WWE Raw: 7 things you missed overnight as Braun Strowman steals the show
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With Wrestlemania 33 in the rear-view mirror, the focus in the WWE is now on the upcoming Payback pay-per-view later this month, with a number of key matches lined up.
Raw moved on to Columbus, Ohio, on Monday night, and one week on from the Superstar Shake-Up , some new faces were looking to make a big impact.
Here, we recap seven things you missed if you didn't see Monday's edition of Raw...
Strowman looks past Roman, continues his path of destruction
(Photo: Handout)
After his remarkable beatdown of Roman Reigns – which featured an ambulance being tipped over with 'The Big Dog' stranded inside – was replayed, Braun Strowman unsurprisingly opened the show, with a clear message; there is more destruction to come, even if Reigns is out of action following Strowman's attack last week.
Having threatened the entire Raw roster, general manager Kurt Angle emerged to tell Strowman that he will face Reigns at the upcoming Payback pay-per-view, he also gave Strowman the night off...but his massacre of the Raw roster wouldn't end despite Angle's insistence that his evening was over.
Strowman not only attacked Goldust and R-Truth backstage, but also threw Kalisto into a dumpster before Big Show intervened, telling Strowman to pick on somebody his own size. With few men on the roster able to match Strowman for size, Big Show took on the challenge of Strowman in a remarkable main event.
Strowman was dazzling the crowd with his mixture of power, athleticism and burgeoning technical wrestling, before hitting a Superplex on Big Show that saw the ring collapse, with referee John Cone sent sprawling out of the ring. For the second week in a row, Strowman was left to stand tall after a show of freakish strength, firing another warning shot to Reigns in the process.
Samoa Joe defeats Chris Jericho, but Rollins wants revenge
(Photo: WWE)
With Kevin Owens now moved to Smackdown, Samoa Joe took over where his allay left off by facing Chris Jericho, who will challenge for Owens' now-Smackdown-based United States Championship at Payback this month.
Joe's own Payback opponent, Seth Rollins, watched on from the commentary table as 'The Destroyer' picked up another win, defeating Jericho with his Coquina Clutch submission before warning Rollins that he doesn't want to disappoint his 'benefactor' Triple H, and will exert revenge for Rollins' Wrestlemania win over 'The Game'.
As Joe again mocked and claimed ownership of the knee injury that almost ruled Rollins out of Wrestlemania, Rollins vowed to hand out his own dose of payback on Triple H's newest protege, as he looks to knock off Raw's dominant forces one by one.
The Miz and Dean Ambrose continue their war of words
(Photo: WWE)
The Miz and Maryse made their return to Raw last week, only to be interrupted by former Smackdown foe Dean Ambrose – and this week, The Miz invited the Intercontinental Champion for an interview on Miz TV, which went about as well as it usually does.
Whilst Cincinnati-born Ambrose received a huge ovation from the Ohio crowd, The Miz accused 'The Lunatic Fringe' of being lazy and complacent, making the Intercontinental Championship he worked so hard to elevate more of a joke than an honour.
Ambrose fired back with an flurry of punches to The Miz, only for Maryse to interfere by throwing a microphone at Ambrose. Although The Miz rapidly fled the scene, he looks set to challenge for the Intercontinental Championship at Payback in a bid to reclaim the title he lost to Ambrose in January.
TJ Perkins continues his rebirth in the Cruiserweight Division
(Photo: WWE)
Having only gone backwards since losing his Cruiserweight Championship to Brian Kendrick back in October, TJ Perkins needed a new direction to get back on track in the Cruiserweight Division – and his alliance with current Champion Neville appears to have given him a new lease of life, even though his latest win was less than honest.
Neville was announced in a 'special appearance' capacity as he sat ringside to watch over Perkins' match with Jack Gallagher, only for Cruiserweight Championship challenger Austin Aries to also watch on from outside of the ring.
The finish to the match saw everybody become involved; Perkins pushed Gallagher into Aries, Aries was ready to attack Perkins before Neville blindsided him, and with Gallagher distracted, Perkins hit a Detonation Kick for the win.
That's now two wins in a row for Perkins, who appears to be learning the underhanded tricks of Neville's trade, adding another obstacle to Aries' pursuit of the Cruiserweight Championship.
Alexa Bliss steals hometown win, becomes No. 1 contender for Women's Championship
(Photo: © WWE)
With Charlotte now moved to Smackdown, it was time for Raw to find a new No. 1 contender for Bayley's Raw Women's Championship, with a Fatal Four-Way match between Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Nia Jax and Sasha Banks taking place on Monday.
Jax, as ever, brought ferocity and incredible power to the match, with Bliss seemingly reluctant to challenge her early on in the bout outside of one slap, and Jax also had to fend off submission attempts from both Banks and James before seemingly being in position for the win.
Jax hit Banks with a Samoan Drop, but Bliss emerged from nowhere to dropkick Jax out of the ring and pin Banks, becoming the No. 1 contender in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio. She may not be interested in cheers, brushing off Ohio's excitement as she celebrate her mischievous victory, but Bliss is set for stardom – and is now poised to challenge for Bayley's Raw Women's Championship.
Finn Balor wins again, whilst Bray Wyatt has his focus on Randy Orton
(Photo: © WWE)
After suffering an alleged concussion against Jinder Mahal last week, few expected to see Finn Balor on Monday's edition of Raw – but he was the man who answered Curt Hawkins' open challenge.
Balor claimed a swift win over Hawkins, pinning him after hitting a Coup de Grace, making it three consecutive Raw wins for 'The Demon', who is working his way back to full health following a lengthy injury lay-off.
Whilst Bray Wyatt offered a warning to Balor last week, his focus was elsewhere on this week's edition of Raw, as he zeroed in on Randy Orton once again, ahead of their 'House of Horrors' match at Payback later this month.
Wyatt, who lost his WWE World Championship to Smackdown's Orton at Wrestlemania 33, challenged Orton to enter his world of fear and horror – a message that Balor will also be paying close attention to, with Wyatt seemingly lining him up as his next target.
Jeff Hardy beats Cesaro in his first Raw singles match in eight years
The Hardy's didn't defend their Raw Tag Team Championships on Raw, but Jeff Hardy did participate in his first Raw singles match in eight years, taking on Cesaro – one half of the tag team contending for the titles.
In what WWE were calling a 'dream match', Hardy picked up the win by landing a Swanton Bomb on Cesaro for the pin, leading to both Cesaro and Sheamus shaking hands with Jeff and Matt Hardy ahead of their match at Payback.
Seeing Jeff pick up a singles victory was not only great for the crowd, but also a positive sign that the Hardy's can retain their titles against Cesaro and Sheamus later this month.