RAW 1249: May 1, 2017

#### **4 vs. 4 Tag Team Match**

Alexa Bliss DDT’d her way into history last night when she defeated Bayley to win the Raw Women’s Championship, and on Raw, she proved it wasn’t a fluke. In fact, The Wicked Witch of WWE pinned Bayley again, though this time it was in an Eight-Woman Tag Team Match following a heated confrontation during Bliss’ “coronation” in Raw’s opening moments.

The match was initially scheduled as a straight-up tag team match, but given that the “Goddess” Bliss offended everyone, Emma, Alicia Fox, Mickie James and Dana Brooke were allowed to join the fray in addition to the previously-announced competitors.

Despite the presence of Nia Jax, Bayley rallied her team in a final blitz against Bliss, but things broke down fast when the women started throwing hands indiscriminately. Bayley's efforts to assist Sasha Banks in ejecting a feral Fox gave Bliss the opening she needed to pounce, raking Bayley across the eyes and once again executing a textbook DDT. The coronation continues.

#### **Dean Ambrose organized an Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender’s Match**

With Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor both impressing last night at WWE Payback, the field for the Universal Championship has suddenly gotten very crowded.

Both Superstars made it very apparent that their long-term goal is to challenge Brock Lesnar for Raw’s resident heavyweight title, as The Architect has never won it and Bálor was forced to relinquish it due to injury just 24 hours after becoming the first-ever Universal Champion.

Dean Ambrose was quick to break up the confab, claiming that he, as Intercontinental Champion, held the No. 1 prize on Raw and would be happy to defend it against either Seth or Finn. That brought out The Miz, who once again ran Ambrose down for The Lunatic Fringe’s perceived slights against what became Miz’s signature championship over the last year. So, Ambrose devised a simple solution: He called Raw General Manager Kurt Angle from the ring and got him to sanction a Triple Threat Match tonight between Rollins, Bálor and Miz, with the winner to be named his No. 1 contender.

#### **The Miz vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor**

One night after denying The Miz entry into The Bálor Club, Finn Bálor has joined the ranks of The A-Lister’s own club of vanquished foes.

Granted, the Irishman’s unwitting entry into that group was helped along by a third party that paid his membership fee, but the climax of Raw’s thrilling Triple Threat main event saw The Miz become the first man to pin Bálor in WWE, becoming the No. 1 contender to Dean Ambrose’s Intercontinental Championship in the process.

In fact, two interferences paved Miz’s road to victory: Seth Rollins was the third man in the Triple Threat and was on a roll among rolls when Samoa Joe crashed the match and flattened him with a Uranage on the outside. Rollins’ exit teed Bálor up for a run of offense that had him within a hair of the win, at least until Bray Wyatt showed up and blasted him with Sister Abigail, allowing Miz to pin Bálor and claim the victory.

## Results

1. Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Alicia Fox & Emma def. Bayley, Sasha Banks, Mickie James & Dana Brooke
2. The Miz (w/ Maryse) def. Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor to become No. 1 contender to the Intercontinental Championship