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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Feb. 1, 2021) from the ThunderDome at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, featuring all the fallout from the Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) that went down just last night at the very same venue.
Advertised for tonight: Drew McIntyre soundly defeated Goldberg to retain the WWE championship before Edge won the men’s Royal Rumble later in the evening. He can pick which title he wants but he’s been on Raw since his return. Meanwhile, Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler won the women’s tag team titles back. Plus, 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 FEB. 1
Alright! This is from our hearts and it’s been right from the start. There’s fire in my guts you just can’t put out, and I’m here to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with WWE Champion Drew McIntyre making his entrance.
He welcomes us all to the show and says this is no ordinary episode because we’re now officially on the road (point at the sign) to WrestleMania. He puts the finer points of the Royal Rumble over and says he and Goldberg earned each other’s respect. Eventually he gets to the men’s Royal Rumble and, well...
Enter Edge.
Drew puts him over as a friend and a mentor and remembers how terrible the day of Edge’s retirement was. He talks about Edge returning at the Royal Rumble last year, how it blew his mind while he was sitting there being choked by AJ Styles in the corner. He’s proud of him, and Edge appreciates the compliments, but he has to ask... what is wrong with him?
He won the Royal Rumble last night and now he has the right to challenge him for the title at WrestleMania, but Drew is just welcoming him with open arms and putting him over? McIntyre says that’s the kind of champion he is, and he’s no opportunist. Edge says he certainly isn’t, and—
Enter Sheamus.
He’s not happy because Edge is questioning his pal Drew’s methods after he’s carried this company single-handedly through uncharted waters while Edge sat at home and nursed his little tricep. McIntyre says he appreciates the enthusiasm but he’s got this one, and he asks Edge if he’s going to make his decision or if he’ll have to make it for him. Edge says he’s the ultimate opportunist and he’ll make himself known when he’s good and ready.
He says Drew has a big target on his back, Sheamus gets in his face, and Edge tells McIntyre to know that whoever he chooses, he’s walking out of WrestleMania as champion. Edge leaves, and Sheamus blasts Drew in the face with a Brogue Kick!
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of what we just saw, because friendship is dead and Raw is three hours long. (Three hours long.)
Sheamus runs into an interview backstage and erupts into frustration over being known only as Drew McIntyre’s friend and says he’s not his friend any more and he wants the title. He calls for his bags and Drew Gulak gives them to him, and he leaves.
We get entrances for our first match and go to break before it begins.
Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Matt Riddle (WWE United States Championship)
Hard striking out the gates, Lashley gets a wicked high-angle spinebuster and rains forearms down on Riddle! Front chancery, delayed vertical suplex, Riddle catches him with a Frankensteiner over the ropes to the floor and follows with a Penalty Kick and a corkscrew moonsault! Throwing Bob back inside, he gets caught in the Hurt Lock over the ropes but is able to hold onto the ropes!
Referee Darrick Moore counts and Lashley refuses to break the hold...
Matt Riddle wins by disqualification, presumably, although no finish is announced and commentary notes that he tapped after the bell.
Post-match, Bob refuses to break the hold and even locks it back on, leading Montel Vontavious Porter to ask him if he was trying to kill Matt. Lashley’s response is to grab the hold AGAIN and swing it in even harder, throwing Riddle over the barricade!
We get a recap of Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler winning the tag titles back last night and are informed that there will be a three-way #1 contender’s match to determine their next challengers.
A Bugatti rolls up into a loading dock and Bad Bunny gets out to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Matt Riddle is dazed in the aisle as referees tend to him and we get a recap of what just happened, because this is going to be one of THOSE episodes of Raw I guess.
Randy Orton cuts a promo backstage somewhere about how he never thought Edge would win the Royal Rumble on this comeback run, and he congratulates him.
But there’s a problem, because he told the entire world that Edge was never coming back, and yet here he is, making Orton look like a liar. He offers Edge no mercy, no compassion, and no main event of WrestleMania, because they’re going to wrestle tonight.
Backstage, Xavier Woods is talking to Kofi Kingston about how he’s gonna go beat Mustafa Ali for him tonight.
Kingston says Ali’s lost his mind if he thinks everything that happened to Kofi in his 2019 should have happened to him, and he’s got Woods’ back tonight.
They make their entrance together and we go to break.
Mustafa Ali vs. Xavier Woods
Collar and elbow, struggling around the ring, standing switch in the corner, Woods ends up raking Ali’s head with his forearm. Off the ropes, shoulder block, a lariat sends Mustafa to the floor but he sidesteps the slingshot! Xavier lands on his feet, putting Ali into the barricade and then back inside. Mustafa turns it around, boots in the corner, chops, running neckbreaker... NOPE!
Reverse chinlock applied, Woods fights to his feet and slings him off, kicks to the midsection, right hands, chops, whip reversed, duck a lariat, duck a backfist, tilt-a-whirl Russian legsweep and Xavier is fired up! Charging into a big boot, Ali springboards, tornado DDT blocked, discus lariat drops him but T-Bar interferes on the pin! Kofi dives off of T-Bar onto Slapjack, referee Rod Zapata doesn’t do anything, Woods catches him...
Xavier Woods wins by pinfall with a crucifix pin.
We see Damian Priest chatting with Bad Bunny backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get a hype reel for WrestleMania 37. (...in a row?!)
A recap of our opening segment follows.
The Miz & John Morrison make their entrance, to host MizTV.
They recap the Royal Rumble and single out Bad Bunny as the star of the night and introduce him as their guest tonight.
He gets in the ring and everyone takes a seat.
Miz wants to explain what happened last night, and we get a recap of all the Bad Bunny business. Miz apologizes, and Bunny accepts his apology. The A-Lister asks if he has anything to say back, Bad has nothing, and Miz is confused, because surely he needs to apologize too. Bunny admits that it’s a dream of his to be a WWE superstar, and Miz invites him to sit under his learning tree much like Daniel Bryan.
All they ask in return is a little favor of helping them record an album— they get Grammies, Bunny gets Slammies. Morrison has a few bars, and Bad interrupts them to say they’re... special... but he’s not interested. They threaten him, Bunny says the only reason he came here is because a good friend of his wanted to be on MizTV.
The lights go down and Damian Priest makes his entrance.
He hits the ring, the heels run away, and we go to break.
Damian Priest vs. the Miz
Match joined in progress, Priest hits a step-up tope con giro and slaps hands with Bad Bunny at commentary! Back inside, beating the A-Lister down, Miz rakes the eyes to block a back suplex and puts Damian shoulder-first into the ringpost! Awesome Clothesline, back and forth striking, Priest gets him up, Broken Arrow... NOPE! John Morrison runs interference on the apron, Miz takes advantage with a boot!
Morrison continuing to distract, Miz crawls for the Money in the Bank briefcase but Bad Bunny intercepts it before he can grab it! John gets in Mr. Bunny’s face and takes the case, but Bad pops him in the face with his microphone! Priest from behind...
Damian Priest wins by pinfall with the Reckoning.
Post-match, Priest and Bunny celebrate on the ramp.
Commentary tosses to a recap of last week’s Alexa’s Playground bit and we go to break.
Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin) (c) vs. Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado) (WWE Raw Tag Team Championship)
Dorado and Benjamin to start, Shelton almost immediately overwhelming him with power. Dorado turns the lucha up and gets away, tag to Metalik but Benjamin hits an Olympic Slam! Tag to Alexander, Gran with a dropkick to cut him off, tag to Lince, working him over, double teams send the champs to the floor and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Alexander is working Dorado over, tag to Benjamin, Lince gets a jawbreaker for separation, wheelbarrow into a snapmare, Shelton gets him up and drops him, tags and MVP encourages them to work the ribs from commentary. Cedric with a slam, only two, Dorado reverses a powerbomb attempt into a DDT and the path is clear! Dropkick, tags made, Metalik off the top with a crossbody!
Handspring moonsault, nobody home, Gran ducks a lariat, slingshot arm drag, off the second with a tijeras! Dorado with a plancha, Shelton catches him, Metalik dives and drops him! Enzuigiri from the apron, springboard caught, Metalik reverses to a pin! Boot up, quick tags, diving splash from the Golden Lynx, ropewalk senton atomico... BENJAMIN BARELY BREAKS IT UP!
Knee sends Lince crashing to the floor, whip reversed, Alexander hammers him with a knee, Shelton lines him up...
Hurt Business win by pinfall with Paydirt from Shelton Benjamin on Gran Metalik to retain the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship.
Asuka and Charlotte Flair are interviewed backstage.
Flair says Lacey Evans may think she’s learning how to play dirty but she knows what’ll happen if she steps in the ring with her, and she just feels bad for letting Asuka down for last night. Asuka says she’s not happy they lost but if it wasn’t for Charlotte’s father and the woman they would have won.
They make their entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial Lana and Naomi get an inset promo where Lana says she’s back and coming for the tag titles, and Naomi knows what it’s like to be on the sidelines, and together they’re gonna make Nia and Shayna feel all the glow.
Asuka & Charlotte Flair vs. Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose vs. Lana & Naomi (WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship #1 Contender’s Match)
Flair and Naomi to start, showing off their athleticism, Naomi with a tijeras, double dropkick, stalemate! Go-behind, back elbow from Charlotte, tags made, Rose in on Asuka and they meet with dropkicks! Wheelbarrow into a victory roll, Mandy kicks out! Off the rops, blind tags and now Lana and Dana are legal! Lana with a schoolboy, only one, Brooke with a kick, whip to the corner, handspring back elbow!
Asuka tags in, getting into it with Rose, quick tag to Brooke, double-teams to the Empress, the Sexy Muscle Friends flex and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Flair hits a back elbow on Brooke for two! Figure four headscissors, rolling her around and smashing her face into the mat, tag to Rose, go-behind, Flair Flip, shoulder block, slingshot schoolboy for one! Big boot, quick tags from the Sexy Muscle Friends put Charlotte on the back foot and they work her over. Flair fights them off, tag to Asuka, German suplex into a sliding knee... NOPE!
Up top, missile dropkick, tag to flair and Dana tags out to Lana! Charlotte working Lana over, cover for two, powerbomb lift, Lana reverses to a Frankensteiner! Tag to Naomi, she comes in hot with a lariat, a back elbow, a sitout jawbreaker, forearms push Flair into the ropes, whip across, duck a lariat, springboard roundhouse kick connects... STILL NO!
Tag to Lana, double knees across Charlotte’s back, forearm connects, off the ropes but the Queen drops her with a big boot! Spinning toehold, Lana fights out, the match devolves into “everybody do something cool” for a minute, Natural Selection but Also Sprach Zarathustra hits and here come Ric and Lacey! Off the distraction, Naomi tags in...
Lana & Naomi win by pinfall with a Rear View from Naomi on Asuka, becoming #1 contenders to the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Drew McIntyre is interviewed.
He says it’ll be an honor to face Edge at WrestleMania if he chooses, and regarding Sheamus... Brothers fight, but this is different, and if Sheamus is going to throw 20 years of friendship away, so be it. He’s got a title match if he wants it.
Commentary says Carlito will be in action on WWE TV for the first time in over ten years tonight, and we get a hype reel for him.
Carlito & Jeff Hardy vs. Elias & Jaxson Ryker
Carlito and Elias to start, collar and elbow, the Drifter backs him into the corner, arm wringer, whip across, Colon with a back elbow and a wristlock. Shifting, snapmare, cover for one. Arm wringer, arm wrench, tag to Hardy, Jeff off the top with an overhead chop to the elbow and Elias staggers into the corner and tags Ryker in. Manhattan Drop to the double leg drop to the basement dropkick to the big splash, only a one count!
Armbar, Elias tags back in, the heels work Hardy over at length, the Drifter knocks Carlito off the apron, Jeff into the corner, another quick tag, Elias with the sitout chokeslam, only two! Jaxson misses a falling headbutt, the path is clear, Carlito with the hot tag! Whip across, knee, off the ropes, another knee, Ryker ducks a lariat but gets nailed by a dropkick!
Whip across, Jaxson with a facebuster, tag to Elias, back suplex misses, Carlito hits the Backstabber, tag made...
Carlito & Jeff Hardy win by pinfall with the Swanton Bomb from Hardy on Elias.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a video package covering Edge’s retirement and comeback.
Edge sends a promo in saying that Randy Orton is a black cloud hanging over his head and criticizing him for ducking out of the Royal Rumble “injured” last night and says he has to beat him tonight so he can get out from under him and go to WrestleMania to win back a title that he never lost.
Alexa Bliss makes her entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get some hype for tonight’s edition of Raw Talk.
Edge is shown walking backstage when he runs into Damian Priest.
He congratulates him on a good job last night and says he impressed him.
Alexa Bliss vs. Nikki Cross
Cross charges in, Bliss ducks, and Nikki asks what she wants from her. Collar and elbow, side headlock, into the takeover, keeping Alexa grounded. Striking away, whip across, freight train crossbody for two! Front chancery, snap suplex, cover for two! Bliss with a jawbreaker, right hands, a nearfall! Alexa skipping into ak ick to the ribs, another nearfall, following it up with a bodyscissors.
Sister Abigail set up, Bliss hesitates and Cross hits a Regal Cutter! Boots in the corner, and suddenly Alexa has her hair down and she’s in her old gear. Nikki backs off, spooked, front kick, short-arm lariat, whip into the corner, Stinger Splash and Cross is fired up! The funhouse music plays and Alexa is back in her new gear! Taking advantage of the surprise...
Alexa Bliss wins by pinfall with Sister Abigail.
Randy Orton makes his entrance to send us to break.
Edge vs. Randy Orton
Edge in hot, big boot, cover... NOT EVEN ONE! Looking for Antivenom, Orton fights him off and rakes his eyes to break away! Randy beats him down in the corner, raking his boot laces across the Rated-R Superstar’s eyes, choking him over the middle rope, but Edge snaps off the Edgecution for two and some breathing room! Dragging himself up in the corner, charging in, snap scoop powerslam from the Viper!
Action to the floor, Orton puts Edge into the steel steps and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Orton is chasing Edge around the ring with his tongue out. Right hands, stomp to the midsection, more punches, a front kick, but Edge clobbers him with a right hand that sends both men crashing to the mat! Rising up, off the ropes, double lariat and both men are down and out! Edge up top, Randy cuts him off with right hands and climbs to join him.
Jockeying for position, Edge knocks him down and lays him out with a diving lariat! Crawling over for the cover... NOPE! RKO countered into the Edge-O-Matic... NO GOOD! Both men pulling themselves up the ropes, Edge charges in and blasts Orton off the apron and knocks him into the barricade hard! Referee Rod Zapata counting but the Rated-R Superstar wants a definitive win and he heads out to join him!
Throwing Randy inside, the Viper rolls right back out of the ring! Edge falls out after him, Orton with a thumb to his eye! Back suplex into the announce table! Taking Edge back inside, catapult into the bottom rope, following it up with the hanging DDT! Circling, stalking, Randy goes to that special place... but a music box plays in the distance and Alexa Bliss appears seated on the ringpost, some kind of dark liquid pouring out of her mouth.
Edge capitalizes...
Edge wins by pinfall with the spear.
That’s the show, folks.