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Randy Orton kicked off RAW with a promo in the darkness, wearing a mask after being hit by the fireball by Alexa Bliss last week. He said his face suffered first-degree burns which was a direct result of his compassion.
Randy didn't blame Alexa though, he blamed The Fiend for it and said that he did it to stop the inevitable: Randy winning this year's Royal Rumble. Randy vowed to remain in the match no matter what happened and head to WrestleMania.
He said he enjoyed the pain and lit a match after reminding us that he will win the Rumble and head to the main event of WrestleMania.
Lacey Evans and Ric Flair were backstage and Evans said Ric was just living up to his name before heading out to watch Charlotte's match.
Charlotte vs. Peyton Royce on RAW
Royce attacked Charlotte before the match began and we headed for a break right away. Back on RAW, the bell was rung and Charlotte got the early advantage before they both rolled out of the ring.
Charlotte slammed Royce into the announce desk before Royce ducked a chop and The Queen hit the ring post. In the ring, Royce locked in a submission but Flair got out of it.
Charlotte hit a big neck breaker and was about to finish the match when Ric Flair made his entrance with Evans, who was wearing his robe. Royce used the distraction to wipe out Charlotte with a kick before we headed for another break on RAW.
Back on RAW, Charlotte hit a big boot on Royce on the apron before she attacked Royce's injured knee and locked in the Figure Eight. Royce kicked out and Charlotte refused to let go for a good few seconds to punish Royce.
Result: Charlotte def. Peyton Royce
Match rating: B
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We learned that Alexa Bliss and Asuka had a match tonight on RAW and Bliss had invited Asuka to the playground.
The Hurt Business was backstage and was being made fun of by Riddle before Lashley stomped on his feet.
Riddle was backstage and said that he was going to fight even though his foot was hurt.
Mustafa Ali was seen in a short promo where he said that RETRIBUTION would destroy New Day and make sure they miss WrestleMania.
Xavier Woods vs. Mace on RAW
Woods took down Ali right off the bat before the match even began. After a break on RAW, we returned to see Woods dodge a few shots before being slammed onto the mat.
Xavier Woods came back with some chops and an Enzuigiri. He slid out of the ring and hit Mace with a dropkick, sending him into the announce desk. Mace got back in, but the rest of RETRIBUTION circled the ring.
Ali and the rest provided a distraction that allowed Mace to hit the swinging end to Woods and pick up the win on RAW.
Result: Mace def. Xavier Woods
Match rating: B
Asuka was backstage on RAW and had no idea what to expect at Alexa's Playground other than her 'dark side'.
We got the WrestleMania Report with Triple H and Stephanie along with appearances from Roman Reigns, Sasha Banks, and John Cena who told us the locations of the next three WrestleMania PPVs.
Alexa's Playground kicked off and after some banter, Alexa announced in front of Asuka that she will be joining the women's Royal Rumble match.
Asuka wished her luck and tried to be enthusiastic, saying that she was a fan of Alexa but mentioning the Fiend got Bliss very angry. She kicked Asuka out of the ring for saying that the Fiend was still there and smiled creepily.
Shayna Baszler was headed for a match on RAW and said that she would not hesitate to eliminate Nia at the Royal Rumble.
Goldberg was set to appear for the Dirt Sheets tonight!
Jeff Jarrett appeared on RAW and said that he expects Goldberg to win at the Royal Rumble.
Shayna Baszler vs. Mandy Rose on RAW
Nia went for the arm stomp early on and Brooke was cheering Mandy on from ringside. Shayna was mad at Brooke and went after her and Mandy used the distraction to roll her up for a near fall before sending her in the corner.
Shayna Baszler vs. Mandy Rose on RAW (contd...)
Shayna twisted Mandy's arm on RAW before dropping her to the mat and locking in the Khirifuda Clutch. Rose had no choice but to submit and Baszler picked up the win.
Result: Shayna Baszler def. Dana Brooke
Nia and Shayna got a little heated after the match and Brooke took advantage by dropkicking Nia into Shayna.
Match rating: B
Nia and Shayna said that they were trying to secure a rematch for the tag titles backstage on RAW.
Charlotte was backstage on RAW and said that Lacey Evans was living off of Ric Flair's success.
Adam Pearce was talking to Ricochet backstage and AJ Styles came in to make fun on Pearce for refusing to compete at Royal Rumble.
Ricochet vs. AJ Styles on RAW
Styles went for an early Styles Clash but Ricochet countered it and hit a dropkick before tossing Styles outside. Ricochet hit a dive and was caught by Omos but the referee yelled at him and Omos tossed him to the ground. Back on RAW after a break, Ricochet hit a DDT and got a near fall off a clothesline.
Ricochet vs. AJ Styles on RAW (contd...)
Ricochet hit a huge German Suplex on RAW and got another near fall before Styles got few near falls of his own. Styles missed the Phenomenal Forearm and walked into the Recoil for another near fall.
Ricochet was looking to finish the match but AJ hung him up on the top rope and hit him with the Styles Clash in a great display of athleticism from both men before AJ picked up the win.
Result: AJ Styles def. Ricochet
Match rating: A
It was time for the Dirt Sheet and instead of Goldberg, Gillberg came out. After the funny entrance and a little bit of joking around, Drew McIntyre's music hit and it was another imposter.
Miz & Morrison conducted a nonsense argument between the two impostors before Miz & Morrison realized their hired actors were not very bright. Miz said on RAW that neither Drew nor Goldberg will win at the Rumble because the Miz will cash in the Money in the Bank contract and leave the arena as champion.
The Hurt Business vs. Lucha House Party & Riddle on RAW
Alexander and Metalik kicked things off on RAW and Cedric got a big dropkick in before arguing with Shelton Benjamin. Dorado was tagged in and got a quick near fall while Cedric's teammates refused to tag in.
Benjamin finally tagged in and took Dorado into the corner before Alexander and Benjamin argued over who would tag in. Benjamin came in but Alexander forced a tag before Cedric almost got wiped out.
Cedric and Shelton started fighting and Benjamin tossed Cedric out of the ring before MVP had to call a time out. Back on RAW after a break, Lashley tagged Benjamin in who was dominating before Riddle was tagged in.
Riddle took control of the match but missed the Floating Bro before Metalik came back in and Alexander forced a tag again. Lashley got sick of them and tagged back in himself before wiping out Metalik with the Hurt Lock.
Result: The Hurt Business def. Lucha House Party & Riddle
Riddle took a cheap shot on Lashley after the match and wiped him out before retreating.
Match rating: B+
Elias and Ryker were backstage on RAW before their match and Ryker was still having issues understanding Elias' cryptic instructions.
Drew McIntyre said he was feeling stronger but still watching the show from home. He said he has never failed to defend his title and asked for the 'real Goldberg' for their match.
Drew said he would be coming back to RAW next week before we headed back to the ring.
Jeff Hardy vs. Jaxson Ryker on RAW
Ryker started off strong and took Hardy down right away but Jeff came back with some headscissors and went for the atomic drop - low dropkick - splash sequence.
Ryker got back in control and unloaded on Jeff before hitting a suplex and getting a near fall. Hardy came back with the jawbreaker and a neck breaker before going up to the top rope.
Elias knocked Hardy off the ropes and earned Ryker a DQ loss. Jeff attacked Elias after the match but Ryker planted him in the ring.
Result: Jeff Hardy def. Jaxson Ryker via DQ
Match rating: C
Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss on RAW
Alexa was in a good mood on RAW as she defended Asuka's offense early in the match and got some near falls off a few roll-ups. Asuka hit a knee strike followed by the Shining Wizard and Bliss was still smiling.
Alexa was in the ring when the lights started going out and it cut to an ad break as the ring went dark. Back on RAW, the ring lights were purple and Alexa had different makeup on as she glared at Asuka.
Alexa blocked all the strikes from Asuka without even flinching and tossed her outside the ring. Asuka still managed to get a knee strike in and Alexa went for the Mandible Claw which the champ managed to block.
Asuka was shocked by the sudden change in pace and went after Alexa with strong kicks. Alexa no-sold the huge kicks and hit Sister Abigail before the lights changed again and we saw the cheerful old Alexa without the makeup for a second before the show ended.
Result: Alexa Bliss def. Asuka
Match rating: A
Episode rating: B
Tonight's episode of RAW kicked off with Randy Orton's creepy monologue and we went to Alexa's Playground as well with Asuka. Ricochet and Styles put on a great match while Alexa and Asuka gave us a pretty good main event.
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