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This week’s edition of Raw was all about the fallout from the Elimination Chamber and signaled the start of the final push to the grandest stage of them all- WrestleMania. Following last week’s Raw, WWE delivered a solid show and made some interesting developments. However, not everything went smoothly. Let’s jump into it:
Bliss opens the show
In what was a fairly standard raw opening segment, Alexa bliss opened the show with Mickie James to discuss the events of last night and brag about her win in the first-ever Women's Elimination Chamber match. This lead to Asuka interrupting her, but Bliss dismissed her and mocked her for not being able to speak good English. Next thing you know, Nia Jax came down to the ring and helped Bliss and James beat down the 'Empress of Tomorrow'. Bayley and Banks came to make the save and surprise, surprise, a six-woman tag match was booked! Holla, Holla! Still, it was nice that Alexa opened the show.
Sasha banks, Bayley, and Asuka def. Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, and Nia Jax
This was a fine match to open the show, but it was nothing too special. Asuka continues to dominate in the ring and looked particularly strong here, fending of Nia Jax on route to making Mickie James tap. The slow-burning tension between Bayley and Sasha Banks took an interesting turn, as Bayley was the one who left her friend hanging dry this time. WWE has got to book a grudge match between these two for WrestleMania, as to have a women singles match that isn’t built around a title would be incredibly refreshing to see at WrestleMania. The last time that happened was way back at WrestleMania 22 when Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle competed in a “playboy pillow fight” match. The less about that the better
I’m still unsure where Bliss’ alliance with James and Jax is going either. Asuka technically hasn’t confirmed which championship she’s going to challenge for at WrestleMania, so it all feels up in the air at the moment. Hopefully, the road to WrestleMania gets clearer for these women.
John Cena calls out The Undertaker…. Kind of
After losing another opportunity to make his place at WrestleMania, John Cena headed to the ring to address his recent failures. He revealed his new plan for his road to WrestleMania by challenging the Undertaker to a match. He spoke of the magnitude of the match, how not only would it be WrestleMania worthy, it would define WrestleMania itself! and then… he said it wasn’t going to happen. He doesn’t make the matches and the guys backstage have told him the match can’t happen. So, instead, he's heading to SmackDown Live tomorrow night to explore his options.
Eh?
This was confusing, to say the least. Regardless of whether this match is going to happen, to tease it this heavily, and then instantly dismiss it, is a strange booking choice either way. Its highly unlikely Cena is going to fight the anyone on Smackdown, so are they going to feud on the blue brand instead of Raw? It’s not a bad idea considering the rut Smackdown has been in the past few weeks. The presence of both Cena and The Deadman on Smackdown Live to hype their match is the major boost the land of opportunity needs.
The Miz does what Miz does best… Complain
Miz took to the ring to address his WrestleMania plans, which appear to be the running theme for tonight. He cut a fantastic promo in which he voiced his anger at not been given the respect he deserves as the Intercontinental Champion. He spoke of the prestige of the title he has helped make relevant again. He listed of some of the greats who had held the belt (including a nice reference to first ever triple crown champion Pedro Morales) and noted how in 62 days he will eclipse them all the become the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time- providing he keeps hold of the belt that is. He went on to lambast GM Kurt angle for not yet having an opponent for him at WrestleMania, but reveals that the Olympic hero did tell the A-lister that his opponent at the Show of Shows could be determined by who he faces tonight on Raw.
Enter Seth Rollins. Rollins and Miz proceed to have a fun match that the crowd really got into, and Seth picked up the win with a huge frog splash on The Miz who was on the other side of the ring! As Rollins was celebrating, his party was pooped on by none other than Finn Balor.
Balor adds to The Miz's Misery
Turns out Seth isn't the only one who has a match with Miz tonight. Balor was his next opponent, but the match didn't last too long as the Miztourage attacked Balor to cause the DQ. Balor's buddies, Anderson and Gallows, come to his aid. Kurt Angle then appears on screen, ordering the Good Brothers and the Miztourage to leave ringside and restarts the match. After another fun match, Finn put away a tired Miz with the Coup de Grace. Backstage, Rollins dismissed Balor’s victory and stated that he wanted The Miz at WrestleMania for the Intercontinental Championship.
Kurt Angle threatening Miz by taking him off WrestleMania was a strange move, but besides that, this was a solid few segments of television. Miz’s promo was fantastic and he put on two good matches with his opponents. Whilst it was Initially rumored that Braun was going to take on The Miz for the title at mania, I’m a much bigger fan of this angle. Rollins and Finn both deserve to be spotlighted at WrestleMania and the two of them tangling with Miz for the Intercontinental Championship is a match that has the potential to steal the show.
Roman Reigns talks about his main event match With Brock Lesnar
Roman Reigns swaggered down the ring and talked about his match with Brock Lesnar, and would you believe it– it wasn’t half bad. He called out Lesnar for only being in WWE for the money and not caring about the business or the fans, even bringing up the recent picture of him with UFC president Dana White. Reigns was spot on with his dressing down of the 'Beast Incarnate', and the way he talked about his respect for the business and family heritage was incredibly passionate.
This is the Roman we need to see more of. Despite this impressive promo, I can’t say I’m all too excited yet about this match. I don’t hate Roman but the predictability of the outcome along with the fact he’s headlining his fourth mania in a row sucks the fun out of it a little (only Hulk Hogan has headlined more Wrestlemania than him). And unlike his previous bout with Lesnar, this time we don’t have Seth Rollins to save the day and cash in. Wait, does Carmella’s contract specify which title she has to challenge for?
Elias faces his biggest critic, and I mean ‘Biggest’
After Brawn Strowman called Elias’ music ‘Noise pollution’, Elias responded the only way he knows how– by Singing a song about it. After few Jabs at Anaheim and the monster among men, he was interrupted by Strowman himself. A rather one-sided match ended when Elias pulled out a fire extinguisher and sprayed Strowman right between the eyes with it for a DQ, causing Brawn to go temporally blind (or something along those lines). Strowman fought back however and almost put Elias through the announce table, but the Singing superstar delivered an eye rake and managed to escape by literally running backstage and out of the arena.
If this is leading to a match between these two at Wrestlemania then count me in. They are arguably the two most over starts on the raw brand right now and have both continued to improve each day since their respective debuts. WWE would be wise to add a stipulation to this match and maximize the entertainment value that a bout between these two could offer.
Flu-gate
After the contract signing at Elimination Chamber ended with a smashed table (when don’t they in WWE), Rousey and Kurt Angle were called to the ring by Stephanie McMahon and Triple H to settle their differences. Kurt apologized to her, explaining that everything he said last night was false, blaming his actions on the flu. Stephanie offered a truce between all parties, but Ronda had one term she needed in the meeting. Steph had to apologize for slapping the 'baddest' woman on the planet, threating to rip her arm off if she didn’t. Steph wanted her limb staying where it was so she immediately complied and all seemed right- up until Triple H socked Kurt right in the mouth.
That was an odd way to end an otherwise strong show. Ronda came across more confident on the mic tonight, but WWE would be wise to stick to the silent badass approach with her. Kurt's actions were questionable too, as since he was laid out by the game, surely next week he’s just going say he wasn't lying at all. And for Triple H to suddenly punch Kurt seemed such a petty move. I guess they need to continue this feud somehow!
Other bits and bobs
- Bray Wyatt's match with Heath Slater never started, as Wyatt brutally attacked him and Rhyno before the bell. Afterwards, he sat in the corner and blamed Matt Hardy for making him do this. If WWE wants this feud to go anywhere, they need to give creative control to both these superstars. Fans were worried that WWE would ruin the 'Broken' gimmick, and that’s exactly what’s happened.
- The Bar defeated Titus Worldwide in a rematch of their elimination chamber match from last night in a 2-out-of-3-falls match. This was an improvement over their PPV match, thanks partly to the gimmick, and the bar’s first fall was incredibly crafty. As far as their Wrestlemania plans go, who knows. AS they said after the match, they’ve beaten every team they've faced so who could possibly challenge them. If the revival were booked stronger, they would be perfect opponents,
- WWE announced the latest inductee of the 2018 hall of fame, Jarrius "Little JJ" Robertson who will be receiving this year’s warriors award, after battling a rare life-threatening disease. WWE made a great video package along with the announcement and the crowd showed their appreciation for him and his achievement.
Personal Highlights
- Bayley’s bites back
- Cena challenges Taker, but says it aint gonna happen
- Miz cuts a heck of a promo and pulls double duty
- Roman dresses down the ‘Bitch’ incarnate
- Ronda threatens to rip off Steph’s arm off
Star of the show
On a show filled with superstars finding their road to Wrestlemania, no superstar was as awesome as the Miz. Its hard to argue that he isn’t one of, if not the best talker in WWE right now, as he yet again delivered on the mic. Not only that but he wrestled two matches back to back for a culminative time of over 30 minute, an incredibly effort from the 12-year vet. The only downside to his night was losing cleanly twice in a row, but hopefully he can regain momentum as he builds to his Wrestlemania Match. As I mentioned before, it looks as if they’re heading for a triple threat match between Miz, Balor and Rollin’s, and it’s the least Miz deserves. He was worked incredibly hard these past few years and for him to defend his championship in a high-profile match against two of WWE’s best workers is a fantastic reward.
