Post by Slade on Feb 17, 2022 10:17:40 GMT -5
Live from Vivent Arena in
Salt Lake City, Utah
On Monday, February 7, 2022
WWE Commentary Team: Mauro Ranallo, Tony Schiavone and Corey Graves
WWE Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel
WWE Backstage Reporter: Mean Gene Okerlund
***
The Bar defeated the team of “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Samoa Joe by pinfall at 16:37 to advance to semi-final of the UWA Universal Tag Team Championships title shot tournament. It was a hard-hitting affair, especially when Sheamus and Joe were in the ring. Late in the match, a brawl outside the ring occurred. Joe gave Cesaro a dragon suplex on the floor. When he got up, Sheamus was there to hit him with stiff forearm shots to the side of the head. Savage dove off the top turnbuckle to give Sheamus a double axehandle, but the Celtic Warrior moved and Savage hit Joe instead. After shoving Savage into the barricade and clotheslining him over it, Sheamus helped his partner up. Together, they took Joe into the ring, where Cesaro gave him a Neutralizer, then brought him to his feet and whipped him into a Brogue Kick. Sheamus made the pin as Cesaro dove through the rope to hit Savage with a suicide European uppercut.
Mean Gene Okerlund caught up with the Hardy Boyz to get a word on their return to WWE. They said it felt amazing to be back in the place where it all began for them. They said they were here to show the WWE Universe that they still have that same fire and the desire to be the best that they had when they were younger. Not only do they think they are the best tag team in WWE, but they think they’re better than any team in the UWA, and they’re going to prove it by winning this title shot tournament and then winning the UWA Universal Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania II. Full Blooded Italians came into and said the hard were nothing but a couple of wise guys trying to a pull a fast one over them. They ain’t gonna stand for it. Johnny “The Bull” want to stomp either one of these pinheads into the ground next week. Matt Hardy told them that next week, Stamboli will be deleted!
Kevin Owens defeated Angelo Dawkins by pinfall at 6:50. Dawkins whipped Owens into the corner and attempted a corkscrew avalanche splash, but Owens got out of the corner. Dawkins stumbled out of the corner after hitting the top turnbuckle and walked right into a kick to the abdomen and a Stunner.
RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair came to the ring to cut a promo about how she keeps saying that day-in and day-out she is the EST of WWE, and that the belt around her waist proves it. She says anyone can feel free to step up in the ring to challenge her. But just know one thing, if you do, you’ll get knocked down for the 3-count by the fastest, the strongest, and the overall best athlete in WWE. Ruby Riot came to ring flanked by Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan. Riot said that if she’s looking for a real challenge, then here it is, and suggests the two of them battle over the title next week on RAW. Belair accepted the challenge, but after she did, she was attacked and suffered a 3-on-1 beatdown at the hands of the Riot Squad until Nyla Rose, an unlikely saviour, came out and cleared the ring before calling Morgan – her opponent in the next match – into the ring.
Nyla Rose defeated Liv Morgan by pinfall at 5:07. Rose executed the Beast Bomb on Morgan to get the win. After the match, she walked up close to the camera and said that right there was Sasha Banks’ future.
Adam Cole defeated Al Snow by pinfall at 5:35. Cole escaped the Snow Plow and executed a superkick on Snow. He followed that up with a side belly-to-belly suplex before giving him the Boom! After the match, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan said there was no one more deserving for a shot at the RAW Intercontinental Championship than Adam Cole and said that they were challenging Eddie Guerrero for a shot at the title at No Way Out. Cole said he didn’t want to wait for an answer and called Guerrero out to give him an answer, right here, right now. Instead of getting Guerrero, he got Finn Balor. Cole and Heenan told him to get lost. They said they were done with the Bullet Club. Balor said they were not because he too wanted an Intercontinental Championship match, and since the last time they met in the ring, Balor threw Cole out of the Royal Rumble, he thinks he should get the title match. Heenan said Balor deserved nothing. Cole said that what happened at the Royal Rumble was a fluke and he would prove it. He said he didn’t want there to be any doubt, so next week, he wants Balor in the ring, and the winner gets the Intercontinental Championship title shot. Balor told him, “You’re on.”
Mean Gene Okerlund spoke to Shawn Michaels about winning his first match since returning to WWE last week on RAW. Michaels credited Dunne with giving him a greater challenge than he anticipated but said there was no challenge too big for the Heartbreak Kid. Ultimately, when the pressure of the situation mounts, HBK always comes through. Pete Dunne crashed the interview to call Michaels a fraud, accusing him of taking a cheap shot from behind the referee’s back to steal a win in a match he was on the verge of losing. A further exchange of heated words led to Dunne tackling Michaels into the interview set wall. They brawled around on the floor, prompting referees and other security officials to flood the scene.
Toni Storm defeated Raquel Gonzalez by pinfall at 11:16. Gonzalez whipped Storm into the ropes and went for a running big boot. Storm did a somersault evasion to duck it before giving Gonzalez a bridging German suplex. Gonzalez kicked out and nailed Storm with a lariat. She put Storm on the top rope, where Storm blocked a superplex attempt. They fought on the top rope until Storm knocked Gonzalez down and executed a diving leg drop. Instead of going for the pin, she immediately picked up Gonzalez and gave her the Storm Zero, thus securing the pinfall victory.
Mean Gene Okerlund spoke to AJ Styles, who said that the Heenan Family would love to move on from the Bullet Club, but this thing between the two groups isn’t over and it won’t ever be over as long as the Heenan Family keeps cheating their way to wins. Styles said that Triple H has never beat him in a fair one-on-one contest, and he probably never will because he’s too chicken-shit to step into the ring with him to find out. If Triple H wants to prove him wrong, he’ll meet him in Portland next week. No Bullet Club. No Heenan Family. Just Styles and Triple H mano-a-mano.
FTR defeated the team of Ricky Steamboat and Keith Lee by pinfall at 14:21 to retain the RAW Tag Team Championships. Steamboat made the hot tag to Lee, who came in and used his power and size advantages to run over his opponents. Lee lifted Harwood onto his shoulders for the Big Bang Catastrophe but Wheeler pulled him down. Lee went for a double clothesline. They ducked. Lee went into the ropes where Steamboat made the blind tag. Harwood and Wheeler gave Lee a double back body drop, then they tripped up Steamboat as he climbed the turnbuckle. When Lee got up at the ropes, Wheeler dropkicked him over top. Harwood executed a top rope superplex on Steamboat and Wheeler came down on him with a frog splash. Harwood made the pin to get the win.
***
Next week on RAW
RAW Women's Championship Match
Bianca Belair {c} vs. Ruby Riot
RAW Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender's Match
Finn Balor vs. Adam Cole
Matt Hardy vs. Johnny Stamboli
And more!
RAW Women's Championship Match
Bianca Belair {c} vs. Ruby Riot
RAW Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender's Match
Finn Balor vs. Adam Cole
Matt Hardy vs. Johnny Stamboli
And more!