Bliss mentioned during a promo on tonight’s episode of Raw that she would be facing Eva Marie this Saturday. WWE later confirmed the match when running down the card.
Eva Marie and Alexa Bliss have been feuding for the last several weeks. Eva has shown disdain for Lilly, Bliss’ doll. The doll played a part in a finish that took place on last week’s Raw when Lilly “blinked”, causing Doudrop, Eva Marie’s second, to become distracted long enough to get pinned.
On this week’s episode of Raw, Eva told Doudrop to go to Alexa’s Playground and retrieve the doll. Doudrop went to the playground and grabbed Lilly, but the doll seemingly put Doudrop in a trance, giving the doll back to Bliss and walking away. When Doudrop returned without the doll, Eva slapped Doudrop twice, snapping her out of the trance.
SummerSlam will take place Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Two segments have been announced for Monday’s episode of Raw.
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and MVP are set to appear on Monday’s show. They’ll be addressing Lashley’s WWE Championship defense against Goldberg at SummerSlam.
WWE has also announced that Charlotte Flair will “speak to the WWE Universe” on Monday’s Raw. Charlotte will respond to her loss against Raw Women’s Champion Nikki A.S.H. from this past Monday. Charlotte lost to Nikki A.S.H. in a non-title no holds barred match on that show.
Lashley vs. Goldberg became official for SummerSlam following a confrontation between them on this week’s Raw. After Goldberg had gone to the back, Lashley and MVP taunted Goldberg’s son Gage at ringside. Goldberg then came back out and gave MVP a spear. Later in the show, Lashley accepted Goldberg’s challenge for SummerSlam. Lashley told Goldberg to bring Gage to SummerSlam so that he can see Lashley annihilate his father.
SummerSlam is taking place on Saturday, August 21. Nikki A.S.H. will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Charlotte and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match at the pay-per-view.
The Amway Center in Orlando, Florida is hosting Monday’s Raw. It’s the second-to-last episode of the show before SummerSlam.
The field for this year’s Money in the Bank ladder matches has started to take shape.
The first five Money in the Bank qualifying matches took place on tonight’s episode of Raw. Ricochet, John Morrison, and Riddle qualified for the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match, while Asuka, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, and Nikki Cross qualified for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
Ricochet defeated AJ Styles to qualify for Money in the Bank, Morrison defeated Randy Orton, and Riddle defeated Drew McIntyre.
Asuka, Naomi, Bliss, and Cross all qualified for Money in the Bank through winning tag team matches. Asuka & Naomi defeated Eva Marie & Doudrop (Piper Niven). Bliss & Cross defeated Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler.
The men’s and women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches will each feature eight participants.
Styles, Orton, and McIntyre are set to face off in a triple threat last chance qualifying match on Raw next Monday. It will determine Raw’s final participant for the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
As a stipulation of him unsuccessfully challenging for Bobby Lashley’s WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell, McIntyre can’t challenge for the WWE Championship again while Lashley is still champion. It was said on Raw that, if McIntyre wins Money in the Bank, he would have to wait until Lashley loses the WWE Championship if he wants to cash in on that title. McIntyre could also cash in on the Universal Champion.
Money in the Bank is taking place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday, July 18.
The card for Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view has a new addition.
It was announced on tonight’s episode of Raw that Alexa Bliss vs. Shayna Baszler will take place at Hell in a Cell this Sunday. The match comes after a storyline where supernatural occurrences have caused Baszler to lose matches over the last several weeks.
During an Alexa’s Playground segment last Monday, Bliss denied that she was responsible for what had been happening during Baszler’s matches. Bliss wanted Baszler to apologize for calling Bliss’ doll Lilly “just a stupid doll,” but Baszler doubled down and stomped on Lilly.
After Baszler stomped on Lilly, the video screens at the ThunderDome started to go out and fire pyro went off as Baszler headed to the back. When Baszler got to the back, no one else was there. Baszler ended up in a room where she could see in a mirror that Lilly was behind her. But when Baszler would turn around, Lilly wasn’t there. Baszler kicked the mirror but could still see Lilly in its broken pieces. The lights then went out and we heard Baszler screaming as the show went off the air.
Tonight’s Raw opened with Bliss saying that she had received a lot of “strongly worded complaints” for what Lilly did last week. Bliss said that even she was taken aback by how far it went. Bliss said that she had put Lilly in timeout. Baszler’s tag team partner Nia Jax then confronted Bliss and told her that she’d be seeing Baszler at Hell in a Cell.
Jax asked Bliss what happened to her and said they used to be friends. Jax told Bliss that she needed to stop interfering with her career and messing with her friends. Bliss said she didn’t appreciate Jax coming to her playground with these vicious and disgusting allegations. Jax then challenged Bliss to face her on tonight’s Raw.
Bliss vs. Jax ended with Bliss winning by disqualification when Reginald broke up a pin after Bliss hit Twisted Bliss. Following the match, Bliss appeared to hypnotize Reginald.
Here’s the updated card for Hell in a Cell:
Hell in a Cell match: WWE Champion Bobby Lashley defends against Drew McIntyre (if McIntyre loses, he can’t challenge for the WWE Championship again while Lashley is still champion)
Hell in a Cell match: Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Rey Mysterio
Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley defends against Charlotte Flair
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defends against Bayley
In the main event angle of last night’s Raw, Shayna Baszler was tormented by Alexa Bliss’ doll Lilly.
Supernatural occurrences have caused Baszler to lose matches in recent weeks. When Baszler was facing Reginald last week, fire shot up from the ring post as she had Reginald in the Kirifuda Clutch. Reginald then pinned Baszler to get the win. Reginald appeared on Alexa’s Playground later in last week’s show but was attacked by Baszler. That set up an Alexa’s Playground segment with Baszler on last night’s Raw.
Bliss offered Baszler the chance to be her and Lilly’s new friend, but she said Baszler would have to apologize for calling Lilly a “stupid doll” first. Baszler refused and blamed Bliss for Reginald’s accidents and Baszler & Nia Jax no longer being WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Bliss laughed at that and said she’d never do such a thing.
Bliss urged Baszler that it would be in her best interest to apologize to Lilly. Baszler mockingly apologized and said she’s sorry that Lilly is just a stupid doll. Bliss attacked Baszler but was sent out of the ring. Baszler then stomped on Lilly as Bliss watched on.
After Baszler stomped on Lilly, the video screens at the ThunderDome started to go out and fire pyro went off as Baszler headed to the back.
When Baszler got backstage, no one else was there. Baszler tried to leave, but none of the doors would open. Baszler found an open room, locked the door, and barricaded herself in. Baszler reassured herself that Lilly is just a stupid doll, but the lights started to flicker and Baszler could see in a mirror that Lilly was behind her.
Baszler couldn’t see Lilly when she turned around but still saw her in the mirror when she looked at it again. Baszler kicked the mirror but could still see Lilly in its broken pieces. The lights then went out and we heard Baszler screaming as the show went off the air.
An Alexa’s Playground segment is set for tonight’s post-WrestleMania Backlash edition of Raw.
On SmackDown this past Friday, Natalya & Tamina defeated Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler to become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Alexa Bliss will welcome Natalya & Tamina for an Alexa’s Playground segment on Raw tonight.
This is the first major title that Tamina has held in WWE. Her only other title reign was with the 24/7 Championship.
Bliss said on Raw two weeks ago that her doll Lilly told her that “a certain someone” had caught her eye. Bliss and Lilly then came out to the stage and watched on from Alexa’s Playground as Asuka, Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke faced Charlotte Flair, Jax & Baszler in a six-woman tag match on Raw last week. Bliss said she and Lilly were keeping their eyes on “someone.”
The finish of last week’s six-woman tag match saw Asuka pin Baszler after Bliss was apparently able to make Baszler’s leg cramp up and give out.
Natalya & Tamina are members of the SmackDown roster but can now appear on both brands while they’re the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Three months after losing a Firefly Inferno match to Randy Orton, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt re-emerged with a new look at Fastlane.
The Fiend returned to WWE programming by helping Alexa Bliss defeat Orton at Fastlane tonight. The Fiend broke through the ring during the match and stared Orton down. With Orton’s attention turned to The Fiend, Bliss jumped off the middle rope and pushed Orton into a Sister Abigail from The Fiend. Bliss then pinned Orton to get the win.
The Fiend was wearing a new mask and gear tonight that had supposedly been burnt when Orton lit him on fire in their Firefly Inferno match at December’s TLC pay-per-view.
In the months since TLC, Bliss has been tormenting Orton in storyline. Bliss said that if Orton wanted her out of his life, he’d have to take her out of it at Fastlane. Orton wasn’t able to get his hands on Bliss in tonight’s match. Bliss used fire during the match and made a piece of lighting equipment fall, almost hitting Orton. As part of him being tormented by Bliss, Orton was also coughing up black liquid before the match started.
At Fastlane this Sunday, Shane McMahon will have his first official match since 2019.
WWE has announced that Braun Strowman vs. Shane will take place at this Sunday’s Fastlane pay-per-view. Strowman wasn’t included in last month’s WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match and has been feuding with Shane since then. Shane has mocked Strowman and called him stupid in recent weeks.
On Raw last week, Strowman demanded an apology from Shane. Strowman and WWE authority figure Adam Pearce had lost a Raw Tag Team title match the previous week after Shane urged Strowman to tag Pearce in. Shane initially apologized to Strowman but said nothing else. Later in the show, Strowman went looking for Shane after Shane mocked him. Strowman thought that Shane sped away in a car, but it was revealed that Shane never got into it.
Strowman then challenged Shane to a match on tonight’s Raw. Shane continued to make fun of Strowman and accepted the challenge. But the match never got underway after Shane stalled and Strowman went after him. Strowman went to hit a charge on Shane, but Shane grabbed a cameraman’s camera and used it to hit Strowman. Shane gave Strowman an elbow drop from the top rope through the announce table. Shane then poured buckets of green slime on Strowman.
WWE is also promoting that Alexa Bliss vs. Randy Orton will take place at Fastlane. Bliss said on Raw tonight that if Orton wants Bliss out of his life so badly, he’s going to have to take her out of it. Bliss said Orton will have the chance at Fastlane. Bliss asked him if he’s going to take it. Orton responded later on tonight’s Raw and said kicking Bliss out of his life is exactly what he’s going to do at Fastlane.
Bliss has been tormenting Orton since he defeated “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in their Firefly Inferno match at December’s TLC PPV.
Here’s the updated card for Fastlane:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Daniel Bryan (Edge and Jey Uso are facing each other on SmackDown this Friday to determine the special guest enforcer for the match)
Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus
Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler defend against SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair
Intercontinental Champion Big E defends against Apollo Crews
WWE officially announced Tuesday that both Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss will be appearing on a wrestling-themed episode of the Punky Brewster reboot.
The episode will be part of the full ten episode season set to drop on Thursday, February 25th on NBCU’s Peacock, home of the WWE Network starting on Sunday, March 18th.
No details were given about the episode but from the press photos, the two will be part of a meet-and-greet backstage at a WWE event attended by Brewster, Cherie, and others that gets physical between Bliss and Flair.
Outside WWE work, this marks the acting debut for Bliss (Lexi Kaufman) while Flair (Ashley Fliehr) appeared in the 2017 Psych movie on USA as Heather Rockrear.
Female WWE talents have been making the rounds on scripted TV over the past year as Sasha Banks appeared in the second season of the Disney+ hit series The Mandalorian while Becky Lynch appeared as herself in an episode of Billions.
After defeating Asuka in a non-title match, Alexa Bliss is getting a shot at the Raw Women’s Championship.
WWE has announced that Asuka will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Bliss on Raw this Monday. The episode is Raw’s go-home show for the Royal Rumble.
Alexa Bliss pinned Asuka last week, revealing a horrifying transformation in the process. If Bliss does it again this Monday night, she’ll be the new Raw Women’s Champion.
After a tenuous confrontation inside Bliss’ playground, Bliss made Asuka pay the price in one-on-one competition. Seemingly embodying characteristics of The Fiend mid-match, Bliss appeared more powerful than ever, and pinned The Empress of Tomorrow after dropping her with Sister Abigail.
Now, Bliss is one more victory away from capturing the Raw Women’s Title. Can Asuka overcome what may be her gravest challenge yet, or is darkness in store for the Raw Women’s Championship? Find out tomorrow night at 8/7 C on USA Network!
During the Alexa’s Playground segment with Asuka on Raw last week, Bliss declared that she’s entering this year’s women’s Royal Rumble match.
Asuka also holds the Women’s Tag Team titles with Charlotte Flair. WWE has announced that Charlotte will face Shayna Baszler in a singles match on this Monday’s Raw. Charlotte, Baszler, and Baszler’s tag team partner Nia Jax have all declared for the women’s Royal Rumble.
Here’s the updated lineup for Monday’s Raw:
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and Goldberg return ahead of their title match at the Royal Rumble
Raw Women’s Champion Asuka defends against Alexa Bliss
Hurt Business gauntlet match: Riddle vs. Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander, and MVP (if Riddle wins, he becomes the number one contender to Bobby Lashley’s United States Championship)
The 2021 men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches now both have nine confirmed entrants.
On tonight’s episode of Raw, Alexa Bliss declared that she’s entering this year’s women’s Royal Rumble match. Bliss made the announcement during an Alexa’s Playground segment where Raw Women’s Champion Asuka appeared as her guest. Bliss pointed out that she could potentially challenge Asuka at WrestleMania.
Bliss defeated Asuka in a non-title match in tonight’s main event.
It was also officially announced on tonight’s Raw that Shayna Baszler will be in the women’s Royal Rumble match. Baszler had indicated last month that she was declaring for the Royal Rumble.
Peyton Royce and Jeff Hardy also declared for their respective Royal Rumble matches today.
The Royal Rumble is taking place on Sunday, January 31. Here’s the updated list of entrants for the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches:
Date: January 18, 2021 Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL
The Big Takeaway —
A match between AJ Styles and Ricochet was the lone highlight of an all-time bad Raw show.
Show Recap —
The show opened with a Martin Luther King Jr. tribute video.
There was a Randy Orton video where he cut a promo in a dark space while wearing a mask (which sort of looked like a Mr. Wrestling II mask). You could see “burn” marks on his face/nose. He recapped recent events in great detail (and included replays).
Orton doesn’t blame Alexa Bliss for what happened, he blames the Fiend. He knew everyone in the locker room was happy to see his face get “burnt to a crisp” but even chopping off all of his limbs wouldn’t stop him from winning the Royal Rumble. Not only can he tolerate the pain, but he enjoys it. Orton lit a match and blew it out as he said he would main event WrestleMania.
This was very long.
They announced Goldberg appearing on Miz and Morrison’s Dirt Sheet.
Charly Caruso caught up with Lacey Evans and Ric Flair earlier today. Evans was appalled by her question about the nature of their relationship. Evans said there’s a reason Ric is called the dirtiest player in the game and she was with him to learn from the greatest ever. (Ric tried to answer but Evans wouldn’t let him talk.)
Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair defeated Peyton Royce (12:04)
Royce attacked Charlotte from behind during her entrance which led to break. The match began after the break.
Royce took control after Charlotte chopped the post until Charlotte came back with a neckbreaker. As Charlotte went for the cover (Royce kicked out), Ric Flair’s music hit and he entered. Evans pranced out while wearing Ric’s robe. The distraction allowed Royce to hit a roundhouse kick for a nearfall which led to break.
Evans and Ric were gone after the break. Charlotte gained control and dared them to come back out. Royce came back with strikes and a jumping kick for two. Charlotte went after Royce’s leg and applied the Figure Eight for the submission win.
Charlotte held the submission after the bell rang for a moment until referees stopped her.
They announced that Alexa Bliss has invited Asuka to her Playground.
The Hurt Business antagonized Riddle backstage. Riddle said he would take the high road. Shelton Benjamin responded, “I bet you would.” Riddle complimented their attire but made a crack about “Sloppy Bobby.” Bobby Lashley said he liked Riddle’s flip flops but said they were bad for his feet. Lashley stomped his foot and Riddle went down. Riddle yelled, “you’re gonna see this foot later… right up your ass!”
This was unintentionally very funny. Lashley came nowhere close to stomping Riddle’s foot and the camera angle made that pretty clear.
There was a promo by Mustafa Ali from earlier today. He saw Kofi Kingston’s injury as an opportunity. Ali hoped that the injury would keep Kingston out of the Rumble and WrestleMania and then Kingston would know how Ali felt. The announcers explained that Ali was referring to Kingston taking his spot two years ago in Elimination Chamber which led to KofiMania.
Mace (w/Retribution) defeated Xavier Woods (4:05)
Before the match, Ali yelled at Woods so Woods punched him in the face. Retribution wanted to go after Woods but Ali stopped them. This led to break which means they all just stood around for a few minutes.
Woods was doing well for a moment but became distracted when Retribution decided to surround the ring instead of just standing on one side of it, I guess. Mace then botched his own finisher and won via pinfall.
Ali wished Kingston well after the match. (I do like the idea of an Ali/Kingston feud.)
Sarah Schrieber asked Asuka what she expected from Bliss’ Playground. She said, “I don’t know” and they abruptly aired a replay of what Bliss did to Orton. They cut back to Asuka who seemed to be mid-sentence and said something about Bliss having a dark side.
They aired the “WrestleMania Report” video with Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, Sasha Banks, and John Cena. Don’t go out of your way to watch this.
[Second hour]
Alexa Bliss’ Playground with guest Asuka
The Playground now has field turf, presumably provided by the Tampa Bay Rays. Bliss spoke like a child and made cheesy jokes about burning Orton.
Bliss introduced Asuka. Asuka was going to sit on the swingset next to Bliss but Bliss told her not to. Bliss acted like someone invisible was sitting there. Bliss announced she was entering the Rumble match. Asuka was happy for her. Bliss deduced that she could face Asuka at Mania if she won the Rumble.
Asuka said she would be honoured because she was a big fan. Asuka excitedly said, “yowie wowie!” Bliss looked to her invisible friend and apologized for her saying that. Asuka called for her music to be played and started dancing. Bliss demanded that she stop. They cut the music.
Bliss started whining to her invisible friend. Asuka tried to cheer her up before asking if the Fiend was still here. Bliss told her not to say his name. A rocking horse (rocking chair) began rocking on his own and Bliss waved at it. Asuka was weirded out and left.
This was extremely bad.
Schreiber asked Miz and Morrison what was in store for Goldberg tonight. They mocked her in an annoying manner. They said tonight would be controversial and controversy created cash.
Shayna Baszler said she would win the Rumble and didn’t care who she had to eliminate, even if it was her own partner. Nia Jax was somehow surprised by this. They bickered as they made their way through the back.
Jeff Jarrett (from his home) predicted that Goldberg would easily defeat Drew McIntyre to win the WWE Championship.
Shayna Baszler (w/Nia Jax) defeated Mandy Rose (w/Dana Brooke) (3:44)
Tom Phillips wondered how these four women would coexist at the Rumble. Byron Saxton had to tell him that the match isn’t designed for them to coexist.
Rose made a brief comeback but Baszler won with the Kirifuda Clutch. The highlight of this match was Jax telling Saxton to shut up. After the match, Brooke dropkicked Jax into Baszler and they fell into the ring post.
After a break, Caruso asked Jax and Baszler about them not getting along. Jax and Baszler said they never got along but that didn’t stop them from previously winning the tag titles. Baszler thought now would be a good time to get their rematch for the tag titles.
Schreiber asked Charlotte about Evans and Ric. Charlotte knew that Evans was just using her dad to get to her. Charlotte’s been learning from the dirtiest player in the game her whole life, she just never chose to go down that path. Maybe now was the time to do it because one person could only take so much trash. Evans could wear Ric’s robe but she would never take her crown.
They aired a recap of the Adam Pearce/Roman Reigns/Kevin Owens angle on Smackdown.
Ricochet thanked Pearce for an opportunity tonight against AJ Styles to prove he belongs in the Rumble. (So, like Drew Gulak, he isn’t quite good enough to simply declare for the match.)
Styles and Omos joined the segment. Styles couldn’t believe Pearce just walked away from a WWE title match instead of fighting and losing. Styles said Ricochet would lose tonight but at least he’d have his dignity. Ricochet made comparisons to Drew Barrymore in 50 First Dates. This led to Ricochet saying he would win tonight and prove he belongs in the Rumble.
AJ Styles (w/Omos) defeated Ricochet (12:59)
Ricochet was all over Styles until he attempted a dive and landed in the arms of Omos. The referee demanded that Omos drop Ricochet, so he did. Of course, this meant Ricochet splatted on mats.
Styles was in control after a break but Ricochet quickly came back with a DDT. Ricochet did a backflip into a German suplex for two. He tried a springboard move but Styles knocked him down and hit a brainbuster for two, followed by an Ushigoroshi for two. Styles went for the Phenomenal Forearm but Ricochet countered into the Recoil for a nearfall.
Ricochet came off the top rope but Styles caught him, dropped him over the top, and Ricochet bounced right into Styles’ arms and into a Styles Clash for the pinfall. Good match and a fantastic finish.
[Third hour]
Miz & Morrison’s Dirt Sheet
They introduced Goldberg but Gillberg came out instead. Miz and Morrison acted as if it was really Goldberg. They asked what he would do to prepare. Gillberg said he would bash his own head against the wall.
Drew McIntyre’s music hit but some guy came out in a wig with a toy sword. The guy looked like actor David Krumholtz (it’s entirely possible it was him). He was out-of-shape and couldn’t keep his wig on. He tried to cut a promo but Morrison wanted to do his Scottish accent instead.
Miz and Morrison argued over whether or not this segment was a bad idea. They decided to focus and said neither McIntyre nor Goldberg would win because Miz was Mr. Money in the Bank and he would be “next.”
This was another bad segment for any numb3r of reasons.
The Hurt Business (w/MVP) defeated Riddle & Lucha House Party (12:19)
The announcers wondered if MVP got Hurt Business on the same page after the issues Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin have had. As soon as the match started, Alexander was showing off and trying to do it on his own. When he got into some trouble, he tried to tag out but Benjamin and Lashley ignored him.
Lince Dorado hit a springboard moonsault for a nearfall so Benjamin tagged himself in. They worked over Dorado but Benjamin and Alexander continued to argue. Dorado hit a handspring stunner but that didn’t really lead to anything because Alexander got up first anyway and dragged him to the corner.
Alexander tagged Benjamin and immediately began yelling at him. Benjamin shoved Alexander and he fell out of the ring. MVP got in Alexander’s face as they went to break.
They continued arguing after a break as they continued beating up Dorado until he finally came back with a crossbody on Alexander. Riddle made the hot tag and hit Benjamin with the final flash knee for two. Riddle missed the Floating Bro so Gran Metalik tagged in but Benjamin fought him off.
Alexander tagged himself in and hit a brainbuster before yelling at Benjamin. Lashley, who had enough, tagged himself in, knocked Riddle off the apron, speared Metalik and applied the Hurt Lock for the submission win.
As the Hurt Business argued, Riddle kicked Lashley and ran away.
Elias and Jaxson Ryker spoke about their miscommunication last week. (So they haven’t spoken all week.) Ryker apologized and said he would teach Jeff Hardy a lesson. Before leaving the locker room, Ryker wanted Elias to clarify their plan one more time. Elias was annoyed.
Drew McIntyre promo
There was a video by Drew McIntyre. He said he was feeling stronger than ever. He got a laugh out of the Dirt Sheet segment and said that was the great thing about Raw — there was something for everyone. McIntyre let Miz and Morrison know he’d be seeing them soon.
McIntyre respected Goldberg. McIntyre warned him that he’d be willing to do anything to defend his title. He said you can check his title defense record — he never misses (except that time against Randy Orton). McIntyre told Goldberg he needs to be at his best or else he’ll get eaten alive in two minutes. McIntyre announced he’d be back at Raw next week.
(I don’t think they advertised this earlier in the show, which is strange.)
Jeff Hardy defeated Jaxson Ryker (w/Elias) via DQ (3:09)
Hardy went to the top but Elias pushed him off so the ref called for the DQ. Ryker argued with Elias. Hardy attacked Ryker from behind but Ryker caught him with a swinging side slam.
Alexa Bliss skipped through the back like a child.
They announced that McIntyre and Goldberg would both be on Raw next week.
Alexa Bliss defeated Raw Women’s Champion and Tag Team Champion Asuka in a non-title match (11:37)
One of the announcers said this could be a preview of the WrestleMania main event.
Asuka was in control until Bliss dodged a baseball slide and slipped back into the ring. Phillips said this was meant to mess with Asuka’s mind. I think she was just trying to not get dropkicked. The lights began to go out and they went to break.
After the break, Bliss stood in the middle of the ring, now wearing black lipstick and a black t-shirt (which she was previously in a pink shirt). The lights were dimmed purple. Bliss acted emotionless.
Asuka took a moment to assess the situation before attacking. Bliss easily countered her attacks before knocking her down with a shoulder tackle.
Asuka nailed a knee strike but came to a running stop when Bliss leaned backward out of the corner like Bray Wyatt (which caused one of the announcers to scream, “oh god!”). Bliss tried a mandible claw but Asuka fought her off. Bliss punched her instead for a two count.
Bliss slowly paced around Asuka who eventually nailed two kicks to the head and a back fist. Bliss abruptly caught her and hit Sister Abigail for the pinfall win.
As the camera zoomed in on Bliss, the regular lights came back on and she was back in her pink shirt and no lipstick. They played audio of the Fiend saying “let me in” as Bliss mouthed the words.
Alexa Bliss is set for action on Monday’s episode of Raw.
During a commercial that aired during SmackDown tonight, WWE announced that Bliss will face Raw Women’s Champion Asuka in a non-title match on Monday’s Raw. This will be the first time Bliss has wrestled since November.
Asuka also holds the Women’s Tag Team titles with Charlotte Flair.
The commercial that aired during SmackDown also advertised that Monday’s Raw will feature Randy Orton addressing Bliss’ fireball attack from this week. This week’s Raw ended with Bliss shooting a fireball into Orton’s face. Orton was facing Triple H in a fight in the main event of the show when the lights went out and Bliss replaced Triple H in the ring. Bliss then shot the fireball at Orton.
WWE announced a storyline update on Orton following the fireball attack:
WWE Digital has learned that Randy Orton suffered minor burns to the face following the fireball attack by Alexa Bliss on Raw.
The Legend Killer laid down a challenge for Triple H at the beginning of the night and was in a battle with The Game when Bliss emerged from the darkness.
Don’t miss Raw next Monday at 8/7 C on USA Network for the latest update on Orton’s condition.
Monday’s Raw will be the second-to-last episode of the show before the Royal Rumble.
WWE has announced a storyline update on Randy Orton following the show-closing angle of Monday’s episode of Raw.
Monday’s show ended with Alexa Bliss shooting a fireball into Orton’s face. In their storyline update, WWE claimed that Orton “suffered minor burns to the face following the fireball attack by Alexa Bliss on Raw.”
The full storyline update is available below:
WWE Digital has learned that Randy Orton suffered minor burns to the face following the fireball attack by Alexa Bliss on Raw.
The Legend Killer laid down a challenge for Triple H at the beginning of the night and was in a battle with The Game when Bliss emerged from the darkness.
Don’t miss Raw next Monday at 8/7 C on USA Network for the latest update on Orton’s condition.
Orton was supposed to face WWE Champion Drew McIntyre in a non-title match on Monday’s Raw, but that couldn’t happen due to McIntyre testing positive for COVID-19. A fight between Orton and Triple H instead headlined the episode. The lights went out during the fight and Bliss replaced Triple H in the ring. Bliss then shot the fireball into Orton’s face.
Orton defeated “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Inferno match at December’s TLC pay-per-view. On Raw two weeks ago, a cliffhanger closed the show as Bliss challenged Orton to set her on fire like he did to The Fiend. Orton did an interview the following week saying that he hates himself for showing mercy and not lighting Bliss on fire. Orton vowed to direct that hatred toward other people.
With WWE Champion Drew McIntyre testing positive for COVID-19, WWE had to make changes to the lineup for last night’s episode of Raw.
McIntyre had originally been set to face Randy Orton in a non-title match in last night’s main event. Triple H instead made his return to Raw in last night’s opening segment and was interrupted by Orton. Triple H accepted Orton’s challenge to face him in a fight later in the show.
After Triple H retrieved a sledgehammer from under the ring, the lights started to go out. The sledgehammer was then lit on fire. The lights fully went out — and Triple H was gone when they came back. Alexa Bliss appeared in the corner of the ring and shot a fireball into Orton’s face. Orton writhed in pain as the show went off the air and the commentary team speculated that Orton might now be blind.
McIntyre still appeared on last night’s show via video and gave an update on his condition. McIntyre said he isn’t experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and urged everyone to take COVID-19 seriously. Later in the episode, another video aired where McIntyre accepted Goldberg’s challenge for a WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble.
