AJ Styles is facing a fork in the metaphorical road heading into tonight’s RAW. (Instagram)
Y’all ready to get a bit extreme? Because that’s what’s in store for tonight’s WWE Raw.
This week’s event, which tapes from the Century Link Center in Omaha, Nebraska, focuses on the budding feuds heading into WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view later this month. No specific matches have been announced yet, but the WWE has advertised the following SuperStars: WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns, The Usos, AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose.
Keep on reading for all the results and highlights from tonight’s Raw:
Dolph Zigger vs. Baron Corbin
Winner: Baron Corbin
.@BaronCorbinWWE & @HEELZiggler did NOT hold back tonight on #RAW! t.co/bpRJL83x2j
The feud continues and Baron Corbin notched another victory despite some early-match miscues. It took a few minutes – and a commercial break – before Corbin was able to grab some momentum.
He blocked a Zig Zag and almost took down Ziggler with a Deep Six before connecting on End of Days for the win.
Fadango vs. R-Truth
Winner: R-Truth
Well, this is still happening then. The Gorgeous Truth and Goldango are still fighting each other. Goldust was shocked by the win. That’s about all that really happened.
Paige vs. Charlotte
Winner: Paige
.@RealPaigeWWE defeats @MsCharlotteWWE w/o @RicFlairNatrBoy at ringside! And @NatByNature is licking her chops! #RAW
Yeah, you read that wright. So how did that happen?
Well, earlier during Raw, Charlotte and her father Ric Flair tried to appeal Stephanie McMahon’s decision to banish the Hall of Famer from ringside during Extreme Rules by talking to Shane McMahon. It didn’t work. Not only did Shane uphold his sister’s decision, but he banned Flair from the match against Paige as well.
So naturally Ric Flair showed up late in the match when Natalya – who was doing commentary – had some words for Charlotte in the ring. Then, Shane showed up with security in tow and had Flair removed. That left Charlotte yelling and perfectly unaware that Paige was coming for her. Three count. Paige wins.
The Miz vs. Sami Zayn
Winner: Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn wanted a spot in the run for the WWE Intercontinental Championship and he got it tonight with a win over The Miz.
After the McMahons were backstage with The Miz, Cesaro and Kevin Owens discussing the the upcoming match at Extreme Rules, Zayn came in and demanded a spot if he could win a match at Raw. So, you know, that’s what he did.
#HeluvaKICK!!! @ILikeSamiZayn wins, joins @FightOwensFight and @WWECesaro vs. @MikeTheMiz at #ExtremeRules!!
For what it’s worth, The Miz was close to pinning Zayn several different times, but you know what close is good for in the WWE – setting up a win for your opponent. Zayn clinched his spot with a Helluva Kick.
Sin Cara vs. Rusev
Winner: Sin Cara
That look when you’ve been tricked by the #LuchaDragons!
Sometimes it’s good to have support ringside and sometimes that support distracts you enough that you lose your match. That’s exactly what happened to Rusev on tonight’s Raw.
While Rusev was busy taunting Kalisto on the apron, Lana tried to get into the ring and distract the referee, but the only thing she did was draw the attention of her fiance. This allowed Kalisto to nail a kick to Rusev as he charged and gave Sin Cara the perfect moment to steal the win.
Elimination Match: AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson vs. The Usos, Roman Reigns
Winner by DQ: Roman Reigns
SPEARS by @WWERomanReigns taking down Gallows and Anderson!!
Gallows and Anderosn should probably stop interfering.
AJ Styles was rolling against Roman Reigns after each star’s backup squad was eliminated, but then Gallows and Anderson returned to the side of the ring and started beating up the champ with a chair. That was enough for the ref to whistle for the disqualification.
As you’d expect, both sides battled even after the whistle and the chair(s) continued to play a pretty big role. Styles and Reigns wrapped it all up by starring at each other for several minutes.
Kevin Owens vs. Zack Ryder
Winner: Kevin Owens
Zack Ryder wanted in on the Intercontinental Title run and…well he won’t.
Ryder couldn’t take down Owens, who hit a pop-up powerbomb for the win, and won’t get a spot in the Fatal 4 Way at Extreme Rules. That’s that.
The New Day vs. The Dudley Boyz
The Winner: The Dudley Boyz
#WhirlingDervish by The #Vaudevillains!! And #TheNewDay is put on notice by the No. 1 Contenders!! #RAW
Hey now.
The Dudley Boyz got a big-time win, but they didn’t do it entirely on their own either. After The New Day started to hit its championship stride, The Vaudevillains ran out towards the ring and attacked Xavier Woods and Big. It was enough to give D-Von a chance to pin Kofi with a clothesline.
After the match, The Vaudevillains came into the ring and beat down on Kofi.
Chris Jericho vs. Big Cass…or Dean Ambrose
Winner:
$15,000 goes DOWN THE DRAIN as @TheDeanAmbrose destroys @IAmJericho‘s signature jacket! #RAW t.co/i5IlSLhD2g
We’re going to start quoting “THIS WAS $15,000!!!!” at every possible opportunity and because we have gotten that gift we’re not even that upset that the Jericho-Cass match we were promised throughout Raw didn’t happen.
So, after Dean Ambrose showed up in the ring wearing Jericho’s light up jacket, Big Cass threw Jericho into the ring. This led to a Dirty Deeds and Ambrose tore up the jacket. Jericho, as you’d expect, lost his mind.
It was fantastic. No one loses their mind like Jericho.
So what else can we expect from Raw tonight? A focus on AJ Styles and Roman Reigns, of course. Styles, in particular, will seize a bit of the in-ring spotlight as the SuperStar faces a possible turn in personality as he tries to prep for his rematch with Reigns later this month.
Meanwhile the Dean Ambrose-Chris Jericho feud will get a bit more intense – despite the lack of potted plants to throw at each other tonight – while the battle for the United States Title between Rusev and Kalisto will actually start to matter.
Also, keep an eye out on the WWE Intercontinental Championship storyline as a handful of SuperStars are coming for The Miz and his belt.
WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston is also expected to return to action on Monday night after being given a few days off to be with his wife and new baby. Kingston is slated to appear at both Raw and SmackDown this week. On the flip side, Enzo Amore is still sidelined after suffering a concussion during Payback.
Raw airs at 8 p.m. ET on USA. Make sure to check back here throughout the night for all the latest match updates and highlights.