Detailed Results
RAW kicks off with confetti falling from the ceiling as the show kicks off with WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day, who make their way to the ring as the confetti continues to fall throughout the arena. Big E says that tonight is not about a “birthday”, it’s about a “new day” before Kofi Kingston says that tonight is a “celebration”. Xavier Woods then describes the night as a “jamboree” before handing Big E a Pittsburgh Steelers towel, which Big E uses to wipe seat off of his face and body. Big E then says that today marks a “new era” and a “new champion” before the WWE Tag Team Champions introduce the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, who comes out wearing a dapper suit and tie as the confetti is amped up for the champion’s arrival. The WWE World Heavyweight Champion thanks The New Day for the introduction, saying that The New Day’s positive attitude is “infectious” before Sheamus says that he would like to thank The Authority. Sheamus continues, saying that Triple H & Stephanie McMahon taught him that, when opportunity knocks, you open the door and you say, “how’s it going, fella?” before saying that he would like to thank the man who gave him the “opportunity of a lifetime”, Roman Reigns. Sheamus then says that, if Roman Reigns had just accepted Triple H’s offer, then there’s a good chance that he would not be wearing the WWE World Heavyweight Title right now, saying that the title looks so much better on him.
Sheamus then joins The New Day for a brief dance break before continuing, saying that, if Roman had not been savoring his championship win at Survivor Series, he might have seen Sheamus coming and Roman might have held the title for more than five minutes and fifteen seconds. The champion then says you can forget about “Austin 3:16” because “Sheamus 5:15” says “I just kicked your arse” before Sheamus celebrates in the ring, getting his first opportunity to have his own championship celebration, complete with pyro and confetti just like Survivor Series. Then, in a role reversal from Survivor Series, Sheamus’ celebration would be cut short by Roman Reigns, who enters the ring out of nowhere, dropping the new champion with the Superman Punch! With a smile on his face, Roman then looks down at Sheamus before Reigns walks off with the WWE World Heavyweight Title belt, holding it up on the stage as Sheamus looks on from the ring.
Backstage, Roman Reigns is having a good laugh with Dean Ambrose and The Usos before Roman is confronted by The Authority. Triple H tells Roman that Reigns has something that doesn’t belong to him and Roman comments that it looks good where it’s at. Stephanie tells Reigns to “cut the crap” and Roman starts to hand the title belt to Triple H, but when the COO tries to grab it, Roman pulls it back and decides to hand it to Stephanie instead. Reigns then tells The Authority to tell “magic mohawk” that, in two weeks, he will be taking the title back. However, this is when Triple H makes an unexpected announcement, saying that Sheamus has informed them that he doesn’t want to wait until WWE TLC to defend the WWE World Heavyweight Title as the new champion wants to face Roman for the title tonight! Without hesitation, Roman accepts the challenge before Stephanie adds the stipulation that, to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Reigns will have to beat Sheamus in less than five minutes and fifteen seconds!
In a rematch from Survivor Series, the opening match of the night would see “The Show Off” Dolph Ziggler trying to avenge his loss to “Prince Pretty” Tyler Breeze, with Summer Rae in his corner. At the end of a fast-paced, back-and-forth match, it was Dolph Ziggler overcoming an injured shoulder, catching Tyler Breeze with a super kick to secure the three-count, picking up the win over “Prince Pretty”.
Appearing together on RAW for the first time in several months, the engaged couple of “The Bulgarian Brute” Rusev and “The Ravishing Russian” Lana would join The Miz in the ring for Miz TV! With Rusev already standing in the ring with him, The Miz welcomes everyone to Miz TV, introducing Rusev and asking “The Bulgarian Brute” to have a seat. The Miz begins to ask Rusev about his most recent injury and not being able to compete in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament, but Rusev cuts The Miz off, saying that it’s his turn to talk. Responding to chants of “We Want Lana” from the fans, Rusev says that they all want Lana, but Lana is his wife before Rusev continues, saying that nobody cared about him while he was injured, but there was one person who stood next to him and supported him and this one person has all his “love” and all his “heart”. With that, Rusev then introduces his fiancée, “The Ravishing Russian” Lana, who joins her husband-to-be in the ring. The happy couple then stand together as The Miz says that Rusev & Lana have been through it all in recent months as Lana comments that this is the “happiest day” of her life. The Miz then brings up Rusev’s relationship with Summer Rae, but a stern look from “The Bulgarian Brute” would stop The Miz’s questioning.
The Miz then asks what brought Rusev & Lana back together with Lana saying that “everything was forgiven”, saying that they “fight hard”, but they “love even harder” and their time with other people strengthened their love, adding that she “never went all the way” with Dolph Ziggler. Lana then says that Rusev is her “Bulgarian sunshine” before Rusev comments that he did not go “all the way” with Summer Rae either. Rusev then says that, when he steps into the ring, he is going to break bodies apart, but when steps out of the ring, his heart belongs only to Lana. The happy couple then share a passionate kiss in the ring. The romantic moment is then broken up by “The Big Guy” Ryback, who says that, in Pittsburgh, they believe in “smash mouth”, saying that this isn’t an episode of “Teen Wolf”, this is Monday Night RAW and he’s “hungry”.
With Lana back in his corner, “The Bulgarian Brute” Rusev would go one-on-one with “The Big Guy” Ryback on RAW. Early on in the match, the battle between the two big men would spill to the outside where Ryback would shove Rusev into the steel steps, but, unfortunately for Lana, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and the steps caught Lana in the leg, knocking Lana to the floor. Deciding that his fiancée was more important than the match, Rusev goes over to check on Lana as the referee reaches a count of ten as Ryback wins the bout by count-out. After the match, Rusev would help Lana to the back, but not before yelling at Ryback, apparently blaming “The Big Guy” for Lana getting hurt.
Backstage, Dean Ambrose meets with WWE COO Triple H as Triple H congratulates “The Lunatic Fringe” on becoming the #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Championship by way of his Triple Threat Match victory on SmackDown. Triple H then reveals the true nature of their meeting as the COO informs Ambrose that, if Roman Reigns is unable to defeat Sheamus in less than five minutes and fifteen seconds and win the WWE World Heavyweight Title tonight, then not only will Reigns lose his title shot at WWE TLC, Ambrose will lose his shot at the Intercontinental Championship! Triple H then says that Roman needs to realize that his choices not only affect himself, but those choices affect his friends as well.
The Dudley Boyz would then make an appearance on RAW as Bubba Ray & D-Von would march to the ring with tables in hand. With tables in and around the ring, Bubba Ray says that, last week on RAW, The Wyatt Family left them laying and, on SmackDown, they beat them up worse. Bubba Ray then says that The Wyatt Family added insult to injury when they put Bubba Ray through one of their own tables, saying that The Wyatt Family didn’t get the job done. Bubba Ray says that they are still standing and ready to fight at any given moment, saying that, by doing what they did to The Dudley Boyz, they put their own names on the tables. With that, Bubba Ray & D-Von unsheathe the four tables in the ring, showing that the names, “Wyatt”, “Harper”, “Rowan”, and “Strowman” had been written on the tables. D-Von then proclaims, “thou shall not mess with The Dudley Boyz” before Bubba Ray says that they’ve already got the tables, so why don’t they come out there right now and they can finish this tonight!
The Dudley Boyz then get their wish as The Wyatt Family comes out to the stage with Bray Wyatt saying that, on behalf of his family, he would like to accept the challenge set forth by The Dudley Boyz. Bray then adds that The Dudley Boyz should be careful inviting the “devil” to their backyard because the devil may like it and “decide to stay” before Wyatt laughs maniacally and the lights go out. When the lights come back on, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, & Braun Strowman are standing at ringside before Bubba Ray says that they think that they’ve got the upper hand as there are currently three Wyatt Family members and only two Dudley Boyz. D-Von then says that “looks can be deceiving”, saying that they’ve got their “family”, but The Dudley Boyz have their own! With this, even Bray Wyatt and his family appear shocked to hear the music and witness the return of “The Heart and Soul of ECW” Tommy Dreamer! Making his way through the crowd with a trash can full of kendo sticks and other weapons, the former ECW World Heavyweight Champion joins his longtime friends in the ring! Dreamer & The Dudley Boyz grab kendo sticks, readying themselves for a fight as the four members of The Wyatt Family surround the ring. Bray then instructs his followers to attack, but when Harper, Rowan, & Strowman get on the ring apron, Dreamer & The Dudley Boyz swing their kendo sticks in unison, knocking the three monsters off of the ring apron! As the hardcore trio stand tall in the ring, Bray Wyatt screams at the extreme legends to “fight like men”.
In an impromptu match, The Dudley Boyz would join forces with their old friend, the former ECW World Champion Tommy Dreamer, to face The Wyatt Family’s Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, & Braun Strowman, with Bray Wyatt in their corner, in a 6-Man Tag match. The match would quickly break down into an all-out brawl between the six men as Luke Harper would level Bubba Ray with a super kick, Erick Rowan would take D-Von out with a spinning heel kick, and Braun Strowman would choke Tommy Dreamer out with his triangle choke. Mocking The Dudley Boyz, Bray Wyatt would instruct his family to “get the tables” with Harper, Rowan, & Strowman setting up a table in the ring. However, Bubba Ray would spot an opening and would take it as the veteran quickly pops up, shoving Bray Wyatt off of the ring apron as “The Eater of Worlds” is sent crashing through a table! As The Dudley Boyz & Tommy Dreamer regroup on the ramp, Harper, Rowan, & Strowman are livid, checking on their leader before looking ready to destroy the ringside area.
The United States Champion was in action on RAW as the self-proclaimed “MexAmerica Champion” Alberto Del Rio, with Zeb Colter in his corner, would go one-on-one with “The Bizarre One” Goldust in a non-title match. In the end, it was Alberto Del Rio hitting the double stomp off of the top rope on Goldust, pinning “The Bizarre One” for the win. After the match, Alberto Del Rio would look to injure Goldust, locking on the cross armbreaker, but Jack Swagger makes the save as “The Real American” makes a beeline for the ring, sending the United States Champion into retreat.
Backstage, Becky Lynch comes to Divas Champion Charlotte with an idea to help get Charlotte’s mind off of Paige, suggesting that they have a match against each other. Charlotte agrees to face Becky, but only if she can bring her father Ric Flair to the ring with her, which is fine with Becky as Becky rushes off to ask The Authority for the match.
With WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day guests on commentary, the new #1 Contenders for the WWE Tag Team Titles would be decided on RAW as The Usos would face The Lucha Dragons with the winners earning a future shot at the gold. However, The New Day would decide to put an end to the match by rushing the ring and attacking Sin Cara and one of The Usos, ending the match in a no contest. The New Day then reveals their plan as the WWE Tag Team Champions proclaim that, since neither The Usos or The Lucha Dragons won the match, then they have no opponents for the gold at WWE TLC, leaving The Usos and The Lucha Dragons frustrated in the ring.
Backstage, The Usos and The Lucha Dragons are arguing with Stephanie McMahon over the outcome of their #1 Contenders’ match with the Principal Owner revealing that, at WWE TLC, The Usos and The Lucha Dragons will both challenge The New Day for the WWE Tag Team Titles in a Triple Threat Tag Match! However, Stephanie adds the stipulation that, if The Usos’ cousin Roman Reigns fails to beat Sheamus in under five minutes and fifteen seconds to win the WWE World Heavyweight Title, then The Usos will be removed from the title match! Stephanie then tells The Usos that Roman is going to learn his choices don’t only impact himself and his friends, but they impact his “whole family” as well.
The Divas were in action on RAW as “The Boss” Sasha Banks, with her Team B.A.D. teammates Naomi & Tamina in her corner, would face Team Bella’s Brie Bella, with Alicia Fox in her corner. During the match, Sasha Banks would mock Brie Bella before flinging Brie’s headband at Alicia Fox, prompting Alicia to get on the ring apron. However, Naomi would pull Alicia off of the ring apron and Tamina would follow this up with a super kick, laying Alicia out before Alicia is helped to the backstage area. Later on in the match, Naomi & Tamina would provide the distraction for Sasha Banks as Sasha would take advantage, hitting the Back Stabber and locking in the Bank Statement, making Brie Bella tap out to pick up the win.
Then it was time for a championship rematch with a lot on the line as, after his reign as WWE World Heavyweight Champion lasted all of five minutes and fifteen seconds before Sheamus cashed in and took the title at Survivor Series, the rematch would take place on RAW as Roman Reigns would challenge Sheamus for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship with the stipulation that Reigns must defeat Sheamus in less than five minutes and fifteen seconds to win the title! Not only that, but if Roman fails to win the title, then his cousins The Usos and his best friend Dean Ambrose will both lose their respective title shots at WWE TLC! Early on in the match, Sheamus’ plan would become apparent as the champion would resort to fighting outside the ring and locking Roman Reigns in chin locks in the middle of the ring to try and run out the clock. With two minutes and counting left on the clock, Sheamus would avoid the Superman Punch of Roman Reigns before bringing Roman to the outside, tossing the challenger over the announce table. With Sheamus staring at the clock, Roman would send Sheamus face-first into the steel ring post and, with less than a minute left in the match, Reigns would struggle to roll the champion back into the ring. Roman would finally manage to get Sheamus back in the ring, but as Roman sized Sheamus up for the Spear, Rusev would appear, pulling Reigns out of the ring and ending the match by disqualification! Meanwhile, on the other side of the ring, King Barrett and Alberto Del Rio would help Sheamus out of the ring as the announcement is made that Sheamus is still the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Sheamus would waste no time in rubbing it in as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion would have a seat at ringside, saying that Roman Reigns will have to wait until WWE TLC to get his title shot. The champion then introduces his new associates, saying that they refer to themselves as the “League of Nations”, introducing everyone to King Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, & Rusev as the group embraces at ringside. The League of Nations then looks set to attack Roman Reigns, but Roman gets some backup in the form of Dean Ambrose and The Usos, who rush to stand by Roman’s side. However, Roman insists on fighting Sheamus by himself, dismissing Ambrose and The Usos, but when Sheamus gets on the ring apron, he is dropped from the apron with an uppercut as Roman, Ambrose, & The Usos stand tall in the ring.
With Paige a guest on commentary, the Divas Champion was in action on RAW as Charlotte, with her Hall of Famer father Ric Flair in her corner, would go one-on-one with her best friend Becky Lynch in a non-title match. During the match, Charlotte would appear to injure her leg and, as Becky shows concern for the Divas Champion, Ric Flair pulls himself up to the ring apron, distracting Becky long enough for Charlotte to take advantage, revealing that her injury was a fraud as she rolls Becky up for the win. As Becky stands in the ring, surprised at her best friend’s actions, Charlotte celebrates with her father.
Backstage, Becky Lynch confronts Charlotte looking for answers as Charlotte insists that she didn’t cheat, saying that she is just trying to teach Becky a “valuable lesson” because she cares about her. Charlotte then says that it was “tough love” before the friends appear to make up as the Divas Champion walks off. Paige then confronts Becky, saying that she is sorry about Becky losing her match, saying that at least the friendship between Charlotte and Becky wasn’t affected.
Then it was time for the main event as, following a confrontation between the two sides earlier in the night, Roman Reigns would team with The Usos and “The Lunatic Fringe” Dean Ambrose to face WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, King Barrett, Rusev, & United States Champion Alberto Del Rio, the newly dubbed League of Nations, in an 8-Man Tag match. However, before the match can get underway, the WWE Tag Team Champions come out as a serious-looking New Day make their way down the ramp, revealing that they asked The Authority to be a part of the match and, now, they will be joining The League of Nations, turning the main event into a 7-on-4 Handicap Match!
During the match, Jimmy Uso would land awkwardly on his knee and, after some further punishment, Jimmy would ultimately be helped to the back, resulting in the match becoming a seven-on-three affair. During a chaotic match, Jey Uso would blast Rusev with a super kick and Alberto Del Rio would catch Jey with a kick of his own. Roman Reigns then takes Del Rio out with the Superman Punch before taking Big E out with a clothesline on the outside. Ambrose then knocks Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston off of the ring apron, but turns right around into the Brogue Kick by Sheamus, who pins Ambrose to pick up the win for his team. After the match, The League of Nations and The New Day were set to do more damage to Dean Ambrose, but Roman Reigns would rush the ring, getting a few shots in before being overwhelmed by the seven Superstars. Roman is then held up for Sheamus as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion levels his WWE TLC opponent with the Brogue Kick, leaving Roman laid out once again before The League of Nations & The New Day stand tall together in the ring, showing their unity as a seemingly unstoppable force.
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