WWE Monday Night Raw: 1/17/2022

Monday has once again arrived as we’re steadily approaching the Royal Rumble payperview. Though this week’s episode felt a tad bit underwhelming compared to last week’s, I still very much enjoyed tonight’s show.

Match 1: Tag team match; Doudrop and Becky Lynch vs Liv Morgan and Bianca Belair. (Rating: 2.5/5)

It’s interesting to see Piper in such a major storyline, even if her new name just seems silly at this point. Prior to the match from beginning, Lynch told the crowd that the only reason why Doudrop was given this title opportunity was because Becky handed it to her and despite this match feeling like a filler feud for Big Time Becks, the fact that Doudrop was given this chance was just jaw dropping. Nothing too insane happened in this match, but Doudrop won the match by pinning Morgan after forcing herself back into the match by knocking out Becky.

Segment 1: The KO Show with special guest Seth Rollins

To start this off, WWE has officially changed Seth’s name by inserting the “Freakin’” nickname as his actual ring name and while the nickname itself isn’t bad, because it’s really good and definitely fits Rollins; however the charm of the name is no longer there if the announcers and even Kevin Owens just acknowledge Seth by full name, Freakin’ and all. Rollins is fully embracing himself as a tweener (although it seemed on some occasions during the talk show he didn’t agree with his supposed best friend Kevin Owens) and with him being the sentimental favorite heading into his Universal championship match with Roman Reigns, he definitely is on top of the world and already sees himself competing in the main event of WrestleMania. Also Kevin Owens announced himself to be a participant in this year’s Royal Rumble and this may just sound farfetched but I think WWE should pull the trigger and give KO this Royal Rumble victory. He, alongside with most of the WWE roster, really does deserve this milestone in his career and it would certainly solidify him as one of the company’s top guys.

Match 2: Kevin Owens vs Damien Priest. (Rating: 3.5/5)

This was actually the first time these two awesome dudes met in the ring against one a other, and wow it didn’t disappoint. KO was trying his best to not make Priest unleash the Damien side (which is basically just the United States champion acting more ferocious and dominating his opponents. At first the gimmick was goofy but over time it slowly made me a fan as it treats Priest as this Jackal and Hyde character), but unfortunately it did backfire but with heel tactics, Owens did stand his ground against the champion. Near the end of the match, there was a sequence of Owens and Priest trying to hit their finishers on one another (Owens with the Stunner and Damien with the Reckoning) and even after a Stunner and Pop Up Powerbomb, Priest did not go down. Owens ends up securing the win via pinfall after tricking both Priest and Damien with a leg injury which led to Kevin hitting the stunner for the 3 count, which I think was the first time the champion has ever been pinned. Real good stuff and hope there’s a rematch at the Rumble.

Match 3: Austin Theory vs Finn Bálor. (Rating: 3/5)

It seems that Theory is finally being taken serious! The first encounter he had with the Prince, Austin came up short. This time however, Theory secured the win without the usage of any heel tactics. Theory wins the match via pinfall after hitting his ATL finishing move, then proceeded to attack Finn some more and finished off with taking a selfie with the unconscious Bálor. With both men having a pinfall victory against one another, I wouldn’t put it past WWE to have the rubber match happen at the Royal Rumble payperview. Hopefully Theory’s the one victorious, winning this feud against a decorated star would certainly push Austin more to the moon!

Match 4: Nikki ASH vs Rhea Ripley. (Rating: 1.75/5)

A match didn’t unfortunately happen as Nikki ambushed Ripley before the match could’ve even start. The only reason to rate this close to an “okay” was due to how interesting to me this side of Nikki is. She’s got the “I’m a superhero, I’m YOUR superhero and whether you like that or not I’m going to be here and stop whom I identify as an evildoer” attitude and it actually (so far of course) does seem to fit Nikki’s character. Sure it’s not Nikki Cross from Sanity or Nikki Cross that would host a talk show alongside Alexa Bliss and being a coffee enthusiast, but this superhero gimmick really did revitalize Cross and her career. Sure her first feud shouldn’t be with Ripley but it does make sense from a story perspective to actually hold animosity against your former friend. I really am looking forward to what Nikki does next.

Match 5: Omos vs Reggie. (Rating: 1/5)

It only took one move and in a matter of a few seconds, Omos squashed Reggie. Of course this was just a throwaway/filler feud for Omos in the attempt to build him up as this unstoppable behemoth/juggernaut of a man. It isn’t bad to showcase Omos in this light where he seems to be this strong, impossible obstacle to overcome: but the match he had a few weeks ago with AJ Styles proved that Omos isn’t untouchable and competitors half the man size are definitely able to inflict damage on the man and possibly attempt to secure pinfalls. Hopefully in the upcoming weeks we could see Omos face talent that are indeed half his size but capable of making it believe that they could possibly slay this giant of a man.

Main Event Match: Seth Rollins vs Bobby Lashley. (Rating:4/5)

This certainly wasn’t a traditional Lashley match, rather it was Seth Rollins at his best: the architect that knew what he’s doing and what to do in order to make sure he comes away with the win. Although the match ended with disqualification thanks to the Hurt Business attacking their former leader Bobby, this really was anyone’s ball game. Rollins looked strong by once again getting the better of someone that is way stronger than him and much more athletic than he is, whereas Bobby Lashley knows where to pick his spots and land quick but hard hitting offense in order to come out on top. Both contenders for the world championships in the end of the day looked strong in their respected right, even despite the interference.

Final rating: 3/5