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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Mar. 11, 2019) from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the go home show to the upcoming Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for this coming Sunday night Cleveland.
Advertised for tonight: Triple H and Batista come face-to-face, Bobby Lashley challenges Finn Balor for the Intercontinental title, 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 MAR. 11
I get up and nothing gets me down. You got it tough, I’ve seen the toughest all around. And I know, baby, just how you feel. You’ve got to roll with the punches to get to what’s real, but me, I’ve just got to liveblog this here wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with--
SIERRA. HOTEL. INDIA. ECHO. LIMA. DELTA. SHIELD!
The Shield come to the ring and Roman Reigns says he’s come to realize that life is short, so if last night was the last time ever, he has no regrets. He was in this ring doing what he loves with people he loves, but we’re on the Road to WrestleMania and they’re three men that need to handle their business. Roman says he hasn’t had a singles match in five months so he wants to correct that and wrestle tonight!
And Ambrose has got some business to take care of too, but Rollins has the real business, and Reigns asks him how many years he’s been chasing the dream, which gets a “Slay the Beast!” chant and Roman says that’s exactly what he’s gonna do, with the whole world chanting “Burn it down!” The Shield bump fists and their music plays and Reigns and Ambrose leave Rollins in the ring, symbolic of their paths to WrestleMania.
Seth gets on the mic and says last night the Shield burnt it down--
Enter Paul Heyman, who does his usual intro spiel. Rollins likes his pronunciation of “Brock Lesnar” and tries it out before asking if he means the guy that dominates his opponents, from Big Show to Samoa Joe to Braun Strowman to Bill Goldberg. Heyman says he appreciates having his schtick done for him and, yes, THAT Brock Lesnar. Seth asks if he meant the same guy that had a real tough time getting past Daniel Bryan, got pushed to his limit by AJ Styles, and was this close to being beaten by Finn Balor?
Touche, Paul says, and Rollins continues, saying his client has a bit of a problem with guys his size, stature, speed, quickness, agility, and style, and with all due respect to those three guys, they’re incredible, but there’s only one man uniquely suited to beat Brock at WrestleMania, and that’s Seth freakin’ Rollins. He tells Heyman he’s got three weeks left before he brings the Universal Championship back to Raw!
Paul says there will be no slaying of the beast and says Rollins hasn’t told the whole story. Brock had no time to prepare for any of those opponents, Heyman pointing out that all those matches were changed late and Lesnar only had a limited amount of time to prepare for them, and he runs a video package of Brock’s greatest hits to refamiliarize Seth with his WrestleMania opponent.
He continues, saying that ever since Rollins won the Royal Rumble, Brock has fantasized about what they’re going to do at WrestleMania. You think you know Lesnar, you do not know Brock Lesnar-- SHELTON BENJAMIN IS HERE THROWING GERMAN SUPLEXES! HE AND BROCK WERE TAG PARTNERS BACK IN OVW-- MINNESOTA STRETCHING CREW REUNION BABY! HE TOSSES ROLLINS AROUND A GOOD THREE OR FOUR TIMES AND WE GO TO BREAK!
Back from commercial and we have a match in progress!
Seth Rollins vs. Shelton Benjamin
Benjamin right in, striking, waistlock takedown, scoop and a slam, headlock takedown, scraping his forearm across the Architect’s face. To his feet, shoot off, shoulder block, leapfrog and a wild elbow get Rollins back in. Chops, dropkick, Shelton takes things to the floor and beats on Seth a moment before they head back in. Rollins gets the blockbuster and tunes up the band... BENJAMIN DUCKS BLACKOUT!
Going for a German suplex, Seth lands on his feet and dumps Benjamin to the floor, off the ropes, cut off with a knee and Shelton gets a nearfall to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Benjamin has a reverse chinlock in but Rollins fights to his feet and out with body blows. The Gold Standard dumps him to the floor and follows after and throws him between barricade and apron a few times before taking it back inside. Looking for a powerbomb, reversed to a back body drop pin, Benjamin bridges up and deadlifts Seth up... COUNTER FRANKENSTEINER!
Up and over, duck a lariat, Sling Blade! Charging in, back body drop to the apron, Rollins with an enzuigiri, springboard lariat... NOPE! Avada Kedavra ducked, Shelton hits the German suplex! Another suplex, fireman’s carry but Rollins slips out! Kicks, off the ropes...
Seth Rollins wins by pinfall with Blackout.
Commentary hypes up Baron Corbin vs. Roman Reigns and the face-to-face between Batista and HHH for later.
Finn Balor makes his entrance, he’ll be defending the Intercontinental Championship after the break.
Bobby Lashley vs. Finn Balor (c) (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
Circling, Lashley with a waistlock takedown right out the gate and he throws Balor into the corner and puts boots to him. Corner choke, into a standing neck crank, off the ropes and Finn hits a dropkick right on the button! Rammed into the corner, sidestep the charge, Bob catches the enzuigiri and counters with an elbow! Following to the apron, front chancery but Balor blocks the suplex and dropkicks him off the apron!
Another dropkick and a Penalty Kick off the apron to send us to break!
Back from commercial and Lashley has a reverse chinlock applied. Balor gets to one foot, to his feet, elbow and right hands to break, off the ropes and he gets caught by a reverse STO for two! Powerbomb lift follows, Finn fights out of it and passes Bob to the floor! Lashley drags Balor out of the ring and back suplexes him into the apron! Back in the ring that’s good for a two count and Bob switches gears, hammering him with a straight right before grabbing a kneeling armbar.
Knee to the midsection, again thinking about the powerbomb but this time Balor counters with a back body drop and rolls past to hit a dropkick! Boot up on the charge, flying forearm, duck a lariat, another flying forearm! Whip across, caught on Bob’s shoulder but he slips out and hits the double leg into the double stomp! Charging in for the Sling Blade, countered and Lashley stampedes him from one corner to the opposite!
Looking for the Yokosuka Cutter, Balor out, schoolboy for two, Lashley hits Snake Eyes after! Finn barely hits Sling Blade, shotgun dropkick, headed up top and the bell rings? It’s Lio Rush, hitting the bell and taking the Intercontinental Championship belt to taunt Finn! He chases after, decks Lio with an enzuigiri, springboard... SPEAR! IT’S OVER!
Bobby Lashley wins by pinfall with a spear to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Commentary hypes up the reveal of this year’s host for WrestleMania on A Moment of Bliss later tonight.
Backstage, Baron Corbin is interviewed and a video is played of the things he said about Roman Reigns having to vacate the Universal Championship last year.
He admits he said it but he’s not gonna worry about hurting people’s feelings. He says again that he wanted Roman gone, and now that he’s back, great, but overcoming that disease took its toll and he’s going to be exposed tonight.
We see Ronda Rousey walking backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Ronda Rousey makes her entrance and we get a recap of last night’s match between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.
She tells the crowd to take their applause and shove it and says she doesn’t give a damn what any of these bandwagon bitches think and says Becky’s a coward and the hero we deserve. Every one of us booing her would cower before her if we didn’t have the safety of the barrier. She’s come to desecrate our place of worship and humiliate and embarrass Charlotte and Becky on the grandest stage of them all.
She wants to expose WWE as the carny con artists they’ve always been and walk out of WrestleMania as Raw Women’s Champion, and no one can stop them. In fact, WWE can make it into a handicap match and she’d be embarassed to break a sweat. They and anyone who believes in this charade is a joke.
Enter Dana Brooke. She tells Ronda we’ve heard enough of her and she’s got nothing to lose so she’s not going to let her disrespect WWE, the WWE Universe, or the women’s locker room. She may not be a bigtime fighter but she loves this business and she worked her tail off to get here and earn the respect of the locker room, to prove that she belongs here.
Each week on Raw she fights for a chance, and doesn’t always get the time of day, let alone a match, so she might not be on TV, and she’s not a household name, but all she wants is just one chance. Ronda usually offers an open challenge the night after a pay-per-view, well her name is Dana Brooke and she accepts.
Ronda shrugs her jacket off and attacks Dana without the formality of a match! Judo throws on the floor, back inside, roll-through... PIPER’S PIT! Wristlock, letting her think about it... and Rousey decides she won’t do the armbar unless it’s on PPV. SHE DECKS A REFEREE!
We get a video package recapping the feud between Batista and HHH thus far.
Aleister Black and Ricochet makes their entrances and we go to break.
Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. Bobby Roode & Chad Gable
Black and Gable to start, Aleister with the striking but Chad takes him down and makes the tag. Double whip, tag, back body drop Gable to the floor and Bobby gets the spinning spinebuster for one! Wristlock, ram into the corner, chop and a tag. Straight suplex, Roo back suplexes Chad into Black and the Olympian follows it up with a deathlock rear chinlock. Shift to a deathlock armbar, and Gable breaks for the tag.
Roode putting boots to the Dutchman, back suplex lift into a backbreaker, only two and he follows with a waistlock. Black over for the tag, Ricochet in hot, neckbreaker to Gable, off the ropes, headscissors takeover on Bobby! Shoulder thrust, springboard, nobody home, tag made, Ricochet handspring... CAUGHT INTO A WAISTLOCK FOR THE GERMAN SUPLEX / BLOCKBUSTER COMBO!
Front chancery, tag to Roode, setting up the neckbreaker but the One and Only throwsh im off. Taking turns landing on their feet, big lariat from Ricochet, Bobby in trading rollups to no avail. Black tags back in, roundhouse kick, sets up a modified Go 2 Sleep from the One and Only! Clear the apron...
Aleister Black & Ricochet win by pinfall with Black Mass from Black on Bobby Roode.
The Revival attack Black and Ricochet on their way out!
Commentary tells us that Alexa Bliss is up next and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a video package about Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Finn Balor visiting the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh earlier today.
And now time for a Moment of Bliss. She talks about how the WWE Universe has been buzzing about her scoop and she’s ready to dish it out. She says we’ve had the Rock host WrestleMania but this year’s host is more electrifying and has more positivity than New Day. Who is it? Drum roll... It’s Alexa Bliss, of course. She acts mock flustered and says it’s such an honor for the WWE Universe and we’re welcome.
Because finally, WrestleMania will be hosted by the brighest star on the grandest stage of all, and this has been your Moment of Bliss.
We get a video package of the Saturday Night Live guys’ appearance on Raw last week.
Braun Strowman is interviewed backstage and says that guy better stay away from him. He doesn’t care if he’s got the right or not, he liked jacking him up by his neck. A crew member informs Braun his car is here, but he wasn’t waiting for a car, and on that note, we go to break.
Back from commercial, Braun is informed the car came with a card, and he demands the guy read it.
It says last week they all did things they regret, so the cast of Saturday Night Live got him this brand new car, and they hope he treats it better than Vince McMahon’s limousine. He says he’s gonna see what it’s made of... AND TEARS THE DAMN DOOR OFF! He’s angry he can’t fit in it, it’s too small! Tearing the driver’s seat out, elbowing the windshield, ripping the hood off, stomping the bumper down, he’s wrecking this like he’s between levels in Final Fight, folks.
He gives a fender to the guy and tells him to tell the SNL guys they’re gonna get These Hands the next time he sees them.
Elias is in the ring to sing us a song.
He says he pledged not to come back to his hometown of Pittsburgh until he was a star, and here he is. He says it’s a miracle he’s a success because the majority of folks from here are enormous wastes of life. It’s the miserable people that hold the great people back, and--
Enter No Way Jose and his conga line. Elias dropkicks him while he’s partying and starts beating up his line! Clubbing away at Jose, putting boots to him, up on the ramp... DRIFT AWAY!
Commentary tosses to a video package announcing Harlem Heat’s induction to the WWE Hall of Fame.
Lacey Evans enters... and leaves.
Nia Jax and Tamina make their entrance, Jax will be in action against Natalya after the break.
Back from commercial, Natalya gets on the mic.
She says after last night she’s been thinking about who has her back, and she thought Ronda Rousey did, but she didn’t have her back like she thought. She doesn’t trust Nia or Tamina, but she knows her best friend will have her back...
(Mellotron intensifies...)
BETH PHOENIX IS HERE!
Natalya vs. Nia Jax
Natalya charges in, throwing feet and hands, off the ropes and Jax decks her with a lariat. Biel into the corner, boot up but Tamina gets involved and Nia crushes her with a corner body avalanche. Phoenix has had enough and attacks Jax!
Nia Jax wins by disqualification.
Lou Thesz Press into punches, Snuka runs in and Beth fends her off too and tends to Nattie!
We go backstage where Nia and Tamina are being attacked by Boss and Hug Connection, referees and road agents pulling them apart!
Backstage a vehicle pulls up and Batista gets out of it, immediately attended to by a gaggle of personal security.
We go to break on a video package about WWE’s partnership with Girl Up.
Back from commercial...
(Behold, the king!)
(The king of kings!)
(On your knees, dog.)
HHH makes his entrance in full asskicker mode and paces the ring, waiting.
Enter Batista, mic in hand.
He pauses at the top of the ramp to let his personal security, including the Savage Gentleman, Victor Benjamin (whose NOVA Pro work you should check out on IndependentWrestling.tv, folks) get between him and Hunter. He takes a nice long beat and Triple asks if he’s gonna pose like a nose ring model and if the security’s here to protect him from Dave.
Batista says unlike Hunter he’s not stupid. He learned from the dirtiest players in the game, HHH himself and Ric Flair. He can admit, security’s here for his protection, because he knows HHH’s sledgehammer is close by and that’s Hunter’s biggest mistake, underestimating him. They’re going to do this on his terms, and he wants Hunter to give him what he wants.
HHH says he’s not giving Dave a damn thing, and why should he? How many times has he quit this company and walked away and he’s supposed to just hand him stuff because he’s a big movie star now? He’s not giving him anything, which leads him to the next option, since he’s too big of a coward to come down to the ring, HHH will step out of the ring, tear through the Guardians of the Independent Scene or whatever they are and beat his ass on the stage!
Batista says they’re not doing this that way, if he comes out of the ring he’ll be long gone by the time HHH gets here. And yeah he quit, because he wanted to get as far away from Hunter as he could, always looking down on him and shutting him out. Triple knows what he wants, he’s been asking for years, and he’s gonna give it to him or he’s gonna continue hurting people he loves.
Hunter demands that Dave be a man and face him in the ring like a man. Batista says it’s tearing Hunter apart to not be fighting him but he needs him to say it, to give him what he wants, and HHH doesn’t want to do it because he’s not in control. Triple reiterates that he’ll give him the beating but Dave says he wants him at WrestleMania. Hunter asks if that’s really it, if he’s become this just for a WrestleMania match... HE’S ON!
Batista thanks him and says that’s all he ever wanted, one last match to end his career on his terms... and to end Hunter’s career on his terms. He tells HHH he’ll see him at Mania and starts leaving. Triple says he’s right, he’ll see him at WrestleMania, but he better dig down deep inside and find whatever scrap is left of the Animal, because when they get to Mania, it might be on Dave’s terms, but the match will be on his.
Bring everything you have, because it’ll be no rules, no restrictions, no law... NO HOLDS BARRED!
Commentary informs us that Kurt Angle will address his future, after the break.
Back from commercial, Kurt Angle makes his entrance.
He talks about how over twenty years ago he left Pittsburgh to compete in the Olympics, where he won a gold medal with a broken freakin’ neck, and that lead him to WWE, where he’s faced and defeated just about every legend and Hall of Famer in the business. No matter where he goes, he considers Pittsburgh his home town, and that’s why he wanted to save this announcement for tonight.
At WrestleMania, he’ll compete in his farewell match.
He’d like to thank WWE, every superstar he’s shared a locker room with, but most importantly each and every one of us, who made it so much fun for him. And that’s why he wanted to make sure to have one last match here in Pittsburgh first.
Apollo Crews makes his entrance and he’ll be wrestling Angle after the break.
Apollo Crews vs. Kurt Angle
Circling, collar and elbow, side headlock from Crews and Angle shoots him off. Shoulder block, off the ropes, drop down, hip toss, hip toss into an armbar. Belly-to-belly suplex on the escape, Apollo with a dropkick, drawing Kurt up and putting him down with a straight suplex for two. Following it up with a reverse chinlock, trading hands and Angle gets into the rolling German suplexes!
Standing moonsault from Crews, no good, dragging Kurt into position before heading up top, frog splash... NOBODY HOME! Angle capitalizes...
Kurt Angle wins by pinfall with the Angle Slam.
Angle and Crews hug post-match and raise each other’s hands.
We go backstage with Roman Reigns as he gets ready for his match and go to break.
Back from commercial, commentary hypes up all our news from tonight.
Drew McIntyre ambushes Roman Reigns before the start of his match!
Hammering punches, throwing the Big Dog into the post and letting him crash to the floor, following after to jaw at him but Roman fires up with right hands! Drew takes a step back... CLAYMORE! Jawing at him more, waiting for Reigns to rise... A SECOND CLAYMORE PUTS HIS HEAD INTO THE POST! He promises Roman that this is just the beginning! Referees come down to separate them and a trainer checks on the Big Dog.
Here comes Seth Rollins to check on Reigns as well, but Roman says he’s not doing this out here and Seth says that’s okay and gets the trainer to back off while encouraging him to say he’s not okay if he’s not okay. Reigns says he’s just got a little headache and he’s okay and they start making their way up the ramp together as we go to break.
Back from commercial, the Shield are walking backstage, taking Roman to go get checked out.
Dean Ambrose is furious and stays outside the trainer’s room, storming off like a man on a mission when he runs into Triple H. He demands a match against Drew McIntyre tonight, no disqualification, no count-out, falls count anywhere! Hunter smiles at him and says hell yeah, he’s on!
Dean makes his entrance and Drew comes out with a mic in hand. He wants to know if he’s going to take his beating like a man or squeal like his pathetic brother and Ambrose charges down to hand out an asskicking!
Dean Ambrose vs. Drew McIntyre (Falls Count Anywhere Match)
The bell rings, suplex on the stage, McIntyre runs away and Dean hits a double axehandle off the stage! Chasing after him through the crowd, they braw and Drew turns it around with a rake of the eyes and a chop as they head up the steps fighting. Chops from Dean, McIntyre clubbing away, bulldog headlock as he drags Ambrose further into the crowd and smashes his face into the handrail!
All the way up, into the mezzanine, throwing Dean into the wall! Trying to throw Ambrose out over the press box, Dean bites his hand and leaps into him with a double axehandle before smashing him with a trash can to send us to break!
Back from commercial, Ambrose is giving chase back down the steps as we see in a replay that they brawled out at the concession stand during the break! Back at ringside, Dean perches and comes off the barricade... CAUGHT INTO AN OVERHEAD BELLY-TO-BELLY SUPLEX! Steel steps in hand... HE CRACKS AMBROSE IN THE FACE WITH THEM FOR TWO! A second shot and a second nearfall!
Straight suplex on the floor, again just two and Drew takes Dean back into the crowd with a bulldog headlock. Caressing his face, he says he’s taking the Shield out one-by-one-- A TOTALLY LEGAL LOW BLOW FROM AMBROSE! Charging back in, raining punches down, McIntyre recovers and drops him into the tech area barricades! Chair in hand, Drew brings it up but Dean kicks it out of his hands and smashes his face into a road case!
Setting McIntyre on top of it, he wheels him down the aisle and into another roadcase, sending the Scottish giant flying! Elbow drop connects... JUST TWO! Smashing Drew’s face into the case again, he stumbles away and tries to ram one into Dean’s legs but he sees it coming and chases him around towards commentary. Up on the stage, small package... NOPE! McIntyre with mounted punches, knucklelock, bulldog headlock, clearing the table... DEAN BACK SUPLEXES HIM INTO THE ANNOUNCE DESK!
Crawling up for mounted punches, raining them down... low blow from Drew! Pencil in hand... HE STABS AMBROSE IN THE DAMN EYE! Back to the stage... LAWN DART INTO THE LED BOARDS... NOT ENOUGH! Dean swinging blind, he gets a slap right to the jaw and Drew fires back in kind! Hammering slaps, pulling his arm and head through the little guardrail... CLAYMORE SENDS THE RAIL FLYING!
Drew McIntyre wins by pinfall with the Claymore.
McIntyre stands on the announce table and points at the sign as Ambrose slowly starts to rise.
He gets down... ANOTHER CLAYMORE!
That’s the show, folks!