Welcome to Ringside News’ coverage of Monday Night Raw!
We’re less than a week away from WWE’s Super Showdown in Australia, so you can bet your bottom dollar tonight’s show is all about that! Which is why tonight’s marquee match-up is Ronda Rousey Vs. Ruby Riott. The Riott Squad will face Ronda and The Bella Twins on Saturday, here’s hoping Bree doesn’t kill anyone, and tonight’s match is a teaser for that. Ruby is one of the best performers on Raw right now, so hopefully she gets more offence than most against Rousey.
Speaking of Super Showdown, Shawn Michaels will be on tonight’s Raw, to talk about the big match between The Undertaker and Triple H. Again. It’s incredibly unclear why WWE is hyping this match up the way it is, the match could never possibly live up to the hype, and the idea of bringing Michaels back for a tag match is preposterous. Regardless, the last time Michaels was on Raw he was the best part of the show by a long way, so tonight could be special once again.
Elsewhere tonight, Bobby Lashley faces Kevin Owens, less than a week from the two facing off in tag team action with John Cena and Elias at their respective sides. And, of course, we have the huge feud between The Shield and Strowman, Ziggler, and McIntyre. That’s sure to continue tonight, as the six men will face each other in Australia.
That’s the preview for tonight’s show. Remember to download the Ringside News app, follow us on Instagram, and enjoy the show!
Monday Night Raw from Seatlle Washington opens with Dean Ambrose making his way out, wearing a cross between his Shield garb and his regular clothes.
Ambrose comes to the ring for an interview with Charly Caruso. She asks if there is any truth to the claims from last week, in which it was said Ambrose is the third wheel of The Shield and being used. Ambrose says yes, there is truth to it. He says Roman and Seth are indeed Champions and he has nothing. And he was out for a year and Seth replaced him with Jason Jordan very quickly. Charly asks if he has ever thought about leaving The Shield and the fans give a mixed response. He says “sure”. He thinks about a lot of things. Maybe he already gave his resignation, maybe he doesn’t need the dog tags, maybe it doesn’t mean as much to him as much as it used to. He says maybe he already ran Roman’s car off the road tonight – the fans cheered for that.
Charly says he is being confusing and people want answers. Dean asks what kind of questions do people have? He says people are wondering why he hasn’t left The Shield, why he’s still hanging on. He asks if people are wondering when he’ll do it, is he waiting for the perfect opportunity to stick the knife into their backs? Those kind of questions. Charly looks intimidated and says people were wondering about this, and they show the end of Raw last week in which Ambrose looked to wonder which side to choose. He responds by saying maybe he was wondering why he still does it? Why did he even come back to Raw, when all he has done is clean-up his brothers messes? Maybe he’s just sick of The Shield altogether. He flips the script and says that people should stop asking questions and trying to analyse his actions. Judge him by what he does, and all he has done is stand by his brothers. The Shield is not a brand, not a company, it’s a family, and he will stand by them until the end.
Ambrose turns to leave but out comes Baron Corbin to interrupt. Corbin mocks Ambrose’s speech, to which Ambrose calls him “the world’s biggest substitute teacher” and asks if he is just salty because he couldn’t keep The Shield down. Corbin says he will give them credit where it’s due, they’re tough. But tonight he will test Ambrose’s resolve by offering him three matches; he can face Rollins for the Intercontinental Championship, Reigns for the Universal Championship, or Braun Strowman one-on-one. Ambrose mulls it over for a minute but says he won’t sing and dance for a shiny carrot in front of him. He suggests “secret option #4”, him against Corbin right now. Corbin laughs and says it isn’t that simple, so he’ll make the decision for him…
*Commercial Break*
We return as the bell rings and Ambrose tries to chop Strowman down with kicks to the left leg. Strowman shakes it off and knocks Ambrose down. Braun hits the ropes and kicks Ambrose as he sits up. Strowman picks Ambrose up and whips him hard into the corner. Strowman grounds Ambrose with a neck crank in the middle of the ring.
Ambrose fights to his feet but eats a knee to the gut and an axe handle to the back. Strowman throws Amrbose to the corner and splashes him at breakneck speed. He goes back to the neck crank. Dean tries to pull his beard to get out but Braun bites his fingers. Ambrose again tries to fight out but Strowman just picks him up from behind and slams him down.
Strowman slaps Ambrose on the face. Dean crawls to the corner and slaps Braun, who responds with a huge biel across the ring. Braun lifts Dean but the Lunatic grabs a guillotine and wraps his legs around the waist. Braun fights back by tossing Ambrose over his head, but Ambrose doesn’t waste any time and hits a chop block. Strowman stumbles to the corner, where Ambrose runs at him and eats a big boot. Strowman jumps in the air and stomps on the back of Ambrose as we head to the break.
*Commercial Break*
We’re back to see Braun once again grounding Ambrose with a neck crank. He then sets Ambrose on the top rope but Dean punches him away, grabs him from behind and forearms the monster in the chest. Strowman lifts Ambrose up for the running powerslam but Dean rakes his eyes to get off. Ambrose suckers Strowman into flying over the top rope to get a breather.
Strowman is back in and runs at Dean in the corner but nobody’s home. Ambrose starts to rally but Strowman grabs him by the throat and chops him in the chest. Strowman looked for the running powerslam again but Dean climbed off and hit Dirty Deeds! Ambrose took forever to make the pin and Braun kicked out. Strowman rolls from the ring.
Ambrose hits a huge suicide dive to Strowman but the monster is still on his feet, thanks to the barricade. He runs at Ambrose but misses and hits the steel steps! Back inside the ring, Strowman grabs Ambrose and hits a quick powerslam out of nowhere. Ambrose rolls to the apron and down to the floor, as Strowman climbs to his feet. Braun slides out of the ring, runs around and hits Ambrose with a big shoulder tackle. Strowman throws Ambrose into the barricade, then back into the ring.
Braun lifts Ambrose and hits a powerslam. That isn’t enough though, he lifts him up again but Roman Reigns’ music hits and out comes The Big Dog! Roman gets into the ring and hits Braun with a Superman punch!
Reigns looks for a Spear but Strowman lifts him for the powerslam, Reigns climbs down and back into the corner. Strowman runs at him and eats a big boot. Strowman stumbles around and, from out of nowhere, Seth Rollins comes off the ropes with a flying knee to Strowman. Rollins and Reigns toss Strowman from the ring and he retreats up the ramp. Strowman gets to the top of the ramp and out comes Ziggler and McIntyre, along with Baron Corbin. The Acting General Manager says this isn’t The Shield’s show, so later tonight Seth will face Drew McIntyre, and up next Reigns will face Ziggler!
*Commercial Break*
We return to see Ambrose in the trainers room. Rollins walks in and asks him how he’s doing. Ambrose gets angry and throws a bag of ice at the wall. Rollins tells him to calm down and that Roman came out when he had to. Ambrose says he sure did. He stands up and says the funny thing is, he could have been Intercontinental Champion by now. Ambrose walks off and Rollins looks puzzled.
We return ringside and Reigns hands the referee his Universal Championship but then Corbin comes back out. He says Reigns doesn’t get to put his title on the line whenever he wants. Corbin announces that this match is non-title, as is Rollins Vs. McIntyre. He says Roman won’t defend the belt again until Saudi Arabia.
The bell rings, and Ziggler attacks a distracted Reigns. Dolph rakes his eyes on the ropes but Reigns throws him into the corner and punches him. Ziggler quickly snaps Reigns’s neck off the top rope and dropkicks him down for a two count. Ziggler then applies a chin lock to ground the big man.
Reigns tries to fight up, but Ziggler takes him down and drops an elbow. Reigns tries to fight back, but Ziggler sidesteps him to send him shoulder-first into the ring post. Ziggler goes outside to grab him, but Reigns punches him. Ziggler runs at Roman and hits him with a spike DDT on the floor!
Ziggler gets in the ring to break the count, back out and gets Reigns in the ring. Ziggler connects with a famasser for a near fall. We’re off to the break with Dolph in charge!
*Commercial Break*
We come back from the break to see Ziggler applying a chin lock to Reigns. Reigns fights up and punches out. Ziggler quickly ducks a right hand and jumps on Reigns’ back with a sleeper hold. Ziggler cinches it in, and Reigns seems to be fading away. Ziggler digs his fingers into Reigns’ eyes.
All that does though is give Reigns a burst of energy. The Champ backs him into the corner and hits a snapmare. Reigns connects with a back elbow before hitting a lariat, then another. Reigns hits a leaping clothesline and gets fired up in the corner. Reigns hits Ziggler with ten clubbing blows in the corner before coming off of the ropes and connecting with a big boot. Reigns looks at Ziggler on the mat and poses for a Superman Punch. Ziggler sidesteps it and rolls him up for a near fall. Reigns quickly blocks a superkick and goes for a Samoan Drop, but Ziggler rakes the eyes and hits a Zig-Zag for a close near fall.
Ziggler slowly gets up and stomps for a superkick, but Reigns counters it with a Superman Punch for a near fall. Reigns sets up for a spear, but Ziggler leap frogs him and rolls him up for a near fall. Ziggler head-butts Roman, who bounces off the ropes and responds with a huge spear for the win!
We see The Bella Twins backstage with Natalya. They’re talking and hugging before the camera turns and we see Ronda Rousey. The Champion will take on Ruby Riott next!
*Commercial Break*
The Bella Twins come out to the stage, followed by the Women’s Champion, Ronda Rousey!
The bell rings, and they circle the ring. Riott looks nervous to approach Rousey. They lock up, and Rousey quickly hits some judo arm drags on her. Riott quickly gets out of the ring to recover. Rousey invites her back in the ring and talks some trash. Riott reluctantly gets in the ring before kneeing her in the ribs. Rousey quickly takes her down, and Riott rolls out of the ring to regroup with her pals. Nice to see Morgan back out here, with bright pink hair to boot!
Rousey gets her in the ring, but Riott kicks her in the ribs coming back in. Riott pulls her headfirst into the ring post before shoving her into the barricade. Riott gets her in the ring and works away at her before tossing her out of the ring. The Riott Squad goes to blindside Rousey, but the referee tells them off. Riott knocks Rousey off the apron, then gets her back in the ring for a two count.
Riott digs her knee into Rousey’s neck before tying her up in the ropes and yanking on her ponytail. Riott fishhooks Ronda’s mouth and yanks her as Rousey cries out. Riott then forearms her in the face for a two count. The referee yells at The Riott Squad again while Ruby pulls Rousey down by the hair to pick up a two count. Riott slams her down again for a two count. Riott is getting frustrated. Riott boots her in the face a few times. A “Ronda Rousey” chant picks up. Rousey then counters a Riott Kick and hits a modified exploder suplex.
Rousey rips her Rowdy shirt off and jabs away at Riott before hitting a nasty gutwrench suplex – the fans are getting into it. Sarah Logan appears on the apron and Rousey kicks her way but Ruby uses the distraction to roll Ronda up for a near-fall. Rousey comes back with an Angle Slam of sorts before applying the armbar and Ruby taps immediately.
Rousey celebrates with Nikki and Brie after the match, while Ruby and the Squad retreat. A solid match that proves Rousey really isn’t just being carried.
Chad Gable and Bobby Roode make their entrance, Roode will be in action, next!
*Commercial Break*
The bell rings, and Roode kicks Konnor a few times, backing him into the corner. Roode ducks a right hand from Konnor and chops him to the woo’s of the crowd. Roode hits a low dropkick to the knee and looks for a Glorious DDT, but Konnor powers him to the corner. Roode leaps over him and hits the ropes, but Konnor avalanches him and everything slows down.
Konnor chokes him in the corner and stomps away at him. Konnor drops an elbow for a two count. Konnor then applies a chin lock and looks to keep Roode on the mat. Roode fights up, but Konnor takes him back down. Konnor goes for an elbow drop, but Roode moves. Roode then hits a drop-toe-hold into the turnbuckle. Roode comes off the top rope with a diving clothesline before chopping the chest.
Konnor reverses a whip to the corner, and Roode hits a running forearm to counter. Roode attacks him in the corner, boots him away, and hits a blockbuster. Roode gets fired up. Gable gets on the steps, and Viktor shoves him off. Roode clotheslines Viktor on the apron. Konnor attacks Roode from behind and hits a Dominator for the win.
We get A Moment of Bliss promo from Alexa Bliss. She says everyone needs heroes; Wonder Woman, Nelson Mandela, her. And when she was a kid, Trish Stratus was her hero. So she went to meet her hero when she was 7, to get an autograph. But when she asked for it, Trish burped and told her it would be $50. She says when it comes to meeting your heroes, Stratusfaction is not guaranteed.
The B-Team make their entrance, they’ll be in action next!
*Commercial Break*
We’re back and a match is underway.
Scott Dawson takes Curtis Axel to the ground and applies an arm submission. Axel tries to fight out, so Dawson makes the tag to Dash Wilder, who continues focusing on the arm. Axel fights out but Wilder stays in control and take shim down again. Axel finally creates some separation thanks to running him into the turnbuckles.
Axel and Wilder both make the tag and Bo Dallas takes control of Dawson. He hits Dawson with several quick moves before he gets planted with a spinebuster. The Revival look for the Rocket Launcher, but Dallas gets his knees up. Axel pulls Dawson out of the ring while Dallas pins Wilder.
As The B-Team are retreating up the ramp, AOP run out and attack them from behind! Akam tosses Dallas into the LED apron. They get The B-Team in the ring and hit the Super Collider. Drake Maverick joins them in the ring and raises their arms.
Dean Ambrose is looking conflicted backstage when Roman Reigns walks up to him. Reigns says they’re not sure if he’s kidding, unlike last week. Reigns asks him if he’s ok. Ambrose says he’s fine, but he had Braun Strowman tonight. He could have put him away. Reigns says he could have, but they need him in Australia. Ambrose says, “If I wasn’t such a nice guy, I’d be Universal Champion right now.” Ambrose walks off.
Still to come, Seth Rollins Vs. Drew McIntyre, and Shawn Michaels will be here!
*Commercial Break*
We’re back from the break and Baron Corbin is backstage with Drake Maverick and AOP. Baron Corbin says AOP is doing a heck of a job and shakes hands with them. Drake Maverick then excitedly slaps them both in the chest.
We’re back at ringside and Charly Caruso introduces us to some Susan G. Komen people. Dana Warrior is shown at ringside along with researcher Dr. Candice Grzelak, fundraiser Patty Bulger, and a 10-year breast cancer survivor, Jennifer Teeler. The crowd gives them several ovations. Caruso says the fight and save lives because breast cancer is unacceptable, so to Komen.org/DonateWWE to make your donations.
We see Strowman, McIntyre, and Ziggler backstage. Ziggler says he can feel it, we’ve seen Ambrose tonight. Tonight may be the last time we see The Shield together. Strowman says Ambrose would fit in well with them. He may have beaten him earlier tonight but he’s a tough bastard. He says he needs winners and that’s what Ambrose is, so he tells Drew to get out there and win. Strowman then looks at Dolph and says “we don’t need any weak links”.
Seth Rollins makes his entrance, and he’ll face McIntyre next!
*Commercial Break*
The bell rings and both men try to feel each other out with some lock-ups. Drew uses his power to force Seth to the corner, then slaps him in the face. Rollins doesn’t like that, he turns McIntyre in the corner and unleashes a flurry of punches. He whips McIntyre into the ropes, then knocks him out of the ring. Rollins follows-up with a big suicide dive and throws Drew back inside.
McIntyre dodges a flying knee from Rollins, who then ducks a big boot from Drew. McIntyre whips Rollins to the corner, who jumps up, assuming Drew will run underneath, but McIntyre instead kicks him in the gut to great effect. McIntyre then assumes control with a shoulder lock in the middle of the ring.
Rollins gets to his feet but Drew knee’s him. McIntyre looks for a back body drop but Rollins lands on his feet and tosses Drew over the ropes and onto the apron. Rollins meets him on the apron, where Seth wants a powerbomb but Drew shoves him off and into the ring post. Drew then kicks the steel steps off base, lifts Rollins up and stands atop the steps, then jumps off and hits a sidewalk slam on the apron!
*Commercial Break*
We come back from the break to see Rollins hit a Sling Blade. Rollins boots him back and hits a blockbuster for a two count. McIntyre puts him on the apron, but Rollins comes back with an enzuigiri. Rollins springboards off the top rope and hits a clothesline for a near fall. GM Baron Corbin is shown watching the match backstage. Rollins tries for a turnbuckle powerbomb, but McIntyre counters out. Rollins lands on his feet, but McIntyre lifts him. Rollins counters an inverted Alabama Slam into a roll-up for a two count.
Rollins looks for the Stomp but McIntyre avoids it and responds with chops. Rollins counters a short-arm clothesline into a falcon arrow for a near fall. Rollins goes to the top rope, but McIntyre crotches him up there. McIntyre chops the chest and climbs to the second rope. Seth slides off and hits a bucklebomb! Rollins follows up with a superkick and signals for the Stomp. Dolph Ziggler’s music hits, and he runs down to the ring. Ziggler gets out before making contact with Rollins. McIntyre follows up with a Claymore Kick for the win!
Ziggler and McIntyre double-team Rollins until Roman Reigns runs down for the save. Braun Strowman’s music hits, and Ziggler and McIntyre overtake Reigns. Dean Ambrose then runs down with an axe handle and attacks Strowman, McIntyre, and Ziggler. Strowman soon runs him over with a shoulder block and gets him in the ring. Rollins attacks Strowman from behind, but he’s quickly taken out with a superkick from Ziggler. Ambrose tries to fight back, but he’s triple-teamed down. Ziggler and McIntyre hit Ambrose with a Zig-Zag/Claymore Kick combo. They then send Reigns into Strowman for a Running Powerslam. Strowman, Ziggler, and McIntyre stand over The Shield while their music plays. They then do The Shield’s fist bump pose.
Elias is tuning his guitar backstage when Kevin Owens walks up to him. They make fun of a random guy backstage and Elias throw nuts in his face. Owens will face Bobby Lashley next!
*Commercial Break*
We’re back in Seattle and Elias is seated on a stool next to Kevin Owens in the ring. Elias greets the crowd and plays a riff while Owens listens on nodding his head. Elias has one question for everyone: Who wants to walk with Elias? Owens raises his hand. Elias says only one man will walk with him tonight: Kevin Owens. Owens says he’ll gladly walk with Elias in Australia when they face Bobby Lashley and John Cena on Saturday. They’re both a couple of great guys. What doesn’t make sense is John Cena teaming with Bobby Lashley. Elias says it makes about as much sense as a basketball team in Seattle. Huge boos from the crowd, shockingly so. Renee Young makes a great joke about Detlef Schrempf. They just sit there admiring the noise, which is so much more than a normal cheap pop. Elias says Oklahoma City is a place he gets. A team here in Seattle just doesn’t make sense. Owens says he’s clearly upset the crowd, but sports aren’t his thing. Something else that isn’t his thing is John Cena. Owens is being booed to high heaven.
Owens says John Cena is living up to his catchphrase since they haven’t seen him in some time. Elias says the last time he saw Cena was at WrestleMania when he ruined his first WrestleMania concert. Owens says Cena ruins everything, just like Seattle fans. The boos just keep going so loud. They turn the lights on so you can see the crowd going nuts. Elias and Owens keep trying to go on with their promo, but the boos are drowning them out. Owens says Cena’s ego is as large as the people of Seattle’s egos. Elias says Cena needs to be in the ring with men like them, the same way he needs Seattle to shut their mouths. It keeps Cena alive and relevant. Owens says Cena needs to beat the best, and they’re the best that Monday Night RAW has to offer.
Lio Rush comes out to no reaction.. Rush says John Cena is a legend. They’re right to recognise the importance of the match on Saturday. Rush warns Owens not to overlook the match tonight. If he does, he’ll look as foolish as Rush has made him look the past two weeks. Rush then introduces Bobby Lashley and they walk to the ring. Lashley faces Owens, next!
*Commercial Break*
The match kicks-off and Lashley immediately takes control by taking Owens’ back and slamming him down. Owens hysterically grabs the ropes and makes the referee separate them. Owens then takes him down with a headlock and keeps him there.
Rush offers Lashley some advice from ringside, so Bobby gets to his feet, ducks Owens running at him, then hits a shoulder tackle and KO rolls from the ring. Owens regroups with Elias, then gets back inside, where Bobby immediately slams his head into all four turnbuckles. He punches Owens against the ropes until he falls to a knee. Owens punches him, then runs but is caught with a powerslam. Lashley lifts Owens onto his shoulders but KO slides off. Lashley runs at KO in the corner but nobody’s home and he crashes and burns. Owens then uses that to throws Lashley shoulder-first into the opposite ring post. Owens has gained some control ahead of the break.
*Commercial Break*
We come back from the break to see Owens send Lashley into the ring steps before getting him in the ring for a senton splash and a near fall. Owens then applies a wristlockto ground the big man. Lashley tries to fight up, but Owens takes him back down. I have to say I really loathe that every single match has the same formula, it makes Raw so tedious to watch.
Lashley fights up but Owens connects with a right hand. Owens hits the ropes, but Lashley leapfrogs him before hitting a lariat. Owens sidesteps him, but Lashley turns him inside out with another clothesline. Owens quickly boots him back, but Lashley quickly comes back with a reverse STO. Lashley hits some running attacks in the corner before trying for a suplex but can’t get him up. Owens kicks him and hits the ropes, but Lashley takes him out with a big spinebuster.
On the outside, Lio Rush avoids an attack by Elias. He ducks and weaves but Elias finally grabs him and applies a full nelson. Lashley is distracted by this, so Owens rolls him up for the win!
Lashley attacks both men, but he’s soon overwhelmed. Rush comes off the top rope, but Elias swats him out of mid-air and he rolls from the ring. Owens then hits Lashley with a Pop-up Powerbomb.
*Commercial Break*
Bayley makes her entrance, accompanied by her Mixed Match Challenger partner, Finn Balor. They dance and do Bayley’s entrance together and Finn really looks like a fool.
Bayley takes the fight to Alicia quickly in the corner but Foxy throws her off and hits her with a nice spinning facebuster for a one count. Fox applies a chinlock, but Bayley quicky elbows her way out. Bayley comes back with a forearm to the face and a back elbow off the second rope for a two count. Fox takes her down and hits a northern lights suplex for a two count. Still the best bridge in the business, as Booker T always liked to remind us!
Fox then applies the chinlock again. Bayley fights back and takes her down. Bayley hits a pair of clotheslines and snaps her off the second rope. Fox comes back with a roll-up, but winds up rolling through for a dropkick. Bayley fights back and hits the ropes, but Jinder Mahal grabs the leg. So she responds by kicking him through the ropes, followed by Finn Balor taking him out with a Sling Blade on the floor. Bayley then hits Fox with a Bayley-To-Belly for the win.
Finn and Bayley celebrate together after the fact.
Shawn Michaels will be live next, and that’s our main event!
*Commercial Break*
The Heartbreak Kid, Mr. WrestleMania, The Showstopper, Shawn Michaels makes his way to the ring!
To the surprise of no-one, HBK is over like nobody’s business in Seattle! They chant his name and he says they make it feel good to come home. He reiterates “last time ever”, and says you have to imagine how intense it is when you go into a match like this knowing it’s the last time it can ever happen. He says you run the gamut of emotions. And here we are, it happens this Saturday in Australia, Triple H and The Undertaker.
Michaels says the first thing he did when he heard about this match, was pull out his dusty wallet – because he’s notoriously cheap – and book a flight to Melbourne because he wanted to be a fan and watch it live. He says that was then, but things have gotten personal. He talked to The Undertaker, who asked him who would win. He says he has the upmost respect for The Undertaker but he swears to God he would pick his friend over anyone, any day of the week. And for some reason, that upset The Undertaker. He says Undertaker has Kane in his corner, and Triple H will have his brother in his. Michaels says if Kane or anyone else tries to get into the ring, he will put them down with some Sweet Chin Music.
Just then, Kane’s music hits and HBK waits for him. Kane is behind Michaels! The music stops and HBK turns around, only to be clocked with a right hand. Then the bell tolls! The lights go out, come back, and The Undertaker is beside Kane! The fans are losing their minds! Undertaker and Kane stalk HBK, standing over him, and Shawn looks up at the Deadman to see him slit his throat. Side note, Michaels has shaved his head! Undertaker lifts Michaels for a Tombstone but then Triple H’s music hits!
Triple H runs down to the ring and brawls with Kane and Undertaker. HBK get involved again but Kane and Undertaker grab them and hit double Chokeslams! The noise is deafening as The Brothers of Destruction stand over DX! Kane and Undertaker turn to leave but notice that Triple H is getting up, so Undertaker goes back in and hits a Tombstone!
Underaker and Kane leave the ring to the Deadman’s music. That’s it for tonight’s Raw! WOW! Let us know what you thought of that ending. And we’ll see you back here tomorrow! Until then, safe travels.