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The show began with a 10-bell salute to WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino, who passed away last week. The entire Raw roster was shown on the stage, followed by a moving video tribute to Sammartino.
The Beast Incarnate emerges
After the video ended, Universal Champion Brock Lesnar came down to the ring with his advocate Paul Heyman, who introduced Brock as 'and still' Universal Champion, followed by a supervillain-esque laugh. Heyman said he bets the fans think they're out here to gloat, comparing the situation to when Lesnar broke The Streak.
"Brock Lesnar does not gloat, Brock Lesnar conquers - Paul Heyman gloats all night long". He commented on Brock using 'extremely un-PG' elbows to bust Roman wide open, in addition to several other factors behind the win. Heyman turned the attention towards this Friday at Greatest Royal Rumble, stating Lesnar is flying halfway across the world for the right to be locked in a cage with Roman Reigns.
Heyman claimed the match, and the cage stipulation specifically, was asked for by Lesnar as opposed to Reigns demanding the rematch.
Following one of Paul's many rants, Roman came out to the ring in order to confront the duo. Cole addressed certain criticisms of him, stating he's in a must-win situation on Friday. Booker called Saudi Arabia 'Saudi'. Yes, that actually happened.
Reigns said he knows one thing, he's coming home with the Universal Championship. Then he left? Cole said it took guts from Roman to come down to the ring and get in Brock's face.
The Sami & Kevin Show will debut tonight with special guest Kurt Angle. A 10-woman tag team match for the main event was confirmed.
Bobby Roode vs. Elias
Elias went to start his concert, only for Bobby Roode to interrupt before he could even get started. Cole confirmed that both men would be involved in the Greatest Royal Rumble match on Friday, which will feature 50 men for the first time in the history of the stipulation.
Roode took control early on in the match, only to seemingly tweak his knee upon landing from the top rope. Bobby spent some time working the arm, with the crowd's reactions being notably quiet in the early stages of the match. Elias managed to land a strong right hand to Roode before a series of chops handed him control of the match. Roode almost caught him with the Glorious DDT, but couldn't quite manage it.
Elias sent Roode into the middle rope, continuing to wear him down. Around 30 seconds after coming back from commercial, WWE cut to yet another advertisement - this time regarding the Greatest Royal Rumble event.
Corey Graves revealed that Shane McMahon would be a part of the 50-man Rumble match. Back in the ring, Roode's big babyface comeback wasn't exactly received perfectly by the St. Louis crowd who were relatively quiet. Elias rolled to the outside of the ring in order to halt Bobby's momentum, allowing The Drifter to gain control. He hung Bobby's arm up in the rope, before securing the roll-up pinfall.
Elias def. Bobby Roode via pinfall
Matt Hardy cut a promo talking about the Greatest Royal Rumble, before being joined by his new partner Bray Wyatt. The bizarre segments between these two men continue. WWE congratulated The Rock on the birth of his third daughter.
The Deleter Of Worlds vs The Ascension
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt came down to the ring in order to face one of Raw's newest teams, The Ascension. Some Matt hijinks started the match off, as The Woken Ones took control of the match. Commentary focused on discussing what kind of chance the duo has against The Bar at Greatest Royal Rumble when they compete for the Raw Tag Team Championships.
Hardy and Wyatt teamed up with a Side Effect, but it only managed a two count. Wyatt then hit Sister Abigail, before a Team Twist of Fate secured the win.
The Deleter Of Worlds def. The Ascension via pinfall
WWE continued to hype the Bruno documentary which will air on the WWE Network following the conclusion of Monday Night Raw.
The Sami & Kevin Show
Owens & Zayn spoke about losing the visionary The Miz to SmackDown Live, before stating they'd do this show whenever they felt like it. Sami also believes that they will win the 50-man Rumble match. Zayn said they were handpicked as the crown jewels of Monday Night Raw by none other than Stephanie McMahon. Owens and Zayn performed their own personal rendition of the 'You Suck' song.
Owens and Zayn discussed being involved in a conspiracy on SmackDown Live, with Kevin bragging about dismantling Vince McMahon. Owens spoke about how desperately Kurt needs this job, as he argues with Sami regarding how many children Kurt Angle actually has - they then made a jab about Jason Jordan being his son.
Angle spoke about how himself, Daniel Bryan & Chris Jericho will be in the Greatest Royal Rumble match waiting for Owens and Zayn. Kurt booked Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens vs Bobby Lashley & Braun Strowman for later in the night.
Axel & Dallas pitched joining Seth Rollins to the man himself, stating they could be the new Shield, but Seth said it's a hard no.
Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre vs Titus Worldwide
WWE looked back on the return of Dolph Ziggler, who came back alongside former NXT champion Drew McIntyre. Titus Worldwide, who they attacked, were in the ring as they prepare for action. McIntyre came out looking like a killer before Ziggler also entered the ring with the Scot.
The duo made short work of Titus & Apollo, including a finisher that was fantastic to see.
Ziggler & McIntyre def. Titus Worldwide via pinfall
Following an amusing backstage segment, in which Jinder Mahal confused Chad Gable for Nicholas from WrestleMania 34 Mahal vs Gable is officially booked.
Chad Gable vs Jinder Mahal
Courtesy of interference from Singh, Mahal took full control of the bout early on. Gable seemed to have reverted back to his babyface persona from before his partnership alongside Shelton Benjamin.
Jinder looked on top for most of the match, only for Gable to score the surprise victory heading into Greatest Royal Rumble. Jinder looked shocked, whereas Gable began the start of what could prove to be an extremely profitable babyface run for both himself and WWE as a whole.
Chad Gable def. Jinder Mahal via pinfall
The Riott Squad spoke about wanting to make an impact in the Raw women's division, and that's exactly what they're going to do during tonight's 10-woman main event.
We recapped the opening segment between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, who will battle for the Universal Championship on Friday.
Samoa Joe cut a promo on Roman Reigns ahead of their upcoming match at Backlash.
We then cut to Zayn & Owens, who managed to escape away from their bout with Strowman & Lashley by the skin of their teeth.
The Lone Wolf Makes A Statement
Baron Corbin came out to run down No Way Jose and big himself up, but for some reason, the scheduled match between the two men never went ahead. Jose led his conga line away from the ring and up the ramp, concluding a short and sweet segment - until Corbin came back out and brutalised Jose.
A backstage segment called A Moment Of Bliss aired, featuring Alexa Bliss once again ruining the good name of Nia Jax.
Seth Rollins & Finn Balor vs The Miztourage
After The Miztourage attempted to recruit both Seth Rollins and Finn Balor earlier in the night, all four men will compete against each other. Rollins will defend his Intercontinental Championship at Greatest Royal Rumble in a ladder match, with Miz and Balor both taking part.
Dallas and Axel continue to be called The Miztourage despite dumping their namesake boss last week, although the duo was doing some good teamwork throughout the course of this one.
Alas, it wasn't to be, as Seth and Finn gained momentum heading into a crucial bout for them both on Friday.
Finn Balor & Seth Rollins def. The Miztourage
10-Woman Tag Team Match
The 10-woman tag team match concluded this week's edition of Monday Night Raw, which makes sense given that they won't be showcased at Greatest Royal Rumble this week. Bliss & James made their way down to the ring first, before The Riott Squad joined them.
Bayley was the first member of team babyface to make her appearance, followed by Ember Moon and then the newest babyface on the roster - Natalya. Sasha Banks came down to the ring next, with Raw Women's Champion Nia Jax rounding off the line-up for tonight's main event.
Corey Graves questioned whether or not all of the current champions would remain by the time that Raw emanates from Montreal next Monday night. In the ring, Liv Morgan kicked things off with Sasha Banks before quickly tagging in Sarah Logan.
Morgan worked her way back into the match, before being stopped in her tracks by Ember Moon who continues to impress and feel right at home on the main roster. Through the WWE app, it was officially confirmed that Alexa Bliss will get her rematch for the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax at Backlash.
Following a back and forth start, team heel took control and began to frustrate the opposition - eventually building towards the inevitable hot tag. The crowd, who had been quiet at points during the evening, were starting to become more lively as this bout went on. WWE ran yet another Greatest Royal Rumble promo in the middle of the match using the split screen method.
Natalya was the one who managed to get the tag, beginning a fun back and forth with Mickie James as the two veterans went at it. Eventually, the heels resumed control, with Ruby Riott finally getting into the match. She spent a while neutralising Bayley, only for Nia Jax to find a way into the match - which got a pretty big pop from the crowd.
Chaos then broke out as you'd expect in a match of this nature, with Jax diving off of the apron onto the women below. After Mickie hits Natalya with a cheap shot, Ronda Rousey's music hit and she stormed down to the ring. Ronda went to her aid, only for Mickie to also try and hit Rousey with a cheap shot. Rowdy Ronda put James in the armbar, causing the disqualification, before helping Natalya out to the back.
Riott Squad, Alexa Bliss & Mickie James def. Sasha Banks, Bayley, Ember Moon, Nia Jax & Natalya by DQ
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