WWE RAW Report – 1/16/17

– Tonight’s WWE RAW opens up with a graphic in memory of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka. We cut to a video package to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

– We’re live from Little Rock, Arkansas after the RAW opening video. Michael Cole welcomes us. He’s joined by Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.

– We go to the ring and out comes Roman Reigns.

Reigns talks about how he’s winning the WWE Universal Title at the Royal Rumble and going on to main event WrestleMania 33 again. Reigns states that no one can beat him one-on-one right now. Paul Heyman interrupts and comes to the ring. He talks about Brock Lesnar in the Rumble but fans drown him out with Bill Goldberg chants. WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens is out next with new WWE United States Champion Chris Jericho. They cut promos until Seth Rollins comes out to the biggest pop of them all. Rollins says they can’t have a WrestleMania 33 main event discussion without Seth Rollins. Rollins says he’s going on to win the Rumble match to get back in the WrestleMania main event. Braun Strowman is out next.

Braun enters the ring and comes face to face with Reigns. The music interrupts and out comes Brock Lesnar to a big pop. Everyone watches as Lesnar makes his way to ringside. Sami Zayn attacks Braun out of nowhere and a brawl breaks out. Reigns with a Superman punch on Braun. Rollins with a knee on Braun. Sami nails Braun next. Lesnar comes in and unloads. He hits a suplex on Reigns. Lesnar stares Sami down now. Lesnar grabs Sami as he tries to get away. Lesnar launches Sami next. Braun gets on the apron and Lesnar tells him to bring it. They stare each other down as fans pop. Braun drops down off the apron and they boo. Lesnar turns around to a Superman punch from Reigns. Reigns knocks Jericho and Owens back out next. Reigns turns around to a big F5 from Lesnar. Lesnar looks down at Reigns as his music hits. Lesnar stands tall in the ring as Braun looks on from ringside. Everyone else is down trying to get up. Braun backs up the ramp as Lesnar looks on from the ring.

– Still to come, RAW Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Sheamus vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Also, Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Rusev and Jinder Mahal. We go to commercial.

Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Jinder Mahal and Rusev

Back from the break and out comes Enzo Amore and Big Cass. No wheelchair this week. Rusev and Jinder Mahal wait in the ring with Lana as Enzo and Cass do their mic work.

Enzo starts off with Jinder and takes it to the corner. Jinder turns it around but Enzo counters in the corner and tags in Cass for some double teaming. Rusev comes in and knocks Enzo to the mat. Cass unloads on Rusev in the corner. Cass sends Jinder to the floor with a clothesline. Rusev joins Jinder on the floor as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Rusev floors Enzo for a 2 count. Rusev beats Enzo around now. Jinder tags in and drops a big knee on Enzo. Rusev comes back in and keeps Enzo in a bear hug. Cass finally gets a hot tag and unloads on Rusev and Jinder. Cass with the Empire Elbow on Jinder but Rusev breaks the pin at 2. Enzo dumps Rusev to the apron. Rusev drops Enzo. Cass sends Rusev flying off the apron with a boot. Jinder rolls Cass up for 2. Cass drops Jinder with a big boot. Enzo tags and goes to the top for the big double team and the pin.

Winners: Enzo Amore and Big Cass

– After the match, Jinder and Rusev retreat as Enzo and Cass celebrate.

– Still to come, RAW Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Sheamus defend against The Club.

– We see Jack Gallagher walking backstage. Back to commercial.

Ariya Daivari vs. Lince Dorado

Back from the break and we have Austin Aries and Jack Gallagher on commentary. Ariya Daivari is out first for the match. He talks trash to Gallagher ahead of their “I Forfeit” match on WWE 205 Live tomorrow night. Lince Dorado is out next.

Daivari unloads to start but Dorado comes off the ropes for a 2 count. Daivari continues to be aggressive as he beats Dorado from corner to corner. Daivari yells out at Gallagher as fans boo. Dorado takes advantage and turns it around. Dorado with a springboard stunner for a close 2 count. Dorado misses a shot from the top. Daivari nails a big clothesline and a submission for the win.

Winner: Ariya Daivari

– After the match, Daivari hits the corner and taunts Gallagher.

– Back from a break and we get a look at The Undertaker announcing himself for the Royal Rumble. The announcers hype the Rumble and send us to a video on the WWE United Kingdom Title tournament.

RAW Tag Team Title Match: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. Sheamus and Cesaro

We go to the ring and out come RAW Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Sheamus. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. We get formal ring introductions from JoJo. Cesaro and Anderson go at it to start. Sheamus tags himself in as Cesaro catches Anderson in a big backbreaker. Sheamus drops a big knee and covers for a 2 count. Cesaro tags back in and nails a double stomp for a 2 count. Anderson turns it around in the corner and in comes Gallows for some double teaming. Gallows with a 2 count on Cesaro.

Gallows and Anderson keep control of Cesaro and keep him on their side of the ring. Sheamus gets a tag and unloads on Gallows. Sheamus with running attacks in the corner. Sheamus with a flying clothesline from the top for a 2 count. Gallows sends Sheamus to the floor but he comes right back to the apron. Sheamus with the forearms on the apron. Anderson tries to break it up but Cesaro scoops him for the Cesaro Swing. Anderson avoids it and retreats. More back and forth. Gallows turns it around with a big kick, knocking Sheamus off the apron. Gallows stands tall as Cesaro checks on Sheamus and we go to commercial.

Back from the break and The Club is still in control. Gallows misses a cheap shot on Cesaro on the apron. He turns around to a big slam from Sheamus. Cesaro tags in as does Anderson. Cesaro strikes first. Cesaro with the running uppercuts now. Cesaro nails a dropkick for a 2 count. Gallows stops the Swing on Anderson. Cesaro dropkicks Gallows through the rope. Cesaro nails the 619 on Anderson. Gallows sends Sheamus into the barrier. Cesaro nails a crossbody to the floor on Gallows. Anderson runs for a dive but Cesaro uppercuts him. Cesaro with the springboard corkscrew uppercut for a close 2 count.

Cesaro with the Swing on Anderson as fans count along. Cesaro goes for the Sharpshooter but Gallows runs in with a big kick to the face. Anderson covers for a 2 count. Anderson talks trash and works Cesaro over. Cesaro comes back with uppercuts. Cesaro knocks Gallows off the apron but turns around to a spinebuster from Anderson. Sheamus breaks the pin. Sheamus drops Anderson and mounts Gallows. Sheamus accidentally decks the referee and he goes down. Gallows kicks Sheamus. Anderson rams Sheamus into the ring post and he falls out to the floor. Anderson and Gallows hit Magic Killer on Cesaro. Another referee runs down and counts the pin. Gallows and Anderson are announced as the new… the first referee wakes up and announces Gallows and Anderson won but by DQ due to Sheamus hitting the referee. Sheamus and Cesaro retain.

Winners by DQ: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

– After the announcement, Gallows and Anderson attack the champions and drop Sheamus with a Magic Killer before leaving the ring.

– Still to come, RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair will discuss her Royal Rumble title defense.

– The announcers look back at tonight’s opening segment with Lesnar and others. Sami, Reigns and Rollins vs. Owens, Jericho and Braun is made for later tonight.

– The announcers lead us to a video on the late WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and we get a promo for Emma’s return as Emmalina.

Rich Swann vs. Tony Nese

Tony Nese waits in the ring as WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann makes his way out.

The match never starts as Neville comes running through the crowd and attacks Swann. Officials are out to break it up. Neville unloads but Swann comes back. Nese joins in but won’t let up, which causes Neville to toss him to the floor. Neville with more cheap shots on Swann before we go to replays.

– Still to come, The New Day will be in the ring. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and Neville is backstage with comments on what he just did to Rich Swann. Neville cuts a promo on how he will take the Cruiserweight Title from Swann at the Royal Rumble.

– The New Day are out with BootyO’s cereal for fans at ringside. Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E take the mic to hype the Royal Rumble match. They acknowledge that it’s foe vs. foe, friend vs. friend and every man for himself. The New Day says if one of them wins the Rumble, they all win the Rumble and then all three go on to the main event of WrestleMania. The music interrupts Woods and out comes Titus O’Neil.

Titus says he doesn’t want to join The New Day, he wants to replace them. Titus tells them to hook him up with one of their Rumble spots but they turn him down. Titus doesn’t need them to give him anything, he will take it. He tells them to figure out which one of them is going to lose their Rumble spot to him tonight. Big E volunteers and says if he wins, Titus has to leave them alone and quit stalking them. Titus mocks their chant as fans boo. His music hits and we go to commercial.

Big E vs. Titus O’Neil

Back from the break and the match is underway with Titus in control in the corner. Big E comes out of the opposite corner with a shoulder and Titus goes down. Big E ducks a clothesline and taunts Titus. Big E with an abdominal stretch now.

Big E ends up sending Titus to the floor. He follows and keeps control. Titus shoves Woods to the floor. Kofi stops Woods from chasing him in the ring. Big E follows but Titus floors him with a boot for a 2 count. Titus mounts Big E with more strikes and another 2 count. Titus with more offense and another pin attempt. Titus drops elbows and covers for another 2. Titus scoops Big E and slams him on his face for a close 2 count.

Titus keeps Big E grounded now. Titus keeps control and nails another slam. Titus mocks The New Day and runs the ropes for a big leg drop. Big E kicks out at 2 again. Titus mushes Big E around and talks trash now. Titus with an abdominal stretch and slaps to Big E’s ribs as he mocks The New Day’s theme. Big E comes off the ropes with a big clothesline and another. Big E with the belly-to-belly suplex. Big E dances over Titus, runs the ropes and hits the big splash. Big E with a Big Ending for the win.

Winner: Big E

– After the match, The New Day celebrates in the ring.

– We see RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte walking backstage. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and out comes RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair.

Charlotte talks about how Bayley’s always been just a fan. She shows us photos of their first meeting and several photos of Bayley meeting various wrestlers when she was a young fan. She also shows us WWE Breaking Ground video of Bayley reading an essay she wrote in school about wanting to become a pro wrestler. Charlotte mocks her for getting emotional. Charlotte has a copy of the essay but fans start chanting for Bayley. Charlotte crumbles the essay up and tosses it. Charlotte goes on about how she was born into this and is a franchise player until the music hits and Bayley marches to the ring. Charlotte retreats and heads up the ramp as Bayley looks on. Bayley says Charlotte bringing up old stuff is unnecessary. Charlotte says this is what Bayley is – an average fan. Bayley says she’s not ashamed of the passion she has for WWE. Bayley says she didn’t have a dad that could get her into WWE with one phone call but she did have a dad who took her to every WWE event in San Jose, California even if he didn’t have the money. She told her dad that would be her in the ring one day. Bayley does poems about beating Charlotte at the Rumble, ending her pay-per-view streak.

– We get another look at the opening segment with Lesnar, Strowman, Reigns and others. Jericho and Owens approach Braun backstage now. They try to direct Braun’s anger but he says he does what he wants, when he wants. Braun says he’s going to eliminate everyone at the Rumble and then he’s coming to WrestleMania to take the WWE Universal Title. But tonight, he’s going to make Rollins, Zayn and Reigns scream for their lives. Braun walks off and we go to commercial.

Cedric Alexander vs. The Brian Kendrick

Back from the break and we see what’s happened with Cedric Alexander, Alicia Fox and Noam Dar. Austin Aries is back on commentary. Brian Kendrick and Cedric do the pre-match before going at it. Cedric brings it back in the ring but Kendrick drops him with a kick. Kendrick keeps Cedric grounded now. We see Dar watching backstage.

Cedric makes a comeback and gets a close 2 count. Kendrick counters and locks in the Captain’s Hook. Alicia runs down. Cedric makes it to ringside and talks with Alicia, allowing Kendrick to drop him off the distraction. Kendrick taunts Alicia and goes back in to Cedric. Cedric ends up getting the win with the Lumbar Check out of nowhere.

Winner: Cedric Alexander

– After the match, Alicia comes int o celebrate as we see Dar backstage watching. Cedric goes to hug her but he ducks her instead. Cedric disses her and keeps on walking out of the ring as Alicia looks on.

– We get a look back at Nia Jax attacking Sasha Banks in the ring before RAW while she was getting her knee checked out. Nia is backstage with Mike Rome now. She says Sasha is a wannabe tough girl and the second she stepped in the ring with a real woman, she was done. Nia goes on and says she broke The Boss, now people are buzzing about the right woman. She walks off.

– Cole teases a WWE Hall of Fame announcement as we go to commercial.

– Back from the break and Mike Rome approaches Alicia Fox backstage and asks what just happened with Cedric Alexander and if they are finished as a couple. She plays it off and says she doesn’t want to talk about it. She keeps walking but Rome keeps asking questions. She flips out and says she doesn’t want to talk about it. She’s off to talk to Cedric.

– Cole leads us to the video package for 2017 WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle. Cole congratulates Angle on “coming home” and plugs tickets going on sale this week.

Chris Jericho, Braun Strowman and Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn

We see the shark cage on the stage as WWE United States Champion Chris Jericho makes his way out with WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and Bill Goldberg is confirmed for next week’s go-home RAW from Cleveland. Back to the ring and out comes Braun Strowman to join Jericho and Owens in the ring. Sami Zayn is out first for his team. Seth Rollins is out next. Roman Reigns is out last to a mixed reaction.

The two teams meet in the middle of the ring. Sami attacks Braun before the bell and the two teams go at it. Jericho gets sent to the floor. Braun tosses Rollins out. It comes down to Reigns and Braun in the ring. They go at it and Braun tosses Reigns to the floor. Braun stands tall as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Braun is in control of Reigns in the corner. Jericho tags in and keeps him down. The referee is distracted while Owens beats on Reigns with cheap shots. Jericho talks trash and smacks Reigns around. Reigns takes the slaps and drops Jericho with a right hand. Sami tags in and unloads on Jericho. Sami with a standing moonsault for a 2 count. Jericho pushes Sami back in the corner and in comes Owens. Owens beats Sami down and brags about being the champion. Braun with a cheap shot on Sami.

Owens keeps Sami grounded with a chinlock now. Owens keeps control and nails an enziguri for a 2 count. Jericho comes back in and stops Sami from tagging. Jericho dumps Sami on his head for a 2 count. Owens tags in and stops Sami from tagging. Owens mocks Reigns and goes for the senton but Sami gets his knees up. Reigns tags in and unloads on Owens with rights. Reigns with a flying clothesline. Reigns with big shots in the corner as fans count along. Jericho runs in but gets dropped. Reigns counters and nails Owens again. Reigns readies for a Superman punch but Jericho grabs his leg. Rollins takes out Jericho. Braun tosses Rollins into the barrier. Reigns goes for a Superman punch on Braun on the apron but it’s blocked. Braun shoves Reigns into a superkick from Owens for a close 2 count. We go back to commercial.

Back from the break and the heels are in control of Reigns still. Order is restored as Owens keeps Reigns grounded again. Reigns finally hits a Samoan Drop on Owens. Jericho and Rollins tag in at the same time. Rollins with a Slingblade and more offense. Rollins comes off the second rope with a Blockbuster. Owens runs in but Sami tosses him to the floor. Rollins nails a suicide dive on Jericho. Sami jumps out of the other side of the ring and nails Owens on the floor. Braun charges Sami on the floor and goes down as well. Rollins with a top rope knee on Jericho for a 2 count. Rollins goes for a Pedigree but Jericho blocks it. More counters between the two.

Braun tags in and eats punches from Rollins. Braun grabs him by the throat but Sami attacks from behind. Braun grabs Sami and knocks him to the mat. Rollins goes for a Pedigree on Braun but it’s blocked. Rollins nails an enziguri on Braun. Reigns with a Superman punch on Braun. Sami tags in with Braun on one knee. Sami goes to the top. Rollins goes to the top and leaps onto Jericho and Owens on the floor. Sami with a crossbody on Braun for a close 2 count. Fans chant “this is awesome” now. Braun blocks a Helluva Kick with a big clothesline. Braun with the running powerslam on Sami for the win.

Winners: Braun Strowman, Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens

– After the match, Braun stands tall over Sami as his music hits. Braun tosses Sami out of the ring and follows. Braun carries Sami up to the stage and places him to the side of the announce table but Rollins comes over with a steel chair and nails Braun. Reigns follows up with a spear and Braun goes down. We go to replays from the match but the announcers are gone. Rollins and Reigns take apart the announce table but Jericho and Owens stop them. They beat them down as fans boo. They go to put Reigns through the table but Rollins runs over and nails Jericho with a Pedigree on the steel. Owens with a chair shot to Rollins’ back. Owens drops Reigns with a chair and smacks him with the chair. Owens grabs Reigns and puts him through the announce table with a big powerbomb. Reigns is laid out as the referee checks on him. Owens stands tall over Reigns as RAW goes off the air.

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