The new era of Raw began with a bang as Seth Rollins survived a brutal Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match against Rey Mysterio, Finn Bálor and Kevin Owens to earn a WWE Title opportunity, sparks and punches flew when Bianca Belair confronted Becky Lynch, RK-Bro put their Raw Tag Team Titles on the line and Queen Zelina was crowned in a massive season premiere.
Seth Rollins earns a WWE Title opportunity in electric Season Premiere of Raw
Seth Rollins, Rey Mysterio, Finn Bálor and Kevin Owens stepped to Big E for title opportunity
Fresh off his title defense against Drew McIntyre at WWE Crown Jewel, WWE Champion Big E kicked off the new era of Raw wondering who should be next in line to challenge for his title.
The champ did not have to wait long for an answer as Seth Rollins, Rey Mysterio, Finn Bálor and Kevin Owens all came out to throw their names into the ring. The conversation quickly broke down into chaos, leading to WWE official Sonya Deville creating a Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match for a WWE Championship opportunity.
The Dirty Dawgs earned a Tag Team Title opportunity following their Triple Threat victory
With an opportunity to take on RK-Bro for the Raw Tag Team Titles, The Street Profits, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode and Alpha Academy battled it out in Triple Threat action. Determined to get the Raw Tag Team Titles back, The Street Profits rolled early, clearing the ring with some high-flying tandem moves.
Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford held the upper hand throughout the match and looked to seal the victory as Ford climbed to the top rope until Omos marched down to the ring. After Omos launched Ford into the barricade and struck Dawkins with a massive right hand, Dawkins stumbled back into a combined spinebuster and Zig Zag to give Ziggler and Roode the pinfall.
Queen Zelina def. Doudrop following first royal proclamation
Queen Zelina donned her crown and reveled in her coronation as the first ever Queen’s Crown Tournament Champion. After addressing her subjects and detailing how she will reign, Queen Zelina welcomed Doudrop to the ring to prove what happens to those who stand in her way.
Reminiscent of the her match against Doudrop at WWE Crown Jewel, Queen Zelina could not match her opponent’s power and was often tossed around the ring. Even when Queen Zelina hit Doudrop with a pair of knees to the face, she could only get a two-count. Realizing the mismatch, Queen Zelina untied a turnbuckle, causing the ref to be distracted long enough for her to grab her scepter and strike Doudrop in the head to earn the win.
Bianca Belair delivered a painful statement to Becky Lynch in pursuit of the Raw Women’s Title
The Man came around toting her new Raw Women’s Championship and proclaiming herself as the new face of Raw and insisting that she was done with Bianca Belair. Lynch claimed that is was time to give an opportunity to someone new.
But The EST of WWE was not done with Lynch. Belair reminded Big Time Becks that she still has a championship rematch after defeating then Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, and she wanted her opportunity right then and there.
Lynch scoffed at the idea and told Belair to get to the back of the line, setting off Belair, who pummeled the champ, tossed her over the announcer’s table and beat her with a Kendo stick until Lynch escaped up the ramp.
Damian Priest def. T-BAR via disqualification
After his tag team partner MACE was drafted to SmackDown, T-BAR started his solo career against United States Champion Damian Priest. T-BAR looked strong against the champion, manhandling Priest and hitting a thunderous moonsault off the top rope.
Priest finally regained his composure to knock T-BAR out of the ring, where T-BAR promptly threw a chair at Priest to get disqualified. Enraged by the attack, Priest flipped a switch and clobbered T-BAR with a monstrous clothesline.
The U.S. Champion laid waste to T-BAR, throwing him into the ring post before rolling him into the squared circle and hitting the Reckoning.
Carmella def. Liv Morgan
Carmella and Liv Morgan added another chapter in their first night on Raw. Donning her protective mask, Carmella avoided any serious damage that Morgan tried to deliver to her face, including a running bulldog slam on the announcer’s table.
Luckily for Carmella, the mask absorbed most of the damage, and as Morgan rolled her foe back into the ring, Carmella rallied to put Morgan down for the three-count.
Keith “Bearcat” Lee def. Cedric Alexander
It was Keith “Bearcat” Lee who was in the hurt business tonight, as the gargantuan competitor dismantled Cedric Alexander. Lee tossed Alexander around like a ragdoll, running through him like a freight train before planting him with a mammoth powerslam for the win.
Austin Theory def. Dominik Mysterio
Austin Theory cares more about his camera roll than making friends. Looking to get a selfie with Rey Mysterio, Theory blew off Dominik Mysterio, who did not take kindly to the disrespect, so the two decided to settle their issues in the ring.
Mysterio attempted to humble the cocky Theory with some kicks to the head and a running bulldog off the top rope, but Theory eventually caught Mysterio with an ATL to earn the pinfall.
RK-Bro retained the Raw Tag Team Championship against Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode did not look winded in their second match of the night, giving RK-Bro all they could handle at the opening bell. Randy Orton & Riddle showcased why they are Raw Tag Team Champions with some stellar teamwork, but after Roode pulled the feet out from Riddle to send him crashing onto the apron, The Dirty Dawgs took advantage.
The Ultimate Bro finally slipped out of the way of Roode and tagged in Orton, but The Viper was quickly subdued after being launched over the barricade and into the timekeeper’s area. Ziggler & Roode used their teamwork to take it to Orton, but they couldn’t keep him down for long, as he powered out of a submission hold to tag in Riddle.
A fired-up Riddle came storming into the match, laying waste to Ziggler & Roode and looking for a pin before Roode jumped into action to save his partner. Roode did not see The Viper preparing to strike though, and he ate an RKO that allowed Riddle to roll up Ziggler to retain the titles.
Seth Rollins survived a grueling Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match to earn a WWE Championship opportunity
After the match was made earlier in the night, Seth Rollins, Rey Mysterio, Finn Bálor and Kevin Owens put their bodies on the line for an opportunity at Big E’s WWE Championship.
Very accustomed to ladder matches, KO was the first to pick up a ladder, destroying everyone in his path and powerslamming Bálor onto it. After delivering a superkick to Rollins, Owens looked to take out The Visionary of Drip with a cannonball off the top rope, but Rollins rolled out of the way, sending Owens crashing down onto the ladder.
Rollins took advantage of the opportunity by picking up the ladder and hitting anything that moved until Bálor tripped up and stomped Rollins, smushing him beneath the ladder after tossing Owens on top. Bálor then climbed the ladder but was met at the top by Mysterio. The two duked it out until Owens sent them and the ladder tumbling to the mat.
Owens fought off the other three Superstars and had his hands on the prize, but a quick Mysterio raced up the ladder to grab his leg and prevent him from unclipping it. Enraged, Owens slammed Mysterio face-first into the ladder, rolling out of the ring to inflict more damage. He continued to lay waste to the competition until a diving Rollins took him off his feet.
The Superstars continued to trade blow after blow until all four were laid out flat on the mat. The Monday Night Messiah was the first to finally reenter the fray, only to be met by Bálor as the two battled outside the ring. Unbeknownst to both competitors, Mysterio was busy climbing up the ladder, nearly making it to the top before Bálor swooped in to deny him.
KO then popped up out of nowhere to deliver a Stunner to The Prince and a huge powerbomb to Mysterio through a table. He looked to do the same to Rollins, but Rollins reversed it by flipping Owens over the ropes and sending him crashing through a ladder outside the ring. Rollins then delivered a stomp to Bálor, leaving the coast clear for The Visionary to climb the ladder and claim the opportunity.
Raw’s new roster goes into effect as a New Era begins on the Season Premiere of the red brand
A new era is upon us.
This Monday on the Season Premiere, a new roster will go into effect marking a whole new landscape in a New Era on the longest-running weekly episodic show in television history.
Will new challengers emerge for the likes of WWE Champion Big E? Who will step up and seize a whole new opportunity on the red brand?
Find out on a New Era on the red brand on Raw’s Season Premiere live this Monday at 8/7 C on USA Network!
