WWE Raw Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for February 6

Source: WWE.com

Last week on WWE Raw, Brock Lesnar challenged Goldberg to one more match at WrestleMania. This week, Goldberg responds to the challenge.

Previously on WWE Raw, the fallout from Royal Rumble was all around. Brock Lesnar made a surprise appearance, challenging Goldberg to one more match. Lesnar views Goldberg as a black mark on his legacy, and wants to even the score at WrestleMania. Tonight, Goldberg will respond to the challenge.

The other big story from last week was the debut of Samoa Joe. Seth Rollins seemed to be poised to finally get his hands on Triple H, but he was ambushed at ringside by Joe. The Samoan Submission Machine lived up to the “Destroyer” moniker given to him by Triple H, as he reinjured Rollins’ surgically repaired knee.

As is often the case, last week on Raw several champions were pinned in non-title situations. One of those pinfalls — in a roundabout way — led to a Tag Team Championship match to be signed for tonight. After losing the titles on the Royal Rumble Kickoff, Sheamus and Cesaro are cashing in their rematch. They’ll take on new champions Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.

But to kick things off this week, we circle back to Samoa Joe. With Rollins injured, no one knows what kind of shape he’s in, or when he’ll be ready to compete again. Regardless of where Rollins is at, Joe is being presented with an official Raw contract. And Joe signing that contract will start the show tonight.

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Please continue reading for all the highlights from the February 6 edition of Monday Night Raw.

Samoa Joe Signs His Contract

Good to see that Samoa Joe kept his suits from his time in the Main Event Mafia!

This segment started with a whimper, built to something awesome, deflated when Roman Reigns came out, and picked right back up again by the end. Let’s unpack what happened.

First off, how on earth can you make this segment all about Stephanie and Foley? This is Joe’s big moment, and the first chunk was all about neutering Foley and making sure Stephanie is the most important person in the ring. I know that’s standard operating procedure for Raw, but still. Let the man have his moment.

That said, Joe did get to shine, and he presented himself as the monster of all monsters. When he speaks, you believe every word he says. When he says he’ll choke you out and then beat you up after you wake up, he means it.

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But of course, the other Samoan named Joe – Roman Reigns – has to come out to ruin everything. Or so I thought! His music hit and I audibly sighed to the no one watching Raw with me. I figured it would be the typical kind of Roman Reigns promo – and it kind of was.

Somehow, though, the segment came back around and had me excited. I don’t know if it’s lowered expectations because I fully expect Roman to look strong, but I want to see this match. Foley seemed more excited than he has in a while, and he seemed more coherent as well.

Quick aside: Does anyone else get the feeling that Mick is subtly hinting that his time as GM is coming to a close? He seemed to make a point of saying, “As long as I’m still GM” a few times. Foreshadowing, perhaps?

Bayley vs. Nia Jax

Result: Nia Jax defeated Bayley via pinfall

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I wanted to award some bonus points to the commentary team for continuity, but thought better of it. They brought up that Bayley owns a victory over Nia Jax, but only the one a few weeks back on Raw. They completely forgot about NXT being a thing, and Bayley choking the life out of Nia in London. I guess Samoa Joe is the only Superstar who can choke someone out?

Anyway, Bayley beat Nia a few weeks back to become the number one contender to the Women’s Title. Nia doesn’t care, because Bayley got an assist from Sasha Banks in the process. Since Sasha should be a non-factor due to Jax completely wrecking her knee, this should be a one on one affair, in Nia’s mind.

The whole thing turns into a showcase of Nia’s power. The full nelson rag doll was in effect, albeit during the commercial break. And just before the commercial break, Nia launched Bayley headfirst into the middle turnbuckle at near Mach One speed.

With a championship match scheduled for next week, you knew Charlotte would make an appearance in this one. Personally, I was glad she came out when she did because Bayley should not be eagerly awaiting a countout victory. Like, has the Raw booking team ever actually seen NXT?

Karma comes back, though, and Charlotte gets involved to provide the distraction Nia needs to make the comeback. A wicked Samoan drop takes out the number one contender, and now there’s odds to overcome for next week.

Okay, I will give out some bonus points for this one: Nia Jax, for mocking the Bayley Buddies. Pure gold.

Braun Strowman vs. Local Talent, 4 on 1 Handicap Match

Result: Braun Strowman defeated Local Talent via pinfall

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

I didn’t realize we time traveled back to the fall. Strowman wants competition again, and all Foley will give him is a bunch of scrubs? THIS WAS THE STORYLINE BEFORE SAMI ZAYN WENT AGAINST STROWMAN. WE FINISHED THAT ONE.

So, Strowman accepts his reversion, and just mauls these guys. I didn’t catch a single name, but I’m sure they all paled in comparison to “Tripp Bradshaw.”

Honestly, watching Braun annihilate these schlubs was a little uncomfortable. The clubbing forearms to the dude who found Seth Rollins’ hair dye looked like he was getting concussed. The guy in Santino’s tights hardly moved after the first shot of the match. And the guy who ran away should be a member of Mensa.

After the match, Braun looks for Foley, and gets what he wants – a match against Roman Reigns at Fastlane. Well, probably not exactly what he wants, but it’s a start. I’m sure that by the time Fastlane rolls around, we’ll find a way to absolutely hate this match. But it’s exactly what Braun needs – a real match against solid competition. If it ends up being the start to a proper main event run for Braun, I’ll take it. Good stuff.

Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak

Result: Akira Tozawa defeated Drew Gulak via pinfall

Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars

Man, I don’t know exactly what the holdup was in getting Tozawa in the ring after the CWC, but it’s criminal that it took so long.

That noise you all may have heard during his match tonight? It’s called a “crowd reaction.” It’s exceedingly rare for those to exist when the ropes are purple, so you may not have realized that’s what was going on. But Tozawa has the kind of skills and intangibles that connects with a crowd.

The best thing that could happen with the Cruiserweight Division is for actual personalities to develop. We have Jack Gallagher, Mustafa Ali, and kinda Tony Nese right now as characters. Maybe Ariya Daivari? Not to mention the Cedric Alexander-Noam Dar thing with Alicia Fox. But Tozawa has the potential to be a unique personality, as well. (So does Drew Gulak, but that sadly seems to be very low on the to-do list.)

Even if we go just on in-ring stuff, you don’t need to look further than Tozawa’s German suplex. If you blink, you might miss it. And, judging by the way the crowd responded, it’s the kind of move that can pop a disinterested audience. And since the 205 Live crowds are always DOA, it’s a much-needed jolt in the arm.

We’re going to ignore The Brian Kendrick trying to ingratiate himself with every Japanese wrestler on 205 Live, though. It’s… weird.

Team Kevin and Chris Address The WWE Universe

Oh, boy. It’s like Bob Dylan said – “The times, they are a-changin’…” It doesn’t mean it’s a good change, though.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about putting Tom Brady on The List. I’m a life-long Jets fan (I accept your condolences), so he’s never been my favorite player. But the imminent break-up of the best friends that ever friended, and a Goldberg world title run? Boo.

It has to happen, though, I guess. Nothing lasts forever, not even cold November Rain. So Jericho has to help the breakup along by being overeager. After accepting Brock Lesnar’s challenge, Goldberg decides he wants the Universal Title. Owens tries to sidestep it, but Jericho lets his emotions get the better of him and accepts on KO’s behalf for Fastlane.

I think we all know how this one is going to end, right? My favorite part is imagining Brock Lesnar with the Universal Title and never actually being on Raw with it. Good times!

Clearly, there’s trouble in paradise for Owens and Jericho. Backstage, they show they’re not on the same page. Jericho thinks he’s doing the right thing because he’s gotten beat up so often helping KO keep the title.

Raw Tag Team Championship Match
 Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (c) vs. Cesaro & Sheamus

Result: Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson defeated Cesaro & Sheamus via disqualification

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

First, let’s get some ridiculousness out of the way. Enzo and Cass decide to watch the match from ringside. It makes sense – they’re a tag team, and clearly think they should be in the title picture, so they’re scouting. What doesn’t make sense is being at ringside in chairs with no announce table because it’s on the stage. It looks so ridiculous – they’re not in the timekeeper’s area, and they’re not on commentary. They’re just in limbo.

Moving on, the match is what you would expect from these four. There’s some really good HOSS FIGHT stuff between Sheamus and Gallows. Cesaro is practically inhuman in how he moves and what he can pull off. And Anderson is so fluid and natural that his contributions sometimes fly under the radar. The fact that it wasn’t really a full match hurt it a bit, and it didn’t really go anywhere.

As the challengers start to build up some momentum, we finally find out why Enzo and Cass are at ringside. Turns out they’re a contrived way to get to a DQ finish! Gallows tumbles to the floor, and kicks Enzo in the face. Honestly, I’d probably do the same thing if he was in my way (I’m a heel, deal with it). Cass boots Gallows and the match gets thrown out.

Obviously, Enzo and Cass are being primed for a stay in the title picture. Whether Sheamus and Cesaro stay together is another story – if they’re out of the title scene, they should be friends, but singles competitors. Let real tag teams fight it out; their story is over now.

Seth Rollins Injury Update

Classic WWE – hype a major update on an injured competitor’s condition, then literally tell us what we already knew.

To recap: The same video that started the episode was played, showing Rollins get hurt. Then the production crew showed a big tweet compilation saying that Seth’s status for WrestleMania is up in the air.

Well, duh.

New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods, w/ Kofi Kingston) vs. Shining Stars (Primo & Epico)

Result: New Day defeated Shining Stars via pinfall

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but I think Kofi is dancing extra hard and Woods is kinda reserved because of the Super Bowl. If you watched the video on WWE Fan Nation, you saw Pats fan Kofi going nuts while Falcons fan Woods went, well, nuts.

And New Day Ice Cream? I’m in, but New Day Sorbet would be better. It fits the rhyme scheme (sor…bet rocks).

The Shining Stars make an appearance for the first time since who knows when to play the part of sort of worthy competition. It gave us the chance to hear Corey Graves adamantly declare that he’s been to their Puerto Rican resort. Totally worth it.

Somewhat surprisingly, the match was decent. Primo and Epico shouldn’t really be surprising anyone with what they can do in the ring – they’re more a victim of lousy booking and creative decisions than anything else. But given the opportunity – like tonight – they can do good things in the ring.

But it’s the New Day’s world, and we’re just living in it. As their ice cream prepares to hit shelves (one would assume), the Midnight Hour propels them to victory.

Rock & Roll Express to the Hall of Fame

If I can fantasy book their induction speech, Ricky Morton should speak for the first three quarters of the speech. He should get more and more tired, and start to falter, before he finally turns it over to Robert Gibson who takes it home.

WWE United States Championship Match

Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho (c) (w/ Kevin Owens)

Result: Chris Jericho defeated Sami Zayn via pinfall

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

Probably not the best thing for Sami Zayn, Team Chris and Kevin seemed to put their tussle on the backburner. With the best friends on the same page, the mountain Sami needed to climb is just a bit higher.

What’s great about Sami Zayn, though, is how he uses all of those kinds of little things to influence his matches. Perhaps sensing the uphill battle, he was a lot more aggressive than usual. If it’s a two on one kind of situation, the best thing to do is come out with guns a-blazing.

Of course, Sami always ends up eating a ton of punishment for various reasons, so Jericho takes over at some point during the commercial break. Sami starts his trademark comeback, and a look of sheer panic envelops Kevin Owens, because he’s concerned for his best friend.

So Owens decides to help out his friend, because he’s got his back. Zayn manages to break the Walls of Jericho by getting to the ropes, but KO superkicks him in the face. A Codebreaker later, and the #61MinuteMan retains his title – just like I wrote last week.

This “win non-title match, lose title match” thing they do with challengers is overplayed more than “Closer” by The Chainsmokers. Find some other way to build feuds, writers.

Emmalina Claims to Be Returning Next Week

I don’t believe it for a second.

Charlotte Antagonizes Sasha

Glad to see the Women’s Champion knows that there’s such a thing as the “high road.” Also, poor Sasha.

Austin Aries Interviews Neville

The Greatest Interviewer That Ever Lived drops some news – Rich Swann’s ankle injury has opened the door for a number one contender. Tomorrow night on 205 Live, a fatal five-way match will determine said contender.

Of course, because Neville says it doesn’t matter who the winner is, each participant is prompted to come to ringside. Cedric Alexander, Noam Dar, Tony Nese, Jack Gallagher, and TJ Perkins all come out, some speaking, some not, but they all fight.

What’s funny to me is that the brawl between champion and all potential challengers is practically the peak of the Cruiserweight Division. It had action, high flying, clearly defined alignments, character work, and a crowd who (eventually) was into it. And that leads to…

Neville, Tony Nese, & Noam Dar vs. TJ Perkins, Jack Gallagher, & Cedric Alexander

Result: TJ Perkins, Jack Gallagher, & Cedric Alexander defeated Neville, Tony Nese, & Noam Dar via pinfall

Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars

…a match where the crowd was dead again!

Honestly, the chaos during the interview was much more exciting than the half of a match we saw. And the crowd must have agreed, because aside from the Lumbar Check at the end it was deafeningly silent during the match.

They’re clearly trying to push Neville as an elitist, who doesn’t think anyone is up to his standards. He wants to order people around, and when he isn’t listened to he takes his belt and goes home.

They’re also telegraphing TJP as the eventual winner of tomorrow’s match. He got the staredown with Neville, and he’s hyping that “first Cruiserweight Champion” thing pretty hard.

What really needs to happen, though, is the five guys blow the roof off the joint tomorrow night. Like, put on a match so good that no one can ignore it, and no one will ever want to miss a Cruiserweight match ever again. But instead, it’ll be the typical WWE multi-man match – safe, boring, and predictable.

Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe

Result: Samoa Joe defeated Roman Reigns via pinfall

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

Well, that’s one way to neutralize Roman Reigns.

If you want to avoid the hassle of beating up Roman during the match only to see him come back and beat you, why not assault him ahead of time? Make it so that he isn’t at 100% when the bell rings, and you stand a fighting chance. Samoa Joe ain’t no dummy, people.

What makes me crack up is that Roman took the entire commercial break to stagger from ringside into the ring. Vince McMahon got into the ring quicker with two torn quads, man. I mean, it’s great to make Joe look like a monster, but maybe it was a little overdone.

Then the match starts and heads back to the outside, and Reigns takes control. For a little bit, at least. Joe got to show off a bit of what he’s been doing in NXT for the past two years or so.

The match wasn’t exactly what I thought or hoped it would be, but it was still very good for what it was – finish excepted, of course. The appearance of Braun Strowman wasn’t exactly a surprise, but still disappointing. Joe is a monster all on his own, he shouldn’t need assistance to win his Raw debut match. And not for nothing, Roman can take a loss – I think, I have a hard time remembering the few times he’s lost.

After the finish is a different story, though. The assault by Strowman was beautiful on so many levels. He picked up the thousand pound steps, that’s crazy! He powerslammed him through the barricade, which is nuts!

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What did you think of this week’s episode of Raw?