WWE Monday Night Raw February 1st, 2021

 WWE Monday Night Raw February 1st, 2021

Last week's show is here with pics and gifs: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2021/01/wwe-monday-night-raw-1252021.html

 Drew McIntyre came out to start the show.

He pointed to the Wrestlemania sign and said we are in Wrestlemania season now.

Edge then came out. Drew thanked him for taking care of him when he first came to America. Edge asked "what is wrong with you?". Edge said he's a threat and Drew should have kicked his head off for it instead of giving him compliments.

Sheamus then came out. He said he didn't want to take the high road in all of this and wondered where Edge was the last year while Drew became champ. Drew asked if Edge was going to make his choice of which title he wanted to wrestle for or if Drew would have to make the choice for him. Edge said Drew will know when he will make his decision and said he will walk out of Wrestlemania as champion no matter who he faces. Sheamus then brogue kicked Drew which is not believable since they have been best friends for 20 years.

The backstage interviewer asked sheamus what that was about. Sheamus said he is tired of being known as Drew's friend and said he is no longer Drew's friend. He said he wants the WWE title. Drew Gulak then gave Sheamus his bags.

United States Championship - Bobby Lashley (c) vs Matt Riddle 

Lashley came out with MVP. If the rest of The Hurt Business was out here, I'd say Riddle will win this, but they aren't.

Riddle jumped on Lashley and flurried him to start. Lashley then did a big slam to him and mounted him with punches, then he really slammed him down on a suplex.

Riddle hurricanrana'd Lashley over the top then did a twisting asai moonsault on him. Riddle tried to come back in and Lashley put the Hurt Lock on him through the ropes and the ref DQ'd Lashley. Lashley then put it on him again and threw him.

Lashley then threw Riddle over the barricade and walked off. 

Bad Bunny arrived in a Bugatti. 

We came back to Riddle getting questioned and talked to by officials and a medical tech. Riddle didn't know what happened.

Orton did a promo. He said he didn't think it was possible Edge would return and win the Rumble. Orton, face fully healed now, said this is a problem as he promised Edge wouldn't return. Orton said this made him a liar. Orton said Edge won't be headlining Wrestlemania. He said there will be no mercy, compassion or main event of Wrestlemania.

Kofi and Xavier reunited. Kofi said Ali lost his mind and Woods need to get his payback tonight. He said he has Woods' back. Then Woods played his trombone.

Ali did a promo saying they welcome Kofi back and to celebrate Kofi can witness his partner getting tortured.

Xavier Woods with Kofi Kingston vs Mustafa Ali with Retribution

The went after each other early, then Woods clotheslined Ali over the top. Ali neckbreakered him as he came back in and pounded on him. Ali hit a neckbreaker and Woods mounted a comeback, diving clotheslines then did a satellite headscissors into a russian legsweep. Woods hit a spinning clothesline and Ali did a full flip sell for it. Kofi dived off of the steps then T-Bar's shoulder onto another Retribution guy and Woods snuck a pin on Ali during this to win. This was super quick with nothing much to it.

Bad Bunny and Damien Priest talked in spanish in the back.

Miz TV with Bad Bunny

We are 68 days away from Wrestlemania. It will be another 2 night event which I am not looking forward to.

Mis and Morrison put over Bad Bunny even though he ruined their Rumble for them. Miz apologized. Mr. Bunny accepted it and didn't want to apologize back. They said they heard Bunny wanted to be a wrestler and Miz said he could help with that. He took credit for training Daniel Bryan. Miz said they want help recording an album though. Bunny said he's not interested.  Bunny said he only showed up because Damien Priest wanted to be on Miz TV, then Priest came down. Priest then nailed Miz.

This lead to:

The Miz vs Damien Priest

Priest did his springboard tope con hilo onto Miz on the outside. then jumped off the top with a fist. Priest went into the post. Miz got the edge on Priest but Priest came back with some kicks and a spinning punch. Priest hit a corner elbow/shoulder then did a falcon arrow for 2. John Morrison got on the apron and argued with Priest and then ran into a Miz kick.

Miz went for his briefcase but Bunny pulled it away then nailed Morrison in the head with a microphone after Morrison gave him the briefcase. Priest then hit The Reckinoning for the win in Priest's Raw debut. There wasn't anything wrong with this but it wasn't really the spectacular debut you might want if you were Priest. They did what they could to give him the rub with Bad Bunny though.

They showed the Bliss stuff from last week and even showed Orton's massive facial burns that are now completely healed without explanation.

Raw Tag Team Championship - The Hurt Business vs Lucha House Party

MVP was on commentary. He said he never saw Lashley unleashed like he was tonight, but he liked it. He just didn't want to see him catch a court case over it though.

They announced each competitor in the match in the ring which they usually don't do for smaller matches like this.

Lince got thrown around early then did a double boot while on the ground into Shelton's face. Metallik climbed on Lince's shoulders for a hurricanrana but Shelton caught it. Lince walked up the ropes and was going to walk the top but was caught in an Angle slam. LHP did double handsprings into the ropes and knocked THB off the apron which MVP didn't like.

Back from break and Cedric hit like a pop-up Michinoku driver. Lince was in a wheelbarrow position and hit a stunner and Shelton did a gorilla press gutbuster. Lince did a cool spot where he turned a powerbomb into a snap DDT. Metallik got flipped, landed on his feet and hit a nice dropkick. Metallik walked the middle rope into a hurricanrana then Dorado springboarded off the top into Shelton, who caught him. Metallik then did a tope into both. Lince did a top rope splash then Metallik did a springboard senton for 2. Dorado was on top and Shelton walked-up the rope and kneed him, then he fell to the floor. Shelton tagged himself in, making Cedric mad and hit a paydirt for the win. There wasn't a ton of story here but it was a decent match regardless as expected with a lot of flying.

Charlotte and Asuka were interviewed. Charlotte said Lacey thinks she is learning how to play dirty, but she will see what dirty is when she steps in the ring with her. Charlotte wasn't happy her drama cost them the tag titles. Asuka said they would have won without Ric and Lacey.

Naomi and Lana did an inset promo. They said if they work together, they can make Shayna and Nia feel the glow.

Winners Earn a Title Shot - Charlotte Flair and Asuka vs Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose vs Lana and Naomi

Charlotte did a handspring into a backflip over Naomi and Naomi hit a hurricanrana on her. Naomi and Charlotte tried to dropkick each other then both did a kip up.

Nia and Shayna watched on an inset. Lana and Dana did a kick dodging spot. Dana did a handspring back elbow onto Lana and Asuka was double flapjacked. Dana tried another back handspring back elbow but Charlotte pushed her off. Charlotte did an outside to inside roll-up for 2 on Mandy. Asuka got in and german suplexed Mandy then did a sliding kick. Asuka did a 2nd rope missile dropkick and Charlotte came in with some fire. Lana did a hurricanrana to Charlotte from the powerbomb position and Naomi came in and tee'd off on Charlotte. Naomi then did a springboard kick off the ropes. Everyone started hitting finishers then Ric Flair and Lacey Evans came out when Charlotte had the upper hand. Charlotte chased them and Naomi butt bumped Asuka to win. This was pretty good for the women with a lot of action. Not much story though.

Drew was interviewed. He said families fight all the time but this time was different and he didn't know what to say. He was hurt by what happened but accepted the challenge from Sheamus.

They had a package on Carlito.

Jaxson Ryker and Elias vs Jeff Hardy and Carlito

Jeff did his usual offense early. Ryker grabbed Hardy's towel then Elias jumped on Hardy from behind. Ryker vertical suplexed Hardy. Elias hit his sitout side chokeslam on Hardy. Ryker tried a 2nd rope headbutt on Hardy but got nothing. Carlito then got the hot tag then dropkicked Ryker then did a kip up, but Ryker recovered by banging Carlito's head off the mat. Carlito backflipped out of a backdrop and hit a backstabber then Hardy won with a senton off the top on Elias in a short match. 

There was a small video on Edge and his history with Orton.

Edge said he is happy he won the Rumble, but Orton is a black cloud that hangs over his head and his families head. Edge said Orton was jealous. Edge said he would try to remove the dark cloud tonight.

Edge met up with Damien Priest in the back and they shook hands.

Alexa Bliss vs Nikki Cross

Cross was frustrated and wondered what Bliss was doing and what she wanted. Cross yelled at her a lot during the match. Bliss hit some dropkicks and stood on her as she stomped her head in. Bliss did some hopscotch into a kick.

Bliss transformed back to her old self during the match. Then she tried to hug Cross but Cross kicked her. Bliss then transformed back to the outfit she started with. Bliss then went for the Sistet Abigail but turned it into a DDT for the win. This transformation stuff is garbage and that was the whole match.

Randy Orton then came out and ignored her. 

Randy Orton vs Edge

 

Edge jumped on Orton to start and booted him. This wasn't too interesting early with them doing a slow brawl. Edge hit a weak edgecution for 2. Orton countered a spear with powerslam and rammed Edge into the post. Edge got thrown into the stairs and we went to break. Coming back and Orton pounded on Edge.

They fought up top and Edge hit Orton with a flying clothesline. Edge countered an RKO. Orton was on the apron and Edge speared him in the back off the apron into the barricade. They went outside and Orton backdropped Edge on the commentary table.

Orton catapulted Edge's neck in the bottom rope. Orton hit a DDT while Edge hung off the middle rope, then music played and Bliss was on the top rope. Bliss had black goo coming out of her mouth and Edge speared Orton to win.

I'm really over the Bliss/Orton stuff and this match really wasn't anything special with both guys being slow.

Overall thoughts: The Bliss, Sheamus and Flair stuff sucks. The women's match was surprisingly good otherwise and the Hurt Business stuff was good as usual. This wasn't a good episode of Raw.