Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION!
We are just days away from the all-important Royal Rumble event and the 30-woman Women’s Rumble Match that will decide a title challenger for a Women’s title at the Grandest Stage of Them All. Will we get the announcement of more names to declare for the match tonight with already almost half the entrants confirmed? And who will emerge victorious from a six-woman Tag Team Match pitting the World and Tag Team Champions against The Judgement Day? Let’s get into it and find out…
This week’s ‘Arrived Earlier Today’ videos included Women’s World Champion STEPHANIE VAQUER.
Six-Woman Tag Team Match
Women’s World Champion STEPHANIE VAQUER & Women’s Tag Team Champions IYO SKY & RHEA RIPLEY defeated The Judgement Day (LIV MORGAN, RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ & ROXANNE PEREZ)
Vaquer didn’t come out to the ring wearing the medical walking boot like she’d done her past few appearances. Sky and Perez started and Sky ate a slap, before she did her flips and faked out a Dropkick to hit a slap in return. A distraction by Rodriguez allowed Perez to cheap shot Sky from behind and then club away. Quick tags led to stomps by Perez then Morgan before Rodiguez hit the Diesel Elbows. Sky would escape from a Slam attempt and tagged Vaquer who went House on Fire with a Dropkick then Clothesline, before blocking a Morgan Sunset Flip before hitting a Legdrop for a near fall.
Vaquer wouldn’t see a tag by Morgan to Rodriguez thanks to a distraction by Perez, so when Vaquer hit a Back Suplex and went for Devil’s Kiss, Rodriguez booted Vaquer in the stomach to break it up. Vaquer got worked over with Elbow Drops then Perez choked her on the ropes. Morgan hit her Corner Knee Strike, then a Basement Dropkick for a near fall. Later, Rodriguez hit a Legdrop for a two count and would shut down a rally with a Shoulder Check.
Perez hit her Double Springboard Lionsault for a near fall. Vaquer fought out of the heel corner, decking Perez with a Superkick but before she could tag out, Morgan hauled Sky off the apron and that distracted Ripley enough to also drop down. Leaving her open for Rodriguez to drive her into the ring steps while Perez decked Vaquer from behind in the ring. Vaquer would once again defy the odds, avoiding a wild corner Splash from Rodriguez and hitting a Tilt-a-whirl Backbreaker to Morgan after she’d tagged herself in.
Sky and Perez got tags as Sky hit Shotei strikes then a Flapjack, followed by a Dropkick to drive Rodriguez into the ringpost when she tried to come in. Sky hit a Missile Dropkick, the flips and DID THE THING before she hit the Bullet Train Attack. Sky went for Over the Moonsault but Morgan pulled Perez out of the way, only for Sky to land on her feet and hit a Double Underhook Backbreaker on Perez anyway. Sneakily, Morgan pushed the ring skirting into Perez’s hands when she was dragged back, and with the referee distracted by fixing it Perez raked Sky’s eyes. That led to a Double-Team as Morgan hit a Codebreaker before Perez hit a Russian Legsweep to give Morgan a nearfall.
Sky would avoid an ObLIVion attempt and tagged in Ripley who went House on Fire with Short-Arm Clotheslines, the Ripcord Thrust Kick then a Fallaway Slam. Rodriguez took a Headbutt when she came in, and Ripley used a Razor’s Edge to toss Morgan into Rodriguez to wipe both out. Perez tried to hit PopRox but was shoved off, taking a strike combo that was finished with a Clothesline. Ripley hit a Superkick on Rodriguez and moments later a Missile Dropkick. Morgan escaped a Riptide attempt and would soon after hit a Double Springboard Tornado DDT but Sky broke up the pin.
Perez hit La Mistica on Sky, but was taken out with Eat Defeat by Vaquer. Rodriguez decked Vaquer with a Big Boot but trying to hit a Tijana Bomb, Vaquer would grab the ropes to escape to the apron. Using the Low Bridge to send Rodriguez over and to the floor before Vaquer almost slipped going up top and barely hit a Plancha from the top to Rodriguez on the floor. Ripley managed to block an ObLIVion attempt but it allowed Perez to tag in, hitting a Chop Block. Morgan and Perez tried for the same Double-Team from earlier but this time Ripley used her strength to block and hold both women so Sky could hit a Missile Dropkick on Morgan to knock her off.
Ripley would hit a Headbutt then Riptide to Perez to get the clean win.
NATALYA had a weak promo video, claiming that Maxxine Dupri had ‘failed’ and described herself as a Legend. Saying that ‘Nattie descimates’.
Backstage, Rodriguez was yelling backstage, looking for Vaquer and briefly stopped for a yelling match against BAYLEY before she backed off when LYRA VALKYRIA got in her face. When Rodriguez stormed off, Vaquer attacked her and got in some Headbutts before the brawl was broken up by officials.
IVY NILE accompanied The Creed Brothers as they took part in, but lost, a Fatal Four-Way Tag Team Match to determine Number One Contenders for the World Tag Team Titles.
Backstage Liv Morgan reprimanded Finn Balor for his apparent attitude change.
JACKIE REDMOND interviewed BECKY LYNCH and bragged about her win and said she’d win the Royal Rumble. ASUKA and KAIRI SANE showed up as Sane said Lynch couldn’t win since Asuka would. Lynch lied and blamed the Warriors for losing WarGames last year and the segment rather weakly ended with Lynch saying she’d see Asuka at the Rumble before we got the ‘KAIRI!’ yell to finish it.
Raquel Rodriguez hijacked an advert segment by Byron Saxton, yelling to Stephanie Vaquer that if she wanted a piece of her she could come and get it. She claimed that Vaquer had been ducking her for weaks and called her scared. She demanded a one-on-one match and vowed to take the World title, daring Vaquer to make the match.
Backstage, Vauquer stormed up to GM Adam Pearce and said she wanted not just a match, but a fight. Pearce made the Women’s World Championship Match official between Vaquer and Rodriguez for next week on Raw, but made it a Street Fight Match much to Vaquer’s approval.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
A fine six-woman tag that gave a little bit of continuation for the Vaquer-Rodriguez feud and a victory that takes The Judgement Day out, for now, from the tag title hunt (and just because of Giulia and Kiana James being contenders after Smackdown). The brawl backstage was solid enough and the stipulation of a Street Fight gives the feud the much-needed wrinkle to this dragged-out story. I’m guessing the WWE has abandoned the injury element, realising that going with a bad ankle hurts any potential match if the women have to slow down to let it be sold. I fully expect not just for Vaquer to retain next week, but for the feud to fully end as we move on towards WrestleMania. Elsewhere, as I had unfortunately expected, the Natalya explanation video was very weak. I fear that any attempt to have a Dupri and Natalya feud stand out won’t work out well for either woman, especially if Lynch isn’t involved at all with a likely ‘Mania feud with AJ Lee to come.
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!
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