Raw Review 02/13/2017

 The Road to WrestleMania  but first in three weeks we will see the Raw exclusive pay per view FastLane. Heading into tonight we know Roman Reigns will face Braun Strowman at FastLane and Kevin Owens will defend the WWE Universal Championship against Goldberg at the event. After being taken out by Braun last week as Raw went off the air, how will Roman seek revenge tonight. Or on the other hand how will Braun Strowman continue his destruction? Also what will happen as Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho host The Festival of Friendship. Set for tonight Charlotte will defend the Raw Women’s Championship against Bayley! Plus Emmalina will finally make her debut on Raw.

Raw is live tonight from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV..

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

In Ring Segment:
Stephanie welcomes everyone to Monday Night Raw. Steph says she has given Mick the night off and says she is running Raw tonight. Out comes Roman Reigns.
Roman says he is not waiting until FastLane he wants Strowman right now. Steph says it is about the WWE Universe. She asks the crowd if they want to see the match. The crowd chants and Steph says that the crowd doesn’t care about him but she does and doesn’t want to put him in harm’s way. She announces that Braun is already in a match against Mark Henry. Roman threats to disrupt the match. Steph threatens him and says she could take away his match and his chance at WrestleMania. Out comes The Club.
Anderson says they couldn’t listen to Roman any longer. Gallows says you can’t always get what you want. Gallows suggests that tonight The Club should go 2 on 1 against Roman Reigns. Steph makes the match official and pays the match in tribute to the newest Hall of Fame inductee Teddy Long.
Roman goes right after The Club as they walk down to the ring. The Club gets the advantage and takes it to Roman as Raw goes to break.
My Opinion:
A good way to start off Raw. I believe Raw would be just fine with Steph running it. She brings the fire that people want to see. I don’t know if I agree with Roman coming out. His match with Braun isn’t that big and I think it shows the lack of depth on Raw that Roman always is the one to interrupt. I like The Club coming out because they need to get in that spotlight and be able to kick off Raw. I find it sad that a year ago people went nuts at the thought of them there and now people don’t care much about them.

Match 1: Roman Reigns vs The Club (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson):
2 on 1 Handicap Match
As we return Gallows is taking it to Roman. Anderson gets the tag and The Club do a two one assault on Roman. Anderson gets Roman in a headlock on the mat. Roman fights out but Anderson continues to take it to him with kick. Roman lands a few right hands and side steps anderson sending him into the post. Roman takes Anderson down with a clothesline and some more of them in the corner. Roman knocks Gallows off the apron again and then lands a big boot to Anderson. Roman looks for the Superman Punch. Roman gets distracted by gallows and Anderson tries to steal one but Roman kicks out. He lands a Superman Punch but Gallows comes in and breaks up the pin. The Club continues to beat on Roman and are disqualified.
*** After the match The Club tries to hit The Magic killer but Roman fights out. He lands a Superman Punch and a big boot and the Tag Champs run away.
Winner: Roman Reigns: Via DQ
My Opinion:
A good match. I love seeing Roman fight back and be the underdog. The Club did very well being vicious and I think that is what people want. They know them for being destroyers so this showcased it perfectly. I think overall this was a smart match and helped The Club and Roman.

Match 2: Bo Dallas vs Kofi Kingston
The two lock up to start. Bo misses a clothesline and Kofi hits a dropkick. Bo goes to the outside frustrated and steals The new Day’s plans for their new ice cream. Kofi takes out Bo flying high over the top rope. Bo gets back in the ring and hits Kofi with a knee as Kofi enters. Bo hits a neckbreaker off the ropes and goes for a pin but Kofi kicks out. Bo pounds on Kofi in the corner. Kofi hits the S.O.S and picks up the win.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
My Opinion:
Even though the match was quick I liked it. It had humor and some good spots. I liked that they allowed Bo to beat on Kofi a little bit and show what he could do. Obviously Bo doesn’t always get matches so I like that they allowed him to take advantage of his time. Kofi winning the match was a no brainer but it wasn’t easy for him and that was good to see the competition there.

Backstage Segment:
Charly asks neville about gallagher being the number one contender. Neville says that Perkins is more of a threat than Gallagher. Gallagher interrupts but Neville shuts him down and says he is just a boy. Gallagher tells him to calm down and says they will found out at FastLane.

Match 3: Noam Dar vs Jack Gallagher
Gallagher backs Dar into the corner. The two get in a test of strength and Gallagher beats Dr by twisting his wrist. Dar stops Gallagher but he quickly takes down Dar. Dar takes down Gallagher with a kick to the shin. He lands shots to the gut with gallagher in the corner. He gets Gallagher in a calf submission. Gallagher fights back with punches but Dar quickly takes him back down and gets him in another submission hold. Gallagher hits a forearm to the jaw and is able to send Dar across the ring. Gallagher follows up with couple dropkicks and lands a huge headbutt to dar. Gallagher hits a running dropkick and is able to pick up the win.
*** After the match Nevill comes out and stares down Gallagher
Winner: Jack Gallagher
My Opinion:
Gallagher looked very impressive. I love his head butts. His style is unique and fun to watch. I love that he will be facing Neville because it is such a difference in styles. Dar impresses me everytime I see him. I love their battle back and forth and I love how Dar really worked Gallagher’s body. I think it shows true wrestling to really wear your opponent down and Dar does great at it. I love that these Cruiserweights are distinguishing themselves and and we know what to expect and can be excited about these matches now. I like Neville coming out at the end. He shows that he is the champ and makes his presence known, that is a true champ.

Backstage Segment:
Samoa Joe arrives at the arena with Triple H

In Ring Segment: Emmalina
Emmalina comes out to the ramp and says we have waited 17 weeks and here she is. Emmalina then says we now will see the makeover from Emmalina to Emma.
My Opinion:
I don’t know where this will lead for Emmalina or Emma whatever you want to call her but I don’t think this is good for her. I think this foreshadows that they have no plans for her.

Backstage Segment:
Charly asks Bayley if she is ready for tonight. Hayley says she is a good nervous. Bayley mentions Lita and Trish and says she is in the main event of Raw. Bayley mentions how Steph doubts her and how Charlotte never ceases to remind her that she was the last of the Four Horsewomen of NXT to get called up to the main roster. Bayley says she believes in herself. It is her second opportunity and she will achieve her dream!

Backstage Segment:
Jericho asks if Owens is ready for tonight. Owens says he can’t wait. Jericho says be ready for the surprises. Triple H interrupts and pulls Owens aside to talk.

Match 4: Braun Strowman vs Mark Henry
The two lock up and back off of each other. They do it again and back off again. Braun punches Henry and and backs him in the corner. Henry fights back with his own rights and backs him in the corner. Braun lands a cheap shot and then lands a clothesline to take down Henry. Braun lands a headbutt and lands a kick to the ribs. Braun gets a chinlock on Henry. Henry makes it to his feet but Braun sends him back down with a shot to Henry’s chest. Henry blocks Braun and fights back with a couple right hands. He uses his body weight and is able to land a splash in the corner. Henry looks for the World’s Strongest Slam but Braun shifts his weight and makes Henry fall to the ground. Braun lands a dropkick and hits his own powerslam to defeat Henry.
*** Out comes Roman after the match. Roman goes on the apron and Braun blasts him off. Braun tells Roman to come get him. Roman hangs up Braun on the top rope. He hits the Superman Punch and another one. He goes for the spear but Braun turns it into a powerslam and plants Roman.
Winner: Braun Strowman
My Opinion:
The match was well executed. Henry obviously couldn’t go down without a fight but at the same time Braun couldn’t look weak. I think they made the perfect mix. Braun was able to look strong but Henry did as well. The two exchanged power moves but ultimately Braun won as he should. Having braun get the upperhand on Roman at the end was perfect as well. I think Braun has to go in looking very strong. I think now he can be knocked down a level at FastLane and then that sets him up for a highly competitive match at wrestleMania. I think FastLane will switch braun from the complete monster to a monster that can be matched. He will then be able to have those big matches as Kane, Big Show, and Mark Henry did.

Backstage Segment:
Enzo and Cass interrupt Sheamus and Cesaro. Sheamus says yeah they are haters because of what cass did last week. Cass says he has to because he always has his partner’s back. Cesaro says they are the former tag champs. Enzo says if you don’t like it then do something about it. Enzo says they go this.

Samoa Joe Interview:
Cole asks Joe about his dishonorable tactics. Joe says he came here to hurt people and not to gain respect. He says the only person he cares about is Triple H. Cole asks why Joe thinks he is here now. Joe says his results speak for themselves. Cole says people think Joe is here because Triple H is scared of Rollins. Joe says Triple H doesn’t have to justify his actions. Joe Claims WWE was scared of hiring him. Joe says he will destroy anyone and Rollins will miss wrestleMania again because of him. Cole says Rollins claims he will comes back and slay Triple H. Joe says it is annoying how much Triple H’s name is coming up and that he will put Rollins on the shelf whenever he comes back. Cole asks about Joe’s first match. Joe says he is here to wreck everything and Roman was another example. He says he is here to make a statement and no one can stand toe to toe with him. Cole says there are a lot of people who Triple H has done this too. Joe says he doesn’t need Triple H to get the job done. He says he now has someone he can rely on and he is best for business. Joe says anyone who gets in his way will learn why the creator released the destroyer.

Match 5: Sami Zayn vs Rusev
Rusev goes right at Sami but Sami fights him off. Rusev backs him in the corner but backs off as the 5 count begun. Rusev takes Sami to the mat and goes for a cover but only gets a one count. Rusev pushes the elbow in the jaw of Sami and holds him to the mat. Rusev gets a chinlock in but Sami rights to his feet. Sami is able to fight out and land a couple chops. Rusev barely phased comes back with rights. Sami knocks Rusev out of the ring with a drop kick and takes him out on the outside by flying over the ropes on top of him. Rusev gets back on the offensive and keeps zayn on the outside with massive kick as Raw goes to break.
As we return Rusev has Sami in a bear hug. He switches his grip and drives his knees into Sami’s side. He then follows up with a fall away slam. Rusev lands a huge right. Sami fights back and headbutts Rusev sending him to the mat. Sami goes to fly but Rusev gets out of the way. Rusev hits an enzuigiri but Sami kicks out of the pin. Sami kicks out again on another pin attempt. Rusev slaps Sami and whips him into the corner. Rusev lands a big splash. He goes for another but Sami moves out of the way sending Rusev to the floor. Sami gets pulled off the apron and Rusev hits a big clothesline. Sami hits the Helluva kick out of nowhere as the two enter the ring. Sami goes for the cover and picks up the win!
*** Charly asks Sami if this is a boost in confidence. Sami says it was and losing sucked last week but tonight was a step in the right direction. Sami says it is what he is all about. Sami says he heard Joe’s comment about him and says he is right he is no Sami Zayn. Sami says he doesn’t take shortcuts and he doesn’t sell out. Out comes Samoa Joe. Joe blasts Zayn from behind. Joe hammers on Zayn. he sends Zayn right off the titantron. Joe proceeds to choke out Sami with the Coquina Clutch.
Winner: Sami Zayn
My Opinion:
First of all I loved the match. It was a very good match and it showed what Sami and Rusev can do. Sami and Rusev both deserve a better spot on the card and right now they have had the best match of the night. I was so happy when sami called out samoa Joe because seeing these two go at it i know it will be awesome. A great segment all around. Sami Zayn has my respect.

Hall of Fame Announcement: Teddy Long

Match 6: Akira Tozawa vs Ariya Davari
Davari takes it Tozawa. He stays on him and goes for a quick pin but Tozawa kicks out. He is able to kick out again. He sends Tozawa off the ropes and locks in a sleeper hold. Tozawa gets on the offensive with a hurricanrana. Tozawa blasts Davari off the rpon and flies over the ropes to take him out. Tozawa hits a german suplex and picks up the win.
Winner: Akira Tozawa
My Opinion:
Not really impressed with this match. To be honest it looked very planned out and not a natural flow. I hate when matches are like that. This is the second week of seeing Tozawa on Raw and I am not seeing it yet. I think Davari is good but I think to build up Tozawa put him up against another high flyer and let him show what he can do instead of being grounded to the mat.

In Ring Segment: Festival of Friendship
Out comes JeriKO with Vegas Showgirls. Jericho says first he had something made that would really show their friendship. Jericho reveals a sculpture he had made. Owens asks what it is. Jericho says it shows how they are intertwined. Jericho says it cost 7000 dollars. Owens is beside himself but says yeah that’s a steal. Jericho then reveals a painting he had made of the two. Jericho says it is the creation of Kevin which is based off the creation of Adam. Owens says he can’t hang it in his home he has two kids and Jericho doesn’t have pants on. Jericho says it’s art he doesn’t need pants. Jericho says he hired friendship the magician. The magician proceeds to pull two scarves out of his mouth. Owens says his 9 year old could do the same thing. Jericho agrees and puts the magician on the list for not impressing Owens or making an elephant disappear in Vegas. Jericho says he found the magician on craigslist. Jericho says that since he didn’t make sure Goldberg wouldn’t make it to FastLane last week, he is going to do it this week and calls out Goldberg.
Jericho says he’s gonna get it. Goldberg’s music hits. Out comes Gilberg. Owens goes out to the ramp and takes out Gilberg. Owens says he thought the whole point was to get Golderg out here to beat him together. Owens says he doesn’t understand. Jericho says he thought the Gilberg thing was pretty funny. Jericho apologizes and says he wanted to show everyone what Owens means to him as a friend. Jericho says Owens has made it one of the funniest years of his career. Jericho says the biggest present he is going to give Owens is to make sure he beats Goldberg. He assures Owens he will beat Goldberg because he has his back. Jericho calls Owens his brother and says he loves him. Owens says he is sorry. He says everything is great and he loves him too. Owens says he knows he is going to walk out still the champion. He says he feels bad because he got Jericho something but it’s nothing compared to this. Owens got Jericho a new list. Jericho pulls out the list and it is the list of KO with jericho’s name on it! Owens attacks Jericho and hits him with the list. He sends Jericho into the barricade. Owens powerbombs Jericho onto the apron. Owens brings Jericho back into the ring and bashes Jericho’s head into the televison screen with the Las Vegas like symbol on it which shattered into a thousand pieces. It was reminiscent to Shawn Michaels throwing Janetty through the barber shop window or Jericho smashing Shawn Michaels head into the Jeri-tron during the Highlight Reel.
My Opinion:
First off the segment started off very hilarious and was one of my favorites in recent memory. It had that Rock & Sock “This is your Life” vibe. The gifts were very funny (especially the “Creation of Kevin portrait) and Gillberg coming out was awesome as well. Everyone knew eventually that these two would split but I don’t think it was expected to happen just yet. I personally thought it would after FastLane. It was perfect though! This is why we love this business. It is the greatest drama on earth! My mind is blown and honestly it is the surprise factor I have wanted and felt was missing from Raw. I can’t rave enough about this more or else I wouldn’t finish the rest of the review. It was perfectly done and I can’t wait to see where this leads. One of the biggest turns since Rollins on the Shield.

Backstage Segment:
Jericho is being loaded into an ambulance and being taken to a local medical facility.

Match 7: Enzo Amore vs Cesaro
Cesaro quickly takes down Enzo. He sends Enzo flying. Cesaro stomps on Enzo. He sends Enzo into the corner and hits an uppercut and does it gain. Enzo fights back and hits a flying ddt. Cesaro though quickly gets on the offensive and takes Enzo out with an uppercut and picks up the win.
Winner: Cesaro
My Opinion:
I didn’t like the match. I thought it really made Enzo look like a jobber. They make Enzo look so weak and like he can’t go at all. I don’t get it. It seems like the end goal is to have Cass go on his own. Enzo just isn;t it. Maybe Enzo should be a manger because WWE is making him look like a fool out there.

Backstage Segment:
Charlotte says it is so nice to see Sasha. Sasha says she will shut her up and will do it anytime. Charlotte tells her to sit down and watch her do what she can’t do and that is win.

*** Next week Braun Strowman will take on the Big Show

Match 8: Charlotte (c) vs Bayley:
WWE Women’s Championship
Charlotte shows off right off the bat. Bayley is quickly taken down. Charlotte gets a wrist lock and throws Bayley down. Bayley comes from behind but Charlotte kicks out on the pin attempt. Bayley hits a deep armdrag but can’t take advantage. Bayley hits Charlotte in the face and Charlotte heads to the outside to regroup as Raw heads to break.
Charlotte slams Bayley Into the turnbuckle but it fires Bayley up. Bayley hits a springboard crossbody but gets a two counts. Charlotte whiplashes Bayley into the bottom turnbuckle. She continues on bayley’s neck by slamming her on the mat. Bayley is tied up in the ropes as charlotte’s pulls on her hair and back. Charlotte gets a chinlock in and throws Bayley around. Bayley hits a jawbreaker and catches her again. Charlotte gets a neckbreaker and punishes Bayley. Charlotte goes on to hit another neckbreaker. She goes for a pin but gets a two count. Charlotte lands a huge knee on Bayley. Bayley reverses and is able to drive Charlotte into the corner. Bayley creates some space but Charlotte knocks Bayley off the apron. Charlotte goes to the outside and sends bayley flying against the barricade with a big boot. Charlotte hits a moonsault and crashes down on bayley’s neck. Charlotte goes for two pins consecutively but Bayley kicks out both times. Charlotte hits the signature chops but bayley fights back again. Charlotte goes for the boot but misses and bayley hits her with forearms. Both women crash into each other. Bayley gets up and hits an axle handle. She goes to the mat with Charlotte and pounds on her. She hits a huge suplex and goes to the top. She hits a springboard elbow and goes for the pint. Charlotte kicks out at two. Bayley hits a side suplex and goes to the top. She hits a big elbow but only gets a two count. Bayley sends Charlotte into the corner but she gets out of the way. She hits a big boot and goes to the top. Bayley catches her and hits a hurricanrana off the top rope. Bayley goes for the pin but Charlotte again kicks out at two. Dana Brooke tries to distract Bayley but Bayley fights it off and gets the Figure Four locked in. Dana gets back up and rakes Bayley’s eye. Charlotte locks in the Figure Eight. Sasha Banks comes out and hits Charlotte with the crutch. Bayley hits the Bayley to Belly and picks up the win!!!!!
Winner: Bayley: New Women’s Champion
My Opinion:
What a match between these two. There is no doubt Charlotte brings out the best in everyone she faces. These two battled and battled where it really showed they both were fighting for the win. There were points were it felt like the match dragged on but they pulled it together and put on a terrific show. I am so happy for Bayley and she deserves it. The question will be where will this lead heading into Mania? Are we going to be playing hot potato with the title again? Is Charlotte going to lose the match at the next PPV? Will she just get her title back in the rematch? I don’t know. As of right now these women proved once again they are that damn good and thats all I really know for sure. The booking and future plans may have me confused but the match was tremendous.

Final Thoughts:
I usually am critical of Raw and don’t give it an 8 rating but that last half of Raw was amazing. Excluding the Enzo and Cesaro match of course but The Jericho and Owens segment and the Charlotte and Bayley match blew me away. I know we have seen Charlotte and Sasha have these caliber of matches in the past but it blows me away every time because that is a main event and they always deliver proving they should be there. They deserve all the praise in the world because they left it all out there. Also Owens’ turn on Jericho was perfectly executed. It was the perfect time because people were expecting it at or after FastLane but it perfectly done tonight. That segment had everything from laughter to the highest of drama and reminded me why I love wrestling. I would also like to give props to the announce team as they really sold the Owens turn perfectly. It makes me want to tune into Raw next week to hear Owen’s explanation. It was very shocking and that is the element of surprise they need. Similar to Bayley winning tonight, it brought that element of surprise. I also loved Samoa Joe tonight and how they’re moving forward with him on Raw since Rollins got hurt and the original plans had to change. He is one of the toughest guys in wrestling today and it is great they are letting him show that. Plus Sami Zayn and Rusev really shined in their match and these are two guys who deserve the time they were given. Its awesome to see Zayn as the one moving forward with Joe in a rivalry. There wasn’t much else to really be excited about on this Raw but I will say they executed the time they were given and I thought it was very smooth and fast paced. I didnt feel like I was watching a marathon show or Raw dragged on for too long. I don’t know if it’ll beat SmackDown Live this week but in my book Raw did it right this week as it does every now and then.
Overall Rating: 8 /10