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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (May 15, 2017) from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for early next month in Baltimore, Maryland.
Advertised for tonight: The Miz gets his shot at Dean Ambrose and the Intercontinental championship, and more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the Raw live blog kicks off once the show starts on USA. It will be below this line here. (REMINDER: NO GIFS OR PICS ARE ALLOWED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. OFFENDERS WILL BE BANNED.)
WWE RAW RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR MAY 15
Oh majesty, your kingdom is lost and you'll leave us behind. Oh majesty, your kingdom is lost and ruins remind of your time. Now come back, and I'll liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with a recap centered around Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns again. closing on the brawl from last week. And thence into Raw's intro video.
Commentary hypes up our Intercontinental Championship match and then Kurt Angle makes his entrance to really kick the show off.
He tells us that Braun suffered a shattered elbow last week and flew directly back to the United States for surgery on his elbow and may be out of action for six months. Strowman had set his sights on the Universal Championship, so he has given a lot of thought to who should challenge Brock Lesnar next, but it has to be earned, not given.
So at Extreme Rules, they're doing a five-way #1 contender's match for the Universal Championship. As for who's gonna be in the match, it'll be Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Bray Wyatt, and Roman Reigns. So whoever wants to slay the beast will have to win at Extreme Rules. It's gonna be historical and it's gonna be extreme, it's true, it's damn true.
He goes to leave but is interrupted by Roman Reigns. He gets in the ring and says we don't need a five-way match because he's the number one contender. This is his yard, he beat the Undertaker at WrestleMania, he put Strowman in that ambulance, and he's the only guy around here that can beat Brock Lesnar.
Enter Finn Balor. He says he'll tell Roman the same thing he told Seth Rollins-- he was the first Universal Champion and he never lost the title, so, uh, if you want a piece of the Beast, the line starts behind him. Reigns tells Finn he has a lot of heart but he doesn't have the killer instinct to beat Brock. Finn reminds Roman that he beat him on his first night on Raw as a counterpoint.
Enter Samoa Joe. He tells them they have it very wrong, it's not about big hearts, about anybody's yard, and definitely not about anybody's club. It's about two things, actions and results. Action, he locks the Coquina Clutch on Rollins; result, Seth is unresponsive on the ground and his body goes limp. Action, he enters the five way; result, he wins. Action, he goes on to face Brock Lesnar--
(Wyatt noise.)
Bray Wyatt is in the ring when the lights come back. He says the Beast approaches and all of them put on their brave faces but he can feel them trembling. Roman, Joe, and Finn will cower, fall, and run respectively, but him, on the other hand--
Enter Seth Rollins. He says there's a lot of time for talk, but New Jersey didn't come for talking, they came for fighting, and more specifically, he came here to fight Samoa. They brawl in the ramp and chaos breaks loose! Seth takes Joe's knee out through the ropes and the Destroyer backs off.
Wyatt knocks Rollins out, Reigns catches him with a Superman Punch to send him outside, Bray and Seth fight and Finn takes them out with a shotgun dropkick! Balor gets back in the ring, ducking and dodging, sling bloade on Roman... TOPE CON GIRO!
The Hardy Boyz are walking backstage, Jeff's match is up next, after the break.
Back from commercial Balor, Rollins, and Reigns are bickering when Angle rolls up to tell them they let their aggression out in the ring, so he's gonna book some matches. He makes Rollins vs. Wyatt and Balor vs. Reigns and tells them all to go get ready.
Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus
Jeff right at it taking Sheamus in the corner for punches! Sheamus tries to throw him off, Hardy right back in, Brogue Kick ducked, schoolboy, too early! Back body drop to the outside, slingshot dropkick, slingshot crossbody but the Celtic Warrior catches the Charismatic Enigma and throws him into the barricade to take us to break.
Back from commercial Sheamus comes off the top with a knee drop for a nearfall before locking a reverse chinlock in. Jeff fights to his feet, throwing hands, off the ropes but he runs right into a tilt-a-whirl slam for another nearfall. Leg-feed rolling solebutt gets Hardy back into it, whip reversed, forearm, Manhattan Drop, double leg drop to the groin into the basement dropkick, no good.
Kick to the gut, Sheamus blocks the Twist of Fate, back suplex but Jeff lands on his feet, Celtic Warrior in with a bicycle knee... NO GOOD! Hardy charges into boots, Sheamus climbs up top and dives right into a Stunner... NOPE! Cesaro gets on the apron to run interference, Matt runs him off, Sheamus comes over with the Brogue Kick to knock him down but it gives Jeff time to hit the Twist of Fate...
Jeff Hardy wins by pinfall with the Swanton Bomb.
Matt raises his brother's hand as Cesaro & Sheamus stew by the barricade.
Commentary hypes up our Intercontinental Championship match again and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Sasha Banks makes her entrance.
Alicia Fox vs. Sasha Banks
Circling, Banks ducks a lariat and grabs a waistlock, back elbow escape from Fox but the Boss comes off the ropes and ends up popping her one to put her back in the corner. Alicia runs her over with a boot but it's only good for two. Rear chinlock as a transition, dragging Sasha to her feet, arm wringer to the northern lights suplex, only two.
Fox follows it up with a knee to the back to a reverse chinlock, wrenching Banks around but shea's able to throw her in the corner. Forearm and a slap to lariats, off the ropes with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, charging double knees, the Boss is on a roll but Fox blocks a blow, sunset flip!
Banks looking for the Bank Statement but Alicia flips her over the ropes to the outside! Back inside, Sasha gets a pin for two but Fox is ready...
Alicia Fox wins by pinfall with the scissors kick.
Fox celebrates on Noam Dar's shoulders after.
Commentary hypes up the matches Kurt Angle made earlier and informs us the Intercontinental Championship match is up next, after the break.
Back from commercial, Miz makes his entrance, flanked by Maryse as always.
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. the Miz (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
Ambrose charges right in but Miz gets in the ropes to back him off. Charging after him, bailing again, Dean throws him back in the ring form the apron, chops, a lariat takedown into mounted punches but Miz gets a boot off that turns the tide. Skull Crushing Finale blocked, schoolboy pin for two, off the ropes, boot to the mush, Ambrose blocks a lariat and hits a swinging neckbreaker.
Climbing up top is the champion but his challenger bails out the opposite side and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Awesome Clothesline, Miz up top, diving double axehandle, but it's only good for two. Reverse chinlock applied, Ambrose on his knees but fighting and he stands up and rams Miz's back into the turnbuckles to force the break. Miz with the inverted facelock backbreaker / neckbreaker combo, Dean pushing himself to his hands and knees, trying to recover.
Miz in with the Daniel Bryan chest kicks, Ambrose out on his feet but he has the wherewithal to duck the buzzsaw! Dirty Deeds blocked, right hands and the champion low bridges his challenger... suicide dive! Back insdie, charging forearms, whip reversed but he catches the A-lister with a lariat!
Charging corner strike into a bulldog, La Magistral... NOPE! Setting Miz up top to follow it up, Dean climbs to join him, thinking superplex, the A-lister fights out with body blows and a headbutt, another dive, kick to the gut, Dirty Deeds blocked, Skull Crushing Finale blocked, victory roll pin... NO GOOD!
Boots up in the corner, Ambrose climbs for the elbow drop, only a nearfall. Jockeying for position, boot to the face puts Dean in the ropes, thinking pendulum lariat, Miz catches him, Skull Crushing Finale... NOT ENOUGH! Trying again, Ambrose slips away, trying Dirty Deeds but he can't get the underhooks!
Clothesline to the outside, the champion climbs but Miz puts Maryse in the way of the dive! Caution to the wind, he jumps anyway and catches Miz with the diving elbow! Referee Rod Zapata counting and when they get back in Maryse has him distracted! Dean blocks the low blow and kicks Miz in the gentleman's area himself, in plain view of the official!
The Miz wins by disqualification.
Dean mouths an apology while he celebrates on the turnbuckles
Finn Balor is interviewed backstage and he quotes the old canard about dogs and fights. There's a whole world of fight in him and he can do things guys twice his size can't. He finishes up saying it may be Roman's yard, but it's his universe.
Commentary hypes up our festivities and Alexa Bliss makes an entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Alexa is ready to cut a promo.
She says this is Newark, New Jersey, a city where dreams... that's not it. The city that never... nope, still wrong. The sweat gland of America! (That seems about right, the man from South Jersey editorializes.) She calls the crowd the poster children for failure, but tonight they get to experience the opposite, they get to experience a winner.
They're all thinking what must it be like to be a winner, and she'll tell us. When you're smarter and more dominant, winning comes easy. When she came to Raw, she said she was going to beat the top three women in a four-way, she won. When she said she was gonna be champion, what did she do? On her first attempt, even.
She could have even entered Miss USA and walked off with the crown. She is the rightful goddess of WWE for a reason, and--
Enter Bayley. She says we get it, everything she said she'd do she has, and she gives Alexa mad props for it. She doesn't agree with the whole goddess deal, but she knows Bliss doesn't care, so she's gonna skip that. The only thing Bayley is interested in is that title around her waist, so at Extreme Rules she's gonna invoke her rematch clause and become Raw Women's Champion again.
Alexa says she doesn't know if it's the jet lag or the ponytail cutting off circulation, but it's Extreme Rules, and that means doing whatever it takes and nobody will be there to save her and she can't stop the match because she's scared or hurt. She tells Bayley that she'll never get extreme, but that's okay because she's a good girl.
Bayley's already had her moment in the sun and it's over, so why not sit at the kiddie table where she belongs and leave the title to the adults. Bayley's had enough! Dropkick, Alexa heads outside, the Hugger thinking Stunner through the ropes but Bliss counters!
Looking under the ring for plunder, the champion comes up with a kendo stick and circles Bayley before cracking her across the back of the neck with it! Bayley rolls outside and writhes in pain as Alexa laughs before holding her title up.
Cruiserweight tag team action is up after the break.
Back from commercial Kurt Angle is talking to somebody on the phone and says he'll call them back when Miz and Maryse roll up. Miz isn't happy and asks how Angle could let Dean make a mockery of the Intercontinental Championship, getting intentionally disqualified.
Angle says he makes a valid point and deserves another shot, and he's getting it at Extreme Rules. Miz says that's not good enough and he wants a guarantee, a match where the title can change hands on a disqualification. Angle says he'll make it but Miz needs to consider his tone when talking to him.
Maryse jaws at him in French and Kurt responds successfully in French as well, albeit slightly broken and simplistically, when the Drifter drifts by.
Austin Aries & Jack Gallagher vs. Neville & TJ Perkins TJP
Aries and Neville start, but the King immediately backs off and tags TJP in. Austin ducks a shot, gets a slap in, knocks Neville down, smashes TJ's face into the turnbuckles and tags Gallagher in. Off the ropes for a double-team but the King saves his man. Gallagher back drops Aries onto both of them and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Perkins is standing over Aries, drawing him up for a body slam and tagging Neville in. The King puts boots to A Double, backing him in the corner. Aries tries to fight back with an elbow and Neville dumps him outside and occupies referee Shawn Bennett while TJP puts a beating on him on the outside.
Perkins back in, choke in the corner, snapmare and he locks a reverse chinlock on to ground the Greatest Man That Ever Lived. Aries gets to his feet, TJ passes him to the apron but Aries slingshots back in after fighting Neville off and boxes the former Catch Point man's ears in. Tag made to Gallagher, overhead exploder suplex, whip to the corner, tilt-a-whirl slam right into a cover but it's only two.
Butterfly the arms, Perkins backs Jack in the corner, shoulder thrust, whip across, headstand kick! Neville trying to run interference, Aries in to block him, throwing hands until TJP clips the bad knee with a chop block! Gallagher with dropkicks for everybody, Austin manages to climb up top and dive on the King!
Gallagher with the big headbutt but when he goes to capitalize Neville has his foot. Aries runs the King off with a rolling elbow, but the damage is done, Perkins over for a charge...
Neville & TJP win by pinfall with the Detonation Kick from TJP on Jack Gallagher.
Commentary shills for the Network and hypes up our remaining matches before going to break.
Back from commercial, Bayley is in the trainer's room getting some ice strapped to her shoulder when Angle rolls up to tell her kendo sticks are no joke. She plays tough and takes the ice off like it's no big deal, and Kurt says she doesn't have to do that, and offers her a straight-up wrestling match at Extreme Rules.
Bayley wants a chance to prove Bliss wrong, though, after all the mockery, and she's ready to get extreme. Kurt is stoked and says they're gonna give Alexa a taste of her own medicine with a kendo stick on a pole match.
Golden Truth are in the locker room. R-Truth apologizes for letting Goldust down but Goldy's not having it. They're a team, and just because he fell, so what? How many times has he fallen down and gotten back up? That's what teams are for, and just because they didn't win the match doesn't mean they can't climb their way back up.
Truth is doubting it a little but Goldust fires him up and says they're gonna whip the Club in their match tonight.
Finn Balor makes his entrance, his match is after the break.
Back from commercial we get the recap package that opened the show again.
Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns
Roman forces Finn in the corner and breaks clean at referee John Cone's behest. Circling, Balor goes behind, waistlock, back elbow escape and Reigns biels him across the ring! Finn comes at him with strikes and the Big Dog backs him in the corner and biels him again before putting boots to him in the corner.
Face to turnbuckle, Roman follows with the big slicing right hand, he shoves Finn into the ropes but Balor blocks it and throws elbows. Whip, Samoan drop, the president of Balor Club is writhing in pain under the ropes and the Big Dog draws him to his feet on the apron.
Trying to suplex him in, Finn blocks with punches, a gamengiri, charging elbows, basement dropkick, Balor getting fired up. Chop in the corner and Reigns has had enough, knocking Finn across the ring with a right. He charges over and Balor sidesteps, sending Roman's bad shoulder into the ringpost! Penalty Kick from the apron sets up a double stomp to the Big Dog's back!
Finn paces outside and we go to break.
Back from commercial and Reigns fires off a headbutt and a right hand before Balor dumps him outside. Finn knocks him back down with a kick, charging around outside but Roman lifts him up one-handed and puts his back into the ringpost! Breaking the count quickly, the Big Dog follows it up by putting Balor into the barricade.
Setting him up first, the Drive-By connects and Reigns makes a cover... NOPE! Corner lariats follow, looking for a boot but Finn sidesteps, Roman with the Blue Thunder Driver! Calling for the Superman Punch, Balor kicks him in the ribs, strike rush, off the ropes and the Big Dog is the one kicking the midsection this time!
Thinking powerbomb but his shoulder gives out and Finn capitalizes with a double stomp. Sling Blade connects but Balor runs right into the Superman Punch... FINN KICKS OUT AT THE LAST FRACTION OF A SECOND! Calling for the spear but Balor counters with a knee, another Sling Blade, calling for it, shotgun dropkick connects!
Finn rolls outside, climbing as fast as he can in the pain he's in, up top but Roman cuts him off! Gutting it out, Reigns charges...
Roman Reigns wins by pinfall with the spear.
Bray Wyatt is in the smoky room. Some call him a man, a conqueror, but he sees him for what he is, a beast. This may be Angle's show and Roman's yard, but he's going to take the Spear of Destiny and plunge it into the heart of the Beast and stand before us as Universal Champion.
But as for tonight, he's tasked with saving another soul. Seth Rollins claims to be the man, an architect, the Kingslayer, but does he have enough to stand up and look evil right in its eye? Or will he submit to his gutless instincts and run?
And on that note, time to go to break.
Back from commercial, Seth Rollins is interviewed backstage. He takes offense with Bray calling him gutless and recounts all of his trials and tribulations over the last year and says that Wyatt isn't the guy that's gonna stand in the way of him winning the Universal Championship.
And furthermore, he doesn't have to announce when he arrives somewhere, because his actions speak louder than words, and he's the only one that's gonna slay the Beast.
Golden Truth make their entrance and Goldust blindsides R-Truth! He presses the attack and punishes Truth in the corner! Punches and stomps, beating the two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion something unmerciful before drawing him up for more. To the outside, Goldy shoving him into the barricade and continuing the beating!
Back in the ring for more as referees plead with him to stop, Goldust draws a breath and poses before bowling Truth over with a knee and picking the mic up to tell him that's what's up.
Commentary pushes some more hype and we go to break.
Back from commercial we get some sponsored hype for Injustice 2.
Enzo and Big Cass make their entrance, they do the deal. Cass claims to be the Michael Jordan of jargon and he was grown right here in the state they call the garden. Garden grown and born to rock a microphone, he's a certified Jersey G--
Enter Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews. Titus introduces himself as the Celebrity Mega Dad of the Year, saying you can't teach that, and this right here is Apollo Crews, who is gonna beat Enzo down right here in this filthy dirty nasty filthy disgusting state of New Jersey.
Apollo is a mixture of amused and embarrassed by this treatment but Titus just barrels along, mocking Enzo's patter and shuffle. He invites the Realest Guys to his TED Talk this Saturday and Cass corrects him. Enzo isn't wrestling Apollo, Titus is wrestling Cass.
O'Neil says he's not wrestling anybody in a $5000 outfit, and Big says he looks great, but that doesn't change the fact that this match is going to happen, and when it's over, he's not gonna like the way he looks. Cass guarantees him and calls him SAWFT.
Big Cass vs. Titus O'Neil
Titus in with a boot and punches, shoulder thrusts in the corner, more rights and referee Shawn Bennett pulls him off. O'Neil takes his jacket off and goes to throw it at Cass but stops short. More rights, shoulder thrusts, he takes his belt off and makes like he's gonna give Cass a whooping!
Enzo runs interference...
Big Cass wins by pinfall with a big boot.
Enzo goes to use his phone to take a photo of himself in front of Titus' knocked out body and Apollo lays him out with an enzuigiri!
Commentary informs us that Wyatt/Rollins is next, after the break.
Back from commercial we get a bit of hype for 205 Live, which will feature Aries vs. TJP this week.
In the locker room, Neville walks up to Perkins to tell him he did good. TJ says when he wins, they all win, it's practically a walking festival, but he still hasn't got what he's looking for. Neville says his title shot is just around the corner but they still have an Austin Aries problem.
His knee is hanging on by a thread, and that's why tomorrow he-- no, they will end this once and for all.
(Wyatt noise.)
Bray Wyatt vs. Seth Rollins
Seth with a side headlock, Bray shoots him off and runs him over with a shoulder block. Back to the headlock, Rollins takes him to the mat and comes off the ropes with a kick before popping him back up in the corner for chops. Whip across, duck a lariat, sliding drop down, Wyatt bails and Rollins jumps at him from the apron!
To the barricade, Seth dives off it, Bray catches him and Rock Bottoms him into it and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Bray is dominating but Rollins gets a dropkick off when Wyatt tries to send him into the ropes. Headed up top, Bray cuts him off, rope-hung shoulder jawbreaker! Setting the Architect back up top, the Eater of Worlds climbs for punches but takes back just as well as he gives.
A headbutt cuts Seth's flurry off... second rope superplex! Wyatt kneeling on Rollins' back and locking a rear chinlock in, wrenching his back something fierce. Seth struggles to his feet and takes a knee for his trouble, Bray going for the Rock Bottom and Rollins denies him, sends him outside, thinking suicide dive but Wyatt cracks a slicing right across his face to block!
Charge in the corner, boot up, diving blockbuster from the Architect! Trading punches, Rollins blocks and throws a bunch of his own, boot, Sling Blade, Seth's fired up, charge, reverse STO into the turnbuckles, wristlock but Bray has it scouted and slips away.
Wyatt outside, Rollins with a slingshot dropkick, he follows it up with a successful suicide dive and rolls the Abbadon back in. Springboard lariat gets a nearfall, front chancery for a followup suplex but Wyatt blocks, they struggle over it and Rollins charges into Sister Abigail! He slips away, enzuigiri, off the ropes, Bray clobbers him with a lariat... NO GOOD!
Drawing the Architect up by his chin, Wyatt earns a slap rush, Seth charges in for a lariat but gets caught by the Rock Bottom... NOT ENOUGH! Clutched for Sister Abigail, Rollins reverses to a schoolboy pin for two, Avada Kedavra, Falcon Arrow... NOPE! Seth climbs for a followup but Bray heads outside... DIVING SPLASH TO THE OUTSIDE!
Samoa Joe blindsides Rollins out of nowhere!
Seth Rollins wins by disqualification.
The Destroyer takes him in the ring for punishment, charging back elbow, corner enzuigiri, Rock Bottom!
Bray and Samoa have a face-off over Seth's prone body before joining forces to put boots to him! They back off... SISTER ABIGAIL ON JOE! Wyatt drags Rollins up for a Sister Abigail of his own!
Follow the buzzards.
That's the show, folks.