WWE RAW Live Coverage - January 16th, 2023
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Bobby Lashley returns to Raw with unfinished business
This past week, Bobby Lashley made an All Mighty return from his suspension, pummeling Austin Theory and shocking Seth “Freakin” Rollins and the WWE Universe. On Monday Night Raw, The All Mighty will follow up his glorious return with some scores to settle and some unfinished business. What destruction will Lashley bring?
:raw:
– Tonight’s WWE RAW opens live on the USA Network with the standard intro video. We’re now live from the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio as the pyro goes off. Kevin Patrick welcomes us. He’s joined at ringside by Corey Graves. Patrick hypes tonight’s Six-Way main event to determine the new #1 contender to WWE United States Champion Austin Theory – Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz.
– We go right to the ring and out comes The Bloodline – Solo Sikoa and Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos, Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso. We see how Sikoa and The Usos helped Sami Zayn defeat Kevin Owens on SmackDown as a disappointed Zayn looked on.
Jey takes the mic and announces to Cincinnati that The Bloodline is in your city. Jimmy brags about running RAW and SmackDown. Jimmy says before Solo puts a bating on Mustafa Ali tonight, they need to address what happened on SmackDown. Jey sends a warning to Kevin Owens and says he hopes he got the message on SmackDown – do not cross Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns as he will get another lesson at the Royal Rumble.
Jey says speaking of The Tribal Chief, they have something big planned for the RAW 30th Anniversary show as every generation of The Bloodline will be there to acknowledge Reigns. Jey says also at RAW 30, they will retain the RAW Tag Team Titles over The Judgment Day. The music interrupts and out comes Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley.
Ripley says the only thing The Bloodline needs to acknowledge is how The Judgment Day runs RAW. Fans boo. Balor says not only do they run the show, last week they ran the Gauntlet, ran through the tag team division, and now are running straight to The Usos. The Judgment Day is in the ring now. Balor praises Mysterio for his performance last week. Priest says he and Dominik will handle business tonight while Balor is in the main event. Priest looks forward to bringing the red brand titles back to RAW. Mysterio says he smells fear because The Usos are scared. He asks Jimmy and Jey if they’re scared, and The Usos taunt him back, then brag about tag teams they’ve defeated.
The Usos say at RAW 30 they will welcome The Judgment Day to The Uso Penitentiary. The Usos drop the mic. Dominik goes on about how The Usos wouldn’t last a minute in the real penitentiary. Dominik calls them wanna-be’s and says Sikoa is the biggest wanna-be. Sikoa steps in Dominik’s face. Ripley moves Dominik and gets in Sikoa’s face. Sikoa steps back but gets back in her face. Dominik rocks Sikoa but Sikoa drops him. A brawl breaks out now. Sikoa and Ripley are left alone in the ring. Ripley taunts Sikoa and he looks ready to attack but Mustafa Ali suddenly flies off the top with a big splash to a pop. Ali mounts Sikoa with rights as we go to a commercial.
Solo Sikoa vs. Mustafa Ali
Back from the break and Solo Sikoa is dominating Mustafa Ali. We see Ali’s earlier backstage interview with Byron Saxton where he said he will fight back against Sikoa tonight.
Ali fights up and out of a hold, then dropkicks Sikoa. Ali keeps fighting and kicks Sikoa over the top rope to the floor. Ali goes for a dive but Sikoa meets him at the ropes with a big right. Sikoa comes in with a lariat. Sikoa crawls for a 2 count.
Sikoa yells and talks some trash to Ali, then beats on him while he’s down in the corner. Sikoa charges in for the Umaga splash but Ali moves. Ali fights in from the apron but Sikoa catches him in mid-air, then runs him into the ring post. Ali falls to the floor and Sikoa poses in the ring.
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos hit the apron to pose but the music hits and out comes Kevin Owens to a big pop. Owens brawls with The Usos at ringside. He fights back and launches Jimmy Uso into the steel ring steps.
Ali takes advantage of the distraction and hits a big tornado DDT to Sikoa. Ali covers for a close 2 count. Ali goes back to the top for a 450 Splash but he has to roll through as Sikoa moves. Solo nails the Samoan Spike for the pin to win.
Winner: Solo Sikoa
– After the match, Sikoa stands tall but Owens immediately drops him with a Stunner. Owens fights Sikoa to the floor and sends him into the steel steps. Owens slams Sikoa on top of the announce table and pounds on him. Owens goes to run the barrier for a splash through the announce table as Sikoa did to him last week, but The Usos attack. Owens fights The Usos off again and throws a chair into Jimmy’s face. Officials run down with Adam Pearce to hold Owens back while The Usos and Sikoa retreat. Owens stands on top of the table and yells out to a pop. Officials continue holding Owens back as a “let them fight!” chant breaks out. Sikoa promises to get Owens.
– Bobby Lashley is backstage with a promo for the main event. He says tonight’s Six-Way with other former champions means nothing because he is The All Mighty. Lashley goes on with words for WWE United States Champion Austin Theory and says his title reign is coming to an end at RAW 30.
– Back from the break and we get the third return vignette for Cody Rhodes. We see footage of him training at the Nightmare Factory. Cody says this is where he will become bulletproof. The video includes comments from Brandi Rhodes. She says Cody can do the work, he feels and looks better than ever. Cody says it’s no longer if he will return, but when. He goes on and announces that he will return in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match. Cody says he made it crystal clear before that he wanted the WWE Title, and at The Rumble, he is back. The announcers hype Cody’s return at The Rumble now.
– Byron Saxton is backstage outside of Adam Pearce’s locker room office. He says Pearce’s office has been a revolving door of Superstars trying to make their cases for Royal Rumble spots all day. Elias is with Saxton now. He talks about what 2022 meant for his family, and says it’s time to right some wrongs, and his vengeance tour will begin in The Rumble. MVP exits Pearce’s door and tells Elias to watch out. MVP warns Elias to not go in there and bother Pearce about The Rumble because the winner is a done deal. Elias goes on about how MVP hasn’t been relevant in years. MVP says if Elias keeps on, MVP will get him a match with the Rumble winner. Elias says it will be a tune-up match. MVP goes back inside to get Pearce to book a match.
– Still to come, The Street Profits vs. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and the announcers hype the main event.
The Street Profits vs. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin
We go back to the ring and out come The Street Profits – Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford. Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander are out next.
Benjamin starts off by rocking Ford off the apron with a shot to the jaw. Dawkins comes from behind but Benjamin fights him off. Dawkins fights back but Benjamin rocks him, then nails a big German suplex for 2.
Alexander tags in and they double team Dawkins in their corner. He fights them both off and in comes Ford as Dawkins kicks Alexander. Ford with a top rope crossbody to Alexander. Ford unloads on Alexander with a big lariat. Ford plays to the crowd for a pop. Ford dumps Alexander to the apron but he fights back. Alexander goes for a German off the apron to the floor but Ford hangs on.
Ford fights back but Alexander counters and drops him on the edge of the apron with the Uranage. MVP comes walking down the ramp as Benjamin and Alexander look on, and as fans boo. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and Dawkins comes in off the hot tag. He unloads on Benjamin and knocks Alexander off the apron as a concerned MVP looks on. Dawkins hits the corkscrew corner splash and the sit-out powerbomb as Ford nails the top rope Frogsplash. Alexander breaks the pin up just in time.
Alexander takes out Dawkins’ leg with Benjamin up on Dawkins’ shoulder so Ford can leap off the top and take him down. Benjamin then leaps up and walks the ropes, then brings Ford to the mat for a close 2 count as Dawkins makes the save.Ford with an enziguri to Benjamin. Ford launches Benjamin to the floor, then leaps out at him. Dawkins and Alexander are legal. Alexander with a suicide dive to Ford.
Dawkins runs the ring and leaps out, taking the other three down for a pop. Dawkins goes for the corner splash to Alexander while MVP tries to get in the way, but he fails. MVP and the referee have words. This leads to Dawkins and Alexander trading pin attempts, with Dawkins getting the win.
Winner: The Street Profits
– After the match, The Profits celebrate as we go to replays. MVP is disappointed with the referee and the loss, while The Profits continue celebrating on the ramp.
– Cathy Kelley is backstage with The Judgment Day – Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley. She asks Balor about the main event and he’s ready. She asks about the tag team match next but Alpha Academy interrupts. Chad Gable says he heard these clowns talking about how they ran through the RAW tag division last week but they barely snuck by Alpha Academy, they should’ve been medically disqualified over Balor but Alpha Academy will get redemption tonight when they take back the win that you thugs stole. Ripley threatens Gable, and Dominik says he spent all day pumping iron in the yard and won’t hesitate to not hold Ripley back from jumping on Gable. Gable insults Dominik and his time in prison. Priest says fun and games are over, he’s sick of it. He tells Alpha Academy to take a walk or they won’t make it to the ring tonight. Gable says that’s fine because Otis hasn’t got his steps in today. They walk off.
– Still to come, Becky Lynch is here. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and out comes Becky Lynch to a pop.
Lynch says as much as she’d like to chat, she has business to tend to. Lynch calls Bayley out, calling her a goof and a Karen. Bayley doesn’t show so Lynch continues calling her out. The music hits and out comes Damage CTRL – Bayley with WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Dakota Kai and IYO SKY.
Fans boo Damage CTRL as Bayley corrects Lynch on what her name is. The back & forth on the mic continues as Damage CTRL enters then ring. Fans chant “Becky!” now. Bayley mentions Lynch taking her spot years ago, including on RAW, SmackDown and at WrestleMania. They go back & forth over each other’s achievements and success. Bayley says Lynch only became The Man because she was punched in the face by another. Lynch threatens to punch Bayley in the face.
Bayley and Lynch continue arguing. Bayley insists she doesn’t need help from her stablemates to defeat Lynch. Lynch proposes a match next week and Bayley says yes. She goes on and proposes a Steel Cage match, with Kai and SKY banned from ringside. Bayley accepts and calls her an idiot. Lynch says it’s official, then she tosses the mic and leaves as the music hits. Bayley is not thrilled.
– Mustafa Ali confronts Dolph Ziggler backstage. Ali is still upset over Ziggler not wanting to tag with him last week. Ali says it must be good to always get opportunities like Ziggler does. Ziggler says no one gets things handed to them, and he doesn’t have time to pay attention to Ali right now. Ziggler turns back to warming up for the main event. Ali drops Ziggler from out of nowhere and asks if he has his attention now. Ali walks off.
– Still to come, the Six-Way main event. Back to commercial.
Elias vs. Omos
Back from the break and Elias is in the ring wrapping up his entrance, guitar and all. The music of MVP starts up next and out he comes in a suit. He says Elias must be confused as he thought he’d be facing MVP tonight. MVP says there was a communication breakdown and that’s what happens when you have no pull around here. MVP says things are about to get a lot worse for Elias because he is going to face the 2023 Royal Rumble winner. MVP then introduces Omos and out he comes as Mike Rome does the introductions.
The bell rings and Elias charges but Omos just takes it all and shoves him off. Omos levels Elias with a running big boot out of the corner. Elias regroups at ringside but unloads on Omos when he comes out. Elias jumps on Omos’ back but gets tossed off.
Omos charges but hits the ring post as Elias moves. Elias is about to charge when MVP gets in his way with the cane. Fans boo as MVP dares to swing. Elias grabs his guitar and goes to swing but Omos stops it with one arm. Omos fights Elias off and nails a big headbutt to send Elias back. MVP thanks Omos. Omos rolls Elias back in, then smashes the guitar on the floor.
Omos re-enters the ring but Elias attacks, nailing a jumping knee. Elias stuns Omos with two more jumping knees. Omos goes down to one knee as Elias climbs to the top. Omos grabs Elias by his throat and brings him to the mat with a big chokeslam for the pin to win.
Winner: Omos
– After the match, Omos stands tall as the music hits. We go to replays. MVP and Omos stand over Elias now as the referee checks on him.
– Byron Saxton is backstage with Adam Pearce, asking what’s in store for RAW 30. Pearce says he’s working on the show but he promises it will be an unforgettable night, easily one of the biggest in the history of RAW, and even bigger with the winner of tonight’s main event going on to challenge WWE United States Champion Austin Theory. Akira Tozawa interrupts and he wants in The Rumble. Pearce says everyone does, and he has to earn it. Tozawa wants a match tonight to prove he deserves the Rumble spot. Pearce can’t promise anything but he will give Tozawa a match and see what happens. Tozawa yells out and walks off.
– We see The Judgment Day walking backstage. Back to commercial.
The Judgment Day vs. Alpha Academy
Back from the break and out comes The Judgment Day – Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio with Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley. Alpha Academy is out next – Otis and Chad Gable. Gable starts off with Dominik for a test of strength but Gable fakes him and Dominik goes down.
Priest comes in and Gable ducks him, then fights out of a hold. Gable ducks a back elbow and grabs Priest from behind off the counter. Gable and Priest tangle now and Priest takes Gable down. Gable catches a kick and turns it into an ankle lock but Priest is still standing. He sends Gable down. Gable ends up getting some offense in and in comes Otis to take over.
Gable comes off the ropes as Otis holds Priest. Gable drops Dominik on the apron. Mysterio pulls the rope down to send Gable over the top rope to the floor. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and Gable works on Dominik’s arm at the apron. Gable rushes in to tag but Priest knocks him out of the air. Priest with kicks to Gable now, then a rolling elbow and another big elbow in the corner. Priest with a Broken Arrow. Priest decks Otis off the apron and puts Gable up top, working him over.
Dominik tags in and goes up for the superplex but Gable sends him to the mat. Gable goes up and hits the big flying headbutt to Dominik. Otis and Priest wait for tags now. Otis tags in and knocks Priest down twice. Otis knees Dominik and yells at him, then drops him with a running knee. Priest blocks a slam and claps Otis. Otis with a headbutt to Priest. Priest with a big boot but Otis comes right back with a powerslam for a close 2 count. Priest blocks a corner splash with a big boot.
Dominik tags in but Otis splashes them both in the corner. Otis with a corner splash to Priest. Priest finally goes down and now Otis hits The Caterpillar to a big pop as Gable cheers him on. Otis goes to the second rope for the Vader Bomb but he’s distracted by Gable blocking Dominik’s attack at ringside and dropping him. Priest kicks Otis in the back, then climbs up. Priest launches Otis to the mat. Gable tags in and hits Chaos Theory on Priest. Dominik rolls Gable up from behind for 2. Gable with the ankle lock on Dominik now as the crowd goes wild.
Ripley and Balor try to help Dominik from ringside but the referee yells at them. Ripley hits the apron to have words with the official, allowing Priest to interfere with a big South of Heaven chokeslam to Gable. Dominik crawls over and covers Gable for the pin to win.
Winners: The Judgment Day
– After the match, The Judgment Day stands tall as the music hits. We go to replays. Dominik is all smiles as he and his stablemates regroup on the stage. The announcers hype next week’s match for the RAW Tag Team Titles.
– Patrick sends us to a video package for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
– Back from the break and the announcers hype The Miz up for tonight’s main event.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion IYO SKY vs. Mia Yim
We go back to the ring and out comes Damage CTRL – WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion IYO SKY with her partner Dakota Kai and Bayley. SKY and Kai head to the ring while Bayley goes backstage. Mia Yim is out next. She stops and is joined by Candice LeRae. They head to the ring together.
The bell rings and they lock up. Yim drops SKY first. SKY fights back and they run the ropes with Yim nailing a dropkick. Yim rocks SKY in the corner. SKY shows her up from the apron and drops her over the top rope. SKY rocks Yim again and nails a top rope dropkick, then a kip-up.
SKY with running double knees in the corner for a 2 count. More back and forth between the two. SKY takes Yim down with a Crossface submission as Kai cheers her on. Yim kicks out at 2 and SKY drops her with ease. Yim blocks a move but SKY lands on her feet off the counter. SKY with an uppercut. SKY fights Yim of with elbows.
Yim blocks a hurricanrana but SKY blocks the powerbomb. Yim with a neckbreaker. They get up and Yim rocks SKY several times, then kicks her and drops her with two kicks. Yim with a Flapjack to the mat, then a dropkick.SKY misses a kick and Yim nails a German suplex off the counter.
Yim goes for Eat Defeat but Kai hits the apron to distract the referee. LeRae runs over to take Yim down to the floor, but SKY also kicks LeRae to the floor. Yim takes advantage of the distraction and hits Eat Defeat for the pin to win.
Winner: Mia Yim
– After the match, Kai hits the ring to attack Yim but LeRae makes the save. LeRae takes out Kai and sends her to the floor. The music hits as LeRae and Yim stand together while the champions recover at ringside.
– We get a video on what happened with Alexa Bliss and Uncle Howdy last week. Howdy asked her, do you feel like you are in charge? Bliss then looked on as Howdy came out to laugh at her.
– We see RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair walking backstage. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and the announcers hype the Royal Rumble card.
– We go back to the ring and out comes RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair with a mic.
Belair hits the ring and says it’s only been a few weeks but she missed everyone, and if it were up to her she’d never miss a RAW. She goes on about how the job comes with risks, like having her face smashed into the steel steps. She says even if she ends up with a scar on her face, she’d still face Alexa Bliss, and again, and again, again, and again, because with the risk comes the reward of being your RAW Women’s Champion. Fans chant “EST!” now. Belair says she may have missed last week’s show but she heard everything Bliss said. She asks if Bliss has the guts to come out and say it in her face. The music hits and out comes Bliss.
Bliss says she will gladly repeat herself for Belair and anyone else who needs to hear. She says Belair fears her because she doesn’t know what to expect. Bliss brings up the Royal Rumble and Belair cuts her off. Belair asks if she really wants to try and eliminate 29 other women for a title shot, or does she want the title shot at The Rumble? Bliss, speaking from the ramp, asks what the catch is. Belair says Bliss wanted to be in control, so the choice is hers.
Bliss says she will see Belair at the Royal Rumble. Fans pop. Belair exits the ring and says Bliss can see her tonight as well. They start brawling on the entrance-way as Belair rocks Bliss. Belair unloads and sends Bliss into the ring post, the barrier, then slams her face into the edge of the apron a few times. Bliss blocks a shot into the steel steps but Belair kicks her. Belair charges but Bliss side-steps and Belair ends up over the barrier, in the front row. Blair slowly stands up and grabs Bliss from behind, bringing her over the barrier. They brawl into the crowd now.
Belair stands two chairs up facing each other. She scoops Bliss and goes to slam her on the chairs with the KOD, but Belair is frozen in her tracks when she looks to the concourse area and apparently sees Uncle Howdy standing in the light and shadows. Bliss takes advantage of the distraction and drops Belair on the concrete with a DDT. Bliss looks up at Howdy’s silhouette, and it looks like he motions to her at Bliss, or bows to her. Bliss backs away from Belair while snarling down at her. Back to commercial.
Akira Tozawa vs. Bronson Reed
Back from the break and Akira Tozawa is wrapping up his entrance, hoping to win this match and secure a Royal Rumble spot. Out next comes Bronson Reed.
The bell rings and Tozawa tries to dodge Reed but Reed grabs him, slams him and immediately grounds him with a waist lock. Tozawa fights up and to the ropes. Reed backs off as the referee warns him. Tozawa with a dropkick and strikes. Reed levels Tozawa with a standing splash.
Reed rocks Tozawa into the corner, then chops him. Reed stomps on Tozawa in the corner and puts a boot to the neck. Reed whips Tozawa into the corner and splashes him. Reed scoops Tozawa for a slam in the middle of the ring. Red hits the ring and launches himself at Tozawa while he’s down, hitting him with all his weight in a cannonball-type move.
Reed grounds Tozawa in another waist lock from behind. Tozawa fights up and out with back elbows but Reed clubs him again. Tozawa fights out of a move and mounts offense with kicks now. Tozawa with a big hurricanrana to send Reed to the floor. Tozawa with a baseball slide to stun Reed at ringside. Tozawa runs and nails a suicide dive to send Reed into the barrier.
Fans cheer Tozawa on now. Tozawa runs off the apron with a cannonball but Reed catches him in mid-air, then launches him into the barrier with ease. Tozawa lands hard. Reed now runs the apron and smashes Tozawa into the floor with a flying shoulder tackle. Reed brings it back into the ring and goes up top, then hits the Tsunami Splash for the pin to win.
Winner: Bronson Reed
– After the match, Reed sits up as the music hits and we go to replays. Reed stands tall over Tozawa and yells out.
– Byron Saxton is backstage with Seth Rollins. Rollins says just when he thinks he’s out, the WWE United States Title pulls him back in. He had his sight set on the Royal Rumble but WWE officials called him for tonight’s main event. Old plan out, new plan in. Rollins says next week he will take back the title at RAW 30, then win the Royal Rumble, then go all the way to WrestleMania 39 to kick Roman Reigns’ ass in the main event, like only Rollins can. Rollins wants it all and he wants it now, in the great words of Freddy Mercury. Rollins laughs and heads out.
– Kevin Patrick hypes tonight’s main event and we go back to commercial.
– Back from the break and the announcers hype next week’s RAW 30 special.
#1 Contender Elimination Six-Way: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Baron Corbin vs. The Miz vs. Finn Balor
We go back to the ring for tonight’s main event as Seth Rollins hits the ring first. The winner will become the new #1 contender to WWE United States Champion Austin Theory for a title match next week. Finn Balor is out next with his ribs taped up. The Miz is out next, followed by Dolph Ziggler. WWE Hall of Famer JBL accompanies Baron Corbin out next. Bobby Lashley is out last.
Before we get going, Theory’s music hits and out he comes to join the announcers for commentary. The bell rings and a brawl breaks out to start the match. Balor and Rollins fight to the floor as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Ziggler has Miz at ringside, while Rollins and Balor are going at it in the ring. Corbin and Lashley brawl at ringside as well. Ziggler slams Miz face-first into the announce table. Rollins and Balor trade big strikes, and both are down now. JBL stops Lashley from smashing Corbin, and Corbin drops Lashley from behind off the distraction.
Ziggler charges Miz but gets back-dropped into the timekeeper’s area. Ziggler fights back over the barrier and nails a big tornado DDT to the floor. Rollins scoops Balor for a big Gutbuster in the middle of the ring. Rollins goes to the top but Corbin crotches him to boos. Corbin works Rollins over and climbs up for the superplex but Rollins fights back. Balor jumps up and decks Rollins. Balor climbs up with Corbin and Rollins now. They go for a double superplex on Rollins but Lashley runs in and slams all three to the mat for a big pop as JBL looks on.
Rollins side-steps a Lashley Spear attempt. Miz fights off Ziggler and goes for Lashley but Ziggler stops him and drops Lashley with Fame-asser. Miz with a Skull Crushing Finale to Lashley but he kicks out just in time. Miz unloads on Ziggler with It Kicks in the corner now, then the flying corner clothesline. Miz kicks Corbin off the apron. Miz rolls Ziggler for 2. Miz with a big boot to put Ziggler right back down. Miz with kicks to Ziggler while he’s on his knees. Balor rolls Miz up for 2. Miz drops Balor with a boot and unloads with It Kicks, then the roundhouse kick.
Ziggler ducks a roundhouse but Miz blocks a follow-up kick and takes him down for the Figure Four as fans “Wooo!” out. Ziggler tries to turn the Figure Four over and he finally does. Rollins runs in with a Stomp to Miz for the pin. The Miz has been eliminated. Rollins nods his head and laughs as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Corbin and Balor are working on Ziggler and Rollins with double teams in opposite corners. Lashley decks Corbin at ringside as he runs out. Balor saves Lashley, then he and Corbin shove Lashley face-first into the ring post. Balor runs back in but Rollins unloads on him. Rollins sends Balor back out, then leaps to the floor for another big takedown as fans pop.
Rollins drinks water and spits it in Theory’s face. Rollins rushes back in and Balor gabs him. Rollins with an overhead kick. Ziggler and Rollins double team Corbin now. Ziggler with a dropkick into the corner to Corbin. Ziggler and Rollins meet in the middle of the ring now and they talk it over. Rollins runs past Ziggler and charges Balor in the corner while Ziggler runs past Rollins and decks Corbin. Rollins and Ziggler take turns on Corbin and Balor now in the corners.
Lashley pulls Corbin to the floor and sends him into the steel steps. Ziggler rolls Rollins up for 2 in the middle of the ring. Rollins rolls Ziggler for 2. Rollins ducks a superkick by Ziggler, then nails a suicide dive to Lashley and Corbin on the floor. Balor sends Ziggler into the turnbuckles as he moves out of the way to doge a corner splash. Balor runs and leaps out, taking Corbin and Lashley down. Ziggler goes to the top and nails a big splash to Balor, Corbin, and Rollins. Lashley is also down. JBL looks on while everyone else is laid out at ringside
Ziggler brings Corbin back in but Corbin kicks him. Corbin with a powerbomb attempt but Ziggler blocks it and nails a superkick. Lashley comes in but Ziggler blocks a Spear with a kick. Ziggler with a Zig-Zag to Lashley. Balor leaps off the top but Ziggler rocks him in mid-air. Rollins with a Pedigree to Ziggler for the pin. Ziggler has been eliminated. Theory looks on at the carnage in the ring as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Corbin launches Lashley into Balor in the corner. Corbin whips Balor into Rollins in the opposite corner now as JBL applauds. Corbin with Deep Six to Balor in the middle of the ring but Balor kicks out. Corbin mounts Balor out of frustration with right hands now.
Rollins grabs Corbin but Corbin beats him into the corner with rights. Rollins fights out of the corner but Corbin sends him to the apron. Rollins fights in and goes to launch himself in from the apron but Corbin knocks him out of the air, to the floor. Corbin and Lashley face off and then trade big punches now. Lashley with a corner clothesline, then corner shoulder thrusts. Lashley with a swinging neckbreaker. Lashley clotheslines Corbin to the floor. Lashley turns around and drops Balor as he charges in. Lashley grabs Balor for a superplex but Rollins runs in. Lashley blocks Rollins and drops them both into the mat. Lashley kicks Balor away, then hits the big slam off his shoulders to the mat to Rollins. Lashley covers for 2.
Lashley blocks a kick by Balor from the apron. Lashley turns that into a long vertical suplex in the middle of the ring as Theory paces at ringside, no longer on commentary. Lashley calls for The Hurt Lock on Balor but here comes Omos with MVP. Fans boo. Lashley stares Omos and MVP down, and asks MVP what’s going on. Corbin levels Lashley with a clothesline off the distraction. Corbin smashes Balor in the corner but Balor nails a Slingblade. Rollins sends Corbin to the floor and he tumbles out with him. Balor with a corner dropkick to Lashley. Balor goes up and hits Coup de Grace on Lashley. Rollins runs in and hits a big Stomp to Balor for the pin. Balor has been eliminated.
We’re down to Rollins, Corbin and Lashley now. Fans sing Rollins’ song now. Corbin dodges a Stomp and pulls Rollins to the floor. Corbin keeps control but Rollins superkicks him in mid-air as he leaps off the steel steps. Rollins goes to re-enter but Omos pulls him off the apron, and launches him over the announce table. Fans boo Omos, who is now staring Corbin down. Corbin rushes back into the ring to avoid Omos, but Lashley meets him with a big Spear for the pin. Corbin has been eliminated.
Lashley yells at MVP and Omos once again. Theory smashes Lashley with a belt shot to the face while he’s distracted. Omos grabs Theory for a chokeslam onto the announce table but Theory fights him off. Rollins follows up with a Stomp to Omos on top of the announce tale. Rollins leaps off the announce table and takes Theory down at ringside, then clotheslines him into the timekeeper’s area.
Rollins prepares to Stomp Lashley but he stops to superkick MVP off the apron. Lashley takes advantage and hits the big Spear on Rollins to win the match and earn the title shot.
Winner and New #1 Contender to WWE United States Champion Austin Theory: Bobby Lashley
– After the match, Lashley stands tall in the middle of the ring as the music hits. Theory stands up on top of the announce table and they stare at each other. We go to replays. RAW goes off the air with Lashley and Theory yelling at each other as Theory raises the title in the air.
