WWE Raw live results: Seth Rollins vs. Penta
Tonight’s WWE Raw from the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island, kicks off a big week of pro wrestling including one WWE PLE, Saturday Night’s Main Event, and an NXT PLE.
After the events of last Monday, the Paul Heyman stable will be in full effect over three singles matches as former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins takes on Penta in one, Bronson Reed battles former champion Jey Uso in another, and Sami Zayn takes on Bron Breakker to round them out.
After her three-way Women’s Intercontinental title defense against Bayley and Lyra Valkyria was announced Sunday, reigning champion Becky Lynch will give her thoughts.
One half of the new Women’s Tag Team Champions Roxanne Perez will take on Kairi Sane.
The mysterious El Grande Americano will also be in action.
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– After a live drone flyby through the Amica Mutual Pavilion, we got shots of Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, Penta, and the Judgment Day entering the arena.
Seth Rollins and his faction open Raw
“BURN IT DOWN!” signaled the arrival of Seth Rollins and his still-nameless entourage of Paul Heyman, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker. The commentators discussed Rollins’ upcoming bout with LA Knight on this Saturday’s edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event while the group walked down to the ring.
As Rollins and his faction stood inside the ring, the crowd serenaded them with a singalong of Rollins’ theme music for a bit. When Rollins asked for a microphone, Bron Breakker took it from him and said that he stood in the ring because Rollins and Heyman had a vision for Breakker which has him as the face of WWE for the next two decades. Breakker said that he also had a vision for a WWE without Sami Zayn because he doesn’t like him, his “stupid” beaard or his entrance music.
Breakker couldn’t understand why the fans rooted for someone that has the athleticism of a dead fish and hangs on for dear life for the last five years, because he was going to put an end to Zayn tonight. That is because Breakker was going to “maul” Zayn and ensure he’d be looking up at the lights when all is said and done. Heyman then took the microphone and gave it to Rollins so he could start speaking… but Bronson Reed now asked for his turn.
Reed said that Breakker was a tough act to follow, but so was he. He boasted about nailing Rollins with six consecutive Tsunamis last year, an act which made Rollins respect Reed enough to bring him into his faction. Reed said that Jey Uso didn’t respect him, and that would change tonight because he’d Tsunami the respect into Uso, just like he did with Rollins.
Rollins grabbed the microphone, but he refused to speak due to the fans chanting for CM Punk. So, it was time for Paul Heyman to speak. Heyman said that the Empire would strike first tonight. He said that tonight, Breakker would strike first. Heyman said that Roman Reigns didn’t have the “balls” to come back and step against the Rollins faction. There’s also the “big news” that we haven’t heard, that being Seth Rollins donning the tights against Penta tonight. Heyman mocked Penta’s “stupid freakin’ hand signals”, and said that Rollins would leave him unable to do them ever again because he’d be stomped so hard later on tonight.
When it came time for Rollins to speak, the fans continued to chant for CM Punk. Rollins concluded the promo by welcoming everyone to “Monday Night Rollins”.
Standard opening segment for the Rollins faction to set the stage for their matches later tonight, and the strange divide of presenting this group as heels, but still having Rollins and Heyman urge the crowd on to say their catchphrases is still odd, to say the least.
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– At the Judgment Day’s clubhouse, the men were admiring their championship gold, as Raquel Rodriguez spotted Roxanne Perez putting a photo of Liv Morgan, much to the former’s dismay. Rodriguez and Perez discussed how to best deal with Kairi Sane, who was facing Perez in a match up next. Dominik Mysterio thanked JD McDonagh and Finn Balor for the ‘Get Well Soon’ cake, but it turns out, they didn’t gift it to him. Mysterio had a closer look and saw that it was from AJ Styles, as he turned to see Styles watching him from behind a wall.
Roxanne Perez vs. Kairi Sane
The match got under way with Perez and Sane sizing each other up as the former started hammering away at the latter with fists. Perez threw Sane in the corner and tried to maintain the momentum as she applied a headlock. An attempted spear by Perez got turned into a unique pin attempt that wasn’t enough. We got a series of dueling pin attempts from Perez and Sane, as the newest member of the judgment Day hit Sane with an elbow to the face.
Sane battled back with a backfist to the face of Perez, followed by a flying forearm and a dive to the outside. With the advantage in her midst, Raquel Rodriguez got on the apron and allowed Perez to capitalize on a distraction with a stomp to the arm across the bottom ropes, as the U.S. feed of Raw headed to a commercial break.
During the break, Sane got momentum back with the Interceptor, and we returned from break with Sane continuing the attack, as she blasted Perez with the Sliding D in the corner. Perez avoided the Insane Elbow and kicked Sane in the face. Perez headed up to the top with a springboard moonsault from the second rope for a near-fall.
Perez dragged Sane and continued to target the injured arm, but missed on a corner charge and got hit with a boot from Sane. Perez blocked an Alabama Slam attempt from Sane and once again slammed her foe’s injured arm on the mat. Perez set Sane up on the top rope, but got knocked down to the mat. Sane connected with a diving forearm strike, followed by the Alabama Slam. Sane headed up top and looked to finish things off with the Insane Elbow, but Raquel Rodriguez dragged Perez out of the ring. Sane took Rodriguez out with a dive to the outside.
Back in the ring, Perez’s attempt at Pop Rox was countered into a pin by Sane for the one, two, three.
Post-match, the Women’s Tag Team Champions attacked Sane in a two-on-one beatdown until Asuka ran in for the save. Rodriguez clotheslined Asuka and had her set up for her powerbomb, but Sane made the save. Sane and Asuka took Rodriguez out of the ring before they turned their attention to Perez with an Insane Elbow.
Kairi Sane def. Roxanne Perez
A good enough match to open up Raw, but it’s nice to see Asuka and Kairi Sane joining forces once more. The next step is likely the Kabuki Warriors being the Raw representatives for the four-way tag match at Evolution II on Sunday.
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– Jackie Redmond interviewed Sami Zayn about everything he’s been going through as of late. Zayn said that he has too much on his plate, and that he couldn’t focus on his ribs or Karrion Kross because he has Bron Breakker to deal with later tonight. Scarlett walked into frame and looked on as Zayn walked off.
Commercial Break Exclusive Promo
The New Day appeared during the commercial dressed in black clothing. They talked about how the Raw tag team division died last week because they lost the WWE Tag Team Championships against the Judgment Day. The two said that the wrong will be righted when they find Adam Pearce later tonight and demand the rematch for their tag titles that they so deserved.
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– Adam Pearce spoke with American Made regarding El Grande Americano competing tonight. Julius Creed said this was impossible because Chad Gable was still out injured, but got shouted down as by Brutus Creed and Ivy Nile. Pearce then put Nile in the women’s battle royal at Evolution. Asuka and Kairi Sane soon talked with Pearce and got included in the fatal four-way tag match for the Women’s Tag Team Championships.
– Nikki Bella announced that she’d be in the women’s battle royal at Evolution for a championship opportunity at Clash in Paris next month.
– As Sami Zayn was making his entrance for his match, Karrion Kross attacked him from behind and smashed the lead pipe across the injured ribs of Zayn. Referees led by Adam Pearce got Kross to back off from the fight. During the break, Zayn refused to back out of his upcoming match against Bron Breakker, despite Pearce’s protestations.
Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
With Zayn very much not in any condition to fight, Breakker seemed to relish what appeared to be an easy match ahead of him. Breakker backed Zayn into the corner and targeted his injured ribs with shoulder thrusts that crumpled him to the mat. He ripped away the tape around Zayn’s ribs and drove both knees into the exposed ribs.
Breakker lifted Zayn up and threw him across the ring with a suplex, as he targeted him for a Spear. Zayn intercepted Breakker’s attempt with a clothesline, which created some needed separation for him. Zayn, with adrenaline running in his veins, headed up top for a high-risk maneuver, but got met by a particularly vicious Spear from Breakker.
As Zayn rolled to the outside, Breakker saw red in his eyes and headed out to hit his super Spear on the badly-injured Zayn. Breakker rolled his foe back into the ring and pulled down the straps. Breakker ran the ropes and put an end to this with his super Spear for the victory.
Bron Breakker def. Sami Zayn
More of an angle than an actual competitive match, it did the job in establishing Breakker as a dangerous threat and selling the dire situation of Zayn at the hands of Kross and the Rollins band.
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– As Adam Pearce chatted with the War Raiders, he was confronted by the New Day, who accused Pearce of helping “kill” the tag division. Becky Lynch walked past the scene and told New Day that getting rid of Big E was a “good idea”.
Becky Lynch addresses her Evolution triple threat match
Lynch wanted an explanation on how two “losers” got a title match in a scenario where her chances of losing the Women’s Intercontinental Championship were far greater. She said that she got why Adam Pearce put her in this match, but not why she had to face Bayley or Lyra Valkyria again. Lynch claimed that Bayley and Valkyria were working together to get this shot, but before she could elaborate further, Bayley interrupted and walked down to the ring. Bayley, however, found herself interrupted by Lyra Valkyria, who marched down to the ring with a purpose.
In the ring, Valkyria said that her title was wrapped around a “bucket full of crazy” and it was about time to take it back. Bayley entered the ring and said she could’ve been the Women’s Intercontinental Champion if it wasn’t for Valkyria’s intervention.
Bayley said that if she learned anything from WrestleMania, it’s that she didn’t need friendships or heartbreak, but she did need the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.
Valkyria said that Bayley was just as bad as Lynch because of what she just admitted, and she was out to rescue the Women’s Intercontinental Championship from “two massive disappointments” at Evolution II.
Bayley talked about how she watched Valkyria from all her moments of glory, and that seeing her raise Lynch’s hand made Bayley see her as a “little bitch”. Valkyria took exception and tried to punch at Bayley, but she ended up hitting Lynch instead. A brawl ensued, which ended with Valkyria nailing both Bayley and Lynch with the Night Wing. Valkyria walked over to the fallen Lynch and mockingly raised her hand, stating that it would be the last time her hand would be raised.
Just a nice segment between these three women ahead of a big match at Evolution II on Sunday. I enjoyed it a lot.
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– Backstage, Seth Rollins and his band strategized their next move, as Paul Heyman revealed that Sami Zayn would be out of action indefinitely. Rollins told Bronson Reed to deal with Jey Uso next.
Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed
Uso was on the offensive to start as he rocked Reed in the corner with a kick. An attempted Irish Whip was countered as Reed crushed Uso with a thump, which gave the big man an advantage early on. Uso dodged a senton from Reed and kept up the attack with punches and a kick that sent Reed to the outside.
With a Yeet, Uso hit a suicide dive that send Reed over the announce table. Uso cleared the commentary table, but got met by a recovering Reed. A superkick by Uso caused Reed to be seated onto one of the chairs, long enough for another Jey Uso superkick. Inside the ring, Uso looked for another suicide dive, but got the chair thrown at him, to cause the disqualification.
Post-match, Reed went on a Tsunami rampage, hitting two fierce dives onto Uso before Adam Pearce and his personnel stopped.
Jey Uso def. Bronson Reed
Again, not so much an actual match, but more storytelling to sell the nameless Rollins band’s threat. I suppose it did the job in the regard.
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– LA Knight spoke about his upcoming match with Seth Rollins at Saturday Night’s Main Event in five days time on NBC.
– Michael Cole and Corey Graves tossed over to a video package for the Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky Women’s World Championship match at Evolution II on Sunday, with the underlying theme of Ripley’s inability to defeat Sky in past encounters.
El Grande Americano vs. Dragon Lee
As the match started, Cole pointed out how this El Grande Americano was a foot taller than the “other one”. We got some back and forth lucha libre action between Lee and El Grande to start, but things turned to Lee’s advantage with a diving crossbody for an early near-fall.
El Grande got Lee with a nice arm drag, as he showed off after landing on his feet off a Lee monkey flip. This opened him up for a kick from Lee, who attempted to take flight. El Grande intercepted with a kick to the face, as he continued the attack by throwing Lee over the timekeeper’s area, which took Raw to a commercial break on the U.S. feed.
The action resumed with El Grande and Lee fighting on the top rope. Lee caught El Grande with a sitdown powerbomb that got a near-fall. As El Grande was down and out, Lee tried to rip away at the mask, but to no avail. Lee took advantage with a vaulting kick over the top rope, which rocked El Grande. Lee followed that with a running dropkick, but couldn’t get the win from that.
El Grande chopped Lee and connected with a springboard Blockbuster for a near-fall of his own. Lee fought out of El Grande’s grasp and trapped him in a Tree of Woe position, as he then came down with a double stomp on El Grande. Lee then took flight with a dive to the outside that connected. As El Grande got hack into the ring, he appeared to slip something in his mask, as he hit Lee with a steel-plate assisted headbutt for the win.
El Grande Americano def. Dragon Lee
A fine little match, even though I’m not high on the El Grande Americano character like others. The in-ring action was at least enjoyable to watch.
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– As Penta was preparing for his match with Seth Rollins later, he was confronted by Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker. Penta remained fearless and told the two “Cero Miedo” before he walked off.
Commercial Break Exclusive Promo
Karrion Kross was interviewed and got a huge reaction from the Providence crowd, who chanted “We Want Kross”. Kross aid that every time Sami Zayn shows up every week, he was going to blast him with a steel pipe. All he wanted for Zayn to say was “Kross Told The Truth”, and if he didn’t do so, he’d continue to make Zayn suffer.
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Gunther addresses Goldberg
The World Heavyweight Champion took the mic and started by saying that he was going to defend his title this Saturday at Goldberg, and for the last two weeks, he had been verbally abusing Goldberg in the ring, and he has not done anything about it. That meant, Gunther can only assume that Goldberg was afraid of him and the pressure, but he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a car arriving to the arena.
On the Titantron, we saw the car park as Goldberg stepped out of it and immediately made a beeline to the ring. The soon-to-be-retiring WCW legend marched to the ring and met Gunther face to face, in a mood for a fight. Goldberg dared Gunther to hit him, as he blocked a punch and knocked the champ down. Goldberg had Gunther in position for a Spear, but Gunther rolled out of the ring and avoided a potentially grisly fate.
Given how Goldberg looked a bit blown up in just the little bit of work he did tonight, Gunther will have to do a lot of the heavy lifting on Saturday to ensure that this match is at the very least presentable.
Saturday Night’s Main Event Card
- LA Knight vs. Seth Rollins
- Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton
- World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Goldberg
Evolution II Card
- WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Trish Stratus
- NXT Women’s Championship: Jacy Jayne (c) vs. Jordynne Grace
- Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria
- Women’s World Championship: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
- Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal Four-Way: Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane vs. Zaria & Sol Ruca
- Naomi vs. Jade Cargill
- Evolution Battle Royal (Winner gets a Championship Match at Clash in Paris)
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Penta vs. Seth Rollins
Penta surprised Rollins with a superkick just as the bell rang, which sent him just outside of the ring. At ringside, Penta chopped away at Rollins and maintained an attack by bouncing his head over the announce table. Another attempt at a chop by Penta, was dodged by Rollins, which caused Penta to hit the LED ringpost covering instead. Penta roared back with a diving hurricanrana on Rollins.
As Penta got back in the ring, Rollins took advantage with stomps, but couldn’t maintain a clear advantage for long as Penta fought back. Rollins attempted a Pedigree, but Penta countered and sent Rollins to the outside with a clothesline. Penta followed that up with a tope con hilo that felled Rollins just as Raw went to one final commercial break on the U.S. feed.
Rollins sustained a cut above his right eye during the break, but he had the upper hand as Raw returned from commercial in the United States. Penta fought out of Rollins’ grip successfully and hit him with a modified Slingblade. He then followed that up with his dropkick in the corner on Rollins.
Penta looked for the Penta Driver, but Rollins countered and escaped. The former architect of the Shield, however, couldn’t escape the Backstabber from Penta that soon followed. As both men recovered, Rollins showed impressive strength and lifted Penta on his shoulders before he dropped him with a gutbuster. Rollins headed up top and mocked Penta’s signature taunt before hitting the frog splash. One, two… this one’s not done yet.
Rollins had Penta in position for the Stomp, but couldn’t connect. Rollins was placed on the top rope by Penta as the two began to duke it out up top. Penta landed on the apron and connected with the hurricanrana. In the ring, Penta managed to hit the Penta Driver on Rollins. One, two… Rollins just managed to kick out at 2.999999999.
Penta placed Rollins in position for the Sacrifice, but Mr. Money in the Bank escaped and hit the Buckle Bomb. Penta recovered right away and hit the Mexican Destroyer. He went for the cover, but Rollins grabbed the bottom rope at the last possible second. Penta dragged Rollins’ lifeless body in the middle of the ring, but Rollins recovered and went low with a headbutt. This gave Rollins the opening for the Stomp and the win.
After the match, Paul Heyman called for Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker to continue the punishment on Penta, but LA Knight snuck into the ring and blindsided Rollins with the B.F.T. Breakker and Reed made a run for it, but couldn’t catch up to Knight, who made his getaway in the crowd to end Raw for tonight.
Seth Rollins def. Penta
A solid main event on Raw tonight. Just some tremendous stuff between Rollins and Penta. The Knight appearance at the end was a decent way to set up the Saturday Night’s Main Event match in five days.
All in all, an okay edition of Raw that did as best as it could to sell viewers on the big WWE weekend of action coming in a few days. Whether it was successful or not is up remains to be seen. The throughline of the Rollins band’s dominance was at least a good angle to go with all night long, I will say.