WWE Raw Match Ratings For 2/5/17 From Sean Ross Sapp

Elimination Chamber Qualifier
Roman Reigns defeated Bray Wyatt
6/10

• We get a couple of lame backstage promos to open the show.
• I liked Coach's playoff reference in regards to getting into the playoffs, and Wyatt's psycho stare in chinlocks. 
• I'll bring this up again. Some say dives aren't believable, but a former 3-time "world wrestling champion" not being able to sit out of a chinlock with no hooks in for a full minute is? 
• Reigns hits an impressive sitout powerbomb out of the corner. Then he got a ton of air on a uranage from Wyatt.
• Reigns using the WrestleMania sign like he's the Undertaker drawing power from the urn. It works, apparently, because he kicked out of Sister Abigail. Best 2.9 in the business.
• Spear gets the wins for Reigns. 
• Matt Hardy attacks Wyatt after the bell

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Backstage Crappenings

• Rollins and Jordan are backstage, with Rollins checking  on Jordan and showing a little unity.
• Sasha and Bayley are backstage, and Sasha declares her desire to be the first to beat Asuka. They touch on Sasha eliminating Bayley from the Royal Rumble, and Bayley says she can and has beaten Sasha, so maybe she'll beat Asuka too. The last line saved this.

 

Balor Club (w/ Luke Gallows) defeated The Revival
5.5/10

• The Revival come out and change this from a singles to tag team match in the form of a shitty written promo. It's good that in storyline, The Revival know where their strengths are.
• Karl Anderson is really getting a chance to shine as a babyface. A great knee, flying neckbreaker, spinebuster and dive to the outside hit. 
• Finn Balor wins with the Coup de Grace in about eight minutes.

Cedric Alexander & Mustafa Ali defeated Drew Gulak & Tony Nese
5.25/10

• Drake Maverick is on commentary, and they refer to him as "formerly Rockstar Spud."
• Gulak clotheslines a crotched Cedric Alexander, and doesn't get out of his way, causing Alexander to land on his shoulder. 
• Repeatedly interrupting your guest color commentator to get your "oh!" in.
• Alexander hits a crazy tope con hilo.
• Babyfaces win.

Angle and Alexa

• Angle comes out and announces Sasha Banks, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Mickie James and Bayley as Alexa Bliss' Elimination Chamber opponents.
• Nia Jax will face Asuka at the show, and get added to a title match at Mania if she wins.
• Alexa Bliss comes out and accuses Angle of being sexist because Brock Lesnar hasn't defended his title. This is going to work so many people. 

Asuka defeated Bayley
7/10

• Bayley and Asuka's forearm spot to Asuka on the top rope was good stuff.
• "Watch out Coach, or pretty soon you're gonna be doing afternoon radio locally." -- Graves taking a shot at Booker.
• WWE used the hard cam for Asuka's running ass to the apron, which is the right one. Bayley running Asuka into the barricade before the commercial was good. 
• Bayley with a nice Saito Suplex, but Asuka lands several kicks. Bayley moves out from an Asuka missile dropkick though.
• I've missed high level, important match Bayley.
• She flies off the apron into a knee from Asuka. Asuka threatens with her finish and almost gets pinned. Coach sells it really well on commentary.
• Flying armbar makes Bayley tap out. I enjoyed that a lot.
• Asuka shakes Bayley's hand.

Elimination Chamber Qualifier match
The Miz (w/ Bo Dallas) defeated Apollo Crews (w/ Titus Worldwide)
6.75/10

• Miz takes credit for Raw 25's ratings, which is perfect. 
• The match starts during the commercial, and comes back to see Apollo exhausting Miz with pin attempts. 
• Apollo has a beautiful spinning back elbow. And dropkick. And press slam. 
• The Coach bitching about a standing moonsault. Okay. Miz gets the knees up.
• Apollo catches the Miz's corner clothesline, overhead suplexes him and hits two standing star presses for two.
• Miz kicks Apollo's knee and crotches Crews. Skull Crushing Finale and a pin.

Raw Tag Team Championship
The Shield defeated The Bar (c) by DQ
7/10

• Before this match, Jason Jordan and Kurt Angle tell Seth Rollins that he can't compete tonight. Roman Reigns shows up and Angle gives his blessing.
• Rollins shows some great athleticism early, but goes into his suicide dive so slow, you could tell he was going to be caught.
• Reigns gets sent into the barricade as we go to a commercial. 
• The crowd is hot waiting for Rollins to be tagged in his hometown. They're selling Iowa's own shirts, too.
• Jason Jordan makes his way to the ring to help Rollins up. Rollins gets the tag and has a great hot tag that has a guillotine legdrop, springboard clothesline, slingblade and suicide dive that sends Cesaro into the crowd. He gets a two on a superplex Falcon Arrow. 
• Ripcord knee and a superkick set up a Shield Bomb, but Cesaro and Sheamus tried to leave. They attack Jordan, who fights back and gets Rollins and Reigns DQ'd.
• Seth Rollins goes off backstage and says he wished he'd hurt Jordan himself. Angle tells Jordan to go home until he's cleared. 

Nia Jax defeated jobber

• Nia Jax is going to get a steady diet of jobbers. She sold like shit for this one.
• Either way, she had an awesome press slam and won with a leg drop.
• She says she'll beat Asuka

Mickie James defeated Sonya Deville (w/ Absolution)
5.75/10

• Absolution took away Sonya Deville's shine away during her entrance. This would have been a good way to highlight Sonya.
• Six women's segments and three matches. Good stuff
• Mickie James has had jeans customized into flappy attire.
• They sell Mickie James landing a big strike that really stumbles Sonya. Playing stuff like this goes a long way. Nobody should want to stand up with Sonya, but if they're able to catch her, it changes the match.
• Sonya counters a corner huracanrana with a swinging powerbomb, then destroys Mickie with knees. 
• Mickie catches Sonya with a pin and gets beaten up.
• Alexa makes the save. I'd imagine she's trying to make friends before the Chamber. 

For the sixth Elimination Chamber entrant
Elias defeated John Cena and Braun Strowman
6.25/10

• They announce a "last chance qualifier" for the Elimination Chamber match, and I'm positive it will be wild.  
• Braun Strowman should win this match to be the last Elimination Chamber entrant, then as soon as the match starts, punch his way out of the pod anyway. 
• Elias and Cena team up on Strowman, who takes his great bump outside. 
• Cena hits Strowman with an AA on the stairs after Elias cracks Braun with a guitar!
• Strowman powerslams Cena, but Elias pushes him outside and gets the pin on Cena!
• Strowman powerslams both to go off the air. The crowd wants one more to Cena and he obliges.