WWE RAW Report – 3/13/17

– Tonight’s WWE RAW opens up with a graphic in memory of “Outlaw” Ron Bass. We go to a video on Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Universal Champion Bill Goldberg at WrestleMania 33.

– We’re live from The Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Michael Cole welcomes us. He’s joined by Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.

– We go right to the ring and out comes Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman to a pop.

Heyman mocks Goldberg for getting hit with a F5 last week. Heyman goes on until the Goldberg chants interrupt. Heyman threatens to cut the interview short. He goes on about how Lesnar will take the Universal Title at WrestleMania 33 and how Goldberg will go down via the F5. The music hits and Lesnar marches to the back with Heyman right behind him.

– Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley are backstage. Stephanie offers to teach Foley some of what she’s learned over the years. Foley looks to improving the Foley – McMahon connection. Stephanie has his first test tonight – he must go over the RAW roster and decide who he’s going to fire, just three weeks from WrestleMania. Stephanie says they have to trim the fat and this will lead to a better product. Foley has until the end of the night. Stephanie asks if she can count on him. He says yes. She walks off and he doesn’t look happy. We go to commercial.

Sasha Banks vs. Dana Brooke

Back from the break and Dana Brooke is out with Charlotte Flair. Sasha Banks is out next.

Back and forth to start. Sasha ends up getting the quick win.

Winner: Sasha Banks

– After the match, Charlotte enters the ring and starts ripping into Dana, saying she’s not good enough to stand with her. Dana decks Charlotte out of nowhere and beats her down. Dana sends Charlotte to the floor. Charlotte can’t believe it. Dana tells her to bring it but Charlotte makes her exit.

– The announcers lead us to a video on the 2017 Warrior Award recipient – former Rutgers football stand out Eric LeGrand. He will be honored at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.

– Still to come, Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn and Chris Jericho.

TJ Perkins and Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick and Tony Nese

Back from the break and TJ Perkins is out as is Akira Tozawa. No Austin Aries on commentary as he will be in action later tonight.

Tozawa and Kendrick go at it to start. Tozawa ends up sending Kendrick to the floor and nailing a big dive. Nese comes over to taunt Tozawa but Perkins jumps off the apron and takes him down. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and Kendrick is in control of Tozawa. We see WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville watching backstage. There will be a Fatal 5 Way on 205 Live to crown a new #1 contender. Tozawa stops a double team and drops Nese with a forearm. The h eels keep control and keep Tozawa from tagging.

Perkins finally gets the hot tag and unloads on Nese. Perkins drops Nese on his face but Kendrick breaks the pin attempt. Tozawa charges but Kendrick sends him out. Perkins sends Kendrick out with a kick. Nese with a clothesline and a close 2 count on Perkins. Perkins ends up hitting a DDT but Kendrick breaks the pin again. Tozawa ends up dropping Kendrick with a big kick. Nese shoves Perkins into Tozawa and rolls him up with a handful of tights for the win.

Winners: Tony Nese and Brian Kendrick

– Charly Caruso is backstage with RAW Tag Team Champions Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. They don’t care who wins the #1 contender’s match tonight. The spotlight on the tag team division should be theirs but if it’s not given to them, they will take it.

Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn and Chris Jericho

We go to the ring and out comes Kevin Owens. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and Owens is in the ring as fans chant for Chris Jericho. We get a video package on their recent turn. Owens says Jericho never considered him a best friend, he just wanted to get close to his title. Owens says Goldberg didn’t beat him at Fastlane, Jericho did. Owens goes on and says he will take Jericho’s title at WrestleMania, just like Jericho took Owens’ title away. Owens says once he’s done, the only thing left of Y2J will be The Tears of Jericho, cry it out man. Owens goes on and gives a nod to The Destroyer. Samoa Joe is out next. We take another break.

Back from the break and out first comes Sami Zayn. WWE United States Champion Chris Jericho is out next. Fans chant for Jericho before the bell. Owens looks to start with Jericho but Joe immediately tags in. Jericho strikes first with a dropkick and chops. Joe with an inverted atomic drop, a big boot and a senton for a 2 count.

Jericho turns it around and nails a missile dropkick for a 2 count. Sami tags in for a bit of double teaming. Sami goes to work on Joe but gets rocked into the corner. Joe with strikes now. Sami sends Joe flying with a head scissors. Joe smashes Sami in the corner and kicks him in the face. Owens tags in and stomps away on Sami. Owens taunts and mocks Jericho as he keeps control of Sami. Owens knocks Jericho off the apron while he’s distracted. Sami fights Joe and Owens off at the same time, sending them to the floor. Sami runs the ropes and takes them both out. Sami clutches his knee. Sami brings Joe back in and goes to work. Owens runs in from behind and takes out Sami’s knee. They double team Sami now. The referee tries to stop the double team but has to call for the bell.

Winners by DQ: Sami Zayn and Chris Jericho

– After the bell, Joe drops Sami and applies the Coquina Clutch. Owens stomps. Jericho makes the save. Owens and Jericho go at it in the middle of the ring. Jericho goes for the Walls of Jericho but Owens fights it. Joe makes the save and lays Jericho out. Joe and Owens double team Jericho as referees try to stop them. Owens nails a pop-up powerbomb. Owens and Joe finally leave as officials tend to Jericho.

– Foley and Stephanie are backstage. She offers help if he needs assistance picking a name from the roster to fire. Stephanie suggests Sami Zayn and calls him an under-performer. Nia Jax appears. She says she put Sasha Banks on the shelf for 1 month, then Sasha barely pinned her at Fastlane but gets a title shot. Nia wants justice. Stephanie says Nia is absolutely correct and she will give Nia a spotlight tonight. Stephanie makes Nia vs. Bayley for tonight. Foley walks off to clear his head. Stephanie asks if he wants some company, to help with the decision.

– Still to come, Roman Reigns addresses The Undertaker. We go to commercial.

– Back from the break and Jinder Mahal approaches Foley with concern about his job. Foley makes Jinder vs. Roman Reigns for tonight.

– The announcers lead us to The New Day backstage for their new talk show segment, New Day Talks. They interview Big Show about the new Jetsons – WWE movie. Titus O’Neil interrupts and doesn’t care about the talk show but does care about why The Titus Brand wasn’t the star of the Jetsons movie. He shoves Big Show and walks off.

#1 Contenders Match: Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Sheamus and Cesaro

Back from the break and out comes Enzo Amore and Big Cass. They cut promos on going to WrestleMania 33. Sheamus and Cesaro are out next. The winners of this will go on to WrestleMania to face the RAW Tag Team Champions.

The bell rings and Cesaro goes right to work on Cass. Cass grabs him for a sideslam and a 2 count. We see Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson watching backstage. Sheamus comes in and keeps up the offense on Cass for a 1 count. They trade shots in the corner now. Sheamus with a running knee lift. Cass slams Sheamus and tags in Enzo. Cass slams Enzo on top of Sheamus for a 2 count as Cesaro breaks it. Both teams argue in the middle of the ring as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Sheamus and Cesaro are in control. Sheamus with a 2 count on Enzo as Cass breaks the pin. Sheamus and Cesaro keep Enzo in their corner now. Cesaro stops Enzo from tagging. Enzo stuns Cesaro and crawls for the tag. Cass gets the tag and runs over Cesaro. Cass with a pair of fall-away slams and a big splash. Cass keeps control but Sheamus tags in and comes off the top with a battering ram.

Cass dumps Sheamus to the apron. Sheamus goes for the forearms but Cass fights him off with back elbows. Cass with a running boot that sends Sheamus off the apron. Cass also hits the floor. Gallows and Anderson appear from the crowd. They take out Cass and Sheamus on the floor for the bell.

No Contest

– After the bell, Gallows and Anderson send Cass into the barrier. Sheamus tries to fight them both but they beat him down and send him into the ring post. Cesaro comes over but they double team him into the ring. They also take Enzo out. Cesaro takes a Magic Killer to boos. Gallows and Anderson stand tall and “too sweet” each other.

– We see what happened last week with Roman Reigns and The Undertaker. They are now official for WrestleMania. We see Reigns backstage walking to the ring. We go to commercial.

– Back from the break and Foley walks up on Gallows and Anderson backstage. He’s not happy with what they just did. Foley threatens to fire both of them, champs or not. He makes it a Triple Threat match for WrestleMania with the titles on the line. Foley tells them to have a nice day and walks off.

Jinder Mahal vs. Roman Reigns

We go to the ring and Jinder Mahal waits as Roman Reigns makes his way out.

They lock up and go to the corner. They break but Jinder connects with a cheap shot. Mahal works Reigns over. Reigns ducks a clothesline and slams Mahal for a 2 count. Reigns takes Mahal to the corner for big blows but The Undertaker’s gong goes off and distracts him.

Mahal takes advantage of the distraction and turns it around. Mahal works Reigns over until Reigns nails a Superman punch for the win.

Winner: Roman Reigns

– After the match, Reigns takes the mic and says he’s not playing around tonight. He calls The Undertaker to the ring. We go to commercial.

– Back from the break and Reigns is waiting for The Deadman. The music hits and out comes WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels instead.

Reigns says it’s cool to see HBK and Detroit loves him but he called out The Undertaker, not Michaels. Michaels will make it short and sweet. He saw what just happened and says Reigns is distracted and unfocused. Shawn says if Taker is already this far into Reigns’ head, he’s going to eat him alive at WrestleMania 33. Reigns says that’s not going to happen. Reigns says he’s always asked what it will be like to be in the ring with Taker but maybe Taker should think about what being in the ring with Reigns will be like. HBK acknowledges that this is Reigns’ yard but he asks Reigns to acknowledge that he’s Mr. friggin’ WrestleMania. HBK goes on and Reigns takes his advice but says with all due respect, Taker retired HBK. Reigns says he’s going to be the guy that retires Taker. Reigns sets the mic down and makes his exit as his music hits and HBK looks on.

Reigns is making his way up the ramp when Braun Strowman comes out and lays him out with a cheap shot. Braun stares at HBK and threatens to do the same to him, if he wanted to. A “thank you Strowman” chant starts as we go to replays. Officials tend to Reigns on the ramp as fans chant for HBK.

– Foley and Stephanie are backstage. She’s loving the excitement tonight but Foley is still down about having to fire someone. He hopes he can talk Stephanie out of this. Stephanie ends up giving him 1 hour to make the decision and if he doesn’t make it, she will make it for him and it will be one he doesn’t like.

– The announcers lead us to a video package on what happened last week with Austin Aries and Neville. Aries will make his RAW in-ring debut next against Ariya Daivari. Back to commercial.

Austin Aries vs. Ariya Daivari

Back from the break and out comes Austin Aries as Ariya Daivari waits int he ring. They shake hands before the bell.

Daivari strikes first with a kick but Aries comes right back and they go at it. Aries gets the upperhand and hits a dropkick. We see Neville backstage watching the match. Daivari ends up taking control and bringing Aries back in to put fingers in Aries’ eyes.

Aries makes a comeback and hits the spinning elbow. Aries keeps control and hits a shinbuster. Aries dumps Daivari on his neck and nails the big elbow for the win.

Winner: Austin Aries

– After the match, Aries celebrates as we get replays and see Neville watching backstage.

– We get a look at Goldberg and Lesnar.

– Still to come, Nia vs. Bayley. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and we get a vignette for Emma’s re-debut, coming soon.

Big Show vs. Titus O’Neil

We go to the ring and out comes Big Show. He’s not happy. Titus O’Neil is out next.

The bell rings and Show takes Titus right to the corner for a big chop to the chest. Titus ducks a chop and unloads on Show in the corner. Show runs over Titus and beats him around some more. Titus slides out of a scoop slam and takes Show down. Show gets right back up and nails a chokeslam. Show lifts Titus for another chokeslam but fans want one more. Show delivers a third chokeslam for the easy win.

Winner: Big Show

– After the match, Show marches to the back as his music hits. He stops and points up at the WrestleMania 33 sign.

– Saxton leads us to a Women’s History Month video package on tennis star Billie Jean King.

– Bayley is backstage talking to Sasha Banks about tonight’s match with Nia Jax. Sasha says Nia is beatable. She tells Bayley not to listen to the haters who say she’s not championship material. Sasha tells her to get past tonight and then they can focus on stealing the show at WrestleMania. Sasha wishes her good luck but Bayley looks worried. We go to commercial.

– Back from the break and we see what happened between Jericho and Owens earlier tonight. Jericho is backstage and is asked by Mike Rome how he will respond to what happened. Jericho will get his revenge at WrestleMania but for now he wants to show everyone the true Kevin Owens. Jericho announces a special edition of The Highlight Reel for next week’s RAW. His guest will be the real Kevin Owens.

Bayley vs. Nia Jax

We go to the ring and out first comes RAW Women’s Champion Bayley for this non-title match. Nia Jax is out next.

The bell rings and Bayley is hesitant. Nia overpowers and ends up sending Bayley to the floor early on. Nia follows and delivers a headbutt. Nia brings it back into the ring but Bayley kicks her a few times. Nia gets upset and pushes the steel steps over. Nia comes back into the ring as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Nia continues to dominate Bayley. Bayley makes a comeback and goes to the second rope. Nia catches her and goes for a Samoan Drop but Bayley slides out. Bayley kicks her and goes for a guillotine but Nia tosses her. Nia misses a splash in the corner but scoops Bayley into a bear hug. Nia drops Bayley over the top rope.

Nia with a splash in the corner and another. Nia with a headbutt and shoulder thrusts in the corner. The referee warns her before calling the match.

Winner by DQ: Bayley

– After the bell, Nia continues the assault. She turns Bayley upside down and works her over. The referee gets in the way and frees Bayley as Nia leaves the ring. Nia pulls Bayley to the floor and launches her into the barrier. Nia heads to the back as her music plays.

– Foley is shown walking backstage. We go to commercial.

– Back from the break and Stephanie McMahon is in the ring. She calls Mick Foley out to reveal who he’s decided to fire.

Foley wasn’t fond of this task but he knows it will make him a better General Manager in the long run and a better person overall. Foley has chosen to fire… Stephanie McMahon. A “yes!” chant starts up. Stephanie gets upset. She wants a name now. Foley says she’s the only one that deserves to go. He yells at her for how she treats the RAW Superstars. Foley treasured his 18 year friendship with Stephanie until recently. Foley calls Stephanie a liar and a bad person. He starts ranting on Triple H now. Stephanie asks Foley if he wants to find out how bad she really can be. Stephanie starts insulting Foley. Foley says he will not be silenced. The music interrupts and out comes Triple H to a pop.

Triple H tells Foley to say something to his face if he has something to say. Foley wasn’t sure if Triple H was real. Triple H says everyone always has trouble finding him but he’s around, he’s running a business. Triple H says he doesn’t need a lawsuit this close to WrestleMania, threatening to rip Foley’s other leg off. They trade insults. Triple H says he would’ve never brought Foley back but Stephanie has a big heart. Triple H works hard at creating the future so he doesn’t have to look at pathetic has-beens like Foley. Triple H says Stephanie really likes Foley, he amuses her. Triple H goes on and CM Punk chants start up. Triple H tells Foley not to underestimate Stephanie, she is every bit the business woman Vince McMahon taught her to be. Triple H says Foley is close to dragging his pathetic self around the globe again to tell his stupid stories about the man he used to be. Foley doesn’t need this company. Foley goes on, takes his teeth out, and says he’s happy with who he sees when he looks in the mirror. Triple H knocks him again and wonders how his kids will feel about him no longer being with the company. Triple H brings up Noelle Foley’s dream of being in WWE and Dewey Foley working back at WWE HQ. Maybe Mick will give Dewey a ride to the unemployment office.

Triple H goes on in Foley’s face, telling him to get the hell out of his ring and take it to the back. Foley puts the mic down and goes to leave. Stephanie says let that be a lesson to everyone else. She says those that have a job should go to work in the morning and thank their bosses for the opportunity. Foley is still standing in the corner. Triple H tells him to get out. Triple H walks over but Foley puts Mr. Socko in his mouth. Stephanie drops Foley with a low blow. Fans chant for Foley now. Triple H rolls his sleeves up as Stephanie eggs him on. Triple H goes for Foley but the music interrupts and out comes Seth Rollins on a crutch. Rollins limps to the ring as Triple H looks on.

Triple H is ready for a fight. Rollins stares at him from ringside. Rollins drops the crutch to a big pop. He takes off his jacket and looks ready to go. Rollins hits the ring and they start brawling. Rollins unloads and drops Triple H. He gets up but Rollins kicks him to the mat. Rollins runs the ropes and knocks Triple H out of the ring to a pop. Rollins tells Triple H to bring it back into the ring. Fans chant for Rollins. Triple H grabs the crutch and runs back into the ring but Rollins drops him. Rollins unloads and hits the ropes but Triple H nails his bad knee with the crutch. Triple H with another crutch shot. Triple H takes his shirt off and goes to work on the bad leg of Rollins, dropping him in a Figure Four. Rollins screams in pain as Stephanie yells at ringside. Triple H breaks the hold as officials hit the ring and check on Rollins. Triple H grabs the crutch and waits for Rollins to get up. Triple H knocks him right back down with a shot to the knee. Triple H tosses the crutch at Rollins as fans boo. RAW goes off the air with Rollins clutching his leg as Triple H looks on.

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