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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Mar. 22, 2021) from the ThunderDome at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, featuring all the fallout from the Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) that went down just last night at the very same venue.
Advertised for tonight: Rhea Ripley makes her long awaited and heavily hyped debut as a member of the red brand, the build to Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE championship at WrestleMania 37 begins proper, The Fiend is back and there’s surely something going on with Randy Orton to follow up on last night, 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. 22
Keep your secrets in the dark, nothing matters anymore. Body’s breaking, driving me crazy. Oh this is not your place, no this is not your playground, it’s my heart. We were stupid, we got caught, but nothing matters anymore, because I’ve got to liveblog this here pro wrestling show, folks.
The show opens with Bobby Lashley making his entrance for our opening contest.
Bobby Lashley vs. Sheamus
Surprisingly genteel in the feeling out, Sheamus looking for an armbar, Lashley backs him into the corner and they trade strikes briefly before the All Mighty overwhelms him! Clubbing him down, snap suplex follows, grinding the Celtic Warrior down with a rear chinlock. Neckbreaker follows, cover for two and he grabs a reverse chinlock as a followup.
Sheamus fights to his feet, Bob backs him into the ropes with knee lifts and punches, takes him across the ring, whip reversed, Lashley back body drops him to the apron! Sheamus hangs him up, looking for the Beats of the Bodhran but Lashley shrugs him off. Cedric Alexander gets on the apron for a distraction and Shelton Benjamin blasts Sheamus with a lariat on the floor!
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Sheamus fights his way out of a hold, off the ropes, front kick, snap scoop powerslam and Lashley reasserts himself! Schoolboy pin, Bob kicks out but Sheamus passes him into the post immediately after! Out of the corner with lariats, Lashley blocks one and fires off some back elbows, the Celtic Warrior passes him to the apron and hits overhead strikes until he turns him around for the Beats of the Bodhran!
Sheamus with a diving lariat to the floor, back inside, a diving battering ram... NOPE! Bob with clubbing blows to the kidney, float over, a wicked knee strike from Sheamus lays him out, only two! Sidestep the Brogue Kick, Cedric Alexander with the distraction, Lashley hits the thrust spinebuster! Drawing him up, the Hurt Lock applied...
Bobby Lashley wins by submission with the Hurt Lock.
Post-match Drew McIntyre comes to the ring to stare his WrestleMania opponent down. Bob holds the title up and Drew calls his shot. They jaw, Montel Vontavious Porter holds his man back and asks him to save it for Mania. McIntyre begs him to hit him, MVP keeps hammering the business line and Lashley leaves the ring.
And so we go to break.
Back from commerical, Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin are walking backstage when they run into an irate Bobby Lashley.
Lashley asks what they were thinking and says he didn’t want nor need their help. Montel Vontavious Porter tells them they tarnished Bob’s imagine and embarrassed him just the same as when they lost the tag titles. He tells them to think about what they’re gonna do to make it right and walks off.
We get a video package for the Alexa Bliss vs. Randy Orton business.
Asuka makes her entrance to send us to break.
Asuka vs. Peyton Royce
Circling, Asuka goes for a side headlock, Royce fights out, into the corner, up and over and the Empress dances to celebrate. Roll through, whip reversed, duck a lariat, whip, Peyton goes for a sunset flip, Asuka rolls through, Royce picks the leg but the Empress gets the ropes to force the break. Wristlock, Asuka counters with an armbar, Peyton rolls around, bridging toehold applied.
Asuka out with kicks, boot up in the corner, Royce slides under, gets dumped to the apron and dropped with an Uraken! Hip attack sidestepped, Peyton trips her up into the apron back-first and we go to break.
Back from commercial, both women are down and out and drag themselves up the ropes. Asuka with a dropkick, hip attack in the corner, German suplex blocked at first but she gets it on the second try! Sliding knee... NOPE! Missile dropkick into jockeying for position over a German, Peyton catches the Uraken and hits a Widow’s Peak... STILL NO! Asuka reverses a submission attempt, Asuka Lock reversed into a victory roll!
Reverse roundhouse, Asuka ducks, Codebreaker connects... NOT ENOUGH! Missile dropkick for a nearfall of her own, Asuka sucks her in for a cross armbar and shifts to the Asuka Lock...
Asuka wins by submission with the Asuka Lock.
Post-match, Rhea Ripley makes her entrance!
She gets in the ring and squares up with Asuka before getting on the mic.
She tells Asuka that she’s one of the greatest champions in WWE history and she’s proved her point. Last she saw, Charlotte Flair was out here challenging her for the title while Asuka was recovering from having her teeth knocked out, but now Charlotte’s out recovering from COVID, so... on her first official night here on Raw, she challenges Asuka to a title match at WrestleMania!
Asuka says some stuff in Japanese before accepting the match!
Drew McIntyre runs into five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce backstage and tells him that Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin has challenged him to a handicap match. He’s inclined to turn them down but he wanted to give Drew a chance to hear about it before doing it. McIntyre wants to do it but he’s got a stipulation— if he wins, they’re banned from ringside at WrestleMania.
We see the crew prepping the ring for an interview segment and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of what we just saw, because Raw is three hours long and it’s also a pretty monumental plot development for Raw.
The Miz makes his entrance, followed shortly thereafter by John Morrison.
Miz gets on the mic and welcomes us to MizTV, admitting he has something to get off his chest— he’s had a grueling, strenuous couple weeks and the last thing he needed was to be laughed at and ridiculed by Damian Priest and Bad Bunny. To his credit, Bunny is one of the biggest stars in music, but who does he think he is?
The A-Lister reminds us of his bonafides, including being the only two-time Grand Slam Champion and complains that he and Morrison still don’t get the respect they deserve, and he throws up the WrestleMania poster, which has both Priest and Bunny but neither he nor Johnny Raw, and they proceed to complain about that. Last week was the final straw, and now Bad Bunny has his attention.
They play footage of them getting into it with Bunny last week and Miz says that’s a warning to anybody that thinks they can waltz on in here and walk all over them. We get a drum roll and Miz announces that next week will feature a special edition of the Dirt Sheet with the world premiere of a song entitled Hey Hey, Hop Hop, dedicated to Bad Bunny.
Morrison jokes that the opposite of a Bad Bunny is a good rapper, and we get a sneak preview of their goofy little music video, featuring both of them in bunny suits dancing around. Miz doubles down and says he’s going to make sure Bad Bunny’s WrestleMania becomes a living nightmare, because he’s challenging him to a match. He’ll end his music career and his career, period.
And for a sneak preview of WrestleMania, he’s gonna wrestle Jeff Hardy right now.
Hardy makes his entrance to send us to break.
Jeff Hardy vs. the Miz
Jeff Hardy gets on the mic and says we know how this goes, so if he’s a real man, Miz’ll send Morrison to the back right now. The A-Lister agrees and sends John to the back!
Miz with punches, Hardy stops him short of the turnbuckles and smashes his face into them! Corner to corner, Miz comes back and puts boots to him before choking him in the ropes, off the ropes, knee to the back of the head! Off the ropes, big boot, a cover for two! Jeff puts a rally together, kick into the corner, right hands, whip reversed, big elbow! Manhattan Drop to the double leg drop to the basement dropkick to the big splash, only two!
Into the corner, whip reversed, Hardy with the boots up, he pops up top and calls for it, diving splash... MIZ KICKS OUT! Twist of Fate blocked, Miz posts him into the corner, full nelson...
The Miz wins by pinfall with Skull-Crushing Finale.
Post-match, Miz celebrates his victory... AND BAD BUNNY APPEARS OUT OF NOWHERE WITH THE EL KABONG! A furious Miz stares him down while Bunny gets on the mic, panting. He tells Miz he accepts his challenge, bitch!
We see AJ Styles and his Big Buddy Omos when Matt Riddle scoots on by and calls AJ “skipper.” Styles complains about New Day inspiring goofs like Riddle and says he’s gonna make New Day look really bad tonight.
They resume walking and we go to break.
Back from commercial, AJ Styles cuts a promo hyping up how he’s gonna win the tag titles with Omos at WrestleMania.
He puts New Day over as a great tag team who have earned their legacy in the process.
New Day make their entrance and cut his promo off, Kofi Kingston getting on the mic, scoffing at the idea of these two winning the tag titles from them, given that they’re not really a team and all. Xavier Woods tells Omos that AJ’s just gonna bring him down, given his natural size and abilities, and they question how well Styles knows his Big Buddy.
AJ says his favorite color is red, but Omos says mauve. Favorite ice cream, Styles says vanilla bean, Omos says peanut butter caramel. Favorite WWE superstar of all time, AJ says himself, but his pal says it’s actually Andre the Giant. New Day asks how he can trust Styles, but AJ cuts him off and calls Kofi into the ring so he can kick his butt.
We go to break before the match can begin.
Back from commercial, commentary hypes up Eric Bischoff as the newest addition to the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame class.
AJ Styles vs. Kofi Kingston
Kingston right in with a side headlock, trying to grind Styles down, stopping him short of a shoot-off, AJ gets him in the corner and reverses to a headlock of his own! Shoot off, shoulder block, drop down, leapfrog, leapfrog, back elbow, cover for one. Into the corner, Kofi with right hands, Styles slingshots to the apron but Kingston cuts him off with an elbow!
Monkey flip out of the corner, cover, not even one! Kofi knocks him out of the ring with a dropkick, AJ pulls him out after him, they brawl on the floor in from of Omos! Smashing Kingston into the steel steps, Omos cuts Xavier Woods off when he comes over for the save and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Styles has a reverse chinlock locked on and keeps control of Kingston. Kofi gets out, big leaping lariat, Boom Drop connects, Trouble in Paradise attempt but AJ counters with an enzuigiri! Up in the corner, jockeying for position, Kingston with the Shadows Over Hell style diving splash... NOT ENOUGH! Calf Killer applied... KOFI GETS THE ROPES!
Sunset flip gets a dropkick to the knee, Styles looking for the Phenomenal Forearm but Xavier Woods plays trombone for the distraction! Omos stalks after Woods, AJ springboards, Kingston catches him...
Kofi Kingston wins by pinfall with SOS.
Sheamus is interviewed backstage.
He talks about how he never backs down from a challenge and he lives for a fight, and asked about Drew McIntyre making the save earlier tonight and he says that was respectful of Drew, but he didn’t ask for the help and he can’t stand him.
Matt Riddle scoots up and asks a bunch of silly questions, which sets Sheamus off and gets him in his face. He asks Matt if the scooter is easy to ride, he gushes, the Celtic Warrior makes like he’s interested in riding it before picking it up and clobbering Riddle in the gut with it!
Drew McIntyre makes his entrance to send us to break.
Drew McIntyre vs. Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin) (Handicap Match)
Benjamin to start, McIntyre backs him into the corner with strikes, lays him out with a back elbow, and draws him up for a sheerdrop brainbuster for two! Alexander in, big back body drop runs him right out but gives Shelton a chance to do a series of waistlock takedowns. Drew keeps himself from behind grounded, stomp the hand, Benjamin comes back with punches that back him into the corner.
Whip across, McIntyre explodes out of the corner with a lariat! Action to the floor, Drew putting Shelton into the barricade again and again before throwing him back inside, waiting for him to rise and staggering him with a right hand! Benjamin with a knee lift, off the ropes, blind tag, Drew drops Cedric with an elbow but gets chop blocked right after and sent to the floor with a knee!
Alexander off the ropes, suicide dive right on the button and they send McIntyre into the barricade to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Alexander is grinding McIntyre down but Drew fights out with punches. He shoves Cedric into the corner, Benjamin tags in, big knee for a nearfall! Quick tags and double-teams, another nearfall, Shelton hammering him with grounded punches and grabbing a side headlock. McIntyre to his feet, ramming him into the corner, trading punches, kick for a headbutt and both men are down and out!
Alexander with the tag but Drew rises to the occasion with wicked lariats and belly-to-belly suplexes! Future Shock to Shelton, jumping neckbreaker on Cedric, kip-up and the Scotsman is fired up! Claymore takes Benjamin out, off the ropes...
Drew McIntyre wins by pinfall with Claymore on Cedric Alexander, barring him and Shelton Benjamin from ringside at WrestleMania.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Montel Vontavious Porter berates Cedric and Shelton backstage for losing.
Bobby Lashley rolls up and yells at them that he’s gonna go find someone that *will* get the job done. He walks to the locker room around the corner, which has Akira Tozawa, Humberto Carrillo, Drew Gulak, Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik, and Ricochet in it, and offers a bounty for anyone that takes Drew McIntyre out before WrestleMania.
Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose vs. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler
Lana and Naomi are on commentary for this one.
Rose to start, shoulder thrusts on Baszler in the corner, tag made, scoop and a slam, Brooke with a handspring splash for two. Shayna ducks a lariat, lifting backbreaker, looking for the tag but Jax is busy chatting with Reginald. Dana bounces off of her, Kirifuda Clutch applied, Rose breaks it up but sends Baszler into a tag! Brooke gets her in the corner, handspring back elbow, off the ropes and Nia runs her over with a lariat!
Mandy yells at Reggie, Jax drops Mandy with a headbutt and he shows off a quick flip. Dana floats over a slam, chop block, tag, spin-out bulldog into a running boot, almost! Brooke cuts Baszler off, Reginald gets involved and Shayna clobbers Rose! Nia capitalizes...
Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler win by pinfall with a Samoan Drop from Jax on Dana Brooke.
Alexa Bliss is swinging backstage on her playground set.
She says she knows Randy Orton wanted her out of his life, but she’s still here, and so is He. And tonight, Orton had better be careful what he wishes for.
She does the big Fiend “let me in” and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Elias is in the ring with Jaxson Ryker and Shane McMahon, ready to sing us a song.
We get a recap of Shane McMahon’s injury and Elias getting squashed by Braun Strowman.
Shane says his match against Braun is still on once he’s healed up, whenever that is, and berates Elias for interrupting and tells him he’s got a rematch tonight and tells him to play his song entitled Braun is Stupid. It’s a duet and it’s exactly what it sounds like.
Braun Strowman makes his entrance.
He says even McMahon having a peg leg wouldn’t stop him from wrestling him, and he’s got a song for Elias entitled The Man Who Got These Hands.
He’ll get These Hands after the break.
Back from commercial we get some hype for noted racist Hulk Hogan and pillar of the community Titus O’Neil hosting WrestleMania together.
Braun Strowman vs. Elias
Strowman freight training Elias from the jump, action goes to the floor and back in and the Drifter takes control briefly. Braun regains momentum with a big dropkick, clobbers an intervening Jaxson Ryker, and freight trains around ringside while literal train noises play and he pounces both guys! Back inside...
Braun Strowman wins by pinfall with the running powerslam.
Post-match, Shane goes to attack Braun with the crutch and when it has no effect, he runs away on his injured legs.
Strowman gets on the mic and calls him out for faking the injury, saying he’s had enough of the games and being called stupid, and he’s going to end this at WrestleMania. Shane accepts and offers him any match that he wants, claiming that he’ll win becaust Braun is stupid.
We see Randy Orton walking backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, commentary hypes up the WrestleMania cards as they currently stand— McIntyre/Lashley, Banks/Belair, and Miz/Bunny on Night One, and Edge/Reigns and Asuka/Ripley on Night Two.
Randy Orton makes his entrance, carrying some kind of sack.
He gets in the ring and on the mic and says it seems like it was just yesterday that he was standing in the middle of the ring after watching the Fiend burn. He says after tonight there will be no more mind games, no more Alexa Bliss, and no more Fiend. After tonight, the bullshit comes to an end.
Enter Alexa Bliss, carrying a jack-in-the-box.
She tells Randy to be careful what he wishes for and cranks it until the jack pops out.
The lights go down Fiendwise.
They come back up red with the Extra Crispy Fiend in the ring behind Randy with gouts of flame pouring out of the ringposts. Orton turns around in shock and opens his sack, pulling a gas can out. He approaches the Fiend cautiously and shakes some gasoline out on him, but Wyatt remains unmoving. Randy wipes his hands on the sack and pulls out a box of matches.
He chooses to hit an RKO rather than strike a match!
Bliss gets up on the apron behind him and enters the ring. Orton hesitates before turning to face the Fiend and he gets caught in the Mandible Claw! Sister Abigail! Alexa skips around the ring and they point at the WrestleMania sign.
We get a graphic for the match and are informed that it’s happening on night two.
That’s the show, folks.