Dasha Fuentes interviews Seth Rollins backstage and asks if fighting a bigger guy like McIntyre is practice for Lesnar. Seth says he isn’t afraid to fight fire with fire. Tonight isn’t about proving anything, it’s about getting revenge for what Drew did to his brothers. And then he plans on going to Suplex City and burning it down.
We see Dana Brooke in Guerilla position. Charly asks her if she knows what she’s getting herself into. Dana says this is the Road to WrestleMania, where dreams become reality, and underdogs make history. She says she isn’t naive, she might not be as good as Ronda Rousey, but she only has to be better for 3 seconds.
Raw Women’s Championship Match
(C) Ronda Rousey Vs. Dana Brooke
The match gets underway and Dana catches a kick before slapping Ronda. Rousey fires back with a knee to the face, followed by a few more knees and an armbar or the win.
Winner: Ronda Rousey
Rousey refuses to let go of the armbar and Dana screams in agony. An official forces Ronda off and she shoves him down. Ronda then leaves the ring and goes to kiss her husband. Security grab hold of her and she takes one down and beats him. Another starts to pull Ronda off and her husband (UFC fighter Travis Browne) clocks the guy with a stiff elbow. He then lifts Ronda over the barricade and the two of them leave through the crowd. Officials are left in the ring trying to help Dana Brooke, who is still selling the effects of the armbar.
After the break, Batista will share his side of the story.
*Commercial Break*
Apollo Crews Vs. Baron Corbin
The bell rings, and Corbin soon takes him down with a shoulder block. Crews dropkicks him and kips up. Corbin slides out of the ring, and Crews hits a moonsault off the apron and wipes the lone wolf out.
Apollo gets him back in the ring, but Corbin fires back with a stiff forearm. Corbin throws him headfirst into the corner. Baron goes for an out-and-in clothesline, but Crews avoids it. Corbin then takes him down and applies a chin lock to slow down the pace.
Corbin looks for a chokeslam but Crews lands on his feet. Crews hits the ropes but Corbin comes back with a Deep Six for a near fall. Corbin punches Crews while the crowd chants, “We want Cena.” Crews flies right through the End of Days and rolls Corbin up for the win!
Winner: Apollo Crews
Corbin is furious after the match, while Kurt Angle meets Crews on the ramp and celebrates with him.
We see Batista sitting down, being fitted with a microphone. He’ll be doing his interview after the break.
*Commercial Break*
Batista is live via satellite from Tampa, Florida. Michael Cole thanks Batista for joining them. Cole wants to know why he’s so angry with Triple H. Batista says he just doesn’t like the guy. Since he’s left, all he’s wanted to do is come back and have that one last match with him. Now here we are. Cole says that’s a vague answer. Where does this go back to? Evolution? Batista sits quietly before saying it goes back way further than that. Batista keeps hearing that he owes his career to Triple H. Before Evolution, Triple H groomed him to be his muscle. Triple H uses people to protect him and make him look good. DX and Evolution are the same thing. Triple H used him like some big meathead, holding him down and underestimating him.
Cole mentions that Batista quit in 2010 and walked out at the height of his career. Does he blame Triple H for that? Batista asks “why shouldn’t I?” Batista also doesn’t like people saying he quit. Imagine having a buddy who is also your boss and jealous. Batista felt like he never got a fair opportunity. He says HHH didn’t think he was a big enough star to be on top of the company. Ever since then, he left and became world famous. Batista is now in a position of control and is getting what he deserves. Cole says he’s known Triple H for over 20 years. He’s been nothing but fair to him. Look what he does for NXT Superstars. Batista asks what is wrong with Cole. Triple H is known as the Cerebral Assassin. He says Triple H has them fooled. HHH is the most selfish, insecure, jealous control freak he’s ever met. Batista says one day, hopefully soon, Vince will wake up and fire Triple H to end his professional career. At WrestleMania, he’ll end Triple H’s in-ring career. Batista then kicks the film crew out of his office.
Charly Caruso is backstage with Braun Strowman. She asks him about the attack on the car last week and Strowman says they came to his house and disrespected him and WWE. These two have him so angry that he’s entering the André The Giant Memorial Battle Royal so as many people as possible can get these hands. Alexa Bliss walks up and says she wants to broker peace as the host of WrestleMania. Bliss asks for a week to make it right. Strowman agrees, but if they disrespect him again, he’ll show them what discipline really is.
Drew McIntyre makes his entrance, he’ll face Seth Rollins after the break.
*Commercial Break*
Drew McIntyre is in the ring and has replays shown of him sending Roman Reigns head-first into the ring post last week on RAW. Roman Reigns is not medically cleared to be here tonight. When Reigns returned, everyone rejoiced in the fact that the Big Dog is back. At Fastlane, he could tell Reigns wasn’t the same and relied on The Shield to get through it. Now The Shield is no more. McIntyre now has Seth Rollins attacking him from behind like a coward and viciously assaulting him. Rollins is just like the crowd: deluded and living in a fantasy world. Last week, McIntyre revealed the truth when he dropped Reigns. This is his yard now.
McIntyre wants to take a moment to speak to Roman Reigns. Not Roman Reigns, the superstar, but Joe, the man. That’s what Reigns told them to call him when his leukemia came back: Joe, the husband and father. Now he’s Joe at home because of him. If Reigns wanted to be an inspiration to the people, he has a challenge for him. McIntyre is challenging Reigns to a fight at WrestleMania. McIntyre knows the answer already, as do the people. McIntyre tells Reigns to look at his wife and children. McIntyre is asking him to say no to it. McIntyre tells Reigns to choose his family and not the people because they don’t give a damn about him. McIntyre swears that if Reigns fights him at WrestleMania, all bets are off. He says what he did to Reigns and Ambrose will be like nothing. McIntyre will maim and destroy him. He says Reigns may have beaten leukemia, but on the Grandest Stage of Them All, Reigns will never beat him. Gross, as usual.
Seth Rollins appears on the Titantron. Rollins says that’s why he did what he did to him earlier tonight. Replays are shown of Rollins viciously beating McIntyre with a steel chair earlier tonight. Rollins says that was for his brothers and this is for him now. Rollins’ music hits and he comes running out. McIntyre runs and meets him on the ramp and they brawl. Referees pull them apart and we head to a break.
*Commercial Break*
Seth Rollins Vs. Drew McIntyre
We return to the match in progress. McIntyre takes him down and applies an arm bar. Rollins fights up, but McIntyre takes him down with a back elbow for a two count. Rollins tries to fight back, but Drew takes him down with two vertical suplexes for a two count. McIntyre clubs him down and reapplies the arm bar. Seth fights up and kicks him in the face before throwing him out of the ring.
McIntyre pulls Seth out of the ring, but Rollins fires back with some punches and chops. McIntyre tries to toss Rollins into the steps but Seth attempts a backflip moonsault and lands on the floor hard.
*Commercial Break*
We’re back and McIntyre unleashes some chops on the number one contender. During the commercial break, McIntyre hit a belly-to-belly overhead suplex. McIntyre looks for a powerbomb but Rollins counters into a hurricanrana. McIntyre rolls out of the ring to recover.
Rollins goes for a suicide dive, but McIntyre catches him and slams him into the barricade. McIntyre grabs a steel chair and thinks about it using it while the referee tries to stop him. McIntyre smacks the ring post with the chair, then swings but Rollins dropkicks him.
Both men get back in the ring just before being counted out. Rollins immediately clotheslines Drew back out of the ring and hits two quick suicide dives. McIntyre gets in the ring, and Rollins hits him with the Sling Blade. Rollins follows up with a superkick for a near fall. Rollins sets up for a powerbomb, but McIntyre shrugs him off and hits a back body drop, but Rollins lands on his feet. McIntyre catches him with an inverted Alabama Slam for a near fall. Seth took that bump hard.
McIntyre puts him on the top rope and punches him. Seth climbs down but then McIntyre pulls him up to the top rope with him. The Scotsman headbutts Rollins off, but Rollins quickly scales the ropes and hits a superplex followed by a falcon arrow for a near fall. Rollins sets up for the Stomp, but Brock Lesnar’s music hits!
The WWE Universal Champion makes his way to the stage with Paul Heyman. Rollins is distracted. Lesnar hands Heyman his belt and starts walking to the ring, but McIntyre then levels Rollins with a Claymore Kick for the win.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Back on the stage, Lesnar and Heyman are laughing. Lesnar takes his belt back from his advocate, as he clearly had no intention of coming to the ring.
That’s it for this week’s Raw. Let us know what you though of the show, and be sure to come back tomorrow for more wrestling news and results. Until then, safe travels!
