By Jason Powell
Kevin Owens vs. Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship: Owens went from comedy heel to money drawing badass when he turned on Chris Jericho. He has done his best since then to convince viewers that he is going to retain the championship. On the flip side, Goldberg came out and promised his family and fans that he is going to capture the Universal Championship. I’m not sure why they turned Owens before this match. The comedy heel version of Owens could have been speared and Jackhammered in record time and no one would have thought twice, then turned on Chris Jericho the next night on Raw and started down this new path. It seems odd that badass Owens is going to be destroyed by Goldberg, but I assume that’s exactly what happens tonight. The risk of exposing Goldberg by having him work a longer and more competitive match prior to his WrestleMania showdown with Brock Lesnar is a risk that WWE can’t afford to take.
Goldberg wins the WWE Universal Championship.
Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman: Had you told me a year ago that Reigns vs. Strowman would be the most intriguing match on any card I would have assumed it was a two-match special and the other match featured The Shining Stars vs. Hype Bros. WWE has done a terrific job of building up Strowman as a badass monster, and Reigns has done a very nice job of selling for the big man on the Raw shows leading up to this showdown. I am genuinely curious to see what type of match they can produce together and how in the world WWE books this finish. Strowman should not lose clean. He has come too far to be speared and pinned. Does Undertaker get involved and respond to Reigns for telling him at the Royal Rumble that it’s his yard now? It would feel heelish of Taker to let mere words cause him to cost Reigns a match. So what is the finish? You got me, but if anyone goes over clean then I suspect it would be Strowman.
Braun Strowman wins.
Neville vs. Jack Gallagher for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship: The build to the match has been solid. Neville calling Gallagher on being and English stereotype was a nice surprise, and Gallagher simply telling him that he’s just being himself was effective. Neville should get the win and keep his championship heading into WrestleMania. Will they rush into Neville vs. Austin Aries for the big show or will the cruiserweights have a big multi-person ladder match for the title?
Neville retains the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair for the Raw Women’s Championship: WWE seems infatuated with Charlotte remaining unbeaten on pay-per-view. Never mind the fact that she seems to lose more than she wins on Raw, they think her pay-per-view streak is where it’s at. I hoped that this was leading up to her facing the real pay-per-view queen Ronda Rousey, but there’s no buzz of that happening. Still, I suspect that Charlotte regains her championship on pay-per-view once again, presumably so that someone can end her streak at WrestleMania.
Charlotte regains the Raw Women’s Championship.
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass for the Raw Tag Titles: The build to this match consisted of Gallows and Anderson getting roughed up in handicap matches by Roman Reigns, and Big Cass beating Gallows in a singles match. Yawn. I suspect the champions retain, but I am picking a lopsided number of heels to win, and this could be a match they use to help balance things out. Plus, WWE seems to love title changes these days.
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson retain the Raw Tag Titles.
Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn: This should not be the 20-minute classic that we know Joe and Sami are capable of having. Joe needs to remain in ass kicker mode, and no one is better than Zayn when it comes to taking that type of beating (see Braun Strowman).
Samoa Joe wins.
Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks: Are they setting up Banks vs. Charlotte for WrestleMania or a three- or even four-way match? If Sasha is getting a singles title shot, then you’d think she would end Jax’s winning streak. If not, then I’d prefer to see them keep Jax strong by maintaining her unbeaten (on the main roster) monster status. My guess is that Jax wins again and leads to more Sasha frustration, which plays some part in her getting involved in the women’s championship match.
Nia Jax wins.
Noam Dar and Brian Kendrick vs. Akira Tozawa and Rich Swann (Kickoff Show): Babyfaces typically win the Kickoff Show matches and I’ll be surprised if they go against the grain for this match. I’m also waiting for them to announce a six-man tag match for the Kickoff Show so that the babyface trio that lost to Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, and Drew Gulak on 205 Live can get their win back.
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