AJ Lee retained the WWE women’s Intercontinental Championship after a bout with Bayley on “WWE Raw.” The latter won a gauntlet match last week to earn the right to challenge for the title.

To start off the match, Lee rolled up Bayley three times. Bayley pinned Lee, but the champ kicked out and connected with a crossbody and followed with a dropkick that sent her opponent to the outside. Bayley worked Lee’s arm and Lee responded with a standing Sliced Bread.

The challenger hit a Bayley to Belly for a count of two and a half. Bayley and Lee exchanged blows from their knees. Lee took Bayley down with a Shining Wizard. Bayley countered the Black Widow with a sidewalk slam and ascended to the top turnbuckle for an elbow, but Lee rolled away. She then locked in the Black Widow until Bayley tapped.

Following the match, Becky Lynch attacked Lee and tossed her down the ramp into barricades along the way. She stomped her repeatedly until she was pulled away. Lynch had the IC title in her hands and charged at Lee, taking her out with the title before dropping it on her and walking away.

Jacob Fatu is one of WWE’s fastest rising stars, and though it doesn’t look like he’ll be vying for a world title at WWE WrestleMania 42 next month, he will likely have a prominent place on the card. Speaking on “Off The Top,” Rikishi Fatu expressed his excitement for his nephew, and compared him to a former NFL star who has since moved on to other areas of pop culture.

“The Marshawn Lynch of professional wrestling,” Rikishi said. “He reminds me of the Lynch-man.”

Lynch played in the NFL as a running back from 2007 until 2019. Though he spent time with three different teams, he’s most commonly associated with the Seattle Seahawks, the team with which he won the Super Bowl in 2014. Even prior to the end of his NFL career, Lynch started dipping his toes into acting, which he continues to do today.

“The world is starting to see Jacob,” Rikishi stated. “There’s no filter in Jacob. Jacob tells his story with no shame. What he speaks out, it’s exactly what happened to this kid.”

In his youth, Jacob Fatu spent time in jail after being convicted of robbery, with Rikishi proud of the fact that he was able to turn his life around.

These days, in WWE, Jacob is locked in a rivalry with Drew McIntyre, and it looks like the two could be opponents at WrestleMania. Although some rumors had placed both men into the world title picture, the company has shifted away from that idea and seems to have started building Fatu vs. McIntyre and Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton as separate singles matches.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Off The Top” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Seth Rollins and his group of masked men in black hoodies may have kicked off “WWE Raw,” but it was Oba Femi who made a big impact, as well as a WrestleMania 42 challenge, by the end of the opening segment.

Last week, Rollins took out his former friend Paul Heyman with a chair, and “The Oracle” was taken out of the arena in an ambulance. This week, when Rollins opened the show to address how he was going to take down The Vision, Heyman came out to let him know what happens when you “f*** around and find out,” or “FAFO.” Heyman said it turns into “FA-F5,” and Lesnar’s music hit.

“The Beast Incarnate” took out the masked, hooded men on the outside of the ring. He hit suplexes and F5s to the men in the ring guarding Rollins, then went face-to-face with “The Visionary” himself. Before Lesnar could attack, however, the lights in the arena went out, and Femi’s music hit. 

“The Ruler” strode down to the ring and stared down Lesnar. Rollins rolled out, and Femi hit a huge Fall From Grace powerbomb to Lesnar. He stepped on the “Beast” and pointed to the WrestleMania sign, seemingly answering Lesnar’s open challenge.