Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! We’re on the Road to WrestleMania but there’s a big potential bump for Becky Lynch as she faces Nia Jax, who she lost to before the Royal Rumble. Meanwhile, Liv Morgan was left furious when Lynch interfered in her match against Jax last week. Will there be any repercussions from that this week? And what’s next for the women of Raw as we head towards ‘Mania? Let’s get into it, and find out…
DAMAGE CTRL of WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY, Women’s Tag Team Champions ASUKA and KAIRI SANE, and DAKOTA KAI were confronted by Adam Pearce. Kai easily put Pearce in his place by reminding him that the Tag Champs can go to whatever brand they want to. Before she said that Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark had been running their mouths so Damage CTRL wanted a close look at their match tonight.
Tag Team Match
SHAYNA BASZLER & ZOEY STARK defeated KATANA CHANCE & KAYDEN CARTER
Baszler and Stark didn’t get an entrance, while Carter and Chance only got a partially televised entrance. Instead there was an ‘earlier today’ video from Chance and Carter interviewed by CATHY KELLEY who wanted a tag title shot a ‘Mania. Damage CTRL were out at ringside to watch at the announce table.
Baszler and Carter started off and Carter got a Samson Clutch for a count of one, before a Wheelbarrow roll-up was countered and Baszler hit the Arm Stomp. Stark got a tag, but Carter was able to avoid being double teamed. Avoiding a Knee Strike in the corner from Baszler and then hitting a backwards counter kick to Stark. Carter got a kick from off the canvas, but Stark answered back with a Superkick after Baszler made a blind tag. Carter was draped over the ropes so Baszler could hit a Knee to the back.
After a commercial break Chance and Stark were legal as Chance hit an Arm Drag counter to being on Stark’s shoulders, just to be hit with a Superkick. Stark went up top but did so at Chance’s corner so Carter grabbed the leg to block. A tag by Carter led to a fantastic Double Team Spanish Fly (but the announcers botched it by calling it just a Superplex) but Stark kicked out. Chance got a tag, and would jump from the top rope to hop off of Stark’s back while Carter held her on her shoulders, and Chance just about snapped off a ‘Rana to Baszler.
Carter and Chance hit The After Party on Stark but Baszler hauled Chance off the pin. Baszler then cut off a dive attempt by Carter and locked in the Kirifuda Clutch. Chance tried to pull her partner to safety but got Rolled Up by Stark for the somewhat cheap win.
After the match, Dakota Kai ran her mouth against Stark and Baszler. Saying Damage CTRL would retain and NXT this week and them come back to Raw next week to defend against Baszler and Stark. Baszler merely said it was about time and would see them next week.
RHEA RIPLEY tended to Dominik Mysterio in the Trainer’s Room after his unwise decision to face Gunther earlier on.
Singles Match
BECKY LYNCH Vs NIA JAX ended in a no-contest.
Lynch avoided a charge and hit a round of stomps, which Jax of course no sold to carry Lynch with a charge into another corner and hit some Shoulder Thrusts. Lynch hit a counter knee, a Dropkick and then a Jumping Forearm to a corner. Jax blocked the Springboard Kick attempt in the corner and moments later countered a Crossbody into a Slam.
Jax hit a corner Splash, a Headbutt then an Elbow Drop for a near fall. Lynch would apply a Back Sleeper but got backed into a corner then tossed off. Two Hip Attacks followed before Lynch made a comeback with kicks and strikes, leading to a Missile Dropkick that barely hit Jax but she sold it anyway and tumbled all the way out of the ring. Lynch hit a Baseball Slide but when she went for the Forearm off the apron, Jax countered and hit a Samoan Drop on the floor.
After a commercial break, Jax countered a Superplex attempt by Lynch with a Super Front Suplex to send Lynch down but stay up herself. Jax hit of all things a Leg Drop from the middle rope (and called an audible to ask Lynch if she was OK) but Lynch kicked out at two. Jax went for the ‘face breaker’ punch but Lynch ducked, before Jax blocked a Man-Handle Slam attempt and Lynch then countered a Side Slam into a Headscissors takeover.
Lynch hit a messy version of a Molly-Go-Round for a near fall. Jax would hit a Samoan Drop but the attempt at The Annihilator missed when Lynch rolled out of the way. Lynch applied the Dis-arm-her then rolled into an Arm Bar but Jax not only made it to the ropes, but slipped to the floor and clutched Lynch to swing her into the barricade.
LIV MORGAN returned the ‘favour’ from last week and hit Jax with a Forearm from off the Timekeeper’s barricade to send Jax into the ring post and get the match tossed out. Morgan gloated about it to Lynch in the ring and the two got into a yelling match, which allowed Jax to trip them both out. Lynch hit a kick through the ropes but ended up taking a dangerous toss of a Samoan Drop towards the ring post for a typical sloppy Jax spot. Jax hit a Leg Drop to Morgan and then walked away but slapped around some fan with their hat for no reason.
Backstage Morgan and Lynch again got into it, as Lynch mocked Morgan for her attack out in the ring, saying she would have done the same thing but when she did it, it was to get at Jax not Morgan. Morgan taunted back that The Man can dish it out but she can’t take it, and that led Lynch to mock back that Morgan can cry about it or fight about. A challenge made for next week that Morgan accepted. Once Morgan left, Rhea Ripley appeared and simply left laughed at Lynch’s situation which did nothing to help Lynch’s sour mood.
JACKIE REDMOND handled interview duties.
VALHALLA and Ivar confronted Sami Zayn backstage to taunt, and it set up a match for later which Zayn would win. But for some reason, despite being a heel, Valhalla pandered to the commentary team and put her antlers headpiece onto Michael Cole’s head.
Backstage CANDICE LERAE showed a more ‘The Way’ mindset when she spoke with INDI HARTWELL about recent tag team woes. In the same locker room, NATALYA whined to a confused TEGAN NOX about being tossed out of the Royal Rumble. Talking down to Nox and pulling veteran rank before she forcibly pulled Nox away. LeRae seemed to agree and it was time for them to do whatever it takes which Hartwell didn’t agree to. MAXXINE DUPRI and IVY NILE showed up as Dupri gave a pep talk. LeRae appeared to play off of recent social media buzz about Dupri and ran her down saying she’d only had three matches and couldn’t lace her boots before LeRae stormed off.
Briefly, Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley had a stare-down backstage as Ripley warned Sky to stay out of her territory.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Another standard Nia Jax match of little bumps and no selling, only to still stand tall at the end. I don’t know where they’re going with all of this involvement with Morgan and Jax along with Lynch but either they need to make it clear or put a pin in it, because right now it’s doing no one any favours. Elsewhere, the tag team match was solid bit suffered slightly from spots that didn’t snap off perfectly by Chance. Perhaps an attempt to make up for the bad match they had against The Kabuki Warriors weeks ago. I’m a little surprised that the Stark and Baszler tag title match is happening next week rather than at ‘Mania. Does this mean we’ll get another Tag Team Turmoil match with the women for ‘Mania instead? Also, I can’t say I’m enthusiastic about two of Raw’s tag teams doing the same good cop, bad cop gimmick either. Will the heels split to form a team while the nice girls unite?
That’s your lot for this week! Be sure to stop by in seven days’ time for the next edition of the RAW RECAP! See you then!