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With Saturday Night’s Main Event taking place this Saturday, this week’s Raw had World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso all over the show. As Logan Paul set to challenge him for his title this weekend, Paul opened the show this week with a promo that was interrupted by former champion Gunther. With Gunther facing the winner of this match for the title in three weeks, he warned Paul about what could happen if they end up facing each other. Not only does Jey have these two men to worry about, but he also had to deal with Bron Breakker in this week’s main event. Even though his title wasn’t on the line, a match with Breakker this close to his upcoming title defense had the potential to hurt his chances at retaining.
By the time the show was over, it was obvious that Jey won’t be heading into Saturday at 100 percent. In addition to that, we had Penta team up with A.J. Styles to take on the Judgment Day, a fun Women’s Money in the Bank Qualifying match, and another Women’s Qualifying match that had an unfortunate injury come out of it. With two major shows coming up, there’s was a lot on this week’s Raw that built intrigue for them.
Logan Paul and Gunther Segment
Latest Developments:
Ever since Jey Uso defeated Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania, Logan Paul has vowed to take the title from him. After Jey laid him out with a superkick on Raw three weeks ago, Paul sucker punched him backstage later that night. As Jey was high fiving fans after his title match with Seth Rollins the following week, Paul once again sucker punched him while disguised in a black hoodie. Last week, it was announced that Jey will defend the title against Paul at Saturday Night’s Main Event. When Jey was in the ring cutting a promo about the upcoming match later in the night, Gunther came out and revealed that the winner of the match between Jey and Paul will defend the title against him on the June 9 Raw from Phoenix.
This week, Paul came out to open the show and ran down a bunch of facts including the fact that he knocked Jey out three times and claimed he’d do it again this Saturday to win the title. Gunther came out in the middle of this to interrupt and said beating Jey was personal to him and that if Paul takes that from him, he’ll take that as disrespect. He told Paul if he beats Jey and they end up facing each other, he’s going to eat him alive before he left the ring. As Paul berated Gunther when he walked up the ramp, Jey appeared behind him and hit him with a superkick. Jey told Paul that he’d see him on Saturday and Gunther that he’d see him in three weeks to end the segment.
Analysis:
For the second time in four months, we were teased with a Gunther and Logan Paul match that we’re not going to get. While no one expects Paul to win the title this weekend, it was wise for WWE to at least make it seem like a possibility that he could by having Gunther confront him. Even though we’re probably not getting that match any time soon, what we saw between them in this segment is a sign of how great these two could be together. As great of a heel as Gunther is, Paul feels like the one person who could easily turn him babyface. Even without the title involved, a match between these two is one that needs to happen eventually.
Considering that Jey defeated Gunther the way he did at WrestleMania and the bad blood they had in the weeks leading up to it, it’s clear that they have unfinished business. In many ways, the match they’re likely to have on the June 9 Raw will be bigger than their WrestleMania match. Without other marquee matches to share the spotlight with and probably more time to work with, their rematch will have the chance to stand out more. As great as the match will be, it does feel like there’s going to be some kind of shenanigans or a potential cash in that plays into the outcome with it being on the Raw after Money in the Bank. With all these factors combined, that title match on June 9 is going to be one of the biggest title matches on Raw in recent memory.
Grade: B
Penta & A.J. Styles vs. Finn Balor & J.D. McDonagh
Latest Developments:
At Backlash, Penta failed to win the Intercontinental Championship from Dominik Mysterio due to outside interference from El Grande Americano. Last week, Penta regained some momentum with a win over Chad Gable. Later that night, A.J. Styles went one on one with Finn Balor. Throughout the match, Styles had to deal with interference from J.D. McDonagh & Carlito until Penta appeared to take them all out. Penta’s help allowed Styles to take advantage of Finn while he was distracted and hit him with a Phenomenal Forearm for the win.
This week, Styles & Penta teamed up to face Finn & J.D. McDonagh in a tag team match where Penta kicked J.D. as he attempted a head stand on the top turnbuckle followed by a Spanish Fly. After Finn missed a Coup De Grace attempt, Penta rebounded with several kicks and a Sacrifice. Carlito attempted to pull Penta’s leg as he was on the top rope until A.J. hit him with a Phenomenal Forearm from the steel steps, then J.D. hit Styles with a Suicide Dive through the second rope, and Penta hit J.D. with a Mexican Destroyer on the floor from the steps. El Grande Americano appeared in the crowd to grab Penta and hit him with a head-butt. This allowed Finn to nail Penta with the Coup De Grace to pick up the win for his team.
Analysis:
To no surprise with all the talent involved, this was one hell of a tag team match. As great as they would be as opponents, seeing Penta and A.J. Styles team up is something not to take for granted. That sequence towards the end where everyone was hitting each other with moves outside the ring consecutively was incredible. This match was so good that not even the interference from El Grande Americano playing into the outcome could take away from it. If anything, the finish made sense considering the thorn Americano has been in the side of Penta’s lately.
This outcome marked the third time Penta has been pinned in the last month. While it is kind of odd that he’s lost so much lately, it doesn’t feel like he has any less momentum. From his presentation, move set, and crowd reactions that he gets, it would be ridiculous to say that he’s being buried. It would be concerning if these losses were more random, but all of them have been used to build towards his issues with Americano. As long as he ends up getting his revenge on Americano and possibly unmasking him in the end, then there’s no reason to worry.
Grade: B+
Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria
Latest Developments:
At Backlash, Lyra Valkyria defended her women’s Intercontinental Championship against Becky Lynch. In a competitive match that even saw Becky break her nose at one point, Lyra pinned Becky out of nowhere to retain her title. Immediately after the match, Becky attacked Lyra and put her in the Disarmher until officials pulled her off. Last week with Lyra not at Raw, Becky cut a promo about how the fans treated her was one of the reasons why she took a year hiatus. She then said that she would now be anything that they thought she was and ended the promo by stating that the rest of the women’s roster would now find out what it’s like to be held down by “The Man.”
This week, Becky competed against Natalya and Roxanne Perez in a Money in the Bank Qualifying match. Natalya put both women in the Sharpshooter simultaneously until Becky grabbed the ropes, but Natalya still kept the hold on Perez’s until Becky interrupted it with a Man Slam. As Becky was about to pin her, Lyra pulled her out of the ring and attacked her. This led to Perez hitting Natalya with the Pop Rox for the win and to qualify for the women’s Money in the Bank. Later backstage, Finn Balor revealed that Perez was now the newest member of Judgment Day.
Analysis:
Matches like this are an example of how it’s a shame that there’s only so few spots available for the Money in the Bank Ladder match. All three women in this match really delivered, especially Natalya. The performance she put on here was a prime example of how valuable she is to that women’s division, even though she isn’t featured enough. With Perez new to the main roster, she was the right person to win this match. From what she’s been doing so far from her performance in the Royal Rumble, the Elimination Chamber, qualifying for Money in the Bank, and now being involved with Judgment Day, it’s clear that they have big plans for her.
In addition to that, the main takeaway from this match was the growing issues between Becky and Lyra Valkyria. After what Becky did to her at Backlash, this was the perfect scenario for Lyra to get her revenge. Even though Becky’s the biggest star out of the three women in this match and would’ve given the Ladder match some more star power, she was the one who needed the win here the least. What happened between them here now sets the stage for them to have another match at Money in the Bank, with Becky defeating her this time. This continues to be one of the standout feuds on the show and one that’s going to be exciting to see where it progresses to.
Grade: B
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky
Latest Developments:
On the March 3 Raw, Rhea Ripley lost the Women’s World Championship to Iyo Sky. Despite having a chance to regain the title in a Triple Threat match against Iyo and Bianca Belair at WrestleMania, Iyo retained the title after hitting the Over the Moonsault onto Bianca. Last week, Rhea teamed with Iyo to take on Giulia & Roxanne Perez. After a miscommunication between Perez & Giulia, Rhea took advantage and hit Giulia with the Riptide for the win. Rhea raised up Iyo’s hand after the match was over but stared at Iyo’s title as she did.
This week, Rhea had a chance to get back into the title picture when she faced Zoey Stark and a returning Kairi Sane in a Money in the Bank Qualifying match. As Zoey went for a Missile Dropkick onto Kairi, she was severely injured as her knee landed awkwardly. This resulted in her being taken out of the match and it became a one-on-one match between Rhea and Kairi. Kairi escaped a Riptide attempt to hit Rhea with a clothesline against the bottom turnbuckle and then went for the Insane Elbow off the top rope, but Rhea put her feet up to counter it. Rhea later ducked a spinning elbow attempt from Kairi to hit her with the Riptide to get the win and qualify for the women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match.
Analysis:
With the Money in the Bank Ladder match needing star power, Rhea winning here was a no brainer. Funny enough, this is going to be her first time being involved in a Money in the Bank match. With her and Iyo headed for an eventual rematch sooner or later, she doesn’t necessarily need the briefcase to get another shot at the title. While there is a chance that she could end up winning it and then cashing it in on Iyo as revenge, it should probably go to someone like Roxanne Perez who is still establishing herself. As exciting as Kairi Sane would be to watch in a match like Money in the Bank, Rhea just adds a lot more to it.
Even though Rhea won, the main story coming out of this match was the unfortunate injury to Zoey Stark. Right when she landed the way she did, you could tell that she was legit hurt. With the recent releases of Sonya Deville and Shayna Baszler, Zoey was barely being featured on the show as it was. For this injury to happen when she finally gets the chance to be part of something for the first time in a while makes this even more heartbreaking. While injuries are something that come with the territory of being a pro wrestler, it doesn’t make it any less sad whenever they do happen in scenarios like this.
Grade: C
Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker
Latest Developments:
Two weeks ago, Jey Uso defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins. Bron Breakker hit Jey with a Spear outside the ring and as Rollins was about to win the title with the Curb Stomp, C.M. Punk came out to attack Rollins and have the match thrown out. Last week as Rollins & Breakker attacked Punk & Sami Zayn, Jey came out to help chase them off. Later that night, Jey was found attacked backstage as Breakker stood over him. It was later announced that Jey and Breakker would face each other this week in a non-title match.
In this week’s main event, Jey faced Breakker in a match where Breakker hit Jey with a Frankensteiner from the top rope for a near fall. Jey rebounded when he blocked a Spear attempt from Breakker with a superkick but as he was about to jump over the top rope onto him, Paul Heyman pulled his leg when he ran across the ropes. Jey walked towards Heyman outside the ring until he was attacked from behind by Rollins to end the match on a disqualification. Rollins & Breakker attacked Jey inside the ring until Sami & Punk showed up and brawled with them through the crowd. As Jey was getting back up in the ring, he was sucker punched again by Logan Paul.
Analysis:
With a main event that was made official a week in advance, it shouldn’t have ended on a disqualification. Ironically enough, all of the matches involving Breakker & Rollins ever since they started teaming up have ended with no official winner. While it’s understandable that they wanted to protect both Jey and Breakker, doing it this way was a letdown. It was clear from how this all went down that this match was only used to add more heat to both the tag match and the World Title match happening at Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend. While there’s nothing wrong with that, this match should’ve instead been an impromptu one as opposed to one people waited a whole week for.
The match itself was fine for the time it lasted, but it felt meaningless as the real story was everything that happened after the match was over. Punk & Sami brawling with Rollins & Breakker through the crowd provided fun chaos and a sign of what to look forward to in their match this weekend. As Sami turning on Punk to align with Rollins, Breakker & Heyman is still a possibility, it may still be a while longer until that potentially does happen. The ending to the show was well done where just as you thought it was going to end with the brawl, it ended with Jey being sucker punched again by Paul. While this match didn’t deliver as a main event with a satisfying outcome, it did deliver as far as making people eager to see what happens at SNME.
Grade: B
Other Raw Highlights:
Sheamus vs. Grayson Waller
After tricking his tag team partner Austin Theory to take his place in a match with Sheamus two weeks ago, Grayson Waller took on Sheamus this week. After hitting Sheamus with a hard shot that knocked him through the ropes, Waller attempted the Ten Beats of the Bodhran on him before Sheamus quickly blocked it. Waller then escaped a Ten Beats of Bodhran attempt from Sheamus and as he tried to walk out on the match, Theory prevented him from doing so. The distraction allowed Sheamus to grab Waller and clobber him with the Ten Beats of Bodhran as Theory smiled as it happened. Sheamus followed that up with the Brogue Kick to pick up the win.
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