Finn Bálor and Braun Strowman confronted Mr. McMahon and Brock Lesnar
OKLAHOMA CITY — Ready or not, Finn Bálor is facing Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title on Sunday, and the question is: Do you believe? Mr. McMahondoesn’t believe in fairytales, so safe to say he’s out of the Bálor Club. Braun Strowman is looking past the Royal Rumble to give These Hands to whomever is still standing. Lesnar and Paul Heyman are impressed with their upstart challenger, but they’re predicting “martyrdom” all the same.
But Bálor believes. Granted, that’s what happens when you beat John Cena to make it to the dance, but as The Extraordinary Man explained in a show-opening brouhaha, his self-belief was there long before he pinned the G.O.A.T. And it’s unlikely to abate anytime soon, as he promised Strowman he’d succeed where The Monster failed and take the title from Lesnar. That didn’t quite make The Chairman a believer, but it was enough to pique his interest and sanction Bálor vs. Strowman in a match he predicted would be “very interesting.”
Finn Bálor def. Braun Strowman via Disqualification
For a moment, let’s say that Finn Bálor can defeat Brock Lesnar. How would he do it? The Irishman’s bout with Braun Strowman — something of a show-me match orchestrated by a skeptical Mr. McMahon — gave some clues. As the commentary team suggested, stick and move is the obvious answer, and indeed that strategy paid dividends, as the first-ever Universal Champion whittled his monstrous opponent down to his knees, much to the begrudging admiration of Lesnar at ringside.
He even got to employ that quickness against Lesnar after Strowman tossed Finn into the waiting arms of a suplex-happy Conqueror and instigated a three-way scramble that ended with Bálor blasting Lesnar with a running dropkick into the barricade. Finn rode his hot hand to the cusp of a Coup de Grâce against Strowman, only for Lesnar to roar back with an F-5 to the Irishman, ending the match in a disqualification victory for his challenger. The move had the outward appearance of an overreaction by a Beast looking to mark his territory. But maybe, however narrow, a path to victory exists.
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Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley def. Apollo Crews
The Intercontinental Championship represents hard-earned validation for Bobby Lashley, but some Superstars aren’t exactly sold on The All-Mighty just yet. Apollo Crews, who narrowly missed out on the title on New Year’s Eve when he challenged then-champion Dean Ambrose, stepped up to the imperious titleholder and goaded his way into a match by mocking Lashley in a pose-down (and atop Lashley’s custom podium, no less).
Crews certainly had the goods to hang with Lashley, flitting around The All-Mighty and even pressing him over his head (albeit briefly, as the effort left Crews with a tweaked lower back). But Lio Rush, as ever, proved to be the equalizer, catching Crews’ attention and setting him up to be bulldozed by a Spear, which Lashley administered while Apollo had The Man of the Hour pressed over his shoulders.
Even then, Lashley found himself upstaged once again: The All-Mighty’s victory celebration was interrupted by Seth Rollins, who locked eyes ominously with the champion as he approached the ring for his match with Drew McIntyre. Seth should tread lightly. If there’s a lesson to be learned from Crews, it’s that you disrespect Lashley at your own risk.
Seth Rollins def. Drew McIntyre
Looking beyond the Royal Rumble for a moment, it might be time to give Seth Rollins serious consideration as a potential Universal Title challenger. True, he’s in the mix with Superstars a lot bigger and stronger than he is, but as The Kingslayer explained in an address that evoked Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he has one ace in the hole: Bone-deep passion and a burning desire to win the day. And lest you think that’s just a downtrodden former champion trying to talk himself up, Rollins put his money where his mouth was by defeating Drew McIntyre — as dangerous a competitor as there is and a champion-in-waiting by all accounts — on the strength of those very intangibles.
It would take nothing less to topple The Scottish Psychopath, who had Rollins completely and utterly outgunned in the power department. McIntyre made a show of rag-dolling The Kingslayer across and outside the ring in the first half of the match and later again down the stretch after the former WWE Champion fought his way back into the match. Yet Rollins notched kickout after kickout and finally caught McIntyre by rolling him up and stacking himself completely on top of the Scot to make his size count for nothing, and give Rollins' heart the last word.
The Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection def. Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey & Natalya
After much consideration, Ronda Rousey would like to clarify: She will not be apologizing to Sasha Banks. Despite the shaky if mutual respect at the outset of their road to the Royal Rumble, a series of escalating confrontations led The Baddest Woman on the Planet to recast The Boss as a resentful also-ran during an interview before the main-event tag team match that pitted Rousey and Natalya against The Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection. Banks retaliated on the mic, saying she earned her title match and claiming that the Raw Women’s Champion has been handed everything since she came to WWE, and The Boss administered as many cheap shots as she could muster once the bell rang.
Infuriating The Baddest Woman on the Planet was a bold strategy, but it seemed to pay off. Banks capitalized on Rousey’s relative inexperience and overt aggression to trap her in the Bank Statement, which Natalya quickly broke up. Rousey, who dubbed herself “The Boss’ Boss” in her pre-match tirade, eventually replied by catching Banks in the Armbar, though the four-time Women’s Champion narrowly escaped the hold by rolling to the ropes. Natalya tagged in and administered the Sharpshooter on a depleted Banks, only for Bayley to break the hold and knock Rousey off the apron, teeing up The Boss to trap The Queen of Harts in the Bank Statement, earning her third consecutive tapout with the signature maneuver.
Lest anyone think tempers would cool after the match ended, rest assured, they did not. Banks held on to the Statement a beat too long for Rousey’s liking, and champion and challenger went nose-to-nose as Raw went off the air, as Bayley, Natalya and the official struggled to keep them apart. Clearly no one will be apologizing come Sunday, but someone will be sorry.
