WWE Monday Night Raw results and observations (1/2/17): Goldberg returns
Raw ended 2016 on a bit of a low note with a lackluster show that felt devoid of any eventful happenings.
WWE's flagship brand began 2017 with a better show, but it was not a program that left me overly excited for what is to come this year from the red show.
Before I go any further, here are the full match results from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.:
- Seth Rollins def. Kevin Owens via disqualification
- Karl Anderson def. Cesaro
- Last man standing – Braun Strowman def. Sami Zayn
- Xavier Woods def. Titus O'Neil
- Drew Gulak def. Cedric Alexander
- WWE United States championship – Roman Reigns def. Chris Jericho
- TJ Perkins def. The Brian Kendrick
- Rusev & Jinder Mahal def. Big Cass
- Bayley def. Nia Jax
Goldberg returns
By far the biggest happening Monday night was the return of Goldberg, which was held off until the program's final segment.
Was it worth the wait?
It actually was.
With that said, I thought more was going to come of it. What we all we got was good, but I expected something more. Maybe my expectations were too high, but that's just me.
So, what did we see?
Owens was given the opportunity by Raw general manager Mick Foley to host the first-ever installment of the Kevin Owens Show with his first guest being Goldberg.
Owens hosted the show with the help of his best friend Jericho and the greatest set in WWE talk show history.
Goldberg eventually made his way to the ring and told everyone in very plain terms that he was going to win the Royal Rumble and defeat either Owens or Reigns for the WWE Universal championship at WrestleMania.
To his credit, Owens stood up to Goldberg and didn't look out of his place. He looked comfortable going toe-to-toe with legend the likes of Goldberg, which shouldn't be all that surprising given that Owens is a fantastic talker, but it was still very nice to see.
Soon after, Paul Heyman came out and said that his client Brock Lesnar was going to win the Royal Rumble. That then brought out Reigns and Strowman, who both felt it was necessary for them to state their claims to winning the Rumble.
The best part was Heyman's reactions to Reigns and Strowman when they walked by him. When Strowman walked by him, Heyman curled up into a ball out of fear, as if he was a child.
All of this led to a stare down between Goldberg and Reigns that didn't get the massive reaction I think WWE wanted, but it did lead to the two men spearing Strowman at the same time, so that was cool to see.
Again, all of this was good, but to me, something felt missing from all of this. Maybe the fans in Tampa weren't hot enough or maybe it was something else, but this wasn't a segment that people will look back on as super memorable.
Strowman had a big night
Before both Reigns and Goldberg speared him, Strowman picked up a victory over Zayn in a very entertaining last man standing match that I thought benefitted both men.
On one hand, I thought Strowman looked great not just because he looked dominant in victory, but also because he and Zayn told a very good story during the course of their match.
On the other hand, I thought Zayn looked great playing the underdog that didn't want to quit, but his body simply gave up on him. There was actually a moment in the match where I thought Zayn might come away with the surprise win, which is a testament to how well the match was structured.
In storyline, Zayn was badly injured and was taken a local hospital, which means we probably won't see him on television for a while. However, I do believe we will see him in the Royal Rumble and he will find a way to eliminate Strowman, which I think will be a very cool moment during that match.
In closing, the build of Strowman has been one of the few things WWE has executed with precision since the brand extension began in July of last year. It has been a slow and steady ascent into the main-event picture that has helped him come across as the Raw's true monster.
Every time his music hits, I believe something bad is about to happen. That is a good thing for someone in his position and is something that very few people have on any brand in WWE.
Bayley becomes new No. 1 contender
Bayley's build has been executed with a lot less precision than Strowman's, but it took another step forward Monday night after she defeated Jax to become the No. 1 contender to Charlotte Flair's Raw Women's championship.
Bayley earned the win with a slight assist from former champion Sasha Banks, who returned to Raw sporting a knee brace. The sound of her music playing distracted Jax while she was on the middle rope and allowed Bayley to grab her for the Bayley-to-belly for the win.
As much as the victory helped Bayley, I thought her standing up to Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon before the match helped her even more. McMahon did her usual character assassination when she was confronted by Bayley, but the former NXT Women's champion responded with a nice speech that sounded like Bayley, but still mader look like she wasn't going to simply take any of McMahon's crap.
A lot of other wrestlers are forced to stand there and take it while Bayley didn't. That's good.
What isn't good is how the sound of someone's music distracts wrestlers in WWE.
Why would someone music playing would compel someone to completely disregard his or her opponent in the middle of a fight? It happens way too often in WWE and would never happen in any other form of sport or entertainment.
A boxer/mixed martial artist wouldn't do it and a Hollywood screenwriter wouldn't script on its characters to do it either.
It simply lacks logic.
Anderson, Gallows in line for title shot?
Anderson and Gallows took the first step in earning a championship match in WWE, which for someone reason is to defeat the champion.
To WWE's credit, Anderson pinning Cesaro in a one-on-one contest isn't the same as doing so after a tag team match, but it's still supposed to have the same effect.
The positive coming out of this was that Anderson and Gallows are finally back on track in becoming a main attraction in the tag team division.