The February 23rd edition of RAW opened up with the Viper Randy Orton addressing his return after being out of action for a number of months. Orton would go on to call out the Authority since they’re the ones responsible for putting him out of action. The Authority, minus Seth Rollins, made their way to the ring and it would be Stephanie McMahon who would try to convince Orton to rejoin her side. Orton accepted the offer and appeared backstage in a business meeting where McMahon would issue a tag team match for the night’s main event card. The tag team match would be Seth Rollins teaming up with Randy Orton against Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan. Much to Rollins’ dismay, he had no choice but to accept.
Bad News Barrett vs. Dolph Ziggler
The first match of the night was a singles match between the Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett and Dolph Ziggler. The match was even between the two competitors, as Barrett didn’t show any signs of being off his game, despite Dean Ambrose stealing his title belt. A reversal of Wasteland into a DDT gave Ziggler some space, and Barrett was right there to catch him with the Winds of Change. Barrett was unable to connect with the Bull Hammer Elbow, however, as Ziggler rammed him into the turnbuckle and pounced with the Zig-Zag for the win. Ambrose would appear moments later with the Intercontinental Title in hand and trash talk spewing from his mouth.
The Prime Time Players vs. The Ascension
It looks like the Prime Time Players are back and here to stay as they took on The Ascension. Darren Young managed to get the pin fall after catching Viktor with a quick roll up. After the match The Ascension would unleash their fury for the loss on the Prime Time Players. The Ascension left the ring with their opponents flat on their back.
Roman Reigns walked out to cut a promo about all the people who doubted his success and was interrupted by his Fastlane opponent, Daniel Bryan. Bryan congratulated Reigns on his success over him at Fastlane. Once Bryan left the ring Paul Heyman appeared and had some choice words for Reigns. Heyman told Reigns that unlike everyone else, he believed that Reigns could win the Royal Rumble and beat Daniel Bryan for the no. 1 contenders spot against Lesnar at WrestleMania. Heyman continued to list several great names in wrestling history that Reigns could beat. The one man that Heyman believes Reigns can’t beat is Brock Lesnar. Reigns fired back by telling Heyman that every time he hears someone tell him he can’t, it’s just motivation for Reigns to prove them wrong. The WWE Universe will have to wait and see if Reigns can truly beat the Beast.
Tyson Kidd and Cesaro vs. The Usos
Next up in the night would be another tag team match between the new WWE Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Tyson Kidd against The Usos with the titles on the line. With wives Natalya and Naomi at ringside, this called for an interesting match. Tyson Kidd would try to cheat his way for a win by using the ropes for leverage, but Naomi interfered and pushed Kidd off the ropes. Natalya would then confront Naomi outside the ring and cause her husband to get disqualified, allowing Kidd and Cesaro to retain their titles. It would come at a cost to Natalya who was pulled off the apron by Naomi, which caused her to injury her ankle.
Jack Swagger vs. Stardust
Jack Swagger may not have been achieving much lately but he did achieve a win over Stardust in the night’s events. Thanks to a little distraction from Goldust, Jack Swagger was able to make Stardust tap out to the Patriot Lock.
It wouldn’t be RAW without an appearance from John Cena right? Cena approached the ring to call out Rusev and demand a rematch. The match for the United States Championship would take place at WrestleMania. Rusev, however, refused to give Cena a rematch.
Paige and Emma vs. The Bella Twins
Next up would be a Divas match that stirred quite a controversy for the remainder of the week. Actually no, this doesn’t even deserve to be considered a match. Paige teamed up with Emma to face The Bella Twins in a tag team match. Was Teddy Long in the building? The referee called for the bell and Brie Bella knocked Paige off the apron and then shot Emma with a Bella Buster. End of match.
Curtis Axel vs. Ryback
Curtis Axel has taken it upon himself to adopt Hulk Hogan persona and ego for the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Axel believes that it will be him who will reign superior above the rest and win the giant trophy at WrestleMania. Ryback appeared to put an end to the nonsense by delivering Shellshock to his former tag team partner.
Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton and Seth Rollins
By the time the main event started it was clear that Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan buried the hatchet, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins clearly have not. This was evident after Rollins tagged himself into the match as Orton was setting Reigns up for a DDT off the ropes. Orton, clearly upset, finished his DDT before clearing the ring. This same thing would happen between Reigns and Bryan. After delivering a Superman Punch on Mr. Money in the Bank, Reigns would set up for a Spear but Bryan would tag himself in before Reigns could deliver. Reigns reaction to this was to simply laugh it off and exit the ring. Bryan would then hit Rollins with a Running Knee for the victory. Afterwards Orton would enter the ring with fury and push away both members of J&J security before giving Rollins a rough pat on the back. Not clear on what the Viper has in mind for Rollins in the future but the WWE Universe can only sit and wait.