Big Show made a surprise return to in-ring action last night on WWE RAW to help Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens take on Seth Rollins and the Authors of Pain.
Last night’s edition of RAW featured featured Samoa Joe teasing a mystery partner against the aforementioned team. He then showed the partner to Kevin Owens behind a secret door later in the evening and KO was pleased with the choice.
When the reveal occurred before the main event, Big Show got a big pop from the crowd.
The match ended in disqualification when Big Show had AOP by the throat for a double chokeslam and Seth hit him from behind with a chair. The WWE legend got his revenge moments later, however, after hitting Rollins with a KO punch.
Big Show’s last match in WWE took place in November 2018.
During his time away from the ring, the 47-year-old filmed a Netflix series. The larger-than-life athlete previously said the show would drop on the platform around WrestleMania 36, therefore he’d like to wrestle at the event to promote the series.
As last night’s show was coming to a close, Vic Joseph announced next week’s show will feature a fist fight between Big Show, Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens against Seth Rollins and AOP.
Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa with fallout from the WWE TLC pay-per-view.
This will be the final live RAW of 2019 and the decade. WWE will also tape another episode of RAW tonight at the arena. The local start time is 5:45pm or 6:45pm ET. Matches advertised locally by the arena are Seth Rollins with AOP vs. Kevin Owens, plus Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles.
Styles vs. Orton is the only match WWE has announced for tonight’s show. WWE once again has not announced a RAW preview for the night except for what they posted below.
Seth Rollins broke bad in a major way on Monday when he allied himself with AOP. In essence, he became the villain the WWE Universe had been treating him as for some time. Whatever his reasons, however, The Architect is once again at the helm of a three-man group, and historically speaking, that makes him a difficult man to stop. We already saw what happened to Kevin Owens when he stood against Rollins & AOP on their first night. With a week under their belts, it’s already time to ask the question we’ll likely be asking for a long time: Can anybody stop them?
Matt Hardy was back on WWE television tonight for only the second time since April. After losing a fairly quick match to Buddy Murphy on RAW on November 25th, Hardy was defeated in another one-sided match by Drew McIntyre on tonight’s RAW.
Hardy’s WWE contract is reportedly up in late February of 2020. PWInsider recently reported that the biggest point of contention in contract negotiations is how will be used creatively going forward. The two sides are reportedly not that far apart on the final aspects of a new deal.
Following his loss to McIntyre, Hardy took to Twitter and noted that his “countdown to Arcadia has begun.”
“Still in my #RAW slump, I’m sorry. MORE ATONEMENT APPARENTLY,” Hardy tweeted earlier, followed by another post where he wrote, “I know the slump & losses won’t last forever, my countdown to Arcadia has begun. I will show up & do my job. We’ll get past this together.
“I’ve received so much love, support & sympathy tonight from the most vocal audience. Without you, there’s no me. THANK YOU ALL.”
I know the slump & losses won’t last forever, my countdown to Arcadia has begun. I will show up & do my job. We’ll get past this together.
I’ve received so much love, support & sympathy tonight from the most vocal audience. Without you, there’s no me. THANK YOU ALL. https://t.co/UN3vj33Xmy
Hardy also “liked” several tweets disapproving of the way he’s been used lately, which you can see below:
Matt Hardy’s current booking screams, “WE THINK YOU ARE LEAVING IN TWO MONTHS SO WE ARE GOING TO DEMEAN YOU AND MAKE YOU PUT OVER THE TALENT THAT IS STICKING AROUND”@WrestlingInc#RAW
Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee as the road to TLC continues.
For the third week in a row, WWE has not opened the day with an official preview for tonight’s show.
WWE has announced that tonight’s show will feature Seth Rollins issuing an apology to the red brand roster after last week’s apparent heel turn.
Charlotte Flair vs. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match has also been announced for tonight.