Detailed Results
With WrestleMania less than three weeks away, RAW kicks off with RAW General Manager Kurt Angle, who makes his way to the ring. Kurt says that, due to his suspension, Roman Reigns will not be here tonight and, while Universal Champion Brock Lesnar has not arrived yet, Mr. McMahon has assured him that Brock will be there tonight. The GM then addresses what happened last week in the tag team battle royal when Braun Strowman ended up winning the match that was supposed to decide who will be facing Cesaro & Sheamus for the RAW Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania despite Braun not having a tag team partner in the match. However, Kurt’s address is interrupted by the arrival of the suspended Roman Reigns! Despite being temporarily suspended by Mr. McMahon last week, Roman Reigns would get in the ring to confront the GM with Kurt warning Roman that Reigns is “trespassing”. Roman argues that, since Brock Lesnar hasn’t been showing up the past three weeks, someone has to represent the main event of WrestleMania. The GM assures Reigns that Brock will be there but Roman doesn’t believe it, questioning why he was suspended in the first place. Kurt says that Reigns has Lesnar at WrestleMania, telling Roman to “be patient”. Roman still refuses to leave, saying that he’s not leaving the ring until he faces Brock Lesnar tonight.
With that, Roman Reigns grabs a chair and sits in the middle of the ring before a trio of U.S. Marshals come down to the ring with handcuffs in hand as Roman is read his rights before being handcuffed. However, when the U.S. Marshals try to physically extract Reigns from the ring, “The Big Dog” gets physical with the law enforcement in return, beating the three men down despite being handcuffed. With Roman still handcuffed, this would provide the perfect opportunity for Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, along with Paul Heyman, to make his appearance. “The Beast” would make a beeline for the ring, delivering a suplex to his WrestleMania opponent before repeatedly striking Reigns with a steel chair. The Universal Champion then hits Roman with another suplex for blasting “The Big Dog” with another chair shot before picking Reigns up for third suplex! Brock then continues to wear Roman out with the chair before finally putting the weapon down and leaving the ring.
However, “The Beast” was not through with Roman Reigns as Brock would get back into the ring and deliver another series of chair shots before picking Roman up and delivering another suplex to “The Big Dog” before leaving the ring, slinging the Universal Title over his shoulder. Lesnar then decides to come back to the ring one more time to deliver the F-5 to Roman Reigns before leaving the ring again. EMT’s and referees then come to the ring with a backboard, strapping Roman Reigns in before loading Roman onto a stretcher. With Roman strapped to the stretcher, Brock Lesnar would come back out as the Universal Champion tips the stretcher over before dragging the stretcher across the floor. “The Beast” then heads to the back once again, having done his best to destroy a defenseless Roman Reigns.
After her true thoughts about Nia Jax were inadvertently broadcast to the world last week, RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss would appear on RAW with Mickie James by her side. Alexa claims that she and Mickie were “joking around” for saying that she’s sorry for not speaking up sooner, saying that she doesn’t feel one ounce of “remorse”. The champion then says that she “used” Nia Jax, saying that someone like her would not be friends with someone like Nia Jax before saying that she feels like she dropped “three hundred pounds of sad, pathetic loser”. Alexa continues, saying that, now that she’s got Nia Jax off of her back, she can focus on ending the undefeated streak of Asuka.
As she prepares to challenge Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Title at WrestleMania in just under three weeks, “The Empress of Tomorrow” Asuka would go one-on-one with RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, with Mickie James in her corner, in a non-title match in the opening match of the night. After escaping the ankle lock, Alexa Bliss would decide to take a walk as Alexa would take a count-out loss to Asuka. However, Nia Jax would come out with her sights set on the RAW Women’s Champion, plowing past Mickie James before briefly getting her hands on Alexa Bliss. However, Mickie would get involved, allowing Alexa to escape through the crowd as Nia sends Mickie into the ring apron. Nia then decides to hop the barricade and chase Alexa all the way to the back.
After single-handedly winning a tag team battle royal last week to earn a shot at the RAW Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania, Braun Strowman would still be in need of a tag team partner and “The Monster Among Men” would address the situation on RAW. Braun says that he “carved a path of destruction” last week en route to earning a shot at the RAW Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania but he was informed that he has to find a tag team partner. Strowman then says that he doesn’t “need” a tag team partner and he knows that he can win the titles on his own. This brings out RAW Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus as Sheamus says that winning a battle royal isn’t the same as facing the “best tag team” in WWE. Cesaro then says that it takes “months and years” to build a “chemistry and trust”, saying that you have to “drive together” and “sleep together” before the champions backtrack on that last comment. Sheamus then says that Braun and his tag team partner don’t stand a chance against them at WrestleMania before saying that what Brock Lesnar did to Roman Reigns tonight is “nothing” compared to what they’re going to do to Braun and his partner at WrestleMania. Strowman responds by saying that Cesaro & Sheamus have two things to worry about, the fact that he has a partner at WrestleMania and the fact that Kurt Angle gets to have a match with one of them here tonight, asking which one of them is going to “get these hands”.
Both men go to enter the ring but Sheamus exits at the last second, leaving Cesaro to go one-on-one with “The Monster Among Men” Braun Strowman. In the end, it was Braun Strowman taking Sheamus out on the outside before planting Cesaro with the running powerslam in the ring, pinning Cesaro to pick up the win.
After coming up short in the tag team battle royal last week, Titus Worldwide, with Dana Brooke in their corner, would face The Revival in tag team action on RAW. In the end, it was The Revival hitting Apollo with the Shatter Machine with Dash Wilder pinning Apollo to pick up the win for The Revival. After the match, The Revival announce that they will be entering the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal and they will be the first tag team to win the battle royal.
The official announcement was made during RAW that, after over twenty years in WWE, “The World’s Strongest Man” will take his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame as former World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry will be inducted alongside Goldberg, The Dudley Boyz, Ivory, Jeff Jarrett, Jarrius “JJ” Robertson, Hillbilly Jim, and Kid Rock as inductees into the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame on April 6 in New Orleans.
Before teaming with Bayley to face Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville, Sasha Banks would come to the ring to say that she forgives Bayley. Bayley responds by saying that she cannot get over what Sasha did to her at WWE Elimination Chamber, saying that she knows that you do what you have to do but the look that Sasha had on her face eats away at her. Bayley then says that she can’t get that image out of her head before asking why it was so “easy” for Sasha to knock her off the pod like it “meant nothing”. However, Absolution would interrupt as Paige says that Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville are going to show Sasha and Bayley how “real women” settle the score.
Despite their fractured friendship, Bayley and Sasha Banks would face Absolution’s Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville, with Paige in her corner, in tag team action. During the match, Sasha Banks would get in the ring despite not being legal in the match and this would distract the referee from seeing Bayley’s backslide on Sonya Deville, sparking an argument between Bayley and Sasha. This would allow Sonya to take advantage, shoving Bayley into Sasha before catching Bayley with a kick to the head, pinning Bayley to pick up the win for herself and Mandy Rose.
After having some bold words for The Undertaker, who he challenged to a match at WrestleMania, last week, sixteen-time former World Champion John Cena would make an appearance on RAW, looking for an answer from The Undertaker. Cena says that he can’t believe that The Undertaker has been “in hiding” for so long out of embarrassment before saying that, as long as WWE exists, the name The Undertaker has “meaning”. Cena then polls the crowd on if they want to see The Undertaker at WrestleMania before revealing that he has heard nothing from The Undertaker since last week. Cena continues, calling it “disrespectful” for The Undertaker to not give him an answer before saying that, without the fans, there is no Undertaker before saying that, after everything the fans have given to The Undertaker, they can’t give them a simple “yes” or “no”. Cena then says that, if The Undertaker is “retired”, then say “no” and be retired, but if he’s not retired, then say “yes” and give the world what they want to see. Cena then says that The Undertaker is not the “god” that the fans made him, he is the “man” that he has allowed himself to become, calling The Undertaker a “coward”.
Cena then repeats that The Undertaker is a coward, telling The Undertaker to “roll a casket” out there or hit the ring with lightning, telling The Undertaker to “be a man” and “do something”, sparking a “do something” chant from the Dallas crowd. Cena then says that this exact moment is the moment that The Undertaker let everybody down, saying that, right now, The Undertaker is “not a god” and he barely has the right to even call himself a “man”. While John Cena would not get The Undertaker, he would get The Undertaker’s brother, “The Big Red Machine” Kane. Cena takes this to mean that Kane was sent by his brother to give them the answer they’ve all been waiting to hear. However, Kane does not speak a word, instead Kane grabs Cena by the throat, planting the sixteen-time former World Champion with a chokeslam before leaving the ring.
With his defense of the Intercontinental Championship in a Triple Threat Match against Finn Balor and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania coming up in less than three weeks, Intercontinental Champion The Miz would team with his Miztourage to face Balor Club in a 6-Man Tag match with Seth Rollins a guest on commentary. In the end, it was Finn Balor surprising The Miz with a roll-up to pick up the win for The Balor Club. After the match, The Miz & The Miztourage would work together to take out Gallows & Anderson before looking to triple-team Finn Balor. However, Seth Rollins would make the save, taking The Miztourage out before hitting The Miz with the Curb Stomp. This leads to a face-off between Finn Balor and Seth Rollins with neither taking their gaze off of the other.
Then it was time for the most unique and otherworldly main event in RAW history as “The Great War” between “Woken” Matt Hardy and “The Eater of Worlds” Bray Wyatt would culminate at The Hardy Compound in The Ultimate Deletion. Bray Wyatt would be greeted at The Hardy Compound gates by Matt Hardy’s drone, Vanguard 001, as a holographic Matt tells Bray to “follow the music”. Bray does as he is told as Bray finds his way to an outdoor ring constructed on the compound as Matt’s wife, Queen Rebecca, plays Bray to the ring on the piano. With Matt already standing in the ring with a referee, Matt would declare, “Bray Wyatt, I knew you’d come.” With Vanguard 001 zooming overhead, the bizarre match would get underway in standard fare. However, once Bray brings a steel chair into the ring, Matt instructs Vanguard 001 to shoot off some fireworks at ringside, which makes Bray drop the chair as Matt is able to use the chair to his advantage. The battle then spills out of the ring and into the darkness before Matt and Bray battle to “The Dilapidated City”, where Matt shows Bray a shack that resembles the burnt shack of Sister Abigail, bringing Bray some great pain from his past. Matt would get a few shots in with a two-by-four before Bray battles back with a shot of his own. Matt then disappears into the darkness, re-appearing in the “Land of Obsolete Men” as Matt and Bray channel their inner Scooby Doo in their pursuit of each other.
Bray then catches up with “The Woken One”, breaking a tree branch over Matt’s back, nearly getting the pinfall over Matt. Bray then sends Matt into a nearby garage door before opening the garage door to reveal the “Dome of Deletion”, complete with ring, riding lawnmower, a ladder, and a white piano. Bray slams Matt on the piano before Matt uses the ladder to fight back against “The Eater of Worlds”. Matt then decides to try and run Bray over with the riding lawnmower, but Bray is able to avoid this, fighting back against Matt and slamming Matt on the ring apron. After failing to put Matt away for the three-count, Bray would drag Matt out of the “Dome of Deletion” to the shores of the “Lake of Reincarnation”. This is where Matt reaches out to his “dilapidated friend” Scarsgard with Bray Wyatt nearly hitting Matt with Sister Abigail. However, Vanguard 001 distracts Bray as Matt jumps in the dilapidated boat and, when Bray flips the boat back over, Bray instead finds Matt’s father-in-law Senor Benjamin!
Benjamin tosses the ‘whole world’ to Bray to hold in his hands, singing “he’s got the whole world in his hands” before being joined in song by the nefarious Brother Nero, the “woken” alter ego of Jeff Hardy! However, when Bray turns around looking for Brother Nero, there is no one there and Matt takes advantage by hitting Bray with the Twist of Fate, pinning Bray to win The Ultimate Deletion. However, “Woken” Matt Hardy was not through with Bray Wyatt as Matt would use a shovel to knock Bray into the Lake of Reincarnation. Matt then instructs Senor Benjamin to retrieve “The Eater of Worlds”, but Benjamin is unable to find Bray in the lake. This causes Matt to exclaim “delightful”, declaring that “The Great War” is now over as Bray Wyatt has been “deleted”. Matt then chants “delete” as Vanguard 001 zooms out on the scene, reading “Deletion Complete”.
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