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‘WWE Monday Night Raw’ Results: Sasha Banks Injured, New Tag Titles, ‘Shark Cage’ Match At ‘Royal Rumble’

By Dustin Murrell
Published on: 07:42 PST, Dec 19, 2016

As the superstars from Monday Night Raw turn their attention from Roadblock 2016 to Royal Rumble 2017, there was plenty of drama unfolding in front of the WWE Universe in Columbus, Ohio. WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens managed to escape Roadblock: End of the Line and his match against Roman Reigns with his title reign still intact, but Seth Rollins came out to help Reigns put both Owens and Chris Jericho through the announce tables. Charlotte Flair defeated Sasha Banks in yet another PPV title match, while Cesaro and Sheamus ended The New Day’s legendary run as Tag Team Champions.

WWE Monday Night Raw Preview

According to the official WWE Raw preview, things are far from over between Jeri-KO and the former members of The Shield. Does Seth’s victory over Chris at Roadblock mean that Rollins is ready to move on to Kevin Owens? Will Roman Reigns get another shot at the title after such a sketchy ending? Is the friendship between Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho stronger than ever?

Also, since the 30-Minute Iron Man Match between Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair had a clause that prevented the loser from getting a rematch, The Boss won’t be the next one challenging for the title. Will Bayley be the next one to face Flair for the gold? What about Nia Jax?

Will Bayley, Nia Jax or Dana Brooke face Charlotte Flair next? [Image by WWE]

Additionally, Roadblock was a big night for both Sami Zayn and Neville. Zayn was declared the winner in his match against Braun Strowman even though he failed to score a fall. But on Raw Talk, he told Booker T and Charly Caruso that he wants Strowman again — without a time limit — so that he can get a traditional victory over the giant. Neville’s appearance at Roadblock was much more sinister, introducing himself to the Cruiserweight Division by attacking both Rich Swann and TJ Perkins without explanation.

WWE Raw Pre-Show on YouTube

The weekly pre-shows for Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live have undergone some big changes recently, reduced from four-person, half-hour shows to a 10-minute segment on YouTube with Booker T and Charly Caruso. As the Raw Pre-Show airs live at 6:50 p.m. EST, it will be available to stream on this Inquisitr page through a YouTube video below.

As Booker and Charly were discussing everything that happened at Roadblock, they were joined by Dana Brooke, who had nothing to say except good things about Charlotte Flair. They also aired a pre-recorded segment from earlier in the day setting up a match between Titus O’Neil and Sin Cara, the supposed beginning of a “comeback tour” for Titus. Before the pre-show ended, they let viewers know that Big Cass would receive a rematch against Rusev on WWE Raw.

Foley announced Owens vs. Reigns at Royal Rumble 2017

As Monday Night Raw opened, Universal Champion Kevin Owens and his best friend Chris Jericho were in the ring, celebrating the fact that Owens was still the champ after his match against Roman Reigns at Roadblock. They were soon joined by General Manager Mick Foley, who had two big announcements. First, Jeri-KO would have a match on Raw against Reigns and Seth Rollins. Secondly, at Royal Rumble 2017, Kevin Owens would defend his title against Roman Reigns once again, with one added stipulation. To prevent Y2J from getting involved in the finish, Jericho will be held above the ring in a shark cage until the match ends.

As Chris Jericho was inspecting the cage, Foley locked him in and then claimed to have lost the key. Y2J was lifted high above the ring, and Foley left him there as the show continued while he tried to sort things out. When Raw returned from a commercial break, Jericho was seen backstage, receiving medical attention after suffering a panic attack.

Rusev defeated Colin Cassady by disqualification

Still frustrated after Rusev ambushed his best friend and used Lana to get a cheap victory at Roadblock, Big Cass was in no mood to relent when the referee tried to pull him off of Rusev. Since the Bulgarian Brute was in the ropes and Cassady continued to stomp on him after the ref’s four-count, Enzo’s other half was disqualified. Rusev eventually got free and exited through the audience, stumbling after taking a beating from Big Cass.

Nia Jax attacked an injured Sasha Banks

Sasha Banks came to the ring on crutches, favoring her left knee. She asked Charlotte Flair to come out so that she could congratulate the new champion to her face. Instead, Nia Jax came out, mocked The Boss for her injury, and then proceeded to beat on her before leaving her laying in the ring.

Mick Foley unveiled new Raw Tag Team Championship belts

Although the live audience didn’t seem very impressed, Sheamus and Cesaro (and the Raw announce team) tried to play it up like the new, red-leather belts were a thing of beauty. In actuality, they were just made to look very much like the Universal Championship and Women’s Championship belts.

Cedric Alexander defeated Noam Dar

The feud between these two Cruiserweight athletes continues as Noam Dar confessed his love for Cedric Alexander’s girlfriend Alicia Fox after he lost. Since he won their first match-up, he pointed out that they were even now (in terms of victories), so fans can expect a “rubber match” from these two in the near future, possibly with an Alicia Fox-related stipulation.

Cesaro & Sheamus and The New Day defeated Gallows & Anderson and The Shining Stars

In an Eight-Man Tag Team Match, it was the new Raw Tag Team Champions that came out looking the strongest, earning the fall for their team as Cesaro locked the Sharpshooter in on Epico. No mention was made of determining a new No. 1 contender — or The New Day getting their obligatory rematch — so the first title defense by Cesaro and Sheamus may not take place anytime soon.

Enzo Amore was punished for “sexual harassment”

As Enzo and Big Cass were discussing plans for a night on the town in Columbus, Amore received a letter noting a complaint about “exposing” himself a few weeks ago on Monday Night Raw. He was advised that he would have to take a “sensitivity class” later in the show.

Much like the anger management segments that used to air for Daniel Bryan and Kane, several scenes were shot showing Enzo in a class with Darren Young, Bob Backlund, Bo Dallas and Jinder Mahal. In the end, Rusev showed up and Mahal helped him beat down Enzo. Lana showed up as well to deliver a fairly brutal slap, with Big Cass nowhere to be found.

Neville addressed the WWE Universe

After attacking both Rich Swann and TJ Parker at WWE Roadblock, Neville came out on Monday Night Raw to explain that he was tired of being cheered by the fans simply because he’s a small guy. Before long, both Rich Swann and The Brian Kendrick came out and joined him in the ring. Kendrick and Neville explained that they were essentially on the same page, as two of the men that paved the way for guys like Swann and the rest of the Cruiserweight Division. Neville and Kendrick double-teamed Swann. TJ Perkins tried to make the save, but he was ultimately unsuccessful.

Braun Strowman attacked Titus O’Neil and Sin Cara

The match that was set up between Sin Cara and Titus O’Neil on the Raw Pre-Show barely got underway before Braun Strowman came to the ring and left a path of destruction. Earlier in the show, when looking for Sami Zayn, Strowman was told that Zayn had already gone home hours earlier. Since he couldn’t get his hands on Zayn, he took it out on the rest of the Monday Night Raw roster.

Bayley defeated Charlotte Flair

Interrupting the new Raw Women’s Champion, Bayley came out to remind Charlotte that she has two wins over her in singles competition since being added to the Monday Night Raw roster, and suggested that the Charlotte-Bayley feud begin now that the Charlotte-Sasha feud had ended. Flair agreed to give her one more non-title shot, and Bayley ended up getting the win.

Braun Strowman attacked Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins

In the final match of the night, the reunited Jeri-KO were facing off against Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. Before the match reached its organic conclusion, however, Braun Strowman reappeared. As Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens got out of the ring, Strowman laid out both Reigns and Rollins as Raw went off the air.

The above WWE Raw results have been corroborated by WWE’s official Monday Night Raw page.

RELATED REPORTS BY THE INQUISITR

Updated WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Card

  • Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, and 28 others TBD — Royal Rumble Match (confirmed)
  • Kevin Owens (c) vs. Roman Reigns — WWE Universal Championship Shark Cage Match (confirmed)
  • AJ Styles (c) vs. TBD — WWE Championship Match
  • Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Bayley — Raw Women’s Championship Match
  • Alexa Bliss (c) vs. TBD — SmackDown Women’s Championship Match

WWE Royal Rumble 2017 will be the next PPV featuring stars from Monday Night Raw (although it will also include competitors from SmackDown LIVE). Aside from Goldberg and Brock Lesnar entering the Royal Rumble Match, very few details have been confirmed for the event. Royal Rumble 2017 will air live on Sunday, January 29 from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. As more information is confirmed, it will be updated at WWE’s official Royal Rumble preview page.

Jeri-KO back together on Monday Night Raw [Image by WWE]

Where To Watch WWE Monday Night Raw

Replays of WWE Roadblock: End of the Line are currently available to stream on-demand with the WWE Network. The WWE Royal Rumble 2017 will air live on the WWE Network on Sunday, January 29 at 8/7c. The Royal Rumble Kickoff Show will begin at 7/6c.

Episodes of WWE Monday Night Raw air live on the USA Network at 8/7c. Replays of WWE Raw aren’t made available on the WWE Network until several weeks after the original air date. However, a 90-minute version of Monday Night Raw is available to stream on-demand the following day with a Hulu subscription.

[Featured Image by WWE]

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