WWE RAW
Episode 1341
#RAW
Original Air Date: February 4, 2019
Event Date: February 4, 2019
(aired live)
City: Portland, OR
Venue: MODA Center
Commentary: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Ring Area
Already in the ring, Stephanie McMahon welcomes everyone to RAW. She is almost immediately interrupted by Becky Lynch who heads to the ring. Stephanie introduces Becky and shows footage of her challenging Ronda Rousey for a title match at Wrestlemania.
Stephanie is impressed that Becky smiled in angry Ronda Rousey’s face. Steph says she can’t wait to see Becky beat Rousey after everything Rousey did to Steph. Steph does wonder if Becky’s knee is okay though. Becky says she’s fine. Steph is worried that Becky is refusing to let doctors take a look at her leg. She knows Becky would do anything to compete, but she can’t let that happen if Becky isn’t cleared by the WWE medical staff.
Becky says she knows what’s happening here. Becky is the glitch in Steph’s plan, the one thing she didn’t plan for. What did Steph ever have to fight for? Becky has fought every step of the way for everything she has accomplished. Becky refuses to back down. Steph says that she cares about Becky and the match with Rousey. All Becky has to do is get the doctors to clear her. This isn’t a trick, it’s about Becky’s health.
If Becky doesn’t see the doctors, then Steph will be forced to suspend Becky until she does see them. Becky refuses to budge, so Steph suspends her. Becky attacks Stephanie. She tries to put Steph into the Disarm Her, but Becky has a difficult time standing on her left leg. Still, the attack continues. Referees and officials come out and get in-between the two women. Steph is escorted to the back, then Becky limps away.
Backstage
Becky Lynch encounters Ronda Rousey in the backstage area. Rousey says she wants nothing more than to destroy Becky’s face, but she doesn’t. Because she is a professional.
Match 1
Liv Morgan w/ Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan vs Ronda Rousey (RAW Women’s Champ)
(referee: Rod Zapata)
Result: Ronda Rousey wins via submission with a cross arm bar
Time: 1:26
Match Thoughts
Morgan tried to avoid Rousey and find an opening, but once Morgan got near the champ, Rousey slapped on a submission and quickly ended the match.
Ring Area
After the match, Rousey gets on the mic and complains about the crowd booing her (which creates a few more boos). She looks down at the Riott Squad and asks if anyone else wants a fight. Sarah Logan does.
Match 2
Sarah Logan w/ Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan vs Ronda Rousey (RAW Women’s Champ)
(referee: Rod Zapata)
Result: Ronda Rousey wins via submission with a cross arm bar
Time: 1:22 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
This was a lot like Liv’s match, though Sarah went after Rousey more. Unfortunately, most of this match took place during a commercial break.
Ring Area
After the match, Ruby Riott slowly gets up onto the ring apron. Rousey challenges Riott to step inside the ring, but Ruby decides to back away help her friends get backstage instead.
Backstage
Dasha Fuentes asks Ruby Riott why she would “run away” from Rousey. Ruby says she didn’t run away. She can and will beat Rousey, and when she does, it will be for the title. But tonight, Ruby’s friends need her. That’s why she is helping her friends, and that’s something an “opportunist” like Rousey would know nothing about.
Backstage
Charly Caruso asks Bayley and Sasha if their “failures” against Ronda Rousey is pushing them to do more in their Elimination Chamber qualifying match tonight. Bayley and Sasha don’t like the word “failure,” but regardless, they plan to make history in the burgeoning women’s tag division.
Alicia Fox and Nikki Cross walk up. Fox says Bayley and Sasha won’t even make it to Elimination Chamber. She also says that Bayley and Sasha are going to learn that you don’t “cross the fox.”
Match 3
Four Corners RAW Tag Title Number One Contender Match
Heavy Machinery vs Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik w/ Kalisto vs The B-Team vs The Revival
(referee: Darrick Moore; watching in the back: Bobby Roode, Chad Gable)
Result: Dash Wilder pins Bo Dallas after the Shatter Machine
Time: 7:57 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. There were some odd hesitations in one of the big segments early in the match (where Heavy Machinery was throwing everyone out of the ring), but the second half of the match got a lot better. It was kind of a free for all, but that’s what most of these types of tag matches turn into. It was fun.
Backstage
Zack Ryder tells Curt Hawkins that they’ll be in the next number one contender match. Hawkins says if Ryder had any other partner, then would have probably been in the match tonight. Hawkins says he is a toxic loser and wonders why Ryder would want to be partners with him. Ryder gets angry about the graphic last week that misspelled his name. In fact, he’s so mad that he misspells the misspelling.
Ryder says he’s a loser just like Hawkins. Hawkins can’t bring Ryder down, because Ryder is already as low as he can get. Ryder says they’re losers together, but they won’t be losers for long. They’re going to end Hawkins’ losing streak together.
Backstage
Kurt Hawkins greets Mickie James, Apollo Crews, and No Way Jose as he walks by on his way to the ring area.
Ring Area
Kurt Angle heads to the ring. Angle says that he has accomplished everything he wanted to in the past twenty years. He talks about some of his personal highlights as superstars watch in the back. But lately, his matches with McIntyre and Corbin have showed him that he’s not the same as he once was. There is one opponent Angle says he can’t defeat: Father Time.
Baron Corbin interrupts as he comes out to the stage. Corbin says Angle did this to himself. Angle should have given this speech at the Hall of Fame and never showed up on RAW afterward. Corbin says Angle is just a broken-down old man. Angle invites Corbin to the ring so he can break Corbin’s ankle in two.
Drew McIntyre comes out to the stage. McIntyre says people used to see a warrior in Angle’s eyes, but McIntyre saw fear when they competed against each other last year. McIntyre knows Angle won’t stop coming back until someone does something drastic. McIntyre and Corbin head to the ring with the intent of doing something drastic.
Before McIntyre and Corbin make it into the ring, Braun Strowman heads to the ring. McIntyre meets Strowman on the ramp, and Strowman puts him down. Angle knocks Corbin out of the ring. Strowman chases Corbin and McIntyre who escape through the crowd.
Video
WWE celebrates Black History Month. New Day, Ember Moon, Nia Jax, and Tamina visit the National Civil Rights Museum.
Ring Area
Sasha Banks’ music plays, but instead of Sasha and Bayley heading to the ring for their tag match, Nikki Cross and Alicia Fox come out while beating up Bayley and Sasha. Referees try to keep the women apart, but Fox and Cross end up doing whatever they want. Bayley and Sasha are down as the show goes to a commercial break.
Match 4
Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match
Sasha Banks & Bayley vs Alicia Fox & Nikki Cross
(referee: John Cone)
Result: Bayley pins Alicia Fox with a roll-up
Time: 5:47
Match Thoughts
This was fun. The pre-match attack set this match up nicely. Sasha Banks struggled to even stand on the apron for most of the match, so Bayley had to survive in the ring in what was essentially a handicap match. Bayley did survive, and with a minor assist from Banks late in the match, she provided a fun finish for a match that couldn’t really have gone any other way. This was good for Bayley.
Backstage
Charly Caruso asks Apollo Crews if he thinks Angle has a chance of winning in his tag match tonight. Crews says everyone has a chance. Drake Maverick walks up with Rezar and tells Apollo to just be honest. Apollo wonders how Rezar gets his puppet to talk like that. Rezar gets mad, but Maverick holds him back. Maverick says Apollo is just upset about his Olympic hero repeatedly letting him down.
Ring Area
Road Dogg heads to the ring and introduces himself. He then says tonight isn’t about him, it’s about Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett heads to the ring and struts. Road Dogg wants them to finish their song that was interrupted next week. So they sing.
Eventually, Elias stops the song. Elias says the their song is just like them, it didn’t age well. Elias thought he might come out and save the night with a performance of his own, but he forgot how undeserving the people in the crowd are. So no, Elias will not perform a song tonight.
Jarrett tells Elias, “don’t sing it, bring it.”
Match 5
Jeff Jarrett w/ Road Dogg vs Elias
(referee: Chad Patton)
Result: Elias wins via pinfall after Drift Away
Time: 4:26 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
This was pretty fun. The draw here was really just seeing Jarrett compete in a WWE ring. That match itself was okay, though it was quite predictable. Still, it was fine.
Ring Area
After the match, Road Dogg attacks Elias. Dogg punches Elias then tells him to “suck it.” Jarrett then hits Elias with a guitar (and the guitar doesn’t break).
Backstage
Dana Brooke apologizes to Natalya for contributing to their tag loss last week. Natalya doesn’t respond. Dana Brooke gets mad and says she’s going to find a referee so they can have a match. Brooke yells and walks away. After she’s gone, Natalya pulls ear buds from her ears and looks around, confused. (Though she doesn’t seem confused that there’s a camera recording her while she does nothing…)
Backstage
Charly Cruso asks Finn Balor when he’s going to stop putting his prode before his health. Balor says he’s taken the best punishment Lesnar and Lashley have to offer, but he’s still here. He will not stop moving forward, and he’s going to take the fight to Bobby Lashley. He’s going to take the IC Title too.
Ring Area
Finn Balor heads to the ring for a match with Bobby Lashley. Lashley and Lio Rush come out next. Rush says Balor is clearly hurting, so why does he think he has a chance against Lashley? Lashley says Balor failed to beat Lesnar, and Lashley is better than Lesnar. Lashley says Balor should start finding people his own size to fight. So tonight, Balor won’t face Lashley, he’ll face Rush.
Everyone gets ready for the match, but Lashley attacks Balor before the bell. After the attack, Balor says he is okay to compete.
Match 6
Finn Balor vs Lio Rush w/ Bobby Lashley (IC Champ)
(referee: Rod Zapata)
Result: Finn Balor wins via pinfall after the Coup De Grace
Time: 5:56
Match Thoughts
Good match. The pre-match attack leveled the playing field, and that allowed Rush and Balor to have a good, competitive match. Rush is a star, and he looked great against Balor. Rush used submissions and his uncanny agility to focus on Balor’s injured midsection. This was a short match, but I very much enjoyed it.
Ring Area
After the match, Lashley runs down to the ring. Balor gets out of the ring before Lashley can get to him.
Ring Area
Paige comes out to the stage and introduces a trailer for the new movie based on her life, Fighting With My Family.
Ring Area
Alexa Bliss is on the stage for A Moment of Bliss. She introduces EC3 who comes out and joins her. Alexa asks EC3 if he’s ready for his moment of bliss as she compliments his looks and his large… bank account. She asks him a simple question: “RAW or SmackDown?”
Nia Jax clears phlegm from her throat as she and Tamina come out to the stage. Jax pats herself on the back for interfering in the men’s Rumble match and qualifying for the Elimination Chamber. Jax says the entire world is talking about her and wondering what she’s going to do next. Maybe she’ll fill in for Becky at Wrestlemania?
Jax is interrupted when Dean Ambrose comes out to the stage. Ambrose says it’s obvious that Jax has a huge crush on him. He understands that Jax is having a hard time dealing with her emotions towards him, and that’s fine, but she needs to just stay away from him.
Ambrose then moves on to ask who EC3 is. EC3 looks like he’s about to say something when Ambrose knocks the mic out of his hand. Ambrose shoots off some rapid-fire questions for EC3 without letting him answer. His final question is why EC3 hasn’t wrestled yet. EC3 answers with a fist that puts Ambrose down. EC3 then heads to the ring.
Match 7
EC3 vs Dean Ambrose
(referee: Darrick Moore)
Result: EC3 wins via pinfall with a jackknife cover
Time: 2:37
Match Thoughts
The downfall of Dean Ambrose continues with this quick match. It was pretty good, but it was very short, and EC3 had no real trouble.
Backstage
Charly Caruso asks Kurt Angle what it would be like to defeat Corbin and Balor tonight. Angle says he’s not in this fight alone. Braun Strowman walks up, and Angle says he’s glad Strowman is on his side tonight. Strowman says it’s an honor to fight alongside Angle.
Backstage
Mojo Rawley talks to himself and makes himself laugh.
Match 8
Drew McIntyre & Baron Corbin vs Braun Strowman & Kurt Angle
(referee: Chad Patton)
Result: Corbin and McIntyre win via DQ when Strowman (the illegal man) attacks Corbin (the legal man)
Time: 8:45 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
This was fine, but the finish wasn’t very good. This was one of those times when enforced rules that are never enforced just because it was convenient for the match. Angle and Corbin were legal in the match, but when Strowman hit Corbin, Corbin called for a DQ. He got one. This kind of thing is frustrating, because it shows that rules only matter when they want them to. It also wasn’t necessary end the match that way. There are many, many other ways they could have gotten essentially the same result.
Ring Area
After the match, Strowman is sent over the barricade. Corbin and Strowman set Angle up for a double chokeslam on Angle, but Strowman saves Angle. Strowman hits McIntyre and Corbin with a chokeslam each on the ring steps.
Show Impressions
The show felt a little long, but looking back on everything that happened, I mostly enjoyed it. I think the main event was one of the things I didn’t enjoy as much, and a lot of the in-ring action felt somewhat like an afterthought, but I like where most of the story lines are headed.
Match of the Night
Finn Balor vs Lio Rush
This was easily the most entertaining match for me tonight.
Official Results: https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2019-02-04