WWE Raw results: Roman Reigns wins WWE title from Sheamus a day after TLC loss despite Vince McMahon return
The return of Vince McMahon couldn't prevent Reigns from defeating the Celtic Warrior and ending 2015 on the ultimate high
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Your support makes all the difference.On the heels of a TLC pay-per-view in which Roman Reigns snapped and crossed the line by attacking COO Triple H with a steel chair before putting him through a table and finishing him off with a massive spear, World Wrestling Entertainment hit the USA Network, live from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, writes Eric Beaston for Bleacher Report.
How would The Authority address Reigns, and what sanctions or repercussions would the juggernaut have to face as he arrived in the City of Brotherly Love for Monday's broadcast.
Speaking of brotherly love, Reigns' closest friend Dean Ambrose captured the Intercontinental Championship at TLC, beating Kevin Owens to earn his first run with the title he has chased since January. What, or, more importantly, who, awaited him as 2015 comes to a close? And what did Owens have in store for The Lunatic Fringe just 24 hours after his reign came to a crushing conclusion?
Paige, Charlotte and Becky Lynch will be under the same roof for the first time since the Divas champion cheated her way to successfully retaining her title at TLC. What would The Anti-Diva Paige and Charlotte's best friend Lynch have to say about the second-generation Diva's recent attitude change?
And then there's The Wyatt Family, fresh off a clean pay-per-view victory. Who would be the unfortunate focus of their attention Monday night?
Stephanie McMahon Confronts Roman Reigns
Stephanie McMahon kicked off the show and was understandably irate following the events of TLC.
She wasted little time calling Roman Reigns to the ring and berating him for his actions Sunday night. She referred to him as a disgrace, to which Reigns responded by calling The Authority the real disgrace.
This earned Reigns two slaps to the face and the Billion Dollar Princess' announcement that her father, Vince McMahon, will be in the arena later Monday night.
Dean Ambrose vs Dolph Ziggler
The night's opening match featured two of the company's best workers, so the fact was it was fun, energetic and a quality bout to boot.
The Superstars traded control of the bout until Owens hit the ring and flattened intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose with his Pop-up Powerbomb finisher. Dolph Ziggler, the challenger in the contest, attempted to make the save but found himself laid out as well.
Owens left Ambrose lying in a heap to close out the segment.
R-Truth vs Bo Dallas
In a match between two guys who have not been relevant in weeks, R-Truth battled Bo Dallas in singles competition.
As Dallas lapped the ring, cameras caught Vince McMahon's arrival to the arena, and moments later, the boss made his way to the ring, bringing an end to the contest at hand. He ordered the Superstars out of the ring and prepared to address the WWE Universe.
McMahon said someone backstage was sweating and then decided he would take a seat at ringside and wait patiently as the show headed to commercial break.
Roman Reigns and Vince McMahon Face-to-Face
Roman Reigns made his way to the ring, confronting WWE's most powerful man—Vince McMahon.
Sheamus interrupted, talked trash about beating Reigns at TLC and then suggested a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match for Monday night.
McMahon denied the request, telling Reigns that there was no chance in hell that he would receive his title opportunity.
Reigns insulted the boss' "grapefruits," referring to them as prunes, which touched a nerve with the Chairman of the Board.
McMahon granted the match, said if Reigns does not win the title he's fired and then finished by delivering a low blow to the company's top babyface.
Ryback and Jack Swagger vs Alberto Del Rio and Rusev
Two midcard feuds took center stage in a big tag team bout pitting The League of Nations' Rusev and Alberto Del Rio against Ryback and Jack Swagger.
The match was all Ryback early, with The Big Guy dominating the action until Del Rio turned the tide in favour of the heels.
The action broke down late, as is the case with most WWE-style tag bouts, and Rusev scored the victory with a big superkick to The All-American American.
Neville vs Tyler Breeze
A rivalry that once played out in the rings of NXT took to the squared circle on Raw as Neville battled Tyler Breeze in singles competition. The Miz watched from ringside, acting as some sort of Hollywood director.
Neville finished Breeze off with a kick to the face and the Red Arrow, just seconds after The Miz yelled "cut" and provided a brief distraction.
After the match, Neville looked on disapprovingly at the Hollywood A-lister.
ECW Originals vs The Wyatt Family
In the continuation of the ECW Originals and The Wyatt Family's feud, the two teams met in a Extreme Rules match Monday night.
Philadelphia, home to so many epic extreme bouts over the years, bore witness to another hardcore brawl between two teams with nothing but hatred for each other.
At one point, it appeared as though The Dudley Boyz were about to capture the win following a 3D to Luke Harper through a table, but Wyatt pulled the referee out of the ring, breaking up the pinfall.
Moments later, Erick Rowan splashed Rhyno through a table and scored the win for the heels, seemingly bringing a decisive conclusion to their feud.
The New Day Promo
One night after retaining their WWE Tag Team Championships against The Lucha Dragons and The Usos in a ladder match, The New Day hit the ring minus their typical ridiculousness. Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods spoke sincerely as they relived the match and then called their opponents to the ring.
They applauded them and showed humility by shaking their hands and crediting the fans with inspiring the six of them to do what they did.
After the babyfaces left the ring, The New Day celebrated, only to be taken down and out by the men they waged war with one night earlier.
Charlotte and Becky Lynch vs Brie Bella and Alicia Fox
Team B.A.D. watched from ringside, with tickets in their hands, as Charlotte and Becky Lynch rekindled their friendship in tag team action against Team Bella's Brie Bella and Alicia Fox.
Ric Flair at ringside and the effect he would have on the outcome of the match was the story of the match once more.
The Nature Boy would make his presence felt late in the bout, hooking the foot of Fox as she mounted some offense. This allowed Lynch to lock in the Disarmer and score the submission victory, without knowing that she had attained the win through nefarious means.
Roman Reigns vs Sheamus
Roman Reigns' journey to the top of World Wrestling Entertainment climaxed Monday night when he defeated Sheamus to capture the World Heavyweight Championship.
Despite Vince McMahon's and The League of Nations' Rusev and Alberto Del Rio's attempts to screw him out of the title he has had stolen from him so many times here in 2015, he Superman Punched his way to victory and delivered a massive spear to end The Celtic Warrior's month-long reign.
Fans erupted as the referee's hand slapped the mat for the third time, and Lilian Garcia announced the second-generation star as the new champion, which is a sharp contrast to the chorus of boos that greeted his Royal Rumble victory in the same arena.
Reigns posed with the title to end the show and ignite a new WWE era.
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