WWE Raw live results: Last Elimination Chamber qualifying match
The Big Takeaway: The sixth competitor in the Elimination Chamber is still up in the air. Seth Rollins was added to the last chance Fatal Four-Way match during the show by Kurt Angle. In the main event, Rollins and Finn Balor each pinned Bray Wyatt, then argued about who won. It appears this is setting up a singles match for next week with the winner earning a spot in the Elimination Chamber. The first entrant into the Elimination Chamber will be the Miz, who lost the opening match to John Cena. It was announced that Ronda Rousey will sign her Raw contract at the Elimination Chamber. Best match of the show was the Bayley vs. Sasha Banks bout, who had easily their best match against each other since leaving NXT.
Show Recap:
Cena came out. He said WrestleMania can make a superstar’s career, can bring a legend back from the dead and be the most important moment in the career of a WWE Superstar. Cena said tonight he’s out to face the truth. The truth is in two weeks, he has to win the Elimination Chamber match. If he doesn’t win the Elimination Chamber match, he’s not sure if he has a road to WrestleMania. Cena said he has to survive the most unwinnable match in WWE history in order to win a match against the most unbeatable challenger in WWE history. Cena said he loves to make impossible absolutely possible and vowed to win the Elimination Chamber and go on to face Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania.
The Miz stepped out with the MizTourage by his side. Miz said this isn’t 2013, this is 2018, the year of the Miz. Miz wondered if Cena has spent too much time in Hollywood where he can’t differentiate fantasy from reality. He told Cena he was going to go on to main event WrestleMania and beat Lesnar to become the first person to hold the Universal and Intercontinental Championship. Cena scoffed at Miz sayng he would beat Lesnar and pointed out a fan at ringisde openly laughed when Miz said he could beat Lesnar. Cena said the only way the Miz could beat Lesnar was if Lesnar didn’t show up or he got food poisioning.
Miz shot back that he’s not afraid to cross the lines that Cena is afraid to cross, which is why he beat Reigns for the Intercontinental Championship and why he will beat Lesnar. Cena said the Miz was forgetting he still has to go through the Elimination Chamber. Miz said he can outsmart anyone who enters the chamber, just like he outsmarted Cena last year at WrestleMania. Cena responded by challenging Miz to a match tonight with the loser of the match being forced to enter the Elimination Chamber first.
Miz acted like he didn’t want the match, then Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas took out Cena, ending with something that looked like a Shatter Machine. Miz, as Cena was down and out, ordered a referee to come out and accepted Cena’s challenge. Kurt Angle came out, ordered the match complete with Cena’s stipulation and also told Dallas and Axel to the back.
Michael Cole announced that Cena would be the host of the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards on March 24.
John Cena defeated Intercontinental Champion The Miz in a nontitle match, forcing the Miz to enter the Elimination Chamber first (19:04)
Cena kicked out after Miz covered him immediately after the opening bell. After Cena hit a tornado DDT, Miz put on a lengthy sleeperhold. After a commercial, Miz failed in his first attempt at the Skull Crushing FInale, but clamped on the Figure Four Leglock. Cena lefted Miz’s pressure leg and clamped on the STF. Miz got the rope break. Miz attempted a cross body block, but Cena caught Miz and tried the AA, but Miz escaped for a Pimp Juice DDT for a near fall. Miz got a clothesline in the ropes, then made a charge at Cena, who caught him and delivered the AA, but Miz kicked out. Cena went to the top rope, but Miz grabbed the top rope to crotch Cena and put the Figure Four back on. Cena lifted Miz’s arm into a Triangle Armbar and then clamped on a crossface, leading to another Miz rope break. Cena missed a corner charge and Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale for a long two count. Miz put Cena on the top rope for the Skull Crushing Finale off the top rope, but Cena turned it into the AA off the top rope for the pin. Afterwards, Cena hugged a fan in a wheelchair, along with his family.
Hardy did a Woken interview saying he gets a second chance to fulfill his destiny tonight. Hardy said he would turn the Elimination Chamber into the Deletion Chamber. As fate would have it, Jeff Hardy was spotted behind the UNC men’s basketball team’s bench tonight against Notre Dame in Chapel Hill, NC.
Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows did an interview from backstage. The gimmick is they have a “Nerd-O-Meter” graphic on display while they’re talking and said the Revival being able to name tag teams from the 60s and 70s doesn’t make them cool, it makes them nerds.
The Revival defeated Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows (7:40)
Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder jumped the Good Brothers during their ring entrance. Wilder gave Gallows a chop block on the left leg, which he sold for the rest of the match. Later, Dawson gave Gallows another chop block as the referee was trying to get Anderson out of the ring. Now that he’s a babyface, Anderson’s big move for his hot tag sequence is a knee to the head and he makes it sound like he’s delivereing a giant karate kick. After a blind tag, Dawson pinned Anderson with the Shatter Machine.
Angle returned to say that in two weeks at the Elimination Chamber, Ronda Rousey would sign her Raw contract. That got a surprising amount of boos. He then turned to Jordan. Angle announced his son had suffered a neck injury and would miss WrestleMania. Crowd cheered. Angle got mad and said if anyone got any joy out of seeing a WWE Superstar get injured and miss WrestleMania, then they should be ashamed of themselves. Angle told the fans to be more respectful.
Rollins came out and said he was sorry about Jordan, who he called a good kid. Rollins said he can relate because he had to give up the WWE Championship. In fact, he won the championship just up the road at WrestleMania in Levi’s Stadium. He beat Reigns. He beat Lesnar. He was on top of the road and was on top of the road. Then it came crumbling down when he tore up his knee and lost his championship. Rollins talked about WrestleMania, saying he doesn’t have a championship, doesn’t have a match. Angle offered him a chance to find another tag team partner. Rollins said thanks but no thanks, he doesn’t want to be a part of Monday Night Raw, he wants to BE Monday Night Raw. He wants to turn this place back into Monday Night Rollins, he wants to be the man again. He wants Lesnar, he was the Universal Championship and he wants it at WrestleMania. But the only way he can do that is if he wins the Elimnation Chamber match.
Angle said he can’t cancel the Fatal Four-Way match. Rollins said he wants to earn an opportunity, so he proposed making the Fatal Four-Way match and make it into a Fatal Five-Way match and put him in it. Crowd chanted “yes.” Angle said he wasn’t sure because it wouldn’t be fair to the other four wrestlers. Rollins said his fate was in Angle’s hands and begged him for the opportunity. Angle said it’s not up to him or Rollins, it’s up to the fans. Angle asked the fans if he wanted to give Rollins a chance to make it to the Elimination Chamber. They chanted “Yes” and it became a Fatal Five-Way.
Bayley defeated Sasha Banks (12:03)
Announcers emphasized that Bayley was wrestling in her hometown and claimed that Banks requested this match because she wanted to beat Bayley in her hometown. Bayley got a better reaction than usual, but it was light years away from her reaction when she made her main roster debut at the Battleground PPV in July 2016. Banks was a total heel as she threw Bayley out of the ring, then drop kicked Bayley on her left kneecap as she tried to get back in the ring. Then Banks draped Bayley’s injured right shoulder over the ropes. Banks delivered the double knees in the corner, but Banks caught her with a clothesline. It was a total fight at this point, with Bayley delivering a series of fists in the corner and a stunner against the ropes. Bayley caught a knee to the face, but missed the elbow off the top rope. Banks put on the Bank Statement, but Bayley made the ropes. Bayley did a forward roll as Banks grabbed her leg, sending Banks into the corner. Banks went to the second rope. but Bayley climbed the second rope for a Bayley-to-Belly superplex for a pin.
After Bayley celebrated, the two had a long stare at each other. They appeared ready to hug, but Jax ran out of the crowd and decked both women. Bayley tried to push Banks out of the way, but Jax gave both Bayley and Banks a Samoan Drop for heel heat. Charly Caruso came out and asked why Jax interjected herself in a moment that had nothing to do with her. Jax said this had everything to do with her. She said over the past two weeks, both Banks and Bayley had taken Asuka to her limit, yet she destroyed both of them in seconds. Jax said there was only one women who could end Asuka’s undefeated streak and it was her.
Backstage, Reigns asked Rollins about possibly being in the Elimination Chamber. Rollins asked Reigns if he was worried about him being in the chamber. Reigns said he hopes that Rollins wins because he will eliminate him just like he did at the Royal Rumble. Sheamus and Cesaro walked in laughing about how Jordan and Dean Ambrose must be in physical therapy together discussing how lousy of a tag team partner Rollins is. Reigns asked Cesaro what happened to his mouth? Then Reigns remembered that Cesaro ran into the Shield. Reigns challenged Sheamus to later tonight.
That ran a detailed package on the undefeaed string of Asuka, measuring 240 wins and 0 losses, spanning 860 days. 34 different women across 11 countries and four continents have lost to Asuka, eight of them former champions. She had a 543-day reign as NXT Champion and the 1st women’s Royal Rumble Champion, going through 15 different women. If this Asuka push doesn’t take, it’s not for a lack of trying.
Crews, TItus O’Neil and Dana Brooke did an interview with Renee Young. O’Neil took the mic and asked the questions. O’Neil asked Crews if he was going to be deleted by Hardy. Crews said he was ready to create history. Brooke said Crews Can’t Lose and O’Neil got fired up. Crews said he was going to take one small step for himself and one giant leap for Titus Worldwide.
Mickie James ran into Alexa Bliss backstage. James asked why did Bliss save her last week against Sonya DeVille and Mandy Rose? Bliss said she was tired of the new faces trying to prove themselves against the established Raw stars. Bliss said she also wanted to clear the air between them. James brought up Bliss calling her old, getting her a walker, then said she called Bliss “Biscut Butt.” Bliss said James was amazing how she looked despite being a mother. James wasn’t buying any of this, even though Bliss claimed she was trying to apologize. Bliss said if Absolution wins the championship, they would keep the championship to themselves. Every week it would be Mandy vs. Sonya, Sonya vs. Mandy. James said she appreciated what Bliss did for her last week, but she was buttering the wrong biscut.
Absolution (w/ Paige) defeated Alexa Bliss & Mickie James (4:00)
Bliss kept eyeing James like she was waiting for the right moment to turn on her while she was getting the shine on DeVille. James hit flying head scissors out of the corner. Rose came in and put James in the abdominal stretch. James rolled out and hit a hangman’s neckbreaker. James reached for the hot tag, but Paige started screaming at Bliss. DeVille dragged Bliss off the apron and Rose pinned James after the Bed of Roses. Rose and DeVille put the boots to James after the match, but Bliss again ran in for the save.
Vince Curry and Brandon Cunningham of the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles were shown wearing WWE championship belts at the Eagles’ victory parade last week.
Elias came out for the debut of a new song. Elias ran down the San Jose crowd saying it was an hour away from a real city like San Francisco, then changed his mind and said every city in California was a toxic dump. Elias said he was the same man who defeated Cena and Braun Strowman at the same place at the same time, which makes him the odds-on favorite to win the Elimination Chamber. He would prove WWE stand with Walk With Elias, and he wrote a song called the “Elimination Chamber Blues,” which he was about to perform. He started to sing but the crowd was booing pretty loud. Elias threatened not to sing, which didn’t hurt the crowd’s feelings. Elias sang since his vocal cords were already warmed up. He said six men enter but only one man leaves. As he was singing, the crowd roared because Strowman was out on the ramp. JoJo announced “Ladies and Gentleman, Braun Strowman.” Then Strowman appeared on the ramp with his own spotlight. He pulled out a stand up bass and strummed it. The bass strings broke after just a few notes. Strowman actually has a pretty good voice. Strowman said since he broke the strings, he can’t play this damn thing so there was only one thing he could do with it. He carried it to the ring and threatened to hit Elias with it. Elias begged off while holding up his own guitar as a weapon. Elias offered to put his guitar down if Strowman put is guitar down. Each man put their respective guitars down, but Elias jumped Strowman before he could get in the ring. Elias went for his guitar, but Strowman grabbed him by the throat and gave him the sledgehammer to the chest. Corey Graves dropped a reference to the old Pantera song “Primal Concrete Sledge.” Strowman gave Elias the running powerslam. As Elias crawled from the ring, Strowman picked up the stand up bass again and stood over Elias, then smashed the bass over Elias. A group of referees rushed out to check on Elias.
Roman Reigns defeated Sheamus (w/ Cesaro) (14:22)
Early on, Sheamus kept getting knocked out of the ring from Reigns’ punches. Sheamus eventually dragged Regins out of the ring and gave him a rollins senton. Sheamus put on a Texas Cloverleaf, but Regins kicked him off and caught a Samoan Drop for a two count. Reigns went for the Superman punch, but Sheamus caught him and hit White Noise for a two count. Sheamus called for the Brogue Kick, but Reigns met him with a Superman punch, but Sheamus kicked out at two. Reigns called for the Spear, but Sheamus met him with a knee. Sheamus attempted a huracanrana, but Regins held him into a Liger Bomb for another near fall. Cesaro jumped up on the apron, which distracted Reigns. Sheamus used a schoolboy cradle and a V-Trigger knee to the head for near falls. Regins rolled out fo the ring. Cesaro ran after Reigns, who backdropped Cesaro into the crowd. Regins went for the Drive By, but Sheamus caught him with a stiff clothesline. Sheamus threw Regins back in the ring, then climbed the top rope. Sheamus jumped off, only to have Regins catch him with a spear for the three count. Good, physical match.
They introduced Ivory as the newest member of the WWE Hall of Fame. They showed Ivory’s days in GLOW before moving on to the WWE during the Attitude Era. They showed her stint with Right to Censor, where she wrestled in a long skirt. They claimed her most famous rivalry was with Chyna, a program that ended at WrestleMania 17.
Seth Rollins and Finn Balor each pinned Bray Wyatt in a Fatal Five-Way that also included Matt Hardy and Apollo Crews (16:18)
They started the match during a commercial after all the ring entrances. When Wyatt did his lean back in the corner spot, Hardy smiled and led the crowd in applause. Hardy gave Wyatt and Balor each a side effect. Hardy called for the Twist of Fate on Wyatt, but Rollins came off the top rope for a flying clothesline on Hardy. Rollins gave Crews and Wyatt a double blockbuster, then hit Balor with a tope, followed by a tope for Hardy, then one for Wyatt. Rollins used the vertical suplex into a Falcon Arrow on Crews for a near fall. Wyatt clobbered Rollins with a clothesline, but Balor came back with a Sling Blade on Wyatt, followed by the Woo Dropkick. He attempted the Coup de Grace, but Rollins climbed up top and put the fists to Balor. Rollins attempted the Phoenix Splash on Wyatt, but Wyatt moved out of the way. Wyatt walked into the Twist of Fate from Hardy, but Balor came off the top with a Coup de Grace to Hardy. Rollins caught Balor with the Curb Stomp, but Crews rolled in for the save. Crews gave Rollins a powerslam, followed by a standing moonsault for another near fall. Rollins went for the Ripcord, but Crews caught Rollins with a kick to the head and nailed the standing Shooting Star Press on Rollins for a two count. Crews went for a moonsault but Hardy caught him on the top rope and tried the side effect off the top rope, but Wyatt pulled Hardy to the floor and gave him Sister Abigail on the floor. Wyatt took Crews and tried a superplex, but Rollins and Balor pulled Wyatt down into a Tower of Doom spot. Then Balor and Rollins each covered Wyatt and the referee counted three. But both Rollins and Balor thought they won. The referee never identified a sole, clear winner and the show went off the air with the sixth competitor in the Elimination Chamber still unknown.