Raw results, Dec. 26, 2016: Owens aims to become a dual titleholder in chaotic main event

Roman Reigns was forced to defend his United States Title against WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens on Raw, and Chris Jericho’s presence at ringside certainly seemed to tip the scales in favor of The Prizefighter. Could The Big Dog leave Chicago with the star-spangled prize slung over his shoulder?
Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman ended in a No Contest
Well, looks like Braun Strowman was just as anxious to fight Seth Rollins as Rollins was to fight Strowman: The Monster Among Men crashed a tag team match between sensitivity training graduates Bo Dallas & Darren Young and island con men The Shining Stars and attacked them with a Christmas tree to cut off their match. With Strowman having been given an edict by Stephanie McMahon to destroy Rollins, Strowman was clearly eager to jump-start his own bout with The Architect, though Strowman ironically suffered a no-contest himself when an old rival came a-callin’.
That rival, of course, was Sami Zayn, who distracted Strowman with his music before jumping out of the crowd and attacking The Gift of Destruction right in the middle of Strowman’s protracted dissection of The Architect. Strowman gave chase when Zayn (who'll battle Strowman next week in a Last Man Standing Match demanded by the monster) escaped through the crowd, and, with Rollins reeling in the ring, Chris Jericho put a capper on Rollins’ night when he slid into the ring and administered a pair of Codebreakers. What’s that old expression about turnabout?

U.S. Champion Roman Reigns def. WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens
With Seth Rollins having been waylaid by both Braun Strowman and Chris Jericho earlier in the evening, WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens seemingly had a clear path to Roman Reigns’ U.S. Championship in Raw’s main event. Not only did The Prizefighter have Reigns beaten in the numbers game (ironic, given the old Shield M.O.) with Jericho at ringside, but Owens was also holding his own against The Big Dog after taking him to Chinlock City.
The Ayatollah of Rock ’n’ Rolla made his presence known at exactly the right time, climbing on the apron right after Reigns landed a Superman Punch and allowing Owens to spring with a Codebreaker. With Reigns reeling from Owens’ assault, Rollins stormed ringside and Pedigreed Jericho on the arena floor. Reigns finished the job with a Spear to Owens to retain his title, and then the two Shield brothers laid Jeri-KO out with a Pedigree (to Owens) and a Spear (to Jericho). Call it some post-Christmas clean-up.

Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair def. Bayley
Give a goodbye hug to Bayley’s three-match winning streak against Charlotte Flair, because The Queen finally — finally — notched a one-on-one victory over The Huggable One, albeit one that wasn’t exactly on the level. After calling up a replay of Bayley’s win over the Raw Women’s Champion last week — and showing, definitively, that the official missed Charlotte’s shoulder coming off the mat — Flair revealed she and her lawyers had gotten Stephanie McMahon to expunge the match. And with it, Bayley’s No. 1 contender status was expunged, too. Then, Charlotte successfully goaded Bayley into a No. 1 contender’s rematch with a settlement-guaranteed referee who would be far more sympathetic to The Queen’s goals: Dana Brooke.
Bayley, wisely, took Brooke out early in the match, which led another referee to take her place. But Brooke recovered in time to relieve the zebra and re-enter the fray just as Charlotte had taken a Bayley-to-Belly. Dana sealed the deal by slapping a fast three-count on the mat after Charlotte executed a roll-up of Bayley with her feet on the ropes. Flair and square, baby. Flair and square.