Monday Night Raw opens with General Manager Kurt Angle making his way to the ring as we get a recap of the entire Ronda Rousey situation.
Kurt thanks the fans for the reception but says he has to get serious. He says he has had to swallow his pride many times since returning to WWE as GM. He says last week went too far because Triple H sucker-punched him, and he can’t pretend to the fans or the locker room like everything is fine. So he calls-out Triple H and tells him to face him like a man. Angle takes off his blazer and waits but he doesn’t get The Game.
Stephanie McMahon tells Kurt to calm down and that Triple H isn’t even here yet. The fans boo. She says Angle has five kids, one of which is only a year old, and surely he wants to buy his kids everything. And he’s divorced, so his alimony payment must be pretty high. The fans boo her again. She turns a leaf and says let’s not forget Kurt is an Olympic Gold Medallist and a Hall of Famer, but those things don’t pay the bills. She says Triple H was provoked; Angle ruined the biggest contract signing in history. So Triple H simply got even last week. She tells him to think with his head.
Before Kurt can respond Rowdy Ronda Rousey comes out to a great reception. Ronda circles the entire ring, high-fiving every fan with a big smile on her face. She climbs into the ring and hugs Angle, then gives Stephanie a handshake. The fans chant “Ronda Rousey”. Ronda says what Triple H did to Kurt was enlightening. Now she knows the people who brought her to WWE are not who she thought they were but that’s fine, she’s dealt with difficult people her entire life. Stephanie says that being a boss isn’t always popular but she isn’t like that. She takes a dig at the audience and says the people here don’t get it because all they do is take orders. Stephanie then reminds Ronda that they gave her a great contract, with her first match at WrestleMania. Ronda says that’s correct and that it says in her contract she gets to choose that opponent. Before Ronda can choose however, Stephanie gets excited and asks for a drumroll, she gets cut off by Ronday saying “you!”.
The fans chant “YES!” and Stephanie looks terrified but out comes Triple H. He comes to the ring saying “this isn’t going to happen”. He tells Kurt to put his medals away and stop pretending he’s tough. Kurt responds by saying HHH wasn’t even supposed to be here. He says “so what?”, then says Stephanie is an executive and she won’t be competing. Angle says Stephanie has two contracts, one as an exec, and one as a Superstar. The fans cheer as Angle announces Ronda Rousey Vs. Stephanie McMahon. However, he’s not done, he adds himself and Triple H to the match!
The fans go crazy and Ronda looks very happy. Stephanie gets in Kurt’s face and shouts at him, then swings for a big slap but Ronday catches her hand and stares her down. Triple H steps in and pulls Stephanie out. He then turns to hit Kurt again but Angle blocks it and tees-off on HHH. The Game kicks Angle in the corner but Angle goes for the ankle lock. Triple H kicks him off and he headbutts the turnbuckle. Meanwhile Stephanie runs back in and forearms Ronda from behind. Stephanie then high-tails it. HHH grabs Angle for a Pedigree but Kurt reverses and applies an ankle lock. Eventually Steph pulls her husband from the ring and tends to him, but then Ronda grabs her by the hair and drags her back into the ring. Ronda lifts Stephanie and hits her with a Samoan Drop. Angle and Ronda leave the ring and pose on the stage as referee’s check on Triple H and Stephanie.
Later tonight, John Cena will once again address his Road To WrestleMania. Up next, Asuka will face Nia Jax.
*Commercial Break*
We return and get entrances for Asuka, then Nia Jax. We see Mickie James and Alexa Bliss watching the match on a monitor backstage.
Asuka Vs. Nia Jax
The match gets underway and Jax pushes Asuka to the corner and hits a running hip strike. She lands a headbutt before throwing Asuka across the ring, and the Empress rolls from the ring. Alexa and Mickie give a quick interview while Jax is shown bringing Asuka back into the ring.
Jax slams her to the mat, but the undefeated Asuka locks her in a submission. Nia escapes the hold and pushes her back to the corner. Jax picks up her opponent and spins her around a few times before letting her fall to the mat.
*Commercial Break*
We return to see Asuka hit a nice shining wizard for a two count. Jax takes control again and floors Asuka with a body attack in the middle of the ring for another near fall. Nia lifts Asuka and hits a Samoan drop for another close two count.
Asuka avoids a leg drop and gets Jax into an armbar. She tries to escape the hold several times before lifting Asuka off the mat and slamming her into the corner. Asuka refuses to break the hold and Jax eventually crashes back to the mat. She manages to lift Asuka up one more time, but Asuka pulls her back down into the armbar. After holding out for a while on the ground, Jax is finally forced to tap out.
Winner: Asuka
After the match Asuka celebrates and leaves. Nia is sitting in the ring, holding her arm. She leaves the ring with no music playing and the fans applaud her. The commentators say this is a devastating loss and will have repercussions for Nia.
Later tonight, John Cena talks his WrestleMania plans and Elias battles Braun Strowman in a Symphony of Destruction match.
*Commercial Break*
We return to see The Revival in the ring, awaiting their opponents. Sheamus and Cesaro come to the ring and we see that The Revival requested this match after last week when The Bar said there’s nobody left to face them. If they score a win tonight they get a title shot at WrestleMania.
The Revival Vs. The Bar
Dawson and Sheamus start the match andthey fight for control with some holds and reversals until Sheamus hits a shoulder block that floors Scott. He tags in Cesaro for a double kick to the gut. Sheamus clocks Dash on the apron, but that just allows Dawson to fight back with some stiff strikes.
Dash comes in with a sunset flip for a quick two count. Cesaro tags in and immediately gets hit with a double team suplex for a two count. The Revival begin to mount some offense but The Bar slides out and regroups outside the ring as we head to a break.
*Commercial Break*
We return to see Sheamus and Cesaro back in control. Dawson hits a jawbreaker and tags in Wilder. They take out Sheamus’ knee and elbow with vicious offense moves. The Celtic Warrior makes the hot tag to Cesaro, but his rampage is stopped quickly with a DDT from Dawson. Cesaro hits a big uppercut before he tags Sheamus, who unleashes some knee strikes on Dawson.
Dash runs in and saves Dawson from being hit with The Bar’s finisher. Then Sheamus gets knocked out of the ring by Dash. Dawson hits Cesaro with a superplex before Wilder nails him with a frog splash for a very close two count. Sheamus saves his partner from the Shatter Machine, then tosses Dawson out of the ring and Cesaro is able to hit the Neutralizer for the pin and the win.
Winners: The Bar
A surprising finish, it’s really unclear who will face The Bar at WrestleMania, unless it’s The Hardy Boyz.
After the break, we will hear from John Cena.
*Commercial Break*
