Our WWE Raw results for tonight include Bianca Belair & Naomi defending the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship against Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez, Dakota Kai challenging Lyra Valkyria for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship, The New Day battling the LWO in tag team action, Penta clashing with Ludwig Kaiser and Pete Dunne in a triple-threat grudge match, CM Punk, Logan Paul & Seth Rollins appearing to hype the Elimination Chamber Match. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from the Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
WWE Raw Card:
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Bianca Belair & Naomi (c) vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
- WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Dakota Kai
- The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. LWO (Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro)
- Penta vs. Ludwig Kaiser vs. Pete Dunne
- CM Punk, Logan Paul & Seth Rollins set to appear to hype WWE Elimination Chamber
WWE Raw Results:
Logan Paul is in the House
Logan Paul dumps on Cincinnati. As the crowd boos, Paul claims he asked the pilot to turn around, but he decided to come to perform in front of these peasants. Paul promises to defeat all the door nobs he’ll be in the ring with at the Elimination Chamber. CM Punk interrupts. Paul asks Punk what his problem is with him. Paul calls Punk jealous because Punk fails at everything. Punk says he doesn’t have a problem with Paul. He doesn’t know Paul enough to have an opinion. With that, Paul seems to be a dumb kid with no character or substance.
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Punk says these people deserve better than Paul. Paul rants about it only being a matter of time until everyone chants his name instead of Punk’s name. Punk says Paul isn’t going to be here long enough for the people to remember who Paul is. Punk promises to go on to WrestleMania and defeat Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship. WrestleMania is all about Punk this year. Rhodes may think he has to sell his soul, but Rhodes needs to know that Punk is Satan… and Paul is nobody. Paul slaps Punk and runs away.
Grade: B
Punk and Paul’s back and forth was short and sweet. Weirdly, they seem to be building towards Paul and Punk at WrestleMania, which is a choice.
Penta vs. Ludwig Kaiser vs. Pete Dunne
Dunne drops Kaiser with an enziguri to start the match. Kaiser rolls out. Penta sends Dunne flying with a rana. Dunne rolls out. Kaiser attacks Penta from behind. After a series of reversals, Penta surprises Kaiser with a backstabber. The ring clears, and Penta lands a dive. After the break, Kaiser goes up top.
Penta sends Kaiser flying off the top with a head scissors. Kaiser lands on Dunne. Dunne snaps Kaiser’s fingers. Penta surprises Dunne with a Mexican destroyer. Penta snaps Dunne’s arm. Before Penta can hit the Penta driver, Kaiser tosses Penta out of the ring. Kaiser hits the DreamDT on Dunne for the win.
Winner- Ludwig Kaiser
Grade: B-
Fun match, but too much “guy gets sent out of the ring so the other two can pair off.” Surprising finish, but Kaiser needed the win.
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During an interview in the crowd, Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley says she will go on to WrestleMania after she beats IYO SKY. SKY interrupts and says she will be the women’s champion.
The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. LWO (Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro)
Wilde and Del Toro land a flurry of offense on Woods. Woods won’t stay down, kicking out of every pin attempt. Kingston and Woods take control after Kingston low bridges the rope. Wilde and Del Toro fire up. Kingston and Woods eventually land the UpUpDownDown for the win.
Winners- The New Day
After the match, Woods and Kingston beat down Wilde and Del Toro. Dragon Lee tries to make the save but is eventually left laid out with the rest of the LWO.
Grade: C+
Standard stuff here. The heat after the match wasn’t particularly effective. Is this leading to a WrestleMania tag match between New Day, Rey Mysterio… and a mystery partner?
The Ring General!
Gunther notes that he knows the crowd can’t wait to watch the greatest wrestler in the world in the ring tonight. Before his match, Gunther notes that he was initially upset when Jey Uso challenged him to a match at WrestleMania. Now, Gunther loves the idea. Gunther will end Jey and his stupid Yeeting. Gunther notes he marched into Raw GM Adam Pearce‘s office today and offered to wrestle tonight.
His handpicked opponent tonight is Akira Tozawa. Gunther tells Tozawa that he picked him because he saw Tozawa doing stupid tick-tock dances with his idiot friends. Tozawa is just like Jey Uso, dancing around like an idiot like Jey. Gunther notes that Tozawa has a chance to do something Jey Uso could never do: earn Gunther’s respect. Gunther mushes Tozawa. Tozawa boots Gunther in the face, and the bell rings.
World Heavyweight Champion Gunther vs. Akira Tozawa w/Alpha Academy
Tozawa lands a flurry of strikes. Gunther boots Tozawa in the face. Tozawa lands a chop. Gunther obliterates Tozawa with a chop. Tozawa counters a powerbomb into a guillotine. Gunther tosses Tozawa away. Tozawa reverses a powerbomb into a pin. Gunther kicks at 2.9.
Tozawa tries a dive and gets caught in a Boston crab. Tozawa gets to the ropes. Gunther begs Tozawa to hit him. Tozawa lands a few strikes. Gunther lands a vicious chop. Powerbomb by Gunther. Tozawa doesn’t kick out, but Gunther picks Tozawa up to break the referee’s count. Gunther lifts Tozawa in a sleeper. Tozawa passes out.
Winner- Gunther
After the match, Gunther goes after Tozawa again. Otis breaks it up. Gunther rolls out of the ring. Otis and Maxxine Dupri check on Tozawa. Gunther slides back in and locks Otis in a sleeper. Jey Uso makes the save.
Grade: A
This was highly effective. Tozawa is beloved by the crowd for his silliness. He isn’t R-Truth, but he’s held in a somewhat similar regard. Beating up someone who is loved for being an idiot is always a great way to get heat. Gunther has lost a bit of his bite as of late, so this will go a long way in getting that back. Tozawa is also amazing at working as the underdog. Both men look great out there tonight.
WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Dakota Kai
The fight spills out of the ring. Kai lands a senton off the apron. After the break, Valkyria lands a superplex. Valkyria and Kai trade strikes. Kai floors Valkyria with a scorpion kick. Valkyria and Kai trade pin attempts. Neither woman can get the advantage. Valkyria bridges out of several pins and lands a nasty powerbomb.
Kai and Valkyria are working hard out here tonight, doing some quality chain wrestling. Valkyria dives off the top into a boot. Kai lands a running boot in the corner. Kairopractor by Kai. Valkyria kicks out! Valkyria plucks Kai off the top rope and hits Nightwing for the win.
Winner- Lyra Valkyria
After the match, Ivy Nile attacks Kai and Valkyria
Grade: B+
This was a heck of a match. This was Valkyria’s best match since joining the main roster. Both women had their working boots out tonight, as they displayed some of the best counter wrestling we’ve seen on Raw this year. This writer is not a fan of Valkyria, but if she can have more outings like this, that will change. Great stuff.
Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker vs. Dominik Mysterio w/The Judgement Day
Dominik tries to runs away. Breakker destroys Dominik with a super Steinerline. Breakker chases Dominik around the ring. Dominik stomps Breakker as he rolls back in the ring. Breakker counters Dominik’s suplex with a waterfall drop. After a distraction from Carlito, Dominik lands a dive. Dominik works over Breakker. After another distraction from Carlito, Dominik lands the 619. Dominik goes up top. Breakker surprises Dominik with the breakinsteiner. Finn Bálor and Carlito pull Breakker out of the ring and attack him. The referee calls for the bell.
Winner- Bron Breakker
After the match, Breakker takes everyone out. Bálor tries a sneak attack, but Breakker turns around. Breakker and Bálor stare each other down. Bálor rolls out of the ring.
Grade: B
Good showing for both men. Dominik has come into his own as a sniveling bad guy.
What do you Want to Talk About?
WWE Champion Cody Rhodes says he knows what we all want to talk about. What does it mean for someone to want someone’s soul? Rhodes says he has never lied to the WWE Universe and won’t start now. The decision he has to make at Elimination Chamber doesn’t just affect him. It affects his friends and family. The Rock is saying Rhodes won’t have to fight and claw and scratch for the things he wants if he accepts. Seth “Freakin” Rollins interrupts.
Rollins says he would love to come out here and congratulate Rhodes on all his success, but that’s not why he’s out here.He’s here to ask Rhodes what the hell he’s thinking. Nearly a year ago, they stood side by side against The Bloodline and The Rock. The fact that Rhodes didn’t slap The Rock in the face on the spot is a slap in Rollins’ face. Rollins cautions Rhodes not to make him regret what Rollins sacrificed to help Rhodes win the championship. Rhodes says The Rock didn’t ask Rollins for his soul because Rollins’ is already compromised.
Rhodes notes that Rollins was the MVP of last year’s WrestleMania, but Rollins is being awfully judgemental. Rollins says he doesn’t want Rhodes to make the same mistakes he did. Rollins pleads with Rhodes not to make Rollins hate him. The man Rollins wants to face at WrestleMania isn’t a soulless shell of himself. Rollins wants to face Rhodes at his best at WrestleMania. Rollins isn’t coming for Rhodes’ soul, he’s coming for his title.
This event is ongoing. This information will be updated as the event progresses.
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