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With WWE Champion Drew McIntyre sidelined for a second week after a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, WWE once again turned to Randy Orton and Alexa Bliss to do the heavy lifting on Raw. For fans looking forward to McIntyre’s return and the sequel to his script with Goldberg, the pair will appear next week on the Return to Raw show ahead of the Royal Rumble.
For Orton and Bliss, both were dealing with the Bliss fallout in their own way after ending Raw last week by shooting a fireball in Orton’s face. Orton now wears a burn mask and claims to have been disfigured in the attack, while claiming he will dominate and win the Rumble on January 31.
Bliss, however, appears to have been further plunged into darkness after burning Orton. On Monday, it was Asuka who felt Bliss’s wrath, losing their clash in the main event after Bliss transformed mid-game.
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 the ThunderDome.
Orton and Bliss continue the saga of fire
Orton opened the show with a promo in a dark room, wearing a mask over his face. He said the voices in his head had never been louder than since he was burnt by an Alexa Bliss fireball. Bliss had, he said, interrupted the redirection of anger he had towards himself for showing compassion by not turning it on. Orton also said he blamed The Fiend, not Bliss, for what happened to him. Still, Orton said his “sickening affliction” would not get him out of the Royal Rumble match and vowed he would burn everyone’s dreams in the match.
Bliss hosted Asuka in Alexa’s playground, repeatedly speaking to the empty swing seat. Bliss declared for the Royal Rumble and gradually grew angrier when an increasingly nervous Asuka said or did something in the interests of “having fun”. These “infractions” included Asuka trying to organize a dance party, saying “yowie wowie” and trying to sit in the empty seat.
Alexa Bliss def. Asuka via pinfall after hitting Sister Abigail. Bliss smirked when Asuka went on the attack, but it was only a matter of minutes before the lights went out in the ThunderDome and the show became a commercial. When the show resumed, Bliss was “transformed”, standing in the middle of the ring and showing no emotion as Asuka circled her. Bliss repeatedly blocked and dodged under Asuka’s strikes with ease before hitting her to the canvas with a shoulder block. Asuka hit a knee, sending Bliss into the corner, only for Bliss to bridge Bray Wyatt’s back while holding the ropes. Bliss tried to lock the mandible claw but was hit by a series of strikes from Asuka. Bliss still managed to grab Asuka and knock Sister Abigail out for the win. Before the show aired, the camera wobbled and Bliss turned back and said “Let me in”, as The Fiend’s voice played around the stadium.
The entire angle starring Orton, Bliss, and Wyatt falls firmly into ‘like or hate’ territory. For some, the rhythms will hit a lot harder than not. For others, the supernatural angle will be missed. The match between Bliss and Asuka was solid and quite entertaining with Bliss showing off a more complete “Fiend-like” transformation in physicality and manners. The real dud of the night was the Orton promo, where he looked disfigured from last week’s fireball after WWE “reported” that he had suffered “minor” or “first degree” burns. The angle continues to take Orton away from the things that have made him arguably the best wrestler in the world in 2020. Hits and misses. Hate it or love it. Grade: C
What Else Happened on WWE Raw?
Charlotte Flair won. Peyton Royce via submission with the number eight. Ric Flair arrived at the building with Lacey Evans, who said their “relationship” just involved her learning from the best wrestler ever and that they were going to watch Royce vs. Flair together. The couple went out during the match with Evans in one of Ric’s dresses. While the distraction nearly cost Flair the victory, she returned to score the submission, refusing to break the hold for a long time after the game. Later that night, Charlotte said it was time for her to use the lessons she had learned from “The Dirtiest Player In The Game”.
The Hurt Business def. Lucha House Party & Riddle via submission when Bobby Lashley put Gran Metalik in the Hurt Lock. Riddle stumbled upon Hurt Business backstage. Everyone traded insults until Lashley stomped on Riddle’s sandal feet. The Hurt Business’s internal issues with Cedric Alexander trying to steal the show continued throughout the match until an enraged Lashley tagged himself and finished Gran Metalik. After the match, Riddle hit Lashley with a cheap shot before running away.
Mace def. Xavier Woods via pinfall after a slamming of the tilting sidewalk. Mustafa Ali said the group wanted to break Kofi Kingston’s spirit by breaking Woods. The distraction of retaliation led to the finish.
Shayna Baszler beats. Mandy Rose via submission with the Kirifuda pouch. Ahead of the game, Baszler warned everyone in the Royal Rumble that she was coming for them, including Tag Team partner Nia Jax. After the match, Dana Brooke dropped Jax into Baszler, sending the duo into the ring.
AJ Styles def. Ricochet via pinfall after hitting the Styles Clash. Adam Pearce told Ricochet that a win over Styles would go “a long way” to give him a chance at the Royal Rumble. For the second week in a row, Styles shattered dreams, catching Ricochet who bounced straight into the Styles Clash for the win.
The Miz and John Morrison hosted The Dirt Sheet. After announcing that Goldberg was appearing on the segment during the show’s first two hours, The Dirt Sheet debuted with Miz and Morrison featuring the former World Champion to bring out Gillberg (Duane Gill, 61). The segment was then interrupted by actor David Krumholtz with a partially exposed butt and a small sword posing as Drew McIntyre. This led Miz to announce that Goldberg and McIntyre would both lose to the Royal Rumble because he would cash out his Money in the Bank contract at the event and win the WWE Championship.
Drew McIntyre cut a brief promo from his house. McIntyre, still in quarantine after his diagnosis of COVID-19, said he would be back on Raw next week and encouraged Goldberg to show up and meet him there.
Jeff Hardy won. Jaxson Ryker via disqualification when Elias stepped into the game. Similar to last week, Ryker and Elias weren’t on the same wavelength about what “not to help” meant, this time it was Ryker honestly not wanting Elias to help just for Elias to intervene. and causes the DQ. Hardy attempted to attack after the match, but Ryker hit him with a Bossman Slam.
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