WWE Raw Results, Sept. 2, 2019: Bayley shocks WWE Universe with vicious assault

BALTIMORE — Things are pretty complicated as it is between Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman — they’ll battle over Rollins’ Universal Title and defend the Raw Tag Team Titles together at WWE Clash of Champions — but was shaping up to be a relatively straightforward contract signing quickly grew into something thornier when The O.C. interfered, leading to an impromptu tag team match between the two squads that highlighted both the strengths and weaknesses of the still-young pairing.

The impetus for the good brothers’ arrival was the frustration of United States Champion AJ Styles, the O.C. head honcho who believed he had a better claim to a title match than Strowman, who only had to glance at Rollins’ championship to get a match. (Adding to Styles’ frustration: As of yet, he has no challenger for Clash of Champions.)

The Phenomenal One voiced his gripes by tearing up Rollins’ and Strowman’s signed contract, and Strowman responded by flinging the table into AJ’s face, setting off a brawl between the two sides. In the ensuing matchup, Rollins & Strowman used a unique combination of speed and strength to claim the victory. The chemistry faltered beyond that, however, as Strowman inadvertently trucked Rollins in a post-match scrum, leading to a combined beating from the full O.C. and Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode, who will challenge Rollins & Strowman at Clash of Champions.

The 5-on-2 odds proved too much, as Rollins was dispatched with a superkick and Glorious DDT, while Strowman met his end with a super-sized Magic Killer and Phenomenal Forearm from Styles. To say the night ended in disaster for Rollins & Strowman would be an understatement, but perhaps there is a silver lining, and not just that they'll get a redo on the contract signing next week with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as the moderator: For all the lingering tension over their Universal Title Match, the shared beatdown might only serve to make them a stronger team in the long run. If nothing else, they’re each the enemy of each other’s enemy. And that might be more than enough.

Braun Strowman voices his displeasure to Universal Champion Seth Rollins over “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s decision to moderate their contract signing next week.

So, technically, there’s an asterisk attached to Baron Corbin’s win over Cedric Alexander in the King of the Ring Quarterfinals: Alexander ran afoul of The O.C. before the match, subjected to an unprovoked locker-room mugging that left him at far, far less than 100 percent, and that’s before we count any lingering damage the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion suffered at the hands of Cesaro last week.

But King Corbin cares not for technicalities. In fact, he exploits them: The Lone Wolf did not hesitate to target Alexander’s banged-up left arm, ramming him over and over into the ring post and leaving the high-flyer a step slower than usual. Corbin’s strategy of simply waiting for Alexander to leap into his clutches didn’t quite bear fruit for some time — Cedric simply kept kicking out, and he even turned the tables by ramming Corbin’s shoulder into the post to even the odds — but the would-be king’s patience paid off, as he tripped up Alexander in the ropes and quickly pounced with the End of Days to secure the win.

Should Corbin’s dream come true, and the crown rest on his shoulders, it will likely be a bitter pill for the WWE Universe to swallow, especially given Alexander’s condition. But the same ruthlessness that earns the fans’ scorn might well be what carries The Lone Wolf to the throne. It’s a real possibility now. Best we all get used to it.

Going into the King of the Ring Quarterfinals, it was apparent that longtime rivals Ricochet and Samoa Joe knew each other well enough to battle to a dead heat. What was not expected, perhaps, was that the two would quite literally cancel each other out: The pair’s showstopping quarterfinal battle ended without a clear winner, as a top-rope Coquina Clutch from Joe led to a backdrop reversal by Ricochet, and what referee John Cone ruled as a double pinfall after the two landed on top of each other for a three-count.

The ending was controversial enough on its face, but given the ferocity of the fight, it seemed particularly worrisome: It was hard to even find a throughline in the Superstars’ respective plans, as they simply threw everything they had at each other — including, in Ricochet’s case, their own selves. Luckily, Cone immediately got on headset to communicate with WWE officials behind the curtain, and a ruling was later reached: The double-pin did not lead to an elimination, and both would advance to a Triple Threat Match against semifinal qualifier Baron Corbin.

Baron Corbin is furious that he must face Ricochet and Samoa Joe in a Triple Threat King of the Ring Match, but he is prepared to take them both down at The Garden.

With all the talk about Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross, there hasn’t been a lot of people turning their eyes toward Bayley. That seems sure to change after the events of the first-ever Women’s Championship Showcase, which pitted Becky & Bayley — the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champions, respectively — against WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross in a match that Bayley promised would determine who was in whose shadow.

The match ended in a disqualification when Sasha Banks, who had been lurking ringside, attacked Lynch with a Backstabber, handing Becky & Bayley the victory. The Boss’ attempt to brutalize Lynch with a chair was quickly stopped by The Huggable One — or so it seemed, until after a long, pointed staredown, when Bayley flashed a sly smile at Sasha and turned the steel on The Man, raining down blows on Lynch’s spine as Raw faded to black. Why the lovable champion suddenly decided to commit such an act may yet be revealed in time. Suffice it to say, she wasn’t the one in anybody’s shadow.

After Raw goes off the air, The Hugger and The Boss embrace as they take glee in the sight of The Man crawling away following their attack.