KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 2/27: Goldberg speaks, Seth Rollins speaks, Reigns-Braun contract signing, more Fastlane final hype

KELLER’S WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW REPORT
FEBRUARY 27, 2017
GREEN BAY, WISC.
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK

Announcers: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, and a woman doing interviews WWE won’t mention by name.

[HOUR ONE]

-Michael Cole introduced the show as the camera panned the crowd and Goldberg’s music began. Goldberg was shown hocking a loogie backstage which apparently is an endearing trait now. He entered the ring as the crowd chanted (which in the NHL would be considered “taunting”) him with a “Goldberg! Goldberg!” chant. He said last week Kevin Owens came out in “his little shirt, in his nice little suit and did what he does best” and talked and talked until he couldn’t talk anymore and then he talked some more. He said he’s not going to do that. He did say he’s in a hell of a good mood because in six days, he becomes WWE Universal Champion. He said he has never made a promise he didn’t follow through with. (Fact checkers?) He said: “Spear, jackhammer, 1-2-3.” He said he’d take that into WrestleMania against Brock Lesnar. Not much of a reaction to Brock’s name. Another “Goldberg” chant started. He promised everyone in the arena and at home and his wife and son and, most important, Kevin Owens, “I will deliver, so see you Sunday.” As he was about to leave the ring, Owens’ music played.

Owens walked onto the stage in his not-so-little suit with the red Universal Title belt over his shoulder. He looked serious. He said Goldberg looks like he’s a “good mule.” He corrected himself and said he’s in a good mood. He thanked Goldberg for noticing his nice suit. He said now he can tell him face-to-face (from 100 feet away) what he do to him. He said when he got to WWE, he promised himself that he would grab the company by the throat and make them see what Kevin Owens is all about. He said he did just that when, on his first night, he beat John Cena. Goldberg clapped, seemingly with a mix of sarcasm and genuineness. He talked about beating A.J. Styles and Seth Rollins. Goldberg’s clapping seemed to get more and more sarcastic. He said he beat Roman Reigns, too. Boos from the “antiestablishment minority” (trademark “Road Dogg” Brian James).

@pwstream @RyanCooper_96 look at the crowd when it happens. The antiestablishment minority doesn't want you to know that reaction!

— Brian G. James (@WWERoadDogg) February 26, 2017

@WWERoadDogg with all due respect its not anti-establishment when it's the majority who does not like something.I feel genuinely bad for him

— World of TRASH (@WorldofTrash) February 27, 2017

@WorldofTrash why? He's making money doing what he lives to do and I promise you he loves when y'all REACT to him.

— Brian G. James (@WWERoadDogg) February 27, 2017

He said he won’t bring up what he did to Chris Jericho because he doesn’t matter. He told Goldberg no matter how loud “these sheep chant your name,” he is next “in the evolution of Kevin Owens as Universal Champion.”

Goldberg said as entertaining as his speech was, “it did nothing but piss me off.” He said why wait until Sunday, let’s give Green Bay something to cheer for. Owens said he doesn’t speak Neanderthal well, but it sounded like he wanted to fight now. He offered to do it in a Green Bay Street Fight as he marched to the ring. The crowd cheered, but Owens remembered he was in Green Bay and said “Green Bay doesn’t deserve to see me fight.” He said at Fastlane the Goldberg chant dies and he’ll be on his back in front of total silence.

-Graves hyped that he’ll interview Seth Rollins later. Then Byron excitedly said New Day were next. They showed New Day backstage messing around with their t-shirts, giving them to two guys in suits. [c]

-New Day came out and did their bit pouring cereal into the mouth and all over the face of a kid at ringside. Xavier Woods introduced themselves as the new hosts of WrestleMania. Big E said they should worry about what is in their bowls. Then they talked about ice cream. As they began to sing and dance, The Shining Stars interrupted. A guy in a WWE shirt approached New Day with a red envelope. Xavier then revealed to the Shining Stars that they’re not facing them tonight, but rather they’re going up against Big Show. Then they pulled out a card from the red envelope and showed it said “Rusev and Jinder Mahal.” Then Rusev & Mahal came out.

(Keller’s Analysis: Comedy is difficult.)

(1) “HANDSOME” RUSEV (w/Lana) & “HARD BODY” MAHAL vs. THE NEW DAY (Big E & Xavier Woods w/Kofi Kingston)

They cut to an early break. Rusev is no longer wearing the face guard which he wore for several weeks to protect his broken nose while it was healing. [c]

Rusev had Xavier in a front facelock on the mat after the break. Eventually Big E got the hot tag in and went to work on the heels with a flurry of moves. He powerslammed Mahal and then gave him a running splash. He knocked Rusev off the ring apron as he tried to intervene. Mahal kicked him after that. Big E tagged in Xavier, though, and Xavier went for the cover. Rusev broke up the pin by actually shoving Xavier off of Mahal, not just stomping Xavier on the back while he had Mahal covered.

(Keller’s Analysis: I think the way Rusev made the save by actually breaking up the cover makes him my favorite wrestler until further notice. That looked so much better and more realistic than the lazy stomp on the back.)

Mahal was distracted by Rusev and Lana arguing with Kofi at ringside. Xavier then rolled up Mahal for the pin.

WINNERS: Rusev & Mahal in 7:00.

-Byron hyped Charlotte Flair & Dana Brooke vs. Bayley & Sasha Banks. [c]

-They showed the exterior of the arena in Green Bay’s Resch Center and the Vince Lambardi statue.

-They went to the announcers on camera who talked about WrestleMania. Then they talked about Fastlane and hyped Enzo & Big Cass would be challenging Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows.

-Backstage Enzo talked nonstop to the annoyance of Cass about how exited he’ll be to have his name on the tag team title belt. He said he’d wear it all over the house. Cass interrupted and said Anderson & Gallows have won tag team titles all across the globe, whereas they’ve never won tag titles. Cass said they need to concentrate on tonight first, since he’s facing Gallows later. They were wearing their new “SAWFT” t-shirts with a big white fist.

-Elsewhere backstage Cesaro told Sheamus, “A wiseman once said time will tell, crap will smell, but water will always will always find its balance.” Cesaro explained to Sheamus that they’re the water. Samoa Joe walked up to them. He told Cesaro, “Long time, no see. Same Cesaro as always, still desperately trying to figure it all out.” Cesaro said Joe is the same old. “Indeed, not much has changed. Arrogant and backstabbing as always.” Joe laughed and said he’s grabbing the brass ring. Cesaro said Joe is carrying Triple H’s jock strip. Joe said that’s really clever and said being clever has gotten him this far. Sheamus said he wanted to kick his head off. Cesaro said he’d handle it.

-Steph was chewing out some worker backstage when Mick Foley approached her. Steph said she wanted to apologize. Foley seemed surprised. Steph said Foley is a legend and three-time World Champion and “first-ever hardcore legend.” She complimented his continuing fighting after he lost his ear. She said 17 years ago her husband ended his career and she’s not apologizing for that. She said every year Triple H seems to get stronger and stronger while Foley seems to get weaker. She said she miscalculated how far he has fallen into despair and misery. She said he’s a shell of his former self. She said he not only doesn’t measure up to her expectations, but he doesn’t measure up to his own. She said he recognizes with every step that he gets more feeble and pathetic. She apologized that she put him in that position since he can hardly even stand at all anymore. Foley just soaked it up and didn’t really react. She walked away. [c]

-A Smackdown commercial hyped Luke Harper vs. A.J. Styles for the no. 1 contendership for the WWE Championship.

-As Akira Tozawa came out for his match, Austin Aries replaced Saxton on commentary. The announcers on camera explained what happened between Tozawa and Brian Kendrick. They threw to a clip of Kendrick saying he gave Tozawa a chance to become something special in WWE, but he turned him down, so he had to be taught lessons. Clips aired of Kendrick attacking Tozawa and beating him by countout on 205 Live. He said he hopes he’s learning his lessons.

(2) AKIRA TOZAWA vs. NOAM DAR (w/Alicia Fox)

Cole hyped that the Fastlane Kickoff show will feature Kendrick & Dar vs. Rich Swann & Tozawa. Alicia Fox knocked Tozawa off balance on the top rope. A minute later, though, out of nowhere Tozawa ducked a Dar kick and then suddenly landed the “most sudden German suplex in the game,” as Graves put it, and then bridged for the pin.

WINNER: Tozawa in 4:00.

-Kendrick attacked Tozawa afterward and kicked his head into the ringpost. He said he hopes Tozawa is learning his lessons. [c]

-Backstage Joe approached Foley, who was looking sullen. Joe asked if he was having a nice day. Foley said he is not, and he hasn’t had a nice seven months as Smackdown G.M. He said time has a tendency to change all men. He said 13 years ago, he was Joe’s biggest fan, but now when he looks at Joe, he sees Triple H’s puppet. Joe said he’s nobody’s puppet and nobody tells him what to do. Foley said since he is G.M., he is telling him what to do because he has a match with Cesaro later.

[HOUR TWO]

-As Charlotte and Dana Brooke walked out, Cole talked about Charlotte having won 16 PPV matches in a row, so he concluded odds are she’d regain her title. That’s not really how those types of stats work. Charlotte said she has known that Bayley was playing the fans all along. She said she should have won the Academy Award last night. She said Bayley is like the fans, just average. She said Bayley is destined to be a one hit wonder like Vanilla Ice, the Cast from Twilight, Brett Favre, Buster Douglas. She seemed to be reaching for the name Aaron Rogers and just said, “Yeah, your quarterback.” She said Forbes didn’t name Bayley the greatest female athlete in WWE.

Bayley came out. Charlotte said, “Look who it is, the cheater herself!” She held up her belt and said the word she is looking for is “Champion.” She said she has defeated Charlotte three times now and her journey won’t end here. She said once one dream is achieved, it’s time to move on to the next one. She said her next dream is walking into WrestleMania as the Raw Women’s Champion. She pointed at the WrestleMania logo in the rafters. Charlotte said she is sick of hearing about Bayley’s dreams. She said WrestleMania is in 40 days, and before then she’ll regain what is rightfully hers. She offered to buy Bayley’s dad a front row ticket to watch her crush her dreams.

Banks walked out to her music. “Do you want everyone to have daddy issues, just like you?” Sasha asked. She told Charlotte that Bayley is everything she wishes she was. She said she has a lot of insecurities. Charlotte said she is impressed she’s not exhausted and out of breath from constantly stealing Bayley’s spotlight. Sasha said she’s tired of Charlotte’s stupid face. Bayley loved it as the fans began chanting “Stupid Face!” Charlotte said they have a tag match, but her protege Dana isn’t her partner. She pointed to the back. Out walked Nia Jax.

(Keller’s Analysis: There’s not a lot to say about this segment or the show so far. It’s one of those shows that’s reasonably fine for the most part, just reenforcing existing situations and filling TV time. That’s what this segment did. I’m still not thrilled that when Charlotte calls Bayley a “cheater,” that there’s actually something to her claim. She’s a heel and that shouldn’t be the case.)

(3) CHARLOTTE & NIA JAX vs. BAYLEY & SASHA BANKS

The bell rang 13 minute into the second hour to start this. Graves reinforced that Bayley cheated. “We all saw it,” he said. Bayley gave Banks a Bayley-to-Belly at ringside after she grabbed her leg inside the ring. They cut to a break at 4:00. [c]

Bayley got the hot tag at 11:00 and leaped onto Jax’s back. Bayley knocked Charlotte off the ring apron, then Jax surprised Bayley with a body check. Jax also knocked Sasha off the ring apron. Sasha dove at Jax, but Jax caught her and threw her onto Bayley. Jax then leg dropped Bayley for the three count.

WINNER: Jax & Charlotte in 12:00.

-Graves plugged the Seth interview later.

-Backstage Foley told Braun Strowman that he knows he wants competition, but he cannot deliver tonight. Braun said he wants a contract tonight. He said he can tell Reigns is going to break, so he wants a contract for their match at Fastlane so Reigns can’t tuck his tail and run. He said he wants Reigns’s signature or else. [c]

-Cole plugged that Owens joins Coach on ESPN Sports Center at 9 ET.

(4) LUKE GALLOWS (w/Karl Anderson) vs. BIG CASS (w/Enzo Amore)

Before the match, Enzo and Cass did their mic work. It seemed the crowd was less into this than any other Raw crowd. They were dying out there and their body language reflected that. The match then began. Back and forth big man power moves one after another, perhaps trying to wake up the crowd. Cass hit an early Empire Elbow, but then Anderson distracted Cass. Enzo attacked him at ringside. Cass gave Gallows a big boot for a sudden early clean three count.

WINNER: Cass in 2:00.

(Keller’s Analysis: That was too short. I mean, I get they don’t think these two will necessarily hold an audience for eight and twelve minutes, but that’s on the booking and presentation as much as the two wrestlers in the ring. But that made Gallows seems weak.)

-Cole encouraged fans to sign up for a free 30 days trial of WWE Network. Graves said that includes Owens vs. Goldberg and Reigns vs. Strowman at Fastlane. Yes, they’re advertising the match before they have a contract signed to make it official, apparently. Byron pushed the 75 trillion hours of programming including all of the Smackdowns dating back to August 1999. Cole said if they subscribe Thursday or after, they get both Fastlane and WrestleMania free. He said, “What are you waiting for? Head over to WWENetwork.com right now to subscribe.” Well, apparently we’re waiting for Thursday. That was a confusing plug. [c]

-They showed a clip from Facebook Live of Titus O’Neal and Sheamus at catering getting into an argument. Titus said after Joe destroyed Cesaro, he’ll need a new partner. Sheamus got up. Titus got upset he tried to leave like that as he was still talking. Sheamus shoved him into a table and Titus came up covered in food, perhaps brown pudding. Cole said Titus has been called a “brown noser” before.

(5) TITUS O’NEAL vs. SHEAMUS

Titus attacked Sheamus before the bell at ringside. Cole said if Titus could score a big upset win here, it could really help give him momentum. Graves said management has always thought Titus has big potential. Seconds later Sheamus finished Titus with a Brogue Kick.

WINNER: Sheamus in 1:00.

(Keller’s Analysis: There was a point where Cole was talking and he stammered and paused, as if he was being fed info on his headset. I’m curious if Vince McMahon made the call to cut this match short because the crowd was so out of the show and he just wanted to get past this match quickly. The sudden finish seemed to come before the announcers got through talking up Titus’s chances to make a statement with an upset win.)

-The announcers hyped Joe vs. Cesaro. Graves again plugged the Seth interview up next in the ring. [c]

-Graves stood in the ring and threw to a video package on Joe attacking and injuring Seth Rollins. Graves introduced Seth. Seth came out on a crutch to almost no ovation. It’s crazy how a certain arena and city can react so differently to someone than when he came out in Newark, N.J. for the Extreme Rules run-in. Seth looked like it was a struggle to even get to the ring. Cole said people wonder if in 44 nights, Seth will be in the ring at WrestleMania. He reminded viewers, as Seth continued his hobble into the ring, that he missed WM last year, too.

[HOUR THREE]

Seth and Graves each sat on director’s chairs mid-ring. Graves said, “Sounds to me like they missed ya’.” Not really. Graves asked him about rehab. Seth said it’s going okay. He said the tear in his MCL was more significant than the initial diagnosis. He said he hopes he can come back soon. “It’s medicine, not magic, so it is what it is,” he said. Graves said recovering from an injury can be as taxing mentally as it is physically. Seth struggled to find words and hung his head a bit. He finally said, “Corey, if I’m being honest, it sucks, dude.” He said he thought while lying in the hospital bid, “Maybe I deserve this.” He said two years ago he was standing in the ring at WrestleMania and held the WWE Title over his head. He said he’s been asking himself, “What did I sacrifice for that? Was it worth it?” He said he pointed so many fingers and made excuses and blamed everyone else. A “C.M. Punk” chant started. Wow. That’s rough. He said he told the world he didn’t sell out, he bought in. He said he should have known that Triple H would eventually stab him in the back. He said he let his ego get the best of him. There were random shouts of “boring.” Otherwise, silence. Graves asked him if he’ll be at WrestleMania. Seth paused, then said at this point it’s not looking great. He paused, then said it doesn’t look like doctors will clear him in time for WrestleMania. He hung his head. Graves seemed really sad.

Triple H walked out. Seth stood up and knocked over the director’s chair. Hunter smiled and strutted to the ring. He said he knows they won’t believe this because the fans think he’s heartless, but it really is good to see Seth. Joe then appeared on the opposite side of the ring. Hunter said Seth gave a bit of a wishy-washy answer regarding his WrestleMania prospects. Triple H said he will not be at WrestleMania. He said no matter what anyone tells him, if he knows what’s good for him, he won’t be at WrestleMania. Hunter asked if he’s just coming to the realization that he deserves this. He said he should have known what he was getting into. “Whether you call it selling out or buying in, you knew what you were getting into from the get-go,” he said. Hunter explained how he made him the biggest Superstar they had seen in a long time. He said Seth loved it and shoved the belt in everyone’s face. Joe made his way onto the ring apron. Seth turned and noticed, trying to track Joe’s position while listening to Hunter. Hunter said Seth bit the hand that fed him. He told Seth to man up and get over it. He said Seth is not the future, he’s part of the past. He’s just another washed up beat up Superstar who is worthless. He told him to salvage what little bit is left. He said he needs to make the right decision because this is the most pivotal decision he’ll make in his career. “Do not call me out at WrestleMania, because I am done playing with you, I am done warning you.” He said if he calls him out at WrestleMania, it will be the last thing he ever does in a WWE ring.

Seth said he told Stephanie he has nothing left to lose, and that is truer than ever. He said he’ll be at WrestleMania, and if it’s the last thing he ever does, it will be the last thing Triple H ever does. He threw down the mic and got within ten inches of Hunter’s face. They stared each other down. Seth’s music played as Triple H walked out of the ring. Cole said if Seth isn’t ready, no matter how determined he is, doctors won’t let him wrestle.

(Keller’s Analysis: Glad we cleared that up. Seth might show up, he might not. He might be cleared, he might now. This is what I first reported a few days after the injury – that the injury was ambiguous enough at that stage where they couldn’t rule him in or out, and that appears unchanged a few weeks later. If they knew he could wrestle, they’d advertise the match. If they knew he couldn’t, they wouldn’t likely go that far in hinting it might happen and they might shift Hunter to another opponent. I know this is a dead crowd, but if the reaction is any indication, I’m not sure it matters much whether Seth can wrestle or not. He’s just not over. He was terribly badly damaged by terrible bad booking after Finn Balor’s injury, and the mistake of not having him return as a babyface last May after his injury in the first place.) [c]

(6) THE BIG SHOW vs. THE SHINING STARS

(Keller’s Analysis: They’re doing this backwards. This match should have taken place before Show vs. Strowman took place last week.)

Primo offered Show a brochure. He wasn’t interested. He then chopped the Stars and set up a double chokeslam. They fought back. Show dropped to one knee briefly before catching Primo with a chop to the chest in mid-air after he leaped off the top rope. Show then gave Primo a KO punch causing Primo to practically DDT Epico. Show then gave Epico a chokeslam.

WINNER: Show in 2:00.

-They went to the announcers on camera. Byron threw to a video feature on Martin Luther King Jr. including Kofi Kingston, Titus, R-Truth, and Jason Jordan.

-Neville approached Tony Nese backstage and told him that the purpose of their match is to put Jack Gallagher in his place before their Cruiserweight Title match this Sunday at Fastlane. He said Gallagher is a sideshow act who made a mockery of their contract signing last week. He said he is the King of the Cruiserweights and he will remind him of why. Nese said he’ll do what is best for him, the Premiere Athlete. Neville glared at him and told him not to screw this up. [c]

-Cole threw to a video feature teasing the imminent return of Austin Aries to the ring. Regarding the video package, Aries said, “My package was huge.”

-Highlights aired from Raw last week of the contract signing with Gallagher and Neville.

(7) NEVILLE & TONY NESE vs. JACK GALLAGHER & T.J. PERKINS

WINNER: Gallagher & Nese when Gallagher made Nese tapout in 2:00.

(Keller’s Analysis: Predictable finish with Neville warning Nese not to screw this up before hand.)

-Cole threw to a video package on “Glamazon” Beth Phoenix being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. He said the story was broken by USA Today.

-Graves plugged Cesaro vs. Joe. [c]

-Backstage, Bayley was icing her neck and Sasha was rubbing her neck. Sasha told Bayley she meant no one deserves the title more than she does. Bayley said Charlotte always has a trick up her sleeve. Sasha said she’ll be at ringside for her match so she doesn’t have to worry about that. Stephanie walked up and asked if she heard right that Sasha is going to be in Bayley’s corner. Sasha affirmed it. Steph asked if it was because Bayley can’t get it done on her own or Sasha wants to share the spotlight? Steph said she’s giving her her own spotlight on Sunday as she’ll wrestle Nia Jax. Steph told Sasha to stop worry about Bayley’s back and worry about hers.

(8) CESARO vs. SAMOA JOE

Cole talked about this being the renewal of a “long-time rivalry” between these two. Graves said they’ve wrestled all over the globe. Cesaro powered Joe over with a salto suplex. That was a struggle. Cesaro began favoring his knee after a landing at ringside. The announcers drew a lot of attention to it. Joe went after the knee. [c]

Back from the break, Cesaro came back powering Joe over with a vertical suplex, despite the injured leg. Cesaro then set up the Cesaro Swing, but Joe blocked it. Cesaro stayed on offense and set up the Neutralizer. Joe backdropped out of it. Cesaro landed on his feet. Joe came back with a urinage out nowhere for the clean win.

WINNER: Joe in 8:00.

(Keller’s Analysis: This defined Joe as being largely at a competitive level with a mid-card journeyman tag wrestler, which is how Cesaro is portrayed. Having Cesaro “protected” by largely controlling the match with power moves other than when Cesaro was battling a fluke knee tweak, only to have Joe score a sudden clean win didn’t serve any purpose. Joe should be winning squash matches and creating wonderment what will happen when he’s in a one-on-one match against opponents with name value on PPV. Instead, I’d have had Joe early on see Cesaro tweak his knee, seize it aggressively and viciously, and end up DQ’d or getting a quick tapout. Then continue on the attack until Sheamus attempted a save, but have Joe take him out. Then do the Sami Zayn run-in and pull apart. Having Joe be “a Destroyer” instead of winning a “competitive match” gives him a better chance to be effective out of the gate.)

-Charlie Caruso asked Joe how he managed to have such a big impact on Raw in such a short time. He said the answer is simple – he came to Raw to hurt people. He said he just beat a freak athlete and seasoned veteran in Cesaro, but he is not him. He said this is a reminder to everyone in the back that it doesn’t matter what you accomplished or who you are or how much the fans love them, they are on notice. Out came Sami Zayn. They had a pullapart brawl,. Zayn dove off the stage onto Joe. They were separated again.  One of the security guys totally stole Mike Bennett’s TNA haircut.

-They went to the announcers who again pitched WWE Network subscriptions. Graves again plugged getting WrestleMania free if you sign up on Thursday or later. Byron then asked, “What are you waiting for, go to WWENetwork.com right now and sign up.” Cole then pushed the contract signing up next. [c]

-Graves said Foley just made it official that Sami and Joe will battle one-on-one at Fastlane.

-Foley stood mid-ring. He explained that the match was announced weeks ago, but now they are having a contract signing to make sure Reigns cannot back out. He said he doesn’t see a scenario where Reigns would do that. Strowman’s music then interrupted. They showed Reigns battling Braun last week on Raw after the Braun-Show match. Strowman told Foley that he brought the paperwork and pen, so his work is done, so leave or what else. Foley said he might not be long for his role as Raw G.M., he will respect what he has to say for as long as he is G.M. Strowman smiled and said there was a time he’d have stood in the ring and respected him back when he was competition, but Stephanie is right, “You’re not the man you used to be, you’re pathetic.” He told him he ought to leave, and he tells him with the tone that a “broken down suburban dad deserves.” Foley said he’s had enough of being talked down to tonight. Foley got in his face and said he will respect him as a legend. He said G.M.’s come and go, but WWE Legends live on forever. Strowman laughed. Foley said he will learn to respect him or else. Strowman knocked the mic out of his hand. The crowd woke up and chanted “Foley! Foley!”

Reigns’s music played and he walked out. Strowman turned to watch. They brawled at ringside and into the crowd. Reigns speared Strowman through the ringside barrier, which knocked down a security guy, too. A “Roman! Roman!” chant broke out from the “establishment majority” part of the crowd as he entered the ring. He lifted the folder with the contract. Strowman stood, “rising from the rubble” as Cole put it. Strowman asked if that’s all he’s got. Reigns hit him with a Superman Punch. Then he went for another spear, but Strowman threw him into the corner turnbuckle, and the buckle detached from the ringpost. A “Holy sh–!” sort of started briefly. Then a weak “This is awesome!” chant. Strowman raised his arms and strutted to the stage. He looked back at Reigns as Reigns sat up. Reigns then signed the contract. Graves said Reigns has to bring out the heavy artillery on Sunday.

FINAL THOUGHTS: There were mixed results with the anchor segments, with the Seth Rollins reception being the low point and perhaps the dead crowd chanting for Roman being the high point – at least in WWE’s view – but the filler was worse and more lackluster than usual. Not an energizing, stellar edition headed into Fastlane. They kind of seemed to run out of steam and are maybe looking ahead to next Monday which officially concretely starts the sole focus on WrestleMania. ###

NOW CHECK OUT THE PWTORCH LIVECAST POST-RAW EDITION: PWTorch Livecast Monday (02-27-17): Raw Post-Show with Wade Keller & Mike Chiari

PWTorch Livecast Monday (02-27-17): Raw Post-Show with Wade Keller & Mike Chiari