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WWE Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair.
Huge Becky chant at the bell. There were a lot of boos for Rousey.
They went right at each other until the referee broke it up. Flair drilled Rousey and said it was her ring. Rousey went for a kick. Flair grabbed it but was yanked into an armbar. Flair countered and went for a figure four, but Rousey avoided it. They had several near falls and near submissions early. Flair grabbed her in a side headlock and blasted her into the turnbuckles with Rousey bouncing face-first into the bottom turnbuckle. They are working a very snug, rough style so far. Rousey ate a hard elbow and was bleeding from her mouth.
Flair nailed a big suplex and covered her for a two count. Flair began working over Ronda’s legs, setting her up for a figure eight later on. Rousey finally blasted Flair and went outside to the apron, where she blasted Flair with a kick. Rousey grabbed her in an armbar, hanging upside down. Rousey broke it and went to the top rope but was kicked off by Flair.
Flair went to grab Rousey, who snatched her arm and rolled off the top into an armbar. Flair positioned herself on top for a near fall, but Rousey turned it into a triangle choke. Flair escaped and went for a Boston Crab. Rousey escaped but was kicked in the face. Flair went for Natural Selection, but Rousey slipped out of it and went for another armbar. Flair rolled through and nailed a backbreaker. Flair was grabbing at her left elbow.
Flair went to the top for a moonsault but Rousey got her feet up. Rousey nailed her judo throw off the shoulders but Flair speared her out of nowhere for a two count. Rousey was trapped into the figure four but Rousey tried to block her from bridging into the figure eight submission. Rousey reversed it. Flair rolled to the ropes and they went off the apron to the floor. They returned to the ring, where Rousey began working over Flair. Rousey began working her over with strikes and punches but Flair unloaded with a series of stiff chops. Ronda blocked a chop, shocking Charlotte, who was still able to nail a big boot for a two count.
The fans began chanting, "This is awesome." Flair seemed to be getting emotional about the bout. Flair went to slam her but Rousey flipped her into a takedown Flair tried to roll out of the ring but was pulled in by her hair. Rousey hit the Judo toss, which they are calling the Piper's Pit. Rousey went for the armbar but Flair went under the ropes to break it. Rousey told Flair to get back into the ring. There was a "Let's go Charlotte" chant.
Flair waited outside until the last second, rolled in and back out. Rousey charged around the ring but Flair pulled out a Singapore Cane and smashed her in the mid-section, then smashed Rousey into the ring steps. Flair began caning the hell out of Rousey. She grabbed a second one and continued the beating.
Flair grabbed a steel chair but the referee took it away. She walked off. The referee dropped the chair to check on Rousey. Flair returned to hit Natural Selection on the chair. Flair began attacking referees when they tried to stop her. Flair put a chair around Rousey's neck, shoved the final referee out of the ring and stomped the chair. WWE officials all hit the ring and Rousey sold it like she was Rick Steamboat after Randy Savage drove the ring bell into his throat, like she was injured and was out. Flair finally backed out of the ring and walked off. The announcers sold it like she had a mental break after all of the events of the last few weeks.
Your winner by DQ, Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey!
Well, that match and that angle was all sorts of awesome. The finish not being clean certainly sucked but as an angle and beating, wow, that was great stuff. Rousey was bleeding from the cane shots, including from the ear. She took a hell of a beating there. I am surprised they don't have her doing a stretcher job because by being able to recover from one of the most vicious beatings we've seen in WWE in some time. They instead spent a long time letting Rousey recover in the ring before she got to her feet, upset and hurting. A big segment of the fans were booing her and started chanting for Becky Lynch. She had welts and cuts and bruises everywhere.
Brand vs. Brand: Raw 5, Smackdown 0
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan vs. WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.
Bryan was mocking Lesnar as he came to the ring.
Bryan went for Brock’s leg immediately and then rolled out of the ring, running around, playing mind games. Brock finally left the ring but Bryan re-entered. Bryan looked like he had a maniacal smile during all this. He didn Brock's bounce in the ring.
Bryan went for a kick but Brock caught him and smashed him in the face with big right hand. Lesnar smiled down at him and snapped Bryan over with a release German suplex that flipped Bryan over on impact. Brock dragged him to the middle of the ring and yelled "Suplex City." The crowd began chanting it. Brock began snapping him over with suplexes. Bryan was out and rolled to the floor. The announcers wondered if the officials would step in.
On the floor, Brock driled him into the ringpost and brought him back to the ring. He stalked Bryan and suplexed him. They sold it that Bryan was completely out. The crowd was chanting, it appeared, "same old sh**." Brock laughed at that. Brock locked in a bear hug, then suplexed Bryan overhead again. Brock nailed an F-5 and covered Bryan, but pulled him up in the middle of the referee's count, then tossed him down across the ring again.
Brock leaned down to grab Bryan who kicked him in the face. Brock was stunned and went to grab him. Bryan kicked him again, this time knocking Brock down. Bryan was lifted for an F5 but landed on his feet, knocking the referee down in the process. Bryan kicked Brock low and hit the running knee, almost scoring a three count. The Staples Center was THATCLOSE from losing their minds.
Bryan began attacking Lesnar's legs with kicks. He kept kicking at Brock when he went down to the mat, striking him again and again in a fast flurry. Bryan charged him but was snatched into an F5. Bryan landed on his feet. Brock charged but Bryan ducked down and Brock crashed to the floor. Bryan dove off but was caught He slipped behind Brock and shoved him into the ring post. Bryan rolled back into the ring to break the countout and went for a tope. Brock caught him and drove him backwards into the ring post. Real entertaining back and forth stuff here.
Brock grabbed the ring steps and went to hit Bryan, sitting outside the ring on the apron with them. Bryan moved and Brock smashed into the ringpost, crashing down under the stairs he was carrying. Bryan sailed off with a flying knee. Bryan nailed several kicks. Brock fought back. They returned to the ring, where Bryan nailed another flying knee for another close two count. Bryan continued with a chop block. He grabbed Lesnar's leg and smashed it into the ring post.
Bryan hit a missile dropkick. Bryan nailed a series of running dropkicks in the corner. Brock caught him with an F5 attempt but his knee gave out and Bryan locked in The Yes Lock. Brock looked worried and teased tapping. Brock was able to finally break the grip but Bryan nailed a series of crossfaces and locked it back in. Brock tried to drag him to the ropes but didn't get very far. Brock got out but was immediately caught in a triangle choke. Lesnar powered him up and nailed the F5 for the pin.
Your winner, WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar!
Brand vs. Brand: Raw 6, Smackdown 0 (ignoring the Kickoff Show).
This was easily the best Lesnar match in a LONG, LONG, LONG TIME. It was also the best Daniel Bryan match since he's been cleared to return and really, probably his best performance since Wrestlemania 30. A truly entertaining second half, but the first part of that match really dragged as it appeared it was going to be the same old Brock match. Then, we got some old school American Dragon magic and it was like the switch was flipped and man, great stuff.
I know a lot of fans are upset Smackdown got smashed tonight. I don't know that the point of that was, but I hope the company has some sort of plan coming out of it. Maybe this was the last year before they move to FOX and the blue brand will be worth far more to the company, so they decided to give the show to Raw. I don't know but if they are going to do the brand vs. brand deal, a competitive storyline sure beats a squash. One would think there has to be major fallout on Tuesday from the loss logically, but WWE doesn't always root itself in logic. We shall see!
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