WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reactions and Highlights from January 9th
0 out of 5
Alexa Bliss.WWE
Welcome to the Bleacher Report coverage and recap of WWE Raw on January 9th.
After her brutal attack on a referee and Bianca Belair during last week’s Raw Women’s Championship match, Alexa Bliss attempted to explain her actions.
Austin Theory defended his US title against Seth Rollins last week, so this week was all about looking ahead to his future.
With the Royal Rumble fast approaching on January 28th, we also saw further developments aimed at building up the pay-per-view.
Let’s take a look at what happened during Monday’s broadcast.
Kevin Owens vs Baron Corbin
1 out of 5
Kevin Owens came out at the front of the show and started talking about how he will face Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble, but he was almost immediately interrupted by JBL. This led to Baron Corbin coming out to compete in a match against KO.
The poker fan took control early on, but Owens is rarely one to let his opponents prevail for long. He eventually got Corbin to slam his shoulder against the ring post before the show was suspended.
Although this match had good energy and no major mistakes, it felt very much like the numbers. Nothing about it was really that memorable. It was filler, but at least it wasn’t bad filler.
KO was able to take the win, but his celebration was cut short when The Bloodline attacked him ringside. The Usos and Solo Sikoa may have passed him, but Owens grabbed a chair and knocked them away to be the last man standing in the ring.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Degree: C
Notable moments and observations
- Local sports references will always generate heat with wrestling crowds. It’s almost a cheat code.
- The fact that Corbin is the only person to have a pinfall win over Reigns in the last three years is insane.
- The way Owens just walked away from the corner for Corbin to hit the ring post like it was no big deal was hilarious. It felt similar to Samoa Joe just walking away to avoid having someone fly at him.
Bayley versus Mia Yim
2 out of 5
Bayley went first with Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky by her side to take on Mia “Michin” Yim, the newest member of the OC.
The Role Model ended up sending her Damage CTRL teammates away so they could have the night off.
Bayley went right behind Yim when the referee called the bell, but Michin was able to recover and bring her down with a neckbreaker.
They fought their way through a commercial break and we returned to see Yim back on defense. She began her comeback with a spate of strikes.
The game started well enough, but things got a bit clumsy in the second half. Bayley achieved the win by using the ropes for leverage as she walked after a pin.
Winner: Bayley
Degree: C
Notable moments and observations
- Alexa Bliss gave a promo from the commentary table and talked about being the face of evil. A spooky video played and led to an appearance by Uncle Howdy, but the show got interrupted and we never got a follow-up.
- Bayley had to know that the hairdo would look ridiculous after a while.
- We’ve gotten so used to seeing big spots that a simple suplex on the floor no longer elicits a reaction from the crowd.
- Yim hit a move that brought Bayley in off the apron, but it looked like they screwed up because it was impossible to tell what she was getting at.
Candice LeRae vs. Rhea Ripley
3 out of 5
Candice LeRae was giving an interview backstage about looking forward to the Royal Rumble when she was confronted by Rhea Ripley. This led to the two meeting for a match in the second hour of the show.
The Poison Pixie managed to corner Ripley by discharging her with punches, but the Eradicator caught her as she broke off the middle rope and threw her to the mat.
Ripley was in control until LeRae defeated her with a German suplex, but it didn’t take Mommy long to regain her momentum.
This was a physical and fun fight that definitely dwarfed what we saw in the first hour, despite being shorter than either of the first two contests. Sometimes simple is better.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Degree: B-
Notable moments and observations
- Seth Rollins faked an injury when he came out to confront Austin Theory, but he let us know he was faking almost immediately.
- During the interview with LeRae, Nikki Cross could be seen in the background.
- LeRae hit a nice German suplex from the middle turnbuckle.
Solo Sikoa vs. Dolph Ziggler
4 out of 5
The Usos were allowed out of the arena after their attack on Owens, but Adam Pearce forced Sikoa to stay close so he could face Dolph Ziggler.
The showoff jumped right at Sikoa as soon as the referee called the bell, but after surviving his attack, The Street Champ knocked him out with a shoulder tackle.
While Ziggler put up a great fight, Sikoa seemed to have his number for most of the game.
This was more competitive than most of the fights on this week’s show, but it still felt like both guys were holding back for some reason.
Ziggler hit most of his big moves, but Sikoa was able to grab the win with a huge right hand out of thin air.
Winner: Solo Sikoa
Degree: B
Notable moments and observations
- Ziggler and Mustafa Ali chatted backstage and resented becoming a tag team. That would be a great pairing.
- Sikoa, who caught The Showoff during his jumping DDT and threw over the top rope, looked good. However, upon landing, Ziggler almost hit the commentary table.
- Sikoa popped Ziggler from a powerbomb position and then took him down with a huge punch which was a great finish.
Tag Team Riot
5 out of 5
Following an episode of Miz TV with The Judgment Day, we saw Finn Bálor and Damian Priest take on Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows in the first match of Tag Team Turmoil’s Main Event.
Dom helped his team steal the win by tripping Anderson so Balor could roll him up. The next duo to come into play were Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin. They put up a decent fight but were eventually eliminated.
Chad Gable and Otis next took on a visibly tired Bálor and Priest. As fun as their part of the game was, they were also crushed by The Judgment Day in the end. The Irishman rolled out of the ring and was examined by the ring medics.
Pearce came down and said if they are not going to give up then Dom Bálor must take his place. Priest agreed, so the match continued with The Street Profits.
Any gauntlet-style fight usually ends up being either too long or too short. It’s hard to strike a balance, but they’ve done a good job here by keeping The Judgment Day from beginning to end, even if one of the participants was changed towards the end.
With a little help from the ropes, Dom was able to pin Ford to win the match and next shot at the Tag Team Titles.
Winner: Judgment Day
Degree: B-
Notable moments and observations
- Some of this stuff with Dominik Mysterio is funny, but he’s not the reason it’s funny. His delivery still feels bad.
- Priest is usually a great forward, but he threw a series of kicks into Gallows’ leg, which looked about as stiff as a cooked noodle.
- There was cover when Benjamin just rolled Bálor instead of letting him throw out. It was kind of odd, but not particularly noticeable unless you were paying close attention.
- Once there was a “We Want Otis” chant. The dozer is over.
- Ford really is a special talent. WWE better not wait too long to give him the single push we all know he deserves.