WWE Raw results, Feb. 17, 2020: Who helped rescue KO from The Monday Night Messiah & his disciples?

Aleister Black and Erick Rowan clash for the first time ever in a hard-hitting bout. Catch WWE action on WWE Network, FOX, USA Network, Sony India and more.

We should know by now that Aleister Black is not a man who makes idle threats, and yet it was still somewhat surprising to see the former NXT Champion, who has vowed to fight anyone and everyone in the locker room, not just hang with the monstrous Erick Rowan but defeat him in decisive fashion.

Rowan, of course, didn’t make it easy for Black; the big man's opponents in the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy Gauntlet Match should be sweating right about now. Nevertheless, The Dutch Destroyer countered Rowan’s fists with knees and feet, narrowly escaping the Iron Claw and dropping Rowan with a pair of Black Masses when one didn’t quite get the job done. Black’s endgame still remains somewhat unclear, as he had nothing to say after this victory. Then again, it certainly seems like he said all he needed to in the ring.

24/7 Champion Riddick Moss defends his title against R-Truth and Mojo Rawley in the first-ever Triple Threat Match for the 24/7 Title. Catch WWE action on WWE Network, FOX, USA Network, Sony India and more.

R-Truth made the 24/7 Championship famous through a series of increasingly zany wins and losses. Mojo Rawley tried to revolutionize it by becoming the first-ever fighting 24/7 Champion. Riddick Moss seems to be staking out a middle ground, and surprisingly, it’s working for him.

The current champion, having narrowly escaped an ambush at the Funko factory, defeated Truth and Mojo in a Triple Threat Match to retain his title, pinning Mojo to win the match and fleeing through the crowd to keep his reign safe. While Moss remained out of reach, however, Truth (who channeled “childhood hero” John Cena with a Five-Knuckle Shuffle during the match) merrily dropped Mojo as a final note to the confrontation, a reminder of sorts as to who sets the pace in the 24/7 chase, whether he holds the title or not.

With WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in his sights, Drew McIntyre makes quick work of MVP one week after demolishing the Ballin' Superstar on “The VIP Lounge.” Catch WWE action on WWE Network, FOX, USA Network, Sony India and more.

What’s it going to take to stop Drew McIntyre from turning Suplex City into “Claymore Country”? We can cross Paul Heyman speeches and angry rivals off that list, as Brock Lesnar’s challenger merrily batted away a verbal volley from The Beast’s advocate and an attempt by Montel Vontavious Porter to stop McIntyre in his tracks.

Heyman’s usual boisterousness was certainly subdued by McIntyre’s continued defiance, but MVP, who Heyman introduced, was straight-up silenced by a Claymore despite a fiery attempt at “retribution” after getting beaten down during last week’s “VIP Lounge.” Now, while accomplished, MVP is not Brock Lesnar. But McIntyre’s instant victory is no longer an isolated incident, and that spells worry for The Beast. As Heyman knows better than anybody, the one thing more dangerous than someone who knows they’re good is someone who backs it up.

In his first match in weeks, Rusev teams with Humberto Carrillo to battle Bobby Lashley & Angel Garza, as Lana and Zelina Vega look on. Catch WWE action on WWE Network, FOX, USA Network, Sony India and more.

Whether Angel Garza and Bobby Lashley’s impromptu tag team constituted a double-date with Zelina Vega and Lana is up for debate. Either way, it was a rousing success, as the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion and two-time Intercontinental Champion stole a win from Rusev & Humberto Carrillo in a furiously-paced battle on Raw.

The hits kept on coming, and Garza stole both the show (he got a peck on the cheek from a smitten fan) and the match, pinning Rusev with a handful of tights. With Rusev and Lashley poised to reignite their rivalry in the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy Gauntlet Match, The Bulgarian Brute has a chance to pick himself up off the mat yet. For Garza, however, the momentum is strong, and the ceiling is nowhere in sight.

Natalya hopes to pay back Kairi Sane for her part in Natalya’s loss to Asuka and strike a blow to The Kabuki Warriors. Catch WWE action on WWE Network, FOX, USA Network, Sony India and more.

A couple of weeks ago, Asuka left Natalya with a black eye en route to a Raw Women’s Title Match with Becky Lynch. This week, she added insult to injury by costing The Queen of Harts a match against Kairi Sane, a move that could bode ill for Natalya’s chances against Asuka inside the Women’s Elimination Chamber.

The specter of that match hung over Natalya vs. Kairi — Asuka explicitly promised to defeat Natalya in the cage and barked instructions at her partner from the corner. Most crucially, however, she got involved, blasting Natalya with a kick on the outside that dropped the former SmackDown Women’s Champion to the mat, leaving her incapacitated long enough for Kairi to earn a count-out win. Like she says: Easy peasy.

As The Monday Night Messiah lays out his plans, The Viking Raiders clash with AOP & Murphy, and Kevin Owens drops Seth Rollins with a Stunner. Catch WWE action on WWE Network, FOX, USA Network, Sony India and more.

Seth Rollins revealed his gospel on Raw — seek out the weak, rehabilitate the flawed and eradicate the noncompliant — but The Monday Night Messiah’s kickoff of “Phase Two” of his movement may have been slightly premature.

Rollins found himself waylaid during his first-ever “sermon” by the same Superstars he claimed to have vanquished, with The Viking Raiders storming his pulpit and kicking off a brawl with Murphy and AOP. While Rollins evaded the fracas, he was still humiliated when Kevin Owens snuck out from behind the curtain and blasted him with a Stunner. It was an act of blasphemy in some circles, but it was also its own declaration of noncompliance, defiance and purpose. Some gospels are more direct than others.

With his WWE Championship Match against Brock Lesnar at WWE Super ShowDown looming, Ricochet clashes with The O.C.’s Karl Anderson. Catch WWE action on WWE Network, FOX, USA Network, Sony India and more.

First thing’s first: AJ Styles is back on Raw. But while Styles was as boastful as ever — we do believe he called himself the best Superstar of any era, ever — Karl Anderson lost to Ricochet in an impromptu match that stemmed from a confrontation between The Phenomenal One and Ricochet, the latter of whom is about to challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title at WWE Super ShowDown.

As far as AJ’s concerned, Ricochet doesn’t deserve that match, but Anderson ran interference rather than “Uncle Allen” square up with an opponent he felt was unworthy on his first night back. Anderson’s strategy ended up backfiring; Styles and Luke Gallows were ejected for ringside interference, and Ricochet pinned the solo Anderson to spoil The O.C.’s big night. And for all Styles’ insistence that he can hang with the Legends of the past, tonight was as clear as any that the road to immortality can’t be traveled in a single evening.