WWE Raw live results: Last Woman Standing match
Date: March 18, 2024
Location: PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC
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Show Recap —
Cody Rhodes was shown arriving earlier today with his dog Pharaoh. DIY and the Creed Brothers were also shown arriving.
Michael Cole mentioned that Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso would be just the third-ever brother vs. brother match at WrestleMania. He mentioned “Bret vs. Owen” and “Matt vs. Jeff” as the others. He also announced a sold-out crowd of over 14,000 tonight.
Jey Uso promo
Jey Uso entered to a big reaction. Jey said he knew the Bloodline were in the building because he knew how they rolled so he called out Jimmy.
Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa entered through the crowd. Jey and Jimmy stared each other down in the ring, which eventually got an “Uso” chant.
Jey told Jimmy that, despite everything that’s happened, “I miss you. I do.” Jey said they don’t see each other anymore and he asked Jimmy to come back to him.
Jimmy said he never left him. He protected Jey and it was Jey’s idea to leave the Bloodline. Jimmy said Jey went on to become the hottest star on Raw, the top merchandise seller, and a tag team champion — without him. Jey was able to do all of that because Jimmy protected him. The biggest moment of Jey’s career came because of Jimmy.
Jey said no. The biggest moment of his career would be his dream match at WrestleMania 40. “Me versus you, when I knock the Yeet out your ass.” Jey dropped Jimmy with a right hand but a distraction by Sikoa allowed Jimmy to knock down Jey with a superkick.
Cody Rhodes ran out (without music) to make the save. He nailed Sikoa with a Cody Cutter while wearing his fancy clothes and shoes. Rhodes helped Jey to his feet and Jey’s music played.
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There was a video package for Becky Lynch vs. Nia Jax which is tonight’s main event.
Adam Pearce was having a heated conversation on the phone when he was approached by Paul Heyman. Heyman assured him that what happened with Jimmy and Sikoa earlier was not authorized by him or anyone else in the Bloodline. Heyman assured Pearce that, on Roman Reigns’ word, Jimmy and Sikoa were gone from the building.
Heyman also assured Pearce that he was only there on official business (which Pearce knew) and that he would leave once that business was over. He also hinted that everyone would get caught off guard by what happens later tonight.
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Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa defeated The Creed Brothers to qualify for the WrestleMania 6-pack ladder match (18:28)
DIY hit dives which led to a commercial break. Brutus tossed around DIY before Julius joined him to double-team Ciampa. Julius did a very impressive spot where he got Ciampa up in vertical suplex position from his knees and hit a delayed suplex. Brutus hit Gargano with a vertical suplex too and both men hit standing moonsaults which led to a two count on Ciampa. Gargano saved Ciampa from a Brutus Ball but Brutus slammed Gargano before tackling Ciampa over the announce desk.
After a break, Ciampa hit a reverse DDT and made the tag to Gargano who ran wild on the Creeds. Ciampa hit Julius with a second rope air raid crash for a nearfall. Julius and Ciampa exchanged strikes until Julius put him in an ankle lock. Gargano tried to make a save but Julius somehow powerbombed him with one arm.
The Creeds both put each opponent in ankle locks but Gargano and Ciampa reversed into their versions of the crossface. The Creeds fought out, picked up each member of DIY and literally chucked them at each other mid-air.
Julius and Brutus each hit Ciampa with moonsaults which led to a nearfall. They set up for Brutus Ball but Ciampa slipped out and applied a cradle. Brutus broke that up so Gargano chucked him from the ring. Julius had a cradle applied but Gargano superkicked him and Ciampa reversed into a cradle of his own for the pinfall win.
(This was really good and it felt like DIY earned their Mania spot by winning this sort of match.)
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Andrade met with Judgment Day (minus Damian Priest). They noted Andrade had a match next week and they’d be watching him closely. Andrade crossed paths with Priest as he left.
Priest admonished JD McDonagh for losing last week. Rhea Ripley said Ricochet made a fool out of McDonagh. Ripley said Dom would make an example of Ricochet. Dominik was caught off guard by this but Dom acted tough and said he would go to Pearce to make it official.
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They announced Thunderbolt Patterson for the 2024 Hall of Fame.
Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell defeated Kayden Carter & Katana Chance (2:01)
Katana fell awkwardly and sold a leg injury. They did that thing where the referee checked on Katana while telling Hartwell to back off (instead of just stopping the match or letting Hartwell continue the wrestling match).
LeRae tagged herself in and took out Carter with a baseball slide. She slammed Katana’s leg into the post and applied a deep single-leg crab for the submission win. LeRae actually did get some heat here.
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They aired clips of The Rock’s segment from Smackdown. Cody Rhodes is up next.
[SECOND HOUR]
They announced a Bray Wyatt documentary on Peacock. (Bo Dallas, JoJo Offerman, John Cena, Alexa Bliss and Seth Rollins were among those interviewed for it.)
Cody Rhodes segment
Rhodes said he would have a conversation of sorts with Roman Reigns on Smackdown. He moved on to The Rock.
Rhodes talked about Rock’s Instagram post where he called himself our favourite heel. Rhodes said we knew what that meant — Rock was the bad guy. Rhodes said he’s known some heels. Bobby Heenan, Billy Graham, Arn Anderson, Michael Hayes, and Ric Flair were all heels. Rhodes said, “Rock, I don’t think you’re a heel. I think you’re an asshole.”
Rhodes didn’t want Rock and his Seven Bucks team to get upset. Rock mocked him for getting emotional last week but Rock was the one crying behind the scenes this entire time. Rock cried to his buddies on the TKO board. Rock thought he would be great PR for WWE — until he wasn’t. The board was filled with yes people which is why they initially agreed with Rock. They weren’t going to tell Rock the truth but Rhodes would.
Rhodes admitted he had tennis shoes with Rock’s logo on them and Rock was on his wrestling Mount Rushmore. But Rock was now a succubus and if you didn’t know what that meant — Rock was a whiny bitch.
He said Rock brought up his mother which made it fair game. Rhodes knew Rock’s mom. He had nothing but respect for her — she even helped him chop Kevin Owens on a house show. Rock threatened Rhodes’ mom with what he would do to him but his mom wouldn’t be afraid of the Rock. She beat up an undercover cop at a Willie Nelson concert and would not be afraid of The Rock.
Rhodes said Rock should respect Seth Rollins because he carried Rock’s company. Rhodes had no idea if their tag match would be a fair fight and he didn’t know if he would finish the story. But Rhodes wondered how Rock could be so sure of himself. He hasn’t been in the ring in years. What would happen when the bell rang? Would Rock bring the Big Dwayne Energy or would it be LDS — Little Dick Syndrome. (The crowd chanted “LDS.”)
Rhodes said Rock called himself the “final boss” and credited Brian Gewirtz for coming up with the line. Rock wouldn’t be the final boss at WrestleMania, he was just Reigns’ side chick.
Heyman interrupted. Heyman apologized for his admittedly dumb plan to use off-duty NYPD officers on Rhodes. Rhodes said he didn’t ask for an apology and invited Heyman to enter the ring. Heyman chose to remain on the apron.
Heyman had a message from Reigns. Heyman admitted to not being a trustworthy person but Reigns was a man of his word. Heyman assured Rhodes that when he goes face-to-face with Reigns on Smackdown, there would be no other member of the Bloodline aside from himself.
Rhodes was good with that. Heyman said he forgot to mention one thing. Heyman was hesitating so Rhodes threatened to rip his throat out like Homelander unless he got to the point. Heyman told Rhodes he needed to show up to Smackdown alone too. Rhodes agreed and shook Heyman’s hand. Heyman was pleased and he left.
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Nia Jax said Becky Lynch has never beaten her and never will. Jax would break her face again and take her spot at WrestleMania before finishing her business with Ripley. Jax planned on becoming the champion.
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Jey approached Rhodes in the back. Jey advised Rhodes that Reigns would not be alone and he would be there for Rhodes if he needed him.
Ricochet defeated Dominik Mysterio (w/JD McDonagh) (7:21)
Dom was in control after a break (Cole said it was thanks to McDonagh but we never saw why) and hit Ricochet with an X-factor for two. Dom tried three amigos but Ricochet reversed the second suplex into a suplex of his own. Dom avoided a splash but Ricochet superkicked him and knocked McDonagh off the apron.
Dom tried to use the distraction to hit a 619 but Ricochet ducked it and hit a Recoil for the pinfall win. McDonagh tried to attack Ricochet after the match but he escaped.
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Sami Zayn approached Chad Gable in the back. Zayn called last week’s match an honour. He hasn’t been pushed like that in a long time (a weird comment considering he’s lost to Shinsuke Nakamura and Drew McIntyre recently) and it could’ve gone either way. Gable dismissively told him “Yeah, yeah, it was great.”
Zayn knew something was bugging him and asked what it was. Gable resisted but admitted last week’s match meant more to him. Zayn said that was unfair. Zayn had a family at home too and his kid cried when he lost too. Gable couldn’t tell him what this meant to him because Gable didn’t know what it meant to him.
Gable said he knew all of that but his issue wasn’t about that. Zayn wanted to know what it was about and Gable flatly told him, “You can’t beat Gunther.”
This was good.
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Intercontinental Championship contract signing
Adam Pearce introduced Sami Zayn and Gunther (who wore a suit). Gunther put over the importance of this contract signing and wondered why Zayn showed up dressed like a bum in the audience.
Zayn said Gunther’s smug smile was starting to piss him off. Zayn knew Gunther didn’t think he could beat him. Zayn said people didn’t think he would even make it to WWE let alone win championships or main event WrestleMania. He ended the longest tag title reign in history last year and would end the longest IC title reign this year. Zayn signed the contract and the crowd chanted for him.
Gunther told Zayn he should listen to Gable. The fans might love Zayn but they know he can’t beat him. Gunther didn’t think Zayn believed it himself either. Zayn would receive the beating of a lifetime on the grandest stage of them all and his dreams would meet reality. Gunther signed.
Zayn got in Gunther’s face and told him to look in his eyes. He was looking into the eyes of the man who would take him down at WrestleMania. Gunther smirked as Zayn marched out.
The camera stayed on Zayn as he stormed through the back. He marched right past Miz, R-Truth and DIY. Miz told Truth they needed that same mentality in their match tonight. Indus Sher walked by and Truth said he felt sorry for whoever had to fight them.
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R-Truth & The Miz defeated Indus Sher (w/Jinder Mahal) to qualify for the WrestleMania 6-pack ladder match (3:11)
Truth was going to start the match but immediately tagged out when Sanga flexed at him. They beat up Miz for a bit until he made a quick hot tag to Truth who did Cena’s comeback sequence on Veer. Truth but Veer in the STF but Sanga broke it up. Miz and Truth hit Sanga with a double dropkick before giving Veer a combo Skull Crushing Finale/Flatliner.
Sanga shoved Miz to the ropes and Miz dropped Mahal with a dropkick. Truth tried going after Sanga but Sanga elbowed him. Truth fell backwards onto Veer (who was down from the combo finisher) for the accidental pinfall win. Truth and Miz qualify for the ladder match.
(It felt like DIY earned their Mania spot with the effort in their win. This was the opposite of that.)
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[THIRD HOUR]
Zayn confronted Gable in the back. He wanted to know why Gable thought he couldn’t beat Gunther.
Gable said it wasn’t just a physical game with Gunther, it was mental. Zayn made a career out of being the underdog that crawls his way out of any hole that he’s in. He finds the window of opportunity but that doesn’t happen with Gunther. Gunther was a different animal than Zayn has ever faced and if he didn’t change his mentality, he wouldn’t win.
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Drew McIntyre / Seth Rollins segment
McIntyre entered for his scheduled segment but his entrance was interrupted by Seth Rollins making his own entrance. Rollins pranced down to the ring and ignored McIntyre on the way. Rollins apologized to McIntyre and claimed he didn’t see him. Rollins said he was busy soaking up the spotlight. McIntyre wanted him to enjoy it because the spotlight would be his after Mania.
Rollins thought McIntyre was stupid and has said a lot of dumb things over the last few weeks but he had to admit that something McIntyre said was correct. Rollins raised his arm in the air and said, “My name is Seth freakin’ Rollins and I’m a spotlight junkie.” McIntyre called himself a parody of himself. The only thing McIntyre cared about was their match and the punchline would come when he beat Rollins at Mania.
Rollins said it wasn’t a joke when he called himself a spotlight junkie. He’s been doing this for 20 years but the feeling when he comes through the stage felt better every single time. The crowd sang his song and he said that was the fix he craved. Rollins said he would make the Bloodline his bitches on night one and the spotlight would be on them on night two.
McIntyre was almost glad to see this side of Rollins but he made a mistake making the spotlight about the Bloodline. McIntyre said Rollins worked hard to make his belt the workhorse title and the spotlight should be about that. McIntyre said he wouldn’t get the moment he deserved at Mania, he would get the moment he earned.
Rollins said McIntyre was a spotlight junkie too. McIntyre wanted the spotlight and wanted his moment because when he won at WrestleMania years ago, it was in an empty warehouse. McIntyre fumbled the ball when he got the chance again. Rollins shined brightest when the lights were on and at WrestleMania McIntyre would find out he wasn’t as good as he thought.
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Becky Lynch said she was just weeks away from Mania but she was risking it all tonight because that’s what she did. All she knew was taking risks and fighting. She would be the last woman standing tonight.
The Rock was announced for Raw on April 1st in Brooklyn.
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Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods defeated Otis & Akira Tozawa to qualify for the WrestleMania 6-pack ladder match (9:32)
Otis and Kingston tagged in after a break. Otis hit Kingston with a back elbow and knocked down Woods with a clothesline. He slammed Kingston and hit a Caterpillar for two. Otis missed a splash but Tozawa made a tag and hit Kingston with a flying crossbody for two. Woods tagged in and hit a tornado DDT for two.
Tozawa brought Woods down off the top with a hurricanrana and followed with a diving senton but Kingston broke up the cover. Kingston gave Otis a tornado DDT outside the ring. Tozawa tried a hurricanrana but Woods blocked it and hit a spinning sit-out powerbomb. Woods followed with a flying elbow drop for the pinfall win.
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Liv Morgan approached Lynch in the back. Lynch wondered if she had to watch out for Morgan tonight. Morgan said tonight was hers and told her to kick Jax’s ass. Lynch nodded.
(Morgan was hard to hear because she spoke softly and Woods could be heard yelling in the background. He was bragging about his powerbomb and elbow drop.)
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Rollins and Rhodes crossed paths in the back. They acknowledged that Rhodes would be going to Smackdown alone.
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Next week on Raw in Chicago, IL:
- CM Punk appears
- Ricochet vs. JD McDonagh
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They acknowledged Lynch’s visit to the White House and said she passed her test to become a United States citizen.
Last Woman Standing match: Becky Lynch defeated Nia Jax (18:33)
The match started with a full 20 minutes remaining in the show but they went to break a minute into the match. Pat McAfee said various weapons were used during a break including a kendo stick and a book.
Lynch was setting up a table following the break. She had trouble setting up the table, but it’s possible she was delaying because Jax came over to knock her down. Jax set up the table but the legs on one side gave out.
Jax chucked a bunch of chairs in the ring and gave Lynch a Samoan drop onto the pile but Lynch got up well before the referee’s ten count. Lynch followed with a bulldog onto a chair. Lynch tried something off the top but Jax hit her in the gut with a chair. Jax attacked with a kendo stick and bodyslammed Lynch onto a chair before hitting a leg drop.
Jax positioned a chair over Lynch’s body and sat down on it but Lynch fought out by attacking her repeatedly with the kendo stick. Jax responded by smashing the steel steps in Lynch’s face. Jax missed a leg drop on the apron and Lynch gave her a DDT onto the steps. The crowd cheered as Lynch slid a table into the ring and they went to break.
Jax placed Lynch on a table outside the ring and began climbing a ladder but Lynch rolled off the table and sprayed a fire extinguisher in her face. Lynch tried a spear through a corner table but Jax caught her and hit a Samoan drop through the table. Jax didn’t wait for the ref’s count and instead hit an Annihilator. Lynch beat the count by rolling to the outside and landing on her feet.
Jax set up for a Samoan drop off the apron but Lynch fought out and hit a Man-handle Slam off the apron and through a table, which looked terrific. The crowd popped big for that. Jax got up a nine count.
This was followed by another spectacular spot. Jax was dazed by the previous spot and leaned over onto the announce table. Lynch was standing near the top of a ladder and hit a diving leg drop through the table. The ref counted to ten and Lynch got the win. The replay looked devastating, particularly for Jax.
— Ripley entered as Lynch sat in the ring. Lynch stood up when Ripley hit the ring and they had a staredown as the show ended.