By: Keila Cash
Date: 1-29-2018
Location: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Post Royal Rumble Madness: Ronda Rousey wants to dance with the E.
Welcome to the Japanese Invasion: Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka punched their ticket to WrestleMania like a couple OGs
WrestleMania Hustle: Welcome to the Second Chance Mania Sweepstakes starring {Insert Brock Lesnar’s Next Victim Here}
· Here a few observations from the opening segment of Raw:
· Stephanie McMahon is officially the Mother Hen of the Women’s Division.
· Alexis Bliss will defend the Raw Women’s Championship in the first-ever Women’s Elimination Chamber match at the eponymous PPV next month.
· Asuka vs. Sasha Banks will take place later tonight per the order of Mother Hen.
· All in all, this was a good way to start the show as WWE put the spotlight on the ladies while hyping Ronda Rousey’s debut at the conclusion of the Women’s Royal Rumble last night.
· Braun Strowman emphatically defeated Kane in a Last Man Standing match when he flipped the entire announcer table platform on top of The Big Red Machine. The referee skipped the obligatory ten count and crowned Strowman the winner. Strowman is the first man to qualify for the Elimination Chamber match. The bout was non-descript, but the ending was great.
· Elias defeated Matt Hardy with the Drift Away to advance to the Elimination Chamber Match next month. Bray Wyatt provided the assist when he distracted Hardy with his Hocus Pocus which led to the finish moments later. Wyatt laughed at Hardy’s incompetence as the segment came to an end.
· The Miz retained the Intercontinental Championship when he defeated Roman Reigns with a roll-up thanks to an assist from the Miztourage. Miz and Reigns had a very good match that featured hard-hitting action throughout. The turning point took place when Miz delivered a chop block to Reigns’ left knee when The Big Dog tried to nail him with the Superman Punch.
· The injury allowed Miz to put Reigns in the Figure Four. Reigns managed to reverse the submission hold which caused Miz to grab the rope in order to break the hold.
· From there, both men traded near falls as the crowd popped accordingly. Miz tried to remove the middle turnbuckle behind the referee’s back, but he got caught this time. However, the distraction allowed Miz to thumb Reigns in the eye which set up the Skull Crushing Finale for a near fall. Reigns countered with the Superman Punch for another two-count.
· Sensing that their boss was in trouble, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel came to Miz’s rescue. Reigns kicked their asses as he nailed Axel with a Superman Punch before dropping Dallas with the Spear. Once again, Miz capitalized on the chaos which led to the aforementioned finish.
· This was Reigns’ last chance to regain the IC Title which means only one thing…He’s one step closer to punching his ticket to WrestleMania. Next Step: Qualify for the Elimination Chamber Match.
· The Revival defeated Heath Slater and Rhyno when Dash Wilder pinned Rhyno with the Shatter Machine in a quick match. Slater and Rhyno put up a good fight, but the outcome was never in doubt.
· Asuka defeated Sasha Banks with the Asuka Lock in a good match. Things started off slow, but they picked up the pace after the commercial break. Banks nailed Asuka with the double knees from the middle rope for a near fall before transitioning to the Bank Statement moments later. Asuka managed to break the hold which to the sickest moment of 2018 so far. Banks went for a dive, but she didn’t clear the ropes which caused her to take a terrible spill on the floor. Asuka grazed her head with a kick, but the fall did most of the damage.
· Asuka briefly checked on Banks before she tossed her back in the ring to destroy The Boss with a series of vicious strikes. It was hard to watch, but glorious at the same time.
· The fact that Banks had the wherewithal to continue was amazing to see. She dropped Asuka a pair of double knees, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Empress of Tomorrow.
· Banks locked in the Bank Statement once again, but Asuka countered with the Asuka Lock for the win.
· The match wasn’t perfect due to some rough spots and muted crowd heat, but it was memorable due to Banks damn near killing herself.
· Sheamus and Cesaro defeated Titus O’Neil and Apollo Crews to retain the Raw Tag Team Championship when Sheamus pinned Apollo Crews with White Noise in a solid match. O’Neil and Crews defeated The Bar in two non-title matches, but the third time wasn’t the charm on this night. Michael Cole is going a bit overboard hyping tonight’s in-ring action. It’s been fine for the most part but, the four-day lull is starting to set in for the Philly crowd.
· John Cena defeated Finn Bàlor with the Super AA from the middle rope to secure a spot in the Elimination Chamber match with the winner moving on to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania.
· Cena and Bàlor had a good match, but it was strange to watch at times. A disturbance in the crowd detracted from the bout early on, but things got better after the commercial break.
· Cena was selling frustration as he couldn’t understand why the fans hated him for wanting to main event Mania. Jonathan Coachman emphasized that on commentary which helped propel the match from a storytelling standpoint.
· Cena’s overzealousness got the best of him when he taunted the crowd with the Too Sweet sign before delivering the AA to Bàlor for a near fall.
· Bàlor countered with a running dropkick in the corner which put Cena in the drop zone for the Coup De Grace. Cena rolled out of the way as Bàlor landed awkwardly on his left leg. Cena took advantage by putting Bàlor in the STF. Bàlor broke the hold by grabbing the middle rope. He kicked Cena in the head and climbed to the top rope to hit his finisher. However, Cena cut him off and dropped him with the Super AA for the win.
· Raw went off the air with Cena pointing at the WM sign as he tried to convince himself that he belonged in the main event as the fans showered him with a mixture of boos and cheers.
· This was a nice way to end the show. Finn Bàlor might’ve lost the right to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at WM, but it’s probably for the best because he was going to eat the pin at Elimination Chamber anyway. Delaying the inevitable would’ve pissed the fans off even more, so I understand the booking logic in this case. I’m sure WWE has a feud lined up for him that will serve as a make-good for not having a prominent role at next month’s PPV. The Demon King will have his WrestleMania moment in New Orleans. Against who? We shall find out soon enough.
· Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was decent at best. The in-ring action ranged from decent to very good as WWE began to promote next month’s Elimination Chamber PPV. John Cena vs. Finn Bàlor wins best match of the night honors while Sasha Banks vs. Asuka takes second place due to the death-defying feats of Banks. The bump she took will be in her Hall of Fame highlight reel twenty years from now. It was that gnarly.
· The Philly crowd was low key most of the night. After NXT Takeover: Philadelphia and the Royal Rumble PPV, the euphoria didn’t carry over into tonight’s broadcast. They popped for certain spots, but it appears that they’re saving their energy for the Super Bowl when the Eagles square off against the Patriots on Sunday. Here’s hoping SmackDown Live ends things on a high note when WWE emanates from the city of Brotherly Love for the fourth and final time tomorrow night. Fingers crossed!
· Quick side note: Jonathan Coachman has the capability of being a good color commentator. However, I am not here for The Coach playing a game of 20 Questions with Corey Graves for three hours. He needs to take off his ESPN hat and fully immerse himself in the WWE product.
· His affiliation with the E over the past few years should arm him with enough knowledge to put over the wrestlers while schooling Cole and Graves at the same time. I know it’s week one, but his line of questioning and off-putting remarks rubbed me the wrong way. Let’s see how the Jonathan Coachman Experiment fares next week before I pass further judgment.
On that note, this wraps up another edition of The Raw Exposé. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back tomorrow night with a brand new installment of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls!
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