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Tag: Monday Night Raw review

  • 3/24/25 Raw Rundown

    Monday Night Raw in Glasgow, Scottland was a night full of surprises. Let’s get right into today’s review of the show.

    Photo credit: WWE

    Cena Scolds The Audience

    For the second week in a row, John Cena started tonight’s show with another promo directed toward us, the viewers. He gave us an even deeper look into how he is feeling and what his plans are for his WWE Championship run.

    Although it seemed obvious, I didn’t see this coming to start the show for some reason. It was a nice surprise to hear Cena’s music hit to kick things off.

    The biggest takeaway from this promo is that John Cena plans to take the title away from not just Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania but from us as well. He made reference to the hate he received for converting the old, respected title belt into the spinner belt that was widely hated among WWE fans and superstars alike.

    Just like he did all of those years ago, John Cena plans to take away the prestigious WWE Championship once again. This time he will retire with it at the end of the year.

    Cody came out to confront Cena again. He said that if he wants to take the title away from us, he has to get through Cody first.

    Many people online have been complaining about the Cody Rhodes and John Cena promos. Everyone seems upset that John Cena is yet to respond to Cody face-to-face. To that, I say let them cook.

    Are we forgetting that there is still a month until WrestleMania? Do you really think we’re not going to get a Cody Rhodes and John Cena promo battle before then? Well, we are. It’s called suspense people. Let it build up. This has the potential to be one of the greatest wars of words in the history of the WWE. Of course they aren’t going to give it to us three weeks into the Cena heel turn. You’re upset because you’re impatient.

    The Usos Reunite

    The second big surprise of the night was the reunion of one of the greatest tag teams of all time, The Usos.

    A mystery partner for Jey was teased last week. Usually, when this happens, it’s the most obvious person you could think of as the surprise entrant. Except for that one time when we got Ricky. I miss Ricky…

    There was buzz online that it could be Joe Hendry, but I honestly didn’t know who it would be. When I saw Jimmy Uso I freaked out. The Usos haven’t teamed up in over a year. This was sick.

    Of course, The Usos defeated A-Town Down Under in an awesomely nostalgic match. It was great to see a one-d for the first time in a while.

    Jey Uso looked like he had his swagger back from last week with his brother by his side. He looked confident, which he needed after last week’s botch.

    Gunther attacked Jimmy and Jey after the match ended. Jey got the jump on him early, carrying his confidence from the match over to this retaliation. That was until he slipped up while attempting a spear and got beat down by Gunther in the end.

    Later in the night, we got a backstage segment where a disheartened Jey was sitting and talking with Jimmy about the mania match. Jimmy told it to him like it is and how any brother would. Jey can’t win. Not this depressed, botch machine Jey anyway. But the Jey who won the Royal Rumble can. Main Event Jey Uso can beat Gunther.

    Jimmy then met Gunther in the hallway and challenged him to match next week. Gunther accepted with a quick, sh*t-eating quip and got his hatable grin smacked straight off of his face which was one of my favorite moments of the night.

    My opinions on the Jey Uso versus Gunther feud have changed seemingly every week. I believe that the addition of Jimmy Uso was necessary, and I clamored for it a few weeks ago on my radio show.

    People online are upset that they are taking this low-confidence angle for Jey Uso. However, you’re playing right into it. The more you hate on him, the more WWE is going to lean into it. Our hatred for it makes it work. Like it or not, I know you’re all going to be yeeting your asses off when Jey wins at Mania.

    Lyra Valkyria vs Raquel Rodriguez

    Since putting over Bayley in the Elimination Chamber qualifying match a few weeks back, Lyra Valkyria has been on an absolute tear. She has defended the Women’s Intercontinental Championship every other week on Raw since then and has been putting on awesome matches each time.

    Tonight’s match against Raquel Rodriguez was no exception. Lyra took some nasty-looking bumps in this match. That big boot from Raquel as Lyra was in mid-air was gross. I am impressed by her more and more each week.

    After Lyra got the win, she was attacked by the Women’s Tag Team Champions. Bayley hustled her way to the ring (she was MOVIN) to make the save.

    I think we have finally found where Liv Morgan can find herself on the WrestleMania card. That being in a match for Lyra’s Intercontinental title. After the year she had, and even after last week’s huge win over Jade Cargill she absolutely deserves a spot on the card.

    What I don’t want to see is a triple-threat between Bayley, Liv, and Lyra. We already have a few triple threats on the card. It’s being memed online there are so many. Just make this a singles match.

    Adam Pierce Addresses The Women’s World Championship Match

    Adam Pierce came to the ring to confirm that Rhea Ripley’s signing of the contract last week was invalid and that we will not be seeing her added to the match at WrestleMania.

    Iyo, Bianca, and Rhea joined him in the ring to start arguing about who deserves to be in the match. Pierce confirmed a rematch for next week between Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky for the Women’s World Championship. The winner of which will face Bianca at WrestleMania.

    It was later confirmed in a backstage segment that Bianca Belair would be the special guest referee.

    This match is going to end in shenanigans. Bianca said it herself, she doesn’t know how to referee. This is going to lead to something happening in the match that sets up the triple-threat match at WrestleMania.

    I don’t think that this feud needs this rematch in order to confirm the triple threat. It’s already there. Just take what you’ve got while it’s hot.

    A Legendary Luchador Debuts

    Hailing from the Gulf of America, world-famous luchador El Grande Americano made his WWE debut tonight against Dragon Lee after Chad Gable had to pull out of the match due to illness.

    What a debut it was too. This match rocked. That suplex from Americano from the apron to the floor was gnarly. I was a big fan of the finish too. Although I couldn’t tell if Lee’s mask was supposed to fall off or not at the time.

    I still don’t understand why everyone is making connections between Chad Gable and Americano. So what he disrespects Lucha traditions by de-masking his opponents? So what he has the exact same physical build as Chad? So what they have nearly identical ring gear and move sets? Chad Gable is innocent. He has nothing to do with the legendary El Grande.

    CM Punk Speaks on Rollins and Reigns

    CM Punk came out to the ring to speak about his newly confirm match against Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania.

    He said again that neither Reigns or Rollins have ever beaten Punk without the other ones help and that having each other is their only hope at winning.

    He said that there will be a contract signing for the match this week on Smackdown, where he hinted that he will be getting what he wants out of this match. Will this be where he cashes in his favor from Paul Heyman, and what will the favor be?

    People online are saying that the favor will be CM Punk being added to the John Cena versus Cody Rhodes match if he wins. However, I don’t think that that is what Punk wants. He hasn’t hinted at wanting a title ina while.

    What CM Punk really wants is to finally main event WrestleMania. His favor from Paul will be making this match the main event of night one of mania.

    Penta vs Bron Breakker

    Bron Breakker successfully defended his Intercontinental Championship in the main event tonight against Penta.

    This was Penta’s first time main eventing a WWE show and it definitely won’t be his last.

    Like every Penta match we’ve seen so far, this one was awesome. I still can’t get over how cool of a move the Mexican destroyer is. I am in awe every time I see it. This was a great showing between two of WWE’s fastest-rising stars.

    I was super excited about this match all week. That’s why I was disappointed with the way it ended. I wanted a definitive winner, but I understand now why they chose to protect Bron and Penta from taking a pinfall.

    I predicted last week that we would be getting a triple-threat match between Bron Breakker, Penta, and Dominik Mysterio for the IC title at WrestleMania. I was almost right.

    From the conclusion of tonight’s main event, it is looking more like a fatal four-way is what we’re getting with Finn Balor added into the mix.

    I am just as fine with this as I am with the triple-threat. In fact, I think this is the perfect opportunity to revitalize the career of Finn Balor. He has been down bad for far too long. Years for that matter. Fans have been asking for WWE to do something with Finn for a long time and this could be the perfect opportunity.

  • 3/17/25 Raw Rundown

    After avoiding spoilers for this episode all day, I thought this episode of Monday Night Raw was full of fun, and I was glad I didn’t see anything beforehand.

    Image credit: WWE

    Heel Cena’s First Appearance

    Since turning heel at this year’s Elimination Chamber PLE, John Cena has yet to appear on an episode of either Raw or Smackdown. That is until tonight.

    John Cena opened up the show and explained how he felt to the WWE Universe. This was a breakup note to all of us who have grown up watching Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect. Cena told us that we have been awful to him. Booing him, chanting at him, forcing him to change. This was an interesting angle to take for WWE and I am fully behind it. It makes a lot of sense if you think about it.

    Whether you loved or hated Cena growing up, we have all been a part of the “John Cena sucks” chant that was especially loud in Brussels. Cena made me feel bad for rooting against him for all of those years.

    In a nutshell, John Cena has finally flipped to the dark side because he is looking after himself. He sees this as the easiest route to winning number 17 and is the correct way to do a heel John Cena character.

    Cody Rhodes eventually made his entrance to confront his WrestleMania opponent. Cena immediately tried to ‘lil bro’ Cody, but he wasn’t having it.

    Cody asked Cena who he really was. He wants a match against the real John Cena at Mania. Not this selfish, winey, shell of his former self.

    Overall, the crowd was hot for both of these guys. Cena didn’t get the chance to get a word in against Cody, but both looked super strong on the mic.

    Another Great Showing from Penta

    Monday Night Raw’s newest acquisition continues to wow fans with his innovative and high-flying offense.

    Penta defeated Ludwig Kaiser in a no-holds-barred match in the first match of the night. As always, I was super impressed with Penta in this match. The finish had to of been my favorite part. A Mexican destroyer onto a steel chair followed by the Penta driver was immaculate. I can’t get enough of this guy.

    The shock of the segment was the post-match interview, where Penta announced that he would be going after the Intercontinental Championship in the near future.

    I think this is well deserved. Right now, nobody in Raw’s mid-card seems like a viable contender against Bron Breakker. Penta on the other hand has been hot and has clearly been the guy for weeks.

    There was also a tease later in the night that Dom Mysterio was working to recruit Penta to Judgement Day. Could this be building to a triple threat for the IC title at Mania?

    Ivy Nile vs Dakota Kai

    Dakota Kai defeated Ivy Nile with ease in this match. We had some shenanigans out on the apron with Chad Gable and the rest of American Made throughout, but other than that there’s not much else to say about it.

    Contract Conundrum

    The contract signing for the Women’s World Championship match at WrestleMania between Bianca Belair and Iyo Sky was next on the show.

    Both Iyo and Bianca signed it fairly quickly, Iyo stating that as champion, she will not be disrespected again like she was last week.

    After the signing, Rhea Ripley’s music hits as she storms to the ring. She was looking to also sign the contract for her match at WrestleMania. A match that she felt she deserved to be a part of. So much so that she would beat up both Iyo and Bianca and sign her name on the contract as well.

    We all knew this would wind up becoming a triple-threat match. Although it hasn’t been “made official” we all know where this is headed.

    Jey Uso Squashes Austin Theory

    Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to announce that I get to write about the first squash match in Squash Match Wrestling history!

    Jey Uso defeated Austin Theory with a cross body (per Michael Cole) in under one minute.

    After the match, Theory and Greyson Waller attempted to one-up the Royal Rumble winner but were bested once again. There was a terrible botch where Jey tried to jump out of the ring and onto both of his opponents, he hit the ropes and landed awkwardly.

    This was not a great look for someone who is trying to earn himself a WrestleMania main event. Especially with a storyline that has already been lackluster.

    Gunther once again came out to make Uso’s night hell. He locked in a vicious sleeper hold, but Jey was able to escape and finally get the best of the World Heavyweight Champion. The segment ended with Jey Uso holding up Gunther’s title in triumph.

    The Creed Brothers vs LWO

    Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee defeated Julius and Brutus Creed in a tag team match.

    In ring, this match was incredible. What else would we expect from high-flying luchadors like Rey and Dragon? The Creed Brothers looked fantastic as always too.

    My favorite part, however, was the surprise attack from the mysterious masked assailant who is definitely NOT Chad Gable after the match had ended.

    This unknown figure delivered several Gable-like moves to the luchadors. Most likely in an attempt to frame our beloved and ever-innocent Master Gable. I hope that WWE security can catch this guy soon. He can’t keep getting away with this.

    Seth Speaks on Roman Reigns Attack

    In the final major segment before the main event, Seth Rollins made his way to the ring to acknowledge the spectacular Brussels crowd and talk about his victory last week over CM Punk.

    Seth was admittedly not angry at Roman Reigns for tainting his win in the steel cage match, saying that he would’ve done the same thing himself.

    His focus then shifted toward his opponent, CM Punk. He said that Punk got lucky. If Rollins had just a few more seconds he would have stomped his head into the mat and crushed his WrestleMania dreams.

    Seth announced that he would be heading to Smackdown later in the week to address both Reigns and Punk since they will also be at the show.

    It is looking more and more like we are getting a triple-threat match between Roman Reigns, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins. If this is the case, I believe that Seth Rollins should be the winner.

    1. Because I love Seth Rollins and want to see him win.
    2. Because Seth deserves it. Since losing his World Heavyweight Championship last year, he has been getting bested by these two all year. In the case of CM Punk, it’s in matches. But in terms of Roman, its from sheer star power. He’s been the head honcho in WWE for the past 4-5 years and a win like this would put Seth on an equally high pedestal where he deserves to be.

    Pinn Balor vs Bron Breakker

    Bron Breakker (predictably) retained his Intercontinental Championship against Finn Balor in a stellar match that main evented the show.

    Breakker was able to capitalize even when the numbers were against him. There were plenty of typical Judgement Day interferences fighting in Balor’s favor, but he was still able to get the win.

    After the match, Judgement Day jumped an exhausted Bron Breakker. None other than Penta, who declared himself the next challenger for Breakker’s IC title earlier in the show, came out to make the save.

    The two had a staredown, and the episode faded to black as the credits rolled.

    For as good as Finn Balor is in the ring, I can only see one way that he makes it to WrestleMania this year. And that is in a match against Judgement Day partner Dominick Mysterio. They have been hinting at a feud for weeks now as tensions continue to rise within the group over the supposed new member.

    However, I can also see Dom landing himself elsewhere on the WrestleMania card. That being in a triple-threat match between himself, Penta, and Bron Breakker for the IC title. You have to admit, this match would cook so much harder than Finn Balor vs Dominick Mysterio. That matchup just screams ‘Raw main event’ to me. I don’t think it’s worth wasting a spot on the show of shows, but I guess we’ll see how the story develops. Let Papa H cook as they say.

  • 3/3/25 Raw Rundown

    We received a card that was chock-full of title fight’s on last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw with one ending in a surprise twist.

    Image credit: thesportster.com

    Punk Out For Blood

    CM Punk kicked off the show by dropping one of his infamous pipe bombs on the likes of The Rock, John Cena, and Seth “Freakin” Rollins.

    Naturally, this promo was a banger. That’s just what we expect from CM Punk at this point. However, what came out of it all was even better than the promo itself.

    While Punk massacred his victims on the mic, he was interrupted by Seth Rollins after mentioning Rollins’ wife, Becky Lynch. They brawled for a while and even again later on in the show. It was later announced that CM Punk and Seth will be maineventing next week’s episode of Raw inside a steel cage at Madison Square Garden.

    I have a couple of predictions for this match. First of all, Seth has to win this one, but I don’t think he’ll do it cleanly. My prediction is that Roman Reigns will return and attempt to put Rollins down for what he did at the Royal Rumble. However, I believe he will spear CM Punk inadvertently, giving Rollins the victory and setting up a triple-threat match at WrestleMania.

    I’m super excited about this feud and match. All three of these guys are top 5 in the business both in the ring and on the mic. Not to mention the history that each of them has with one another. I can totally see this stealing the night one main event away from Gunther and Jey Uso.

    What’s With Judgement Day?

    For weeks now, the members of Judgement Day, primarily Dirty Dom and Pinn Balor, have been at each other’s throats about adding this new member to the group. Personally, I’m on Finn’s side. They don’t need a new member, they need to break up, or at least drop Finn Balor. All they do is lose matches even with a numbers advantage. The entire group looks weak. They get beat up seemingly every single week by whoever the flavor of the night baby-face happens to be.

    Tonight it was Bron Breakker, and as you can imagine, that didn’t go too well for Judgement Day. They seem to be setting up a feud for the IC title with Balor, but hopefully, this happens before WrestleMania. We all know how this is going to end already, and this would be such a waste of Bron Breakker’s time. Many fans were hoping to see a match between him and AJ Styles for the title, but it seems that they are going the Logan Paul route with Styles for Mania.

    Somehow, Karrion Kross is now involved too. I have liked Kross’ recent work with Sami Zayn, but it never seems to lead anywhere big. I feel like Sami would’ve had a brutal match with KO regardless of had Kross been in his ear or not. Hopefully, they can find a way to tie him in effectively this time.

    Gunther Backs Up His Smack Talk

    For the past two weeks, Gunther has had a micro feud going on between himself and The Alpha Babes, formerly The Alpha Academy. Last week he decimated Tozawa on the mic and in the ring, but tonight was Otis’ turn.

    Gunther delivered daggers toward Otis, essentially body-shaming him the entire time. It was mean. Schoolyard bully levels of mean. For as awful as it was to watch a crowd favorite get fat-shamed on live television, I think that this feud is benefiting everyone.

    Every week Gunther becomes more and more of an unlikeable scumbag that people love to hate. Meanwhile, The Alpha Babes aren’t getting absolutely squashed by the World Champion either. They have had pretty entertaining matches. Gunther would defeat Otis and choke him out after the match ended as he did to Tozawa last week. Jey Uso made the save but also ended up unconscious after it all.

    Later in the night, Jey Uso delivered an emotional promo, talking about how everyone doubting him has him doubting himself as well. He said it was time to lock in as he left the building shirtless into the frigid Buffalo weather.

    I have faith in this feud. We have seen Jey Uso vs Gunther a number of times already so it doesn’t seem as interesting to online fans as WWE had hoped. You can’t tell me the arena isn’t going to explode when Uso wins the title though. This isn’t a feud for IWC fans, it’s for the people in attendance. The people who pay money to go to the shows. This match is meant to be a heartwarming WrestleMania moment about an underdog who finally gets the job done. Just sit back and enjoy it.

    Back-To-Back Wins for Valkyria

    This was the second week in a row that Women’s IC Champion Lyra Valkyria defended and retained her title. It’s nice to see her getting the championship treatment she deserves after however many days of not winning a match.

    This match was pretty good. Nothing eye-popping, but it was a good first bout between her and Ivy Nile. I see them coming back to this feud at some point down the line, maybe even for WrestleMania.

    Kaiser’s Time Killer

    Mid way through the show Ludwig Kaiser graced the audience with his annoying presence to deliver the same promo he gives every time he is handed a microphone. “I am Ludwig Kaiser and I am the best wrestler in the business,” was basically the gist of it.

    Thankfully he was interrupted by Penta, one of the fastest-rising stars that Monday Night Raw has on its stacked roster. I love Penta, but I’ve seen that he has been getting hate online for spamming his catchphrase a little too much.

    First of all, I don’t think he is overusing it. The crowd loves it. If it were getting no reaction each time that’s one thing, but he has the entire arena behind him every single time.

    Second of all, the guy just achieved his lifelong dream. You can tell how much he loves being a WWE superstar every time he steps foot into that ring, whether it’s for a match or not. Let him have his fun.

    The Quest Continues

    We finally have some answers as to where my guy Chad Gable has been the past few weeks. If you don’t recall, he went on an “epic quest” to familiarize himself with the “dark arts” of Lucha Libre. When I first saw this, I thought it was hilarious, but I am glad to see he will be returning soon.

    As to what was in the box, it has got to be a luchador mask right?

    Raw Is War In The Tag Team Division

    The second of our three title matches tonight was between the War Raiders and American Made for the World Tag Team Championships. This match started with no hype at all. Neither of the two teams got any form of reaction from the crowd during their entrances or as the match started. However, this quickly changed as the match went on. We had awesome high-flying action from both teams that you wouldn’t expect from such big dudes. Ivar attempted a moonsault, Brutus Creed hit a 450 splash, and Julius Creed hit a damn shooting star press from out of nowhere!

    This was an awesome showcase for the tag teams of Raw that have been struggling compared to their Smackdown counterparts. If it weren’t for what came next, this would’ve been the match of the night.

    Triple H Takes “Predictable” Allegations Seriously

    To the surprise of absolutely everyone on planet Earth, Iyo Sky defeated Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship in the main event of the show. She will go on to defend her newly won title against Bianca Belair at WrestleMania.

    I can’t put into words how spectacular this match was. For a match that everyone ” already knew the results of,” it was suspenseful from start to finish. The acrobatic style of Iyo Sky and the brutality of Rhea Ripley worked so well when paired against each other.

    I have one serious question though that nobody seems to be asking. Why didn’t Iyo get disqualified when Bianca put her hands on Rhea? I mean, they clearly weren’t just arguing. Bianca shoved Rhea multiple times to the point where Jessica Carr left the ring to split them up. Doesn’t that typically call for a DQ? In my book it does, and it kinda killed the match for me from that point going forward.

    Even with the shock ending, I still didn’t believe it should have ended like that. I felt that Rhea was screwed out of her title in a way and that Iyo Sky defeated her uncleanly.

    I do forsee Rhea Ripley getting inserted into this match at WrestleMania somehow. We have already seen Bianca Belair and Iyo Sky go head-to-head for a world championship. We haven’t seen Bianca and Rhea face off yet however, and to most fans that was the money match. I’d put money on it that this ends up a triple-threat match.

  • 2/24/25 Raw Rundown

    It is officially Elimination Chamber week, and this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw really helped to expand upon some of the top storylines that fans are excited for come Saturday.

    Image credit: sportskeeda.com, X

    Paul vs Punk?

    The show kicked off in a way that nobody expected. That being Logan Paul addressing the WWE Universe in his home state of Ohio. I personally really enjoyed Paul’s promo, especially his comment on Cinncinatti being a city that wastes talent (poor Joey B). We then got a surprise entrance from CM Punk, who came down to the ring to put Paul in his place. Punk told Paul not to get too ahead of himself, and that he owed Paul a receipt from the rumble last month. The segment ended with Paul getting the last laugh, as he slapped CM Punk across the face and scurried out of the ring before he could retaliate.

    Could this be setting up a feud between Logan Paul and CM Punk? I don’t necessarily think so. It will be interesting to see how they face off inside the Elimination Chamber, but I don’t see this altercation surpassing that. We all know what happened to the last guy who got locked inside of a cage with CM Punk…

    Penta’s First Loss

    Next, we move into the first match of the night. Penta vs Ludwig Kaiser vs Pete Dunne. This match had some gnarly spots and was action-packed from bell to bell. My favorite moment had to be the Mexican destroyer from Penta to Pete Dunne leaping off the back of a kneeling Ludwig Kaiser. It was sick, and another absolute banger from Penta. It wouldn’t be enough for him to pick up the W though, as Kaiser would throw Penta from the ring and hit the, uh…what’s his finisher called again? Honestly, who knows? I haven’t seen Ludwig win a singles match in God knows how long.

    Enough hating on the guy, this win was huge for Kaiser, even if he didn’t hit the pin on Penta. A win is a win, and I can totally see him getting an IC title push sometime down the line.

    Rhea Ripley vs Iyo Sky

    This segment was short and didn’t really bring any more hype than I already had for this match. There is no doubt in my mind that in ring, this match will be fantastic. Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley are two of the best in the business, but I personally haven’t been too invested in the match’s storyline. I just don’t see Rhea dropping the title this close to Wrestlemania, especially on an episode of Raw.

    New Day vs LWO

    I couldn’t care less about the New Day right now. They had the heel turn of the century a few months back, but since then have done nothing more than go after an aging Rey Mysterio and his characterless lackies. Why? This is the New Day. They are legends of the business that just hit us with the most diabolical and unforeseen heel turn in a while. They should be competing for tag gold right now. Especially within Raw weak-sauce tag division.

    This was an absolute showcase for the LWO however. They may have lost the match (and hopefully the feud), but they shined where they typically do. In the ring, and the air. To me, they’re similar to Los Garza over on Smackdown. They haven’t really had a chance to shine on TV, but when they do, they most certainly bring it. I just wish I cared more about their characters. It shows that the audience didn’t really care either. They didn’t even boo after the match ended and New Day attacked them. Nor did they boo when Dragon Lee came out and got his clock cleaned either.

    Judgement Day continues to crumble

    I don’t foresee Finn Balor staying with the Judgement Day for much longer. He and Dominick argue about almost any little thing seemingly weekly before Liv Morgan has to come and clean things up. I don’t see him staying with the group for much longer. He isn’t finding any success with them since losing the tag titles (if you can even call their run a success at all) and really hasn’t done much of anything since Damien Priest left the group last year. It’s been rough if you’re a Pinn Balor fan.

    The rise of Tozawa???

    Now, I know that this segment was meant mainly to elevate Gunther and Jey Uso’s feud for Mania, but you cannot deny that the crowd absolutely LOVED Akira Tozawa tonight. Not to say that they usually don’t, but tonight was special, even if he ended up getting his head squished in like a bug under Gunther’s World Heavyweight boot. I honestly thought he put up a better match against Gunther tonight than Jey did back at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Should Tozawa have won the Royal Rumble?

    Women’s IC Title match

    Tonight, was an awesome night for women’s championship wrestling. We’ll come back to this a little later on, but the first of these spectacular matches was Lyra Valkyria vs Dakota Kai for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. Although it wasn’t super long, this match slapped. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the result I wanted, and I am not sure the crowd did either. Dakota Kai was my initial choice for the inaugural midcard champion. She has been around way longer than Lyra, has more crowd support, and is just as good in the ring.

    On the other hand, this was an important win for Lyra Valkyria. Since becoming champion, she has never defended the title in her 44-day reign as champion. In fact, she hasn’t even won a singles match in weeks. I don’t understand why WWE would have her lose to Bayley in a chamber qualifier as a champion. To me, the loss buried her. She hadn’t even had a feud going on since late last year, but fortunately, this match solved all of those problems. Lyra gets a win, a successful title defense, and her next opponent in Ivy Nile.

    Sami Zayn hypes up a banger at the chamber

    Sami Zayn had a sit-down interview following the disturbing cell phone video from Kevin Owens last week, showing Sami and his family inside their own home. Essentially, Sami explained that he and Kevin are not the same men they were when they first met. They have had their ups and downs, but they have crossed a line they have never so much as came close to before.

    The unsanctioned match between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn is going to be a blood bath, or at least it better be. After seeing what Owens was willing to go through at the Rumble, I expect nothing short of a car wreck. These two have been going at it with one another for over 20 years, and the two of them in their home country facing off has Wrestlemania levels of aura. This better main event the Elimination Chamber.

    Bron Breakker vs Dirty Dom

    This match was kind of a nothing burger to me. It ended just about the same as any other Judgment Day match that you see. Bron Breakker beat up on Dom until Finn and Carlito stepped in to help. Dom gets disqualified and Breakker beats up on everyone. At least Breakker came out looking like a force to be reckoned with.

    Selling his soul?

    On Friday Night Smackdown, The Rock declared to everyone that he was not coming for Cody Rhodes’ title, but instead he was after the WWE Champion’s soul. Now you may be wondering, what the hell does that even mean in the context of professional wrestling? To that, I say you are not alone. I honestly have no idea what this means, but thankfully I feel like Seth Rollins was able to answer a few questions for us last night.

    Near the end of the show, Cody came out to address the WWE Universe about what The Final Boss had offered him on Friday, and from the sounds of it, Cody might actually consider “selling his soul” to The Rock. That’s when Seth came out to confront Cody.

    In his promo, Seth Rollins did his best to remind Cody of who he was, telling him that he has never taken the easy way out. Why should Cody take The Rock’s offer when he has already worked for everything he has gained up to this point? Well, that’s where things get interesting. Normally, the uber baby-face Cody Rhodes would never accept an offer like this, but this is no ordinary Cody Rhodes. He isn’t in a stable headspace at the moment.

    Seth called back to Cody’s encounter with CM Punk that occurred before the Royal Rumble referencing how the burden of the WWE Championship must be weighing on him. The entirety of this plotline relies on the question of whether or not Cody truly is losing his mind. Two superstars have called him out on it already. This combined with the psychological war that was Cody Rhodes vs Kevin Owens points to this being the case.

    Overall, the major question of if Cody will sell out has not yet been answered, but it did give us the viewers more insight to how this feud can play out. There are a number of directions they can go that I would rather save for another blog post(I’ve thought of like 10 possibilities). However, this also gave Seth Rollins more ammunition heading into the Elimination Chamber. Before this, I didn’t see Seth possibly winning. He didn’t really have a storyline with Cody yet. But now, I think he has bumped up to my third most likely favorite to win (behind Cena and Punk).

    The Match of the Night: Bianca and Naomi vs Liv and Raquel for the Tag Team Titles

    Three words…This. Match. Rocked.

    Coming into the main event of the show, I figured that there was a possibility that Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan could steal the titles away from the powerhouse duo of Bianca Belair and Naomi. What I did not expect them to do was steal the show as well, especially following the Penta vs Ludwig vs Pete Dunne match earlier in the night(this was my favorite match up to this point).

    This match had it all. Great spots, intense near-falls, hard bumps, and an intriguing story behind it. All culminating in a match that far exceeded my expectations. The only part that I was a little complaisant about was the finish, but you know, whatever.

    The women’s tag titles needed a shakeup in my opinion, and considering the fact that there aren’t any other women’s tag teams on either brand right now (rip Isla Dawn), Judgement Day was the perfect choice.

    Finally, my favorite part of it all is that we still don’t know what happened to Jade Cargill. Was it Naomi? Was it Bianca? Was it Liv and Raquel? I really couldn’t tell you. However, I think it was necessary to get the titles off of Naomi and Bianca in order for the story to advance.

    If I had to guess, I would say Naomi did it. She was the first one there at the scene of the crime, her mannerisms seemed a bit off tonight before her match, and she has the motivation. If you recall from last year, her, Bianca, and Jade took on Damage Control at Wrestlemania. Since then, Jade had been the one to take her spotlight. She won tag gold with Bianca, and together they went on an absolute tear in the women’s tag division. Meanwhile, Naomi was left behind. She was getting jobbed almost every week on Smackdown with nobody to help her out.

    I know the money match for Mania is probably Bianca vs Jade, but I just can’t see how Naomi committing the crime could lead to a match with Bianca. Either way, I am super intrigued to see what happens next.