to my inferno, Liv Morgan.” La Primera is prepared to do her worst, will Liv be the one headed to Oblivion?

Six Man Tag: PENTA, Dragon Lee & Je’Von Evans VS Los Americanos!

While WrestleMania has a Fatal 5 Way Ladder War waiting for the WWE Intercontinental Champion, he is still The Man Without Fear! But will he, the Boy Wonder and the Young OG be a winning combination? Or will El Grande help Bravo y Rayo rebound from falling short at Stand & Deliver?

Raw returns as Evans makes his entrance, joining Penta and Dragon in the ring. Then Los Americanos make their entrance, complete with sombreros and ponchos. The trios sort out, Dragon starts against Bravo and they circle. Bravo kicks low, headlocks, but Dragon powers up and out. Bravo RAMS Dragon, Dragon RAMS Bravo, then Bravo leaps over Dragon! The fans cheer as things keep moving, and Dragon RANAS Bravo! Dragon fireman’s carries, but Bravo slips free to go to ropes. Rayo tags in before Dragon bucks the O’Conner, then Bravo dodges Dragon so Rayo can CLOBBER him! Rayo does a salsa but Je’Von tags in!

The fans fire up as Evans DROPKICKS Rayo down! Then Evans goes Matrix to dodge, then kips up to STUNNER! Kofi Kingston is watching this backstage, very impressed and proud of Evans. Evans hits the BOUNCY~ RANA and Rayo tumbles! Rayo manages to headlock, and now El Grande tags in as Evans powers up and out. Rayo slides out, El Grande runs up, but Evans dodges to then tilt-o-whirl, only for Grande to SLAM him down! PENALTY KICK! Grande taunts Dragon y Penta, and that lets Bravo y Rayo YANK them both down! The fans are torn seeing Los Americanos dance, but Evans DOUBLE CROSSBODIES!

The fans fire up while Grande y Bravo bail out, but Rayo runs up! Evans backflips out of the way, then Penta y Dragon DOUBLE SUPERKICK SANDWICH! Evans gets moving, and he FLIES! Down goes Rayo on the ramp! Then Dragon FLIES onto Bravo on the other end! Penta FLIES to take El Grande down! The fans fire up for the tres tope conjilo, and Penta gets everyone doing the Penta Swag! Houston is all fired up as Raw goes to break!

Raw returns again as both Evans and Grande crawl, hot tags to Rayo y Penta! Penta GAMANGIRIS, then SLING-DOGS! Bravo runs up, but into a BACKBREAKER! Then Penta wheelbarrows Grande and victory rolls with him so he can leap into the DOUBLE DDTS on Rayo y Bravo! The fans fire up again as Los Americanos tumble around. Tag to Dragon before the PLANCHA on Grande! HYDRAULIC DROPKICK on Bravo! Dragon then reels Bravo in, lifts him up, but Bravo saves Rayo from the Styles Clash! Grande HEADBUTTS Dragon behind the ref’s back! Rayo tags Bravo, then Rayo goes up top! DIVING HEADBUTT! Bravo DIVING SPLASHES! Cover, Evans & Penta break it!

Grande GAMANGIRIS Penta! Evans ducks ‘n’ dodges to RED DOT GAMANGIRI! Then an O G- FOREARM from Rayo! Rayo goes up the corner, Penta sweeps him into the Tree of Woe! Dragon goes up, WOE STOMPS come down! Bravo sunset flips, Dragon rolls through to high stack, and lift! STYLES CLASH!! Cover, but Grande breaks it in time! The fans fire up as Evans tags in! Penta leads them in saying CERO MIEDO! SUPERKICKS for Rayo y Grande! Dragon FLYING RANAS Grande to the floor! Penta TRIANGLE JUMP DESTROYERS on the apron for Rayo!! Evans is shocked, but he just goes up, up, and SUPER O G CUTTER!! Cover, Evans’ team wins!

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

Flying through the air with the greatest of ease, and now Evans celebrates with Dragon and Penta! But wait! REY MYSTERIO is here! Houston erupts again as the King of Lucha returns to Raw! Dragon hugs his mentor, Rey daps it up with Evans and Penta, then gets himself a mic. Rey asks how everyone’s doing, and tells Penta that he had to come out here and let him know how cool it is to see the journey take off. It is great that he is representing as Intercontinental Champion. Now, this ladder match at Mania has the potential to be one of the greatest ladder matches in history! But last year, Rey missed out from an injury. This year, he just spoke to Adam Pearce and…

Well, they both agreed on one thing. This ladder match at Mania is missing one more person. The fans like the sound of that! It is missing REY MYSTERIO! Penta tells Rey, let’s make history! Because Penta has CERO MIEDO! Now we go from Fatal 5 to a Six Pack Challenge! But will Penta be able to keep the title now that the odds are even crazier?

Asuka speaks.

“Iyo. We were once a family. But you tried to take everything away from me. Out of selfishness, you destroyed what we had and tore our family apart. And once you left, you tried to rip Kairi away from me, too. I loved you. I came to WWE to pave the way for you and Kairi. I sacrificed everything to give you all the best opportunities. I never expected you to thank me. I did everything for you out of love. But now I realize, I loved you too much, because you took advantage of my kindness. You used me! Now you must pay. I will always be your senpai, Iyo. And as your senpai, I will teach you one final lesson in the ring. Iyo, I will take everything away from you!”

The Empress of Tomorrow has issued her ultimatum, but what will she do just two weeks away from WrestleMania?

Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky VS Mia Yim & B-Fab w/ Jade Cargill!

Just when Mami was found herself in a 3v1 on Friday Night SmackDown against the Baddies, the Genius appeared to save the day! #RheYo rides again, but will they handle Jade’s new cronies? Or will Michin & Fab make Mania that much easier for #ThatB1tch?

Raw returns as the Baddies make their entrance, Jade leading the way. The teams sort out, Jade talks trash at Rhea as she starts against Fab. Fab runs up, but Rhea blocks the kick to LARIAT Fab down! Rhea HAMMERS away on Fab, kicks her low, then SMASHES her off her knee! Rhea LARIATS Fab down, then THROWS Mia into the ring just because! Mia gets up, Rhea BOOTS her down! Rhea TOSSES Mia out to Jade, but Fab BOOTS Rhea down! Fab rains down fists, then puts Rhea in the corner. Fab ELBOWS Rhea again and again, but the ref counts. Rhea SHOVES Fab away, then ROCKS her with a forearm!

Rhea runs up, Fab dodges to float over DDT! Cover, TWO! Fab clamps onto Rhea with a chinlock but Rhea endures the grind. The fans rally as Rhea pulls hair! Fab thrashes Rhea for it, but the fans continue to rally. Rhea rises up, and snapmares free! Fab staggers, into the EDDY GORDO KICK! Fab flounders, Rhea crawls, hot tags to Mia and Iyo! The fans fire up as Iyo ducks ‘n’ dodges, wheelbarrows, and victory rolls! STOMP 182! The fans fire up with Iyo as she sends Mia to the open corner. Mia reverses, but Iyo slips out, around, and GAMANGIRIS! Mia staggers away, Fab runs up, but Iyo HOTSHOTS Fab first!

Iyo goes up, up, and MISSILE DROPKICKS Fab & Mia! Iyo kips up, the fans fire up, and everyone joins in with the crazy dance! Iyo builds speed to DIVE, down go Fab & Mia at the ramp! The fans fire up again as Iyo stands tall, and Raw goes to break!

Raw returns again as Fab grinds Iyo down. The fans rally as Iyo fights up, and she JAWBREAKERS free! Fab staggers, but she CLOBBERS Iyo! Fab anchors Iyo from Rhea, then short arm LARIATS! Fab talks trash on Rhea, then sucker punches her! The fans boo, but the ref has to keep Rhea back! This lets Fab & Mia mug Iyo! The fans boo more, but then the ref sees the mugging! Mia claims she tagged but the ref isn’t falling for that! But then Jade YANKS Rhea down! The fans boo Jade and her Elmo fur outfit. Mia runs up on Iyo, Iyo dodges, and Mia POSTS herself! Fab clinches Iyo, URE- NO, Iyo wheelbarrows through to a victory roll, RHEYO WINS!

Winners: Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky, by pinfall

But Jade CLOBBERS Iyo! The fans boo as the Baddies beat up on Iyo, and Jade has Mia go fetch something. Mia brings out her kendo stick! But Rhea is back and she DECKS Fab! Then she dodges Mia to HEADBUTT! But Jade runs up, and she BOOTS Rhea down! Jade bumps Rhea off buckles, her Baddies hold Rhea in the corner, and Jade taunts Rhea. Rhea dares Jade to fight her then, but Jade decides to pick on Iyo instead! Jade has the kendo stick, and she winds up to SMACK her in the side! The fans boo but Jade SMACKS Iyo on the back! Iyo writhes but Jade SMACKS her down! The stick breaks, and Jade chicken wings Iyo! JADED!!

The fans boo as Jade stares Rhea down, having handled her best friend. Will Rhea make #ThatB1tch pay for this? Will Asuka even need to do anything to hurt Iyo after what The Storm just did to her?

Finn Balor speaks.

“Dominik, JD. Congratulations, boys, that was a hell of a beating. I probably brought it upon myself. Maybe I’m the one to blame. See, I wanted to do this the easy way. I hoped we would play nice. But why should I expect it from you when I’m the one who showed you how to play dirty? Well, playtime’s over. You think you know me, Dominik? You really only know one side of me. There’s a side of me that I’ve never shown you before. A side I buried a long time ago. A side that I thought was gone forever. But you’ve awoken it. It’s back. And at WrestleMania, it’s coming for you.”

The Judgment Day regroups in the clubhouse.

Dirty Dom is worried. What does Finn mean by all that? JD says don’t worry about that, it is all just talk. Finn got laid out before Mania. But what they should worry about is how Dom’s deadbeat dad got himself added to the Intercontinental Championship title match. Dom says don’t worry about Rey, JD will bring that title back to Judgment Day. And as far as the deadbeat goes, Dom knows how to take care of him. Let’s go talk to Pearce. Dom gives Liv a kiss on the forehead before he and JD head out, what idea is cooking inside his devious head? As for Liv and Raquel, they start talking Vaquer’s message but Roxanne Perez steps in.

Liv says hey, just the person she wanted to see! Liv wants Raquel to let her and Roxie talk for a second. Raquel says okay. Liv asks how Roxie is doing and Roxie says she’s good. Liv tells Roxie thanks for the help out there with Stephanie, she appreciates it. But there is an elephant in the room that they should talk about. O-Oh, okay. Liv knows Finn brought Roxie into Judgment Day, but he turned his back on them. Does Roxie get that? But then VAQUER CLOBBERS THEM BOTH!! Vaquer says she told Liv what was coming! And then she CHUCKS Liv into the TV! Vaquer leaves Liv down and out, will Liv even remember where she is?

Triple H is here!

Houston fires up as The Game makes his way out to the ring, Adam Pearce flanking him, because this isn’t just going to be any contract signing. Tonight, The Beast and The Ruler are going to be in the ring, and hopefully signing the contract is all they do. Will HHH be able to keep the peace? We’ll see, after the break.

Raw returns as the table is set up, and Pearce has the mic to say, “Ladies and gentlemen, over the last couple of weeks, we have seen the birth of what promises to be a true clash of heavyweight titans at WrestleMania. That clash will be between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi. And tonight-” Heyman interrupts by addressing Pearce & HHH. The fans boo but Heyman continues his introductions. “Tonight, a contract signing for the most highly anticipated match at WrestleMania in decades, if not ever. And as the greatest Advocate, Wise Man, Oracle, manager in the history of this entire industry-” The fans interrupt with “O~BA! HOOT! O~BA! HOOT!”

Heyman says thanks for the most irrelevant opinion. But it is his honor to introduce to us the “Conquer of the Ruler, because this is one Ruler who can’t measure up. And he can’t measure up to the REAL main event of WrestleMania, The Beast, BRRROCK! LESNARRR!” The fans do indeed cheer as Lesnar makes his entrance. Lesnar gets his pyro, then he goes to the ring. Pearce introduces Lesnar’s opponent, The Ruler, OBA FEMIII! The fans fire up again as Oba makes his entrance now. Oba even copies Lesnar’s little jogging-in-place move before he climbs into the ring. The fans cheer the stare down, but Lesanr attacks!

The fans are torn as Lesnar knocks Oba out of the ring, then leaps, but into Oba’s arms! Oba RAMS Lesnar into the post! They get in the ring, they brawl, and they CLOBBER the table!! Security rushes out here but the fans want to “LET THEM FIGHT!” Lesnar gets loose to LEAP onto Oba! The hands fly, Pearce and HHH want this to stop, but Oba gets lose to CLOBBER Lesnar! The fans fire up again, but the guards pull them both back! Lesnar CHUCKS an armchair! Oba catches it and throws it back!! The fans go nuts and the security team has to watch out! Houston still wants to “LET THEM FIGHT!” but Raw’s going off the air! Will these two even be allowed to fight it out?

My Thoughts:

A great Raw, especially with that opening. WWE advertised Rollins opening, but maybe that was to help the surprise of Punk going out there instead and dropping about as close to a “Pipebomb 2.0” as we could get. Between this and Cody Rhodes clapping back on SmackDown, it is hard to say if there’s some sort of reverse psychology going on here. Pat McAfee telling us WWE sucks for this reason or that, but Cody and Punk defending WWE, is this to get us fans on WWE’s side? Is TKO a kayfabe scapegoat like when Baron Corbin was dumped on by “The Authority” all those years ago? It adds an interesting spice to the mix to the homestretch, at least.

The psyops aside, Punk still did great in calling out Roman, that was some good material. With next week as the go-home, Roman’s gotta show up, but I don’t know if there’s one more brawl or what. We got a very good promo segment from AJ Lee and Becky Lynch that more or less put a similar punctuation on their build, I can’t see them doing much more than a brawl of their own. We might be getting one too many of those across all parts of the Road to WrestleMania, but the live crowds don’t seem to mind. Oba and Lesnar had one to close us out, that was them just bypassing the contract signing to get to what we all wanted.

Good stuff across the different parts of the Vision story. Speed getting dragged into things does highlight how misunderstandings are undefeated in wrestling. All Knight & Usos have to do is watch the show back to see Speed has been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and all Speed has to do is apologize and ditch The Vision during the match. I believe I nailed the Six Man Tag being made, but I did not think it’d be put on Mania. Honestly, probably shouldn’t be on Mania, but someone seems to think this is deserving. Assuming Speed doesn’t run away at the bell, it’ll be a great match, but I bet Danhausen gets involved in the finish.

Finn VS McDonagh being No Contest because of Dom attacking was fine, it beats Dom helping JD cheat the win. Good promo from Finn to obviously tease The Demon, but Dom playing dumb works every time. Great Six Man Tag match and great win for Penta, Dragon & Evans. Rey Mysterio returning here tonight and hopping into the ladder match is wild, he is coming off a rib injury! I suppose they wouldn’t even tease the idea if he was anything less than 100%, and I’m sure Rey will be very careful. Unless Rey and Dom are gonna run it back for this IC title, I don’t see Penta losing it when he’s been doing so well and is so popular.

Vaquer had a very good promo to call out Liv, and her following through with a blindside on Liv and Roxie was great stuff. Feels like we’re gonna get Vaquer VS Roxie as a tune-up but who knows. Honestly, Vaquer might’ve kept Liv from picking at the reasons Finn recruited Roxie in the first place, aka Roxie stealing Dom from Liv. It’d be amazing if Roxie activated like a sleeper agent and betrayed Liv to keep her from winning the title. Then it’d be Roxie backing Finn up against Judgment Day as the feud continues through into Backlash and beyond.

Very good promo from Rollins, and a very good brawl for Rollins and Gunther. While Gunther is being coy about it now, it feels like Gunther could use this moment to rope himself a match with Brock Lesnar. The story would be odd, but you gotta do what you can with injuries keeping everyone else out of this Vision story. As I said last week, Rollins VS Gunther could go either way, but maybe Gunther winning compels Heyman to work out such a deal for like SummerSlam, or maybe even Saturday Night’s Main Event Madison Square Garden in July. SNME seems to be the show for retirement matches, aside from AJ Styles at Royal Rumble.

Good stuff in the Women’s Tag Division story, and while I wasn’t surprised Charlexa showed up (Charlotte whipping Nia with her jacket was lowkey hilarious), Bayley actually winning was a surprise. Lyra helping was great, too, that’s a nice tease of how things could go at Mania. Very good promo from Asuka to call out Iyo, but then she chooses to stay out of Rhea & Iyo VS B-Fab & Michin? Well, seems the Women’s Championship build is such a mess, it’s messing up the other builds. Asuka-Kairi-Iyo should still be a thing for Mania, but with the IShowSpeed Six Man making Mania, maybe we wait for the Raw After Mania or even Backlash.

My Score: 8.9/10