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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Jan. 14, 2019) from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view scheduled for later this month in Phoenix.
Advertised for tonight: Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley for the Intercontinental championship, Sasha Banks & Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax & Tamina, 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 JAN. 14
Don’t ever ask us to define our morals. Sometimes when fundamentals meet teenage heartbreak, some of us are all of us; half-selves that love whole hopes and hara-kiri heartbreak. There’s almost nothing worse than never being real, strained voices crying wolf when nobody can hear. If I had a gun I’d pump your ethics full of lead, but since I don’t, I’ll just have to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for y’all.
The show opens with a slow pan across a limousine that Vince McMahon steps out of.
McMahon points out a scuff or two on the rear fender and makes his chaffeur buff it out before power-walking his way wherever he’s headed.
(RRROOOAAARRR!)
Braun Strowman makes his entrance in the arena.
He gets on the mic as a “Get These Hands!” chant breaks out and lets it breathe for a moment before saying he’ll never admit it, but Brock Lesnar has always been afraid of him. When he had Money in the Bank, Brock was constantly looking over his shoulder and ripped doors off cages to stop him winning the title, and at World Cup, he had Baron Corbin attack him from behind to prevent him from winning the Universal Championship.
He says he hopes Beastie Boy is watching from training camp, because he’s all healed up and Corbin is no longer in power, which means there’s no one to save him. His biggest fear is about to come true-- at Royal Rumble, Braun will get the Universal Championship and the only thing Lesnar will get is These Hands!
Enter Baron Corbin, sans music.
He says he may not run Raw anymore, to which Strowman points out he got fired and leads a “You got fired!” chant when he tries to continue. Baron says they can chant but they’ll listen to every word he has to say if he has to stand here all night. And in fact if he stands up here for just five minutes it’ll be longer than Braun lasted against Brock Lesnar.
Corbin wants Braun to stop lying and letting the people who believe in him down, and everybody knows he can’t beat Brock. While he’s doing that, Baron’s gonna focus on winning the Royal Rumble and going to the main event of WrestleMania.
Braun’s had about enough at this point and chases Corbin to the back! Cameras follow and we see that Braun has lost track and accosts the Singh Brothers in catering, bieling one of them across the table! He sees Vince’s limo before turning and going after Baron again.
The camera pans past a road case and Elias sings a song describing what just happened and saying he saw where Baron went, which is a really neat production beat. Strowman comes back and the song points out that Baron is in the limo, shocker.
Strowman stalks after the limo while the Drifter continues to play, and kicks the driver’s side mirror off before yanking the driver out and bieling him over the hood! Unable to get the door unlocked, Braun looks for a helpful entry tool and comes up with a steel pipe that he uses to shatter the window! Baron screams for help as the monster yanks the door off with his bare hands!
Corbin pops out the other side and Braun tells him he better run when Mr. McMahon rolls up to survey the carnage. He takes it in while Strowman backs off and we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, Braun puts the door back in place awkwardly and it falls right back off.
He shrugs and Vince begins, calling him a raging woolly mammoth, a human wrecking ball that should have caution tape wrapped around him. He fines Strowman $100,000! Braun contests it saying that “piece of crap” isn’t worth that much, so Vince tells him he’s lost his title shot at Royal Rumble! Strowman, enraged, gets hands under the limo’s center of mass... AND HE FLIPS THE ENTIRE GODDAMN LIMOUSINE!
Commentary reacts to what we just saw.
We get entrances for a relevos increibles tag match featuring the women’s division and go to break.
Back from commercial, we see Braun Strowman escorted out of the arena by police as Baron Corbin watches and laughs.
Nia Jax & Tamina vs. Ronda Rousey & Sasha Banks
Banks and Jax to start, right hands, Sasha counters a powerbomb into a Frankensteiner and hits the knees in the corner. Monkey flip blocked, Nia puts her up top, sunset flip attempt denied, pass into the corner, duck a lariat, hard right from the Boss sets up a step-up arm drag that Jax blocks completion on. Banks tries a sleeper, backed into the corner, she locks it right back on!
Set on the apron, a knee connects, off the top with a bulldog, sliding knee... NOPE! Tag to Rousey, knee, kick, lighting her up with punches but a rookie mistake leaves them in the corner for a tag from Tamina. Headbutt connects, Ronda manages to float over, armbar attempt and Nia yanks Snuka out of the ring! Heels regroup outside the ring while referee Chad Patton and his beard count.
Back inside, Tamina slides right back out and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Jax has Banks in the bear hug! I can hardly bear it! Sasha out with an elbow, off the ropes, rolling sunset flip attempt countered into a Tenryu powerbomb... NOPE! Nia freight trains her for another two count and locks a cobra clutch on in the middle of the ring. Jawbreaker to counter, Jax clips her with an elbow and passes her into the corner before tagging Tamina in.
Snuka puts boots to her, draws her up, scoop, float over, schoolboy pin from the Boss for two. Blocking the tag, inches away, throwing Banks aside, clear Rousey off the apron and referee Chad Patton has to hold the champion back! Tamina charges in, boot up, deck Jax, Russian legsweep rolled through into the Bank Statement crossface... IT’S OVER!
Ronda Rousey & Sasha Banks win by submission with the Bank Statement crossface from Banks on Tamina.
Rousey immediately rushes in the ring to congratulate Banks on her win and an interview rolls up.
Ronda says it’s easy to trust each other because they respect each other and it’s a real honor to tag with her tonight and then defend the title against her. A victory over Sasha would be her greatest accomplishment, even. Banks says she’s glad Rousey already picked where she ranks on her list of accomplishments, to which Ronda says that’s not what she meant, and she’s going to do everything she can to tap her out.
Banks takes offense to this as well and tells her to ask Nia Jax and Tamina how the Bank Statement feels. She says she’ll face any woman, any size, any place, anywhere, and it’ll be her pleasure to teach Rousey how to lose with class. Ronda says she can teach her by example and keep the title of World’s Classiest Loser because she doesn’t want it. Banks questions the idea that she’s a loser and reminds Rousey that last week she said she was the best.
She’s not scared of her and has to learn how to deal with not getting her way, because come Royal Rumble, she’s tapping to the Bank Statement and she can bank on that. Sasha leaves and Ronda rolls out after her, grabbing her shoulder and begging off again, asking if she wants her to lick her boots. Banks says yes, she does, and they jaw a bit more.
We cut backstage where the roster is lined up at Mr. McMahon’s office. The door opens and Jerry “the King” Lawler steps out before No Way Jose congas past and we go to break.
Back from commercial Banks and Rousey are jawing at each other backstage with Bayley and Natalya in the middle trying to cool them off.
They convince their friends to back off and head off to cool down before yelling at each other over which one is more to blame when the Riott Squad roll up. Ruby Riott says everybody else is falling apart while they’re sticking together, Liv Morgan calls Bayley a sadface emoji and Nattie tells them off. Riott says they love taking bad situations and making it worse and challenges Bayley and Natalya to a trios match if they can find a friend.
Neidhart accepts it immediately.
Lucha House Party and the Revival enter, and Scott Dawson gets on the mic and complains that LHP saw his foot on the rope during their title shot last week and said nothing. There’s a heavy price to pay for that, and tonight it’s time to pay up.
Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik & Kalisto) vs. the Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson)
Kalisto and Wilder to start, collar and elbow, Dash throws him aside and mocks the lucha chant before hugging Dawson. Back to the lockup, in the ropes, force the break, Kalisto flips away and turns the heat up! Dropkick, knucklelock, open-hand chops, flipping step-up lucha arm drag, tag to Metalik! Double whip, double hip toss, wheelbarrow senton... NOPE!
Overhead elbow, quick tag back to Kalisto, double axehandle off the top but Wilder tags Dawson in. Manhattan Drop and a dropkick chained together for two and we go picture-in-picture with Dasha Fuentes in front of Vince’s office with Apollo Crews. He talks about how crazy the line to face Brock Lesnar is while Scott chops Kalisto and hits a snap suplex.
Curt Hawkins rolls up to pitch a Beast vs. Streak match while Scott has a reverse chinlock on. EC3 rolls up and smiles before the B-Team appear and say the B stands for Brock. Kalisto slides under, upkicks, Heath Slater backstage, tag to Wilder. Slater doesn’t want the shot, but maybe Rhyno, and a tag to Gran! In hot, boots up, turning facebuster, handspring backflip, Frankensteiner and a tag to Scott!
Dropkick connects, second one misses, Revival with a double suplex but Kalisto makes the save! Roll-through kick, decked with a lariat, Metalik springboard sunset flip... NOT ENOUGH! To the second, up and over, duck a lariat, Scott catches him with the DDT and Wilder knocks Gran’s foot off the ropes...
The Revival win by pinfall with a DDT from Scott Dawson on Gran Metalik.
Backstage, Vince McMahon runs into an interview and denies to comment on who’s facing Brock Lesnar, because he’d rather head to the ring;.
Back from commercial, Mr. McMahon makes his entrance.
He gets on the mic and--
(Horns intensify.)
Enter 16-time world champion John Cena! He cuts Vince off again and says we all know he just lost a Universal Championship match on the biggest event on the Road to WrestleMania, so he’s out here right now to tell somebody to step up, but Cena’s gonna save him the trouble. Twenty years ago, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the Rock, Brock Lesnar, they all left and Vince begged the crew of misfits and rejects to step up.
John walked up and looked him the eyes like a man and told him to give him a chance and he wouldn’t let him down. He got chance after chance and more and more and he missed birthdays, weddings, and funerals for this, and he’s not saying that for sympathy, but to say that stepping up isn’t putting your life on hold, it’s making this your life and loving every second of it.
He asks Vince for one more chance and says he will not let him down. The Royal Rumble will be unforgettable because he’ll beat Brock and become a 17-time champion (well the Universal Championship isn’t a real world title derived from the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, but let’s not quibble), because he’s got that ruthless aggression.
Enter Drew McIntyre. He calls Cena out and asks how dare he, he doesn’t care if he talks about his sixteen championships or his new movies or book, but how dare he stand there in this ring with a straight face and claim that he’s still got ruthless aggression. Drew gets in McMahon’s face and says he’s what ruthless aggression looks like, and tells Cena his time is up and McIntyre’s time is now.
So just like Stone Cold, the Rock, and Lesnar, John can leave.
Enter Baron Corbin, like a fart in church.
He says earlier tonight Braun threatened his life and while he doesn’t have a lawyer on speed dial, but hypothetically if he did, he thinks he and Mr. McMahon can both agree that him getting the title shot is best for business.
Enter Finn Balor. He says he’s gotta be honest, he’s a little tired of always being left out of these conversations. The three in the ring can make claims to a lot of things, but he’s the only one who’s ever been Universal Champion. Vince says maybe so, but there’s a lot of beef out here and Finn has everything, he’s a great competitor, but he doesn’t know.
Balor says be honest, Vince never believed in him, but the people do. He knows McMahon is stubborn and won’t change his mind, so he’ll show him... HE DECKS CORBIN AND MCINTYRE DROPS CENA! CLAYMORE LAYS BALOR OUT! Waiting for Cena to rise... CLAYMORE!
Vince surveys the wreckage with a smile on his face and says he likes that, every one of these men wants it and wants it back, so he books a four-way #1 contender’s match for the Universal Championship tonight!
Commentary hypes up our Intercontinental Championship match and Alexa Bliss doing a talk show with Paul Heyman as well as the Riott Squad’s trios match for later and we go to break.
Backstage, Vince McMahon is walking and talking with writer Ryan Ward when Jinder Mahal rolls up and brown noses him.
He says he’s a little offended he wasn’t considered for the four-way, being one of the greatest WWE Champions of all time and having been robbed of a dream match between him and Lesnar in 2017. Vince asks if he thinks everybody wants to see him wrestle Brock and Jinder says yes, and he would have come out if he hadn’t been tending to a Singh brother backstage he would have interrupted.
McMahon offers him a shot against any of the four men in the match tonight, and if he wins he replaces that guy. Mahal picks Finn Balor and Vince wishes him luck.
We get entrances for our women’s trios match, and Bayley and Natalya’s partner is... A DEBUTING NIKKI CROSS!
We’re informed these debuting NXT talent will appear on both shows for a probationary period before being drafted to one show or the other, as well.
Bayley, Natalya, & Nikki Cross vs. Riott Squad (Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott, & Sarah Logan)
Bayley and Logan to start while Cross loses her mind on the apron. Bayley, charmed by her wild nature, tags her in and Nikki goes to work with a sleeper hold! Sarah slings her off but Cross hits a dropkick and she tags out to Morgan. Right hand, mat slam, Liv backs off and Nikki slaps her face to fire up! Tag to Riott, all six women square up and Nikki wants to play!
Double leg, action to the outside and she backs all three Riotts off! Bayley and Natalya with baseball slides to even the odds, Cross tied up in the apron and she drags Ruby down and traps her for repeated forearms! Hammering away, fired up and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Logan is in control on Bayley, stomping at her and drawing her up. Bayley with right hands, whip to the corner, double jump crossbody for two and Sarah blocks the tag with a slam. Off the ropes, handspring knee drop sends the Hugger to the apron and Logan kicks her to the floor! Following out after, stomping at Bayley, throwing her back inside whereupon the Hugger gets a nearfall off a schoolboy.
Tag to Morgan, to the second for a tornado X-Factor that gets a nearfall. Rear chinlock in the ropes, Logan with a cheap shot when referee Dan Engler warns her off. Pick the leg, Bayley with upkicks, tag to Sarah and she grabs a kneeling cobra clutch. To her feet, right hands, Logan with a backbreaker before throwing her into the corner and following it with stomps.
Pass to the corner, fired up, charging in, Hot Shot into the corner! The way is clear, duck an elbow, tag to Natalya! In with a dropkick, a German suplex, the discus lariat, whip, wheelbarrow... FACE ERASER BUT RIOTT MAKES THE SAVE! Bayley runs her off with a knee strike, Liv tags in, Frankensteiner... CROSS MAKES THE SAVE! Duck a lariat from the apron, fired up, Nattie picks the legs but Morgan kicks her off and the tag is made!
Bear hug, Cross off the top... DOOMSDAY HART ATTACK! Nattie back in for a German suplex, stacking Logan and Riott up, Nikki with the Stinger Splash, bulldog on Ruby, monkey flip into a dropkick on Sarah! Screaming on the apron, crossbody to the floor to take Riott out! Morgan cuts her off and throws her back inside, Nikki catches a boot, Liv with a Matrix evasion, schoolboy... NOPE!
Bayley tags in, Cross with a dragon screw neck whip, Hugger up top and directing traffic...
Bayley, Natalya, & Nikki Cross win by pinfall with a diving elbow drop from Bayley on Liv Morgan.
Finn Balor is walking backstage when he passes Lacey Evans holding court.
Jinder Mahal makes his entrance and we go to break ahead of his match.
Back from commercial we go backstage for a Dean Ambrose promo.
He talks about right vs. wrong, empathy vs. instinct, him vs. having to defend the Intercontinental Championship in a three-way. Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley weaseled their way into title shots but he doesn’t care what the odds are, nobody’s taking his title.
Finn Balor makes his entrance... and Mahal blasts Balor off the apron before the bell and rams him into the barricade and the apron! Whip into the barricade, jawing at him, throwing him across the aisle into the opposite barricade and then into the apron as referee Darrick Moore tries to restore order. In the ring he demands the bell but Moore checks on Balor first.
Finn Balor vs. Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifying Match)
Finn wants to go and we’ve got a bell! Jinder kicks his head off... NOPE! Balor glassy-eyed, to his feet only to get decked by a straight right that Mahal follows up with crossface blows. Reverse chinlock applied, Finn breaks free and lands a dropkick. A boot sends him to the floor and we go to break.
Back from commercial and Jinder’s hitting the slingshot knee drops into a choke until referee Darrick Moore warns him off. Following it up with a stomp, hard whip across and Balor takes the turnbuckles hard. Mahal draws him up, overhead elbow into a rear chinlock, going for a slam but Finn floats out and gets a nearfall somehow! Jinder right back into a reverse chinlock, wrenching it in and jawing at Balor.
Jawbreaker to escape, forearm, off the ropes into a back elbow but Finn hits the Pele kick and both men are down and out. Boots up in the corner, flying forearm, whip reversed, another flying forearm, Balor fired up, double leg into the double stomp! Charging in, Sling Blade blocked, duck a lariat, dropkick for Samir Singh, back body drop to send Jinder to the floor!
Off the ropes... TOPE CON GIRO! Back inside, Sling Blade connects this time, shotgun dropkick, up top...
Finn Balor wins by pinfall with Coup de Grace to retain his spot in the WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Match later tonight.
We get a handcam promo from Lio Rush about stepping up and how he and Bob know all about that and Lashley’s winning the title.
Dean Ambrose makes his entrance and we go to break ahead of the match.
Back from commercial, commentary hypes up the Royal Rumble match.
Seth Rollins is interviewed backstage.
He says it might be his last chance tonight, but that’s life and you’ve gotta make the most out of every opportunity. So tonight he’s gonna do that by kicking Dean Ambrose’s teeth down his throat. A few months back, Roman Reigns had the courage to tell the world he’s fighting leukemia, and he and Dean stood with him to tell him he didn’t have to fight alone, but a few short hours later Ambrose stabbed him the back, and for that, Seth will never forget him.
Lashley’s intimidating, but physiques only get you so far, and he promises that nobody on this planet can do what Seth Rollins does. So he’s gonna go out there and lay it all on the line like always in order to take his Intercontinental Championship back.
Bobby Lashley vs. Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Seth Rollins (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
Three-way stand-off, Dean trying to get Seth to work with him but Rollins just dumps him and starts punching away at Lashley! Leapfrog, dropkick, Bob sent to the floor and Seth follows with a plancha! Ambrose around, Rollins cuts him off, more punches, back inside, shoulder thrust from the apron, up top, diving crossbody... NOPE! Dean turns him around, mounted punches, Lashley pulls him off for punches of his own and Ambrose tries to sell him on an alliance.
Drawing him up, passing Seth into the corner, Dean with a right hand, Bob with the snap suplex but Ambrose breaks the pin up and tells him to relax while they soften him up more. Right hand from the All Mighty with Dean holding him up, swap and Ambrose kicks Rollins in the gut and sends him to the apron. Drawing him up, bending him over the ropes for clubbing blows to the back.
Slide away, back in with a charging forearm, charging shoulder thrust from Bob and they put Rollins in the next corner. Ambrose with the assisted whip, Seth sidesteps, forearms and chops but he runs right into a huge thrust spinebuster from Lashley! Dean rolls Bob to the floor, Rollins with a small package, only two! Lariat to the floor, tope suicida! Back inside, Lio Rush is in but Seth catches his kick and flips him!
Lio ducking and dodging on the apron, running outside and Lashley plants Seth with another spinebuster on the floor! Ambrose off the apron with an elbow, Bob catches him into a belly-to-belly suplex and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Lashley is in control of Rollins with a reverse chinlock but Seth struggles to his feet. Bob throws him away as Ambrosew rises to his feet on the apron and hops down before the All Mighty can blast him. Seth with the boots up, Dean with a lariat, running Shield combos on Lashley! They stand off when they realize but decide to put boots to Bob anyway.
Double clothesline sends him to the floor, they both roll out after him and set the steel steps up together to take Walking Armageddon out with a running stair shot! Back inside, Rollins beckons Ambrose in after him, trading wild punches and then chops, rolling elbow from Seth, looking for the buckle bomb but Dean rolls through! Sunset flip for two, One-Hitter blocked... FALCON ARROW AND LIO RUSH BREAKS THE PIN UP!
Rush looks at his hands as he realizes what he’s done and Seth rises to chase after him! Around ringside and back in, Lio takes it to him and Dean ends up blasting him to the floor! Folding press from Rollins for two, superkick, Bob throws him out of the ring, lateral press... SO CLOSE! Lashley fighting mad, waiting for Ambrose to rise... SPEAR CUT OFF WITH A KNEE!
Eyepoke, underhooks, Rollins diving lariat breaks it up, duck a lariat, enzuigiri to the All Mighty, the Architect headed up top... FROG SPLASH! Dean picks the bones... STILL NO! Ambrose up top himself, Seth charges in, Bob gets under them, electric chair... AMBROSE COMPLETES THE DOOMSDAY DEVICE BUT ROLLINS ROLLS THROUGH! SUPERKICKS FOR EVERYBODY! LIO RUNS ROLLINS OFF, BOB CAPITALIZES...
Bobby Lashley wins by pinfall with a spear on Dean Ambrose to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Lio and Bob celebrate with the title.
Commentary hypes up our main event and A Moment of Bliss with Paul Heyman for later.
A crew member knocks on Alexa Bliss’ door with her latte and informs her she’s up next. With no answer he opens the door and steps in, only for her to be in a state of partial dress, holding her top up with her hands. He apologizes profusely as she tells him to set her coffee on the table and leave.
Commentary tosses to a special preview of Glass and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Alexa Bliss makes her entrance.
She talks about Mr. McMahon announcing the women’s tag titles, and she has the inside information. In just five weeks, three teams each from Raw and SmackDown will compete inside the Elimination Chamber, with the winning team crowned the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions! And she has the belts to reveal!
Paul Heyman interrupts with his usual introductory spiel and they take seats on the Moment of Bliss set on the stage. Alexa says it’s been a wild night and asks what’s going on in Paul’s head. He says emotions play no part in it, it’s his strategy that practically guarantees that Brock Lesnar will retain the Universal Championship. You can line up all four of these top challengers and Brock would eat through them, individually or en masse.
But why clean out the entire heavyweight division? So there can only be one. And who will it be? John Cena, the pontiff of Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect? Drew McIntyre, who he’d be lying if he didn’t admit he’s had his eye on him and who’s guaranteed to be champion some day, just not now? Baron Corbin, not the most popular guy with the fans, but...
Otis Dozovic has wandered out to the stage. He’s making noises and shaking, it’s great. BOO SHACKA LOO-A! YEAH! Tucker Knight runs out to corral him as he shouts “Pretty lady!” at Alexa and referees Darrick Moore and Dan Engler as well as road agent five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce.
And the segment’s over because the bell rings and we’re informed our main event is up next, after the break.
Back from commercial in time for entrances.
Baron Corbin vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor vs. John Cena (WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Match)
Early chaos resolves to Baron and Balor, Finn off the top, caught into the chokebreaker! Cena and McIntyre roll back in and we go to break.
Back from commercial and Cena sidesteps Corbin shoulder-first into the post! McIntyre dumps John, Balor with a shoulder thrust into a sunset flip for two, passing Drew to the floor, dropkick to follow, but Baron blasts him off the apron before the Penalty Kick! Cena with a tornado DDT on Corbin... MCINTYRE BREAKS IT UP! Mounted punches, Drew fired up, Cena off the ropes, shoulder block, shoulder block, duck a lariat, fall-forward Blue Thunder Driver, “You can’t see me!”, off the ropes, Five Knuckle Shuffle, fireman’s carry... ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT FOR TWO WHEN CORBIN BREAKS IT UP!
Baron with elbows to the kidney, John can’t get him up in the fireman’s carry but blocks a suplex. Finn in, he and Cena with the double suplex and they lock eyes. Teaming up, putting boots to Corbin, setting him up top, McIntyre in... DOUBLE POWERBOMB AND BARON STAYS SAFE UP TOP! Jockeying for position with Drew, McIntyre gets crotched but is able to sit up... SPIDER BELLY-TO-BELLY SUPERPLEX!
We go to break with Drew lying in wait, ready to hit the Claymore.
Back from commercial, all three other men are down and out, Balor off the ropes, Corbin cuts him off... END OF DAYS! MCINTYRE WITH THE SAVE! Drew and Baron face off, Lone Wolf in with rights, passed out and back in and McIntyre meets him with a headbutt! Cena up top... KENTA KOBASHI LEG DROP CAUGHT INTO A POWERBOMB! JACKKNIFE PIN CAN’T PUT JOHN AWAY!
Paired off and brawling, heels pull ahead and taunt for the crowd. McIntyre with stomps to Cena’s hand, Corbin draws Balor up for more rights but the babyfaces fight back into it in stereo! Off the ropes, Sling Blade! Finn charges John, slips out of the fireman’s carry, boots up in the corner, up top but Cena cuts him off. Jockeying for position, fireman’s carry in the turnbuckles... AVALANCHE ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT!
Corbin throws Cena out, picks the bones... BUT HE CAN’T PUT FINN BALOR AWAY! Baron with chairshots on Cena on the floor, some for McIntyre as well, his attention turns to Finn but John breaks up the pin. Stalking the GOAT, chair in hand, Cena sidesteps... ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! CLAYMORE! SATELLITE DDT FROM BALOR! Finn climbs up top... COUP DE GRACE ON CENA! LATERAL PRESS! IT’S OVER! HE DID IT! FINN’S FINALLY GOT ANOTHER SHOT AT THE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP!
Finn Balor wins by pinfall with Coup de Grace on John Cena to become #1 contender to the WWE Universal Championship.
Post-match, Cena talks about how where he comes from, you fight for respect. Tonight in front of the entire world, Vince McMahon said he didn’t believe in Finn, but for what it’s worth, he’s got one more person that believes in him. Cena shakes his hand and announces him as Brock’s challenger at the Royal Rumble, telling him to give him hell and raising his hand!
That’s the show, folks.