Here are your quick and dirty, editorial-free WWE Raw results for January 1, 2018. The first Raw of the year was headlined by a match for the Intercontinental Championship, as well as Alexa Bliss taking on Asuka, and more. Be back here tomorrow for the full Best and Worst of Raw column.
WWE Raw Results:
1. Jason Jordan defeated Cesaro. Jordan picked a fight with Cesaro and Sheamus, but Jordan’s new tag team championship partner Seth Rollins came to the ring to be in his corner. Rollins fought off Sheamus, allowing Jordan to hit a backdrop into a neckbreaker for the win.
2. Bray Wyatt defeated Apollo Crews. Wyatt pinned Crews after a Sister Abigail. After the match, Matt Hardy showed up on the video screen to laugh again.
3. Asuka defeated Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss. Asuka won by submission with a cross arm-breaker.
4. Braun Strowman defeated Rhyno. Strowman challenged Heath Slater to get into the ring, then powerslammed both members of the team for several minutes.
5. Intercontinental Championship Match: Roman Reigns (c) defeated Samoa Joe. A pre-match stipulation said that if Roman Reigns got disqualified, he’d lose the Intercontinental Championship. Reigns pinned Joe with a spear.
6. Cedric Alexander and Goldust defeated Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari. This was supposed to be Cedric Alexander challenging Enzo Amore for the Cruiserweight Championship, but the Zo Train revealed that Enzo is missing the show with the flu. This leads to a tag team match, with Goldust teaming with Cedric for some reason. Alexander pinned Gulak after a Lumbar Check.
7. Finn Bálor, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson defeated Elias, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. Before the match, the Miztourage sang a New Year’s song and revealed The Miz would be back on Raw next week. Bálor won the match with a Coup de Grace on Dallas.
– Paul Heyman cut a promo about how Brock Lesnar would win the Universal Championship match at Royal Rumble. Kane interrupted him, and Kane and Lesnar had a pull-apart brawl.
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