RAW 1301: April 30, 2018

The Boss battles Ruby Riott as Bayley looks on from the locker room area. With Ronda Rousey by her side, The Queen of Harts takes on the nefarious six-time Women's Champion, who is joined at ringside by Alexa Bliss.

## Ruby Riott vs. Sasha Banks

Sasha Banks and Bayley’s careers have been intertwined for several years, but Banks’ battle against a numbers game on Raw was more notable due to The Huggable One’s absence. Faced with radio silence from Bayley, Banks had resolved herself to go it alone against Ruby Riott on Raw, despite the ringside presence of Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan that all but guaranteed a 3-on-1 disadvantage for the former Raw Women’s Champion.

Sure enough, the rest The Riott Squad got involved — slowly first, then all at once. It began with a minor interruption from Logan that took Sasha’s eye off the ball, then another one that distracted the official so Morgan could free Ruby from the Bank Statement. The Boss had no choice but to take out Morgan (with a Meteora from the apron) and Logan (with a kick to the face) before turning back to Ruby, but Riott had used her recovery time wisely: She waited until The Boss was perched atop the turnbuckle and unleashed a pinpoint Riott Kick to knock Banks to the mat and earn the win.

For what it’s worth, Bayley was well aware of all this, as she was shown watching the match backstage. As (rightly) confident as Banks is in her own abilities, it’s fair to say she could have used a hand tonight.

## Baron Corbin vs. No Way Jose

All things considered, the most enduring moment from the Greatest Royal Rumble Match may well have been Titus O’Neil’s accidental, full-steam slide underneath the ring during his entrance. Baron Corbin, who thinks that “to make money, you can’t be funny,” wasn't quite so impressed. But he learned that being a spoil-sport doesn’t exactly help your win-loss record when The Big Deal came calling during Corbin’s match with No Way Jose.

Having already equated The Dominican Dancing Machine’s conga line with O’Neil’s selfless desire to entertain, Corbin promised an evening no one would laugh at, and he was in the midst of punishing Jose accordingly. The arrival of O’Neil threw The Lone Wolf off his game, and when Titus — clearly taking his viral moment in stride — made a show of falling off the apron, Jose pounced on a smug-looking Corbin with a roll-up. Having apparently successfully played possum, Titus sprang to his feet and conga’d his way back up the ramp with Jose, Apollo Crews and Dana Brooke.

If nothing else, Titus clearly has a good sense of humor about his new viral standing (and, if his new T-shirt is any indication, maybe being funny isn't such a bad strategy.) In any case, plenty of people were laughing with him at the end of the match. Baron Corbin just wasn’t one of them.

## Mickie James vs. Natalya

Last week, Mickie James technically won a match for her team via disqualification, but she had to take an armbar from Ronda Rousey to do it. This week, The Baddest Woman on the Planet proved to be a nightmare once again for the six-time Women’s Champion, though she never laid a hand on James. Instead, she set her sights on Alexa Bliss, who was backing Mickie up during her match against Natalya.

Acting in her capacity as Natalya’s enforcer for the match, Rousey pursued Alexa frantically around the ring when Bliss tried to interfere, and Natalya took advantage, rolling Mickie up for a quick win that Bliss was powerless to stop. Alexa seemed to be in safe harbor at the top of the ramp, at least until Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax appeared to send her WWE Backlash challenger sprinting into the crowd. The Irresistible Force ended the night with a show of solidarity by raising Natalya and Rousey’s hands in the ring — though noticeably, not before sizing up Ronda.

## Results

* Ruby Riott (w/ Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan) def. Sasha Banks
* Natalya (w/ Ronda Rousey) def. Mickie James (w/ Alexa Bliss)