It’s the final RAW of 2020; unfortunately things won’t change much in 2021. WWE will still be coming to us from the ThunderDome. RAW will trot out Legends instead of building young stars. In fact, next week is Legends Night. As for tonight, Drew McIntyre is still trying to mediate the dispute between Sheamus and Keith Lee. Time to head into the ThunderDome!
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre is in the ring to address the altercation at the end of last week’s show. Sheamus kicked Keith Lee in the face, despite being on the same team. First, though, Drew thanks then fans for motivating him this year. As it turns out, Sheamus and Keith Lee will face each other tonight for a shot at Drew McIntyre.
Sheamus walks out first, telling the champ that he kept his word; he didn’t touch Lee during the match. Sheamus wants to kick off the year the right way with a match against McIntyre.
Keith Lee would like a word with McIntyre, who vouched for Sheamus last week. His word is now broken. Lee will force Sheamus to apologize. He then warns Drew that Sheamus will stab him in the back. Drew stops the arguing and decides that they will kick off the show with their match. Sheamus with a cheap shot of a Brogue kick as a ref heads to the ring.
Keith Lee vs. Sheamus – Number One Contender Match
McIntyre joins commentary for the match. Sheamus fires out of the corner, but Lee responds with knee strikes. Sheamus blocks a suplex and beats Lee down to the mat. Lee breaks out of a double wrist lock and tosses Sheamus over the top rope to the floor. He slams Sheamus into the apron and then the ring post. Sheamus catches Lee with a pump knee strike coming into the ring. Sheamus goes up top, connecting with a splash on the floor.
After the commercials, Lee picks Sheamus up, but his arm gives way and Sheamus escapes. On the apron, Sheamus hammers away at Lee. He climbs the turnbuckle again, but leaps right into the pounce. Lee with a splash in the corner and a spine buster. Lee with a corner splash and drops Sheamus in the middle of the ring. Sheamus kicks out of the pin.
Lee can’t get Sheamus up for a Spirit Bomb. Sheamus kicks him in the back of the leg, but Lee dodges the Brogue kick and takes him down with a cross body. Sheamus kicks out.
Sheamus hits Lee with White noise, but can’t get the three count. The two trade head butts. Lee catches Sheamus coming off the ropes and hits the Spirit Bomb. He covers and gets the win.
Winner via pinfall: Keith Lee
Elias is practicing his guitar in his locker room and there’s a knock at the door. Elias tells Jaxson Ryker to ignore it and he keeps playing.
The Miz w/John Morrison vs. Gran Metalik w/Lince Dorado
Before the match, Dorado takes some shots at Miz’s acting career. Miz is not the right frame of mind; upset that he lost his Money in the Bank contract. Metalik with a moonsault to take out Miz on the floor. He goes up top, only to leap into a big boot from Miz. Metalik falls into the ropes and Miz with a running knee to the back of the head. Miz locks in rear chin lock. Metalik lands on his feet on a suplex. He follows with a drop kick. Gran Metalik with a sunset flip and is able to hold on to the pin to get the three count.
Winner via pinfall: Gran Metalik
Elias is still jamming backstage, and someone is pounding at the door. Ryker answers with some anger, only to have Omos burst in. AJ Styles wants Elias to cut out the racket. Elias diffuses the situation, because AJ is just upset he didn’t get the job done at TLC. Styles vows to break Elias’s fingers so he can’t play ever again.
Dana Brooke w/Mandy Rose vs. Shayna Baszler
Brooke catches a kick and slaps Shayna across the face. She forces Baszler into the corner and snap mares her into the middle of the ring. Baszler blocks a splash by getting her knees up. Shayna tries to stomp on the elbow, but Brooke is able to escape. She can’t escape getting her arm hyper extended over the ring apron, though. Baszler with a wrist lock. Dana breaks the hold with a jawbreaker. Dana with a series of clotheslines, but gets caught on the baseball slide. Baszler locks in the Kirifuda Clutch on the floor. Shayna breaks the hold and slams Mandy Rose into the apron. She tries to stomp on her elbow, but Dana makes the save. In the ring, Brooke hits a spinning neck breaker, but can’t get the pin. She goes up top, but Baszler dodges the splash and connects with a knee strike. She locks in the Kirifuda Clutch on Dana, who quickly taps out.
Winner via submission: Shayna Baszler
After the match, Mandy checks on her partner, only to have Baszler lock her in the Kirifuda Clutch.
Alexa’s Playground
The playground was built by him for Alexa and she can’t wait for him to come back. She thinks he could be waiting for Legend’s Night next week. Or maybe he is waiting for Randy Orton to come back to the playground. She calls for him; his music hits; but no Orton. She tries again; once again Orton doesn’t walk out. She doesn’t think Orton wants to play with them anymore.
Randy Orton is in the Firefly Funhouse, taking advantage of the fact that it is empty. Orton kicks Huskus the pig. Orton tells Alexa the Fiend isn’t coming back and he tosses Mercy the Buzzard out the window. Orton wants to make sure that Bray Wyatt has nothing to come back to. Alexa begs him to stop and challenges Orton to face her in the ring later, tonight. Orton figures this is where Wyatt is supposed to return and accepts the challenge.
Charly Caruso welcomes Charlotte Flair to the interview area and wants to know if she is ready for Nia Jax. Flair is absolutely ready and is ready to bet on herself. Flair has a new year’s resolution to climb to the top. Asuka lets everyone know that Nia is not ready for Charlotte Flair.
AJ Styles w/Omos vs. Elias w/Jaxson Ryker
The two trade near falls to start the match. AJ slows things down with a head lock. Elias pounds Styles into the corner and then sends him flying with a back body drop. AJ Styles gets a cover after a sunset flip, but Elias kicks out. Styles with a drop kick and Elias rolls to the floor. Styles gets caught on the apron and Elias drop him face first onto the ring and then drives him into the ring post.
After a commercial break, Styles goes up and over in the corner only to get laid out with a jumping knee strike. Elias takes Styles for a rope walk and finishes with a meteora. AJ kicks out. Styles fights out of a head lock. Elias connects with a straight right and tosses AJ from the ring. Ryker runs up on AJ, only to get scared off by Omos. Elias keeps on eye on Omos as he rolls AJ back into the ring.
Styles connects with a clothesline in the corner and follows with a uranagi. Elias hits Drift Away, but can’t get the pin. Elias climbs the turnbuckle, but AJ catches him and hits a Pele kick. Elias hits a TKO, but still can’t get the pin. Styles hits an enziguri and follows with a forearm from the apron. The strikes backs off Elias and AJ hits the Phenomenal forearm. He covers to the get the win.
Winner via pinfall: AJ Styles
Last Monday, Ricochet talk RAW Talk that he doesn’t want to be in RETRIBUTION, but he won’t let people use him to further their careers.
Before the match, Ali delivered a final message. He tells Ricochet he needs to change, because one man cannot change a thing. He needs to accept RETRIBUTION as an ally.
Ricochet vs. Mustafa Ali w/RETRIBUTION
Ricochet with a double leg take down and pounds on Ali. Ricochet follows with a chop in the corner. He slams Ali into the mat and drops an elbow. Ali powers out of the pin. Ricochet connects with a drop kick and then a back body drop. Ali drops Ricochet into the middle turnbuckle, suckering him in by begging for mercy. Ricochet is whipped into the turnbuckle and bounces into a neck breaker. Ali and Ricochet fight on the ring post. Slapjack distracts the ref, allowing T-Bar to slam Ricochet into the barrier. Ali hits a splash on the floor and we go to commercial.
Ali with a back stabber off the ropes, but Ricochet kicks out of the pin. Ali with an elbow drop and locks in a sleeper hold. Ricochet escapes a back suplex and catches Ali with a back elbow. He backflips over Ali and hits him with a German suplex. Ricochet with a discus clothesline and gets Ali up for the Kick Back. Mace pulls Ali out of the ring to avoid the pin. All three members of RETRIBUTION hop on the apron. Ricochet takes out T-Bar with a tornado DDT and catches Slapjack with a drop kick. He kicks Ali off the apron into the ring post. He drops Mace with a DDT on the floor. He rolls Ali into the ring and goes up top. Ricochet with a shooting star press, but Ali blocks by getting his knees up. Ali locks in the Koji Clutch and Ricochet passes out.
Winner via submission: Mustafa Ali
After the match, Ali tells Ricochet he has no chance, unless he joins up with RETRIBUTION. Ricochet tells Ali he will not join up and hits the Recoil. He gets out of dodge before the rest of RETRIBUTION can deliver a beating.
Nia Jax tells Charly Caruso that Charlotte is right to be afraid of her. Jax wants to end Flair’s climb to the top on the first rung, win back the tag team titles and officially enter the Royal Rumble match and win. Shayna likes that idea.
After the commercial break, Charly Caruso asks Drew McIntyre about Keith Lee’s comments. Drew is glad to see Lee finally step up and he has seen the spark that could take him to the top of WWE. Drew knows Lee can beat any WWE superstar, except for him.
Charlotte Flair w/Asuka vs. Nia Jax w/Shayna Baszler
The two lock up in the middle of the ring. Charlotte forces Jax into the ropes and the ref breaks the hold. They lock up again and Flair applies a wrist lock. Jax powers Flair into the corner and works over her shoulder. Flair goes up and over in the corner, landing on the apron. She drop kicks Jax out of the ring. Nia returns to the ring and Flair unloads with forearm shots. A knee strike sends Jax to the floor again. A baseball slide sends her into the announce desk. Asuka takes care of Baszler as Nia is run into the steps. Back in the ring, Jax counter the figure four by dropping Flair into the turnbuckle.
After the commercial break, Flair powers out of a hold and hits a neck breaker. Charlotte yanks her to the mat and goes up top. Jax pulls Flair to the mat and looks for the Samoan drop. Flair drops out it, only to get hit with a sit out powerbomb. Flair kicks out of the pin. Jax misses a leg drop. Baszler sends Asuak into the announce desk, as Flair locks in the figure four. Shayna leaps into the ring and puts Flair in the Kirifuda Clutch. The ref calls for the bell.
Winner via disqualification: Charlotte Flair
Asuka is able to run Jax and Baszler out of the ring.
Earlier today, the Hurt Business accosted another young man backstage.
Charly Caruso wants Angel Garza to describe his first year on RAW. He says he had his ups and downs, but next week maybe he will introduce himself to one of the legendary women. Charly wants to know who the rose is for, but he gets interrupted by the 24/7 title chase an the rose gets destroyed.
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods celebrate Big E winning the Intercontinental Title on Smackdown. Riddle and Jeff Hardy join in. Riddle wants to name their four man team, but nothing is really acceptable.
Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Riddle and Jeff Hardy vs. The Hurt Business
Before the match, MVP offers the business forecast for 2021 from Bobby Lashley, who enters himself in to the Royal Rumble match.
Riddle and Hardy show some teamwork as Hardy launches himself off Riddle’s back to hit Benjamin with Whisper in the Wind. Kofi, Woods, Riddle and Hardy take turns taking shots at Bobby Lashley eventually knocking him out of the ring.
After the commercials, Riddle is in the wrong corner, taking a beating. Lashley locks in a single leg crab. Riddle gets to the ropes to break the hold. Benjamin tosses him to the floor and MVP taunts him.
Kofi finally tags in, cleaning house. He hits Cedric with the Boom drop. Benjamin and MVP distract Kofi, who is able to fend off Alexander. Woods makes a blind tag and Kofi takes out MVP with a suicide dive. Woods catapults Cedric against the top rope and Hardy goes up top. He hits the swanton bomb, but Lashley breaks the pin. MVP with a boot to Kofi, but gets dropped by Riddle. Hardy hits Benjamin with a Twist of Fate and blocks a spear from Lashley. Hardy can’t block the Hurt Lock, though, and has to tap out.
Winners via submission: The Hurt Business
After the bell, Kofi, Xavier, Hardy and Riddle have to fight their way to safety. Riddle hits Lashley with a knee strike and they are able to get away.
Miz and Morrison are sitting in a stair well, upset over their loss. Adam Pierce has the Money in the Bank contract to return it to the Miz. Since Morrison cashed it in and not the Miz; it didn’t count. Miz gets the briefcase and contract back. The two dance in celebration.
Alexa Bliss makes her way to the ring and Randy Orton follows shortly after. Orton demands to know where he is. Alexa says this is about her. She grabs a present from ringside and opens it in the ring. The Viper warily looks on, as Bliss pulls out a gas can and matches. She lays them at Orton’s feet and steps away. She wants him to burn her like he burned him. She lays in the middle of the ring as Orton stands in the corner. Bliss pours a trail of gasoline and stands in a pool of it, begging Orton to light the match. Alexa pours out more gas, making a ring. She calls out Orton for not having the guts to light the fire. She pours the rest of the gasoline over her head, staring at Orton, while she is dripping in gas.
Orton picks up the matches, telling Alexa he wants to do it, but that is what she wants. If she wants to see the Fiend so bad, maybe he will set her on fire. The ThunderDome starts to shut down and Orton drops the mic. The lights go dark, expect for one lit match. The show goes to black with Orton holding a lit match. See you in 2021.
Monday Night RAW 12/28/2020
The ThunderDome at Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
The last RAW of 2020 brings us a lot of wrestling. Although I could without the eight man tag team match, but with the Hurt Business that is the cost of doing business. The Main Event segment featured Alexa Bliss and Randy Orton, alas, the Fiend did not show, but it was still riveting television. And we have also come to the time of year when people start announcing that they will be in the Royal Rumble match. RAW has come a long way in a short amount of time. It was long ago I was trashing RAW Underground here.
