Tag: 3:16 day

Monday Night Raw takes place tonight from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida with only essential personnel in attendance.

The show was originally scheduled for the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before being moved amid the coronavirus pandemic.

WWE will celebrate 3:16 Day with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin making his return to WWE television tonight. It will be the first time Austin has appeared on Raw since the show was at Madison Square Garden in September.

Edge has also announced he will be at tonight’s show. The appearance comes one week after Edge briefly got his hands on Randy Orton before Orton escaped the arena. Edge proceeded to take out MVP with a con-chair-to.

The Undertaker will also appear in a contract signing with AJ Styles. Styles issued a WrestleMania challenge last week to Undertaker and threatened to put him down for good. Taker has twice cost Styles matches in recent weeks.

WWE has announced that WrestleMania is being moved to the Performance Center and will air live on Sunday, April 5.

Show Recap — 

Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton and Jerry Lawler stood shoulder-to-shoulder-to-shoulder in the ring to introduce us to tonight’s show inside the empty Performance Center. They plugged Steve Austin’s appearance as well as the contract signing between Undertaker and AJ Styles. 

Edge interrupted them. Edge said he and Beth Phoenix have had a strange few months and had a video package shown of last week’s angle. He knew when Bob Orton introduced him to his son that their careers would intertwine. He spoke about their history together. They didn’t like a lot of the same people and also owed credit to the same man for believing in them – Mick Foley. 

Edge took a lesson from Foley that Orton didn’t and that was grit. It was the grit that allowed him to fight back and return after nine years. He called Orton an entitled brat. Orton was one of the best ever but he had everything handed him. 

Edge said it bothered Orton that he (Edge) had to work for everything and managed to accomplish all of his dreams, thanks in part to his mother who broke her back helping him. He called Orton jealous. 

Edge said Phoenix was on Raw last week to retire him again. She didn’t think it was fair that Edge had to say the words again. But Orton didn’t let her finish. Edge said he pulled Orton out of a hole years ago and now Orton has done the same for him. Edge challenged him to a last man standing match at WrestleMania. 

Edge said Orotn wouldn’t write this story. This story wouldn’t be a tragedy, but a story of redemption, and Orton wouldn’t be able to stand up at WrestleMania. 

Becky Lynch was shown arriving at the building in a tractor-trailer truck. It was black and had her face and logo painted on it. 

They aired the entire men’s Royal Rumble match (with regular commercial breaks added). It was about 8:17pm when it started and 9:53pm when it ended. 

Phillips announced that WrestleMania will take place at the Performance Center and would be available as usual on PPV and on the WWE Network. 

AJ Styles-Undertaker contract signing 

Lawler was in the ring and introduced Taker. His music played but instead of doing his usual entrance, Taker marched out. Taker seemed annoyed and Lawler bailed from the ring. Taker flipped the table over as they went to break. 

[Third hour] 

After the break, Phillips said Taker was mad because there was no actual contract to be signed. Phillips called it another example of how personal things have become between the two men. They aired a video package of the Taker/Styles stuff so far. 

Styles’ music hit as Taker paced around the ring. Styles didn’t show. Styles was in the back with the OC and had the contract in his hands. Styles said they were in the Performance Center where prospects arrive trying to become just like Taker. Styles noted that he and the OC didn’t, of course, because they went straight to the top. 

Styles said Taker carried WWE for decades but it was 2020 and “Mark” was over the hill. You don’t see Michael Jordan inserting himself into the NBA Finals and don’t see Peyton Manning or Brett Favre inserting themselves into the SuperBowl. But it was WrestleMania season, so of course, Taker was inserting himself into it. 

Styles once again placed blame on Taker’s wife. Styles was also pissed about Taker costing him two matches. Styles said Taker wouldn’t be able to hide at Mania. He also joked that Taker certainly can’t run, either. Styles offered to pay for Taker’s assisted living costs. Styles said Taker would finally rest in peace. 

Styles signed the contract then asked Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows to take the contract to Taker. They declined. Styles couldn’t believe they wouldn’t go out there. They all bickered until Styles eventually convinced them to do it. 

Gallows and Anderson walked down to the ring. As they discussed their plan, the lights went out. The lights came back on and Taker stood behind them. Taker attacked them and tossed them around ringside. Taker signed the contract, then shoved it in Anderson’s mouth. Taker and Styles stared each other down through the screen. 

They aired a clip of Austin driving a Zamboni down to the ring to attack Vince McMahon back in September 1998. 

Friday’s Smackdown will feature a contract signing between Roman Reigns and Goldberg, plus an appearance by Rob Gronkowski. 

Rey Mysterio defeated U.S. Champion Andrade (w/Zelina Vega) in a non-title match (6:50) 

Asuka joined commentary. So they have four people sitting side-by-side at the desk. They went to break just over a minute into the match. 

Mysterio won via pinfall after a 619 and diving splash. Asuka was a big fan of Andrade and was very displeased at this result. 

Becky Lynch promo 

Lynch said her own existence drives Shayna Baszler crazy because the fact that she held the title didn’t make sense to Baszler. Baszler thought she could bully her way to the top like she did in NXT but as long as Lynch was on top, her world didn’t make sense. Lynch advised Baszler not to make the same mistake as everyone else. 

Lynch wanted Baszler to do something that she never does — think. Think about how it was going to feel when she loses. Lynch admitted that Baszler’s performance at Elimination Chamber was a wake-up call but at WrestleMania, she wanted to prove that Baszler’s whole life was a lie and it was going to hit her like a truck. 

Baszler was shown watching on a screen in the back. She was mad. 

They showed Austin paying McMahon a visit at the hospital in October 1998. 

They aired a clip of Charlotte Flair attacking Rhea Ripley on NXT last week. 

Charly Caruso asked Kevin Owens about Seth Rollins. Owens asked her for the mic so he could speak directly at the camera. Owens accepted Rollins’ challenge and wanted their match to happen at the Performance Center. Owens said he would have the home-field advantage at the PC because, unlike him, Rollins never spent time there. 

Owens started his WWE career at the PC and went through perhaps the most difficult time of his career there, with people telling him he didn’t belong in WWE, including Rollins himself. Owens was ready to make a new memory when he beats Rollins at WrestleMania in the same building he earned his place in WWE. 

They showed Austin winning the WWE Championship against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV in 1998. 

Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton will all be on Raw next week. 

Stone Cold Steve Austin segment 

Austin marched out, smiled at the camera, and crushed a beer. Two beers were thrown at him and Phillips wondered where they were coming from. Austin downed the two beers before falling on the mat. He joked that he blew himself up on his entrance. 

Austin declared March 16th a national holiday. Austin asked the crowd for a hell yeah. There was no reaction and they cut to a shot of empty chairs, which was pretty damn funny. Austin asked for a hell yeah again, so Saxton gave him one. Austin seemed annoyed but thanked him for the reaction. 

Austin began running down the aspects of 3:16 Day as Saxon rated each one with scorecards. Among the things to remember about 3:16 Day: You can greet people with a one-finger hand gesture, the speed limit is only a suggestion, happy hour is 24 hours, your boss works for you, you can have beer instead of your morning coffee, four-letter words are always acceptable, and you can whip anybody’s ass and get away with it. 

Austin invited Saxton to the ring to celebrate 3:16 Day. Saxton was excited and went to the ring. Lawler knew where this was going. Austin liked Saxton’s red socks. 

Austin handed Saxton a beer and called him a jackass. They cheersed and downed their beers, then Austin gave him a stunner. 

Lynch came down with a cooler of beers. They clinked their cans and downed their beers. Austin dumped a beer on Saxton before giving him another stunner.