WWE Raw live results: New number one contenders decided

Date: December 12, 2022
Location: Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI 

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Show Recap —

As Bayley entered with Damage CTRL for the opening match, Becky Lynch jumped Dakota Kai and IYO SKY and cleared them from ringside leaving Bayley on her own.

Women’s Champion Bianca Belair entered to watch from ringside.

Women’s Title Number One Contender’s Match: Alexa Bliss defeated Bayley (13:22)

Bayley took control ahead of a break by shoving Bliss into the ring post. Bliss came back with a hurricanrana off the ropes (she landed awkwardly and seemed out of sorts for a moment) but Bayley quickly cut her off. Bliss gathered herself and hit a senton off the apron for a two count followed by a DDT for two.

Bayley flung Bliss into the turnbuckle before hitting a sunset flip powerbomb into the middle turnbuckle for two. Bayley also hit a Bayley-to-belly for two.

Bayley removed the middle buckle pad but got into an argument with Belair who showed the referee what she did. Bliss knocked down Bayley and hit Twisted Bliss for the pinfall win. This was not good.

— After the match, it seemed like Bliss and Belair would have a friendly face-off. However, Bray Wyatt’s logo flashed on the screen and Bliss grabbed Belair as if she would do Sister Abigail. However, Bliss came to and didn’t do it. Bliss acted like she didn’t know what just happened and she left.

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Byron Saxton interviewed Alpha Academy earlier today about what happened with Kurt Angle on Smackdown. Chad Gable wasn’t impressed with Angle’s cheap parlour tricks.

AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Mia Yim walked by and they were laughing at something. In fact, they just so happened to be laughing at the clip of Angle dousing Alpha Academy with milk — sent to them by Karl Anderson who was taking care of business in Japan. Gable said Styles was a fossil just like Angle so Styles challenged him to a match. 

(They made jokes about Otis still smelling like milk and Corey Graves continued the comedy by saying Otis doesn’t fit in hotel showers so those long car rides must be unpleasant.) 

AJ Styles (w/Mia Yim & Luke Gallows) defeated Chad Gable (w/Otis) (9:07)

Bayley Gable took control ahead of a break by shoving Bliss Styles into the ring post steel steps. Styles was in control after the break but Gable came back with three straight German suplexes. Styles blocked the fourth attempt but Gable caught him again and hit a release German.

Gable applied an ankle lock but Styles countered into a calf crusher until Gable countered into the ankle lock again. Styles slipped out of it but Gable immediately followed with a Northern Lights suplex for two.

They traded a couple of counters until Styles hit Styles Clash for the pinfall win.

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Johnny Gargano and Dexter Lumis were devising a plan on a whiteboard of what to do with all their money. (One idea was building fully functioning Iron Man suits for each of them.)

Candice LeRae showed up and said they were having trouble deciding what to do with the money because they already had everything they needed. She reminded them that it was the season of giving. Gargano said he had a plan.

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Cathy Kelley interviewed the Street Profits and Akira Tozawa. She asked the Profits why they helped Tozawa last week. Montez Ford said they helped Akira Tozawa because he was Akira Tozawa. Angelo Dawkins said Tozawa was, “my ninja.” Tozawa yelled, “we want the smoke” and drank whatever was in his red solo cup. They screamed at each other before heading to the ring.

Six-man tag team match: Judgment Day (w/Rhea Ripley) defeated Akira Tozawa & The Street Profits (14:38)

Like the first two matches, the heel side took control ahead of a break a few minutes into the match.

[SECOND HOUR]

They had the heat on Tozawa until he made a hot tag to Ford but he was tackled over the announce table by Damian Priest for the heat again. Ford made a tag to Dawkins but the ref didn’t see it thanks to Priest so they kept the heat on Ford.

Dawkins finally did get the hot tag and hit Finn Bálor with a running back elbow, enziguri and Silencer but Dominik Mysterio broke up the cover. Tozawa tagged in and hammered away on Dom. Everyone traded moves until Priest chokeslammed Ford and chucked Dawkins from the ring. Tozawa knocked Priest from the ring and hit a cool suicide dive on Dom.

Tozawa handed out DDTs to both Bálor and Dom. The ref was distracted again as Tozawa went to the top so Priest gave him a Razor’s Edge and Dom made the cover for the pinfall win.

(Priest was presented as the biggest threat in the match. The crowd got into Tozawa with the more he did to Dom.)

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Johnny Gargano/Dexter Lumis/Miz segment

Gargano and Lumis bought all the merchandise from a merch table using a few wads of cash. Gargano decided to carry everything to the ring to give out to the live crowd (instead of handing it to the nearby fans). Lumis gave a teddy bear to a young fan who was very grateful.

After a break, Gargano and Lumis walked down the aisle and chucked merch into the crowd.

This went on for a while until Miz shoved Lumis from behind, knocking Gargano down in the process. Miz grabbed the bag of money and tried to run away with it but he was cut off at the stage by Adam Pearce.

Pearce followed Miz into the ring and told him to give the money back to Lumis. Miz pleaded with them and said he was willing to earn the money back in a rematch. (Miz was annoyed because Gargano kept calling him “Mike.”)

Gargano said Lumis was willing to have a rematch next week in a ladder match with both bags of money hanging above the ring. Miz was completely fine with this but wondered what he meant by “both” bags.

Gargano said Miz would have to add a second bag of money and they’d make it “double or nothing, winner take all, baby!” Miz again claimed he didn’t have cash and that Maryse controlled their money.

They bickered for a while until Gargano convinced Pearce that Miz should help them give out the rest of the merch dressed as Santa’s elf. Miz begrudgingly whipped t-shirts into the crowd. 

(This segment was about as long as the Styles/Gable match.) 

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Tag Team Champion IYO SKY (w/Bayley & Dakota Kai) defeated Candice LeRae (10:21)

LeRae went to the top rope two minutes into the match but they went to break and we never found out what happened. SKY hit a Codebreaker off the ropes during the break but LeRae fought back and hit a Poison Rana outside the ring which led to a two count. SKY followed with a German suplex into a pin for two.

The finish felt a bit abrupt because SKY followed the German suplex by simply dragging LeRae to the corner and hitting a moonsault for the clean pinfall win. The crowd was quiet for this.

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They showed a replay of Matt Riddle being taken out by Solo Sikoa last week. The announcers said Riddle would be out for six weeks.

Kelley tried interviewing Kevin Owens about what happened but Elias interrupted. Owens’ mouth was agape at the appearance of Elias. Elias asked Owens to be in his corner tonight.

Owens said he hasn’t forgotten about the months of torment by him earlier this year. Elias said that was his brother Ezekiel. Owens freaked out and said even if that were true, Elias hit him in the head with a guitar the last time they were in the ring together.

Elias asked Owens again to be in his corner because he needed him. Owens was speechless.

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Elias was in the ring and performed a tribute concert for Riddle (there was a large picture of Riddle behind him).

Elias had something in his pocket from Riddle. He pulled out a large rolled-up paper which was meant to look like a joint but he revealed they were lyrics written by Riddle to be performed by him. Elias claimed they were written by Riddle, anyway. The song was all about how great Elias was. Sikoa interrupted.

Solo Sikoa (w/Sami Zayn) defeated Elias (8:11)

Fifth match of the night and they’ve all gone to break 2-3 minutes in.

[THIRD HOUR]

Elias hit Sikoa with strikes, consecutive Stinger splashes and a spinebuster for two, followed by a lifting knee strike and neckbreaker for two. Elias got distracted by Zayn despite Zayn not doing anything (which Zayn even pointed out) so Sikoa dropped Elias on the top rope before hitting a superkick and Spinning Solo for the pinfall win.

(The crowd did their usual chants at Zayn as this started but was quiet for the match itself.)

— Sikoa attacked Elias after the match and hit him with the Samoan Spike (with Zayn’s assistance).

Sikoa put Elias’ head through a chair and was going to kill him with a running hip attack but Owens ran out and gave Sikoa a stunner. Zayn left with Sikoa who recovered very quickly from the stunner. (Sikoa wanted to go after Owens but Zayn stopped him.)

Elias tried to embrace Owens so Owens gave him a stunner.

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There was a video package narrated by John Cena highlighting the history of Tribute to the Troops. The crowd cheered and chanted “USA.”  

They showed a few pictures of an annoyed Miz, dressed as an elf, giving merch to fans.

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Asuka didn’t wear face paint and was way more serious than usual during her entrance.

Rhea Ripley (w/Dominik Mysterio) defeated Asuka (11:41)

Asuka drove Ripley into the post and hit a Codebreaker on the apron leading to break three minutes into the match. (Make that six matches in a row.) With no explanation, Ripley was in control following the break.

Asuka fired back with strikes and knocked Ripley down with a roundhouse kick for two. Ripley dared Asuka to hit her again so she did with a sliding kick for two. Dom checked on Ripley after Asuka knocked her off the apron.

Asuka told Dom to get out of the way. She feigned kicking him and he fell on his ass. The distraction allowed Ripley to shove Asuka into the side of the ring.

Ripley tried Riptide but Asuka countered into an Asuka Lock. Dom pulled Ripley closer to the ropes so she could get a rope break.

Asuka misted Dom but Ripley shoved Asuka into Dom (knocking him off the apron) and hit Riptide for the pinfall win. 

(Asuka looked good. The crowd was quiet again.) 

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A trainer tended to Dom who frantically complained that his eyes were burning. Priest told him it could be worse — something else could be burning. Ripley smacked him and told the trainer to do something.

Elsewhere, Dolph Ziggler put over the importance of the US Title which is why two of the best, Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins, were gunning for it. Ziggler said Austin Theory was technically holding the title but was not the deserving champion. He warned Theory to watch his back.

(There were video packages throughout the evening for Theory, Rollins, and Lashley.)

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US Title Number One Contender’s Match: Seth Rollins defeated Bobby Lashley (12:54)

Lashley dumped Rollins over the barricade and they went to break less than three minutes into the match. (That’s all seven matches that have gone to break 2-3 minutes in.)

Rollins fought back with a high cross, dives, a superkick, and a falcon arrow for two. Lashley drove him into the ring post but Rollins avoided a spear and hit a superkick for two, followed by a frog splash for two.

Lashley blocked a stomp and hit a powerslam. Rollins slipped out of a Hurt Lock as the referee fell out of the ring (while trying to avoid a collision). Lashley hit a spear but the ref took a few seconds to get back in the ring and Rollins kicked out.

Lashley argued with the ref before setting up for another spear. Rollins countered that spear into a Pedigree for the pinfall win. Rollins is the number one contender.

— Lashley popped right up from the Pedigree to argue with the ref before shoving him down. Adam Pearce sprinted out and told Lashley that he warned him about this already. Lashley shoved Pearce into the barricade. (They tried to make it sound like Pearce called him a motherf**ker but he didn’t really.)

Pearce was pissed so he fired Lashley.