WWE Raw 2/17/2020 will continue the build to the upcoming Super Showdown event in Saudi Arabia, as well as continue the groundwork for the big WrestleMania show that will take place on April 5.
The recent NXT TakeOver: Portland event saw some WrestleMania build itself, with Charlotte Flair appearing to attack NXT Women's Champion Rhea Ripley and cashing in her WrestleMania title shot against her. It's quite possible that WWE Raw for 2/17/2020 will see the fallout from Charlotte Flair's attack on Rhea Ripley, perhaps even culminating in Ripley appearing on the program to exact revenge.
Speaking of revenge, Matt Hardy will be facing off against Randy Orton in a No Holds Barred Match on Raw tonight as he looks to avenge both himself and Edge. On Raw for 2/10/2020, Orton attacked Matt Hardy with a Conchairto, which is the same way that he injured Edge a few weeks back. The No Holds Barred Match stipulation means anything goes, and it will be interesting to see what lengths these two go to take each other out of commission.
Those that tune in to Raw for 2/17/2020 will also be subject to a "sermon" from the Monday Night Messiah himself Seth Rollins. This will presumably further the feud between Rollins' group, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and The Viking Raiders.
We'll update this post throughout the night with live results form WWE Raw 2/17/2020 with match grades, segment recaps, and more.
1. Randy Orton Brutalized Matt Hardy
Full-blown heel Randy Orton was originally scheduled to face Matt Hardy in a No Holds Barred Match. However, Hardy is too beat up from the injuries he suffered at the hand of Orton last week, and is stuck in a neck brace as a result. Hardy still confronted Orton and gave a fiery promo that got the crowd worked up, but despite this, the crowd was still mostly on the side of heel Orton. Fans were chanting "one more time!" after Orton laid out the injured Matt Hardy with an RKO and delivered yet another Conchairto to him. The crowd continued to cheer Orton even after he dragged Matt to the steel steps and hit him with another Conchairto to his unconscious body...and then a third for good measure. In kayfabe, Matt Hardy was basically murdered by Randy Orton.
This moment would have landed better had the crowd not been so smarky. There were some kids in the crowd that were legitimately upset, but for the most part, it seems people were happy to see Orton attack Matt Hardy, which doesn't work with the story WWE is trying to tell.
2. Aleister Black vs. Erick Rowan
Winner:Â Aleister Black. Now THIS was interesting. The weeks-long booking of having both Aleister Black and Erick Rowan consistently win squash matches paid off here, as we finally got to see the two go at it one on one. And it was a pretty decent match, with Rowan largely dominating the smaller Black. Black started to rally back after countering a powerbomb attempt with a hurracanrana that sent Rowan face-first into the ring post. In the ring, Black kept the heat on Rowan with a series of strikes, though Rowan got in his fair share of power moves as well. Black managed to counter the Iron Claw on a couple of occasions, and nailed Rowan with the Black Mass. Even this wasn't enough to send Rowan to the ground, though a second Black Mass finished the job. This match was held back somewhat by some sloppy brawling and how short it was considering how much the two of them have been built up, but it was still a lot of fun.
Grade:Â B+
3. Charlotte Flair Explained Her Attack on Rhea Ripley
At NXT TakeOver: Portland, Charlotte Flair attacked Rhea Ripley and declared her intention to face Ripley for the NXT Women's Championship at WrestleMania 36. On Raw, Flair explained her decision in a bit more detail. She feels that Ripley did not have to work as hard as Flair, and that Flair is the one that made both NXT and the NXT Women's Championship relevant. She feels Ripley is riding on her coattails, essentially.
4. Triple Threat Match for the 24/7 Championship: Riddick Moss (c) vs. Mojo Rawley vs. R-Truth
Winner:Â Riddick Moss. It's a rare sight to see the 24/7 Championship defended in an actual match, but that's exactly what happened here. The match itself was nothing to write home about; it was mostly an excuse for R-Truth to perform some of John Cena's signature moves. There was general sloppiness, mostly on the part of Mojo Rawley, and it really failed to showcase what Riddick Moss can do, if anything at all. Moss wound up getting the victory with an Oklahoma Roll on Rawley. After the match, R-Truth laid out Mojo Rawley with a Scissors Kick.
Grade:Â C-
5. Drew McIntyre vs. MVP
Winner:Â Drew McIntyre. Drew McIntyre cut a promo, but was interrupted by Paul Heyman, who mocked him and introduced MVP. The match between MVP and McIntyre felt a little rushed, with McIntyre dominating MVP and finishing him off with a Claymore Kick in short order. It's disappointing how MVP has been used since his return, and hopefully WWE has more plans for him than just being a jobber.
Grade:Â C-
6. Becky Lynch Threatened Shayna Baszler
Becky Lynch came to the ring with a big pile of cash to pay her fine in advance for what she's going to do to Shayna Baszler in the future. Baszler then appeared on the screen and threatened Lynch right back, even dropping the S-bomb on live WWE TV. Having Baszler attack Lynch last week on Raw makes it seem a little too predictable that she is the one that's going to win Elimination Chamber, but otherwise this feud is pretty interesting.
7. Angel Garza and Bobby Lashley w/ Lana and Zelina Vega vs. Humberto Carrillo and Rusev
Winners:Â Angel Garza and Bobby Lashley. Seeing Rusev lose literally every match he's in with Bobby Lashley is starting to get tiresome. The match itself was fine, with Humberto Carrillo taking a Spear from Lashley on the floor in the standout moment. Rusev ended up eating the pin, as he let Lashley distract him, which in turn allowed Angel Garza to roll him up for the victory. After the match, Rusev attacked Garza during his celebration.
Grade:Â C
8. Kairi Sane w/ Asuka vs. Natalya
Winner:Â Kairi Sane. The crowd had been pretty hot up until this match, which they just didn't care about at all. The promo Asuka and Kairi did beforehand certainly didn't help matters. Sane and Natalya have zero chemistry, and Natalya's count-out loss was even more deflating.
Grade:Â D+
9. Monday Night Sermon with Seth Rollins
This was a typical, boring, over-long Seth Rollins promo, and it ended in predictable fashion. The faces in the feud attacked Rollins' group in the ring, while Kevin Owens managed to sneak up on Rollins on stage and hit him with a Stunner. At this point, this rivalry is really just spinning its wheels, and here's hoping it goes somewhere interesting sooner rather than later.
10. Karl Anderson w/ AJ Styles and Luke Gallows vs. Ricochet
Winner:Â Ricochet. This was the most-invested a crowd has been in a Karl Anderson match for quite some time. Even so, the match itself was nothing to write home about, Ricochet picking up an easy victory on his way to Brock Lesnar at Super Showdown.
Grade:Â C
11. Six-Man Tag Team Match: Buddy Murphy and The Authors of Pain vs. Kevin Owens and The Viking Raiders
Winners:Â Kevin Owens and The Viking Raiders. This match was fast-paced and fun, with Owens giving the best performance by far. He also took a lot of the heat, but had some solid comebacks that had the crowd solidly behind everything he was doing. At one point, he nailed Murphy with multiple Superkicks in a row, though that wasn't enough to defeat him. Owens also got a piping hot tag late in the match, which was the loudest that the crowd sounded all night. Unfortunately, the match didn't get a proper ending as Seth Rollins interfered to help his team. Afterwards, Seth and his group threatened to "crucify" Owens, but he was saved by The Street Profits.
Grade:Â A-