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With this week being the go-home Raw before WrestleMania, there was a lot that played out on this show. To no surprise, the show ended with one final face off between World Heavyweight Champion C.M. Punk and Roman Reigns. As Reigns came to the ring first, it didn’t take long before Punk came out to confront him. Unlike their last few interactions, this exchange between them was very calm. While still expressing their dislike for one another, they both opened up about the things in each other that they envy.
Once this segment was over, it was clear that there was nothing else to be said. In addition to that, we had Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar officially sign the contract for their match at WrestleMania, another wild brawl between Stephanie Vaquer and Liv Morgan, and heated words between Seth Rollins and Gunther that escalated quickly.
Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
Latest developments:
On the March 30 Raw, Brock Lesnar called out Oba Femi to meet him in the ring. Despite security trying to stop him, Oba pushed through them to get to the ring to confront Lesnar. Before anything could happen, Triple H got in between them and ordered Paul Heyman along with Lesnar to leave until they did. Last week in the main event segment, Oba and Lesnar came out for the contract signing for their match at WrestleMania. Lesnar attacked Oba before he could enter the ring and the two of them never even signed the contract as they brawled while security tried to separate them,
At the start of this week’s show, Lesnar along with Heyman came to the ring as Lesnar signed the contract and then grabbed the mic from Heyman in the middle of his promo and said no one will even know Oba’s name after WrestleMania before he left the ring. Oba came out later in the night to sign the contract before being interrupted by Heyman. After saying Oba’s the fastest rising star he’s seen in WWE since Lesnar, he said he would be conquered by him at WrestleMania. Oba responded by saying if he were honest, he would come out and say that his client Lesnar is scared of him. Oba vowed to slay the beast at WrestleMania because he is the one and that he knows it, the crowd knows it, and he’ll know it too at WrestleMania.
Analysis:
Once again, the storyline involving Oba and Lesnar delivers. While there was no physicality between them this week, there didn’t really need to be. All that was really needed was one final sell and we got that with Oba’s promo. Ironically enough, this is the first time we’ve really heard Oba talk since this feud started. In addition to his look, entrance, and how he performs in the ring, he’s also very good on the mic as seen here.
In all honesty, this match feels more like a WrestleMania main event than Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton. It’s crazy to see how badly WWE fumbled that feud compared to how great of a job they’ve done with this one. As great as this feud between Oba and Lesnar has been, the match has to deliver in one form or another. While Oba could use the win more, losing this match won’t necessarily hurt him as long as he beats Lesnar later on in a rematch. Regardless of what the outcome is, it has to be a match that everyone comes away from WrestleMania remembering for all the right reasons.
Grade: B+
Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan
Latest developments:
On the March 30 Raw, Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer ran to the ring to confront Liv Morgan after Liv insulted her mother in Spanish. As Vaquer had Liv down and was about to hit her with a chair, a returning Roxanne Perez attacked Vaquer from behind. Perez along with Liv double teamed Vaquer as Liv laid her out with the ObLIVion on the chair. Last week as Liv & Perez were talking backstage, Vaquer attacked Liv from behind and caused Liv’s head to collide hard with Perez’s. Not done with the attack, Vaquer then proceeded to throw Liv headfirst into a TV screen.
Vaquer came out for an interview this week in the ring with Cathy Kelly. Before Vaquer could speak, Liv attacked her from behind and caused Cathy to fall down in the process. Both women brawled as security got in the ring to separate them. As Vaquer was held back outside the ring by security, Liv got on the mic and said she knew Vaquer’s mom was trash but didn’t know that she raised a little bitch before she threw the mic at her. Vaquer then crawled back into the ring and the two of them continued to brawl until security eventually succeeded in separating them.
Analysis:
In the last month, both of these women really stepped up the physicality in this feud. From the brawl they had a few weeks ago that stretched into Gorilla to Vaquer knocking Liv’s head into Perez’s, this feud has been as violent as most of the men’s feuds have been. While this storyline got off to a slow start, it’s slowly become the match with one of the better builds for WrestleMania. Of all the women’s matches on the show this year, it’s definitely the biggest one. With this being Vaquer’s first WrestleMania and Liv’s first singles match for a title at WrestleMania, both women are going to have a point to prove.
One thing that’ll be very intriguing about this match is how the outcome will play out. There’s one scenario where Liv could win and that could set up a feud between her and Raquel over the title whenever the two of them eventually split. There’s another scenario that could play out where Raquel could either accidentally or purposely cost Liv the match and that leads to the two of them feuding without the title involved. As Liv attempted to talk to Perez about the Finn Balor situation before Vaquer attacked them, there’s also a possibility that Perez could end up screwing Liv out of loyalty to Finn. With how much better this feud has gotten recently to all these potential scenarios that could play out, this has all the ingredients to be one of the standout matches of the whole weekend.
Grade: B+
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Seth Rollins vs. Gunther
Latest developments:
On the March 30 Raw, Seth Rollins hit Paul Heyman in the back with a chair after it was announced that Rollins was cleared to return to the ring. Before Rollins could do further damage, Gunther pulled him out of the ring and trapped him in the Sleeper as he later pointed to the WrestleMania sign. Last week, Rollins was in the ring cutting a promo before Gunther tried to attack him from behind again and the two of them brawled. As the brawl escalated outside of the ring with security trying to get between them, Gunther was able to get through them and he knocked down Rollins with a Big Boot before he left. Several moments later backstage as Heyman told Gunther that he owed him a big thank you, Gunther said in response that Heyman owes him much more than that.
Gunther was in the ring this week for a promo until Rollins crawled into the ring and the two of them started brawling. As Gunther tried to retreat, Rollins got on the mic and said that this was his receipt and that he’ll finish the job at WrestleMania. Rollins then said if this is really personal, he challenged Gunther to come to the ring and tell him why he wants to fight him at WrestleMania. Gunther came to the ring and got into the face of Rollins to tell him that he’s going to prove that Rollins can’t lace his boots as he head-butted him. The two of them had another brawl that spilled to the outside of the ring and as Rollins attempted a Curb Stomp on the steps, Gunther moved out of the way and escaped through the crowd.
Analysis:
Even though this was fine for what it was, this interaction wasn’t that much different from their interaction last week. In addition to that, this was another pull apart brawl on a show that just has so many of them. With this being the go-home show, perhaps Gunther should’ve laid out Rollins as a hard final sell for the match. Overall, the way this feud has turned out isn’t something you can fault WWE too much for as their hands were tied in this scenario. While this hasn’t been much of a feud as they’ve had little time to put it together, the match itself will likely make up for that.
With the talent these two have and considering this is a match we haven’t seen before, there’s good reason for people to be excited for it. As great as this match will be, this feud probably won’t continue past WrestleMania. If the rumors are true that Bron Breakker is cleared to return, he’ll likely end up costing Rollins the match to set up their feud. As this is a feud that was thrown together last minute, it’s not one where a loss would be damaging to Rollins. Even though his momentum has cooled off recently, Gunther still shouldn’t be losing any time soon coming off of retiring John Cena and AJ Styles.
Grade: B-
Iyo Sky vs. Kairi Sane
Latest developments:
On the September 22 Raw, Iyo Sky attempted to stop Asuka & Kairi Sane from attacking Rhea Ripley. In response, Asuka attacked Iyo and Kairi reluctantly joined in on the attack. On the March 23 Raw as Iyo saw Asuka yelling at Kairi backstage, Iyo told Kairi that she deserved better. The following week as Iyo was in a match against Raquel Rodriguez, Asuka & Kairi came out to cause a distraction. After Iyo took out Asuka with a Suicide Dive, this allowed Raquel to take advantage and plant Iyo with the Tejana Bomb for the win.
Iyo and Kairi went one on one this week in a match where Iyo hit Kairi with a Moonsault from the barricade onto the floor. As Iyo was hanging from the top rope by her legs later in the match, Asuka slammed her head into the post. Rhea then came out to even the odds and as she was about to hit Asuka with the Riptide, she was attacked from behind by Jade Cargill. Iyo then took out Jade with a Suicide Dive and as she was about to hit the Over the Moonsault on Kairi moments later, Asuka pulled her down onto the top rope. This allowed Kairi to roll up Iyo to get the surprise win.
Analysis:
For as much potential as Iyo and Kairi have to put on a great match, this one was simply used to further the feud between Iyo and Asuka. With WrestleMania literally this weekend, they really needed to play out the scenario that we saw here three weeks ago. The way it’s looking now, Iyo vs. Asuka likely isn’t happening at WrestleMania. If it were going to happen there, they should’ve made it official by now. Considering how much potential this storyline had dating back to September, this is another creative fumble on WWE’s part.
Asuka was getting a lot of heat when she initially starting bullying Kairi and it seemed like a WrestleMania between them was inevitable. Then for whatever reason, they didn’t do much with the storyline for a while up and it kind of cooled off. Although they eventually got back to it, it then became more of a feud between Asuka and Iyo. Especially after Iyo had arguably the best match at last year’s WrestleMania, it’s a crime that she doesn’t have a match on the show this year. While they could still build towards a match at Backlash where it’s given more attention, it doesn’t excuse the fact that this could’ve been one of the best angles heading into WrestleMania before WWE dropped the ball on it.
Grade: C
C.M. Punk vs. Roman Reigns
Latest developments:
On the March 30 Raw, World Heavyweight Champion C.M. Punk and Roman Reigns got into a huge brawl that escalated to the outside of the ring. After the two of them got through security trying to separate them, Punk nailed Reigns with the GTS and then Powerbombed him through the announce table. With Reigns not on the show last week, Punk came out to open the show with one of his infamous “pipe bombs.” Punk took shots at Reigns over everything from his part time schedule, his family connections giving him a leg up, to the fact that Reigns hates him for having the courage to walk away from the company the way he did. After demanding that the ticket prices for WrestleMania be lowered, Punk said he wanted families to be able to come to WrestleMania so that they could see him stand on the throat of Reigns.
Reigns came out to the ring for the main event segment this week before being interrupted by Punk. After Punk apologized for what he said about Reigns’ father Asuka and admitted that he hated him because he envied how he was the chosen one by the company, he vowed to walk out of WrestleMania still the champion as he then told Reigns to tell him when he’s telling lies. Reigns said everything Punk said were the truest things he’s ever heard him say aside from the part about him retaining the title as he then admitted he hated Punk because of his relationship with the audience. Reigns said the reality on Sunday will be that Punk’s time is up as he gave him two months of this relevancy and he did nothing with it. Reigns vowed to fix the mess Punk started, bring the company back to the level where it was, and to take back over as Punk and the whole world is forced to acknowledge him.
Analysis:
While this segment was fine, this felt more like a therapy session than a segment meant to be the final sell for the WrestleMania main event. For how heated things have been between these two in recent weeks, having them be so calm the way they were here was odd. In many ways, this segment would’ve been more effective if they had done it as a sit-down interview backstage instead of in the ring. One thing that was strange about this was the fact that Punk actually apologized for what he said about burying Reigns next to his father. Considering everything he said last week in his “pipe bomb,” Punk choosing to apologize for that here seemed a bit out of character.
The part of this segment that perhaps stood out most was how they opened up about why they hate each other. It makes sense that Punk would hate Reigns because of how much was given to him by the company and for Reigns to hate Punk because of his connection with the audience. Despite their differences, they still envy each other for having something that they had to work harder to obtain. It’s crazy to think about how much history these two have together dating back to 2012 and how it’s all gonna culminate this weekend. Out of all the matches at WrestleMania, this one feels the most like a WrestleMania match as well as the one with the least predictable outcome.
Grade: B
Charlotte vs. Lyra Valkyria
Latest developments:
This week, Charlotte went one on one with Lyra Valkyria in a match where Lyra held the advantage following a dropkick through the second rope as Charlotte then rebounded with a hard kick to the face. Later in the match, Lyra went for a second rope Moonsault that Charlotte avoided by putting her knees up. Charlotte went for a top rope Moonsault that she hit successfully, but Lyra kicked out. Charlotte later threw Lyra out of the ring onto Bayley and as Charlotte had Lyra rolled up for a pin, Bayley pulled her leg down. Bayley’s interference allowed Lyra to roll Charlotte up for a pin to get the win. After the match, Charlotte shoved Bayley as Bayley & Lyra had to be separated from Charlotte & Alexa Bliss by the referee.
Analysis:
Funny enough, this may have been the first one on one match these two have had together. For the time it lasted, this was a very solid match. Once again like last week, Lyra & Bayley used questionable tactics to pick up the win. With this now being a trend, it looks like they’re going to do something similar in order to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles this weekend. Considering that Bayley missed WrestleMania last year when her & Lyra were supposed to challenge for the titles, it would only be fitting for them to make up for that this year.
Usos & L.A. Knight vs. MFTs
Gearing up for their big Six Man Tag at WrestleMania this weekend, the Usos teamed with LA Knight to take on the Solo Sikoa, Tonga Loa, & J.C. Mateo of the MFTs. At one point in the match, Jey Uso leaped over the top rope to take out Mateo. Knight eventually got the hot tag and maintained the advantage for his team, which included a top rope Elbow Drop onto Loa that saw the pin attempt be interrupted by Mateo. As Jey went for a Suicide Dive onto Solo, Solo caught him and then slammed his head onto the announce table. Tomma Tonga then showed up through the timekeeper’s area and as Solo yelled at him for showing up late, a distracted Loa was hit with the BFT by Knight to get the win for Knight & the Usos.
Analysis:
While this match was nothing to write home about, it accomplished what it needed to in giving the Usos & Knight a win heading into WrestleMania. As they have the big Six Man Tag against Logan Paul, Austin Theory, & IShowSpeed, the outcome here was never in doubt. The only thing that really stood out here was the growing tension between Solo and Tomma. With Tomma’s appearance leading to the MFTs losing the match, this is clearly all leading to him leaving the group. With how stale this group has been overall, that would be the best thing for him.
Je’Von Evans & Dragon Lee vs. Rusev & J.D. McDonagh
Latest developments:
With all four men set to be a part of the Intercontinental Title Ladder match at WrestleMania, the team of Je’Von Evans & Dragon Lee faced the team of Rusev & J.D. McDonagh this week. After Evans leaped over the top rope onto Rusev, Lee turned a Sunset Flip into a Styles Clash onto J.D. for the win. After the match, Rusev attacked Lee & Evans and as he was about to put Lee in the Accolade, Rey Mysterio came out. Despite Mysterio getting the better of him briefly, Rusev laid him out with a clothesline as he went for a 619 and then Penta came out to confront Rusev. Penta got laid out with a Machka Kick by Rusev as he attempted to jump from the second rope and Rusev proceeded to hit everyone with Machka Kicks as he then trapped Lee in the Accolade to send all of his opponents for WrestleMania a powerful message.
Analysis:
A fun match here that really established Rusev as a killer ahead of the Ladder match this weekend. Despite how dominant he looked here, it’s unlikely that’s he’s going to win. With the level of talent of all the men involved, this Ladder match is going to be nothing short of chaotic in the best way possible. Scenarios like this are perfect for getting more people on the WrestleMania card in a meaningful match who probably wouldn’t have made the card otherwise. As Penta has been having a solid reign as IC Champion so far, it doesn’t make much sense for him to lose the title right now.
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