6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (Results & Review - January 29)

3. Bayley Backs Down

Nia Jax Rhea Ripley
WWE

Bayley was riding high Monday night from her Royal Rumble win, but she had her grand plans sidelined for a few days thanks to Nia Jax.

The Damage CTRL leader has been clear that she intends to challenge Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship, but the Eradicator came out to urge her to choose someone else – before Nia jumped her and leg-dropped the champ into a quivering mess of jelly.

The beatdown was so convincing – as was Jax’s dire warning that Rhea won’t make it to WrestleMania – that Bayley shifted gears and said she’d announce her choice for who to face on SmackDown. This led Iyo Sky to give a confused look, as if she believed that Bayley might challenge her for the title.

That’s the kind of thing that could push the rest of the group against Bayley – a misconception that she might challenge Sky, causing the troops to rally around her and oust the Role Model. Regardless, that segment set up what should be a critical moment on the blue brand this week.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.