Raw: Feb. 1, 2016

Dean Ambrose confronted Brock Lesnar

Dean Ambrose tells Brock Lesnar he is ready and willing to take a beating at WWE Fastlane in order to earn a spot at WrestleMania.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Monday Night Raw kicked off in primo fashion, with Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman stepping into the squared circle to declare their intentions of getting into the fast lane on The Road to WrestleMania. Lesnar’s advocate went so far as to create an eleventh Commandment ahead of his client’s battle with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose at WWE Fastlane: “Thou shalt not intentionally provoke The Beast!”

WWE Fastlane preview: Lesnar vs. Ambrose vs. Reigns

However, if there’s a rule or edict made, Dean Ambrose will go out of his way to break it. The Intercontinental Champion strode to the ring and got right in The Beast Incarnate’s face. Ambrose said he wasn’t afraid of Lesnar, daring The Beast to take him to Suplex City, inviting Lesnar to inflict as much punishment as possible. The Lunatic Fringe brazenly stated that he would survive Lesnar’s worst at Fastlane and move onto WrestleMania and dethrone Triple H as World Heavyweight Champion. As Ambrose walked out of the ring, Lesnar and Heyman couldn’t help but smile, wondering if the Intercontinental Champion was as crazy as they say, or stupid enough to break their newly minted commandment.

United States Champion Kalisto def. Rusev by Count-Out (Non-Title Match)

With WWE Fastlane opponent Alberto Del Rio watching closely from the announce table, Kalisto tangles with Rusev.

Despite facing a severe disadvantage in size, the United States Champion showed little fear ahead of his battle with The Bulgarian Brute. Kalisto used his speed and agility to keep Rusev off-balance and get away before the furious League of Nations member could strike. However, Rusev found a hole in Kalisto’s game plan. When the Lucha Dragon took flight, diving over the ropes, The Bulgarian Brute made his landing a painful one, connecting with a devastating boot to the head.

With Kalisto’s WWE Fastlane opponent, Alberto Del Rio, watching from ringside, Rusev imposed his will on the United States Champion. Kalisto dug deep and found the will to continue, stunning the powerhouse with a tornado DDT off the ropes. Things looked bleak when The Bulgarian Brute caught a diving Kalisto at ringside, but the Lucha Dragon slipped out of Rusev’s clutches and sent him crashing into the barricade. The United States Champion beat the referee’s count back into the ring, but Rusev could not, giving Kalisto a big win. Del Rio tried to ambush his rival after the bell, but Kalisto exited quickly, leaving The Mexican Aristocrat fuming.

EXCLUSIVE: Del Rio is confident ahead of WWE Fastlane

The Usos def. Curtis Axel & Adam Rose

With Superkicks flying, The Usos clash with Curtis Axel & Adam Rose.

Though they were short one member (“Bo Rida” was busy laying down the spring’s hottest mixtape), The Social Outcasts were not short on confidence as they took on The Usos. Axel & Rose cut the ring in half, trapping Jey Uso in their corner and controlling the bout.

With the WWE Universe willing him on, Jey fought back and tagged his brother in. Jimmy eliminated the threat of Heath Slater at ringside with a well-placed superkick before stunning Axel & Rose, setting Jey up to connect with a top-rope splash on the “Radical Mongoose” for the victory.

View photos from the tag team encounter

AJ Styles silenced The Miz during ‘MizTV’

After The Miz reveals AJ Styles has no chance in WWE without his guidance, Styles unloads on the mouthy show host.

After taking some time to glorify himself, The Awesome One welcomed The Phenomenal One to “MizTV,” seeking to shed light on the incredible journey that brought AJ Styles to WWE. However, it wouldn’t be “MizTV” without The Miz pontificating. Styles could not get a word in edgewise on The Awesome One, as The Miz yanked the microphone away from him on multiple occasions before going on to compare Styles to his former NXT protégé, Daniel Bryan.

The Miz shamelessly offered his mentoring services to Styles. But, having suffered enough of Miz’s condescension, Styles tenaciously pounced on The Awesome One, pummeling The Miz and sending him scurrying from the ring. If The Miz was doubting whether AJ Styles could survive in WWE, that beating may have changed his tune.

See photos from 'MizTV'

Brie Bella def. Divas Champion Charlotte (Non-Title Match)

With WWE Hall of Fame father Ric Flair in her corner, Charlotte battles Brie Bella.

Fed up with Charlotte’s mockery of her injured sister Nikki, Brie Bella set out to teach the Divas Champion a lesson in the ring. Brie was ferocious after the bell ring, slowing Charlotte down with a series of staggering kicks. Charlotte had to resort to throwing her opponent to the arena floor to get a breather.

Charlotte sought to wear down her opponent, but Brie would not be defeated easily. Ric Flair tried to distract Brie, hopping up on the apron and strutting around. However, the Flair family’s excessive stylin’ and profilin’ proved to be Charlotte’s downfall. The Divas Champion took a little too long to apply the Figure Eight and instead found herself trapped in an inside cradle for the three-count, as Brie Bella walked away with a major win. 

EXCLUSIVE: When will Nikki Bella return to action?

Big Show def. Erick Rowan

After Big Show battles Erick Rowan he is forced to contend with the entire Wyatt Family.

Though The World’s Largest Athlete was scheduled to take on Erick Rowan in singles action, the specter of The Wyatt Family hung heavy over the ring, with Luke Harper and Braun Strowman stalking around ringside. Big Show kept the monsters at bay with the steel ring steps before battling Rowan. The disciple of Bray Wyatt tried to match power with Big Show, which turned out to be Rowan’s undoing. Big Show fought off Harper and Strowman before putting Rowan away with a chokeslam to win the match.

Though he won the battle, Big Show’s night only got worse. All three Wyatt Family members surrounded the giant, relentlessly pummeling him into the canvas. The beatdown continued at ringside, as the Wyatts swarmed the giant. The brutality reached its apex when Rowan and Strowman hoisted The World’s Largest Athlete up and recklessly slammed him onto the unforgiving steel steps. With last week’s brutalization of Kane still fresh in the WWE Universe’s mind, this pummeling went to show that no titan of the squared circle is safe from The Wyatt Family.

See photos of The Wyatts' devastating attack

Titus O'Neil def. Tyler Breeze

Tyler Breeze goes up against much larger opponent Titus O'Neil.

Prince Pretty may have been more concerned with Titus O’Neil’s status as an uggo before the bout, but Tyler Breeze was all business once the bell rang. The King of Cuteville unleashed his aggression on O’Neil, targeting the former Florida Gator’s knee. However, once O’Neil gets going, there’s no stopping him. Titus answered fury with fury, bulldozing over Breeze before planting him in the canvas with Clash of the Titus to seal the victory.

Photos: O'Neil vs. Breeze

Triple H came face-to-face with Brock Lesnar

While Triple H wonders if things are getting soft in Suplex City, Brock Lesnar declares he will see The Game at WrestleMania.

It seems as though no one wanted to heed the commandment Paul Heyman created at the start of Raw. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Triple H entered Brock Lesnar’s locker room and questioned why The Beast didn’t slaughter Dean Ambrose for being so brazen earlier in the night. Lesnar shrugged off The Game’s taunting, remaining laser-focused on his one goal – recapturing the championship from The Game at WrestleMania.

Dolph Ziggler def. Kevin Owens

After taking all the punishment Kevin Owens can dish out, a resilient Dolph Ziggler battles back in a tooth-and-nail fight.

Dolph Ziggler wasted no time in going after Kevin Owens, trying to superkick The Prizefighter right at the start of the bout. The Showoff attempted to go strike-for-strike with Owens, but paid for it at ringside, where Owens hurled him over the barricade into the timekeeper’s area.

Check out action-packed photos from Ziggler vs. Owens

Back in the ring, Owens seized control of the fight, hurling Ziggler chest-first into the turnbuckles and crushing him with a cannonball. Things looked bleak for The Showoff as Owens unleashed an onslaught of offense. Ziggler finally began to turn the tide of the bout after evading an attack, sending Owens shoulder-first into the turnbuckle. The resilient Ziggler battled on, but Owens nearly emerged victorious after a staggering superkick. The Prizefighter thought he had a win wrapped up as he sent Ziggler into the ropes for the Pop-up Powerbomb, but The Showoff jumped over his opponent and connected with the Zig Zag to pick up a well-deserved win.

Sasha Banks def. Becky Lynch by Disqualification

After Team B.A.D. implodes, Becky Lynch works together with Sasha Banks to fend off Naomi and Tamina.

Before her battle with Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks let the WWE Universe know that she is now on her own and gunning for Divas Champion Charlotte. Her former Team B.A.D. allies, Naomi and Tamina, came to the ring to let The Boss know that there were no hard feelings as their days as partners came to a close. The three said that though they may be rivals in the future, they would always be sisters.

Photos: Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks

Sasha and Becky, two longtime rivals, seemed to be evenly matched in the early moments of their match, but The Boss’ ruthless side quickly emerged. Sasha sent Becky to ringside, where Naomi and Tamina tried to come to The Boss’ aid. However, Sasha told her former teammates that she could defeat Becky on her own. Naomi and Tamina didn’t take kindly to the newly independent Sasha, yanking her out of the ring after a shoving match and stomping away at The Boss. The Irish Lass Kicker came to her rival’s aid, sending Naomi reeling with a few forearms. Sasha Banks may have been ready to break out on her own, but she rapidly found out that having an ally in your corner never hurts.

Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose def. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Non-Title Match)

Brock Lesnar delivers a crushing F5 to Dean Ambrose after the night's main event.

Seeking to drive a wedge between the close friends ahead of the WWE Fastlane main event, Stephanie McMahon put Reigns and Ambrose into this battle with the WWE Tag Team Champions. The New Day took time before the Raw main event to call out The Rock after last week’s memorable encounter. Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods promised that they would send a message to The Great One by leaving The Rock’s cousin and The Rock’s cousin’s best friend laying.

Reigns and Ambrose did not take The New Day’s threat lightly. The brothers-in-arms brought the fight to the WWE Tag Team Champions, forcing them to scramble out of the ring as The Big Dog loaded up for the Superman Punch. The New Day’s numbers advantage eventually paid off, as Big E gained the upper hand on Reigns, slamming him into the ringside barricade. The wily Ambrose briefly took control of the bout, but Woods dropkicked him to keep The New Day on offense.

See photos from Reigns & Ambrose vs. The New Day

The Lunatic Fringe finally tagged Reigns back in, sending The Big Dog on a tear through The New Day. Though Big E slammed him onto the announcer’s table, Reigns recovered to take out Kingston with a Superman Punch, leaving Ambrose to hit Dirty Deeds on Big E to earn the victory.

There was no respite for the friends after the bell, as Brock Lesnar burst onto the scene. The distraction from The Beast allowed The New Day to blindside Ambrose and Reigns. The fray took Reigns out of the ring, leaving Ambrose alone in the ring with Lesnar. The Lunatic Fringe felt The Beast Incarnate’s fury, as he crashed into the canvas thanks to a devastating F-5. Ambrose may have been unafraid of Lesnar at the start of Raw, but he might think twice before invoking Brock Lesnar’s wrath again as WWE Fastlane draws near.