SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
With this being the go-home Raw before WrestleMania, it served as the final selling point for this weekend’s big show. That selling point was most visible in the final segment this week between C.M. Punk, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins. As Paul Heyman’s favor to Punk will have him be in his corner for the big Triple Threat match on Saturday, there’s now tension between Heyman and Reigns. With Reigns refusing to speak to Heyman, this week was the first time they’d see each other since the reveal of the favor. To no surprise, the tension between them only intensified once they made it to the ring.
Much like what we’re going to see this weekend, this segment gave us two Triple Threats for the price of one. In addition to that, we had promos from Gunther and Jey Uso, a competitive match between Bayley and Liv Morgan, and Penta going one on one with Finn Balor before they cross paths again in this Sunday’s Fatal Four Way. With this year being the longest gap between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, there wasn’t much else this show could do to get people any more excited.
Gunther vs. Jey Uso
Latest Developments:
Two weeks ago, World Heavyweight Champion Gunther tied Jey Uso onto the ring ropes and had Jey watch him brutally attack his brother Jimmy. The champion busted Jimmy open by hitting him in the head with the championship belt, Powerbombed him, and trapped him in the Sleeper as he taunted a tied-up Jey the whole time. Last week as Gunther was in the ring about to cut a promo, Jey came out to interrupt him with a much more serious demeanor. After talking about having to tell his mother about what happened to Jimmy and admitting that he was scared of him, Jey told the champion that he wasn’t scared of him anymore. He ended the promo by telling Gunther he was going to ask God for forgiveness for the man he’s going to become at WrestleMania as he vowed to take the title from him there.
This week, Gunther opened the show and demanded that Michael Cole come into the ring to interview him. After only a few questions, the champion grabbed the mic from Cole and dove into how he was accused of losing control with his attack on Jimmy. He said he’s never lost control in his life and when he did what he did to Jimmy, he was in full control and loved it. Gunther ended the promo by stating he’s looking forward to calling his mom next week to tell her how much he enjoyed beating the hell out of Jey and how he’ll be walking out of WrestleMania still the champion. Later in the show, Jey came out and said listening to Gunther talk made him feel like now the champion’s afraid that he’s going to whoop his ass in front of 60,000 people for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania.
Analysis:
Considering how well the segments between these two delivered over the last two weeks, there was no need for them to have any contact this week. With the intensity and heartlessness Gunther showed in his promo, it served as a strong final message before the match this weekend. The part that stood out most was when he said he was in full control when he beat up Jimmy the way he did despite others thinking otherwise and how much he loved it. This promo served as a prime example of how much he’s progressed on the mic and as a character over the last year. Judging by how loudly the crowd booed him here, this feud with Jey Uso has made Gunther an even better heel than he already was.
On the other hand, Jey’s promo was a huge step down from the one he did last week. Not only was it short, but he also spent more time pandering to the audience than he did talking about Gunther. A contrast from Gunther’s promo, Jey’s didn’t do much to get anyone excited for the match this weekend. With this feud being as long and up and down as it has been since it started, it is a relief that the match is finally going to happen in a few days. Now that we’ve seen all that we can see from this build, it’s time to see how this story translates in the ring.
Grade: B
Bayley vs. Liv Morgan
Latest Developments:
Three weeks ago, women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria was attacked by women’s Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez after she successfully defended her title in a match against Raquel. Bayley came to Lyra’s rescue and helped her fight off the champions. Last week, Bayley challenged Lyra for her championship in a match where Lyra retained by the skin of her teeth. The following Friday on Smackdown, Bayley & Lyra teamed up in a Tag Team Turmoil match that would decide who will challenge Liv & Raquel for their titles at WrestleMania. After starting the match and making it all the way until the end, Bayley & Lyra defeated the final team of Piper Niven & Alba Fyre to earn a shot at the titles.
This week, Bayley went one on one with Liv Morgan in a match where Liv suplexed Bayley from the steel steps onto the floor. Bayley later rebounded with a Sunset Flip into the turnbuckle and a Belly to Bayley, but Raquel put Liv’s foot on the rope as she went for the pin. Lyra went after Raquel before Raquel hit her with a big boot and when Raquel stepped onto the apron, Bayley planted her head into the mat through the second rope. Liv hit her with a Backstabber and went for an ObLivion, but Lyra held onto Bayley and that caused Liv to fall down. This allowed Bayley to take advantage and put Liv in a Jackknife Cover for the win.
Analysis:
This was a very solid match that’s hopefully a sign of what we’re going to get in the Tag Title match this Sunday. Bayley and Liv really worked well together here, and this match was another example of how much Liv has grown as an in-ring performer. The finish to this match was especially clever where Lyra countered Raquel’s interference by holding on to Bayley as Liv tried to hit her with the ObLivion and that led to Bayley winning. Even though the match had a lot of outside interference, it added to the match more than it took away from it. While many people feel like the match between these women this weekend feels thrown together, it does have a lot of potential considering the talent involved and the quality matches all of them have been putting on lately.
In addition to that, this scenario at least allows all four women to be on the WrestleMania card this year when so many other deserving performers are being excluded from it. Especially when you consider the year that Liv had leading into this year’s show, excluding her from it would’ve been a crime. As great of a team as Bayley & Lyra make, it doesn’t feel like they’re a team meant to be together long term. When you look at the great match they had together last week and the fact that Bayley initially rejected Lyra’s handshake afterwards, it seems like there’s a better long-term story to tell between them as opponents. All of that combined with the fact that Liv & Raquel have better chemistry as a team and just won the titles a few weeks ago makes the outcome of the match this weekend very predictable.
Grade: B+
Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano
Latest Developments:
On the March 10 Raw from Madison Square Garden, a mysterious man in a Lucha Dore mask attacked Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee during their Texas Tornado Rules match with the New Day. While Mysterio and everyone else believed the man in the mask was Chad Gable, a vignette that aired two weeks later revealed the Lucha Dore’s identity as El Grande Americano. That same night, Americano defeated Lee after he pulled off his mask and trapped him in the Ankle Lock. Last week, Americano along with the Creed Brothers defeated Lee, Cruz Del Toro, and Joaquin Wilde of the L.W.O. after Americano put a piece of metal in his mask given to him by Ivy Nile and hit a Diving Headbutt onto Lee. Later that night, Adam Pearce granted Mysterio a match against Americano at WrestleMania.
This week, Mysterio faced Julius Creed in a match where everyone from both American Made and the L.W.O. were kicked out of ringside. Julius caught Mysterio into a Powerslam position as he attempted a Moonsault, but Mysterio reversed it into a DDT. Americano came out and jumped on the apron and despite Julius rolling up Mysterio as he was attempting to take off Americano’s mask, he kicked out. Mysterio knocked Julius into Americano as he fell off the apron, hit the 619, and then the Dropping the Dime onto Julius for the win. After the match, Americano hit Mysterio with a Running Headbutt and then a Diving Headbutt as footage several minutes later revealed that he once again put a piece of metal in his mask right before.
Analysis:
While this storyline came off as ridiculous at first, it has been one of the more amusing parts of the show the last few weeks. Being able to pull off this El Grande Americano character as well as he has is another example of how Chad Gable can make anything they give him to work with entertaining. Although it is odd that it took him wearing a mask of all things to finally get him a singles match at WrestleMania, at least he’s finally getting one and with Rey Mysterio of all people. The match between Julius and Mysterio was a lot of fun and despite the loss, Julius looked impressive throughout it. Although there was an awkward moment where Mysterio lost his balance on a Hurricanrana over the top rope that caused them both to fall hard, the sight of Julius walking up the steps with Mysterio in a suplex position quickly made you forget about it.
With this storyline just now starting to get good, there’s no way that it’s going to be blown off this weekend. From what we’ve been seeing recently, it has enough legs to continue for at least another month. Considering their level of talent, Mysterio vs. Americano has the potential to be one of the show stealers on Saturday night. If someone had said four months ago that these two would be facing each other at WrestleMania under these circumstances and it would actually be entertaining, no one would’ve taken them seriously. This storyline has proved that sometimes the most ridiculous ideas we don’t expect to work can end up surprising us.
Grade: B
Penta vs. Finn Balor
Latest Developments:
Two weeks ago, Finn Balor & Dominik Mysterio teamed up to face Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker & Penta. After an accidental Spear from Breakker, Finn hit Penta with a Coup De Grace to pick up the win and hand Penta his first pinfall loss in WWE. Last week, Adam Pearce announced that all four men will face each other for the Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania in a Fatal Four Way match. Later that night after Penta defeated Dominik, he was attacked from behind by Carlito until Breakker came out and Speared Carlito in the aisle way. Breakker then entered the ring and Speared Dominik and Penta before being hit with an Inverted DDT by Finn, who held up the title and surprisingly didn’t help up Dominik.
Finn went one on one with Penta this week but before the match, Finn, Dominik, & Carlito attacked Breakker backstage. During the match, Carlito & Dominik showed up to distract Penta and that led to Finn hitting him with the Sling Blade and the drop kick into the turnbuckle. As Finn was going for the Coup De Grace, Breakker came out and he ran into the ring after Carlito and caused a disqualification as he clotheslined Finn in the process. Breakker Speared Dominik & Carlito at the same time and as he was about to hit a Spear on Penta, he blocked it and knocked him out of the ring. Penta then went to the top rope and jumped onto Breakker, Dominik, and Carlito to end the segment.
Analysis:
While not anything bad, everything that happened here was more of the same that we’ve been seeing with these four men. As great of a match as Finn and Penta could be, this match they had here was meaningless as it ended in a disqualification and was used more as an angle to give one final sell for WrestleMania. All of this felt more like something to just kill time on the show as it didn’t do much to get people any more excited for the match this weekend than they already were. It seems like everything that could be done to build anticipation for this match has already been done and all of this here felt forced more than anything else. The only things of note that stood out here was how fast Carlito ran away when Breakker came out(lol) and Penta getting revenge on Breakker for the Spear’s he’s suffered from him in recent weeks.
With all that criticism aside, this Four Way looks like one of the stronger matches on the undercard. With the talent involved combined with the different stories intertwining with each other, it would be a huge shock if this match doesn’t deliver. In addition to all of that, what makes this match so appealing is the fact that the outcome is so unpredictable. What is predictable though is the split between Finn and Dominik that’ll either happen at WrestleMania or on Raw the next night. For the amount of time they’ve been teasing dissension between them and the fact that they’re in a title match where it’s every man for himself, there’s no better time for this break up to happen than now.
Grade: C
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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C.M. Punk vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
Latest Developments:
On the April 4 Smackdown, C.M. Punk revealed that the favor that was owed to him by Paul Heyman was for him to be in his corner at WrestleMania. Roman Reigns laughed this off and told Heyman to tell Punk no, which Heyman nervously told Reigns he couldn’t do. The following Monday on Raw, Seth Rollins interrupted Heyman’s promo in the ring and put it in his head that neither Reigns nor Punk care about him. Rollins started getting physical with Heyman until Punk came out and the two of them brawled all over ringside. Rollins Curb Stomped Punk as he got back into the ring and then he stopped himself from hitting Heyman with the Curb Stomp, then told him that he now owes him a favor.
Reigns and Heyman were in the ring for this week ‘s final segment where Reigns asked Heyman why he’s supposed to pay and cover the tab for his favor to Punk until Rollins came out to interrupt wearing a suspicious black vest. Rollins said favors are a choice and Heyman made a choice to be in Punk’s corner, and he told Reigns he needs to figure out why he’s choosing Punk over him. Roman told Heyman he made his choice, and he made his too as he clotheslined Rollins and when Heyman told Reigns that he acknowledged him, Reigns pie faced him down to the mat. Punk came out and knocked Reigns out of the ring and as he went to check on Heyman. Reigns Speared Punk. As Reigns stood over Punk, Rollins hit him in the back with a chair (similar to when he turned on him in the Shield a decade ago), then Curb Stomped Punk followed by Reigns, and he stared at Heyman with the chair in his hand as the show ended.
Analysis:
Hands down, this was the best segment on the entire show. While the parts of it where Rollins said that this was the biggest Triple Threat match of all time were exaggerated, everything else here succeeded in building excitement for this weekend. As most of the other stories going into WrestleMania have nothing else that could spice them up anymore, this segment gave this match a great extra boost. One of the highlights of it was by far the growing tension between Reigns and Heyman. Considering that Reigns treated him the way he did here and even went as far as to pie face him, this is starting to feel like the beginning of the end for their relationship.
While there isn’t any championship or prize at stake in this match, it feels like the real prize everyone is fighting for is Heyman’s services. Another part of this segment that stood out was when Rollins hit Reigns in the back with a chair in a Shield vest, similar to what he did to him a decade ago. Although some could’ve predicted Rollins coming out on top in the match because of how he’s come off as the third wheel in this scenario, what happened here has made the outcome much less predictable. Perhaps more than the outcome, what’s most intriguing about this is who Heyman will potentially end up with. With the Heyman factor and the fact that this will be the night one main event, it definitely seems like something big is going to happen at the end of this match.
Grade: B+
A.J. Styles vs. Karrion Kross
Gearing up for his upcoming WrestleMania match with Logan Paul, AJ Styles went one on one with Karrion Kross this week. At one point it seemed as if Kross was injured and AJ even tried to check on him, but it was all a set up as Kross used this to sneak attack him. Styles eventually recovered and nailed Kross with the Phenomenal Forearm for the win. Paul appeared after the match and as Styles called him out to the ring, he was distracted by Kross. Styles fought them both until Paul hit him with a hard right hand and laid him out with the Paulverizer.
Analysis: Honestly, this was one of the better matches that Kross has had. Considering that he hasn’t wrestled on TV in a long time, Styles was the perfect opponent for him here. Paul showing up after to hit Styles with the Paulverizer was the perfect way to build more heat on him as we head into their match on Sunday. While the build to Styles vs. Paul hasn’t felt like anything special, it’s a potentially great match that no one is talking about enough. By the time we get out of WrestleMania, there’s a strong chance that it will be one of the matches people come out of it remembering the most.
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