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With WrestleMania in the rearview, all the fallout from the show of shows took place on this week’s Raw. Coming off of defeating C.M. Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship, Roman Reigns was scheduled to come out for the main event segment. As he was about to go to the ring, he asked his cousins Jimmy & Jey Uso to join him. With it being a mini-Bloodline reunion, Reigns talked about how good it felt to have his cousins there with him. However, in the middle of all this, Jacob Fatu came out to interrupt.
By the time the night was over, we were given a strong idea as to who Reigns’ first challenge is going to be. In addition to that, we had a face off between Cody Rhodes and C.M. Punk, new main roster call up Sol Ruca interrupting Liv Morgan’s championship celebration, and Bron Breakker sending another painful message to Seth Rollins.
Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
Latest developments:
On the February 23 Raw, Paul Heyman issued an open challenge on behalf of Brock Lesnar for anyone who had the courage to face him at WrestleMania. As Lesnar was about to attack Seth Rollins on the March 16 Raw, Oba Femi came out to confront him. After Lesnar was distracted by Rollins leaving the ring, Oba laid him out with the Fall from Grace to answer Lesnar’s open challenge for WrestleMania. During their match at WrestleMania, Oba got right back up after being hit with an F5 and he once again hit Lesnar with the Fall from Grace to get the shocking win. After the match, Lesnar took off his gloves, boots, gave Heyman a hug, and told the audience thank you as he left the ring.
At the start of the show this week, Oba’s music hit. Dressed in a suit, he came out to a huge ovation as he did the Oba Strut to the ring. Once he stood in the center of the ring, the crowd cheered hard for him as they chanted “Oba Femi” repeatedly. Keeping it short and sweet, Oba simply said that “The ruler has arrived.” He then dropped the mic and took in the ovation to end the segment.
Analysis:
In many ways, this segment mirrored the one with Roman Reigns the night after he defeated the Undertaker at WrestleMania 33. While the crowd was much more into Oba than they were into Reigns on that night, it was similar to that segment in the sense that Oba only had to say one line and that was it. What Oba did here was short, sweet, and most of all, effective. As good of a promo as he is, the little that he said here accomplished what it needed to. Crazy to see how big of a star he’s become in just a few short weeks and how much bigger of a star he could become by the end of the year.
For the amount of momentum Oba had going into WrestleMania, having him defeat Lesnar made the most sense. Although Lesnar could’ve maybe won at WrestleMania and they could’ve extended the feud longer, it was a better idea to capitalize on how white-hot Oba’s been. Much like how Lesnar got the rub from the Undertaker when he ended the Streak, Oba got the rub from Lesnar by retiring him. As far as what’s next for Oba, the next big accomplishment for him would be to win the King of the Ring. Once he does that, it’ll set the stage for him to challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Title at SummerSlam.
Grade. B+
C.M. Punk vs. Cody Rhodes
Latest developments:
On the January 26, 2025, Raw, C.M. Punk confronted WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and vowed to be the one to take away the burden of being champion away from him after winning the Royal Rumble. Despite not winning the Royal Rumble the following Saturday, Punk defeated Jey Uso nine months later on the November 1 Saturday Night’s Main Event to win the vacated World Heavyweight Championship. At WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes successfully defended his WWE Championship against Randy Orton. Also at WrestleMania, Punk defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns. After Punk collapsed when attempting to do the GTS, he was hit with a Spear by Reigns and lost the title.
Punk came out for a promo this week where he admitted that WrestleMania wasn’t his night, but he vowed to stay ready as no one ever knows when another title opportunity will fall out of the sky. WWE Champion Cody Rhodes then came out to join Punk in the ring and said he thought he was going to freak out about losing the title as opposed to being so calm about it. Punk said the path for Cody was to keep being champion, while the path for him was to stay ready. As he glanced at the WWE Title, Punk said you never know when a championship opportunity is going to fall out of the sky as he then left the ring. In response, Cody told Punk to just say when.
Analysis:
Judging by this segment, it looks like Punk is done feuding with Reigns for the time being. However, what was teased here is something that could arguably be even better than that feud was. For the last two years, we’ve had several teases of a feud between Punk and Cody. From the way things played out here, it seems like we’re finally going to get it. With Backlash being too soon and not really a show big enough for a match like this, the destination for this match is likely SummerSlam or WrestleMania next year.
They really played this out perfectly with how Punk looked at the title and said you never know when a title opportunity will fall out of the sky and then Cody simply saying to just say when. As this match isn’t going to happen right now, it opens up the question of what Punk will do in the meantime. Considering that he’s mainly been on Raw ever since he returned to the company, perhaps a move to Smackdown wouldn’t be a bad idea for him. Smackdown could really use the boost of having a star like him on the show, and it’ll also give Punk the chance to feud with new people like Sami Zayn, Randy Orton, and Trick Williams. While it’ll suck to have to wait a while for Punk and Cody to finally face each other, history has often shown us that scenarios like this are worth the wait.
Grade: B+
Liv Morgan vs. Sol Ruca
Latest developments:
At WrestleMania, Liv Morgan challenged Stephane Vaquer for the Women’s World Championship. After outside interference from Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez, Liv took Vaquer down with the ObLIVion to win the match and regain her title. This week as Liv along with the rest of Judgment Day were in the ring celebrating her title win, they were interrupted by new main roster call up Sol Ruca. After Liv threatened her, Sol said she wouldn’t back down from a fight as the two then got into each others faces. Adam Pearce then came out with referee Jessica Carr and made an impromptu match between Liv and Sol.
As the match progressed and Sol jumped from the top rope, Liv hit her with a Codebreaker for a close near fall. Sol later blocked an ObLIVion attempt by standing on her head and then hit Liv with the Soul Snatcher, but Liv crawled out of the ring to avoid being pinned. As Sol threw Liv back into the ring, she was attacked from behind by Zaria. Despite making it back into the ring before being counted out, Sol was hit with the ObLIVion by Liv and Liv picked up the win. As Liv was celebrating in the aisle way, Vaquer came out to get in Liv’s face as she held up the title.
Analysis:
Despite losing, this was a very strong debut for Sol where the loss doesn’t hurt her. She went toe to toe with the Women’s World Champion in her main roster debut and the only reason she lost was due to outside interference. In addition to that, she really had the crowd behind her the entire time. With Rhea Ripley now moving to Smackdown, Sol will make for a strong babyface to fill that void on the women’s side. Much like Je’Von Evans on the men’s side, seeing what Sol does in the ring is exactly the kind of spark that this show needs.
One thing that many expected to possibly happen here but didn’t was Raquel or Perez possibly turning on Liv. Now that it’s clear that Liv’s feud with Vaquer isn’t over, it looks like they’re going to hold off on that for now. While Liv winning the title back was the right move, the match her and Vaquer had at WrestleMania didn’t get the amount of time it deserved to tell a proper story. Whether that was due to injuries or time constraints, their match deserved more than to be rushed through like it was considering the build for it. As it looks like they’re going to have a rematch at Backlash, perhaps there they can give us a match where they’re given the right amount of time to tell a proper story.
Grade: B
Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
Latest developments:
On the October 13 Raw, Seth Rollins was put out of action after he was attacked by Bron Breakker along with Bronson Reed and kicked him out of The Vision. At the Royal Rumble, a mystery man in a black hoodie attacked Breakker as he was about to enter the Rumble match and that caused him to be eliminated easily. On the February 2 Raw, Breakker was put out of action after he aggravated an injured hernia by flipping over the announce table. At Elimination Chamber, a mystery man in a black hoodie attacked The Vision’s Logan Paul and revealed himself to be a returning Seth Rollins. During a match between Rollins and Gunther at WrestleMania, Breakker returned to hit Rollins with a devastating Spear outside the ring to cost him the match.
As Breakker was in the ring this week along with Paul Heyman, Paul, & Austin Theory cutting a promo this week, Rollins showed up from behind and hit him and the rest of The Vision members with a chair before being overpowered by them. As Paul & Theory double teamed Rollins, the returning Street Profits came out to fight them off. Breakker was about to hit Rollins with a Spear, but Rollins countered it with a devastating SuperKick. Rollins was about to go for a Curb Stomp before Breakker escaped the attempt and then took down Rollins with a Spear. Breakker ripped the shirt off of Rollins to expose that his ribs were taped up and told Rollins he was going to ruin everything he’s ever done before he hit him with another Spear.
Analysis:
With WrestleMania in the rearview and both Rollins and Breakker healed from their injuries, now this feud can play out the way that it was meant to. From what we’ve seen so far and, in this segment, specifically, this feud is looking like it’s going to be a violent one. While Breakker clearly got the better of Rollins here overall, Rollins clearly got Breakker good with that chair shot to the back of his head that made him bleed. While it would’ve been great to have gotten this match at WrestleMania, the one they’re likely going to have at Backlash will more than make up for it. From how much momentum he had before he got injured, having Breakker back now really showed how much his presence on the show was missed.
In addition to Rollins feuding with Breakker, it now looks like Paul & Theory are going to feud with the Street Profits. While it was great to see the Profits back, it feels foolish for anyone to get their hopes up too high about this. Considering how many start and stop pushes they’ve had in recent years; all of this seems like business as usual. While this does give the Tag Team Division on Raw a much-needed shot in the arm, it feels like the Profits have really done all they can do as a team.
Grade: B
Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu
Latest developments:
At the Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns last eliminated Gunther to win the Rumble match and punch his ticket to WrestleMania. The following Monday on Raw, he chose World Heavyweight Champion C.M. Punk as the champion he’d challenge at WrestleMania. In the main event of night two of WrestleMania, Reigns challenged Punk for his title. Before Punk could hit Reigns with a second consecutive GTS, he collapsed. This allowed Reigns to hit him with a Spear to win the match and the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.
As Reigns was heading to the ring for the main event segment this week, he asked his cousins Jimmy & Jey Uso to come out with him. In the middle of Reigns’ championship celebration in the ring with the Usos, they were interrupted by Jacob Fatu. As Reigns assumed that Jacob came out there because he wants his title, Jacob said that he doesn’t want the title, he needs it. He then said he doesn’t need to be the Tribal Chief; he needs everything the Tribal Chief has and challenged him to a match at Backlash. Reigns said that while there’s chance Jacob could beat him, he asked if he could handle the burden of holding the title or if he could handle the burden of having to acknowledge him if he couldn’t beat him. Not saying yes or no to his challenge, Reigns said he’d give Jacob a week to think about it as he’s not sure if he’s ready and referred to him as little cousin before he left.
Analysis:
With Reigns seemingly full time now that he’s the champion, this is the perfect first feud for him coming out of WrestleMania. A feud between Reigns and Jacob is something fresh that they can build a lot out of given their family history. For as much as people have been talking about Jacob being a future main eventer, he’s now getting the chance to be. With that being the case, there’s no better person for him to feud with to establish him as someone who belongs in main events. While not official yet, this match will help make Backlash a must see PLE.
Although no one expects Jacob to win in this scenario, fresh feuds like this surrounding the title are exactly what we need after coming down from the high of WrestleMania. More than likely, this is going to be a feud that stretches beyond Backlash. Something like this has too much potential for a long-term story to just blow off in one PLE match. With this feud happening combined with the Usos now being back with Reigns, it looks like the Bloodline storyline is once again going to be the dominant one on the show. While this could be looked at as WWE rehashing the past, there’s still potential in it as long as they add a different twist to it that makes it stand out from the 2022-2023 period.
Grade: B+
Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane
Latest developments:
With new WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley about to head to Smackdown, she teamed with Iyo Sky to take on Asuka & Kairi Sane this week. As the match progressed, Asuka hit Rhea with a hard kick to the face and Kairi followed that with an Insane Elbow onto Rhea on the floor. Rhea eventually recovered and nailed Asuka with a Razor’s Edge and Iyo followed that with a Missile Dropkick. As Kairi later tried to throw Iyo across the ropes, Iyo went through the second rope and landed on Asuka. Rhea then hit Kairi with the Riptide and Iyo followed that with the Over the Moonsault to get the win.
Analysis:
Although we’ve seen this match many times, it always delivers just like it did here. As Rhea is about to head to Smackdown, having her team with Iyo one last time was a fitting way for her to go out on Raw. Now with Rhea out of the picture, it leaves Iyo to deal with Asuka & Kairi on her own. After how Kairi accidentally threw Iyo onto Asuka, it’s obvious that Asuka’s going to take it out on her in one way or another. Since we weren’t able to get Iyo vs. Asuka at WrestleMania, it looks like we’re going to finally get this story told under the right circumstances at Backlash.
Je’Von Evans vs. Ethan Page
Latest developments:
After a backstage confrontation between Je’Von Evans and new main roster call up Ethan Page, Adam Pearce made a match between them official for this week. As the match progressed, Rusev appeared behind the timekeeper’s area to distract Evans before Evans then leaped over it to attack him. Once Evans got back into the ring to attempt the OG Cutter, Page knocked him off the top rope and hit him with the Twisted Grin for the win. Rusev attacked Evans after the match and trapped him in the Accolade until Intercontinental Champion Penta came out to make the save. Page pushed Penta from the top rope as he was about to attempt a move, and he left the ring as Rusev trapped Penta in the Accolade.
Analysis:
With this being the main roster debut for Page, having him win here was the right move. He showed from his backstage interaction with Evans and this match here that he’s going to be a strong heel on the show going forward. It’s also clear from what we saw here that Rusev is going to be feuding with both Penta and Evans for the next few months. As Penta’s been a good champion so far, Rusev will be the first actual feud he’ll have since his title reign started. Everything we saw here provided us with a lot to be excited about surrounding the Intercontinental Title as we head into the summer.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Finn Balor vs. J.D. McDonagh
Latest developments:
Fresh off of defeating Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania, Finn Balor went one on one with the Judgment Day’s J.D. McDonagh this week. Before the match started, Finn clotheslined J.D. over the top rope as the two of them brawled outside the ring and into the crowd. Finn hit JD with a Sling Blade, but J.D. moved out of the way as Finn went for a Missile Dropkick and rolled him up for a near fall. Finn later succeeded with his second Missile Dropkick attempt and then hit the Coup De Grace to get the win. Dominik attacked Finn from behind after the match before Finn eventually fought back and as Finn was about to hit Dominik with the Coup De Grace, JD pulled him out of the way.
Analysis:
For as much potential as this match had, they weren’t given the amount of time here to show that. While it was fine for what it was, there wasn’t much about it that really stood out. As Finn just left Judgment Day and returned the Demon character, there was no way he was going to lose here. It’s also clear from what happened here that the feud between Finn and Dominik is going to continue. As their storyline heading into WrestleMania didn’t really get the attention that it deserved, perhaps it’ll get that attention now to build for a rematch.
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