WWE Raw results, Jan. 7, 2019: Rollins challenges Ambrose in a Falls Count Anywhere main event

An impromptu Six-Man Tag Team Match ignites the first Raw of 2019.

On any given Raw in 2018, you could count on Seth Rollins to routinely steal the show and take control of the conversation. 2019 is shaping up to be no different: While John Cena and Drew McIntyre had the first word of Raw’s opening 20-odd minute Six-Man Tag Team Match by way of their confrontation at the top of the show, The Kingslayer wrestled the headline right out from under them by pinning Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose and setting himself up for another crack at The Lunatic Fringe’s title.

In fact, Cena’s role for most of the match was that of the underdog in peril, as his team’s opponents — Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley and Ambrose — battered The Cenation Leader until Finn Bálor bailed him out in the nick of time. The Irishman effectively reset the terms of the match, and Seth Rollins swung the bout back in his squad’s direction with a lengthy press against McIntyre. The Scottish Psychopath narrowly evaded what might have been the deciding Frog Splash from The Architect, setting up Ambrose to tag in and potentially pick the bones. But Rollins wriggled free of Dirty Deeds, administered the Stomp and scored the pin — a display Triple H agreed was close enough to the "old" Seth Rollins to give The Kingslayer an Intercontinental Title rematch later tonight in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. Not a bad showing for Seth Freakin’ Rollins, and there’s a lot of freakin’ show left.

With a horde of Superstars surrounding the ring, The Revival challenge Bobby Roode & Chad Gable for the coveted Raw Tag Team Titles.

When The Revival said they wanted to bring back the classic hallmarks of tag team wrestling, screwy losses were probably not what they had in mind. And yet, there Dash & Dawson were, once again falling short of Bobby Roode & Chad Gable’s Raw Tag Team Titles thanks to an officiating error that paired quite nicely with their loss a few weeks ago, when they were erroneously pinned by the wrong man.

In the ref’s defense, the end of the title match — contested under Lumberjack rules — was more than a little chaotic, as Scott Dawson and Chad Gable traded intricate rollups and backslides all the way across the ring until they found themselves on the edge of the ropes with Dawson in the cover. Roode, however, quickly made his move, flipping Gable into the advantage while the ref was occupied. Dawson’s foot landed squarely on the ropes, but the zebra didn’t notice and counted the 1-2-3 that kept the titles squarely in glorious hands. The Four Horsemen would be proud, though it’s fair to say Dash & Dawson probably saw themselves in the legendary swindlers’ shoes, and not the ones of the team they thwarted.

The Living Truth aims to settle the score with his bitter nemesis, The Lone Wolf.

It feels like Baron Corbin and Elias have been fighting each other forever, but believe it or not, the two Superstars have never had a one-on-one match before Raw tonight. They’re almost guaranteed to have a second one, though, because Corbin only defeated The Living Truth by way of some well-timed aggression and a ref who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time: Corbin went to throw Elias into the turnbuckle, and The Living Truth was forced to stop short rather than pancake the official. Elias’ moment of hesitation was enough for Corbin to rally from what was a fairly deep deficit and administer the End of Days. So the first time ever is in the books, but between the narrow win and both Superstars having declared for the Men's Royal Rumble Match, things might just be getting started.

The Monster Among Men hits the scene for a thunderous confrontation with The Beast Incarnate ahead of their anticipated Universal Championship Match at the 2019 Royal Rumble event.

Braun Strowman came to Raw expecting a face-to-face with Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. And technically he got one — The Beast and The Monster Among Men did, indeed, lock eyes, albeit with three ropes and 20 feet of distance between them. Truth be told, Strowman was lucky to even get that, as Paul Heyman pulled an old promoter trick — “Card subject to change” — to conduct the face-to-face from the safety of the backstage area while Strowman stewed in the ring.

The Gift of Destruction eventually goaded Lesnar as far as the outside of the ring, but The Anomaly was more curious than anything and didn’t seem all that motivated to cross the ropes and throw hands. It was a canny move by Team Brock to keep Braun’s emotions running high, though all their efforts to control the narrative might not mean anything if bell time comes at the Royal Rumble and The Beast suddenly finds himself woefully unprepared.

The intensely athletic Apollo Crews joins forces with The Shenom to battle WWE Mixed Match Challenge finalists Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox.

In hindsight, Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox’s unsuccessful attempts to get the Orlando crowd to meditate with them were, perhaps, an omen of things to come. In a rematch of the Mixed Match Challenge Semifinals, Mahal & Fox once again squared up with Apollo Crews & Ember Moon and found the result reversed thanks to a fast, house-on-fire effort from their opponents. Mahal and Crews found themselves more or less equally matched, but The War Goddess quickly sealed the deal upon tagging in by forcing Alicia into the corner and swooping down with the Eclipse.

The premiere of Alexa Bliss' talk show turns calamitous when Nia Jax and Sasha Banks confront Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey.

Oh, you thought it was going to be a literal moment of bliss? Not even close. The debut of Alexa Bliss’ talk show — the first ever hosted by a female Superstar — quickly turned into a game of bragging rights among the Women’s division and a question of who would next face her guest, Ronda Rousey, for the Raw Women’s Title. Rousey’s preferred opponent was Sasha Banks, much to the dismay of Bliss and, more importantly, Nia Jax, who stormed onto the ramp and attempted to bully The Boss to the back of the line. Sasha flipped the script almost immediately with the one-liner of this very young year: “B----, what line? There’s a ring right here, and I will face you right now. Winner faces Ronda.”

Not much else to say after that, is there?