Csonka’s WWE Raw Review 2.06.17

Csonka’s WWE Raw Review 2.06.17

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Nia Jax defeated Bayley @ 9:25 via pin [**½]
– BRAUN defeated Johnny, Jimmy, Jack and James Boots’n Tights @ 1:53 via pin [NR]
– Akira Tozawa defeated Drew Gulak @ 3:40 via pin [**]
– Raw Tag Team Title Match: Champions Gallows & Anderson defeated Sheamus & Cesaro @ 9:02 via DQ [**¾]
– New Day (Big E & Woods) defeated The Shining Stars @ 5:45 via pin [**½]
– US Title Match: US Champion Chris Jericho defeated Sami Zayn @ 10:00 via pin [***]
– Gallagher, Perkins & Alexander defeated Neville, Nese & Dar @ 5:15 via pin [**½]
– Samoa Joe defeated Roman Reigns @ 10:15 via pin [***½]

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– We get highlights from last week’s Raw, featuring Triple H’s promo and Samoa Joe’s debut.

Samoa Joe Signs a Contract: Mick Foley & Stephanie McMahon are in the ring and Foley is reluctant to do this, but hopes Triple H is happy. Joe arrives in a suit. Joe gets a hug by Stephanie, and then she reintroduces him, calling him the hottest free agent of the new era. Foley just wants to get on with this, and Stephanie asks if he is upset because she had to do his job for him. Foley says he has pushed for Joe to be signed but isn’t happy how he debuted or who he is aligned with. Joe says it took him 18-years to get here, Foley may have been a fan, but one man opened the door for him, If taking Rollins out got him here, so be it. He is putting the roster on notice, he will beat down their heroes, the destroyer is here and there is nothing you can do about it. Roman Reigns arrives, and Joe stares a whole in him. Reigns says he is here now, so go ahead and threaten me now. Reigns says he’s the baddest man here, and he will cave in Joe’s mouth. Foley says he has loyalty to the fans, and he still makes the matches. Joe vs. Reigns is on for tonight. Joe was great here and it feels as if they are positioning him as a big deal right off the bat. I can’t see us getting the full match/clean finish here with no build, but we’ll see.

Bayley vs. Nia Jax: Bayley pinned Charlotte last week on Raw, while Jax defeated Banks at the Rumble and they destroyed her on Raw last week. Bayley challenges Charlotte for the title next week. Bayley attacks right away, but Jax cuts her off with a head butt and hip attack. Jax slams her down and maintains control. Bayley rolls to the apron, stuns Jax off the ropes and then slams her to the corner. Jax quickly fires back as we take a break. Post break, Jax was still in control and fought off the sunset flip. She then tossed Bayley into the corner and followed with the corner splash. Bayley fought back with kicks, and then corner knee strikes and back elbows. Jax then catches her and hits a clothesline, sending Bayley to the floor. Jax follows, but misses a charge and posts herself. Bayley then posts her, rolls back in and Charlotte arrives and tries to distract Bayley. Bayley pulls her in the ring, works her over, but Jax returns, hits the Samoan drop and wins. Nia Jax defeated Bayley @ 9:25 via pin [**½] Solid match, Bayley works with Jax really well and always works to her strengths. I get what they were going for with Charlotte costing Bayley the match, and they wanted to protect Jax, but I really would have loved Bayley to have momentum going into next week’s title match.

– John Cena vs. randy Orton is scheduled for tomorrow’s Smackdown.

BRAUN vs. Johnny, Jimmy, Jack and James Boot’n Tights: BRAUN ran wild on the Job Squad 2k17, and one of them runs to the back. BRAUN continues his assault, simply mauling these dudes. Running powerslam to one of them, stacks tem up and makes the pin. BRAUN defeated Johnny, Jimmy, Jack and James Boots’n Tights @ 1:53 via pin [NR] BRAUN SMASH!

– BRAUN is back to wanting competition and is going to find Foley to get some. BRAUN wants EVERYONE. Foley books BRAUN vs. Reigns at Fastlane.

– Akira Tozawa makes his Raw debut tonight.

– We get a Black History Month video on Aretha Franklin

– Austin Aries is out on commentary.

Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak: Gulak looks to ground Tozawa right away, but fails. They worked some solid back and forth, with Tozawa picking up the pace but then being sent to the floor. Gulak follows, rolls him back in and grounds him with the exciting chinlock. Tozawa escapes, sends Gulak to the floor and then hits a suicide dive. Tozawa up top, jumps over Gulak and then hits a dropkick and shining wizard, lays in some kicks and then hits the snap German for the win. Post match, Kendrick arrived to shake hands with Tozawa. Akira Tozawa defeated Drew Gulak @ 3:40 via pin [**] They followed up on 205, where they were teasing Kendrick vs. Tozawa, which is good. The match was perfectly fine, but I wish that they would properly showcase the guy in a squash. Like on last week’s 205, there was too much give and take; Tozawa is trying to make a first impression. He should be in, out, hit his trademark stuff, win and get out.

JeriKO Talk: Owens discusses that he proved peopled wrong last week, just as he has his entire career. He’s still the Universal Champion. Jericho promises to be the US Champion after beating Sami Zayn later tonight. Jericho runs down people for having the audacity to call Tim Brady THE G.O.A.T. Tom Brady just made the list. Jericho then teases himself vs. Owens for Mania, claiming it will be the biggest match of all time. Owens says that it would be the biggest main event in mania history, but he doesn’t know if he could fight his best friend. Goldberg then arrives, told them to step aside or grow a pair and take him on two on one. Goldberg addresses Lesnar’s challenge for Mania, and he accepts. Owens mockingly claps for him, and tells him that their match will be a good undercard match for KOMania. Goldberg says Owens is only champion because they never fought, and Goldberg challenged him for the title at Fastlane. Jericho was not amused, and looked to put Goldberg on the list, but Goldberg took the list and put himself on it. Jericho then accepted the match for Owens. Owens was not pleased; Goldberg told him he was next and left. And that should be the final straw for JeriKo as friends, when Owens loses. Unfortunately I can’t say I am excited to see Owens lose in something like two-minutes at Fastlane

– JeriKO argue backstage, and Owens is pissed about the Fastlane match. Jericho says no matter what, he’s always had Owens’ back.

– Enzo and Cass are sitting at ringside and plan to challenge the winners for a title match.

Raw Tag Team Title Match: Champions Gallows & Anderson vs. Sheamus & Cesaro: Sheamus & Cesaro are cashing in their rematch clause. Sheamus and Anderson begin; Sheamus quickly takes control and then tags in Cesaro. Cesaro works uppercuts to Gallows, tags in Sheamus who took control on Anderson. He and Cesaro then double teamed Anderson, ending in a double stomp by Cesaro. Gallows distracted Cesaro, Anderson attacked and pulled Cesaro to the floor and the champions took the heat. Post break, the champions kept the heat on Cesaro. Cesaro avoids a charge and gets the hot tag to Sheamus. Sheamus runs wild, hits the clothesline off the top and covers for the near fall.10 beats in the ropes to Anderson, tag to Cesaro and they hit a double team powerslam for the near fall. Gallows makes the save, but Cesaro sends him to the floor. Gallows attacks Enzo and then brawls with Cass, and the champions retain. Champions Gallows & Anderson defeated Sheamus & Cesaro @ 9:02 via DQ [**¾] This was pretty good, but not as good as their recent outings. The finish felt flat and predictable, but at the same time, you have to get Sheamus & Cesaro away from Anderson & Gallows to freshen things up, so it worked.

– We get a Black History Month video package on Jackie Robinson.

SETH ROLLINS UPDATE: We get highlights from last week, including Joe’s attack on Rollins, which led to the injury. Rollins has an MCL tear, and his Mania participation is in doubt.

– New Day cuts a promo on the Shining Stars and the resort, and question if anyone has ever been there. They claim it doesn’t exist, and that they give the fans everything that they need. They tease giving the fans ice cream. If they get the ice cream bars back, CM Punk will be pissed. They have had no idea what to do with New Day since they dropped the titles.

New Day (Big E & Woods) vs. The Shining Stars: JIP with New Day in control, the Stars cut off Woods and took the heat. It was fine; they worked some double teams and kept control. The Shining Stars are a technically sound team, but there is no sizzle to the steak, they simply exist. They cut off Woods from making a tag, kept working him over until he hit a missile dropkick and then got the tag to Big E. Big E ran wild, suplexing fools around and dancing. He hit the running splash, and then Woods hit a DDT on Primo, Midnight hour on Epico and New Day wins. New Day (Big E & Woods) defeated The Shining Stars @ 5:45 [**½] This was a solid match to keep New Day in tag title contention.

– Goldberg vs. Owens is official for Fastlane.

IT'S OFFICIAL! @Goldberg will challenge @FightOwensFight for the @WWE #UniversalChampionship at #WWEFastlane! #RAW pic.twitter.com/646lYVpxzQ

— WWE (@WWE) February 7, 2017

– Jericho is interviewed about his friendship with Owens, and says everything is fine. He promises to beat Sami tonight. Owens arrives and says Jericho is right, he knows he will have his back. Owens says he will beat Goldberg. Owens says he has Jericho’s back tonight.

– The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express are going into the WWE Hall of Fame. Ricky’s mullet is going in separately.

Congratulations to the newest inductees into the @WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017… The #RockNRollExpress! #WWEHOF #RAW pic.twitter.com/yDRMKQNRCv

— WWE (@WWE) February 7, 2017

US Champion Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn: Sami beat Jericho last week, earning his title shot here tonight. They worked back and forth, with Sami controlling until he chased Jericho to the floor. Jericho cut him off back in the ring, until Sami hit a high cross for 2. The dropkick followed, but Jericho bailed to the floor; Sami followed with the big dive as we went to commercial. Post break, Jericho was in control and hit the lionsault for the near fall. Sami fought off the code breaker, hit the XPLODER, but Jericho countered the helluva; Sami quickly fought back and hit the blue thunder bomb. Sami up top, Jericho avoids him but Sami then looks for the run up the ropes DDT, but counters into the walls. Sami fights for and gets the ropes. Owens hits him with a superkick, Jericho hits the code breaker and retains. US Champion Chris Jericho defeated Sami Zayn @ 10:00 via pin [***] Good match, and the finish works to protect Sami and also plays into the angle. Owens is obviously not happy about having to face Goldberg, and knows he needs Jericho’s help to potentially win.

Austin Aries Interviews Neville Until The Rest of The Division Gets Involved: Aries tells Neville that Rich Swann that Swann is out of action with an injury. Tomorrow night on 205 live, Dar, Perkins, Gallagher, Alexander and Nese will fight to earn a title shot at Fastlane. Aries asks which of them scares him the most. Neville calls him delusional, noting that no one scares him. It’s irrelevant who wins, he will beat his next challenger and they will have to bow and respect the king. Dar and Alexander arrive, as Dar says he should steal the title, just like he stole Alicia Fox. Gallagher then arrives, noting that the king should be the gentleman. Nese then arrives (Aries says that, “Tony Nese’s abs have arrived.”), Aries is not happy about this. Perkins finally arrives, noting that he was the champion before, and he knows what it takes to win and will do it again. It of course breaks down into brawl, Gallagher clears the ring, Perkins hits a dive and then Nese hits a Fosbury Flop. Alexander hits a dive, and then Neville fakes one to end the segment. This was a solid segment, setting up the match for tomorrow, which will lead to a PPV title match. Where it failed was that no one really got any time to talk, because it went by so quickly. It was solid and served its purpose, but comes off as completely forced to me.

– EMMALINA’S STILL NOT HERE. Her premiere supposedly happens on Raw next week.

Neville, Nese & Dar vs. Gallagher, Perkins & Alexander: JIP as Neville works over Gallagher and then talks shit to his teammates. Nese tagged in, continuing the heat on Gallagher. Nese sends Alexander to the floor, but that allows Gallagher to hit the head butt. Dar then tagged in, pissing Neville off. Perkins got the hot tag, ran wild on Dar and then sent Nese to the floor. Neville gave Dar the alligator arms like on 205 live and bailed. Nese then saved Dar, but Perkins tossed Dar to the floor, hit the detonation kick on Nese and then Alexander hit the lumbar check on Dar for the win. Gallagher, Perkins & Alexander defeated Neville, Nese & Dar @ 5:15 via pin [**½ ] This was another solid match, serving as a preview for tomorrow’s fatal-five-way on 205 Live. They keep getting shorted on time, which does them no favors.

– Jericho wants to hot a festival of friendship on Raw next week. Owens says he can’t wait.

– We get a promo about the dangers of the Elimination Chamber. Cole noted that there will be something new about the Chamber.

– Tomorrow on 205 Live.

TOMORROW NIGHT: @GentlemanJackG @MegaTJP @NoamDar @CedricAlexander & @TonyNese vie for a title shot at #WWEFastlane on #205Live! @WWE205Live pic.twitter.com/W4PhgvQFTo

— WWE (@WWE) February 7, 2017

– Joe jumps Reigns as he makes his entrance, and beats him down at ringside. JOE GIVES NO FUCKS. Joe then took center ring for a bit, but returned to the floor and continued to beat on Reigns, hitting the senton. They went to a commercial break.

Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe: After the break, the match got underway. I really liked the pre-match attack, keeping the vibe of last week and allowing Joe to essentially steam roll a main event guy for minutes set him up well. When the match officially started, Joe continued to kick Reigns’ ass, just beating him down in the corner with strikes. Reigns quickly started to fight back, sending Joe to the floor. Reigns gets some revenge, shooting Joe to the barricade. Back in the ring, Joe hits the corner enziguri; head butts follow as Joe then lays in chops but Reigns just shakes them off. Joe gets pissed, takes Reigns down, hits kicks and chops and then the elbow drop. Joe keeps Reigns rounded, beats on him and talks some shit while he does it. Joe fires away with strikes, and then chokes out Reigns in the ropes. Joe continues the heat with the snap suplex, but Reigns fires up and delivers strikes as thy trade crazy fists center ring. Reigns with the back elbow and strikes, and then the clothesline takes down Joe. They battle in the corner, repeated clotheslines by Reigns follow. Joe fights off the Samoan drop, hits the atomic drop, big boot and senton for the near fall. Joe then beats down Reigns in the corner again, but Reigns cuts off the face wash with the Samoan drop. Reigns hit the drive by kick, hits the Superman punch, but BRAUN IS HERE! Reigns tries to fight him off, Joe attacks Reigns from behind, hits the Uranage in the middle of the ring, and pins Reigns. Samoa Joe defeated Roman Reigns @ 10:15 via pin [***½] That was a really good match, with Joe al fired up and Reigns giving him a ton in his Raw debut. Joe looked good here, and the post match made sense, following up from last week and adding to the build to Reigns vs. BRAUN at Fastlane.

– Post match, BRAUN plants Reigns with the running powerslam and took Reigns to the floor, where he laid out Reigns and hit Reigns with the steps; he then powerslammed him through the barricade.

“Mama says these my magic shoes. Mama said they would take me anywhere…”

7.2

The final score: review Good

The 411

I liked Raw tonight, the show felt focused as they did build for 205 Live and Fastlane; it wasn’t great, but it felt dialed in as they advanced and built angles. I could do with so many distractions leading to finishes, as it is becoming a crutch. It was a good show overall.