WWE Raw – Feb 10th 2020: Results & Review

Welcome to this week’s Monday Night Raw review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and Becky Lynch defends her Women’s Title against Asuka, proving that Vince still allows wrestling on his wrestling show, when it does him a favor at least. Hey, it’s nice to have a match worth talking about on this show…unless Vince wants to kill R-Truth again. Remember that s—? …out like a Looney Tune. Okay, like Hollywood who obsesses over story-telling ahead of just making good pictures, let’s blow this thing so bad that no one wants to read it.

Match #1: Becky Lynch def. Asuka – Raw Women’s Championship Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Becky Lynch’s “superpowers” held firm on Raw, as The Man once again narrowly yet decisively beat back Asuka to retain the Raw Women’s Championship. That was about the only good thing that happened to the champ, though, as NXT’s Shayna Baszler ruthlessly attacked Becky after the match, quite literally taking a piece out of the Raw Women’s Champion. For all intents and purposes, The Man was a sitting duck. Lynch squeaked out the win against Asuka with a modified Manhandle Slam following a series of rollup counters.

My Opinion: 3.8 out of 5 – This was a great opener that had a lot going on. Going a proper length and delivering the right kind of action was something that this match will be remembered for. This was about as good as you could hope for and then some. Hard-hitting and bad-to-the-bone, this was a shot-in-the-arm kinda thing that ought to be a wake-up call to Vince that these are the kinds of matches to book for our TV broadcasts, not Squash Match #6.

Match #2: The Street Profits def. Mojo Rawley & Riddick Moss

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

As any football head knows, finding a good offensive lineman is crucial to success, so Mojo Rawley might want to go back to the drawing board with Riddick Moss. Moss is a physical specimen, but he was more or less steamrolled by the Profits, who pinned him instantly with a spinebuster-Frog Splash combo.

My Opinion: 1.6 out of 5 – Filthy squash s—.

Match #3: Riddick Moss def. Mojo Rawley – 24/7 Championship Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Mojo was quickly pinned via small package. Riddick made his exit and Rawley lost it in the ring. As they say on Sports Twitter, you truly hate to see it.

My Opinion: 0 out of 5 – F— this s—. More squash s— from the biggest s— show on TV, besides SmackDown.

Match #4: Angel Garza def. Cedric Alexander

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Hyperbole aside, Angel Garza’s Raw debut truly was one of the more impactful in recent memory. He got his cousin Humberto Carrillo so riled up that Carrillo came out seeking payback for Garza’s Hammerlock DDT onto the concrete, dropping Garza before the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion’s bout with Cedric Alexander. As Carrillo was removed from ringside, Alexander went on the attack, getting himself to the cusp of victory with a burst of aggression. But Garza — “the man’s man” — dropped his foe out of midair with a dropkick, removed his tearaway pants with unmatched panache and hit the Wing Clipper to win. With Carrillo still lying in wait, Garza’s ultimate comeuppance may still be coming down the road. Until then, our one option is to watch him win. Whether we like it or not is, unfortunately, beside the point.

My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – What a waste of two great athletes. This was a f—— squash. Angel was great and Cedric was not far behind, but this was just a waste.

Match #5: Rhea Ripley def. Sarah Logan

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The idea of Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania is … tantalizing, to put it mildly. But Ripley still had a little bit of locker room business to attend to, battling a riled-up Sarah Logan before once again attempting to prod The Queen into a historic match at The Show of Shows. Logan’s impetus for poking the bear was that Ripley thought she could come to Raw and do what she wanted with impunity, which motivated her to defend her turf. Despite Logan’s bravery, The Nightmare swiftly dispatched her with the Riptide while Charlotte watched from the ramp. But if The Queen (coming off a less-than-welcome return to NXT) was moved to accept Ripley’s WrestleMania offer, she didn’t show it. Instead, she pointed out that, depending what happens this Sunday at NXT TakeOver: Portland, Rhea Ripley might not be NXT Women’s Champion much longer. It seems if Rhea wants her answer, she’ll have to earn it.

My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – Disgusting squash nonsense.

Match #6: Ricochet def. Bobby Lashley

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Depending on whom you ask, Ricochet either achieved the impossible by pinning Bobby Lashley in a Triple Threat Match last week to earn a WWE Title bout with Brock Lesnar … or, he stole The All Mighty’s victory, his moment and his dream. Despite Lashley’s vow to return Ricochet to “reality,” however, the former United States Champion once again pinned Lashley to bring himself one step closer to his dream of the WWE Championship. He did it pretty expertly, too. For a “scrawny kid,” as he remembered being labeled during a pre-match interview, Ricochet certainly rose to Lashley’s level, withstanding a massive amount of punishment to pin Lashley with the 630. Based on his physical state after the match, Ricochet may have to make good on his promise to “crawl” to Super ShowDown if need be. For now, however, this should prove two things: One, that last week’s win was no fluke. And two: If he beats Lesnar, that won’t be, either.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This was a real winner in just eleven or so minutes. It wasn’t a f—— squash, so that helps. I’m glad these guys were able to have a consistently wrestled match with plenty of technical moves and angle of “big and small” that didn’t make either man look like a stereotype. Ricochet won and should have, so that’s cool with me.

Match #7: Aleister Black def. Akira Tozawa

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

It’s still unclear who, exactly, Aleister Black is hoping to fight at the end of his one-man crusade. Until then, he’s emphatically winning all of his other fights. This week, Black disposed of Akira Tozawa in a short, nasty battle of strikers before offering a warning to anyone who might take him up on his against-all-comers mentality. After Black showed appreciation to the audience for their desire to rebel against a “given idea of paradise” — something he said he understood — he claimed he was beginning to feel like an animal inside of a cage. And, for anyone looking to dance, they should consider themselves warned. “Know that it is not me who is in there with you,” Black said. “It is you who shall be trapped inside this metaphoric cage with me.”

My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – This match was so short it’s practically criminal…because it was a SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

Match #8: (Main Event) Seth Rollins & Murphy & AOP def. Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe & The Viking Raiders

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

If there was ever a time for Kevin Owens to land a blow against Seth Rollins, it was tonight. Healthy Ivar, healthy Samoa Joe, strong showing in the show’s opening brawl. Unfortunately, The Monday Night Messiah has his house in order, and with his disciples at full strength in the same match for the first time, Rollins led his flock to victory against Owens and his spirited-but-outmatched posse of rebels. Each team took its cues from their respective leaders: Team KO was reckless, throwing their bodies to the wind — literally, in Owens’ case. Rollins’ crew, meanwhile, was far more methodical, employing some true tag-team symmetry that came in handy during the closing moments, when AOP distracted the ref, allowing Rollins to Stomp Joe while he had Murphy in the Coquina Clutch. Murphy got the pin as a result, and in Owens’ defense, this is but the first of what will likely be many battles. But having seen their foe at full force, the differences are becoming clearer. Team Owens fights. Team Rollins believes.

My Opinion: 3.7 out of 5 – This was a fantastic main event that almost made me forget that most of this show sucked…almost. This was, probably, the best of the matches between these eight people in recent history. Why can’t Vince do this more often? Who’s leg do you have to hump to get more matches like this on Raw? Owens and Joe were as fun as ever and everybody else did well as well. This was a wild, bombastic blast that wasn’t the smartest match ever competed in, but it was a thriller, so there you go.

News Of The Night:

1. Randy Orton attacked Matt Hardy with the Con-Chair-To.
2. Shayna Baszler attacked Becky Lynch by biting her neck like Dracula/Greta Thunberg.
3. Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza are still being built-up for a big match.
4. Rhea Ripley still wants Charlotte Flair for Wrestlemania.
5. Drew McIntyre attacked MVP on The VIP Lounge after he tried to schmooze Drew into becoming his manager.
6. AJ Styles, R-Truth, Andrade, Bobby Lashley, Erick Rowan and Rusev will be in a Gauntlet Match at Super ShowDown.

Final Verdict: 3.5/5

This is a generous 3.5, but there were three matches I liked and some build toward two big shows, so I’ll be nice.