Monday Night Raw Results – January 8th 2018
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Welcome to the first-ever Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view!
Tonight’s inaugural PPV will host a dream match between Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship! This is a match people thought they would never see but here we are, and the build has been better than a lot of recent Lesnar matches. If WWE ever saw this as a throwaway match to keep Brock busy, that all changed when Samoa Joe grabbed the microphone. Over the past 4-5 weeks, Samoa Joe has turned many heads with his incredible intensity and mic skills, which anyone will recognise if they watched his early TNA and ROH work. Joe is one of the best in the world and he more than deserves this match, and WWE has no doubt recognised his incredible work. It’s hard to know what to expect from the actual match tonight but it has the potential to be an all-time classic.
The other main-event worthy match for tonight is the Ambulance Match between Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns. Braun returned from injury several months early and resumed his tyranny on Raw and Roman Reigns in particular. The two went right back to beating the crap out of each other and tonight we have a number one contender’s match between them in which the stipulation is, ironically, to send your opponent to the hospital. This is kind of a dumb match because it’s supposedly barbaric but you’re sending your opponent to get medical attention; it’s like a Last Man Standing match but with more care and concern for the other guys well-being. Anyway, I expect this to be a fun spot-fest that Braun should win.
Also on tonight’s card, The Hardy Boyz challenge Sheamus & Cesaro in a 30-minute Iron Man match, which should serve as the end to this long-running feud. These two teams have never failed to deliver inside the ring but fans never seem overly excited with the feud. Personally I expect this match to be fantastic and really get the crowd going. Elsewhere, Alexa Bliss defends her title against Sasha Banks in a surprising turn. It seemed obvious that Nia Jax was on her way to facing Alexa for the belt – the story-line was writing itself – but for some reason WWE decided to go with Sasha Banks instead. It might not have the story behind it but these two could have a really good match; Bliss isn’t on Banks’ level of in-ring ability but she’s no slouch either. Regardless, I would expect a screwy finish that allows Alexa to retain the feud to continue!
Seth Rollins battles Bray Wyatt, Neville puts his Cruiserweight Championship on the line against Akira Tozawa, Enzo Amore faces his former brother Colin Cassidy, and Dean Ambrose looks to take back the Intercontinental Championship from The Miz and his entourage. That’s a stacked card that has the potential to be the red-brand’s best of the year so far. Don’t forget to check out the Ringside News and Ringside Talk apps, where you can chat about tonight’s PPV on a dedicated social platform with all the other marks like me! Enjoy the show!
Mr. Pogo has passed away at age 66, according to a report by Yahoo Japan. It’s being said that he died in the hospital from a cerebral infection after receiving back surgery in Gunma, Japan.
For those not aware, Pogo started working in the early 70s, and he faced off with such stars Ric Flair, Harley Race, and Terry Funk. He is most memorable for his death matches, including a famous Electrified Exploding Barbed Wire Double Hell Death Match with Atushia Onita.
Taz opens today’s show by discussing Braun Strowman’s elbow injury. Taz says that he believes WWE made a mistake by showing Strowman in the hospital bed on RAW last night, as he thought it made Strowman look too ‘human’. He also doesn’t think that Strowman will be out for 6 months like WWE has announced.
He doesn’t think that Roman Reigns will win the Fatal 5-way match at Extreme Rules, because he believes Reigns will go right back into another match with Strowman when he returns from his injury. Taz thinks Strowman’s recovery time will be closer to 2 months than the 6 that WWE announced.
A listener calls into the show and says he enjoyed Goldust turning on R-Truth on last night’s show. Taz says that this is a ‘C’ angle, and WWE needs to have those angles in order to keep everyone relevant. He says that having captivating angles throughout the entire roster is what made the attitude era so successful in his opinion.
Another listener calls into the show and says that both Alexa Bliss and A.J. Styles had good years last year as rookies, and he wonders if that gives WWE the confidence to push talent quicker. Taz says that wrestling is a work, and Bliss and Styles had good years last year because the company pushed them. If WWE has faith in a performer, they’re going to book them to win more matches than they lose.
WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall was hospitalized Sunday night in London following an appearance with WAW promotion.
Hall was taken to the hospital after he was experiencing chest paints. He was released shortly after being checked out. The promotion is ran by Paige’s family and her father Ricky Knight confirmed the news on Facebook: