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The Road to WrestleMania 40 continued tonight on WWE RAW, with some big angles to keep us excited for The Show of Shows. This episode was pretty stacked.
A lot happened tonight, with a boatload of positives ahead of WrestleMania 40. Among the highlights were The Usos going at it in a promo and a passionate backstage conversation between Sami Zayn and Chad Gable. Meanwhile, Candice LeRae has found her evil side following her questionable heel turn last week.
There's much more to like about WWE RAW, so let's get into it. Here are the biggest positives and negatives from tonight's episode of the red brand.
#3. Best: The Man's Road has cleared up
There's no more traffic or roadblocks. Becky Lynch's Road to WrestleMania 40 finally got clear!
The Man risked her spot to face Nia Jax in a Last Woman Standing Match on WWE RAW. Anything other than a clean win would have likely put her singles match with Rhea Ripley at risk of being changed.
Fortunately, Lynch defeated Jax to end their feud on top. The match was pretty good, too, with a few brutal spots. Among them was a Manhandle Slam through a table and a Leg Drop off a ladder through the announce table, which ultimately helped Big Time Becks stand tall.
After the brutal contest, Rhea Ripley came out to confront Becky Lynch as WWE RAW closed. No more distractions. It's time for the two biggest female wrestlers in the world to finally face off at The Grandest Stage of Them All.
#2. Worst: DM Hunk is on the ropes
While this may very well be proven moot following WrestleMania 40, Drew McIntyre didn't exactly look the best on WWE RAW. He did cut a solid promo on Seth Rollins, but it's obvious who won the verbal exchange. The Visionary has the upper hand now, but will it stay that way?
For McIntyre's sake, it can't. The Scottish Warrior has to win the World Heavyweight Championship at 'Mania, there's no two ways about it. This will be his third attempt at dethroning Rollins, and after getting shut down on WWE RAW, the only way he can respond is by winning the title. It's a delicate situation.
If Drew McIntyre fails to beat a tired Seth Rollins on Night 2 of WrestleMania 40, all of his excellent work will have been for nothing. He'd be done as a main event threat. However, of course, this segment would be worth it if DM Hunk becomes World Heavyweight Champion.
#2. Best: Insane tag team action on WWE RAW
WWE RAW has been the home for some excellent tag team wrestling for months now. Tonight's episode proved how high its ceiling is. The only negative from DIY's match against The Creed Brothers was that the latter duo won't be going to WrestleMania.
The two babyface teams faced off in a qualifier for the Ladder Match at The Show of Shows. The Creeds and DIY decided not to hold anything back, delivering an epic contest to kick off the action on WWE RAW. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa managed to win, but it could've gone either way.
The New Day's qualifier against Alpha Academy was also pretty good, with the two matches proving the strength of the red brand's tag team division.
#1. Worst: Awesome Truth vs. Indus Sher
Unfortunately, not every tag team match on WWE RAW is awesome. That's the truth.
While it's great to see R-Truth and The Miz come one step closer to a monumental WrestleMania moment, there had to be a better way to get there. Awesome Truth defeated Indus Sher to qualify for the 'Mania Tag Team Title Ladder Match, and it didn't exactly go well.
The action was a bit dull, especially because of how good tonight's WWE RAW episode was. The finish wasn't much better, too, as R-Truth got elbowed and fell on top of Veer Mahaan for the accidental pinfall. Fortunately, the WrestleMania ladder match will be much better than this.
#1. Best: Cody goes off
Cody Rhodes has finally responded to all the trash talk from The Rock. After saving Jey Uso from a Bloodline beatdown at the start of WWE RAW, The American Nightmare came out in much darker clothing than he usually puts on, signaling his focus on the task at hand. Firing back at The Great One.
He did just that and some more! Rhodes did not hold back on the Hollywood megastar, calling him a whiny b**ch, among other things. The 2024 Royal Rumble winner spoke about The Rock's mother and even claimed The Great One has little d*** syndrome. Whew!
This was precisely what Cody Rhodes needed to on WWE RAW do as he marches into the biggest weekend of his career. The challenger has momentum ahead of his face-off with Roman Reigns on SmackDown, which will not feature any other member of The Bloodline.
At least, that's what Paul Heyman promised, with Cody agreeing not to bring any friends of his own. The Wiseman never lies!
