Raw Review 01/02/2017

Hello everybody, we bring in the New Year with the first Monday Night Raw of the year from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. There is a huge stage set for tonight. The show includes the return of Goldberg as he comes back to address Paul Heyman and his advocate “The Beast” Brock Lesnar before the Royal Rumble. Also set for tonight, Sami Zayn gets another match with Braun Strowman as the two men with face off in a last man standing match. Plus what is next for Bayley after having her win over Charlotte stripped from her and being robbed in her match against Charlotte last week at the hands of Dana Brooke. Are the days of Kevin Owens being champion numbered as we move a week closer to his title defense at the Royal Rumble against Roman Reigns. We have also seen a rise in Neville as the new heel of the Cruiserweights, will tonight be a step closer for him to become king of the division? All this and more as we start the year of 2017 in WWE!

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Raw is live tonight from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Raw kicks off with us being welcomed to the show by Michael Cole, Corey Graves & Byron Saxton.

In Ring Segment: Mick Foley
Mick welcomes everyone to Raw. He mocks himself for forgetting the name of the cities he’s in and welcomes the fans in Tampa. Mick reminds every one of his decision to put Kevin Owens against Roman Reigns with Chris Jericho suspended above the ring. He points to the cage and is interrupted with the arrival of JeriKo.
Owens asks Foley if he thinks he is funny. Jericho says that Foley’s abuse of power is funny. Owens says Foley’s new haircut is funny. Owens and Jericho then lists off their opinions of Foley’s abuse of power. Owens says that he can’t lock Jericho in the cage and that Foley has a personal issue with them. Owens says the personal issue is done. Foley says that he is giving Owens his own talk show. He will get the Kevin Owens show with his first guest Goldberg. Owens says that is great and that they have a lot of questions for him. Owens asks Foley what makes him think he can abuse his powers. Out comes Stephanie.
Stephanie says that Foley is not abusing his power. Foley questions why Stephanie didn’t ask his opinion for Braun vs Sami. Stephanie says that tonight Jericho will face Reigns for the United States Championship. She says there has to be a winner. Jericho asks about Rollins. Owens says Rollins should be banned from ringside. Stephanie says that she is sick of all of them. She says that Owens will face Rollins tonight and that the loser will be banned from ringside tonight for Reigns vs Jericho. She says that up next is Rollins vs Owens.
My Opinion:
Always great to kick off Raw with JeriKo. Those two are super funny together and click on all levels. It was nice to see Foley back but once again he messed up his promo. That is getting old, he is a proffessional and needs to get his act together. Stephanie added a nice touch as she doesn’t stand for anything. I like her aggressive side being back and her just saying how things are going to be. We had some big announcements made and it looks like Raw is going to be a good one tonight.

Match 1: Kevin Owens vs Seth Rollins
Rollins tees off on Owens. Owens goes to the outside and Rollins launches himself over the top rope twice to take out Owens. Rollins and Owens exchange chops on the outside. Owens is able to throw Rollins off the barricade and brings it back to the ring. Owens lands a huge chop on Rollins but Rollins reverses with some of his own. Rollins lands a kick and then a nice right. He gets Owens on the ground but Owens is out of the cover right away. Owens takes down Rollins and mocks him. Owens gets Rollins in the corner and lands more chops. He whips Rollins into the corner and Rollins is able to take control with a boot to the face. He hits the blockbuster but Owens kicks out of the cover as we head to break.
As we return Owens has Rollins in a chin lock. Rollins gets to his feet but Owens throws him back down. Owens hits a senton but it is not enough to put Rollins away. Owens lands a big kick to Rollins ribs. Rollins fights back with right hands. Owens though launches Rollins out of the ring. Rollins gets to the apron but Owens knocks him off. Owens goes to the outside but Rollins rolls out-of-the-way of the cannonball and Owens hits the barricade hard. Back in the ring Owens lands another big chop. Rollins follows with a kick and the two exchange kicks. Rollins goes back to the rights but Owens is able to kick Rollins in the hamstring. Owens looks for the pop up powerbomb but Rollins reverses and is able to hit the enziguri. Owens looks for another cannon ball but Rollins catches him and sends him into the second turnbuckle. Rollins hits the slingblade and looks for the pedigree. Owens lands a backdrop but Rollins lands on his feet. Owens is sent over the ropes and Rollins follows up with a suicide dive. Rollins beats Owens in the time keeper’s area and makes it back to the ring. Rollins rolls back out and goes for Owens but Owens hits Rollins with the ring bell. Rollins wins via dq.
*** Owens tries to attack Rollins but Rollins reverses. He looks for the pedigree but Owens escapes and leaves.
Winner: Seth Rollins via DQ
My Opinion:
A solid match as always between these two. I love this side of Rollins where he throws caution to the wind. He had a few dives out of the ring that really made the match. I liked the ending because it shows these twos are evenly matched and this could have gone on all night. Owens is good in the ring and sells so well. It will be interesting to see how Jericho fairs without his best friend tonight. Good way to start off Raw.

Match 2: Cesaro vs Karl Anderson
The two lock up. Cesaro gets a headlock and takes Anderson down with a shoulder tackle. Anderson flips Cesaro but he lands on his feet. Cesaro lands a huge uppercut and follows it up with another one. Anderson sends Cesaro into the corner and looks to do it again but Cesaro counters. Cesaro flips Anderson and goes for a cover but Anderson kicks out. Cesaro lands an uppercut to the back of Anderson’s neck but Anderson kicks out again. Anderson lands a big kick as we go to break.
As we return Cesaro lands a big suplex on Anderson. He follows up with an uppercut. Anderson gets sent into the corner but he is able to get out-of-the-way of a Cesaro uppercut. Anderson gets a chinlock on Cesaro. Cesaro fights out and lands an uppercut to Anderson’s neck. Cesaro goes off with the uppercuts. Anderson sends cesaro into the corner but Cesaro runs off the ropes and hits a crossbody. Cesaro tries to go for the swing but Gallows creates the distraction. Anderson hits the spinebuster but Cesaro kicks out of the pin. Cesaro lands a springboard uppercut but it gets him another near fall. Cesaro looks for the neutralizer but Anderson counters. Anderson is able to land a running knee. Cesaro sends Anderson up to the top rope and hits him with a dropkick. Gallows gets pulled off the apron by Sheamus. Cesaro slips on this and Anderson is able to hit a cutter from the top rope for the win.
Winner: Karl Anderson
My Opinion:
Anderson was really impressive. He hung in there and weathered the storm. Anderson is a brawler and took a lot from Cesaro. Cesaro was very impressive. His strength and agility is unmatched. A feud between these two teams will be an all out brawl and will have highly competitive matches. I liked the ending too because it creates the controversy that is necessary for this feud and we will see how Cesaro reacts to this.

Match 3: Braun Strowman vs Sami Zayn: Last Man Standing Match
Sami tries to run from Braun to start off the match. Braun chases him on the outside and Sami grabs a kendo stick and takes it to Braun. They get back to the ring and Braun knocks down Sami. He breaks the kendo stick and Sami goes back to the outside. Sami grabs another kendo stick and tees off on Braun. Sami looks for a moonsault but Braun catches him and throws him on the barricade. Sami sneds braun into the ring post three times. He goes to dive through the turnbuckles but Braun meets him with a right. In the ring Braun crushes Sami in the corner. He lands a big clothesline and yells at Sami to stay down. Braun then lands a shoulder tackle as Sami makes it to his feet. Sami is able to hit Braun with a clothesline but Braun was unfazed and Sami is knocked back down. Sami is on the ground outside of the ring as we head to break.
As we return Braun launches Sami into the pit in front of the announcer’s table. He throws Sami into the announce table. Sami tries to hit Braun with a box on wheels but Braun pushes it away. Braun hits Sami threw the curtain and the two go to the back. Sami hits braun with a pipe and sends Braun into the equipment cases. Braun launches Sami and tries to hit him with a huge case. Sami drives Braun back and hits him with a steel chair. The two make it back into the arena and Braun throws Sami onto the stage. Sami tries to grab the chair but Braun steps on it. Braun throws Sami into the Stage. Sami is able to hit Braun with the chair and keeps swinging. Sami launches himself into Braun and the two crash into a table on the floor. Sami gets to his feet but Braun does too. Sami goes back to the chair. Braun grabs the chair and launches Sami. Braun runs over Sami and slams him on the floor. Braun lands big knees on Sami. He tells the ref to count him. Braun lands big forearms on Sami and picks Sami back up for another power slam on the floor. The ref counts to 10 and Braun gets the win.
*** After the match Braun comes back and knocks Sami off the stretcher.
Winner: Braun Strowman
My Opinion:
A very good match between the two. This is something that we needed. These two beat eachother up and gave us an element we had been missing. They battled all through the arena. Sami showed a lot of heart and it helped him a lot. It shows he won’t back down and he is tougher than we think. Braun continued to be a monster. Yes he got knocked down but he was right back up. It is exactly what he needs. He manhandled Zayn but the way they did it was perfect. It was one-sided but it didn’t feel that way and that is something special. The after match attack was perfect as well because as we have seen in the past from people like Kane there is never enough damage you can do.

Backstage Segment
Jack Gallagher is showing The New Day how to duel. The New Day is coming up next with their New Year’s Resolutions.

In Ring Segment: The New Day
Xavier says it was a good year for The New Day. They say how they became the longest reigning tag team champions. Big E says The New Day have entered the Royal Rumble. Kofi says what would a new year be without resolutions. They interrupted by Titus O’Neil.
Titus says they need a new member of The New Day. Titus says he should be the new member. He does the New Day rocks dance for them and says he has some musical talents. Xavier says no one touches his girl but him. Titus then does the New Day rocks with his whistle. Big E says we all know that you blow. Titus says imagine my face on Booty O’s. Xavier says that Titus has to understand everyone would rather see his face on a milk carton. Titus says that is a strong joke from the weakest link. Xavier says let me show you how much of a weak link he is and challenges him to a match. Titus knocks Xavier down and says he has his match as we head to break.
My Opinion:
It was a fun i counter between Titus and The New Day. There was good humor but good passion as well. I really like Titus and hope he will get more at some point. I like The New Day being the Royal Rumble. It adds a good element to it and it allows them to lay low for a while and they will build their way back to the championships

Match 4: Titus O’Neil vs Xavier Woods
Titus starts off taking it to Xavier. He knocks him down and looks strong early. Xavier comes back with some kicks to the head, then throws Titus outside and follows up with a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Woods pins for a two count. Woods goes up top for a crossbody but Titus Catches him and slams him. Titus goes for a fallaway slam but Xavier reverses into a sunset flip for the win.
Winner: Xavier Woods
My Opinion:
Titus is always impressive to me. I think he deserves a lot more than he is given. He is very powerful and shows he belongs out there. Xavier is quick and he may in fact be the weak link but he can hang with the best of them. It was a good win for him.

Backstage segment:
Bayley ask Stephanie McMahon why she chose Dana Brooke for guest referee in her match against Charlotte last week. Stephanie says Charlotte’s lawyer made her do it, and then she tells Bayley that she never wanted her on Monday Night RAW. Steph says she doesn’t “see it” in Bayley, and Foley is the one who pushed for Bayley. Bayley says that she may not have a famous last name but she is Bayley and that is enough for her. Stephanie tells Bayley that she had a number one contenders match tonight against Nia Jax and the winner will face Charlotte at the Royal Rumble.

Match 5: Cedric Alexander vs Drew Gulak
Cedric takes down Gulak. He hits a nice drop kick and gets a count of one. He slaps Gulak but Gulak is able to flip him. He kicks Alexander as he is down. He throws Cedric into the corner and lands a big back drop. He gets him in a tight submission hold. He lands rights and chops but Alexander fights back with some of his own. He knocks down Gulak multiple times and lands a back elbow. He lands a big kick but is distracted by Alicia and Tony Nese. Gulak rolls him up for the win.
Winner: Drew Gulak
My Opinion:
Gulak and Alexander are very good. They are two of the top competitors in the division. Gulak brings a tough style. Some of his moves are ones we haven’t seen much of like sending Alexander off the ropes creating a slingshot effect. Alexander is very impressive as well. He is fast paced and is able to follow it up with moves like the back elbow. These two are ones to watch and this rivalry keeps getting better.

Match 6: Chris Jericho vs Roman Reigns(c): United States Championship
Jericho starts off with tights to Roman. He backs him into the corner but Roman is able to hit a big clothesline. He lands a Samoan Drop on Jericho for a count if two. Jericho is thrown into the corner but is able to catch Reigns with a boot. He hits him with a missile drop kick. Jericho gets caught up on the ropes. Reigns lands a clothesline and another. He then follows it up by landing a flying clothesline. Jericho catches Reigns with a springboard drop kick sending him to the outside. Reigns meets Jericho with a big right. He goes for the drive by but Jericho moves and Reigns hits the post. Jericho stomps on Reigns as we head to break.
As we return Jericho has Reigns in a chin lock. Reigns comes off the ropes but Jericho goes down low to flip him. Jericho hits Reigns with a boot. He goes for a running bulldog but Reigns moves out-of-the-way. Reigns slams Jericho down but only gets a count of two. Reigns gets his knees up on the Lionsault. Jericho looks for the Codebreaker. Jericho looks for the walls and has it locked in. Reigns is able to roll up Jericho but he kicks out. Reigns is able to hit the Superman Punch outta nowhere. Jericho is able to kick out of the cover. Reigns looks for the spear but Jericho rolls him up. Reigns goes shoulder first into the post. Jericho grabs the U.S. title and throws it at Roman and falls down. Off the distraction Jericho hits the Codebreaker but Roman kicks out. Jericho pounds on Reigns in the corner. Roman is able to hit the spear on Jericho to retain the title.
Winner: Roman Reigns: Still United States Champion
My Opinion:
Another great match. Jericho is awesome and is showing a lot of fight lately. Rman looks like he is a main eventer again. I liked that this was highly contested and no interruptions. Roman retains again and I am glad he is out there defending the title. The title seemed a little forgotten but over the past few weeks it has seemed to mean a lot more. I loved that match and it sets forth the road to the Royal Rumble even more.

Match 7: Brian Kendrick vs TJ Perkins
As soon as the bell rings Kendrick goes after Perkins. Perkins is able to land a few quick moves. He hits a dropkick and goes for the cover but Kendrick kicks out. Kendrick lands a german suplex but Perkins kicks out. He stretches Perkin neck and arms. Perkins is able to kick Kendricks on the ear. Kendrick has Perkins up top. Perkins is able to hit the hurricanrana from the top rope. Perkins is sent face first into the turnbuckle. Perkins hits the detonation kick and locks in the knee bar. Kendrick taps out and gives Perkins the win.
Winner: TJ Perkins
My Opinion:
I really like what TJ is doing. He is quietly climbing back into the top spot of the Cruiserweights. He i always impressive. His kicks are deadly and strike at the right time. I feel for Kendrick. It seems his stock is dropping. Neville is over shadowing him and Kendrick isn’t the top guy like he was.

Match 8: Big Cass vs Jinder Mahal & Rusev: 2 on 1 Handicap Match
Cass and Mahal lock up. Cass tees off on Mahal. He lands some big chops on Mahak. Rusev gets involved and Cass takes on both of them. Cass takes Rusev down with a big boot. Cass goes to the outside to get Mahal away from Enzo. Cass sends out Mahal but he is then caught by a kick from Rusev. Rusev picks up the win for himself and Mahal.
Winners: Jinder Mahal & Rusev
My Opinion:
It was what it was. There wasn’t much Cass could do and I feel this match really wasn’t needed. It was rushed and made Cass looked weak. He would never go down that easily but it came to a time crunch. This storyline is not that great and Cass and Enzo need to get back on a tag team basis and not keep doing this stuff. It is fun for a while but know when enough is enough.

Match 9: Bayley vs Nia Jax: Number One Contenders Match
Bayley goes after Nia. She tries to go for the legs but Nia takes her down quickly. Nia throws her into the corner and crushes her with a splash. She then runs into Bayley with her hip in the corner. Nia goes for a cover but Bayley kicks out. Nia stomps on her while Bayley is down. She gets a cobra clutch locked in and rag dolls Bayley. Bayley is able to fight off Nia and send her into the corner. Nia is sent into the ring post by Bayley. Bayley lands a knee to the face but Nia is able to yank Bayley off the ropes. She hits two big elbow and then a big leg drop. Nia looks to go to the second rope and is distracted by an arriving Sasha Banks. Bayley goes up and is able to hit a Bayley to Belly from the top rope. Bayley wins and is the new number on contender!
Winner: Bayley
My Opinion:
Finally Bayley will get a shot. It seemed in NXT Bayley was the best. Everyone loved her and now she will get a chance to do it in WWE. Bayley is deserving of this and has taken a lot to get to this. She is way more deserving than Nia was so I am very glad Nia didn’t win. It was inevitable that Bayley was going to get the title shot but to see it come to fruition is a nice sight. In four weeks we will see if she has it in her to dethrone The Queen.

In Ring Segment: The Kevin Owens Show
Owens welcomes everyone to The Kevin Owens Show. Owens says this is a momentous occasion because Team Kevin and Chris main event Raw. He introduces Jericho as his first guest mocking Goldberg in the process. Jericho asks the crowd if they want to see Goldberg. Jericho puts Tampa Bay on the list for chanting Goldberg. Jericho announces he has a big piece of news. Jericho announces he will be in the Royal Rumble. Owens says he doesn’t want to fight his best friend but is interrupted by Goldberg’s music. Here comes Goldberg!
Goldberg says that Jericho is first. Owens welcomes Goldberg and says they don’t need the hostility. Jericho asks what kind of neanderthal Goldberg is. Owens asks if he is supposed to be intimidated. Goldberg tells Owens to take his shot. They are interrupted by Paul Hayman.
Heyman says that in The Royal Rumble there will be elimination repeat. Goldberg says he will take care of Lesnar at the Royal rumble. Owens says that Goldberg is delusional. Out comes Reigns.
Reigns says Jericho and Owens are delusional. Reigns and Goldberg stare at each other. Out comes Braun Strowman. Braun says he is winning the Royal Rumble match. Goldberg and Reigns hit a double spear on Strowman.
My Opinion:
A great way to end the show. The Royal Rumble is looking awesome. Goldberg seems to be getting in great shape and there will be some big names in the match. I loved Roman and Goldberg hitting the double spear at the end. It sends WWE into the right direction starting off the year. I can’t wait to see Goldberg in the rumble. Getting him and Strowman and Lesnar in there would be something to see.

Final Thoughts:
Not to bad of a Raw to kick off the year. It was a safe show and it was slow at times. Such as Sami Zayn and Braun Strowman. I felt the match was good and they both gained a lot from it but at the same time it went on a lot longer than it needed to. Some matches like Cass vs Rusev & Jinder Mahal, or Kendrick vs Perkins weren’t really needed. They made things come down to a time crunch and it isn’t what they needed to start off the year. There should’ve been more time given to the end of the show. We saw some impressive work tonight. Cesaro showed his power and agility very well. The same can be said for Cedric Alexander. Rollins and Owens started off the night right but it left you wanting more. I will say Jericho vs Reigns was very good. Those two clicked and it showed. There was the perfect mix of drama and power in the match. It is nice to see The New Day is going into the Rumble match. The Royal Rumble is starting to take shape and it looks to be a good one so far especially with Jericho being in it. I loved Stephanie tonight. She was brutally honest tonight. Out in the ring she said how things were going to go and didn’t care for opinions. She was harsh backstage with Bayley but she said how she felt and Raw needs that. I liked that things got a little real with Stephanie bringing up the ratings. I like the reality feeling that is coming to wrestling now a days. I was super happy for Bayley to be the new number one contender. She is completely deserving of this. I love the finishes now a days because they make sense. For example in the Bayley match I don’t think anyone saw Bayley beating Nia straight out because Nia is still being built up and that would hurt her. But the way it was done was done by distraction but allowed Bayley to shine like the star she is. Closing Raw with Goldberg was the right call. It keeps people tuning in if they want to see him. It is what will keep the ratings because people won’t be able to go away until the very end. Goldberg did his part tonight. It got me hyped for the rumble. I also loved Braun going out there and making his presence known. Him being in the rumble with be awesome to see. Roman reminds of this generation’s Goldberg so to see him and Goldberg together and hitting a spear together was icing on the cake. A good Raw overall.
Overall Rating: 6.8/10