Samoa Joe exploded onto the scene a week ago, attacking Seth Rollins and injuring his knee. In the process, he established himself as Triple H's "right hand of justice" and Monday night, he made his main roster jump official by signing a contract with Raw.
There was resistance in the form of both Mick Foley and Roman Reigns, the latter wasting little opportunity to square off with the former NXT champion in the night's main event.
Reigns was not the only master of the dreaded spear to appear this week as Goldberg returned to Raw, addressing Brock Lesnar's challenge to him from last week's broadcast. Would the WCW icon accept a WrestleMania showdown, looking to go 3-0 against The Beast or would set his sights on something bigger and better?
Fans of the flagship show found out the answer to that question and more as Raw hit the USA Network airwaves.
Relive Monday's broadcast with this exclusive recap, including grades and instant analysis.
Samoa Joe Contract Signing
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Samoa Joe kicked off this week's show thinking he would sign his Raw contract. The act signifying his main roster call-up, though, was interrupted by an impassioned Raw general manager Mick Foley, who was disappointed in the man he once touted as the future of the industry.
Joe said his loyalty is with Triple H, not Foley, then vowed to beat up, choke out and beat up again anyone who stood in his way.
Cue Roman Reigns, who made his way to the ring and referred to himself as the baddest man in WWE. He called the company his "yard," then vowed to cave in Joe's mouth if he kept talking.
A main event between the two was announced for the main event.
Grade
A
Analysis
What a segment!
Joe was treated like a major star right away and he backed it up with an impassioned and intense promo.
Reigns vs. Joe is an intriguing main event, particularly because of the possible outcomes. Does Reigns go over the newest corporate stooge or is Joe established as a legitimate badass with an improbable victory over The Big Dog?
It's must-see television the likes of which WWE has not specialized in in quite some time.
Also, major props to WWE Creative for sneaking in the "my yard" line from Reigns and further plant the seeds for a showdown with Undertaker.
Bayley vs. Nia Jax
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Bayley may be the No. 1 contender to Charlotte's Raw Women's Championship but Monday night, she would have to get past Nia Jax in order to keep her winning ways going. She has a winning record against Jax, who was certainly looking to avenge her most recent loss to the beloved babyface.
Jax dominated the action, utilizing her size and strength to neutralize the heart and speed of Bayley.
Late in the bout, the heroine sent Jax face-first into the ring post and looked to have a countout victory in-hand when Charlotte appeared at ringside.
Bayley caught her with a dropkick, much to the delight of the audience, but ultimately fell to a Samoan Drop at the hands of Jax.
Result
Nia Jax defeated Bayley
Grade
B
Analysis
The story here was well established by WWE Creative.
Jax was the unstoppable force who Bayley was merely happy to score a countout win over if it came down to it. The babyface was plucky, resilient and pulled out every one of her tricks to catch Jax off-guard.
Then there was the heel champion, who popped up at the most opportune time and provided just the distraction needed for Jax to pick up the win with her devastating Samoan Drop.
The result? Heat on the women's title match for next week's show and Jax as a credible contender to the title come WrestleMania.
If not sooner.
Braun Strowman in a 4-on-1 Handicap Match
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Braun Strowman is a big guy.
He hurts people and can beat more than one opponent at a time.
That much has been established countless times over the last year but just in case you have not been paying attention, WWE Creative took the opportunity to remind you once more with this four-on-one handicap match.
Strowman annihilated TC Bonus, Rob Kelly, Dusty Wallace and James Stock, piling them on top of each other for the pinfall victory.
After the match, an infuriated Strowman demanded more competition and marched to the back to confront Mick Foley. The Raw general manager gave him what he wanted, booking Reigns vs. Strowman for the Fastlane pay-per-view.
Result
Braun Strowman defeated TC Bonus, Rob Kelly, Dusty Wallace and James Stock
Grade
D
Analysis
Lazy.
That is the best way to describe this segment.
Not only did WWE Creative replicate the same squash match fans had seen out of Strowman a dozen times before, it then proceeded to book a match between him and Reigns in the most unceremonious manner possible: through a backstage segment with Foley.
It was disappointing use of Strowman, who is a hot heavyweight heel and should not be wasted in a role that amounts to "latest fodder for Reigns."
Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak
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Akira Tozawa made his long awaited debut on Raw Monday night, squaring off with the underrated Drew Gulak.
While the heel cruiserweight got to showcase some of his technically sound arsenal, the match was a showcase for Tozawa, whose innovative and creative counters helped him avoid Gulak's grasp.
A suicide dive preceded a nasty Shining Wizard. Tozawa finished with the snap German suplex for the win.
Result
Akira Tozawa defeated Drew Gulak
Grade
B-
Analysis
WWE Creative still did nothing to explain to the audience who Tozawa is and why they should care about him but the Japanese star allowed his actions to speak for themselves.
Tozawa was an explosive competitor whose in-ring creativity was on full display. He as fantastic here, generating genuine excitement and reaction from the WWE Universe. That is something that has eluded most of the cruiserweights to this point.
To say that bodes well for him going forward is an understatement.
Goldberg Accepts Brock Lesnar's Challenge
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Goldberg interrupted a Chris Jericho-Kevin Owens promo, in which the best friends hinted at facing each other at WrestleMania, and addressed Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman's challenge from last week.
He accepted a match at The Showcase of the Immortals with Lesnar but was cutoff by Owens, who admitted that Lesnar vs. Goldberg sounds like the perfect...midcard match for KO-Mania.
Goldberg called out Owens' availability for Fastlane and challenged him to a Universal Championship match.
Jericho teased putting Goldberg on the list but the former WCW star took said list, wrote his own name on it and essentially called Y2J's punk card. Frustrated and humiliated, Jericho accepted the Fastlane match on behalf of Owens.
Grade
A
Analysis
Like the opening segment, plenty was accomplished here.
The impending match between Owens and Jericho was once again hinted at and WrestleMania got its main event between Goldberg and Lesnar.
Most importantly, it announced Goldberg vs. Owens for the Fastlane pay-per-view, giving that show a legitimate marquee match for fans to look forward to.
A quality segment on a night of them.
Raw Tag Team Championship Match: Sheamus and Cesaro vs. The Club
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Cesaro and Sheamus were looking to regain their Raw Tag Team Championships from Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson Monday night but the presence of Enzo Amore and Big Cass at ringside halted their journey back to the promised land.
The challengers were surging late in the match, a match they essentially dominated, when Gallows was tossed to the floor. Not amused by the presence of The Certified G and his seven-foot friend, he wiped Amore out with a big kick.
Cass returned the favor and the match was called off, the champions retaining by disqualification.
Result
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson defeated Sheamus and Cesaro by disqualification
Grade
C+
Analysis
The match itself was nothing special but the involvement of Cass and Amore sets up a three-way feud over the tag titles, which could be great fun.
With that said, it would have been nice to see some sort of backstage vignette or something that suggested the fun-loving babyfaces suddenly had their eyes on the tag titles. Small but effective bits like that help tie up loose ends.
The New Day vs. The Shining Stars
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New Day ice cream?
That was the biggest revelation to come out of Monday's match between New Day and The Shining Stars, an exhibition of a match that left some wondering just how far Xavier Woods, Big E and Kofi Kingston will fall before they are given something meaningful to do again.
Woods and Big E were tasked with dispatching Epico and Primo Monday night, though the task was not as easy or dominant as one would have expected.
Woods was isolated from his partner at one point and was forced into playing the role of Ricky Morton on the same night The Rock and Roll Express was announced as the latest inductees in the WWE Hall of Fame.
The hot tag to Big E came moments later and the babyfaces secured the victory with Midnight Hour.
Result
New Day defeated The Shining Stars
Grade
C-
Analysis
New Day ice cream sounds like blast, especially given WWE's rich history with the frosty dessert, but it is time to come up with something productive for New Day to do. They may not be tag team champions anymore but they are incredibly popular, sell boatloads of merchandise and are strong spokesmen for the company.
Letting them wallow in mediocrity is detrimental to them and the company's ability to sustain the handful of characters it has that are truly over with crowds.
United States Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho
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Sami Zayn and Chris Jericho had battled in singles competition before but never in a match with stakes as high as they were Monday. Y2J defended his United States Championship against The Underdog from the Underground just one week after being upset by the popular Canadian underdog.
Zayn surged late in the match, catching Jericho with an Exploder suplex that commentator Michael Cole accurately recalled setting up his win last week. Zayn would have his Helluva Kick cut off as Jericho grabbed hold of him for the Walls of Jericho.
Zayn fought through the pain and delivered a Blue Thunder Bomb for a close near-fall.
Jericho once again trapped Zayn in his signature submission but the resilient hero fought to the ropes. The referee had to pull the champion off of Zayn and that momentary distraction allowed Kevin Owens, who had come to ringside, to blast Zayn with a superkick.
Jericho defeated The Codebreaker for the win.
Result
Chris Jericho defeated Sami Zayn to retain the United States Championship
Grade
B-
Analysis
Jericho and Zayn have some wicked in-ring chemistry, to the point that watching them go full-throttle in a pay-per-view match is more-than appealing.
The counters, reversals and high spots here were fun and the finish creates doubts that Jericho can beat him without assistance.
A third match at Fastlane would more-than make sense and would allow the continuation of Jericho's mounting issues with best friend Owens.
Austin Aries Interviews Neville
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205 Live commentator, and Great Man That Ever Lived, Austin Aries was in the ring for a one-on-one interview with Neville.
Aries asked Neville about the ankle injury suffered by Rich Swann, then announced a Fatal 5-Way match pitting Cedric Alexander, Jack Gallagher, T.J. Perkins, Noam Dar and Tony Nese against each other for the right to challenge him at Fastlane.
Neville, none-too-amused with Aries' suggestion that he fears anyone in the cruiserweight division, vowed to make all potential challengers bend at the knee before The King of the Cruiserweights.
One-by-one, the potential contenders made their way to the ring, Aries mocking most, before a brawl broke out and a 6-Man Tag Team match was formulated.
Grade
B
Analysis
"...and here comes Tony Nese's abs."
With that line, Aries won the entire segment, doing more to put over himself and potential match with Neville than anything WWE Creative has done to make the cruiserweights interesting to that point.
This was a solid segment in that it gave the wrestlers something to do rather than partake in the same meaningless matches that get no one over, but it still lacked character definition.
With that said, Neville shined bright, Aries brighter and the result was a segment that may prove pivotal in laying the groundwork for an eventual battle between the two.
One Aries' face is healed, that is.
Six-Man Tag Team Match
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Jack Gallagher, T.J. Perkins and Cedric Alexander battled Noam Dar, Tony Nese and Neville after the break.
Gallagher found himself isolated from his teammates and abused by the heels for the majority of the match. The action broke down as Perkins made the hot tag and delivered a beautiful Detonation Kick that sent Neville to the arena floor.
Moments later, Alexander was the legal man and scored the win over Dar with the Lumbar Check.
Result
Cedric Alexander, Jack Gallagher and T.J. Perkins defeated Noam Dar, Tony Nese and Neville
Grade
C+
Analysis
If this is a sign of things to come, it appears as though Alexander will be the next contender to Neville's title and it could not come soon enough.
The best worker not named Neville in the division, he has been treading water since the inception of the division. Now is his time to shine if, of course, that is the direction the title picture takes.
Keep an eye on Perkins, too, who has been fantastic of late and could thrive as the egotistical jerk heel.
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
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Credit: WWE.com
Before Monday's main event could get started, Samoa Joe attacked Roman Reigns on the entrance ramp and proceeded to pummel the former WWE champion. After a brief commercial, it was determined Reigns would compete, though he remained the tackling dummy for The Samoan Submission Machine.
After several minutes of a one-sided bout, Reigns fired off a comeback and appeared poised to ruin Joe's main roster debut.
Suddenly, Braun Strowman's music played and the big man stalked toward the ring. The distraction allowed Joe to catch Reigns with a Uranage slam for the upset victory.
After the match, Strowman obliterated Reigns, yelling "I told you I was coming for you" before sending him crashing through the barricade.
The former Wyatt Family member stood tall to close out the show.
Result
Samoa Joe defeated Roman Reigns
Grade
B
Analysis
Joe looked like a ferocious animal here, dominating every moment of that match until a brief comeback from Reigns. He overwhelmed the former champion and looked like a star every bit on the level of the former Shield member.
The involvement of Strowman may draw criticism from those who wanted Reigns to lose clean but it did add heat to the upcoming match between The Big Dog and the unproven big man at Fastlane, so it is more-than forgivable.
If Monday's show was any indication, fans can expect big things from Joe and a heated brawl from Reigns and Strowman come Fastlane.
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