Becky Lynch defeats Asuka

WWE Royal Rumble January 26: Raw Championship

Becky Lynch locked in the dis-arm-her while in the ropes early in the match. The referee broke that up, Becky jumped to the top, and nailed a missile dropkick. Asuka got a neck breaker in the ropes to swing the momentum back. Asuka hit a strong dropkick from the second rope for a two count and followed it up with a shining wizard a few moments later. Becky threw Asuka off the apron face first to the floor and followed it up with a dropkick from the apron to the floor. Lynch used the Bexploder suplex into the barricade, tossed Asuka in the ring, and connected with a guillotine leg drop for a near fall.

Asuka found room for a backslide and a high kick for a near fall of her own. On the apron, Asuka hit a hip attack on Lynch sending her into the post and then sent her face first into the turnbuckle. An avalanche ura nage from the second rope earned Becky a two count. Moments later, Becky had to escape both an arm bar and the Asuka lock.

Asuka hit hard kick in Becky’s face and the referee nearly called for the bell, but Lynch grabbed him in defiance. Following up, Asuka kicked Becky several more times for a near fall. The finish came when Becky evaded the mist and locked in the dis-arm-her for the victory.

Match Ratings

Six dimensions combine to make up the overall rating. Matches score ratings of 1-10 only if the match lasts for a minimum of 5 minutes.

1. Match Quality– Was the match well wrestled or sloppy?
2. Audience Engagement– Did the live audience care about the match?
3. Competitiveness– Was the match competitive or one-sided?
4. Stakes – Did the match matter?
5. Finish– Did the match end in a satisfying manner?
6. Performance: (1) Poor (2) Below Average (3) Average (4) Above Average (5) Excellent