SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT
MARCH 26, 2018
CLEVELAND, OHIO
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
Announcers: Michael Cole, Jonathan Coachman, Corey Graves
LISTEN TO WADE KELLER’S POST-SHOW PODCAST ON THIS EPISODE OF RAW INCLUDING LIVE CALLERS AND AN ON-SITE CORRESPONDENT…
[HOUR ONE]
-As the camera panned the crowd, Cole introduced the show saying they are two weeks away from WrestleMania.
-Brock Lesnar’s music played. He walked out with Paul Heyman. Coach said nobody has to wonder if Lesnar will be there this week. Heyman spoke in legalese language that the opinion of the fans is worthless. He threw to a screen of what happened one week ago with Roman Reigns refusing to leave the ring and then being handcuffed and attacking “U.S. Marshalls.” Then Lesnar came out and attacked Reigns.
Back live in the ring, Lesnar was laughing at the replay of the beatdown. Heyman revealed the “breaking news” that Reigns’s suspension had been lifted, but he wasn’t at Raw this week. More cheers than boos at that point. He said Reigns was raised by his father, Sika, and his uncle, Afa, and the rest of the Samoan family dynasty. He said they raised Reigns to be a “Samoan badass” and to compete and fight and wrestle and win. “And it’s a shame they didn’t raise Roman Reigns to be a man,” he said. “Because a man would be here tonight.” He said he’s not the one who said it. He asked if Reigns was the one who is here every week “whether I’m advertised or not.”
Heyman said Reigns is advertised, but he’s not there tonight two weeks before WrestleMania. He said if the beating went the other way last week and Reigns was mastermind enough to go to the local MMA academy and dress up three students as U.S. Marshalls and beat Lesnar into the ground, this week Lesnar would come down like King Kong on his knuckles, dragging the bloody bumps of the severed limbs behind him and put the Universal Title on the ground and ask Reigns to be man enough to come take it from him. He said Reigns isn’t man enough. He doesn’t need a video package as proof because Reigns isn’t man enough to take another beating from Lesnar. He said on Apr. 8, Reigns isn’t man enough at WrestleMania to take the Universal Title from Lesnar.
Reigns then walked through the crowd. “How? Why?” asked Graves. Cole said his sources told him there was no way Reigns would be near the arena tonight because he was so beat up. When Reigns walked into the ringside area, Lesnar charged at him and knocked him over with a chair in hand. Reigns shoved Lesnar into the ringpost, but when Reigns leaped off the ringside steps at Lesnar, Lesnar caught him and gave him an overhead suplex and then bashed him across his back with a chair. Then he threw the ringside steps at him. Cole called him the most dangerous man in WWE history. Lesnar threw the ringside steps into the ring and then threw Reigns into the ring where he rammed the steps into Reigns’s face. Cole said Reigns was again helpless and defenseless. When Coach wondered what this meant for WrestleMania in two weeks, Cole said he’s worried about now. Lesnar bashed Reigns over and over a few times. A “One More Time!” chant started. Lesnar hit Reigns one more time and then left with Heyman and his belt, spitting on the ground first.
Lesnar then returned to the ring after all and gave Reigns an F5 on the ringside steps in center ring. His music played again and Lesnar stood on the steps proudly. Referees entered to check on Reigns.
-The announcers plugged that Ronda Rousey would be live on the show, John Cena would face Kane in a no-DQ match, and up next Nia Jax would face Mickie James. [c]
-They showed Reigns moments earlier walking to the back on his own, clutching his ribs. Cole said this is the silver lining, that he left on his own power.
-They commented on a replay of the Lesnar beatdown of Reigns. They went to the announcers who discussed whether Reigns was taking the right approach. Cole wondered why he kept provoking Lesnar. Coach said he wants to show the world that when you’re a WWE Superstar at this level, you show up every week.
(Keller’s Analysis: Again, a good basic angle that would work better if Reigns was popular and Lesnar was hated with more of the audience.)
-They replayed Alexa Bliss and Mickie James demeaning Nia Jax last week in the locker room, then Nia showing up and throwing stuff in a rage.
(1) NIA JAX vs. MICKIE JAMES (w/Alexa Bliss)
They trash talked each other before the match, with the heel duo at ringside. Jax overpowered Mickie early and tossed her hard to the floor. They cut to a very early break. [c]
Back from the break, Mickie slapped Nia as the ref was talking to Nia. Mickie bailed out to ringside. Jax pursued her. Bliss distracted her. Mickie kicked her legs from behind. Back in the ring Mickie dropkicked Jax’s legs and then kneed her a few times. Jax came back with a bodyslam, but Mickie avoided a legdrop. Mickie kicked her in the face and scored a two count. Mickie climbed to the top rope, but Jax caught her up there and gave her a Samoan drop from a press and drop position. Jax floated over Mickie to cover her while facing the hard camera, which looked silly, and the ref counted to three. After the match, Bliss hit Jax, but Jax no-sold it. Bliss fled. Jax said she’d get her hands on her at WrestleMania. She called her a bitch and they tried to bleep her. It’s okay for Reigns, though.
WINNER: Jax in 7:00. [c]
-They went to the announcers on camera. Coach said it’s been ten years since he got to be part of WrestleMania and he couldn’t be more excited. Graves said he couldn’t be less excited that he’s working with Coach. Cole laughed, then threw a video package on the Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle vs. Stephanie McMahon & Triple H match.
-Triple H and Stephanie McMahon had a sit-down interview interspersed with clips of the contract signing angle. Hunter said it’s a shame because all Rousey had to do is be a professional. Stephanie said she’s not sure what got into Angle. Hunter said Angle is an idiot. He said Angle wants it to be about him. Hunter said this isn’t MMA or judo. Stephanie said in WWE they write the rules and sometimes you just have to show them who’s the boss. Hunter said people look at them and think they were handed everything they have. He said that’s not true. He said there is no schedule and no camp, they do this better than anybody on the planet every day, all the time, year round. Joe DeFranco, a strength and training coach, said they don’t need to get ready, they stay ready, because they train at all hours year-round. They showed them working out together. DeFranco said they exceed what the pro and Olympic athletes he’s trained have done.
Stephanie said people say Ronda is one of the world’s best athletes, but she asked if we saw the interview she did last week. She said she watched it and she saw someone who was vulnerable and who is entering a world she knows nothing about. “We have a completely different set of rules in our ring,” she said. “She has not had one match. I grew up in a WWE ring. It is my ring; I own that ring. Quite frankly it is the opposite; Ronda should be intimidated by me.” Triple H said no matter what, when you step into someone else’s world, you are automatically the underdog. Stephanie said she can exploit Ronda’s arrogance.
Clips aired of Triple H beating Kurt Angle and said he’s beat him all his career, and this is just another time, just on a bigger stage. He said if Ronda loses, though, it’s embarrassing. Stephanie said the odds are completely stacked against her. Hunter said this isn’t the Olympics, the Judo Championships, or UFC. “Nobody comes into our world and takes us down.” Stephanie said she’s a McMahon, so Rousey doesn’t intimidate her, Ronda works for her. She said it’s unfortunate this all has to happen to Ronda. Hunter said they’re businesspeople. They said after WrestleMania they’ll pick her up, dust her off, and reposition her for the world and it’ll be like nothing happened. She said they’ll humble Rousey the way they have every other Superstar in WWE.
(Keller’s Analysis: Well, that was hilarious. Hilarious because you just have no idea watching that whether Hunter and Stephanie are serious or not. My guess is they pretended they weren’t serious, but in some strange recess of their minds, they felt they were speaking a lot of truth about 60 percent of the time. If the announcers reacted to it like it was preposterous that Stephanie thinks she can hang with Rousey, then it’d maybe work, but nobody is going to say that because, well, deep down Hunter and Steph are going to pretend they weren’t serious but they sort of want people to see how badass they are in the process. As for how it’s affects the storyline, I suppose it made people want to see Steph get beat up and shown up and humiliated by Rousey, which is presumably what will happen for the most part at WrestleMania. Hunter’s comments that he beat Angle time after time and will do it again, no problem, was too straight-faced without any counter-evidence or pushback by anyone so far, which undercuts the idea that he’s putting on a brave face but is actually petrified or at least a bit nervous about facing Angle yet again.) [c]
(2) CEDRIC ALEXANDER & MUSTAFA ALI vs. TJP & DREW GULAK
205 Live G.M. Drake Maverick joined the announcers on commentary.
(Keller’s Analysis: The match was joined in progress. It’s been weeks since the Cruiserweight Division was featured on Raw, and they reintroduced it with zero backstory, no hype, a match joined in progress, and four the regulars who had been defined down for the last year-plus. Sigh.)
Cole said the finalists in the 205 Live tournament, Ali and Cedric, were teaming together. Drake said he wanted to see how they coexist tonight. Drake said they are the heart and soul of 205 Live. He said everyone got into the business to be on the Grandest Stage of Them All, so Cedric and Ali have a chance to be part of that. Cole touted the 16-man tournament that Drake put together. Ali flip dove over the top rope onto Drew, and largely overshot him, but Drew bumped anyway. Cole tried to cover for it. Ali secretly tagged in as Cedric bounced into the ropes, and after the Lumbar Check, Ali hit the 054 (inverted 450 splash) for the win as the ref forced Cedric to leave. Cedric and Ali shared a laugh over Ali putting one over on Cedric.
WINNERS: Cedrick & Ali.
(Keller’s Analysis: Maverick is really articulate and gives a sense that somebody with some real focus and drive and executive expertise is in charge of making 205 Live and the Cruiserweight Division something important. The match had the athletic spots that define 205 Live, but ultimately the division will benefit once they get some personalities over as being bigger than the style they employ.) [c]
For another point of view on tonight’s show, check out PWTorch contributor Zack Heydorn’s alt-perspective live coverage of Raw right here at PWTorch with details on the show and his analysis of each segment: CLICK HERE
[HOUR TWO]
-Miz and The Miztourage stood in the ring. Miz said Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel are happy to be by his side, but he’s upset. Bo and Curtis looked perplexed. He said if he wanted to be surrounded by failure, he’d have stayed in his hometown of Cleveland and never gone to L.A. Boos from the fans. He said he needs to be able to count on them. Curtis said he can count on them. Miz said he was left down on the mat two straight weeks because they let him down. Bo said he knows Miz is frustrated, but they’re doing the best they can. Miz said he needs better. “Maybe you should Bo-lieve yourself back to catering.” The crowd oohed.
Seth Rollins can out and said normally he doesn’t like Miz TV, but this is a great episode. He told Miz he should be appreciative of Miztourage. He asked Miz when the last time was he said thank you to them. Miz was dumbfounded at the suggestion. Seth said without them, he wouldn’t be IC Champion. Miz told fans that when his arm goes up, their mouths go shut. Miz said they should be grateful to him because he elevated their careers. “Even without the Miztourage, I would still be Intercontinental Champion, I would still be an A-lister, I would still be…” at which point Bo interrupted and said, “A phony A-lister who can’t fight.” Axel chuckled. Seth asked Bo to repeat that. Miz sternly asked Bo, “What did you just say?”
At that point, Finn Balor’s music played and he made his way out. Balor said he could hear crystal clear what Bo said backstage. He said Bo said Miz is the biggest jerk he ever met. Bo said he didn’t call him a jerk. Balor told Miz said maybe it was loser or coward. Bo said, “No, I said he is a phony A-lister who can’t fight.” Bo gulped and realized he was just goaded into repeating himself. Miz dared Bo to say that again. Miz slapped Bo. Curtis looked worried and tried to be peacemaker. He told Bo to calm down. Miz said he’s trying to motivate them and fire them up less than two weeks before WrestleMania. He told Bo not to let Seth and Finn divide them.
Miz said he is 34 days away from being the longest reigning IC Champ of all time. He said he will be better than Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels, Mr. Perfect. Curtis heard that and furrowed his eyebrows. He slowly turned. Miz softly said, “Axel, that one slipped.” Seth and Balor said it sounded to them like he meant it. Miz stammered as he tried to talk his way out of it. He told everyone to breath in and breath out. Miz said Miz TV tonight is cancelled. Fans chanted “Yes! Yes!”
Bo and Curtis wouldn’t let him leave. He apologized and said nobody wants to see this. Seth and Balor smiled widely and watched on. Suddenly Bo and Curtis jumped past Miz and attacked Balor and Seth, who were suckered by Miz’s ploy. Miz broke into a sinister laugh and joined in on a beatdown. Cole said it was a ruse. Coach said he bought in and called it brilliant. Cole called it an elaborate set-up by Miz. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows ran out and made the save.
(Keller’s Analysis: What does it say about Reigns that nobody came to his aid, including his Shield partner Seth, during an extended beatdown yet again this week, yet Anderson & Gallows were quick to the scene to help Balor and Seth?)
Miz was left alone the ring where Balor gave him a Sling Blade. When Seth went for his stomp, Miz rolled out of the ring. Balor picked up the IC Title belt and stared at it longingly. Seth yanked it away from Balor and held it up. They had a staredown. Balor shoved Seth out of Miz’s path as Miz tried to jump him, then attacked Miz. Balor knocked Seth down, then then held up the IC Title belt with a big smile as his music played. Cole said it will be every man for himself at WrestleMania.
(Keller’s Analysis: The bit where heels do a convincing angle that’s all a ruse is being overdone, with Alexa Bliss and Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn coming to mind. That said, this was well done for that sort of thing, but in the end, if Miz is willing to let Bo and Curtis say those things about him to makes suckers out of Seth and Balor, he’s almost too clever and cunning to the point of being admirable.)
-They showed Asuka backstage heading toward the entrance stage. [c]
-A soundbite aired with Kane saying some demons don’t want to be disturbed and want to rest in peace. He said now John Cena must suffer for his indiscretion. He said he’s not going to WrestleMania. He said tonight he is going straight to hell.
(Keller’s Analysis: The music playing in the background during Kane’s promo felt cheesy. But I was just grateful there were no words on screen!)
(3) ASUKA vs. JAMIE FROST
As Asuka made her ring entrance, Cole hyped Charlotte vs. Asuka at WrestleMania. Charlie Caruso interviewed her opponent Jamie Frost at ringside. Frost said she’s not nervous because, while Asuka said nobody’s ready for Asuka, Asuka doesn’t know about her and that gives her the advantage. She said that means Asuka isn’t ready for her. Graves said Frost might have the shortest career in WWE history. For some reason, Coach said he liked her confidence. (It seems like Coach and Graves should have reversed their stances there to fit their characters.) After some slaps by Frost, Asuka gave Frost a high round kick to the side of Frost’s head and scored the pin.
WINNER: Asuka in about 10 seconds.
(Keller’s Analysis: That is much better than having Asuka struggle to speak English and have someone talking down to her.)
-They went to the announcers on the stage to talk about the Ultimate Deletion. Cole said he warned everyone last week that it was going to be the most bizarre thing. Graves told Cole to use the actual term he used – “obnoxious.” He pointed out that Matt Hardy on Twitter called Cole “an absolute mule.” Graves said the drone is honed in on him as a target. They showed freeze-frames of the battle as Graves narrated. Graves said Bray may never be seen again.
-Matt appeared on the screen. He said the essence from the vessel known as Bray Wyatt is no more. He said the evil stench of his tyrannical reign has been replaced by the smell of Señor Benjamin’s spring daisies. He said it’s sublime and the great war is over. He said he has now set his sights on WrestleMania. He said he will honor the legacy of Humongous Wonder Number Eight (that should trend on Twitter) by winning the Andre the Giant battle royale. He said anyone who opposes him with suffer the same fate as Bray and be deleted. He yelled “Delete!” several times and chomped his teeth.
-Cole sang, “That was obnoxious!” Then he talked about the Andre Battle Royal which includes Revival, Mojo Rawley, Baron Corbin, Tye Dillinger, and Matt Hardy. Graves plugged a video package on Bayley and Sasha Banks.
-Elias strummed his guitar in the dark backstage. He said before he begins, he asked everyone to silence their cell phones and hold their applause until he is done. The lights came on and he was in an elementary school classroom. It turned out to be a Snickers promotion spot. [c]
-The announcers plugged the Women’s Battle Royal at WrestleMania. They showed Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Natalya, Naomi, and Riott Squad. Graves said winning that match can take a woman’s career to the next level. Coach said it’ll be a great jump-start for whomever is victorious. Cole then threw to a recap of the Sasha-Bayley relationship.
-They went to Bayley and Sasha standing in the locker room. Bayley told her that she is entering the battle royal, too. Sasha asked if she wants to talk about last week. Bayley said there’s nothing to talk about because she knows what she did. Sasha said she’s tired of her passive-aggressive nonsense. Bayley said Bayley wants to have a friendship where she is passive so Sasha can do whatever she wants and she’ll be by her side. “You love that I put you first,” said Bayley. Sasha said she is the Boss and she does what she wants for herself and her career. “Truth be told, maybe you should do the same so everyone around here doesn’t think you’re a loser.” Bayley said Sasha keeps screwing her over because she knows she can’t beat her. Sasha said she is a four-time Women’s Champion. Bayley asked, “And how long did you keep it.” Sasha attacked Bayley and beat her down and threw her into the lockers. They were separated by referees.
(Keller’s Analysis: Neither are likable at this point.)
-Braun Strowman made his ring entrance. [c]
-Sheamus and Cesaro came out next. They said that they’re tired of Braun taking people by surprise and using that to claim he’s dominant. Cesaro let out a mocking “Braun!” yell. Sheamus said they want to know who his tag team partner is going to be. Strowman said if the whiny babies want to know who his partner is, he’ll tell them. He said all they have to do is get in the ring and beat him first. Sheamus asked how that’s fair. He said they want to know right now. Fans started a “Get These Hands” chant briefly. Strowman said maybe they’ll get an answer, but he guarantees they’ll get these hands. He dropped the mic. Sheamus entered the ring.
(3) BRAUN STROWMAN vs. SHEAMUS (w/Cesaro)
Sheamus ducked a charging Strowman early, and Strowman tumbled to the floor. The announcers said he might have tweaked his knee upon landing. Sheamus gave Strowman forearms to the chest. Strowman came back with his own forearm. Then he knocked Sheamus off the ring apron and sent him hard into the ringside barricade. They cut to a break. [c]
After the break, Sheamus had taken control with help from Cesaro. Sheamus applied a key lock to keep Strowman down for a while. Cole said Strowman hasn’t been 100 percent since tweaking his knee. Sheamus side-stepped a charging Strowman. Then Sheamus connected with a top rope clothesline and scored a near fall. It was actually barely good for a one count. Strowman knocked Cesaro off the ring apron, sidestepped a Brogue Kick attempt, and then splashed Sheamus in the corner. Next came his signature powerslam for the win. Cole said The Bar will have to wait to find out who his partner will be. Coach claimed Sheamus and Cesaro raised their confidence level because they learned they can hang with the big man. Huh?
WINNER: Strowman in about 7:00. [c]
-Cole talked about John Cena at the Kids Choice Awards. He congratulated Rock on his award, too. Coach said Cena and Rock are both his guys.
-Kurt Angle made his way to the ring to his music. He promptly introduced Ronda Rousey. Rousey walked out smiling with some strange red eye make-up. She slapped hands on her way to the ring. Coach said you can feel the anticipation everywhere Rousey goes for how Rousey will perform in the ring. She hugged Angle and waved to the crowd and smiled some more. She’s so over-the-top in her smiles, it seems like a set-up for her to turn on Angle at WrestleMania. Angle said Steph and Hunter mean it when they say they make up the rules. He said they’ll be ready for them. He said it won’t be easy. Rousey said she didn’t come to Raw for easy, and she wanted to earn everything she got. Rousey said Steph can talk tough, “but she’s trust fund tough, she’s limousine tough, and as you just saw, she’s personal trainer tough. And she’s going to get everything deserves – which is me ripping her arm out of the socket.” She was then interrupted by Absolution.
(Keller’s Analysis: That eye make-up Rousey is wearing is one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen.)
Paige walked out and said she doesn’t think they’ve been introduced yet. She said she’s Paige and they’re Absolution. She called her “baby girl” and said she wanted to welcome her to Monday Night Raw. Paige said, “This is our show and this is my house.” She said it’s great she grew up watching WWE, and she’ll get lost in the shuffle and people will take advantage of her. Paige offered to be her backup. Rousey said she has an Olympic Gold Medalist watching her “six o’clock,” so she’s fine, but thank you.
[HOUR THREE]
Paige said if she thinks Angle has her back, she wouldn’t be an enemy to Triple H and Stephanie. She said there’s a learning curve, but it’s career suicide. She said she’s been there and understands the pressure. “You don’t have to go at this alone,” she said. She offered for her to become the fourth member of Absolution. Rousey looked to the crowd. Then she thanked Paige for the offer, but said no. Paige said her choice isn’t a good one. She said she could have had some best friends in them, but instead she just made some worst enemies. In walked Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. Rousey clotheslined her. Deville went down hard. Mandy backed away and begged off. Rousey grabbed her leg, spun her around, and gave her a suplex, tossing her into Deville. She got a serious look on her face. Angle raised her arm. Mandy charged again. Rousey put her in an armbar and got a certain look. Angle tried to talk her out of her intense state as Rose yelled in agony. Rousey let go. Coach said Angle was doing the right thing.
(Keller’s Analysis: So far Rousey is what you’d expect from her. She’s very green and awkward, but a match of her MMA persona. The problem is the crowd isn’t really reacting to her like a big deal and all of the talk of this not being her world seems to be true because she isn’t as comfortable in her own skin in this environment as everyone else around her. It’s a strange vibe at this stage.)
-The announcers commented on highlights of the Lesnar-Reigns angle earlier in the show. Then they hyped Cena vs. Kane. [c]
(4) KARL ANDERSON & LUKE GALLOWS vs. THE MIZTOURAGE
The announcers talked about Miz and Miztourage fooling everyone earlier. Coach pretended he wasn’t tricked and then Coach and Cole called him out. Anderson & Gallows won with the Magic Killer.
WINNERS: Anderson & Gallows in 4:00.
-The announcers talked about Charlotte’s comments on Twitter about facing Asuka with the streak on the line.
-They showed Elias backstage with his guitar. Cole was excited about walking with Elias next. [c]
-Soundbites aired for Mixed Match Challenge with Sasha Banks & Finn Balor first, then Charlotte & Bobby Roode.
-Elias strummed mid-ring. He did his routine. He claimed last week he sold out MSG in NYC. “So you can imagine coming to Cleveland is a huge disappointment,” he said. Boos. “I am truly embarrassed to be here tonight,” he said. “But I’m in good company. My brother, Lebron James, told me he felt the same way when he came back from Miami.” He said Lebron is going to leave them again. “His bags are packed,” he said. “Trust me.” He said he wrote a song and it’d be a tragedy if he didn’t sing it. He sang about WrestleMana being on the horizon, and he could only be more embarrassed if he was a Cleveland Brown. “Seriously, how bad are the Browns?” he said. He was interrupted by Rhyno’s music.
(5) RHYNO (w/Heath Slater) vs. ELIAS
Coach brought up that a lot of people think Elias would be a great partner for Braun. Graves said he’s spending too much time on Twitter. Coach said he put up a poll and Elias got the most votes. Cole said Elias was singing about Braun. Graves said he sang about Ronda, not Braun. Cole stood corrected. Elias beat Rhyno with his finisher. Then he attacked Slater afterward and gave him a Drift Away too. Then he pointed at the WrestleMania sign. Coach said he’s still looking for another moment at WrestleMania.
WINNER: Elias in 2:00.
-Graves said they’ll look at Cena’s disrespectful comments about Undertaker next. [c]
-The announcers ran down the WrestleMania line-up including Smackdown matches. He then threw to a video package on Cena’s comments about Undertaker the last two weeks, including calling Undertaker a “coward” and telling him to prove him wrong and be the Undertaker after which Kane showed up and chokeslammed him. [c]
-Graves said Seth vs. Balor was just signed for Raw next week. Cole said next week Angle & Rousey will have an in-ring face-off just six days before their match at WrestleMania. “Buckle up, Atlanta,” said Cole.
(6) JOHN CENA vs. KANE – No DQ match
A “Let’s Go Cena / Cena sucks!” battle chant broke out. Coach said it’d be a great moment if Undertaker showed up at WrestleMania to fight Cena. Kane took Cena to the floor and threw him into the ringside barricade. Graves said if Kane has his way, Cena won’t make it to WrestleMania. A loud “Undertaker” chant broke out. Kane settled into a chinlock. Cole said there was so much speculation after last year’s WrestleMania and whether it was the end for the Dead Man. Cole said it appears so since they haven’t heard anything yet. Coach said fans seem split down the middle, with some wanting to see him come back and what kind of shape he’d be in and “what version of the Undertaker we’d see if he indeed comes back for WrestleMania.” Interesting choice of words there. Cena tried to lift Kane, but he fell forward and Kane dropped on him. Kane’s gained some significant weight in his abdomen area. Cena fought back with some punches at ringside. Kane reverse-whipped Cena into the ringside steps. With Cena down on his back, they cut to a break. [c]
Cena was on offense in a brawl near the stage until Kane suplexed him onto a metal barricade leaning against the announcer stage. They fought back to ringside. They showed that during the break Cena reverse-whipped Kane into the ringside steps. Back in the ring, Kane began to remove a top turnbuckle. Cena sat up like Undertaker, which Cole pointed out. He rallied with a shoulder tackle and went into the “You Can’t See Me” routine. Cole said he got chills when Cena sat up. Cena threw Kane head-first into the exposed turnbuckle. Then he did the throat slice gesture and chokeslammed Kane for a believable near fall. Coach said Cena is trying to get into Undertaker’s head by doing what he does.
Cena lifted the ring apron and pulled out a table. Cheers. Kane sat up this time and tried to slam Cena through it. Cena lifted Kane instead, but Kane tipped over the table. Kane leaned the table in the corner and then threw Cena into it. The table broke into pieces. Kane scored a near fall. Kane set up another table and signaled for a chokeslam. Coach said this could be the end. Cena instead gave Kane an Attitude Adjustment through a table for the win. Cole called it a gutsy performance from Cena. Graves said Cena still has no path to WrestleMania. Coach said this likely feels like a hollow victory.
WINNER: Cena.
[OVERRUN]
-Cena demanded Undertaker. “Where are you?” he yelled. He yelled at the top of his lungs Taker’s name. The crowd began chanting Undertaker. “I know you’re not deaf,” he said. “You’re just a coward. Night after night, city after city, sold out crowd after sold out crowd chant your name.” Cena said he doesn’t get to be mysterious. “Silence is not an answer,” he said. “It’s either yes or it’s no.” A “Yes!” chant broke out. Cena said he’s fine with no because he will go to WrestleMania as a fan, but “get your eyes out of the back of your head and look at the energy when they chant ‘Yes’ and ‘Undertaker’ and ‘Do Something.'” He told Taker he only has one week left to do something or do nothing, and if he does nothing, he’s letting him down and Kane down and every person who has ever believed in the Undertaker that he doesn’t care about them and instead only cares about himself. He said for the sake of all of that is good inside the ring, he wants to see him next week. He threw down the mic and his music played. Cole said he is clearly frustrated as he did everything he could to antagonize him. They replayed some of Cena’s imitations of Undertaker during the match.
[END OF SHOW]
LISTEN TO WADE KELLER’S POST-SHOW PODCAST ON THIS EPISODE OF RAW INCLUDING LIVE CALLERS AND AN ON-SITE CORRESPONDENT…
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 3/19: Will Lesnar show up? Will Reigns be suspended? Will Braun Strowman reveal his partner for WrestleMania?
The ‘bitch’ thing was the context I believe. So, where to start… too easy. lol Not sure what’s up with the ladies tonight, they ALL stunk. Well, maybe the girl Asuka squashed did her job correctly but the rest, holy crapola. Unless NIA is a temp champ holding the belt for a couple weeks, she is not ready to rule the roost. She runs out of breath in minutes, her mike work is cringe worthy, perhaps worse than Asuka who doesn’t speak the language. Alexa…. why couldn’t we have her against Sasha… that feud is money. Sahsa-Bayley? When someone isn’t into an event it shows and it showed tonight. Really bad acting. Asuka… this is the too easy part, Kick to the head, Pin. Ahh the great Japanese wrestling style…. I trust you guys that say she can do stuff, I wish Vince would just let her because there really can’t be any way you are all wrong but Asuka in WWE is a joke so far. A protected kick boxer. And let’s get to the lady who did more wrestling moves in a non-wrestling skit…. Rowdy Ronda…. ohmawgawd is she awful. She tries but she needs more seasoning in the training center, a LOT more seasoning. I did like the clothesline from ‘almost on target’ but Steph is going to have to be a bump machine for this match. These women [including Asuka] are talented and my opinion is the back room has a bunch of guys writing for them… let them write for themselves if you can’t find a couple of woman writers.
I believe it`s time for ABSOLUTION to cut their own promos, Having Paige come and cut promos for them is not helping them and if Paige can`t be in the ring it`s time for Sonya and Mandy to cut their OWN promos. And if i heard “Baby Girl” one more time i was going to punch the screen, I would love to see Sonya vs Ronda down the line, i think Sonya has a good look and can be a really good worker but time to break up this faction. Paige as Smackdown GM would be nice or Double J for GM would be better!!