Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! WrestleMania is less than a month away, and while we’ve had a war of words between ‘Mania opponents Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley they’ve yet to properly clash. Especially with Lynch caught up with issues against Nia Jax and now Liv Morgan. Will anything come of that this week? And who will leave Raw as the Women’s Tag Team Champions when The Kabuki Warriors defend against Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark? Let’s get into it, and find out.
Singles Match
BECKY LYNCH defeated LIV MORGAN
After a collar-and-elbow than rolled across the ropes, there was some shoves before Lynch took Morgan down with a waistlock. The two women would trade Shoulder Knockdowns before Morgan pie-faced Lynch, and got a slap for her trouble and then driven into a couple of corners. Both women would avoid attempts at the other’s finishers before Morgan got sent off the apron. She avoided a Baseball Slide and managed to just hit a Suicide Dive when it seemed Morgan’s feet might have rattled the ropes.
After a commercial break, Morgan rallied with Flying Shoulder Blocks then her trio of kicks before she kipped up. Morgan hit her corner Back Elbow, rolled out but the next move just hit the corner before Lynch hit the Springboard Kick to hit Morgan in the stomach. Lynch hit two Bex-Ploders, then a Baseball Slide to set up the Forearm off the apron. Back in the ring, Lynch went for a move off the middle rope but Morgan countered with a Codebreaker.
Lynch got the better of a strike exchange, only for Morgan to use the ropes and hit the Side Codebreaker for a near fall. After the fight went to the apron, Morgan avoided being hit with a German Suplex off the apron, and managed to hit a Sunset Flip Powerbomb from the apron to drive Lynch to the floor. Lynch managed to kick out when she was sent back into the ring. Morgan would counter a Man-Handle Slam into a Samson Clutch for a near fall. Lynch then countered ObLIVion into a Man-Handle Slam but Morgan wisely rolled out of the ring so she couldn’t be pinned.
The match continued after a second commercial break, as Morgan got a Roll-up for a two count. Morgan briefly locked on a Double Arm Bar but Lynch rolled through, and hit a Double Arm Suplex into an Arm Bar. Morgan stacked Lynch for a pin and went back to the Double Arm Bar. After an exchange of pins, Morgan hit a Floatover DDT and then hit ObLIVion but in shades of earlier in the match, Lynch rolled to the floor to avoid being pinned.
Back inside the ring, Morgan would hit a counter Knee off the apron but going for a move off the ropes Lynch countered with a Man-Handle Slam to pin Morgan clean.
After the match RHEA RIPLEY came out and was unfazed when Morgan yelled in her face. Ripley got in the ring to mock Lynch for picking fights every week for needing to prove herself, and Ripley claimed that deep down Lynch knew that Ripley was better than her. Ripley said Lynch was using these matches as an excuse for when she lost at ‘Mania and if Lynch didn’t show up at 100% she’d only be a disappointment. Lynch said a bizarre line about having planted a seed that became a tree with vines, and vowed that if the whole world was against her then the world didn’t stand a chance.
Tag Team Match
CANDICE LERAE & INDI HARTWELL defeated IVY NILE & MAXXINE DUPRI
Neither team got a televised entrance. Hartwell hit a couple of Arm Drags before Nile held the ropes after being whipped and hit a counter Head Kick. LeRae hit a cheap shot kick to Nile’s back before she got the tag, only for LeRae and Nile to take one another out with Clotheslines at the same time. Tags on both sides led to Dupri hitting a Head Kick to Hartwell, an Enzigiri then a front Dropkick. A corner Splash had set up for the planned Catterpiller but LeRae blocked not with a move, but a verbal tirade to put down Dupri. A ridiculous sight of the taller Dupri being verbally bullied by the shorter LeRae. Before, unprovoked, LeRae said “It’s a good thing your dead brother isn’t here to see what a disappointment you are” for an extremely tasteless moment.
Durpi would be upset and said she ‘couldn’t do this’ but ran right into a Big Boot from Hartwell who, while conflicted, pinned Dupri after being ordered to by LeRae.
Backstage NIA JAX attacked Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan, sending Morgan into an equipment case before she slammed Lynch through a table.
Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions THE KABUKI WARRIORS (ASUKA & KAIRI SANE) w/h DAKOTA KAI & IYO SKY defeated SHAYNA BASZLER & ZOEY STARK
The Kabuki Warriors didn’t get a proper entrance and didn’t even come out first despite being Champions. The challengers got a cut-in promo but nothing special was said. Stark and Asuka began, and Stark got cute with a flip but Asuka cut off a roll through with a low Dropkick. Another flip counter led to a Dropkick by Stark for a near fall. Baszler got the tag and hit some kicks, but Asuka was able to grab the leg and sweep it away. Baszler then got hit with kicks but countered the last one into a standing Ankle Lock but when she went for the arm, Asuka grabbed the hair to force her back to the Warriors’ corner for a tag.
Sane would deck Baszler with a Running Forearm, but couldn’t take full advantage as she was soon backed to the challenger’s corner as Stark made a tag. Baszler hit a German Suplex to set up a Sliding Kick by Stark, and moments later Stark hit a wild Springboard Planca to both Warriors on the floor.
After a commercial break, Stark and Sane got tags as Stark went into House on Fire mode with Clotheslines then a Back Elbow. After a Stinger Splash, Stark tried for a Superplex but Sane blocked it. Leaving Stark caught in the ropes for a Double Stomp to drive Stark down but it only got a near fall. Sane went for the Sliding Elbow to the corner but Stark got a boot up to counter.
Tags on both sides made Asuka and Baszler legal and the two women traded strike combos. Sane made a blind tag and it set things up when Asuka hit a Codebreaker and held Baszler so Sane could hit a Blockbuster. Another tag to Asuka led to shots front and back on Baszler but Stark broke up the pin attempt. Baszler nailed a Head Kick on Asuka then tagged out, but Stark’s Z-360 attempt was countered and Asuka hit the Release German Suplex. Sane took a tag but before the Warriors could hit their double team finish Stark escaped and was able to hit a Superkick on Sane.
Baszler got a tag, and Stark was able to hit Z-360 before Baszler hit her Low Knee Strike but Asuka broke up the pin. Stark took out Asuka with a Superkick, but a Planca to the floor only hit the ground when Asuka avoided the move. Baszler locked in the Kirifuda Clutch but unseen by the ref, Dakota Kai grabbed Baszler’s leg to distract enough to break the hold. That allowed Sane to hit her Uraken backfist. A tag to Asuka led to the Buzzsaw kick, and then a tag back to Sane to hit the InSane Elbow and Neckbreaker double team to retain the titles.
Backstage Becky Lynch challenged Nia Jax to a Last Woman Standing match.
JACKIE REDMOND handled interview duties.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Both the Lynch/Morgan match and the Tag Team Title match were great. Morgan got a lot of offence in and looked strong in defeat, but you have to wonder if that does her again good when got bulldozed by Jax just minutes later. A Last Woman Standing Match out of nowhere might work to properly take Jax out of the title picture at last but it also means Ripley seems like a sideshow despite being World Champion. It’s still a very messy situation. And with Baszler and Stark’s loss that surely means a Smackdown duo, with probably Naomi in it after the promo from last week, to deal with Damage CTRL at ‘Mania. Meanwhile, the tag match with LeRae’s badmouth and distasteful line did no one any favours. It was more desperate to get her over as a heel and it certainly didn’t help Dupri’s cause with how much attention her in-ring skills have gotten as of late. If this was meant to help her it’s backfired majorly because everyone looked bad in that short match.
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!