WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Jan. 29, 2024) from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, featuring all the fallout from the Royal Rumble event that went down this past Saturday night in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Advertised for tonight: Cody Rhodes won the Royal Rumble and he’ll be live to talk about what’s next for him, GUNTHER defends the Intercontinental championship against Kofi Kingston, DIY gets their crack at The Judgment Day’s Finn Balor & Damian Priest and their tag team titles, Jey Uso takes on Big Bronson Reed in singles action, and a whole lot more.
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the Raw live blog will kick off once the show starts on USA Network. It will be below this line here. Reminder: GIFs and pics allowed, but no links to illegal streams, please.
WWE RAW RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR JAN. 29
Take it easy, don’t get me wrong, just keep me in your dreams. Take it easy, life goes on my little backstage queen, and I liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with Jey Uso, Imperium, and Damage CTRL arriving at the arena, separately, as commentary talks the show up.
We get a recap of the Royal Rumble.
We see back-to-back Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes making his way into the arena earlier today.
Pat McAfee makes his entrance to join Michael Cole on commentary, and Cole informs us they’ll be the regular commentary team for Raw for the foreseeable future.
CM Punk makes his entrance, arm in a sling, and he gets on the mic.
He says he came real close on Saturday night and felt like he had it in the palm of his hands, and he’s not mad at anybody, really. He’s not mad at Cody Rhodes, and congratulates him on his victory and the accomplishment of going back-to-back. Punk says he came close but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
He doesn’t believe in luck, but he feels real unlucky because he tore his right tricep in the match. He tried to bargain his way out of it, maybe he could make it to Elimination Chamber, but it’s not in the cards. He doesn’t want anyone to feel sorry about it, and he talks about how his goal since he was a kid was to main event WrestleMania and maybe he should just accept that it isn’t going to happen.
Realistically is it a problem? He has a friend, Chad Gilbert, who has cancer and has had it real bad for a long time. He goes and sits with him when he gets his chemo but he’s always in a good mood, never down about it, and it’s soulcrushing. That’s a fight, his tricep is just a flesh would.
“Best in the world” doesn’t mean he always wins, did you see him fight in the UFC? Not great, but he had a dream and an opportunity and he said “yes” because it scared the crap out of him. Coming back here after ten years scared him the same way and WrestleMania scares him too, but this is just a bump in the road.
Best in the world is the people who fight cancer and put their lives on the line, like firefighters. He just happens to entertain us and for some reason we love him, and he’s gonna keep doing it until the wheels fall off. This is adversity he’s overcome countless times in the past, he doesn’t focus on being told he can’t, none of that matter because every one of us every day wakes up.
We’re teachers and garbage men and we keep going. WrestleMania 40’s not happening but there’s always next year, and he’s gonna bust his ass—
Enter Drew McIntyre.
He says he’s said terrible things about Punk and he means them, he was terrible to him in the past, he’s poison in the locker room, but he relates to what Punk is saying. He’s not a spiritual person, he says, but he prayed for this and it happened. He targeted Punk and broke him down and slept like a baby last night after hearing the news.
He exorcised the demon CM Punk, and now he’s gonna find a way into the main event of WrestleMania and live Punk’s dream... again.
Punk says he’s gonna rehab his arm and main event WrestleMania, but McIntyre is first on his checklist and he’s coming for him. They brawl, Drew drops Punk with a headbutt and stomps the injured arm!
Sami Zayn makes the save and sends Drew packing with windmill punches!
Zayn helps him to his feet to close the segment.
Backstage with the Judgment Day, Rhea Ripley says it’s Bayley’s funeral if she picks her, and tonight is about sending a message. Damian Priest says they’re done with distractions and after tonight, something in Spanish. Finn Balor says everyone’s getting too comfortable challenging Judgment Day, so tonight they’re gonna show how vicious they are.
#DIY walk and talk backstage.
Johnny Gargano says they’ve waited seven years for this and Tommaso Ciampa says they’re gonna show the world who they are.
#DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor) (c) (WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship)
Ciampa and Balor to start, feeling out, quick tag, Gargano takes Finn over and Judgment Day are sent to the floor for stereo planchas! DIY’s rally fails when Priest drops Tom face-first into the apron! Double-teams, Balor with a nearfall! Grinding him down, reverse chinlock, working him over with quick tags.
Trading punches, inverted DDT gets Ciampa some breathing room! Gargano hot tag, cleaning house, back body drop to the apron, fending Priest off, Superman Spear... SO CLOSE! Inverted headlock elbow drop from Finn, tag to Damian, tag to Ciampa, double-team almost earns DIY the titles!
Charging back elbow from Priest, snapmare, tag to Finn, slingshot stomp, tag back, Demolition Decapitation... STILL NO! Damian passes Johnny to the floor, Balor tags in, Tom slips out of South of Heaven, Gargano with a DDT, Ciampa with an avalanche Air Raid Crash... BALOR KICKS OUT!
Meeting in the Middle... PRIEST PULLS BALOR INTO THE ROPES! Sling Blade, off the top, nobody home, satellite Gargano Escape! Tom has the Sicilian Stretch on Priest but the big man powers up and slams him into Gargano and Balor! Ciampa and Priest trading right hands, John and Finn into it with each other, match breaking down but referee Danilo Anfibio is letting them fight!
Damian goes to the floor, Razor’s Edge, Tom slips out and Johnny dives on him! Reverse STO into the announce desk! Back inside, tag to Balor, up for the Razor’s Edge, Ciampa eats it, Finn off the top...
Judgment Day win by pinfall with Coup de Grace from Finn Balor on Tommaso Ciampa, retaining the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship.
Post-match, Finn gets on the mic and crows about retaining the titles. Priest says we’ve seen a different side of the Judgment Day and we know who’s responsible for that, and they all owe that person an apology, even Damian. He tells R-Truth he knows he can hear them and asks him to come join them in the ring.
Enter R-Truth.
He gets in the ring and asks the crowd to rise for the Judgmnet Day. Priest tells him what happened at the Royal Rumble was— Truth tells him they’ll talk about that later and he relocated their cash into crypto and fired Damian’s taxes and liquidated all his assets, he’s good to go!
Damian says there’s no way Truth knows what any of that means, but Judgment Day is a family. Ron says DP is like his older brother, Finn is like that weird uncle, Tom and Nick everybody knows, and JD is like the stepbrother they don’t want to admit is in the family.
Priest says Truth isn’t part of Judgment Day but he likes him and he’s always thought he’s funny, which is why he’s not the one to do this.
JD McDonagh attacks Truth and they beat him down! Miz makes the save but Judgment Day overwhelm them together!
We see CM Punk talking with trainers backstage.
Chelsea Green & Piper Niven vs. Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark
Niven clobbers Stark but gets overwhelmed, tag to Green, sidestep Zoey, Baszler looking for the Kirifuda Clutch but Chelsea sends her packing! Sidestep Stark, nearfall off a Fameasser, Shayna pulls Piper off the apron and Zoey gets her...
Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark win by pinfall with Z360 from Stark on Chelsea Green.
We see Cody Rhodes walking backstage and we finally, mercifully, go to break.
Back from commercial, Cody Rhodes makes his entrance and gets on the mic.
He asks Tampa Bay what they want to talk about before asking Samantha Irvin to repeat her introduction of him as a two-time Royal Rumble winner, which she obliges as he takes a victory lap around the ring. He says there’s a lot of folks here tonight and he knows you come to a WWE show and the expectation is on them to give us the best three hours of our lives as an escape from our worries.
But people don’t realize how they need to escape, too, and the last 48 hours of his life outside of here have been challenging. On Saturday, we’ll never know how much he needed us.
Enter Seth Rollins.
He soaks in the atmosphere a moment before saying he and Cody don’t see eye to eye but they’ve developed a mutual respect and he congratulates him on back-to-back Rumble wins. He’s gonna be real with him, he thinks Cody should challenge him instead of challenging Roman Reigns.
He says Roman isn’t the guy anymore, he is. He says he gets it, Cody has been with him on this ride, making town after town, city after city, and Roman Reigns wasn’t in the main event, he was, and he was defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. He talks about Roman cheating to defend the title and says the title on his waist is for them and by them and it’s been built through broken bones, a broken back, and a blown-out knee, and they’ve all leveled the playing field.
They don’t need to pretend like Roman is god anymore, because he’s not, and they don’t need Roman Reigns at all. Does Cody want the title for people who politick their way to the top, or does he wants the Dusty Rhodes title? The workhorse championship, the blue collar championship, because that’s what the World Heavyweight Championship means.
He could ask what title Dusty would rather have, but it’s not about him, it’s about Cody and his decision, and he doesn’t want an answer right now, he wants Rhodes to think about what’s in his heart and what kind of man he wants to be.
Cody says he has an insane amount of respect for Seth, and this is the last thing he thought they’d be talking about, but he’ll tell him this— he’ll think about it.
New Day are backstage and Kofi Kingston is fired up about how people forget to talk about how they win championships, and he’s about to beat GUNTHER to win the Intercontinental Championship for a fifth time.
“Main Event” Jey Uso makes his entrance and we go to break.
“Big” Bronson Reed vs. “Main Event” Jey Uso
Reed in control almost immediately, hammering at Uso, action to the floor and Jey puts him into the barricade before ducking a shot that puts Bronson into the post and sends us to break!
Back from commercial, Uso fights out of a headlock, right hands, blocking punches from Reed, backing him into the corner, pop and lock, big right hand! Kneeling right hand, kick blocked, enzuigiri connects but Bronson hits a senton right after for a nearfall! Jumping thrust kick from Jey, cover for two!
Up top, jockeying for position, Reed falls and Uso capitalizes, but nobody’s home! Bronson with a Death Valley Driver... SO CLOSE! Reed off the top, 747 Splash... NO WATER IN THE POOL! Jey with a superkick, off the ropes, spear, up top...
“Main Event” Jey Uso wins by pinfall with a diving splash.
Commentary recaps Andrade el Idolo’s return to WWE.
Andrade signs a Raw contract with Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis rolls up to complain that he lent Bayley out and he gets repaid like this. Pearce says it’s just business and Aldis has business to talk about, but Bron Breakker calls and he has to take it first.
GUNTHER cuts a “for me it’s Tuesday” promo at Kofi Kingston and advises him to leave it all out there tonight, because when he’s done, nobody will talk about Kofi again, but he’ll still be building a legacy as the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a media hype reel for the Royal Rumble.
Becky Lynch is interviewed backstage and admits she let a lot of people down, including herself, but the only way she stays down is if she gives up, which goes against her nature.
She won’t stop until she’s back at the top and takes the title back into the main event, like it deserves.
GUNTHER (c) vs. Kofi Kingston (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
Kingston rushing in with punches, overwhelming GUNTHER in the corner, mounted punches, duck the chop, off the ropes, backbreaker from the Ring General! Boston Crab applied, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, GUNTHER rams the point of his elbow into Kingston’s nose! Kofi fighting back, headbutt out of the corner but the Ring General swats him down! Chops into the corner, big backbreaker and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Kingston stuns him with a knee, laying double chops in, GUNTHER sidesteps, Gojira Clutch applied, powerbomb lift, Kofi with a Frankensteiner to the floor! Kingston off the ropes, dive but the Ring General catches him and throws him into the apron!
Powerbomb lift on the floor, Frankensteiner counters again and GUNTHER goes face-first into the ringpost. Dives, back inside, Trouble in Paradise but the Ring General rolls to the floor! Kofi up on the barricade, diving brain chop to the back of GUNTHER’s neck on the steel steps!
Back inside, avalanche Boom Drop... NOT ENOUGH! SOS follows it up, but the champion kicks out! Northern lariat from GUNTHER, shotgun dropkick, powerbomb lift...
GUNTHER wins by pinfall with the Tenryu Powerbomb, retaining the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Post-match, Imperium attack Kofi Kingston but Xavier Woods makes the save!
Sami Zayn is interviewed backstage.
He says it’s hard to sit on the sidelines, especially when you’re injured by a guy like Drew McIntyre, and he’s sick of him because it’s not just him, he’s targeting CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, and tonight Sami is going to give Drew a reality check.
Kabuki Warriors make their entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we see Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre getting ready for their match tonight.
Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) vs. Natalya & Tegan Nox
Sane hiding behind referee Danilo Anfibio before getting a cheap shot in on Nox, drop toehold, Tegan reverses to a nearfall and tags Natalya in. Working Asuka over, and soon enough we go to break.
Back from commercial, Kabukis working Nox over, counter an enzuigiri, Asuka has an ankle lock and keeps stepping over as Tegan tries to roll out of it! Crawling for the tag, reaching, Kairi pulls Neidhart off the apron! German suplex attempt, Nox rolls through, headbutt and an uppercut!
Nattie legal, German suplex into a discus lariat, Neidhart fights Sane off and calls for a tag but Tegan gets caught up with Sane! Sidestep a running hip attack, small package but the Empress of Tomorrow kicks out! Upkick blocks the Sharpshooter, superkick, tag to Kairi!
Off the top...
Kabuki Warriors win by pinfall with the diving elbow / inverted DDT combination on Natalya.
Katana Chance and Kayden Carter are interviewed backstage.
They say they spoke to Adam Pearce and they’re getting their rematch for the tag titles next week.
With the Kabukis still in the ring, Bayley makes her entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Bayley offers a rare opportunity for a photo with all five members of Judgment Day in the ring all at once.
Everybody thought her idea was gonna be a flop and that she wasn’t as good as she used to be and she’d been losing all of her matches, but luckily she doesn’t listen to us because she sees the bigger picture and she won the Royal Rumble. At a time when WWE has the most stacked and talented women’s roster, she came out on top!
Not only that but she beat Rhea Ripley’s record by being in the match for sixty-three minutes and three seconds.
So at WrestleMania—
Enter Rhea Ripley.
She starts cutting a promo but Nia Jax blindsides her and they brawl to the apron! Ripley throws her in the ring, off the ropes and Nia lays her out with a body avalanche before dropping the leg! Banzai Drop in the corner! Nia confronts Bayley and says she better pick IYO SKY because Rhea isn’t going to make it to WrestleMania.
Bayley says she’ll announce her choice on Friday.
Sami Zayn makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Drew McIntyre is interviewed in Gorilla.
He says all he’s ever done is tell the truth and all his actions have been justified. He says he and Sami have had countless matches but Zayn’s never beaten him, and that’s not going to change tonight.
Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn
Zayn passes McIntyre to the floor, plancha caught and Drew heaves him over the announce desk like a sack of potatoes! Sami dives again and lands true on McIntyre as we go to break!
Back from commercial, McIntyre hammering chops in the corner, Zayn returning the favor but Drew overwhelms him and sets him up top and blasts him with one! Elbows and clubs, Sami with an avalanche sunset flip powerbomb... NOPE! Step-up tornado DDT... SO CLOSE! Drew with a revolution spinebuster into a jackknife pin, two of his own, Liger Bomb... STILL NO!
Jockeying for position over a suplex, Drew blasts Sami with a headbutt! Up in the turnbuckles, Zayn hits a superplex! McIntyre counts down, Sami counters with the Blue Thunder Driver for two! Drew with avalanche White Noise, again just a nearfall!
McIntyre jawing, piefacing Sami, he fires up and gets to his feet, rights and lefts and he’s met with a headbutt! Corner elbow, off the ropes, duck the Helluva Kick and Zayn goes down clutching his groin! A short Claymore connects...
Drew McIntyre wins by pinfall with the Claymore.
Post-match, we get a recap of the finish.
That’s the show, folks.
