WWE Raw tonight is at London, England. We kickoff with Dean Ambrose and his new talk show The Ambrose Asylum. His guest is Shane McMahon. The two are interrupted by Kevin Owens. Owens says Shane is out to get him. Sami Zayn comes out says he’s not finished with Kevin Owens. Then out comes Chris Jericho. Jericho also argues with Shane about his talk show The Highlight Reel and how Shane said it was cancelled. Shane then proceeds to make two matches for Payback. Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn and Chris Jericho vs Dean Ambrose.
Chris Jericho vs Sami Zayn
This is really good match to kickoff the show as you would expect. This is the first time Jericho and Zayn face off on RAW. Sami with a big crossbody for a 2 count. Jericho counters a move and goes for the Walls of Jericho but it’s blocked. Jericho with a kick to the head and a running bulldog out of the corner. Sami blocks the Lionsault with his knees. Sami with the Blue Thunderbomb for a close 2 count. The two go back and forth. At one point Sami runs the ropes for a dive but Jericho gets out of the way. Sami jumps through the second rope and hits the big DDT on the floor. The fans love that and chant “Ole! Ole! Ole!” Sami brings it back in the ring but Jericho avoids the Helluva Kick. Jericho distracts the referee and pokes Sami in the eyes. He then hits the Code Breaker and gets the victory.
Winner: Chris Jericho
AJ Styles gets interviewed backstage. He gets interrupted by his old buddies Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. AJ greets them and tells them they belong here. The three walk away together.
Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs The Dudley Boyz
This is a semifinal match in the No. 1 Contenders Tournament for the WWE World Heavyweight Tag Team titles. Enzo and Cass get a huge pop as they make their way to the ring. The Dudley Boyz get a lot of offense in this match. They mock their opponents as Bubba beats up Enzo. But at the end, Big Cass makes the comeback and helps his team get the victory. Enzo & Big Cass advance to the finals and will find out who their opponents will be later on tonight.
Winners: Enzo Amore & Big Cass
Roman Reigns makes his way to the ring. The new champ tells the crowd that he is “The Man” now. At Payback he is going to prove why. He gets interrupted by the No. 1 contender AJ Styles. AJ tells Roman that he is made for big matches. Throughout his career he’s had many big matches in which he has always delivered and at Payback that’s what’s going to make him win the WWE World Championship. AJ leaves the ring. Roman then gets attacked by Anderson and Gallows.
We comeback from break, Roman is walking backstage. AJ goes up to him and tells him he had no idea his friends we’re going to do that. Roman doesn’t believe him.
Baron Corbin vs Fandango
Dolph Ziggler is on commentary for this match. Baron Corbin dominates all of this match. At one point Corbin throws Fandango outside the ring. Corbin then throws him to the post and proceeds to toss him over the announcer’s table and into Dolph Ziggler. He then hits Doloh with a knee and goes back to the ring. Corbin hits Fandango with the End of Days and picks up the victory. Corbin celebrates after the match. He gets attacked by Dolph. Corbin gets the upper hand and hits Ziggler. They go to the outside and Corbin once again hits the End of Days on Dolph. Corbin stands tall as we go to break.
The League of Nations & The Miz vs The New Day & Cesaro
The New Day continue to be crowd favorites. There’s a lot of New Day Rocks chants throughout the match. This 8 man tag team matchup has a lot of back and forth action though. The League of Nations are very rough on their opponents. At the end, each superstar hits their finisher on each other. Cesaro hits the Neutralizer on Sheamus and gets the victory. The New Day & Cesaro celebrate by dancing outside the ring.
Winners: The New Day & Cesaro
Charlotte and Ric Flair get interviewed. The Women’s Champ says Natalya is a failure just like every other girl in the division. Natalya interrupts the champ and tells her the only reason Charlotte is still champ is because of her dad. She then tells her that Shane McMahon granted her a rematch at Payback. But this time the outcome will be different because Bret “The Hitman” Hart will be in her corner.
Natalya, Becky Lynch, Paige, Sasha Banks vs Charlotte, Naomi, Tamina, Summer Rae
Charlotte and Natalya start the match. The champ quickly tags in Summer Rae before Natalya can put her hands on her. Sasha Banks seems to be the crowd favorite though. Natalya and Becky knock down Team B.A.D. Charlotte seems to get mad at her partners. Natalya is able to put the Sharp Shooter on Charlotte and makes her tap. The 4 winners celebrate after the match.
Winners: Natalya, Becky Lynch, Paige, & Sasha Banks
The Vaudevillians vs The Usos
This is the Raw debut for the former NXT Tag Team Champions. The Vaudevillians come out with a fierce start. They work on Jey Uso’s shoulder all match long. The Uso’s make a comeback but The Vaudevillians hit The Whirling Dervish and get the victory. So the finals is set for Payback. Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs The Vaudevillians.
Winners: The Vaudevillians
An Apollo Crews highlight video is shown.
We come back from break and a video is shown from earlier where The Social Outcasts try to recruit Apollo Crews. Apollo tells them he’s in. IF one of them can beat him in a match today.
Apollo Crews vs Heath Slater
The Social Outcasts are at ringside. Apollo dominates the match as expected. Apollo does a moonsault outside the ring and takes out the Social Outcasts. He then hits Slater with the spinning sit down powerbomb and gets the victory.
Winner: Apollo Crews
Main Event: Kevin Owens vs Dean Ambrose
Kevin Owens makes his way to the ring as Apollo Crews is still heading to the back. Both me look at each other. Out comes Dean Ambrose. A lot of back and forth action as you would expect. The crowd seems to be divided for both Superstars. There’s a lot of action outside the ring. Both men fight by the announcers table. Fans chant “this is awesome”. Owens goes to the top for a Frogsplash but Ambrose gets his knees up. Owens misses a cannonball in the corner. Ambrose with a roll up but Owens rolls through. Ambrose then hits Dirty Deeds for the win.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
After the match Dean celebrates. They show the highlights of the match. Chris Jericho then hits the ring and nails Ambrose with a Codebreaker. Chris Jericho stands tall as the show goes off the air.
WWE Raw Recap written by: Erwin Osorio
