Stephanie McMahon begins the broadcast in the ring and she immediately prepares to bring out “The Man”, but Becky Lynch is quick to interrupt the introduction.
The Moda Center in Portland, OR is home to the broadcast tonight on 2/4/19.
Lynch is out to a blistering reaction and Stephanie puts her over something fierce. She promotes the match with Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women’s title at Wrestlemania, but she asks Lynch about the bum knee. McMahon insists that she see a doctor to get medical clearance, but Lynch refuses, out of pride.
McMahon says if she doesn’t get clearance, she’ll be suspended indefinitely and Lynch says she’d better not or she isn’t responsible for what happens next. In a very “Austin-esque” fashion, McMahon suspends her and Lynch snaps, firing off rights and lefts.
She locks in the Disarmher, but the knee gives out and McMahon is able to get out of the ring with her arm intact. Lynch starts attacking officials and production staff, and she finally takes her leave, limping up the aisle as the crowd goes bananas.
After a break, Ronda Rousey confronts Lynch and lays into her with great intensity, saying that she probably just cost them a quality main event. She heads to the ring for singles action as Lynch takes her leave.
Ronda Rousey defeats Liv Morgan via submission with the arm bar.
This was over in record time as expected. Morgan ducked out of the ring early, but then was snatched up quick and submitted just as quickly.
After the match, Rousey is fired up by the split crowd and she calls out Sarah Logan for another match.
Ronda Rousey defeats Sarah Morgan via submission with the arm bar.
This one was over just as quickly, but not as much of a squash as with what happened with Morgan. Not exactly the best way to build credibility for Morgan and Logan heading into the Elimination chamber, but it sure makes Rousey look like a million bucks.
Before Ruby Riott can get into the ring for the third match, she helps her teammates to the back and gets out of dodge. A backstage interview has her stating that she wants Rousey for the women’s title, but it was more important to help her friends, something that Rousey knows nothing about.
Finn Balor takes on “The Almighty” Bobby Lashley later this evening in a non-title match and Kurt Angle will address his future.
Bayley and Sasha Banks are interviewed backstage about their own “failures” when trying to best Ronda Rousey. Banks gets hot, but Bayley clams the situation as the two look to qualifying for the Women’s elimination chamber match to crown the first ever Raw Women’s tag team champions.
Alicia Fox and Nikki Cross confront them and they are off the rails and it’s awesome. That’s gonna be a fun match later.
The Revival defeat Heavy Machinery, The B-Team and Lucha House Party via pin fall with a Shatter Machine on Bo Dallas.
The crowd takes a while to get into this as Heavy Machinery is on display for the second time in two weeks, having competed on Smackdown this last Tuesday as well. The B-Team doesn’t get much of a reaction and Lucha House Party gets a decent reaction.
It’s obvious that the crowd wants the Revival to win this contest and not only get back into the title picture, but to win the straps.
Heavy Machinery was featured prominently and looked impressive as did Gran Metallik and Lince Dorado with a pair of picture-perfect moonsaults to the outside.
The end came when The Shatter Machine met Bo Dallas and put him down the hard way. The Revival have a tag title match and this time, the straps should be theirs to win.
Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins have a backstage segment where they overcome adversity and Ryder even makes light of being in the company for thirteen years and they spelled his name wrong. They both look to get back to the winning side of the pay window.
Kurt Angle heads to the ring after having a moment backstage with both Apollo Crews and Mickie James.
The Hall Of Famer appears ready to retire after listing off his greatest feats and matches, but before he announces retirement, stating that he can’t defeat Father Time, he is interrupted by both Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre who run his down, talking about his age and failures.
Braun Strowman comes out for the save and the faces clear the ring. We find out later that we’ll have a tag match featuring these two teams.
Bayley and Sasha Banks defeat Alicia Fox and Nikki Cross via pin fall after a Bayley-To-Belly Suplex on Fox.
Banks and Bayley were attacked before the match and laid out. It was entertaining as heck, but Banks was down and out the entirety of the match and Bayley had to go it alone.
They continue to let Bayley shine as she overcomes two very capable hands in Cross and Fox and after playing the “face in peril” for the majority of the match, a well-timed Bayley-To-Belly suplex gets Banks and Bayley to the Elimination Chamber. They have to be the odds on favorite at this point.
We’ll find out the final team tomorrow night on Smackdown.
Apollo Crews is interviewed backstage and he says he is glad that Kurt Angle is ready to compete. He puts Angle over, and then asks if he’s not allowed to have a few bad matches? Crews says anyone will look good with Strowman as their partner. Drake Maverick and Akem have a run-in with Crews and that’s that.
Jeff Jarrett is led to the ring by the Road Dogg and we’ll see singles action with Elias. I can’t even believe I got to type that, even breaking a million guitars and being stuck in WCW hell, Jarrett was always a heck of a hand, this could potentially be fun. He and Elias do business after the break.
Elias defeats Jeff Jarrett via pin fall with Drift Away.
Elias is a full heel again and after hearing “With My Baby” tonight for the eightieth time, Jarrett actually comes out and puts on an entertaining match with the young talent. Elias gives him hell and comes away with the victory after Drift Away.
Road Dogg was knocked off the apron towards the end of the match and he enters the ring after the decision and fires off rights and lefts before dropping Elias with another shot. Elias gets to his feet and eats a guitar shot from Jarrett, even though it doesn’t break. Good stuff and it’s great to see the veteran putting over the rising star.
Finn Balor is taped up and he heads to the ring after cutting a promo about being stubborn and Irish, referencing “The Man” earlier.Bobby Lashley says even though they were supposed to have a title match, Balor has to prove himself first and he’ll take on Lio Rush.
Lashley assaults Balor before the match begins and here we go.
Finn Balor defeats Lio Rush via pin fall with Coup De Grace.
Okay, this was actually terrific. For those who haven’t seen Rush in action, he has some incredibly creative spots. Lashley was tossed from the match after interfering again and Rush took advantage.
Rush hit a step-up inzaguri and the spot where he bounces off the bottom rope into a stunner which the camera man botched. Balor mounted the comeback and hit the corner dropkick before heading up to the “drop zone”, where he successfully executed Coup De Grace for the three count.
Lashley surges back to the ring after the match, but Balor leaves and it looks like we’ll have a title match soon, probably at the Chamber.
Balor takes his leave after his exciting match with Lio Rush and we scream for Paige! A raucous reaction for the former Women’s champion and Smackdown General Manager.
She plugs her new film brought to us by Dwayne Johnson and Stephen Merchant. It looks fun and it’s always great to see Paige on television. I hope the film does well.
“A Moment Of Bliss” brings us Ec3 as Alexa Bliss fawns over the new superstar. Ec3 says nothing, but even before he can, he is interrupted, as is Bliss, by Nia Jax, flanked by Tamina. Jax receives a boatload of heat before Dean Ambrose heads out.
Despite it coming out that he’s leaving the company in April, he provides a great segment at the expense of Jax and then he has words with Ec3, which leads to a right hand and a singles match.
Ec3 defeats Dean Ambrose via pin fall with a jacknife cover.
Ambrose does business the right way as he nears his end, making the debuting Carter look like a million bucks in his Raw debut match. Carter hits a beautiful leaping clothesline and he counters an Ambrose attempt into the jacknife cover for the win. Impressive debut, and he rightfully celebrates after.
Kurt Angle heads towards the ring as we ready for the main event.
Drew McIntyre/Baron Corbin defeat Kurt Angle/Braun Strowman via DQ after Strowman strikes illegally strikes Corbin.
I wonder if the referee involved in the Saints/Rams controversy called this finish? Lame sauce. Seth Rollins is on the shelf for a month, dealing with an injury and the four men gave it their best effort, but it fell flat.
McIntyre looked strong and Corbin provided the usual entertainment, but Angle worked as best he could as he near’s the end of his own career and bless Corbin’s heart, he had the worst sell attempt I’ve ever seen coming off a double suplex. It was laughable.
The bell sounded after the DQ, but Strowman and Angle had the last laugh with two chokeslams on steel stairs brought into the ring by the heels. Some fun matches tonight, but the main event needs to be better or we’ll have fans clamoring for a change in leadership and on the writing staff again in no time.
