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Let's be honest. This was not a very good episode of WWE RAW and it's a shame because WrestleMania is almost breathing down our neck at the moment. Some parts of the show were honestly a chore to sit through. It's probably hard to build a show when the central characters don't show up.
I mean there was no Batista and neither was there a Brock Lesnar, even though both men are featured attractions at WrestleMania. This is the reason why fans have been pushing for full-timers to fill up the card at WrestleMania over the years. And this is the reason why RAW just felt like a filler episode designed to kill time.
Let me ask all of you a question, okay? Had you missed this show, would you have missed anything with regard to the WrestleMania build?
I honestly do not think so...
#1 Best: The WrestleMania 35 match becomes bigger
When the match was first announced, everyone was excited to see Triple H vs. Batista. But over the weeks, as Batista spat into his microphone and quoted the Spice Girls, the excitement for the contest just seemed to die. Triple H breathed some life into the feud this week with a special stipulation. He put his career on the line.
I really feel like this is the saving grace of a match that literally nobody in the WWE Universe was excited about until now. But because there's the element of uncertainty around Triple H's future after WrestleMania, it is now a match with stakes. A match that we need to watch at all costs.
So, Triple H is almost certain to win the contest at WrestleMania. I don't think he's retiring anytime soon.
After all, Ric Flair is his personal hero.
#1 Worst: The Braun Strowman situation
What is WWE even doing with Braun Strowman after building him up so well as a believable monster? Why are his WrestleMania moments confined to teaming up with kids and wrestling with guys from Saturday Night Live and not something a little more substantial, I wonder?
I cringed hard when I saw Braun Strowman in the middle of the ring with Alexa Bliss, who also put on a brave face as they addressed the two gentlemen from Saturday Night Live and the crowd booed throughout. I wonder why WWE goes after these mainstream celebrities when they're likely not bringing in any new eyeballs to the product at all.
The segment was a disaster from the word go. And now, it has been established that with these two men in it, the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal is equally as meaningless.
Just book Strowman as a monster, WWE!
#2 Best: The main event
Earlier during the show, Roman Reigns accepted Drew McIntyre's challenge for a big WrestleMania match. McIntyre met Ambrose in the backstage area and a 'Last Man Standing' match was set up between the two men. As one would expect, the two men gave it their all and then some to entertain their fans wholeheartedly.
Drew McIntyre continued his reign of dominance by picking up an impressive victory over Dean Ambrose. It is quite obvious right now that he will be the center of attention as we head to WrestleMania 35 and beyond. Who knows...WWE may even book him to win the big one at WrestleMania.
Ambrose seems like he's a lot more at home in a hardcore style environment than he was as a normal sports entertainer. It's a shame that his run will be coming to such an untimely end, when his story's not been completely told.
#2 Worst: Pinning the US Champion
Not long ago, Samoa Joe became the US Champion of the world. Everyone rejoiced and called it a change in fortune for the talented man who should have been a multi-time Champion by now. I expressed my concerns and said that one needs to wait and watch at how long he manages to cling to the top of the mountain.
So, I get the basic idea of doing the classic TNA rematch and having Kurt Angle take on Samoa Joe as part of his retirement tour. I suppose that Samoa Joe would not have minded jobbing to the living legend either. In fact, I wouldn't even be surprised if he requested for the match as a little tribute.
I just don't like the idea of seeing the Champion pinned in a meaningless match. Especially a Champ who just got pinned by Rey Mysterio as well, not long ago.
#3 Best: Sasha Banks vs. Natalya (starring Beth Phoenix)
I know that I may get some hate for this, but I really thought that Sasha Banks and Natalya had a pretty good match for the duration that it lasted. Both of these women may be the two most underrated workers in the company, and they showed their chemistry as they traded holds during the said contest.
Tamina Snuka and Nia Jax would bring this contest to an untimely end with their interference, that the crowd did not really seem to care for all that much. Beth Phoenix would get involved in the fracas and all hell seems to have broken loose in the WWE Women's Tag Team Division now.
What I especially liked about this segment is Beth Phoenix showing us that she can still hang with everyone else. There's no sign of ring rust!
The Glamazon is such a legend, isn't she?
#3 Worst: The absolutely pointless Beat The Clock Challenge
What is similar between the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, The Greatest Royal Rumble, The Women's Battle Royal at WrestleMania and the 'Beat The Clock' challenge on this week's show? The winner may feel proud for the time being, but it doesn't mean much over the long haul.
I wish that the match had been made with some stakes in mind to make the contest a little more watchable. Unfortunately, it was just a throwaway segment with no real stakes or any rewards for the winner.
If WWE does not care enough to tell us a story for the match, why should we care about watching the contest unfold on our television screens? I don't think anyone was really invested in the contest that kicked off RAW this week.
It was more of a 'watch the clock' challenge to see when the segment ends!
#4 Best/worst: Thoughts and prayers
It is impossible to build a Universal Championship match when the Champion is not present. I thought that Paul Heyman was a chore to listen to, and so was Rollins. In fact, the only thing I liked about the whole segment was the visual of Rollins chasing Heyman up the ramp. I thought that it was a pretty unique twist.
I also liked Kurt Angle leading the 'You Suck' chants when he came out, directing them at Paul Heyman. They were both good for a chuckle and little more. The Universal Championship match feels smaller than ever.
So let's say some thoughts and prayers for WrestleMania and the unfortunate build that we've all been subjected to. I really hope that the go-home show is interesting because if not, will people even tune in for WWE's biggest show this year?
Maybe all thoughts and prayers need to be directed to a Goddess, really.
