The first Monday Night Raw of the year is set to be a big one, as Goldberg makes his first appearance on WWE programming since announcing his entry into the Royal Rumble Match — and since Brock Lesnar announced that he’d be entering as well, in an effort to get his hands on Goldberg once again. Will the WWE Universe find out this week “who’s next” in terms of competitors for the 30-man battle royal at the end of the month?
NOTE: The WWE Monday Night Raw results will be updated here in real-time as the show airs live, along with available video highlights and commentary. Any updates to the upcoming WWE Royal Rumble 2017 card will be posted here as well.
WWE Monday Night Raw Results
The following will include the results of all the matches and segments from WWE Raw on January 2, which airs live from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. In the final week of 2016, Raw lost the “ratings war” with the blue brand for the first time since the separate rosters were established. Will the return of Goldberg and an IC title match be enough to take back the lead in the ratings and maintain Raw‘s longtime designation as WWE’s flagship program?
Raw Pre-Show
After being downsized from a four-person, 30-minute program recorded at WWE studios for the WWE Network to a two-person, ten-minute segment on WWE’s digital platforms, it looks as though WWE may be doing away with their weekly pre-shows altogether, as no announcement had been made about this week’s edition in the hours leading up to Monday Night Raw.
Goldberg announced as guest for first-ever Kevin Owens Show segment
Raw General Manager Mick Foley was in the ring as Monday Night Raw began, and he was joined by WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens, his best friend Chris Jericho, and Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon. Eventually, several things were set in place for the show, including Goldberg being a guest on The Kevin Owens Show. Additionally, Roman Reigns will defend his United States Championship against Chris Jericho, with the title changing hands even if Reigns is disqualified or counted out. The first match of the night, Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins, would result in the loser being banned from ringside for the US Title Match.
Stephanie McMahon also acknowledged the fact that Raw lost to SmackDown in the ratings last week, and will apparently make it a focal point of the show to return to the dominant show in terms of ratings. She claimed that Raw would be known as the true “land of opportunity,” as opposed to SmackDown LIVE. They also reaffirmed the fact that Sami Zayn would face Braun Strowman in a Last Man Standing Match later in the show.
Seth Rollins defeated Kevin Owens by disqualification
While battling outside of the ring, Kevin Owens hit Seth Rollins with the ring bell, resulting in KO being disqualified and losing the match to The Architect. The result means that Kevin Owens will be banned from ringside when Chris Jericho challenging Roman Reigns for the United States Championship, while Seth Rollins won’t be banned.
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)
- Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Bayley — Raw Women’s Championship Match (unconfirmed)
- AJ Styles (c) vs. John Cena — WWE Championship Match (confirmed)
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, the only matches confirmed for the event include the two world title bouts. 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.
The Rock and Terry Funk in 1997’s Royal Rumble Match [Image by WWE]
Where To Watch WWE Monday Night Raw
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]