By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw (Episode 1,600)
New Orleans, Louisiana at Smoothie King Center
Aired live January 22, 2024 on USA Network
[Hour One] Michael Cole welcomed viewers to episode 1,600 of Raw. Footage aired of CM Punk and Cody Rhodes arriving separately at the building. Cole hyped their face to face meeting for later in the show. Cole was joined on commentary by Wade Barrett, and Samantha Irvin was the ring announcer…
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins made his entrance. Rollins wore a brace over his pants on his left knee and limped as he slapped some hands while heading to the ring. The broadcast team pondered whether Rollins’ “WrestleMania Dream” could be in jeopardy.
Once Rollins was in the ring, the fans continued to chant his theme song. Rollins removed his shades and looked into the crowd before hanging his head for a moment. A “thank you, Seth” chant broke out as Rollins’ got misty eyed and then took a deep breath.
Rollins welcomed the fans to Monday Night Rollins. He said it had been a long week and he really appreciated the greeting the fans gave him. Rollins recalled defending his championship against Jinder Mahal, which drew boos. Rollins said it’s okay because he beat him.
Rollins recalled hitting a moonsault and felt his knee move in a way “that it’s really not supposed to.” Rollins said he finished the match and beat Mahal. He said once he sat down backstage, it really set in that he might be out for a long time. Rollins recalled stating earlier in the night that he gets better and stronger with each title defense and he felt like a bit of a liar.
Rollins said he thought for the first time that it was a real possibility that he might miss WrestleMania. A “No” chant broke out. Rollins said he appreciated that, but he still had to get an MRI done. He said he got the results back in the middle of the week and it wasn’t great. He said he has a grade two tear of his MCL and torn meniscus.
Rollins said doctors are telling him that it will be a three or four month recovery time with surgery. He said if it were up to him, he’d be in the ring next week, but it’s not just up to him. “We don’t really know what the future holds,” Rollins said. He added that he was taking things day by day and week by week.
Imperium’s entrance theme interrupted Rollins. Intercontinental Champion Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, and Giovanni Vinci made their entrance. Barrett said that when there is blood in the water, it doesn’t take long for the hungriest sharks to start circling. Gunther entered the ring while his sidekicks stayed on the floor.
Rollins said he didn’t have time for this. He said if they were there to make an example of him, they should just get it over with. Gunther told Rollins not to worry about Kaiser and Vinci. Gunther said Rollins should focus on him. Gunther said they’ve been ignoring each other for some time and this felt like the time for him to tell Rollins what he really thinks of him.
Gunther said Rollins has positioned himself as a fighting champion that everyone can be proud of. “Just like me,” Gunther said. He added that it pulls at his heartstrings to see Rollins and knowing he might not make it to WrestleMania honestly makes him said.
Rollins said Gunther and his boys should have let him finish. Rollins said he was about to say that he doesn’t give a damn what the doctors tell him or how hard he has to rehab and push his knee. “I will keep my promise, I will take this title into WrestleMania,” Rollins declared. “And I will do every single thing in my power to walk out of WrestleMania the World Heavyweight Champion.”
Gunther said that was great and he was happy to hear it. He said he thought they saw a great champion fall last week. He said he admires that Rollins is going to do what he has to do to enter WrestleMania and leave with the title. Gunther said he would do the same thing and said Rollins reminds him of himself.
Gunther said he is going to win the Royal Rumble and then choose Rollins as his opponent for WrestleMania. Gunther said he would target Rollins’ knee and back. He said he would target everything that wasn’t 100 percent and then beat him to become the World Heavyweight Champion.
Rollins said he appreciates the honesty. He told Gunther to remember who he is coming after. Rollins dropped the mic. Gunther told Rollins that he better remember who is coming after him. Rollins and Gunther shook hands. Cole emphasized that the Royal Rumble is on Saturday night.
At ringside, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods attacked Kaiser and Vinci from behind. The teams fought and entered the ring. Kingston and Woods cleared Kaiser and Vinci from the ring heading into the first commercial break… [C]
Powell’s POV: Rollins did a nice job of preparing fans for the worst by looking very grim and emotional, only to share the good news that he intends to wrestle at WrestleMania. I love Gunther confronting Rollins, as it establishes him as another realistic threat to win the Rumble match. In fact, before CM Punk returned, Gunther was my pick to win either the Rumble or Elimination Chamber to earn the shot at the World Heavyweight Champion. By the way, Gunther mistakenly said the Rumble is on Sunday, which sparked the Cole reminder that the event is on Saturday.
1. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods vs. Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci. The match was joined in progress. Cole said this was the first time these teams faced one another on Raw. Woods was isolated by the heel duo heading into a break. [C] Kingston had an offensive flurry and then he and Woods worked over Kaiser and Vinci with punches on the floor. Kingston ran Kaiser into the barricade and the referee counted out both teams to end the match.
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods fought Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci to a double count-out at roughly 8:40 of television time.
The brawl continued after the match. Kaiser set up to hit Kingston with a chair, but Woods flew into the picture to break it up. Woods brought Kaiser on top of some production cases, looked to the crowd and smirked, and then set up for a move that Vinci broke up.
Kaiser and Vinci set up for a double suplex, but Kingston broke it up. Kingston and Woods speared Kaiser and Vinci off the production cases and through a table below. The crowd chanted “holy shit” and was censored (ugh) while both teams remained down…
Powell’s POV: Good intensity. It continues to be a nice change to see the New Day duo something aside from corny comedy.
The broadcast team shifted their focus to Cody Rhodes being on the cover of the standard edition of the new WWE 2K24 video game, while Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair will be on the cover of another version of the game. A trailer aired for the game and featured a mix of past and present stars…
Cole hyped the Punk and Cody segment for later in the show… An ad for NXT hyped previously advertised segments… [C] The broadcast team recapped the tag team brawl and said they were hoping all four men would be okay…
A video package spotlighted Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest to set up their match for later in the show…
The Judgment Day members Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, and JD McDonagh were shown watching on a backstage monitor. Ripley said Adam Pearce told her that Priest and Balor will defend the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles against “DIY” Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa next week.
Ripley said they obviously had bigger problems than Drew McIntyre. Priest was defensive and said he wasn’t going around and trying to fight everyone. He said he wasn’t the one walking around with a big head due to the 2K video game cover. McIntyre left after saying he was going to clear his head for the match.
Ripley started to scold Dom and McDonagh for not taking care of DIY sooner. Balor comedically echoed her comments. Ripley scolded Balor and told him that Priest would deal with McIntyre on his own. She told Balor that he would be ringside with McDonagh for Dom’s match. Ripley said it had been a while since she had seen Balor’s vicious side. Balor said he would show it…
Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri were interviewed by Jackie Redmond on the Gorilla Position set. Redmond mentioned that Nile has been training for the Royal Rumble, then shifted the focus to her match with Valhalla. Dupri cut in and spoke for Nile. The Creed Brothers showed up and tried to give Nile a pep talk. She told them she had it under control and then headed through the curtain with Dupri…
Guitarist Nita Strauss was shown in the crowd… Valhalla made her entrance…
2. Ivy Nile (w/Maxxine Dupri) vs. Valhalla. Valhalla performed an early popup headbutt that missed. Valhalla covered Nile and used the ropes for leverage, but Durpri pointed it out to the referee. Nile and Valhalla ended up on the ropes. Nile played to the crowd and then bulldogged Valhalla before pinning her…
Ivy Nile defeated Valhalla in 2:45.
Powell’s POV: There wasn’t much to that one. Is it just me or was Dupri extra annoying during the backstage interview and while at ringside?
Jey Uso approached Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods and was hyped up. Jackie Redmond showed up and asked Kingston and Woods where things end with Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci. Kingston said people see the pancakes and Booty O’s and don’t think they “can’t get down when the time is right.” Kingston said they want the big boss. Kingston challenged Gunther to an Intercontinental Title match for next week’s Raw. After the New Day duo left, Jey looked into the camera and said yeet… [C]
Footage aired from Bourbon Street and then Cole hyped tickets for Undertaker’s one-man show in Clearwater, Florida this weekend…
Nia Jax made her entrance while a graphic noted that she has been undefeated in singles competition since returning in September. Jax said the first time she came face to face with Rhea Ripley, Ripley got squashed.
[Hour Two] Jax said the first time she went one-on-one with Becky Lynch, Lynch got squashed. Jax recalled Ripley and Lynch stating last week that they want to face one another at WrestleMania. Jax said they want to face each other because they know they can’t beat her. Some fans gave Jax the “what?” treatment.
Becky Lynch made her entrance. “Shut up, Nia, you dope,” Lynch said as she walked to the ring. Lynch congratulated Jax for beating her and said now she has something new to talk about for the next five years.
Lynch said she knows she has a target on her back going into the Royal Rumble, but not target was bigger than the one on Jax’s back. She said the people in the locker room don’t agree on anything, but none of them like Jax. Lynch said Jax probably injured nearly half of them. Lynch said she didn’t know if she would enjoy winning the Rumble for the second time or watching Jax lose.
Bayley’s entrance theme played and she headed to the ring alone. She said she came to Raw to see Rhea Ripley, “but this is almost better.” Bayley joined Lynch and Jax inside the ring and said she was there to make it clear that she will win the Royal Rumble.
Bayley shoved Lynch and then went after her. Jax attacked Bayley. Lynch got up and fought Jax before putting Bayley down with a Manhandle Slam. Jax tossed Lynch over the top rope and then dropped a leg on Bayley. Referees ran out and stood between Lynch and the ring…
Powell’s POV: A brief segment that furthered the issues between Lynch and Jax, yet felt really rushed for some reason. Did Bayley actually show up just for that or will she be doing more tonight?
A Royal Rumble “by the numbers” video aired (WWE released a nearly six-minute version earlier today that you can check out below)…
Cole said the Rumble is his favorite event of the year and added that he enjoys all of the statistics. He said they would look at more later in the show…
Dominik Mysterio made his entrance with Finn Balor and JD McDonagh… An ad for Smackdown hyped Kayden Carter and Katana Chance vs. Asuka and Kairi Sane for the WWE Women’s Championship for Friday’s show, as well as the final push for the four-way match for the WWE Universal Championship match that will be held at the Royal Rumble… [C]
Becky Lynch was shown walking backstage when she crossed paths with Rhea Ripley. “It looks like you should make other plans for WrestleMania,” Ripley told Lynch before walking away…
The Miz made his entrance while footage aired from earlier in the day of Miz telling R-Truth that Judgment Day would drop the hammer on him eventually and he doesn’t want Truth to get hurt. Truth told Miz to keep an eye on the Mysterio Boys during his match and did the “Dom and Nick” gag again…
3. Dominik Mysterio (w/Finn Balor, JD McDonagh) vs. The Miz. Miz ended up at ringside. Balor hit him with a cheap shot while Dom distracted the referee. Dom hit Miz with a suicide dive and then threw him back inside the ring. Dom was in offensive control heading into a break. [C]
Miz performed a top rope crossbody block, which Cole made a big fuss over. Miz threw his series of kicks at Dom and set up for his finisher, but Dom countered and put Miz in position for a 619, which Miz avoided. McDonagh distracted the referee and then Balor hit Miz, who then took the 619. Dom hit a top rope frog splash on Miz and pinned him.
Dominik Mysterio defeated The Miz in roughly 10:00.
After the match, “DIY” Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa came out and helped clear the Judgment Day trio from the ring. Miz hit a Skull Crushing Finale on McDonagh. DIY set up for their Meet in the Middle finisher, but Balor pulled McDonagh to ringside…
Powell’s POV: Balor helped Dom win, but that was his vicious side? Anyway, the crowd was pretty flat for DIY coming out. Hopefully they can tear the house down with Priest and Balor next week because their in-ring work is more likely to get them over than their mic work. By the way, thanks to Jerry from Illinois and Timelord from our comment section for pointing out that I missed some Nikki Cross weirdness during the Ivy Nile vs. Valhalla match.
Damian Priest was interviewed on the backstage ring set by Jackie Redmond. Priest congratulated Dom for taking care of business, but R-Truth interrupted him and tried to give him his merch cut. Priest said he appreciates Truth’s sense of humor, but this wasn’t the time. Truth ran off. Priest went back to his promo about Drew McIntyre and accused him of stopping him from cashing in his Money in the Bank contract out of jealousy. “He will receive his punishment,” Priest closed…
Chad Gable made his entrance… [C]
Bronson Reed delivered a backstage promo and said he’s fully aware that Jey Uso intends to become a singles champion. Reed said he does too and then challenged Jey to face him on Raw next week…
Powell’s POV: That’s three matches they’ve set up for next week’s Raw. I’m pleasantly surprised that they are building up more matches than usual for a show that should should be a ratings success due primarily to interest coming out of the Royal Rumble.
Footage aired of a campy Alpha Academy workout from earlier in the day. Maxxine Dupri showed up and gave Chad Gable a “Thank Yew Crew” towel… Ivar made his entrance…
4. Ivar vs. Chad Gable. Valhalla did not accompany Ivar to ringside. Ivar dumped Gable to ringside and then jumped from the apron and splashed him on the floor. [C] Gable superplexed Ivar coming out of the break.
A short time later, Ivar came back with a sit-out powerbomb for a near fall. Gable rebounded and applied the ankle lock, but Ivar broke out of it. Ivar put Gable down and then hit a middle rope leg drop for a near fall.
Ivar threw a spin kick at Gable, who caught it and reapplied the ankle lock. Ivar teased tapping before reaching the bottom rope to break the hold. Ivar put Gable down with a sit-out spinebuster for a two count.
Gable avoided Ivar’s top rope moonsault. Gable executed a German suplex into a bridge for a two count. Ivar set up for a superplex, but Gable slipped away and performed a German suplex.
Gable set up for a move on the top rope, but Valhalla showed up and screamed in his face. Ivar slammed Gable on the mat and then hit his top rope moonsault and scored the pin…
Ivar defeated Chad Gable in 11:00.
Powell’s POV: Ivar pretty much had to win. It wouldn’t have packed much of a punch if Gable had beaten him just a week after Akira Tozawa pinned Ivar. I got a kick out of Tozawa’s upset win, but I think it would gave done more for Gable to be the one to beat Ivar. Nevertheless, this was a good match.
CM Punk was shown walking through the backstage area. A separate shot aired of Cody Rhodes walking through another part of the backstage area while Cole said their segment would be up next… [C]
A trailer aired for “Love & WWE – Bianca and Montez” and then Cole hyped that all eight episodes will be released on Hulu on February 2…
Cody Rhodes made his entrance dressed in a suit to a strong reaction. CM Punk’s entrance followed and he let the crowd do the “It’s Clobberin’ Time” line. Punk stopped and took a selfie with a young fan at ringside before heading to the ring. Punk turned to the crowd and held his arms out while on the apron and also received a strong reaction.
Once inside the ring, Punk shook hands with Cody. Cole said both men want to finish their own story. There was a CM Punk chant followed by some boos. Punk and Cody looked to the crowd and then Cody took a step forward and smiled.
“I was going to say before we start, let’s take a moment to enjoy this moment,” Punk said. “you and I have been on very different paths to get here.” Punk added that he hopes that he and Cody are still friends coming out of the Rumble and then said they should just enjoy the moment.
Cody did his “what do you want to talk about” line for the New Orleans fans and Punk in particular. There were loud chants for Punk again. Punk held his hand up to silence the crowd and then said he wanted to talk about Cody’s dad.
Punk recalled Dusty Rhodes calling him to tell him that he was sending Cody to Ohio Valley Wrestling to start his journey in pro wrestling.
[Hour Three] Punk recalled Dusty asking him to keep an eye on Cody for him. Punk said he didn’t know if he was the man for the job at that point, but when Dusty asks a favor, you say yes. Punk said it wasn’t a hard job because Cody didn’t get into any trouble that he couldn’t talk his way out of. Punk said Cody also didn’t fall into the same vices that others did.
Punk said he watched Cody go from being a preliminary wrestler to becoming a bonafide main eventer. Punk said it might sound a little condescending coming from him, but he’s proud of Cody.
Punk said he feels like he’ll be breaking a promise to Dusty during the Rumble match. Punk said he won’t be looking out for Cody, he’ll be looking for him. Punk said he will do what he has to do to win the Royal Rumble and will go on to headline WrestleMania.
Cody spoke about how a number of people in the WWE office see him and can’t help but see Dusty. Cody said it’s a very large shadow. Cody said he has done everything in his power since he left WWE to be the light in the shadow.
Cody said he showed up in OVW with no experience and as a nepotism hire, whereas Punk had made a name for himself on the independent scene for ten years. Cody said Punk treated him like a peer and that’s what makes it bittersweet. Cody said there are no friends in the Royal Rumble.
Punk asked what about Sunday morning. Punk said he can separate business from personal and questioned whether Cody could do the same. Punk said Cody is the son of one of the most legendary professional wrestlers. Punk said he didn’t have a famous dad.
Punk said he didn’t see Cody as a nepotism hire, he saw the burden of Cody’s last name. Punk congratulated Cody and told him that he’s done it with flying colors. Punk noted that Cody was wearing a nice, expensive suit whereas he was wearing what he wore to the gym earlier.
Punk said he didn’t have a famous father. Punk said his father was blue collar and an electrician, which he said makes it ironic. “I’m more of the American Dream than you are,” Punk said.
“Okay, American Dream, here’s what I want to talk about,” Cody said. “Let’s talk about the Pipe Bomb.” Punk removed the WWE logo from his microphone and tossed it to ringside and then motioned Cody to continue.
Cody said Punk inspired a revolution and said he was among those inspired. Cody said Punk left and when he left “you really left.” Cody said Punk didn’t pass the torch, but he picked it up. Cody said that everything Punk spoke about, he literally did. Cody said that where Punk talked, he actually walked, which makes him more CM Punk than Punk.
Punk removed his jacket and tossed it onto the middle rope. Punk said it was getting hot. He repeated Cody’s line about being more CM Punk than he is. Punk moved in close to Cody and told him he would give him the Full Road to WrestleMania CM Punk experience.
Punk said Cody has carried the company for two years and they gave him the video game cover. Punk said that just as Cody was about to cross the finish line, a bigger superstar who hasn’t come around in a very long time showed up to take it all away from him.
“There you are,” Cody said. “Looking out for me again.” Cody said Dusty was his best friend and he regularly quoted John Wayne. Cody recalled one quote that said courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway. Cody said he has only one direction to go and that’s forward and it goes through Punk at the Royal Rumble.
Cody dropped the mic and walked toward the ropes to exit when Punk pulled him back. Cody and Punk went nose to nose. They both looked to the crowd and then back at one another. They said a couple of things off-mic and then both men exited the ring on opposite sides. Punk approached the broadcast table and put his hands on Barrett’s shoulders and said he would win the Royal Rumble and encouraged the announcers to put their money on him…
Cole set up a video package on Hulk Hogan beating The Iron Sheik to win the WWF Championship at Madison Square Garden forty years ago tomorrow. Footage aired of Hogan talking about how Hulkamania was born. Hogan spoke about this year’s Rumble matches and some of the entrants. Hogan mentioned Cody and Punk, then said you never know who will show up. Hogan pointed at himself and said, “You never know, I might have one more left in me”…
The broadcast team hyped the women’s tag team match as coming up after the break… [C]
Powell’s POV: Hulkamania was born in the AWA, but I’m never surprised by the rewriting of history. Anyway, I really enjoyed the Punk and Cody segment and they really established themselves as the wrestlers to watch during the Rumble match. They did a really good job of making it seem like the intensity was growing between them, yet neither man crossed any lines by coming off heelish.
Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell made their entrance coming out of the break…
5. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell vs. Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark. The entrance of Baszler and Stark was not televised, and WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Kayden Carter and Katana Chance were at ringside. Barrett said the tag match would essentially be an eliminator in terms of determining which team will get a title shot.
Hartwell sent Baszler to ringside. LeRae walked across the top rope and then performed a hurcanrana on Stark, who flew off the apron onto Baszler on the floor. [C] Chelsea Green and Piper Niven were shown watching the match on a backstage monitor.
LeRae performed a Codebreaker on Stark while landing on the back of Baszler, which led to LeRae getting a two count on Baszler. Moments later, Baszler caught LeRae in her finisher. Stark made a blind tag before LeRae rolled onto Baszler. Stark entered the ring and put LeRae away with the Z360…
Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark defeated Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell in 6:35.
After the match, Carter and Chance entered the ring and went face to face with Baszler and Stark. Asuka and Kairi Sane showed up and attacked Carter and Chance. Dakota Kai joined The Kabuki Warriors in the ring while Cole hyped the duo challenging Carter and Chance for the titles on Friday’s Smackdown… [C]
Powell’s POV: This feels like we’re watching the longest build in history for a tag team turmoil match at WrestleMania.
Drew McIntyre was interviewed by Jackie Redmond on the backstage ring set. McIntyre was asked if he had anything to say about the Punk and Cody segment. McIntyre said he said everything he had to say to their faces.
McIntyre turned the focus to what Damian Priest said earlier. McIntyre recalled being champion and said things weren’t 100 percent right in the world. He said he’s tired of people putting a negative spin on it. McIntyre spoke about how WWE wrestlers were a constant in people’s lives and how people have told him that they literally saved their lives. McIntyre said there’s only room for one chosen one and that’s him…
Cole hyped the McIntyre vs. Priest main event as coming up next… [C]
Backstage, Natalya and Tegan Nox bickered with the entire Damage CTRL faction until Adam Pearce showed up and told them to save it for the Rumble. Natalya and Nox walked away. Pearce said he invited them to promote the Rumble and the tag title match, not to cause chaos. Bayley said that when Asuka and Sane win the tag titles, Pearce will be seeing a lot of them. Damage CTRL walked away.
Pearce turned and found Veer Mahaan and Sanga blocking his path. Jinder Mahal showed up and took credit for injuring Seth Rollins. Mahal said he wanted to talk to Pearce about what his plans were for him. Mahal asked Mahaan and Sanga if now would be a good time. Pearce said he would meet them in his office, then said he needed a drink after they walked away…
The second part of the Royal Rumble numbers video aired…
Cole and Barrett ran through the Rumble lineup. The updated graphic for the men’s Rumble match added Damian Priest to bring the total number of advertised entrants to seven, while the women’s Rumble match still had only four entrants…
Damian Priest made his entrance for the main event… [C]
Cole and Barrett listed the following matches for next week’s Raw: Damian Priest and Finn Balor vs. “DIY” Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles, Gunther vs. Kofi Kingston for the Intercontinental Championship, and Bronson Reed vs. Jey Uso…
Drew McIntyre made his entrance minus the giant sword…
6. Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest. Cole played up the possibility of Priest winning the Rumble to earn a title match at WrestleMania while also holding the Money in the Bank contract. McIntyre performed an early overhead belly-to-belly suplex at ringside.
Both men returned to the ring, but McIntyre clotheslined Priest back to the floor. McIntyre followed him to the floor and went for another suplex, but Priest shoved him into the ring post. Priest performed a Broken Arrow onto the broadcast table, which did not collapse. [C]
McIntyre counted down and went for a Claymore Kick that Priest avoided. McIntyre put Priest down and executed a jackknife cover for a near fall. Later, Priest caught McIntyre with a kick and followed up with a Broken Arrow for a near fall of his own. McIntyre rolled to the floor.
Priest ran the ropes and launched off the middle rope into a flip dive on McIntyre on the floor. Priest rolled McIntyre back inside the ring. R-Truth showed up at ringside and tried to give Priest his money again. Priest shoved Truth to the mat and returned to the ring.
McIntyre caught Priest with a kick and then put him down with a Future Shock DDT. Truth wanted to put the money in Priest’s MITB briefcase and climbed onto the apron and distracted McIntyre from going for his finisher while asking Priest for the password. McIntyre punched Truth off the apron.
McIntyre charged for his finisher, but Priest grabbed him by the throat and performed the South of Heaven chokeslam. Priest covered McIntyre, but the referee was trying to clear Truth from the ring. Priest grabbed Truth and tossed him through the ropes to the floor. McIntyre hit Priest with the Claymore Kick and pinned him.
Drew McIntyre defeated Damian Priest in 13:05.
After the match, the referee raised McIntyre’s arm while Cole said he gained momentum going into Saturday. Cole asked who would win the Royal Rumble. A graphic listed Jey Uso, Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark, and Gunther for Raw Talk…
Powell’s POV: A strange main event just in terms of both wrestlers being slotted as heels, which led to a quiet live crowd. They went overboard to protect Priest with the R-Truth shenanigans. I have enjoyed most of Truth’s antics lately, but this involvement in the main event did nothing for me. Now that I saw the finish, this was a really odd choice to close Raw’s Royal Rumble go-home show.
Overall, the show still offered some good final hype for the Royal Rumble event, particularly via the Punk and Cody segment. I will have a lot more to say about Raw coming up later tonight with my weekly same night audio review of Raw for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of the show by grading it below.
Join me for my live review of the Royal Rumble on Saturday.
Yay! Another part time champion to go with Reigns, Ripley, Gunther and Logan Paul!
Nobody cares. Literally nobody except the whiniest, bitchiest little IWC dinks. Pro wrestling is much, much better when it’s special to see the top stars instead of having them on TV every single week.
This is your most hypocritical statement yet! “Nobody cares” is the most hilarious considering you seem to care every single week about the most minute detail – esp. when you’re knocking down women. Speaking of, you always have stuff to say about the AEW women yet you are pin-drop quiet about the brief tag match and short singles match where they barely strung together moves. You can beak off about Rhio, but you said nothing about Ivy. Quite interesting! You’re just a hypocritical, tribalist goof.
Bingo! If someone didn’t care, they wouldn’t be here complaining. At first I thought you might just be a troll, but you’re not even good at that.
If all this scripted soap opera stuff bothers you so much, go watch something else.
I hate to say it. But beyond his blister TGO has a point
How often did Bruno or Pedro or Backlund or Hulk wrestle on TV as champ? Rarely
Remember the TV shows were the “free promotion” to get people to to go shows.
If the 2 main champs (and even the women’s champ I guess) have limited in ring TV exposure I’m ok with it
However the secondary titles should be defended on tv on a regular basis. That’s the issue I have with the current equation
Holy shit. THAT is the New Day I want to see EVERY week. Damn, boys!
Which card has been the most overplayed by babyfaces to the point of being meaningless, the Eddie Guerrero card or the Dusty Rhodes card?
In case you missed it, Jason, on a long shot up the aisle early in the Ivy/Val match – Nikki Cross was walking across the stage area slowly.
I love R-Truth. THAT did NOT work.
I think the MITB holder would be an excellent choice to win the Rumble. Maybe not this year, although it could work. The lay out would be Priest wins the Rumble and chooses Rollins to go after. No shenanigans or anything until the night of the match. As the bell rings, Judgment Day commences to hit the ring and beat the hell out of Rollins and Priest gets DQ’d. Following the DQ, Priest cashes in and pins a prone Rollins immediately to become the new champ. I guess it could work with him winning the Chamber as well, but I am all ready for a complete shocker as a Rumble winner. Most of the time it is pretty clear at least one of a handful are going to win.
“Anyway, the crowd was pretty flat for DIY coming out. Hopefully they can tear the house down with Priest and Balor next week because their in-ring work is more likely to get them over than their mic work.”
Hopefully they’ll be future endeavored soon. Two boring midget spot monkeys are the last thing WWE needs. Keep that crap on the indies where it belongs.
“Nobody cares. Literally nobody except the whiniest, bitchiest little IWC dinks.” This statement from someone seems to apply very well right here. Hmmm….
Nobody cares. Literally nobody except the whiniest, bitchiest little IWC dinks.” This statement from a certain someone seems to apply pretty well to this comment.