Videos:
Brock Lesnar Confronts Rumble Participants – Opening Segment (WWE YouTube)
Zayn Tries to Fire Up Roman & Seth – Backstage Segment (WWE YouTube)
JeriKO & Strowman vs. Seth, Roman & Sami – Match Clip (WWE YouTube)
Tag Match Video (Full)
Opening Segment & Locker Room Backstage Segment (Full)

The Royal Rumble Competitors Meet Again
With the Royal Rumble just two weeks away and the ranks of the Rumble Match itself starting to fill up, Raw began with the biggest meeting yet of potential favorites to prevail in the manic match. What began as an address from recently dethroned United States Champion Roman Reigns quickly turned tense with the arrival of WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens, current U.S. Champion (and new Grand Slam Champion) Chris Jericho, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman and, finally, Brock Lesnar.

But it was the sudden return of Sami Zayn — taken out by Strowman two weeks ago — that lit the proverbial fuse on the whole thing, instigating an all-out brawl. And Lesnar ultimately had the last word in said brawl when he stormed the ring and annihilated Rollins and Zayn (Strowman opted out of a fight) before delivering one last F-5 to Reigns.

(Main Event Match, Braun Strowman & Jeri-KO def. Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn & Roman Reigns)

Both squadrons of Raw’s six-man main event spent the lead-up the match planning for the long game in the Royal Rumble Match (Sami Zayn even attempted a Shield fist bump), but the lingering lesson of the bout may well be that the 30-man melee is, at heart, anyone’s game. The bout broke down before the bell even rang and continued to do so at various intervals throughout the contest, with Roman Reigns often taking the worst of the punishment from Jeri-KO (KO in particular) and Braun Strowman.

Seth Rollins gave his team some relief by beating back Jericho and helping chop Strowman down to a knee with Reigns, but unfortunately, even a weakened Strowman was too much for legal man Zayn — The Monster Among Men snuffed out Sami’s Helluva Kick attempt and won the match with a Runnng Powerslam. But when he tried to put Sami Zayn through the announce table, Rollins and Reigns came to the rescue, instigating a massive brawl that ended with Owens powerbombing Reigns through the announce table. The Rumble Match may be anybody’s game, but as far as the WWE Universal Title Match goes? For now, it’s advantage: Owens.