Last week's episode of WWE Raw saw Buddy Murphy join forces with Seth Rollins and The Authors of Pain against Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and The Big Show. This week's episode will see the fallout of this decision, more build-up to the upcoming Royal Rumble event this Sunday, and some blockbuster matches that will have huge implications for the show moving forward.
On this episode of Raw, fans will get to see Becky Lynch go one-on-one with Kairi Sane in preparation for her match with Asuka at the Royal Rumble. Drew McIntyre will take on Randy Orton in singles action, and we'll finally see Liv Morgan and Rusev team up against Bobby Lashley and Lana in a Mixed-Tag Team Match.
The headlining match for WWE Raw 1/20/2020 is a Ladder Match between Andrade and Rey Mysterio. Andrade's United States Championship is on the line, and considering how rare it is to see a Ladder Match on Raw, this episode is can't-miss for WWE fans.
We will update this post as WWE Raw 1/20/2020 progresses with results and details on any major storyline developments.
1. The Viking Raiders Joined Forces With Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens
Raw started by following up on the fallout from the 1/13/2020 episode of Raw. Rollins officially accepted Buddy Murphy into his new stable, only to be interrupted by Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens. Joe and Owens then revealed that they had some reinforcements in the form of The Viking Raiders to help even the odds.
2. Ladder Match for the United States Championship: Andrade (c) w/ Zelina Vega vs. Rey Mysterio
Winner: Andrade. It's been 13 years since we've had a Ladder Match on Raw, so there was a great deal of hype for this match, and it's fitting that it took up most of the first hour. It had usual ladder match spots, but with a high-flying twist thanks to the competitors involved. Andrade took a hurracanrana off the top and hit his neck on a ladder on the mat, and that was just the first of many painful-looking bumps. Andrade also suffered a sunset flip powerbomb off the ladder in the center of the ring onto the ladder set up in the corner. Everything got a huge reaction from the crowd, with Andrade getting a lot of heat for emulating Eddie Guerrero and Mysterio's 619 getting an incredible pop.
At one point in the match, Mysterio ended up hanging on to the title belt and was suspended above the ring. Andrade attempted to yank him down, only for Mysterio to drop purposefully and attempt a hurracanrana. There was a miscommunication though, and Mysterio landed right on his head. If Mysterio isn't concussed after that, it would be surprising.
Despite this potential injury, Mysterio managed to get the advantage over Andrade and had a clear path to the title belt. However, Zelina Vega interjected herself in the match, sitting on top of the ladder to block Mysterio's progress. This allowed Andrade to attack Ray and hit him with his finishing move through a ladder. Andrade was then able to pull down the US Championship and win the match.
Afterwards, Andrade attempted to injure Mysterio by DDT-ing him on the concrete like he did to Humberto Carillo a few weeks ago. However, a "fan" jumped the barricade in a Mysterio mask, revealing himself to be Carillo in disguise. Carillo attacked Andrade and saved Mysterio from further punishment.
Grade: A
3. Aleister Black vs. Local Competitor
Winner: Aleister Black. Black Mass. Black wins.
Grade: C
4. Paul Heyman Explained Why Brock Lesnar is Entering the Royal Rumble
It doesn't make a lot of sense that Brock Lesnar is entering the Royal Rumble match, but Paul Heyman offered a bit more explanation this week. Apparently, Brock doesn't think anyone is deserving of a title shot, and so he is going to start the match at #1 to eliminate them all. Ricochet came out to stand up to Brock, but got a kick in the crotch for his troubles.
5. Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton
Winner: N/A. The first half of the match was pretty low-key, but things picked up considerably when McIntyre missed a Claymore Kick on Orton on the outside and took out a ringside attendant. The crowd was hot from that point on, and the match itself was quite entertaining. McIntyre hit Orton with absolutely vicious chops in the ring, and Orton countered a Claymore Kick attempt with a picture-perfect snap suplex. Orton and McIntyre hit their signature moves and the crowd even became solidly behind McIntyre at one point, but then the fun was ruined by The OC. AJ Styles, Gallows, and Anderson stormed the ring and attacked McIntyre, so the match was thrown out.
Randy Orton saved McIntyre with a steel chair and the two briefly worked together to rid the ring of The OC. Orton then betrayed McIntyre and laid him out with an RKO, but McIntyre warned that he would be getting revenge at the Royal Rumble on Sunday.
Grade: A-
6. Becky Lynch vs. Kairi Sane w/ Asuka
Winner: Becky Lynch. Asuka sat on the top turnbuckle for most of this match, which was amusing, but the match itself wasn't all that great. It was slow and sluggish, leaving one to wonder if perhaps Kairi Sane hasn't fully recovered from her TLC 2019 injuries. There were also some clear miscues, with Lynch having to make an audible on at least one occasion. In any case, Lynch got the submission victory over Sane with the Dis-Arm-Her, but suffered a beatdown at the hands of Asuka afterwards.
Grade: C-
7. Raw Tag Team Championship Match: The Viking Raiders (c) vs. Buddy Murphy and Seth Rollins
Winners: Buddy Murphy and Seth Rollins. Buddy Murphy may have lost his feud with Aleister Black, but just a week later and he's a tag team champion. This match was easily the best Viking Raiders match on Raw in quite awhile, and Rollins and Murphy have great chemistry. There were multiple false finishes where it appeared like The Viking Raiders were going to retain, but Rollins was always there to break-up the pin. WWE didn't just give Murphy a power boost now that he's getting a push, which is a refreshing change of pace. Rollins also isn't being nerfed because of his heel, which is good to see as well.
The finish of this match was really well done. Rollins pushed Ivar off the top rope to the floor, and then Murphy nailed Erik with a stiff knee. Erik fell into the bottom rope, so the referee held Murphy back. The distraction allowed Rollins to hit Erik with a Curb Stomp on the apron, which was enough for Murphy and Rollins to win the titles.
Grade: A-
8. Monday After the Weekend Update
These segments are never funny and continue to not be funny this week. Nothing of note happened here.
9. Erick Rowan vs. Matt Hardy
Winner: Erick Rowan. Rowan's path of destruction has upgraded from local jobbers to Matt Hardy. Sadly, Matt Hardy didn't put up much of a fight even compared to the local competitors Rowan has been squashing, and he was defeated with an Iron Claw in no time at all.
Grade: C-
10. Mixed-Tag Team Match: Bobby Lashley and Lana vs. Liv Morgan and Rusev
Winners: Bobby Lashley and Lana. Poor Rusev just can't get a win in this feud. The stuff with Morgan and Lana was entertaining but sloppy, and there were some miscues. At the end of the match, Rusev had to do his taunt twice because Lana wasn't in the right position. The finish came when Lana hit Rusev and allowed Lashley to take him out with a Spear. Not exactly a technical showcase, but the match wasn't boring.
Grade: B-