Monday Night RAW Recap 2/20/23

Monday Night RAW comes to us live from the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa, Ontario, as the WWE stays up north after the PPV. The Elimination Chamber was red hot on Saturday, and Raw looks to build on it. Also, after beating the Judgement Day, Edge has answered the challenge laid out by Austin Theory for the U.S. Championship. Logan Paul made a surprise appearance to screw over Seth Rollins at the Elimination Chamber, could we see some answers from him tonight? Additionally, Lesnar and Lashley look to continue their feud and who knows what match they will put them in next. Let’s head over the top rope and get to some action.

The Opening

Sami Zayn opened the show coming off of his loss to Roman Reigns at the Elimination Chamber. As chants of Sami rain down on him in the ring, he expresses that he feels grateful but also feels like he let the fans down. He asked for Kevin Owens to come out to thank him and apologize for his actions over the past few weeks. Knowing that he can’t take the Bloodline down on his own, he asked for his help in this next chapter. Owens isn’t concerned about his gratitude. But says he only stepped in, so his family wouldn’t have to see and go through what his did at the hands of the Bloodline at the Royal Rumble. Owen then tells Sami that if he wants help, to ask his best friend Jey as he walks off.

Other Matches

Sami Zayn defeats Baron Corbin by pinfall
Mustafa Ali defeats Dolph Ziggler by pinfall
Asuka defeats Nikki Cross by submission
Seth Rollin defeats The Miz by referee stoppage
Bronson Reed defeats Chad Gable by pinfall

Cody Rhodes Promo

Rhodes took center stage to try to deliver a message to his WrestleMania opponent. Meanwhile, he was interrupted by Paul Heyman on the titan tron who was sporting a neck brace selling his injuries he suffered from Saturday. Heyman plays the mind game card as he pleads with him about the life he’ll have if he does become champion. The endless days on the road, the charity work, promoting WWE, etc. Heyman even goes as far as telling Cody that he’ll be there for his wife when he’s not. Riled up and now looking directly at the camera, Cody acknowledges Roman as the best and tells him to stop sending this man on his behalf. Even though Reigns might be the greatest champion, he has to finish the story and walks away.

Main Event

Fresh off of his title defense inside the Elimination Chamber, Austin Theory puts his belt on the line again. This time against Edge, who hasn’t held a title in the WWE in years. It was an evenly fast paced match in the beginning as both men tried to stay in the driver seat. Undoubtedly, Edge’s veteran smarts and awareness almost got him the victory if it weren’t for the interference from Judgement Day member Finn Balor. Attacking Edge from the apron with a kick to the face, Theory landed his finisher and got the win. Following the match, Balor stayed on the attack of Edge, beating him down in the middle of the ring. A lifeless Edge laid in the ring as Finn stood over him as the show came to a close.

Final Thoughts

There were some filler matches here and there that didn’t seem like they were going anywhere. Yet, overall, it was a good step in the right direction to WrestleMania. The path has been laid for a few matches. Additionally, we even got a match announcement for Raw next week. That is, Becky Lynch and Lita will face Damage CTRL for the Women’s Tag Team titles. The build for WrestleMania continues and there is no telling what could be in store for us moving forward to the date.