Last week’s episode ofWWE Monday Night Rawsaw the long-awaited return of Edge, coming off of a spectacular Royal Rumble 2020 return. For a moment, it seemed as though Edge was going to reunite with Rated-RKO tag team partner Randy Orton, but instead Orton laid him out with an RKO and Conchairto. Edge is not expected to be on Monday Night Raw tonight, but Randy Orton will start the show by explaining his heinous actions from last week.
TheRoyal Rumblewas a big event for Edge, but it was also a huge showing for Drew McIntyre, who shocked the world by being the last one standing and earning a WWE Championship opportunity at WrestleMania. There are some big shows before WrestleMania, though, including Super Showdown in Saudi Arabia this month, and so it remains to be seen if Lesnar will still even be champion come Mania in April.
Tonight’s Raw will determine Brock Lesnar’s Super Showdown opponent, withSeth Rollins, Ricochet, and Bobby Lashley all battling it out for the opportunity. And speaking of Lashley, his wife Lana will also be in action, taking on Liv Morgan in a rematch from last week’s Raw.
We will update this post with live results and grades for every match on tonight’s episode of Raw.
1. Randy Orton Explains Why He Attacked Edge
WWE fans tuned in to Monday Night Raw tonight expectingRandy Ortonto explain why he attacked Edge. However, the Viper instead said nothing and left.
2. Lana vs. Liv Morgan
Winner:Liv Morgan. This match was a throwaway match, and it’s a little frustrating how the Liv Morgan/Lana stuff is really going nowhere interesting. This match was just a repeat of their match from the1/27/2020 Raw, even ending with the same Flatliner finish. The aftermath was far more interesting, as Ruby Riott made her surprise return and attacked Morgan. For those who may not remember, Riott and Morgan used to be in a stable together called the Riott Squad.
Grade:D
3. Drew McIntyre vs. Mojo Rawley w/ Riddick Moss
Winner:Drew McIntyre. Last week, Drew McIntyre squashed The OC. This week, he squashed Mojo Rawley, defeating him with a single Claymore Kick three seconds into the match. Prior to the match, McIntyre talked up how he was going to take on Lesnar at WrestleMania, which generated a strong reaction from the crowd. Riddick Moss seems a bit wasted here, but it’s likely that the Rawley/Moss duo is just going to job to McIntyre in a Handicap Match in the coming weeks. It will go a long way in making McIntyre look especially strong for his fight with Lesnar, but it does come at the expense of other talent’s credibility.
Grade:C
4. Six-Man Tag Team Elimination Match: Buddy Murphy and The Authors of Pain w/ Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens and The Viking Raiders
Winners:Buddy Murphy and The Authors of Pain. The Authors of Pain haven’t really been in actual matches since they formed this stable with Buddy Murphy and Seth Rollins, so it was good to see them in action here. For those wondering why Samoa Joe wasn’t a part of the proceedings, he actually injured himself last week on Raw. The Elimination stipulation made this match much more interesting than it would have been otherwise, with Rollins cheating for his group to getThe Viking Raiderseliminated. This left Kevin Owens to fend for himself, with his elimination of Buddy Murphy getting a huge ovation from the crowd. Despite Owens rallying back, though, he still wound up losing the match.
Grade:B+
5. Aleister Black vs. Eric Young
Winner:Aleister Black. It’s a shame to see Eric Young relegated to being a mere jobber. Young’s TNA run was actually quite good, and he showed that he could even be main event material with the right story. Unfortunately for those hoping to see Eric Young used in a more significant way in WWE, he was the next victim for Aleister Black, who made short work of him using the Black Mass.
6. Angel Garza w/ Zelina Vega vs. Rey Mysterio
Winner:Rey Mysterio. Even though Andrade is on the shelf, it seems WWE is going to keepZelina Vegaon TV by having her manage Angel Garza. This gives Garza a bigger spotlight than he’s used to, and he seized the opportunity here by having a solid match with Rey Mysterio. Garza put up a good fight, but Mysterio ultimately had the match won and was about to lay him out with the 619, only for Vega to interfere. Mysterio then got the disqualification victory after being laid out with a DDT on concrete, which seems to be the MO of anyone associated with Zelina Vega.
7. Rhea Ripley Issues A Challenge to Charlotte Flair
Since Charlotte Flair won the women’s Royal Rumble match, she can face any Women’s Champion at WrestleMania. It’s been assumed that she will challenge eitherBayleyor Becky Lynch, but NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley issued a challenge of her own. Charlotte will be on NXT this week to reveal whether or not she accepts Rhea’s challenge, and it will be interesting to see where this goes from here.
8. Asuka w/ Kairi Sane vs. Natalya
Winner:Asuka. There was some sloppiness in the middle of the match, asAsukaseemed to clip Natalya with a legitimate kick to the face. However, the women got control of the match back not long after that, having a great exchange of counters. Natalya even rallied back with the crowd solidly behind her, nailing Asuka with a discus clothesline and locking her in the Asuka Lock. Asuka managed to get the ropes to escape, and a Kairi Sane distraction allowed her to get the Asuka Lock for the submission victory.
9. #1 Contender’s Triple Threat Match: Bobby Lashley vs. Ricochet vs. Seth Rollins
Winner:Ricochet. This was easily the most exciting match of the night, as the stakes were pretty high. With Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley currently involved in other storylines, though, it seemed like Ricochet was the obvious winner. And so he was. The Authors of Pain attempted to cheat for Rollins, but Kevin Owens and The Viking Raiders evened the odds. Ricochet managed to get the victory with the 630 splash on Lashley. It would have been a bit more interesting had he went over Rollins, but it was still a solid win for Ricochet. And now the high-flyer will get a, most likely doomed, chance at Brock Lesnar and the WWE Championship at Super Showdown later this month.
