Posted on 2/18/125 by Bob Magee
Show Recap —
Seth Rollins, Finn Bálor, Roxanne Perez, Judgment Day, Ivy
Nile with the Creed Brothers, and Dakota Kai were shown
arriving.
AJ Styles arrived in a Chevy NASCAR, driven by Daytona 500
winner William Byron.
Michael Cole welcomed Pat Acfee back from vacation. Cole
said McAfee was out of the country, and McAfee told him that
he was not out of the country, he was in Puerto Rico.
There was a video package for Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
They both agreed that they had to fight, and Owens laid the
challenge down for Elimination Chamber in Toronto.
Sami Zayn segment
Sami Zayn entered. The fans chanted for him. He said it’s
been a tough couple of weeks so that was nice to hear. He’s
had time to think about his history with himself and Owens.
He couldn’t think of any two other wrestlers in history
whose careers have been tied so closely together. (Zayn sold
his neck as he spoke.)
In a story that long, there would be betrayal, forgiving and
forgetting. However, there was no forgiving and forgetting
Owens this time. Owens tried to end his career. The problem
for Owens was that he did not get the job done. Zayn
wouldn’t pretend his neck was 100%, but he had enough for a
fight. Zayn would see Owens in Toronto.
Adam Pearce interrupted. He knew everyone wanted the match,
but everyone in charge (Nick Aldis, Pearce, the board, and
medical) had already told Zayn the answer was no. Pearce
told him the answer was still no. The crowd booed. Zayn
would not take ‘no’ for an answer and would not leave the
ring until he was given the match.
Pearce said he couldn’t sanction a match between them. If
they had an unsanctioned match, Owens could do whatever he
wanted. He could wrap a chair around Zayn’s head or
piledrive him over and over and there was nothing WWE could
do about it. Even if Zayn won, he would still lose. He
warned Zayn this could be the last fight of his career.
Pearce asked if he understood what that (an unsanctioned
match) meant.
Zayn marched out of the ring to answer Pearce to his face.
Zayn said he knew what it meant. He could wrap a chair
around Owens’ head or piledrive him on his head. Zayn told
him to give him the match. Pearce agreed and made it an
unsanctioned match.
********
Judgment Day met in the back. Dominik was worried about
Bianca Belair and Naomi coming after Liv Morgan, but Morgan
wasn’t worried about it. Morgan said she was proud of Dom
lately. Dom wished Finn Bálor saw it that way. He wanted to
add a new member, but Bálor refused.
Bálor joined them at this moment. He was confident he would
beat Seth Rollins tonight and said it would be embarrassing
if Raquel Rodriguez lost to Perez tonight. She told him to
handle his own business and she would handle hers. Bálor was
cool with that. Before leaving, he reiterated to Dom that
there would be no new members.
********
Vic Joseph ran down Bayley’s hectic schedule over the past
week, including her participation in the NBA Celebrity game.
Bayley then joined him for an interview and said she would
win the Chamber. (They couldn’t have given her today off?)
(Joseph was filling in for Jackie Redmond. They didn’t say
why she was absent because she’s at the NHL 4 Nations Face-
Off, which is on right now.)
********
Cole announced a sold-out crowd of 15,280. He also announced
Michelle McCool’s upcoming Hall of Fame induction.
AJ Styles defeated Dominik Mysterio (w/Carlito) (8:54)
The announcers mentioned that Styles was a former TNA World
Champion and X Division Champion.
Styles was about to put Dom away with a Phenomenal forearm
early in the match, but Clarito tripped him as Dom
distracted the ref. Dom hit a suicide dive to lead to break.
Dom hit three amigos and a 619 but missed a frog splash.
Styles fought back with a clothesline, forearm, corner
clothesline, and neckbreaker.
Carlito tried to get in the ring, but Styles kicked the
middle rope into his crotch and knocked him off the apron.
The ref just stood idly by. Dom tried to use the distraction
to his advantage, but Styles caught him with a Styles Clash
for the pinfall win.
— Bron Breakker tried to spear an unsuspecting Styles, but
Styles dodged it and Breakker speared Dom by mistake. Styles
hit an enziguri and tossed Bron out of the ring. Bron was
pissed that Styles got the better of him, so he ripped off
his shirt and chucked it into the ring but Styles caught it
effortlessly. (I don’t know if that was planned or not, but
it was timed perfectly.) Bron grabbed his title and left.
********
The Creed Brothers bragged about what they did to the War
Raiders last week (attacking them with the belts). Ivy Nile
reminded them that they didn’t win the titles, and they
promised Chad Gable that they would all be champions when he
returned. Nile planned on beating Dakota Kai tonight to earn
an IC title shot.
Kai walked by and Nile told her that her Cinderella story
would end tonight. Kai said many women bigger than Nile
tried to take her down before. She planned on earning her IC
title rematch tonight.
Rugby player Aaron Woods was shown in the crowd.
Lyra Valkyria entered to watch the upcoming match at
ringside.
Dakota Kai defeated Ivy Nile to become the number one
contender for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship
(6:45)
Nile briefly worked over Kai’s previously injured leg, but
Kai came back with running boots and a Kai-ropractor for
two. Nile powerbombed her out of the corner. Kai kind of no-
sold that and tried a counter, but Nile caught her in an
ankle lock. Kai got a rope break, and the two exchanged
strikes.
Nile hit a German suplex, but Kai reversed a second one into
a cradle for two. Nile applied an ankle lock again, but Kai
used the ropes to escape and hit a curb stomp (with Nile
draped over the ropes). Kai followed with GTK for the
pinfall win.
This match was alright, but it didn’t help that the crowd
was dead.
********
McAfee interviewed Austin Theory and Grayson Waller during a
break.
********
Gunther/Jey Uso segment
Gunther was on the concourse surrounded by fans who were
Yeeting, mimicking Jey Uso’s entrance. Gunther entered
through the crowd and did Jey’s pose, but the crowd did not
participate with him. He called it a simple gesture for
simple people.
He understood why Jey felt comfortable in the crowd because
he was a simple guy himself. He understood why the fans
didn’t appreciate him (Gunther) because his performances in
the ring were like performing Shakespeare for a dog. He was
the best wrestler in this company and was tired of wrestling
people who couldn’t lace his boots.
He thought he could beat some sense into Jey, but because of
the fans Yeeting along, that gave him a false sense of
confidence and now Jey was digging his own grave. The crowd
started Yeeting, so he told them to shut up and noted how
badly it smelled in the stands.
He reminded them that the match would not happen in the
crowd but in the ring, and he would outclass Jey. Jey’s
blood would be on the hands of the fans. He wanted them to
be honest and asked if they really thought Jey could win.
The crowd chanted, “We want Jey,” before he finished his
question.
Gunther decided to ask a professional instead and climbed
the announce desk. He asked Cole and McAfee for their
supposedly unbiased, professional opinion. McAfee didn’t
want to answer, but Gunther chucked the microphone at him.
Cole warned McAfee to be careful. McAfree responded, “Yeah,
I hope he can beat you at WrestleMania.”
Gunther didn’t like that answer, so he began stepping closer
to McAfee until Jey’s music hit. Jey entered through the
stage, but three referees stopped him. Jey ran by them and
attacked Gunther in the ring. This led to a pull-apart brawl
with officials getting between them. Jey got the better of
it and sent Gunther out of the ring. Jey led the fans along
with his chant.
This was a strong segment. Gunther was great here.
********
Cathy Kelley asked Morgan and Rodriguez about the footage
that implicated them in Jade Cargill’s attack. Morgan said
the footage doesn’t show them doing anything. Morgan said
they didn’t have time for this, and Rodriguez would squish
Perez like a bug tonight. Kelley tried pressing them on
Cargill, but they blew her off. Kelley was annoyed and said,
“Thanks so much for giving us nothing.”
********
During a break, Jey walked through the back and was
approached by the New Day. Kofi Kingston said nobody knew
what he was going through more than he did as a former tag
team wrestler going for a singles world title at
WrestleMania. Xavier Woods said they hoped he lost at Mania.
They laughed. Jey said KofiMania never would have happened
if The Usos hadn’t forfeited. Jey said New Day sucks, and he
left. Pete Dunne walked by, and Woods “mistakenly” called
him Butch. Dunne also told them that they suck.
Various celebrities whose names I didn’t write down were
shown in the crowd.
********
Penta defeated Pete Dunne (10:06)
Penta kicked Dunne right in the face, but Dunne responded
with a dropkick. Dunne pretty much immediately took control
and began working over Penta’s extremities until Penta came
back with a Codebreaker. However, Dunne snapped his fingers
to take over.
Ludwig Kaiser entered to watch as they went to break. Penta
came back with a superkick and flying crossbody, but Dunne
cut him off with another dropkick. (This was almost a repeat
of what happened earlier, perhaps because they knew they
were in commercials.)
Penta fought back after the break with a DVD variation, but
Dunne responded with a sit-out powerbomb for two. They
traded kicks until Penta hit a Canadian Destroyer. Kaiser
distracted Penta, which allowed Dunne to cut off his dive
attempt. Dunne applied a cradle while holding the tights for
two.
Penta chucked Dunne into Kaiser to knock him off the apron,
and Penta followed with Penta Driver on Dunne for the
pinfall win. The crowd popped for the win and they were into
Penta all match.
(This was fine, I guess, but the finishing sequence was too
similar to the Styles/Dom match.)
— Kaiser attacked Penta after the match, but Dunne was
pissed at Kaiser, so he yanked him out of the ring. They
traded right hands until Penta wiped them both out with a
flip dive.
********
Kelley interviewed Jey Uso. She asked about people’s doubts
about him. Jey was fired up. He said people kept doubting
him, but he was standing there as the Royal Rumble winner.
He would shock the world again by beating Gunther and
becoming the champion.
They showed clips of Bayley playing in the NBA Celebrity
game. McAfee joked that this was the only positive thing
about NBA All-Star.
There was a Roxanne Perez video package.
6’4” Vic Joseph interviewed 5’6” Dakota Kai while standing
in the crowd. She wanted to prove that all the work was
worth it and planned on walking out as IC champion next
week.
There was a War Raiders video package. They warned the Creed
Brothers that they made the worst mistake of their lives
last week, and the next time they fought, it would be war.
*******
Elimination Chamber qualifier: Roxanne Perez defeated Raquel
Rodriguez (w/Liv Morgan) (7:30)
Rodriguez used her size and power advantage over Perez.
Perez slapped Rodriguez twice, which just pissed her off, so
she launched Perez into the ring post. Rodriguez caught
Perez in a guillotine and spun her around and around (a spot
that could get over if she keeps doing it).
Perez chop-blocked her, hit a running uppercut and applied a
rollup for two. Rodriguez caught Perez out of the air and
hit a fallaway slam, followed by an elbow drop for two.
Perez avoided a tackle, and Rodriguez went shoulder-first
into the post. Perez followed with consecutive dives, a DDT
and a springboard moonsault for two. Rodriguez blocked a Pop
Rox attempt and hit a big boot for two.
Belair and Naomi entered to Belair’s music, and they
attacked Morgan. This distracted Rodriguez, so Perez hit Pop
Rox for the pinfall win. (Despite Perez being a heel, Cole
said she was on a Cinderella run.)
— Belair and Naomi tried to attack Morgan again after the
match, but Rodriguez pulled her to safety.
(The crowd was quiet because this was a match between two
heels, but they popped for Perez getting the win. They
worked well together, but Perez was on the wrong end of a
beat-down for much of the match.)
********
Seth Rollins told Kelley he planned on beating Bálor
tonight.
After Rollins left, Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) had a
message to share. Kross thought Jey and Rollins were both
delusional. (Jey for thinking he could beat Gunther, and
Rollins for thinking he could win the Chamber.) Zayn was,
too, but Kross still had hope for him. Kross said Zayn knew
that there was always time to “turn” things around.
********
There was an IYO SKY video package.
The New Day segment
They aired a replay of New Day attacking Rey Mysterio last
week. Woods wished him well. The crowd booed them, so Woods
told them to shut up. He couldn’t believe the fans were mad
about what they said to their own friend Big E when they
told him to keep his lazy ass at home. They were mad about
what they did to Rey Mysterio, a guy who sucked the life out
of every new, fresh-faced luchador in the company.
Kingston said the fans put Rey on a pedestal, but he had
more title wins than Rey had. Kingston had been in WWE
longer than Rey, and Kingston never left the company as Rey
did. If anyone should be the locker room leader, it should
be Kingston.
He said it could have been a lot worse for Rey, and the fans
should be thankful that they showed mercy. They could have
given him the Old Yeller treatment, but instead, they gave
him some extra time he could spend with his wife. Woods said
the fans should be thanking them.
LWO interrupted. Dragon Lee called Rey the greatest luchador
of all time, and what New Day did was unforgivable. He said
New Day sucks, and they ran down to attack them. It was a
three-on-two beatdown by the babyfaces over the heels. LWO
knocked New Day out of the ring, and Dragon Lee was about to
go for a dive, but New Day sprinted away to safety.
********
Next week on Raw:
Lyra Valkyria vs. Dakota Kai for the Women’s
Intercontinental Championship
Bianca Belair & Naomi vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez for
the Women’s Tag Team Championships
Belair and Naomi cut a quick promo about the tag title
match. They also spoke about the Chamber and the possibility
of facing either Rhea Ripley or Iyo Sky at WrestleMania.
********
Elimination Chamber qualifier: Seth Rollins defeated Finn
Bálor (18:47)
Bálor attacked Rollins before the match. The ref checked on
Rollins, who told him to start the match. Bálor was all over
him and hit a Pedigree for nearfall about a minute into the
match. (This was one of those Pedigrees where he didn’t let
go of his opponent’s arms at all.) Rollins avoided a Coup de
Grace, but Bálor remained in control until Rollins fought
back and hit a suicide dive.
Bálor avoided a stomp and hit a slingblade, but Rollins
kicked his leg out of his leg to take over. Bálor tried
fighting back but Rollins dropped him knee-first onto the
announce desk. Rollins tried to stomp Bálor’s head onto the
steel steps, but Bálor avoided it. Bálor shoved him into the
ring post and dropped him on the steps. Bálor targeted his
midsection during a break.
Rollins fought back, and they exchanged strikes until Bálor
hit a Pelé kick. Rollins fought back with chops (as the
crowd randomly started waving their phone flashlights).
Rollins hit a DDT and Lionsault for two. Rollins followed
later with a buckle bomb, but Bálor got his knees up on a
frog splash attempt and transitioned into a cradle for a
nearfall. The crowd chanted, “This is awesome.”
Bálor hit consecutive slingblades, but Rollins caught his
dropkick attempt and applied a Sharpshooter. Bálor almost
got a rope break, so Rollins let go and hit a Pedigree for
an extreme nearfall. This was really a three-count, but
Bálor kicked out late. The crowd thought it was over, so
they chanted, “Ref, you suck.” Rollins gave him a DX crotch
chop.
Rollins went for a superplex, but Bálor dropped him onto the
top rope and hit a Coup de Grace for a nearfall. They traded
counters until Bálor applied a crossface. Rollins slipped
out and hit a curb stomp for the pinfall win. (Rollins shook
hands with the ref after the match.)
This was an excellent match. It was so good that it felt
like Rollins accomplished something by beating Bálor. The
crowd got more and more into it as it went, and some people
were screaming by the end of it.