CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre to join John Cena as the Royal Rumble entrant.
RAW kicked in with the CM Punk acknowledging the crowd. The Best in the World confirmed that he is joining John Cena at the Royal Rumble. Seth Freakin Rollins interrupted Second City Saint’s promo again. Seth vowed to end Punk’s WrestleMania Dream by throwing him over the top rope at Royal Rumble. Drew McIntyre entered the ring next and mocked Seth and Punk for being a mirror image of one another. He too confirmed his entry in the Rumble.
Gunther acknowledged the crowd but was interrupted by “Main Event” Jey Uso. He challenged Gunther for the WWE Heavyweight Championship at Saturday Night Main Event. Gunther however mocked Jey Uso stating he is just a tag team wrestler and doesn’t match his skill level. He said that “Main Event” might be a name for Jey but it’s the place where Gunther belongs. A fired-up Jey with the crowd behind him acknowledged every word but stated that he would take that Heavyweight Championship from him.
Rhea Ripley’s promo was interrupted by Nia Jax. Nia entered the arena and met with a lot of boos from the crowd. She mocked Rhea, Tiffany Stratton, and Bayley initially and then pushed Bayley and Rhea inside the ring. Bayley and Rhea joined forces to throw Nia out of the ring.
Chad Gable asked for the best Luchador and the RAW General Manager delivered. Penta made his debut surprising the entire arena. Chad Gable and Penta fought hard and WWE fans saw some incredible high-flying maneuvers from Penta that got them going. Chad started attacking Penta’s left leg to set him up for an Angle Lock later. Penta didn’t give up as he performed a Backstabber and a Mexican Destroyer.
Chad put an Angle Lock to Penta’s already injured left leg but Penta countered it with a sacrifice followed by the Penta Driver to win the match.
Sheamus’s hatred for Ludwig was apparent from the very first moment. Both the superstars took each other to the brim. Ludwig gained momentum initially. A to-and-fro match switched the momentum numerous times with no superstar willing to let the other gain an inch. Thunders chop that can be heard across the arena to step up enziguri, the match had it all.
Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser performed in the most physical match of today. Sheamus performed a White Noise on Ludwig Kaiser from the third rope followed by a Running Knee but Ludwig kicked out. Ludwig tried to use Shillelagh but Sheamus made a narrow save. It connected his Brogue kick to finish the match.
The Celtic Warrior met Bron Breakker outside the ring challenging him that he is coming for Bron’s Intercontinental title. These two were seen having a verbal spat before Bron pushed Sheamus and officials stopped the brawl from breaking any further.
Lyra Valkyria and Dakota Kai did their homework on each other. Both were seen countering each other’s moves very well. Valkyria gained momentum initially by performing a Vertical Suplex on Dakota Kai outside the ring. Dakota Kai and Lyra Valkyria did everything in their power to stop one another from gaining momentum.
Dakota Kai performed a Stomp on Lyra Valkyria followed by a Go to Kick but couldn’t pin as Lyra rolled out of the ring to catch her breath. Dakota Kai pushed Valkyria inside but the latter performed a Sling Blade followed by a Night Wing to pin Dakota Kai. Lyra Valkyria became the inaugural WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion. Both women showed great sportsmanship as they hugged each other after the match.
Sami Zayn asked Seth, Sami is here if he wanted to talk but Seth replied that Sami Zayn would be happy now that Roman Reign became the Tribal Chief again. Sami wanted to talk to Adam Pearce but The Miz interrupted. Sami and The Miz had a verbal altercation where The Miz mocked Sami stating he is a two-time World Champion twice more than Sami could ever be. Sami asked Adam Pearce for a match against The Miz.
Sami Zayn and The MIZ have been WWE veterans and know each other so well. The Miz gained momentum initially but Sami Zayn turned the table with an Exploder. He set up for Helluva Kick but met with a Boot to Mouth from Miz. Miz delivered Yes Kicks to Sami and was setting up for complete dominance but Sami Zayn connected with Helluva Kick this time. He followed it up with Blue Thunderbomb to pin The Miz and win the match.
Damian Priest and Finn Balor met in the most brutal match where the fist fight was the least hurting thing. The match started with the use of Kendosticks and the fight moved across the arena. Finn and Damian attacked each other with a Trash Can. A Powerbomb on the equipment stopped the match for a brief time. Finn Balor was carried in a stretcher but Damian Priest didn’t want the match to end like this.
Damian attacked Carlito and JD McDonagh and took Finn Balor inside the ring. He set up Finn for a South of Heaven Chokeslam but JD McDonagh and Carlito attacked him from behind. Things went bad to worse for “The Punisher” when Finn Balor stood and performed a Coup De Grace on him. This brutal assault wasn’t enough to keep Damian Priest down.
War Raider came to the aid of Damian and took Carlito and JD McDonagh out. Finn attacked Damian with a chair, performed a sling blade on him outside the ring, and set him up over the table. He delivered a second Coup De Grace on him. Damian still stood up after receiving so much brutal beating and delivered a Razor’s Edge to Finn sending him through the table. He took Finn inside and performed a second South of Heaven Chokeslam to win the match.
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