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The final episode of RAW before WrestleMania was filled with some recaps, promos, and exciting matches.
Charlotte Flair attacked Rhea Ripley before she could enter the Performance Center this week, ensuring that the rivalry between them stayed red hot. Aleister Black took to the ring again to squash his opponent at a time when we were hoping to see Bobby Lashley do something similar and make a point before his big WrestleMania match.
The Street Profits found out that they would compete against a new pairing for the RAW Tag Team Championships, while Asuka wiped out her opponent before her Tag Team Championship match at The Showcase of Immortals.
However, it was the promos that were intense once again and gave the fans a lot to look forward to at WrestleMania 36, this weekend.
In this article, we will look at the five things WWE got right on the final episode of RAW before WrestleMania.
#5 The Women’s Tag Team Championship addition
Asuka was set to face a new face from NXT on RAW this week. Kayden Carter made her way out to the middle for a big opportunity in front of an empty arena.
The Empress of Tomorrow did not take the new Superstar seriously and mocked her which led to Carter hitting a dropkick on the Champion right after the opening bell.
Carter has been impressive on NXT and she managed to get some action in during the short match before Asuka took control. She continued to mock Carter before locking her in the Asuka Lock and making her tap out seconds later.
While Asuka’s match was nothing more than a squash, it helped establish two things. Firstly, it gave fans a look at another NXT Superstar who could turn out to be a force in the future, and getting an opportunity against someone like Asuka is something huge.
Secondly, it helped Asuka refine her heel character and shape it up even better. We saw more of the same Asuka we saw on commentary a couple of weeks ago, and it was great to see her comical villainous side once again. The segment was lacking Kairi Sane, Alexa Bliss, and Nikki Cross, and Asuka was forced to carry the burden of the rivalry herself.
Soon after, the Women’s Tag Team Championship match between The Kabuki Warriors and the team of Bliss and Cross was confirmed for WrestleMania 36.
#4 Shayna Baszler’s final statement
Becky Lynch was once again out on RAW to hype her WrestleMania match against Shayna Baszler just a few days before the event. Lynch did not hold back in talking about her journey to the top, and she threw in a replay of her match against Charlotte and Ronda Rousey for the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championship from last year’s Show of Shows.
While repeat matches have gotten on the nerves of many WWE fans, it was good to be reminded of just how over Lynch was last year and how she was unstoppable during her rise to become the first double Women’s Champion.
The Man once again took to the mic to address her journey and her match at WrestleMania this year, but things did not go according to plan. Her challenger Shayna Baszler appeared and locked her in a Kirifuda Cluth, almost knocking her out. Lynch made the lock seem so legit that at one point we thought she was actually knocked out.
She then slammed The Man’s head into the announce table and then slammed her to its side. The entire segment built Baszler up like Drew McIntyre’s beatdown of Brock Lesnar a few weeks ago, and allow Baszler to make the final statement before the big WrestleMania match.
#3 The Undertaker’s gift, Edge’s warning
RAW opened up with a video package revisiting the rivalry between AJ Styles and The Undertaker before The Phenom appeared in a video to deliver a promo.
Once again, 'Taker was not playing his Deadman gimmicks and seemed to strip down to his real self for this extremely personal feud. He said that he understood everything The Phenomenal One had to say about him, but bringing his wife Michelle McCool in the feud was a line he should have never crossed.
Undertaker was focused throughout the promo and ended the segment by showing a new gift for Styles, a gravestone with The Phenomenal One’s name on it.
Later in the night, Edge also appeared in a pre-recorded promo to deliver a final warning to Edge. He was extremely passionate and delivered the right message to The Viper before their Last Man Standing Match at WrestleMania.
Both segments were spot-on and helped the veterans develop their rivalries without physically appearing in the ring. They were calm and controlled, yet delivered some intense promos that helped build the storyline to their final clash.
Both matches will likely end their rivalries at WrestleMania, and therefore it was important for the company to allow them to hit the final blow.
#2 Austin Theory’s big moment
The Street Profits and Kevin Owens teamed up for a match against Seth Rollins, Andrade, and Angel Garza. However, Zelina Vega announced that her client Andrade was injured, and therefore a Superstar from NXT would replace him.
The replacement was none other than Austin Theory who has been making waves across NXT since his debut during the Christmas Special episode against Roderick Strong last year.
The opportunity provided Theory a chance to play with the big boys and impress WWE management to be fast-tracked to the Red brand. His involvement was also crucial to show the WWE Universe that the lines between NXT, RAW, and SmackDown have blurred, and Superstars did not need to wait too long for their big opportunities.
Theory is a young and exciting performer. He will also be teaming up with Garza at WrestleMania to take on The Street Profits for the RAW Tag Team Champions. This will be a huge opportunity for both Garza and Theory as it will be the biggest match of their careers.
This will also be a great way for WWE to develop new stars quicker and hopefully have them replace some veterans who have left a mark on the industry. Can Austin Theory be the next Seth Rollins or Finn Balor?
#1 The Stomp after The Stunner
The biggest match of the night was between the teams of The Street Profits and Kevin Owens, and Seth Rollins, Austin Theory, and Angel Garza.
Both teams looked set to pick up victories and gain momentum before WrestleMania, and Rollins’ partners seemed to look like better prospects for his faction than we thought.
The match was fast-paced and it was good to see the amount of ring time both Garza and Theory got in a star-studded match. Kevin Owens was not ready to slow down, and he almost had the match at one point when he hit the Cannonball on Garza followed by a dive from the top. However, an alert Theory broke up the pin.
Owens then hit a massive Stunner on Garza for the three count. Right after his pinfall victory, The Messiah entered the ring and flattened KO with a Stomp to leave a mark on The Prizefighter.
The action was great and the ending was even better to build towards the clash between the two former Universal Champions at WrestleMania.
KO’s promo after the match was great and helped the cause even more, proving that he is among the best men on the mic who can do wonders even if he does not take the fight to the ring.
The match between these two men at WrestleMania could potentially be a show-stealer!
