Raw

RAW: December 16th, 2023

The Undertaker returns!! Big Contract Signing and Asuka faces Nikki Bella in epic clash + Ted DiBiase addresses Sam Rigleer and more!

#Raw

WRESTLEMANIA IS ONE WEEK FROM SATURDAY!

🔴 Bobby Lashley picks AJ Styles' WrestleMania Test: 10min*

At WrestleMania, Bobby Lashley will defend the WWE Title against Royal Rumble Match winner AJ Styles!

AJ Styles won two WrestleMania Tests, one against Omos and one against Seth Rollins.

Who did Bobby Lashley choose to be AJ's WrestleMania Test tonight? Will it finally stop AJ Styles' road to WrestleMania?

Well, it's The Hurt Business! Can AJ Styles topple the former champions in a handicap match?

🔻 BACKSTAGE: Seth Rollins is informed The Undertaker will be here tonight.

During an interview with Kevin Patrick, Seth Rollins receives the news that The Undertaker will be here tonight on Raw! Seth Rollins screams in laughter...

Patrick asks Seth Rollins if he regrets "burning" Kane during the Inferno match two weeks ago, then delivers the news of The Undertaker's presence. Seth Rollins nervously laughs after first saying he doesn't regret anything he did to Undertaker's brother.

🔴 AJ Styles vs. The Hurt Business - 2-on-1 Handicap Match: 8min*

AJ Styles defies the odds and defeats The Hurt Business to the angry look of the WWE Champion Bobby Lashley.

🔻 BACKSTAGE: Can Madcap Moss defeat Shinsuke Nakamura with one hand?

While having fun with Happy Corbin, Madcap Moss says he will defeat Shinsuke Nakamura with one hand no big deal.

Nakamura wants to test Moss' claim.

🔴 Ted DiBiase relishes in Sam Rigleer's misery: 9min*

Sam Rigleer and Ted DiBiase have been one of the all-time great factions to ever step foot in an FBW ring, but their team has fallen apart years ago when Sam Rigleer pursued his own interests on Raw while Ted DiBiase held the WWE Title briefly on SmackDown during the very first brand extension. Ted DiBiase would then exit WWE for personal reasons. Since then, Ted DiBiase and Sam Rigleer have never looked eye-to-eye, but several weeks ago on Raw's 15 Year anniversary, Ted DiBiase made his return to WWE for the first time in years for a one-on-one faceoff with a returning Sam Rigleer. The confrontation didn't go as planned when Ted DiBiase refused to rejoin Sam Rigleer to reform RRD, an ancient faction of Ted, Sam, and Roman Reigns. Sam Rigleer disputed the decision as a cowardly move and that Ted DiBiase just doesn't have "it" anymore.

And three weeks ago on Raw, Sam Rigleer offered one last chance for Ted DiBiase, claiming the two would either be together like old times, or Ted DiBiase must compete in the ring with Sam Rigleer to prove he still got it. Two weeks ago on Raw, Ted DiBiase Jr. made his entrance to deliver news that his father "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase will be inducted in the 2023 Hall of Fame Class, but during this dear announcement, Sam Rigleer launched a vicious ambush on DiBiase Jr., perhaps for ignoring the ultimatum set by Rigleer!

This past Monday, Sam Rigleer opened Raw to a round of mixed reactions to address his situation with Ted DiBiase as a way for him to "crave a path" to WrestleMania. Sam Rigleer argued that provoking DiBiase may be the way to force his hands into a match! After this address, Kevin Owens interrupted Sam Rigleer to deliver some news in regards to his own road to WrestleMania. This chat between Owens and Rigleer ended when the two agreed to have a match right there and then as a way to build momentum ahead of WrestleMania.

Sam Rigleer would then lose the match due to an interference from Ted DiBiase, thus handing Rigleer his first loss since returning to Raw.

This week, Ted DiBiase enjoyed every second of what he did to Sam Rigleer and revealed he's glad he finally got his hands on The Paramount Star.

🔴 Banks, Bliss, Naomi, & Shirai vs. Aliyah, Carmella, Doudrop, & A.S.H: 9min*

Before the highly anticipated Battle Royal for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania, multiple teams involved take part in an 8-person Tag Team Match!

Bliss & Banks, Naomi & Io Shirai capture the win!

🔴 AWE-MOS' Championship Celebration ends in total chaos: 14min*

Two weeks ago on Raw, AWE-MOS, a team that has dominated Raw ever since its formation, left the entire Raw locker room on notice when they crushed multiple teams at the same time in the same ring, including the then Raw Tag Team Champions Ziggler & Roode and The New Day.

Last week, AWE-MOS, The Miz & Omos, got a Championship match against The Dirty Dawgs where they become champions! Making Intercontinental Champion The Miz a double champion!

This week, AWE-MOS' Championship Celebration edition of Miz TV sees a chaotic ending when multiple tag teams ( Ziggler & Roode, New Day, Riddle & Theory) launched an attack on the champions. The Miz was able to escape but Omos was left in 6 on 1 mugging.

Unfortunately for The Miz his night didn't end there, as he got jumped from behind by a returning Demon King Finn Balor after weeks of mind games when he suddenly appeared behind The Miz when the lights went off.

🔴 Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Boogs vs. Madcap Moss w/ Corbin - Madcap Moss' hand is tied behind his back: 4min*

It all started due to an accidental punch from Happy Corbin to the face of Nakamura.

Three weeks ago on Raw, Nakamura & Boogs defeated Corbin & Moss which prompted Corbin to ambush Nakamura later that day.

Two weeks ago, Nakamura defeated Corbin's friend Madcap Moss. Then Corbin defeated Rick Boogs last week.

Shinsuke Nakamura defeats Madcap Moss after a great show of athleticism from Madcap Moss.

🔻 BACKSTAGE: Sam Rigleer viciously attacks Ted DiBiase.

After mocking him earlier in the night, Ted DiBiase felt the wrath of The Paramount Star who ambushed him from behind!

🔴 Did The Undertaker answer Seth Rollins' callout?: 9min*

Seth Rollins felt the wrath of The Brothers of Destruction during Raw's 15 Years Anniversary! Kane attacked him after weeks of Rollins calling out The Deadman. And The Undertaker continued the job later in the same night and at the Elimination Chamber premium live event.

Seth Rollins claimed he still wants to show the world that the vision he saw was true and will combat the force of The Undertaker who got in his way, to prove that his attacks have 0 effects on Seth Rollins and his journey.

Three weeks ago on Raw, Kane addressed Seth Rollins face-to-face when he delivered a message from The Undertaker that: "He'll see you at WrestleMania" Kane wasn't done there, and went on to deliver a chilling news to Rollins revealing that Rollins will face him the upcoming week on Raw on the "Road To WrestleMania"! The match later became an Inferno match.

Two weeks ago on Raw, Kane and Seth Rollins went to hell inside of a ring surrounded by fire from every possible direction. The two took each other to the limit before Mustafa Ali, Seth Rollins' Vision Enforcer, got involved.

Ali threw a fireball at Kane and helped Rollins pin him in the middle of the ring before sending him flying into the fire.

The Visionary delivered on his promise by burning Kane.

This past Monday on Raw, Seth Rollins said that burning Kane was a blatant warning sent to The Undertaker ahead of their clash at WrestleMania. He also mentioned that burying Kane last week was something he missed out on, referencing the Boneyard Match the two had at WrestleMania two years ago.

Seth Rollins called out The Undertaker after he heard the news of the latter being on Raw tonight.

He was unsuccessful. Did Seth Rollins get inside The Undertaker's head?

🔻 BACKSTAGE: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will be on Raw next week.

Three weeks ago on Raw, Kevin Owens took a week off to "figure things out" en route to the most stupendous event, and he returned last week to interrupt Sam Rigleer with a piece of must-see news.

Kevin Owens revealed that after long reflection he feels it's only befitting that he hosts a KO Show at WrestleMania in Dallas, Texas. His guest? WWE Legend and the Texas rattlesnake Stone Cold Steve Austin!

This past weekend, Stone Cold Steve Austin accepted Kevin Owens' invitation.

Tonight, Kevin Owens revealed that The Texas Rattlesnake Steve Austin was coming to Raw next week!

🔴 Nikki Bella vs. Asuka: 7min*

The WWE Women's Tag Team Champions The Bella Twins came to SmackDown this past Friday to confront their WrestleMania opponents from SmackDown, Asuka & Xia Li and Bianca Belair & Liv Morgan.

After a short back and forth, Nikki Bella slapped Asuka! But It didn't sit well with The Impress of Tomorrow who connected with a kick to the face dropping the champion to the ground!

Tonight, shades of the classic Royal Rumble moment of 2019, Asuka and Nikki Bella settle their differences on Raw just a few days before WrestleMania.

Asuka defeats Nikki Bella!

🔴 New Day vs. Ziggler & Roode: 8min*

They may have worked together earlier in the night to take out Omos, but the animosity between these two teams can't be left behind!

The New Day defeat Ziggler & Roode.

⭕ MAIN EVENT: Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair sign the contract to WrestleMania Match: 13min*

SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch and Raw Women's Champion Charlotte Flair were reminded three weeks ago on SmackDown that they can't co-exist because of their storied history when they lost to Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler in a Tag Team Main Event match.

Then two weeks on Raw, the two champions stood from across each other where they both pointed out each other's weaknesses and both claimed Rousey would beat the other at WrestleMania.

Last week on Raw, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch faced each other in a Women's Champions Showcase en route to WrestleMania but the match ended in a Double DQ when Ronda Rousey assaulted both women and laid them down and held both the Raw and SmackDown Women's Titles above her shoulders.

The Baddest Woman on the Planet Ronda Rousey revealed to the WWE Universe, this past Friday on SmackDown, that at WrestleMania her two championship matches against Raw Women's Champion Charlotte Flair and SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch will be merged into one Triple Threat Winner Take All for both titles!

Why? Because Ronda Rousey enjoyed seeing both Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch laying on the matt at the same time this past Monday on Raw when Ronda Rousey crushed the Women's Champions Showcase between Flair and Lynch!

This week, the three enemies sign the contract to make their Winner Take All official for WrestleMania.

Ronda Rousey stormed out of the ring after signing the contract signaling she's fed up with both women.

🔴 The Undertaker returns to put Seth Rollins down: 6min*

After the contract signing, Seth Rollins said Raw won't end unless The Undertaker showed up. And he did!

The Undertaker caught Seth Rollins off guard with a Tombstone Piledriver!

Mustafa Ali tried to defend Rollins but The Undertaker is just too frightening!