December 31, 2018 Monday Night RAW results

The December 31, 2018 Edition of RAW is a Professional wrestling television show of the WWE's RAW brand, which took place on December 28, 2018 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
==Summary==
Dolph Ziggler's decision to bring Drew McIntyre back to WWE brought him two championships, a revitalized sense of purpose and one of the most successful years of his career. But that friendship fell out, and on New Year's Eve, The Showoff reaped what he sowed, as the man Ziggler took with him to Raw in the Superstar Shake-up snuffed out The Showoff's best efforts and left him laying in more ways than one at the end of Steel Cage Match.
Ziggler looked excellent in defeat, leading to a far more dignified New Year's Eve than his infamously messy 2012 finale, but that's cold comfort for a Superstar who went into the match with a solid, impressively executed game plan that even came with a crucial contingency: After attempting to out-brawl The Scottish Psychopath in grueling and unsuccessful fashion, Ziggler switched tactics and went for the escape. But that landed him a superplex off the cage, and despite Ziggler executing a quick-strike Zig Zag that served as a last best shot, McIntyre dropped his former partner with a lights-out Claymore that bulldozed The Showoff clean off his feet.
The Scottish Psychopath refused to cover his opponent for three until after he'd administered a second Claymore more or less for fun, but he saved the true demonstration for after the match when Ziggler goaded his former partner into a heinous post-match assault that ended in a chair-assisted kick to The Showoff's head. (Ziggler later made it back to his feet one more time and received a third Claymore for his efforts).
The story of Drew McIntyre in 2018 was one of reintroduction to an audience and a locker room who forgot who he is or perhaps never had the chance to learn in the first place. He even reminded the audience on the mic for good measure after the match. But with a Men's Royal Rumble berth secured and a potential Universal Title Match on his mind, 2019 is looking to be a very different story: Everyone knows who he is now. The question at this point is if anyone can stop him.
An impromptu performance review was likely not the way Seth Rollins wanted to close out the hottest year of his career, but there The Kingslayer was, staring down Triple H in a confrontation with the man who had gone from his biggest benefactor to his harshest critic.
The Game was less than impressed that Rollins was asking for his Intercontinental Title rematch — both because automatic rematch clauses are a thing of the past and because Triple H wasn't sure Rollins was entitled to anything, no matter how many classics he had put on in 2018. (For the record, it was a lot). What The King of Kings wanted was his old ruthless protégé back, and Rollins obliged with a furious promise to burn his way through Bobby Lashley (his opponent tonight), Dean Ambrose, and anybody up to and including Brock Lesnar and the entire McMahon family, should they get in his way.
With Rollins revving up, Shane McMahon arrived to cool things down and clear the ring for the “Fresh Start Battle Royal” that would determine Ambrose's next challenger for the Intercontinental Championship.
Few Superstars could benefit from a fresh start better than Apollo Crews, who has made a double-edged name for himself as a Superstar with limitless potential and limited accolades to show for it. Fittingly enough, Crews earned the chance for just such a reset by winning the appropriately-named “Fresh Start Battle Royal” to earn an Intercontinental Title Match against Dean Ambrose.
He didn't exactly run through a field of also-rans to do it, either: Finn Bálor and Baron Corbin were the big-name contestants in the melee, but all of Crews’ opponents had displayed flashes of brilliance throughout 2018, from championship reigns (The B-Team) to viral sensations (Titus O’Neil) to impressive Open Challenge appearances (Tyler Breeze and Mojo Rawley). Even the still-winless Curt Hawkins had a claim to fame, and to a man, they were all hungry to reach the next level.
And almost to a man, they were eliminated by Crews. Apollo notched eight tosses in the bout before Corbin took over and thinned the field by tossing Bálor, Zack Ryder (fighting hard in what was, remarkably, his first Raw match of the year) and, finally, Hawkins. Crews picked up right where he left off, though, earning the victory by catching the surging Corbin with two step-up enziguiris to notch his final elimination.
The Intercontinental Title has long been considered the championship of the workhorses or the proverbial next-guy-up. Apollo Crews has been both of those for a while; perhaps this is the night his number finally gets called.
Baron Corbin found out, albeit begrudgingly, that Elias will be getting a fresh start of his own one way or another when the guitarist interrupted Corbin's venting session after the Fresh Chance Battle Royal (in his defense, being GM-Elect does seem like a thankless job) to take the disgraced former General Manager-Elect to task. Corbin tried to throw hands, but Elias answered in savage fashion, beating The Lone Wolf about the ring and driving a production crate into his ribs. Corbin beat a hasty retreat, while Elias was understandably all smiles: His 2018 was defined, for the most part, by falling inches short of a major victory. But if tonight was any indication, he'll be starting the new year off right.
With the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships on the horizon, the various Superstars of the Team Red Women's division are looking to get ahead of the competition. And, for all the ups and downs of their 2018, The Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection are still the team to beat: The duo teamed with Ember Moon to earn their second consecutive Six-Woman Tag Team victory, this time against the close-knit trio of The Riott Squad (who are planning to Freebird any potential Women's Tag Titles they might win, according to Renee Young on commentary).
The Squad, as always, gave as good as they got, inching toward victory off the back of some impressive tandem maneuvers and an MVP performance from Sarah Logan, who was such a one-woman wrecking crew that Ember Moon had to take out both Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan at ringside to create a numbers advantage. The Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection made short work of the outnumbered Logan, dropping her with the one-two of a Backstabber and top-rope elbow drop. It was a big win, with one interesting wrinkle: All six Superstars are scheduled to compete in the Women's Royal Rumble Match. In other words, they might be partners down the stretch. But before then, it'll be every woman for herself.
Give Seth Rollins credit for knowing his audience of one: He didn't win the match Triple H gave him against Bobby Lashley, but The Kingslayer went for the next best thing and beat The All Mighty all across the Detroit city limits in a display that could only be called ruthless if one was going for understatements.
That Lashley technically got the win via disqualification will likely be little comfort to him since he came off as a Superstar who clearly messed with the wrong guy at the wrong time. Lio Rush got involved twice in the middle of the match — he and Lashley were all business and taking no chances; The All Mighty didn't even pose — and when Rush attempted to interfere a third time, Rollins chased him down only to be blindsided by the former ECW Champion. And then, Rollins, rather than win the match, opted to give Triple H the ruthlessness he demanded, whaling on Lashley and Rush with a steel chair — cue the disqualification — before flattening The Man of the Hour with a Stomp. It wasn't a display befitting the marathon man of 2018, but it was very similar to the heartless marauder of years past. And if the Raw Superstars thought workhorse Seth Rollins was a handful, just wait till they have to deal with the other guy all over again.
Rhyno's back, but the honeymoon for him and Heath Slater was short lived. Jinder Mahal and The Singh Brothers — the same trio that Rhyno humiliated during his Yuletide return last week — got their payback against Beauty and The Man Beast in a 3-on-2 Handicap Match, despite an all-world effort from the hometown hero. Rhyno pretty much singlehandedly dismantled the trio, but the numbers game proved too much to overcome. A misdirection here, an interference there, and Rhyno found himself caught in the Khallas when The One-Man Band leapt off the apron to dispel a meddling Singh. It's good to have Rhyno back in the fold for several reasons, though clearly his tag team's fresh start won't come quite so easily as replenishing their ranks.
Dean Ambrose is still the Intercontinental Champion, but just barely. Faced with a house-on-fire effort from Apollo Crews, The Lunatic Fringe did not so much win as survive against a Superstar who seemed hellbent on smashing through the glass ceiling at any cost.
Crews came out swinging — or rather kicking, blasting Dean with the double boots straight out of the bell and forcing the champion to go slightly dirty by throwing his foe into the steel steps. With Crews still smarting from the effects of the Battle Royal earlier in the night, that was enough to slow his momentum, but Ambrose couldn't close, and the challenger slowly but surely crawled back to the advantage.
Now closing in on the title, Crews emptied his arsenal in lightning-quick fashion, from superkicks to suplexes to an astounding standing shooting star press. Ambrose narrowly escaped defeat by reaching the ropes following a standing sit-out powerbomb, but Crews continued to press until he made his only mistake of the match, whiffing on a frog splash when Ambrose rolled out of the way. The champion quickly pounced with Dirty Deeds to retain his title, and while this likely wasn't the fresh start Apollo Crews wanted, he may well look back on this night as something just as valuable: a first step.
==Results==
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*Drew McIntyre defeated Dolph Ziggler in a Steel Cage Match
*Apollo Crews defeated Baron Corbin and Bo Dallas and Curt Hawkins and Curtis Axel and Finn Balor and Gran Metalik and Kalisto and Konnor and Lince Dorado and Mojo Rawley and No Way Jose and Titus O'Neil and Viktor and Zack Ryder in a #1 Contendership Battle Royal for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
*Bayley, Ember Moon & Sasha Banks defeated The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott & Sarah Logan)
*Bobby Lashley (w/ Lio Rush) defeated Seth Rollins by DQ
*Jinder Mahal & The Singh Brothers (Samir Singh & Sunil Singh) defeated Heath Slater & Rhyno in a Three On Two Handicap Match
*Dean Ambrose (c) defeated Apollo Crews to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
*Natalya & Ronda Rousey defeated Nia Jax & Tamina
*Dark Match: Dean Ambrose (c) defeated Seth Rollins in a Steel Cage Match to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
===Battle Royal Eliminations===
Wrestler 	Eliminated by
No Way Jose 	Apollo Crews
Viktor 	Apollo Crews
Titus O'Neil 	Gran Metalik, Kalisto & Lince Dorado
Gran Metalik, Kalisto & Lince Dorado	Finn Balór
Bo Dallas 	Apollo Crews
Curtis Axel 	Apollo Crews
Konnor 	Apollo Crews
Mojo Rawley 	Apollo Crews
Tyler Breeze 	Apollo Crews
Finn Balór 	Baron Corbin
Zack Ryder 	Baron Corbin
Curt Hawkins 	Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin 	Apollo Crews
==Other on-screen talent==
;Commentators
*Michael Cole
*Renee Young
*Corey Graves
;Interviewers
*Charly Caruso
*Dasha Fuentes	
;Ring announcer
*JoJo
;Referees
*Darrick Moore
*Danilo Anfibio
*Mike Chioda
*Shawn Bennett
==Image Gallery==
===Drew McIntyre v Dolph Ziggler===
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===Triple H confronted Seth Rollins===
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===WWE Intercontinental Title #1 Contendership Battle Royal===
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===Elias confronted Baron Corbin===
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===Bayley, Ember Moon & Sasha Banks v The Riott Squad===
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===Bobby Lashley v Seth Rollins===
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===Jinder Mahal & The Singh Brothers v Heath Slater & Rhyno===
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===Dean Ambrose v Apollo Crews===
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===Natalya & Ronda Rousey v Nia Jax & Tamina===
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==See also==
*Monday Night Raw
*The show's venue details
==External links==
* Raw #1336 results
* Raw #1336 at WWE.com
* Raw #1336 on WWE Network
Category:2018 television events
Category:Events with Steel Cage matches
Category:Events with Handicap matches