WWE Raw results, recap, grades: Lita returns to help Becky Lynch beat Bayley in steel cage main event
2 years ago
Lita #Lita
With less than two weeks until the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, WWE put a heavy focus on building to the event during Monday night’s episode of Raw. That included determining all of the final entrants for the two Elimination Chamber matches.
On the men’s side, Montez Ford and Damian Priest scored victories to qualify for the match. A four-way women’s match ended with Carmella scoring the win and punching her own ticket to the women’s Chamber match.
In the night’s main event, a cage match between Becky Lynch and Bayley saw Lynch falling victim to the numbers game of Damage CTRL before WWE legend Lita ran in to make the save and help Lynch earn a long-awaited victory over her rival.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Amway Center in Orlando.
Lita returns to help Becky Lynch during cage match with Bayley
Early in the night, Lynch was interviewed backstage. She said that when she and Bayley were in NXT, Bayley looked to get ahead by attaching herself to anyone who might prove to be a meal ticket. Lynch, on the other hand, broke down doors and smashed faces to get where she is. Lynch then said she had one hand left to play and may have to play it during the cage match main event.
Becky Lynch def. Bayley via pinfall in a cage match. Damage CTRL was at ringside, as expected, but Dakota Kai was on crutches following Lynch’s attack the week prior. While the match could be won by submission, pinfall or escaping the cage, both women tried more for escapes than for finishing off the other in the ring. Lynch nearly had the match won, but IYO Sky climbed the cage to prevent Lynch from escaping. In the chaos, Kai slipped Bayley one of her crutches, which she used to attack Lynch. Before things could escalate further, Lita’s music hit and the WWE Hall of Famer ran to the ring, taking out Damage CTRL and slamming the cage door on Bayley, who ate a Manhandle Slam from Lynch for the finish.
The match itself could have used a bit more time as it felt slightly rushed and a big chunk was missed during a commercial break. That said, Lynch and Bayley did a decent job of doing what they could with the time they were given. Lita’s return was a good surprise, though it may land with something of a thud given some fans were disappointed by the lack of legends in the women’s Royal Rumble. Still, it will be interesting to see what develops from Lita’s involvement in a major storyline during WrestleMania season. Grade: B
What else happened on WWE Raw?
Edge and Beth Phoenix laid down a challenge to face Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley at Elimination Chamber. Ripley was not in attendance but Balor and Dominik Mysterio accepted for her. The Judgement Day then attempted to attack Edge and Phoenix but The Street Profits made the save, leading into Damian Priest’s match with Angelo Dawkins.
Damian Priest def. Angelo Dawkins via pinfall to qualify for the Elimination Chamber match. Priest was able to outlast a game Dawkins to win the match after hitting South of Heaven.
Dexter Lumis def. Baron Corbin via pinfall with a Side Effect. Later in the night, JBL ran down Corbin, saying Corbin belonged nowhere near him and said, “You can’t polish a turd” when Corbin said he’d work hard to change.
Brock Lesnar challenged Bobby Lashley to a match at Elimination Chamber. Lesnar claimed he couldn’t get Lashley off his mind since Lashley eliminated him from the Royal Rumble. Lesnar then said he had a contract in his pocket and asked Lashley to come to the ring and sign it. Lashley said he’d consider it after talking to his agent, lawyer and management before trying to leave the ring. Lesnar responded by hitting Lashley with a pair of F-5s, leaving the contract as he left the ring.
Carmella def. Candice LeRae, Michin and Piper Niven to qualify for the Elimination Chamber. In her first match back, Carmella took advantage of Niven hitting LeRae with a cannonball, kicking Niven from the ring and scoring the pin to take the final spot in the Chamber.
Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin def. Alpha Academy via pinfall when Alexander hit Chad Gable with a Lumbar Check. Alexander and Benjamin were spotted talking to MVP backstage earlier in the night. MVP then walked to the ring with the duo, signaling the seeming return of The Hurt Business.
A match between The Miz and Rick Boogs was set for next week after Miz was caught complaining that he only lost to Boogs this past Monday because he was not dressed or ready for the match.
Asuka def. Chelsea Green via submission with an armbar. Green had demanded a match throughout the night, eventually telling Adam Pearce that she was going to the ring and to find her an opponent or she would call his manager. Pearce punished Green by sending out Asuka. The Elimination Chamber participants were at ringside to watch Asuka, who won easily.
Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman came face-to-face when Heyman interrupted a Rhodes promo. Heyman congratulated Rhodes on his Royal Rumble victory before Rhodes talked about Heyman giving his father a payday in ECW when the Rhodes family desperately needed it, leading both men to cry. After the compliments stopped, Heyman said that Dusty Rhodes had trained and prepared top stars at the WWE Performance Center, including Roman Reigns, but he never trained his own son. Heyman ended his rant by saying that in his final conversation with Dusty, Dusty said Cody was his favorite son, but Reigns was the son he always wished he had. Rhodes said everyone wants to make the match personal, but he would take the titles from Reigns “personally.”
Montez Ford def. Elias via pinfall to earn the final Elimination Chamber spot. Austin Theory was ringside for commentary on the match. As Theory posed on the announce table with his title after the match, Seth Rollins ran in, knocked him to the floor and hit him with a stomp.
