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Monday’s edition of Raw, the first of 2021, was Legends Night with appearances among the biggest stars in WWE history. Sadly, the Legends’ involvement led to a very unsatisfactory end to the Championship match between WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and Keith Lee and an overall good show.
After McIntyre outlived Lee in an incredible, hard-hitting match, Goldberg appeared in the ThunderDome to issue a Royal Rumble challenge to the champion. Goldberg’s motivation made little sense overall. Worse yet, it will tie McIntyre for a major pay-per-view event in a game hardly anyone wants to see.
CBS Sports was with you all night, bringing you recaps and highlights from all the action. Read on for everything you need to know about Raw’s Legends Night Edition.
McIntyre survives Lee, gets challenged
Midway through the series, McIntyre was talking to Sheamus backstage, with Sheamus asking McIntyre to give Lee an extra kick in the head for him. The duo were then interrupted by Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart, with Hogan giving McIntyre a motivational speech. Hogan said McIntyre reminded him of himself before the two posed together to end the segment. Lee got his own pep talk from Riddle, who told him, “New year, new champion.”
WWE Championship – Drew McIntyre (c) defeats. Keith Lee via pinfall to retain the title: Lee knocked McIntyre out of the ring twice in the opening moments of the match. After the second time, Lee punched McIntyre with a bound, sending him flying over the ring barricade. Lee continued to dominate the action after the fight returned to the ring, throwing McIntyre with ease. McIntyre eventually returned with a massive stomach-to-stomach suplex, throwing Lee across the ring and ultimately hitting Lee with an electric bomb through the ringside announcement table. Lee hit an incredible Spanish fly from the top string, scoring a near drop as the intensity continued to rise. Lee caught a Claymore, countered in a Spirit Bomb attempt, but McIntyre escaped before hitting the Claymore for the win.
McIntyre grabbed the mic after the match, but was cut off by Bill Goldberg’s music before Goldberg made it to the ring. Goldberg said McIntyre is a great rep for being a champion, but the only thing he doesn’t have is respect. Goldberg said McIntyre viewed the legends in attendance as failed and that disrespect led Goldberg to issue a challenge for the Royal Rumble. McIntyre said it would be like fighting his father and Goldberg pushed him to the web to end the series.
First up: The match between McIntyre and Lee was a wonderful power fight that showcased both men and left them in good shape after the last bell. As far as the televised games go, it was wonderful to tell a standalone story and have a lot of drama, including a hot final leg. Then Goldberg arrived. Goldberg’s appearance sucked all the energy from the post-game. To make matters worse, Goldberg’s issues with McIntyre made no sense. Where did the idea come from for McIntyre – who was the ultimate facial champion – having no respect for legends? He was pulled out of nowhere to give Goldberg some sort of reason to challenge and not appear to be a heel when being a heel would be absolutely perfect. More than all of that, however, there’s absolutely no need for Goldberg to be involved in a game, let alone a major pay-per-view title game. It’s absurd and tired that WWE should be above the unprecedented level of talent on its roster right now. Let’s change things so that the marks are fair for all parties. Match Rating: A | Goldberg grade: F
Randy Orton tries to sculpt his hatred
Orton was interviewed backstage and said the voices in his head told him to light the Alexa Bliss fire last week as the show was on hold. Orton said he ultimately couldn’t do it and showed restraint and compassion, which meant he was changed while interacting with the Fiend. But, he says, he can sculpt the new hatred he had for himself and direct it to someone else. Instead of talking about The Fiend, he wanted to walk around, find legends and remind them why he was “The Legend Killer”. Orton faced off against The Big Show backstage, trying to get him to fight. Orton asked Ric Flair to walk him down the aisle again, but Flair argued with him, saying he would never walk with Orton again after Orton kicked him last year. Orton ran down Flair, saying that now he’s nothing but an old man.
Randy Orton won. Jeff Hardy via pinfall after an RKO. Orton aggressively went to Hardy early, leading him outside and repeatedly slamming his head into the announcement table. Hardy fired back, indulging in an attack that caused him to head to the top for a Swanton bomb, but Orton rolled out of the ring before Hardy could make the jump. Orton eventually dug his fingers into Hardy’s calibrated ears and pulled, similar to what he did to piercings in their Hell in a Cell match in 2018. Hardy fought back, but a Twist of Fate attempt was thwarted. in the RKO for finishing.
Orton and Hardy had a good game, as they have done many times in the past. The failure of all of this is that Orton promises to use his self-hatred to form some sort of more dangerous version of himself. He spent the show facing legends and being a jerk. That’s good, it’s Randy Orton. But, after setting The Fiend on fire and threatening to do the same with Alexa Bliss, walking around and being an idiot doesn’t feel like proving why he’s “The Legend Killer” or becoming a more dangerous version of him- even. He was aggressive against Hardy, but Orton is an aggressive wrestler by nature. And the ear patch is something he’s done in the past too. It felt like a demotion for Orton, which was not what had been promised. Grade: C
What Else Happened on WWE Raw?
The new day def. The Miz & John Morrison via pinfall after Woods hits Morrison with a brilliant wizard. The Miz and John Morrison opened the show with Miz TV, only to have the segment hijacked by The New Day. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods said Miz and Morrison were in fact their guests on the new show, “New Day Talks.” After some back and forth, Teddy Long interrupted to tell Miz and Morrison that they would face The Undertaker, only for Adam Pearce to interrupt and Long correct himself that the duo would face The New Day. Woods would strike a brilliant wizard on Morrison for the victory. Orton also confronted Mark Henry, who has an injured leg, telling him that he owes him “a lot of receipts”.
24/7 Championship – R-Truth pinned Andrade (c) to take the title. Andrade spoke to various legends behind the scenes, bragging about his 24/7 title and ultimately blown away by Sgt. Slaughter, Tatanka, Mickie James and Alicia Fox. Torrie Wilson later sent Andrade to a room where she said he would find Cardi BA instead, Andrade found The Boogeyman, scaring him out of the room and R-Truth, who pinned him down to win the title. .
AJ Styles def. Elias via pinfall after hitting a clash of styles. Jaxson Ryker tried to attack Styles with a guitar after the match, but Omos hit the guitar to make the save.
Lacey Evans and Peyton Royce fight. Charlotte Flair and Asuka via pinfall when Ric Flair accidentally tripped Charlotte, allowing Royce to score the pin. After the match, Charlotte fell on Ric’s face and told him to stay out of his business and forced him out of the ring.
Riddle def. Bobby Lashley via pinfall with a school pin. After a solid home and away game, Lashley had Riddle in The Hurt Lock, forcing the tap. The umpire didn’t see the tap, but Lashley let go of the hold. As Lashley and MVP argued with the referee, Riddle took advantage of the distraction to roll Lashley for the win. After the loss, Lashley vowed to punish Riddle the next time he got his hands on him.
Dana Brooke beats. Shayna Baszler via pinfall after having countered the Kirifuda clutch in a pin. Baszler was supposed to face Mandy Rose, but Baszler attacked her before the match, putting her on the scene. Dana Brooke rushed to check on her partner, which led to an impromptu match with Baszler. Baszler locked himself in the Kirifuda sleeve and Brooke rolled over to score a pin as Baszler didn’t release the grip. Baszler continued to choke Brooke after the game, but Rose ran to hit a knee before the two hit Baszler with a flapjack.
Lucha House Party def. Hurt business when Lince Dorado pinned Shelton Benjamin with a crucifix. After the match, MVP took Benjamin and Cédric Alexander down outside the ring, telling them to be embarrassed. Alexander left after saying he was the only winner, while Benjamin cost them the match.
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