Shortly after WWE’s quarterly investors call wrapped, the company began making cuts to their talent roster, citing “budget cuts” as the reason.
From the main WWE roster, Keith Lee, Mia Yim, Nia Jax, Karrion Kross, Eva Marie, Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik, Harry Smith, and B-Fab were released.
From the NXT roster, Scarlett, Ember Moon, Franky Monet, Jessi Kamea, Katrina Cortez, Jeet Rama, Oney Lorcan, Trey Baxter and Zayda Ramier have been let go.
Mass releases have become a regular occurrence in WWE throughout 2021 as they made 13 roster cuts on August 6, another 14 on June 25, six on June 2, eight on May 19, and 10 on April 15.
Kross and Lee are both former NXT Champions. Lee had been rebranded as “Bearcat” Keith Lee on Raw. Kross had not been accompanied by Scarlett on the main roster as he had been in NXT.
Jax is a former Raw Women’s Champion and a two-time former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion. Her pairing with Shayna Baszler was the focus of the women’s tag division in WWE throughout much of this year.
Scarlett stated on Twitter that she has a 30-day non-compete clause following here release, while Oney Lorcan stated on YouTube that his non-compete is 90 days.
Keith Lee returned to WWE Raw tonight, complete with a new nickname.
On tonight’s show, Akira Tozawa was upset after failing to win the WWE 24/7 title in the previous segment. He issued a challenge to anyone for a match, calling out R-Truth. Lee answered instead, being introduced as Keith “Bearcat” Lee. He quickly picked up the win after pinning Tozawa with a powerslam.
Lee was introduced under the Bearcat nickname for the first time prior to a dark match held before last Friday’s SmackDown tapings, facing an unknown opponent. He had been working dark matches prior to the start of Raw and SmackDown since early August.
He previously returned to WWE after being gone for several months in July due to illness brought on by COVID-19. He lost to Bobby Lashley in his return match and later to Karrion Kross before defeating Kross on August 2, that being his final televised match prior to tonight.
Keith Lee was given a new nickname prior to tonight’s Raw.
As he made his way to the ring, he was announced as Keith ‘Bearcat’ Lee. It isn’t known who he faced.
The nickname ‘Bearcat’ may be homage to Bearcat Wright, a pro wrestler from the 1950s and 60s who is a former WWA World Heavyweight Champion. He was posthumously inducted into the Legacy wing of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017.
Lee has been working dark matches prior to the start of Raw and SmackDown since early August. He returned to WWE after being gone for several months in July, losing to Bobby Lashley and Karrion Kross before defeating Kross on August 2, which is his most recent televised WWE appearance.
Last Friday prior to SmackDown, Lee defeated Shane Thorne, the former Slapjack of Retribution in a dark match. Over the weekend, he worked house shows in North Charleston, South Carolina and Augusta, Georgia, where he defeated Akira Tozawa on both nights.
In a video uploaded on Thursday, Keith Lee explained why he was unable to wrestle for five months from February to July.
Lee said he contracted COVID-19 this January and was off television for about three weeks because of it. He came back for one match against Riddle in February, but he got a call the next day informing him that there was something off in his blood.
“Some people may have experienced this thing where there’s like an inflammation in the heart or lungs, for me it was the heart,” Lee said. “That led to very scary times. I was basically forbidden from training or any activity outside of a light walk. There was a fear that doing more than that — that there was a chance that I could just up and pass away.”
Lee said this was the case for three or four months, and he had several MRIs on his heart.
“So this became a fight against death, so to speak,” Lee said. “And it took up until the company sent me to Pittsburgh to get looked at. It was to the point where I was about to have to undergo genetic testing and all sorts of things because it was thought that there was a potential I could have a heart disease of sorts.
“Very fortunately, even though it took a long time — we waited that amount of time — for that allowed the inflammation in my heart to eventually go down to normal. So even though the first MRI was bad and the second one was worse, over time things got better here and there. And eventually after that visit I was cleared to try and get back into some sort of shape. [Laughs] That’s where the real struggle is. But, yeah, it took some time. And to be honest, it wasn’t even certain that I was going to show up in Dallas, in terms of on TV.”
Lee made his return to the ring on the July 19 episode of Raw at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. He lost a non-title match against WWE Champion Bobby Lashley on that show. He’s since had two matches with Karrion Kross on Raw.
Lee said he greatly appreciates the fans who cared about his situation. He said he doesn’t really know what’s next for him, but he’s healthy and fought the battle that mattered most. Lee said that’s all he and his family can ask for. Lee said now he’s going to move forward and fight to make the most of what he can do in WWE.
Lee also clarified during the video that his fiancee Mia Yim only contracted COVID-19 in January because she refused to not take care of him. Yim had to miss this year’s women’s Royal Rumble match due to testing positive for COVID-19.
Keith Lee returned to the ring on tonight’s post-Money in the Bank episode of Raw, wrestling for the first time since February.
Lee made his surprise return to WWE television by answering WWE Champion Bobby Lashley’s open challenge tonight. After getting a convincing win against Lee, Lashley was confronted by the returning Goldberg following the match.
At this February’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Lee was supposed to face Lashley and Riddle in a triple threat match for the United States Championship. But Lee was pulled from the match before it took place. In storyline, the explanation for Lee not being in the match was injuries that he suffered when he was attacked by Lashley on Raw earlier that month.
Last month, Lee tweeted about his absence from WWE TV: “I wanted to do something educational, but also inspiring to tell you guys about everything since late January. Seems that is off the table for now. So….with that, I will find another way to tell guys about everything. It might simply a video of me chatting with you. We’ll see.”
SmackDown wrestler Mia Yim, who is engaged to Lee, tweeted tonight: “You guys… this is huge. Tears of joy. So happy and proud. Nothing keeps him down. #BaskInMyGlory @RealKeithLee #WWERAW”
Tonight’s Raw took place in Lee’s home state of Texas.
Keith Lee is off tonight’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event.
WWE confirmed this afternoon on social media that Keith Lee would be unable to compete tonight, citing injuries sustained by Bobby Lashley’s attack two weeks ago on Raw. A fatal four way match will take place tonight on the pre-show prior to Elimination Chamber, with the winner facing Riddle and Lashley in a triple threat match for Lashley’s United States title. PWInsider originally reported this afternoon that Lee was off the event.
The participants for the fatal four way match include Mustafa Ali, Ricochet, Elias, and John Morrison.
The United States title match was set up two weeks ago on Raw when Keith Lee defeated Riddle. Lashley then came out and attacked both men, laying out Lee with steel stairs and putting Riddle in The Hurt Lock submission. It was later announced that both men would face Lashley in a triple threat match. On this past Monday’s Raw, it was mentioned on commentary that Lee may have been injured as a result of Lashley’s attack.
WWE’s Keith Lee and Mia Yim are engaged to be married.
Yim announced their engagement on Thursday, writing “I said yes. Mr. & Mrs. Lee @RealKeithLee.” Yim also posted a picture of her and Lee with Yim displaying her engagement ring.
Yim & Lee have teamed together on WWE television twice in the past, facing Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano in mixed tag matches on NXT in May and June of last year.
Lee and Yim are both currently members of the Raw roster. This week, Lee appeared on Raw for the first time since January 11. Lee defeated Riddle on the show, but Bobby Lashley attacked Lee and Riddle after the match. It was then announced that Lashley will defend his United States Championship against Lee and Riddle in a triple threat match at this month’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The PPV is taking place on Sunday, February 21.
Yim is known as Reckoning as part of RETRIBUTION. She hasn’t been able to appear on WWE TV since testing positive for COVID-19 on January 30.
The United States Championship will be on the line in a triple threat match at this month’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
WWE has announced that United States Champion Bobby Lashley will defend his title against Riddle and Keith Lee in a triple threat match at Elimination Chamber. The PPV is taking place on Sunday, February 21.
Lee defeated Riddle on Raw tonight after hitting the Spirit Bomb. Lee helped Riddle up after the match, but Lashley then attacked them both. He dropped Lee with a slam and put Riddle in the Hurt Lock. Lashley then continued to attack Lee, threw him into the ring post, and then hit him with the steel steps. Lashley posed with his United States title belt on top of the announce table.
There had been a backstage segment earlier on tonight’s Raw where Lee asked if Riddle really wanted to keep pursuing the United States title when he keeps getting beat up by Lashley and the Hurt Business. Riddle vowed to defeat Lashley, but Lee said it might be time for someone new to make the attempt. Lee said he has what it takes to defeat Lashley.
Riddle challenged for Lashley’s title on Raw last week, but the match ended in a disqualification when Lashley had Riddle in the Hurt Lock in the ropes and wouldn’t let go. Lashley then put Riddle (who had helped eliminate Lashley from the Royal Rumble the night before) in the Hurt Lock two more times after the match and threw him over the barricade.
Lashley has been United States Champion since August of last year.
Tonight was the first time Lee has appeared on WWE programming since January 11.
Here’s the updated card for Elimination Chamber:
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, The Miz, and Sheamus in an Elimination Chamber match
Raw Women’s Champion Asuka defends against Lacey Evans
United States Champion Bobby Lashley defends against Riddle and Keith Lee in a triple threat match
Date: January 4, 2021 Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL
The Big Takeaway —
Goldberg challenged Drew McIntyre to a WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble after McIntyre successfully defended the title against Keith Lee in a strong main event.
Outside of the main event, Raw was yet again a poor show (which featured four different roll-up finishes, not even including the 24/7 title stuff).
Teddy Long made a tag team match, Ric Flair got yelled at by Charlotte, Hulk Hogan said “brother,” Sgt. Slaughter called someone a maggot, Ric Flair was called pathetic by Randy Orton, Ron Simmons said “damn,” and the Boogeyman spooked Angel Garza.
Show Recap —
They opened the show with a quick video of Hulk Hogan plugging his fake “hPhone” and saying his catchphrase.
MizTV with The Miz & John Morrison
Miz ran down a couple of tonight’s matches and John Morrison plugged a few of the legends to appear tonight — including Miz himself. Miz said WWE management finally came to their senses by returning the MITB contract to him. They introduced New Day as their guests.
Kofi Kingston welcomed Miz and Morrison to their new talk show: New Day Talks. Xavier Woods talked about their (fake) new show as they both also mocked Miz and Morrison by saying “correct” over and over again. Miz said this was an audition for Woods before he fails on G4.
Kingston asked interview questions. Miz was annoyed as Morrison played along. Miz interrupted but his rant was interrupted by Teddy Long.
Long said he had the perfect solution: Miz and Morrison will face the Undertaker. New Day freaked out, but of course, Adam Pearce entered to whisper something in Long’s ear. Long made a tag team match instead.
It was good to see Teddy Long but this was a bad start to Legends Night.
Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods defeated The Miz & John Morrison (13:15)
New Day were in full control early on and Kingston took out Miz and Morrison with a dive which led to a break. New Day were still in control afterwards but a slight distraction by Miz allowed Morrison to take control of Kingston. Kingston avoided a Miz Figure Four attempt and hit an SOS before making the hot tag to Woods.
Woods hit Morrison with clotheslines, a roundhouse kick and discus forearm as Kingston took out Miz on the outside. Morrison tried to get his feet on the ropes on a cover but Kingston knocked them off. Woods followed with a shining wizard on Morrison for the pinfall win.
This wasn’t a squash match but New Day took most of it.
28 minutes into the show, they recapped what happened with Alexa Bliss and Randy Orton last week.
Randy Orton interview
Charly Caruso interviewed Orton. She asked him, “Randy, what was going through your mind when you held that burning match?” Orton said the voices were telling him to drop the match and set Bliss on fire, but he couldn’t do it. Orton knew that everyone changed when they faced the Fiend, so he decided to show Bliss mercy and compassion.
He hated himself for that but that hatred can be moulded and sculpted and that meant he could be capable of anything. That new-found hatred inside him could be directed towards someone else. Caruso wanted to ask about the Fiend but Orton didn’t want to talk about him. Orton wanted to walk around and find some old friends and remind them why he’s the legend killer.
They aired a clip from TikTok of New Day and R-Truth hanging out on new year’s eve. Truth was looking forward to 2020. They had to tell him it’s actually 2021. Truth said he just returned from Australia. Angel Garza showed up and pinned him to win the 24/7 title.
In the back, Garza (I think wearing the same suit he wore in the “new year’s eve” video) spoke with Alicia Fox and talked about how beautiful his new championship was. She asked him if he saw the TikTok video of the guy riding around with cranberry juice while listening to Fleetwood Mac. Garza said no. She was appalled. She said he didn’t know what beauty was and left.
Garza kept walking and found Sgt. Slaughter, Mickie James and Tatanka. He tried giving James a rose. Slaughter called him a maggot.
AJ Styles (w/Omos) defeated Elias (w/Jaxson Ryker) (9:43)
Yes, this is a rematch from last week. Elias was in control for a lot of it. Styles tried a Phenomenal forearm after a break but Elias caught him with a knee strike for a two count. Styles came back with a brainbuster and Styles Clash for the pinfall win.
After the match, Ryker tried to attack Styles with the guitar but Styles ducked and Omos kicked the guitar into pieces.
They aired an interview from earlier today where Sarah Schrieber asked Charlotte Flair if she had any advice for the Royal Rumble entrants. Charlotte said they shouldn’t listen to the critics. She said she wasn’t one of the favourites to win last year’s Royal Rumble but won it anyway. (She couldn’t even keep a straight face saying this.) Charlotte said he would win again this year.
[Second hour]
Riddle spoke with Big Show backstage. Riddle asked if he’d consider being the Big Bro. Show liked the idea. Riddle left to get ready for his match, then Orton confronted Show.
Orton asked how it felt knowing he can’t get back in the ring because of him. Show said he could get in the ring anytime. Orton put his hands on Show but Show didn’t bite. He knew Orton was trying to get him to do something stupid. Show was happy to be there with the other legends tonight. Orton basically called him a coward.
Peyton Royce & Lacey Evans defeated Tag Team Champions Asuka & Charlotte Flair (w/Ric Flair) in a non-title match (12:31)
Royce and Evans double-teamed Charlotte to gain the advantage but Asuka tagged in and fought them both off. Royce knocked Asuka off the top as Evans and Ric had a friendly exchange outside the ring. Charlotte took offense to this and slapped Evans in the face. Charlotte confronted Ric about it as Evans tackled her, which led to break.
Evans and Royce worked over Asuka after the break. Asuka fought back and made the tag to Charlotte who hit Evans with a forearm, chops and an exploder suplex. Royce tagged in but Charlotte suplexed her as well.
Charlotte hit a moonsault on both women before Asuka hit Royce with a shining wizard for a nearfall. Asuka kicked Royce and Charlotte hit her with Natural Selection but Evans broke up the cover.
Evans gave Asuka a neckbreaker in between the ropes before deciding to flirt with Ric. Byron Saxton noted how stupid it was to stop mid-match to do that. Charlotte knocked down Evans with a baseball slide.
Charlotte focused on Royce but Royce whipped her into the ropes. Ric wasn’t paying attention and assumed it was Royce coming off the ropes so he put his hand out and tripped Charlotte by mistake. Royce cradled Charlotte for the pinfall win.
Charlotte got in Ric’s face and demanded he stay out of her business. Again. Ric nodded and left. (I know I don’t have to say this, but Charlotte came across like a heel here.)
Backstage, Sheamus wished Drew McIntyre luck in his match. He asked McIntyre to give Keith Lee an extra kick when he was done. McIntyre said he would do whatever it took to win.
Hogan and Jimmy Hart appeared. Hogan put over Sheamus and McIntyre. Hogan said McIntyre reminded him of himself. McIntyre took that as a compliment. McIntyre asked if Sheamus and his big mouth reminded him of Hart. Sheamus was offended. He said he’d see them at the bar later. Hart told Sheamus to lighten up as they left the screen. McIntyre looked into the camera and said Hogan’s catchphrase, directed toward Lee. McIntyre and Hogan posed together.
Riddle defeated US Champion Bobby Lashley (w/MVP) in a non-title match (9:07)
Riddle attacked Lashley before the match began as Lashley was handing his belt to MVP. The referee separated them and started the match. Riddle was on offense until Lashley blocked a PK, hoisted him on his shoulders and ran him into the post. This led to break 90 seconds into the match.
Lashley was in full control until Riddle slipped out of a Dominator and hit a PK for a one count. Riddle followed with the final flash knee for two. Riddle went to the top but Lashley grabbed him and hit a Dominator (the Ron Simmons version).
Lashley applied the Hurt Lock but Riddle tried to counter by kicking off the middle rope. The ref had to dodge as Riddle’s feet flew by him. Lashley still had the hold applied and Riddle tapped out but the ref was still down and out of position.
Lashley let go because he thought he won, but the ref didn’t see Riddle tap. As Lashley argued with the referee, Riddle applied a schoolboy for the pinfall win. This did Riddle no favours.
Backstage, Ricochet thanked Mark Henry for some advice. (Henry had one leg resting on a knee walker.) After Ricochet left, Orton showed up. Orton mocked Henry for scooting around and told him he owed him a lot of receipts for being on the receiving end of the World Strongest Slam over and over again. Orton warned him and told him to leave, so he did.
MVP told Caruso that Riddle tapped out and quit. He called the result a travesty. Lashley said he would punish Riddle’s punk ass.
Shayna Baszler vs. Mandy Rose
The match didn’t happen. Rose made her entrance as they showed a replay of Baszler beating Dana Brooke last week. Baszler abruptly interrupted the replay (which was good) to attack Rose from behind. Brooke ran out and challenged Baszler to a match right now.
Dana Brooke defeated Shayna Baszler (0:39)
Baszler had Brooke in the Kirifuda Clutch but Baszler’s shoulders were down so the ref counted to three. So Brooke pinned Baszler. (To her credit, Brooke did lift Baszler’s leg for the pin). Baszler still had Brooke in the hold and Brooke was about to pass out but Rose made the save.
That’s three straight matches with some sort of roll-up finish.
Ric Flair spoke with Molly Holly and IRS in the back. Molly and IRS abruptly left upon seeing Orton enter the frame. Basically, Orton told Ric that Charlotte was way better than he ever was and Ric was just a pathetic old man.
Lee was getting ready in the back and Riddle wished him luck.
[Third hour]
Randy Orton defeated Jeff Hardy (14:09)
Orton gave Hardy a back suplex on the announce table very early in the match. Orton was in control until Hardy hit a neckbreaker and flying clothesline off the apron. With no explanation, Orton was in control after a break. He stuck fingers in each of Hardy’s earlobe holes and yanked back as the announcers freaked out.
Hardy came back with a jawbreaker, inverted atomic drop and leg drop for two, followed by a Whisper in the Wind for two. Orton followed later with a draping DDT. Hardy tried a Twist of Fate but Orton countered into an RKO for the pinfall win. This was a decisive win for Orton.
Lucha House Party bumped into Melina in the back. She joined them in a “Lucha” chant. That was it.
Lucha House Party defeated Tag Team Champions Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander (w/MVP) in a non-title match (2:54)
The story of the match was Alexander kept tagging himself in, which Benjamin initially brushed off until it finally led to an argument. As they argued, Lince Dorado kicked Benjamin before tossing Alexander from the ring. Dorado cradled Benjamin for the pinfall win. Another roll-up finish. MVP tried getting Benjamin and Alexander on the same page but Alexander left.
Torrie Wilson spoke with Nikki Cross in the back. Garza tried giving Wilson a rose. Wilson told him that she invited some celebrities to Raw and they were in the other room. She told him Cardi B would love a rose. Garza believed her and went into the room only to find the Boogeyman. Garza bailed but ran into Truth who rolled him up to win the 24/7 title. Truth, Cross and Wilson skipped away together. Ron Simmons showed up. He said damn.
Drew McIntyre defeated Keith Lee to retain the WWE Championship (21:18)
All of the “legends” we’ve seen so far, plus Booker T and Jeff Jarrett, were on the stage to watch the match.
They fought back-and-forth until Lee pounced McIntyre over the barricade. This led to break 4 minutes into the match.
Lee was in control until McIntyre tried mounting a comeback, but he failed twice to get Lee up for a suplex. McIntyre finally nailed an overhead suplex on the third attempt and followed with a neckbreaker. Lee dodged a Claymore and hit a big chokeslam for two.
McIntyre was on the outside and Lee went to the apron but was momentarily distracted by the referee. This allowed McIntyre to grab Lee and powerbomb him through the announce table (Lee hit the corner of the table, which didn’t look fun). This led to a break.
After the break, McIntyre hit a flying clothesline for two. Lee came back with a clothesline for two. McIntyre hit a Future Shock DDT for two. They piped in “this is awesome” chants.
They battled on the top and Lee hit a damn Spanish Fly for two. McIntyre came right back with a spinebuster for two.
McIntyre went for a Claymore but Lee caught his leg to block it. McIntyre slipped out of a Spirit Bomb attempt and hit a Claymore for the pinfall win.
Good match. The “legends” gave them a standing ovation. McIntyre and Lee bumped fists.
McIntyre grabbed a mic and was seemingly about to put over Lee but Goldberg’s music interrupted.
Goldberg entered. Goldberg said he couldn’t think of a better representative of the WWE Championship. McIntyre had size and speed and athleticism. However, he didn’t have respect. Goldberg said McIntyre must look at the legends and think he’s better now than they ever were. That he could beat any of them. Goldberg said he was wrong to think that.
Goldberg didn’t want him to think he was demanding anything. Goldberg challenged McIntyre to a WWE title match at the Rumble. McIntyre said Goldberg was wrong. Everyone knows he respected the legends.
McIntyre also said that Goldberg wasn’t the same man as he was 20 years ago. Fighting him now would be like fighting his dad. Goldberg shoved him down. McIntyre got to his feet and they got face-to-face as they show abruptly ended.
The WWE Championship will be on the line on the first Raw of the new year.
Keith Lee defeated Sheamus on Raw tonight to become the number one contender to Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship. McIntyre will defend his title against Lee on Raw next Monday (January 4).
Lee pinned Sheamus in the number one contender’s match after hitting a Spirit Bomb. McIntyre was on commentary for the match and Lee went face-to-face with him after it was over.
After dissension between them throughout the night, last week’s Raw ended with Sheamus laying out Lee with a Brogue Kick. McIntyre, Sheamus & Lee had defeated AJ Styles, The Miz & John Morrison in a holiday street fight in last week’s main event.
McIntyre opened tonight’s Raw with an in-ring promo. After mentioning the number one contender’s match, he was interrupted by Sheamus. Sheamus said he kept his word to McIntyre since he didn’t attack Lee during last week’s match and only did so after the match was over. Lee also came down to the ring. Lee said there’s zero trust between him and McIntyre now after what Sheamus did last week. Lee said Sheamus may do the same thing to McIntyre and stab him in the back someday.
McIntyre told a referee to come down to the ring so Lee vs. Sheamus could start. McIntyre said no matter who his challenger is, he’ll still be champion after next week’s title match. As Lee turned his attention to McIntyre, Sheamus gave Lee two Brogue Kicks before their match started.
Next week’s Raw will also feature appearances by Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and more as part of Legends Night.
In the main event of last week’s Raw, McIntyre, Lee & Sheamus defeated AJ Styles, The Miz & John Morrison in a holiday street fight. While McIntyre was in the ring, Sheamus tagged himself in near the end of the match. Lee then tagged himself in, hit a Spirit Bomb on Miz, and pinned him to get the win.
There was dissension between Lee and Sheamus throughout last week’s Raw. Sheamus laid out Lee with a Brogue Kick following the main event. After vouching for him to Lee earlier in the night, McIntyre wasn’t happy with Sheamus and yelled at him as the show ended.
Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax and Ricochet vs. Mustafa Ali have also been announced for tonight’s Raw.
Charlotte returned to WWE programming at TLC and teamed with Asuka to win the Women’s Tag Team titles from Jax & Shayna Baszler.
Ricochet’s feud with RETRIBUTION continued as he lost to T-Bar on Raw last week. During an appearance on Raw Talk after the show, Ricochet was asked if he should change his mind and join RETRIBUTION. Ricochet got emotional and said something needs to change, but he doesn’t know what that is.
WWE is also questioning what Alexa Bliss will have in store for Randy Orton on tonight’s Raw. Orton defeated “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in their Firefly Inferno match at TLC. Bliss then returned to Raw last week and issued a warning to Orton.
Tonight’s Raw is the final episode of 2020. Next week, Legends Night will be the theme of the first Raw of the new year. That show will feature appearances by Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and more.
Date: December 21, 2020 Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL
The Big Takeaway —
WWE followed consecutive bad Raw shows and an all-time bad rating with another poor show. Not only was it not an improvement in any way, but there was nothing new or different about it, besides the returning Charlotte Flair.
The main story of the show was Keith Lee and Sheamus not getting along, with Drew McIntyre trying to keep the peace. Lee got the pin in the main event but Sheamus laid him out with a Brogue Kick.
Bray Wyatt was not on the show but Alexa Bliss returned to issue a warning to Randy Orton.
Show Recap —
The stage was decorated with Christmas trees. The announcers ran down tonight’s show, including some sort of message from Randy Orton.
Charlotte Flair entered and they replayed what happened last night. She said, “Well, well — would you look at this. I am in the Thunderdome. And what would the Thunderdome be without the queen?”
Charlotte said she walked into the Thunderdome for the first time as a champion because she’s always a champion and that hasn’t changed over the past few months. Charlotte said a friend was in need and that friend was considered the heartbeat of this division. She introduced Asuka.
Asuka gleefully boasted about being a double champion. Asuka said Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler was not ready for her or Charlotte. Charlotte was about to ask about the Raw Women’s title but was interrupted by Jax and Baszler.
Jax said it was good to see Charlotte and noted that it must’ve taken six months to recover from the beating she gave her. Jax also noted that six months off didn’t fix Charlotte’s robotic voice. Charlotte told her that she kicked their asses last night. Baszler and Jax bragged about handing out beatings of their own to the likes of Lana and Kairi Sane.
Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke interrupted. Brooke said Jax looked like Rudolph after a nose job. Rose made a comment on her looks as well. Basically, they thought she looked like a reindeer. Rose and Brooke wanted their scheduled match against Jax and Baszler right now. Charlotte encouraged a referee to get out there and a referee did indeed enter the ring.
This wasn’t exactly an exciting segment.
Raw Legends Night was announced for January 4th. Guests include Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, Beth Phoenix, Torrie Wilson and more.
Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler defeated Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke (12:52)
Asuka and Charlotte joined commentary. The announcers asked who they wanted to win and Asuka said she was cheering for her “sexy muscle friends” (Rose and Brooke).
Rose and Brooke took down their opponents with dives. This was followed by a clunky spot where Jax knocked Rose off the apron by barely touching her. Jax tossed her into the barricade which led to break. The heels worked over Rose until Rose hit a knee strike and tagged in Brooke. Jax broke up a cover at one point so Rose took her out with a flying knee off the apron.
Brooke got a couple of two counts on Baszler but Baszler caught her in the Kirifuda Clutch for the submission win. (Brooke tapped immediately. It didn’t even seem like the move was fully applied when she tapped.)
As Baszler and Jax bragged to the champs, Brooke and Rose dumped them out of the ring and their music played as the segment ended. This was no good.
Hurt Business bullied some guy wearing a New Day shirt. They ripped off his shirt and put him in a Hurt Business shirt.
Things announced for Smackdown: Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns in a cage match, Sami Zayn vs. Big E for the IC title, and Charlotte and Asuka defending the tag titles.
Jeff Hardy & Riddle vs. Bobby Lashley & MVP was announced for tonight.
MVP’s VIP Lounge with The Hurt Business
The Hurt Business entered all wearing black suits and gold accessories. MVP said the VIP Lounge was for people better than you.
Shelton Benjamin began talking about their win but seemed to be interrupted by Cedric Alexander who bragged about beating New Day. (Lashley and Benjamin gave each other a knowing look as he spoke.) Lashley called himself dominant and said nobody could beat him.
MVP brought in a photographer to commemorate the moment. She entered the ring and began taking pictures as R-Truth appeared unknowingly behind them to pose with his 24/7 title. The 24/7 losers ran after him which included everyone running between the X-Mas trees to the back.
Riddle and Hardy interrupted (to Hardy’s music). Riddle congratulated Hurt Business on the win but wondered why they spent so much money on celebrating. Riddle said all you needed to do was hang out with your bros while listening to Joe Rogan or watching Dave Chappelle while making treats and getting toasted.
Riddle said they were all the same: self-aware creatures travelling on a rock through the solar system. Hardy said there were more important things in life than status and money. He said they would rather live with pride than greed. Hardy’s music hit and that was the segment.
It’s been 43 minutes and it doesn’t appear they’ve actually decided to change anything after last week’s rating.
Angel Garza defeated Drew Gulak (2:13)
Sarah Schreiber interviewed Garza before the match. He said he would be fighting Gulak but would be thinking of her. He gave her a rose. As Garza entered, the announcers said we’ve heard from him a lot recently. He hasn’t been on Raw in weeks.
Garza won fairly quickly with a superkick and Wing Clipper.
Chary Caruso approached AJ Styles (who had a large bruise on the left side of his face) and Omos. Styles told Caruso that Miz screwed him out of the WWE title. She wondered why he agreed to be on MizTV. Styles wanted to hear what Miz had to say for himself.
[Second hour]
MizTV with The Miz & John Morrison
A morose Miz and Morrison stood in the ring. Miz said he failed at his goal of becoming a two-time WWE champion. Miz apologized to his family for letting them down. Morrison said that wasn’t the only apology he had and Miz called out Styles. Styles and Omos entered.
Miz began to explain himself but Styles quickly interrupted him. Styles said Miz might be the dumbest person on earth. Styles said Miz blew it.
Miz fired up and said he knows what happened. He successfully cashed in the contract 10 years ago and wanted to do it again. After 15 years of hard work, people still don’t respect him. Miz wanted respect from the fans and from Styles and that’s why he tried winning the title last night. Miz said they were both robbed last night. He apologized to Styles.
Miz had a gift for Styles: an opportunity to be in the next Marine movie. Miz showed a Marine poster with himself, Omos and Styles on the poster. Styles was tiny. Styles yelled at Miz. They all argued as Omos pointed out that Morrison is the one who cashed in the briefcase.
As Styles and Morrison argued, Omos left the ring for some reason. Miz realized that Omos was right: Morrison cashed in, not him, so it shouldn’t count. Miz wanted his MITB contract reinstated.
Drew McIntyre interrupted. McIntyre recalled celebrated over pints last night with Sheamus and Keith Lee. They wanted a sequel of the Nightmare Before TLC. He said they (drunkenly) wrote a new story (on napkins): Nightmare After TLC.
Sheamus and Lee entered and they all read a line from the story they came up with. McIntyre realized they didn’t write down an ending so they gave up on it and decided to just come up with a new ending right now. They entered the ring and attacked the heels. (Omos isn’t a very good bodyguard.)
Sheamus was about to finish things off with a Brogue Kick but Styles dropkicked Lee into him. Sheamus got in Lee’s face for ruining his moment. McIntyre tried to calm him down as the heels left.
Lee and Sheamus argued backstage after a break. McIntyre got between them. McIntyre said if they didn’t stop, he’d knock them both out. McIntyre demanded that Sheamus go calm down. McIntyre tried to reason with Lee. He admitted that Sheamus can be a bit of a prick but he’s the guy you want on your team. Lee agreed to leave it alone.
T-Bar (w/Retribution) defeated Ricochet (2:44)
Like last week, Ricochet had to fight off other members of Retribution as the referee just watched. Mustafa Ali tried lecturing him so Ricochet went after him. This allowed T-Bar to grab Ricochet and hit Feast Your Eyes for the pinfall win. This sucked.
T-Bar threatened to end Ricochet’s existence if he doesn’t join them.
There was a pre-taped New Day interview where they tipped their caps to Hurt Business for winning the titles. New Day knew they’d get back on top because they’ve done it before.
US Champion Bobby Lashley & MVP (w/Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) defeated Riddle & Jeff Hardy (11:48)
The good guys were in control through a break but, after the break, Lashley pushed Hardy off the top and he fell awkwardly on the outside. Riddle made a hot tag and ran wild on MVP. Alexander tried distracting Riddle but it didn’t work and he kept going. Riddle hit a fisherman’s suplex but Lashley broke up the cover, tagged himself in, and ran over Riddle.
Riddle kneed out of a delayed vertical suplex and Hardy tagged himself in. Riddle hit Lashley with a knee strike and wiped out Benjamin and Alexander with a dive. Hardy went to the top but had to fend off MVP. Lashley dodged a Swanton attempt and applied the Hurt Lock. This was fine.
Jaxson Ryker (w/Elias) defeated Gran Metalik (w/Lince Dorado) (0:54)
Elias cut a promo before the ring where he basically said nothing. He wanted to show the impact his music could make on someone.
As the match started, Elias climbed to the top rope to perform with his guitar. Metalik dodged a charge by Ryker before yanking Elias down with a rana. Dorado posed with his guitar. Ryker came back and knocked down Metalik with a clothesline before hitting a sit-out bomb for the pinfall win.
[Third hour]
Randy Orton segment
Orton entered wearing a smile (and shorts). Tom Phillips tried to rationalize Orton winning the match by setting part of the Fiend on fire because those were the rules but thought he went too far by setting him completely on fire after the match. (They played loud booing for Orton.)
Orton said he’s been called sick, twisted, deranged and demented. He proved that he was all of those things when he “burned the Fiend alive.” Orton said a normal man would have regrets for setting another man on fire but the Fiend was no man and Orton himself was not a normal man. Orton enjoyed every second of watching the Fiend burning.
Orton said he could still see it and smell it. He couldn’t sleep last night because the voices in his head, which are normally like a lullaby, were absent. All he could hear were the screams of the Fiend. “The Fiend is gone. The Fiend is no more. And I am the evil son-of-a-bitch that took him out.” Loud booing continued.
The lights began to go out so Orton bailed from the ring. A dim purple light shined on the ring to reveal Alexa Bliss on a swing set. (There was also a slide in the corner.) She invited Orton to come in the ring and play.
Bliss said maybe “he” was on the beach, hopefully not getting a sunburn, or at his favourite restaurant having his favourite food — BBQ. Bliss thought maybe “he” was absorbed into the mat and into the earth. But maybe he’ll be back one day on Bliss’ playground. And if he does come back, he’ll be unlike anything you’ve seen before.
The lights went out again. They cut to the announcers who looked befuddled.
This was pure detritus.
Non-title match: Raw Women’s Champion Asuka & Charlotte Flair defeated Peyton Royce & Lacey Evans (8:27)
Schreiber interviewed Royce and Evans before the match. Evans was offended that Schrieber thought they might not be ready for this. As Evans began making her entrance, Royce made it clear to Schreiber that she’s the one who got this match made.
They went to break one minute into the match even though not much happened since the previous break. Royce and Evans were in control despite not getting along. Asuka gave Royce a German suplex and tagged in Charlotte who gave Evans a nasty-looking high-angle back suplex before hitting Royce with chops and a big boot.
Charlotte set up for the Figure Four but Evans got in the way so Charlotte suplexed her. Royce put Charlotte in a single-leg crab but Asuka broke it up before knocking down Evans with a kick. Royce used a rollup for two and Charlotte followed with a Figure Eight for the submission win. This was the first babyface win of the evening.
Lee, Sheamus, and McIntyre were shown getting ready together in the back.
They aired a video of Titus O’Neil gifting a longtime school staff member with a new car.
Miz was on the phone with someone trying to explain why he should get the MITB contract back. Styles approached him and ended the call.
Six-man holiday street fight: WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, Sheamus & Keith Lee defeated AJ Styles (w/Omos), The Miz & John Morrison (17:54)
They called this a street fight but everyone was still tagging in and out.
Sheamus and Morrison had an exchange early on that reminded me that these two had a really damn good ladder match at TLC (10 years ago).
The good guys were doing well and getting along just fine until Sheamus and Lee got a little heated. After a break, Sheamus worked over Styles. Sheamus and McIntyre decided to club away at the chests of Miz and Morrison in unison. They pushed Miz and Morrison into Lee who drove them unto the side of the ring.
Morrison threw a gift box into the ring and the announcers let us know there were no DQs. Everyone was still standing on the apron waiting for a tag as he said this.
Sheamus and Morrison battled on the top which resulted in Sheamus falling through a table on the outside. This allowed the heels to take over. McIntyre and Lee just watched from the apron as their teammate got beat up even though there are no DQs.
The Steelers got a fortunate pass interference call in their favour as Sheamus hit a White Noise and tagged in McIntyre, who tossed around Morrison and Miz. Benny Snell Jr. scored a touchdown as McIntyre gave Miz a spinebuster but AJ Styles broke up a cover.
Everyone traded moves until Styles finally decided to grab a kendo stick (dressed as a candy cane) and used it on McIntyre. McIntyre fought back and powerbombed Styles through a table. Sheamus and Morrison battled with kendo sticks on the inside as McIntyre set up Miz for a Claymore kick.
Sheamus tagged himself in before McIntyre could hit the move (which he could have done anyway since it was no DQ). Lee tagged himself in before Sheamus could do anything (not that it matters since it was no DQ). Morrison was about to get involved so Lee knocked him off the apron into the arms of Omos. Morrison was relieved but Omos dropped him through a table.
Lee gave Miz a Spirit Bomb for the pinfall win. As soon as the faces began celebrating, Sheamus gave Lee a Brogue Kick. McIntyre yelled at Sheamus as they abruptly went off the air at 11:00pm.
Elias appeared in a segment with new friend Jaxson Ryker who then took out Akira Tozawa while Keith Lee made his Main Event debut in a forgettable win over Angel Garza.
**********
Elias promo
Elias was in the ring to start the show on a stool, mic’d up with an electric guitar slung around his neck. Standing next to him in a white vest and jeans and looking in great shape was Jaxson Ryker, former member of the Forgotten Sons.
Elias ran down his life since WrestleMania and his accident on Raw last week involving a high voltage collision when he jabbed his guitar neck into an amp. He said most people wouldn’t have survived, but it only made him stronger. Ryker looked on appreciatively when Elias played his guitar and joined in loudly on the the “Walk with Elias” catchphrase.
R-Truth then interrupted as he ran down and around the ring with both Erik and Akira Tozawa, among others, giving chase. Tozawa ran through the ring and got absolutely clobbered by a Ryker clothesline. R-Truth got on the mic and said he liked Elias/ song, but liked his own better. The segment closed with Elias and Ryker watching on as R-Truth sang his theme.
Ryker’s mere presence will divide opinion, but I’m not sure what this achieved. Elias didn’t acknowledge Ryker at all with Tom Philips only mentioning his name when Tozawa ate the clothesline.
Keith Lee defeated Angel Garza (7:22)
There was a wonderful moment in the Royal Rumble back in January where Brock Lesnar had run through anyone who was anyone and looked indestructible in doing so. The buzzer went for number 13 and out came Keith Lee. Lesnar looked him up and down and gave him a nod, even sporting a grin of approval. It looked like we were pulling back the curtain on a future WrestleMania main event.
11 months later, Lee came out here to debut on Main Event to no fanfare and no fans in attendance. It was only two weeks ago that Lee had his own WWE: 24 documentary air on the WWE Network. How did we get here?
Nothing against either of these two, but this felt like every Big Show match toward the end of his in-ring run with the company. Lee beat Garza up forever and went through a commercial break. Garza got some hope, finally taking Lee down to the mat. He took him outside and ran him into the announce table and ringpost. He tried to cover him twice, but Lee kicked out at one on both occasions.
The finish happened with Lee on his knees. He walloped Garza with the Grizzly Magnum which Garza sold like it broke his entire torso. Lee then nailed him with the Spirit Bomb for the win.
Final Thoughts:
Main Event’s new format continues: one angle followed by one match. I’m all for change and it was certainly time for one. Unfortunately, the angles so far have been thrown together and fairly nonsensical. More inexcusable is the use of absolute stars like Keith Lee on a show with virtually no viewership.
As reported by Dave Meltzer in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE chairman Vince McMahon recently “threw a fit” about the working ability of certain main roster talent, ordering some of those in his crosshairs to do additional training at the Performance Center.
Meltzer noted that, in particular, some of the talent that drew McMahon’s ire are of the larger variety. PW Insider’s Mike Johnson put some names to that Friday, reporting Keith Lee, Otis, Dabbo Kato, Dio Maddin and Omos (AJ Styles’ bodyguard) are among those who are taking classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Adam Pearce and Drew Gulak. Arturo Ruas was another wrestler that is believed to need additional work, but he is currently injured.
Following his NXT Championship loss to Karrion Kross, Lee was called up after SummerSlam and immediately began a feud with Randy Orton. He has been a fixture on Raw, but recently made his Main Event debut in a win over Angel Garza.
WWE has announced the premiere date for their upcoming WWE 24 episode on Keith Lee.
WWE 24: Keith Lee will premiere on the WWE Network on Sunday, December 6. The episode had been announced during a WWE Network commercial that aired during Survivor Series this past Sunday.
Lee tweeted about the WWE 24 episode yesterday: “Amidst all the currents of this world… I am thankful. The people close to me. The #WWEUniverse. Struggles… victories. All of it built this…so far. The people who helped create this little piece of me. I look forward to offering it to you…the #Leegion #HappyThanksgiving”
After losing the NXT Championship, Lee was called up to the Raw roster this August. He was part of Raw’s men’s team at Survivor Series, teaming with AJ Styles, Sheamus, Braun Strowman & Riddle as they defeated Team SmackDown in a clean sweep.
Lee defeated Bobby Lashley in a qualifying match on Raw this week and will now face Styles and Riddle in a triple threat number one contender’s match on this coming Monday’s Raw. The winner will challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at TLC on Sunday, December 20.
December 6 is also the same day as NXT TakeOver: WarGames. That event will air on the WWE Network starting at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
The premiere date for the Lee WWE 24 episode was reported by Ringside News prior to WWE’s announcement.
