By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw Hits
CM Punk and Drew McIntyre: Punk did a great job of putting things in perspective by sharing the news of his triceps tear and then saying that it’s nothing compared to what his friend who is battling cancer is going through. McIntyre delivered the early line of the year by telling Punk that while he’s not a spiritual person, he prayed for Punk to get hurt and it happened. Damn. It was legitimately surprising to see Punk take part in the beatdown angle even though he also finished the Rumble despite suffering a major injury. Punk showed a lot of heart and had to earn some locker room respect in the process. McIntyre was an all out heel on Raw. Was this the plan coming out of the Rumble or did they change directions due to Punk’s injury? Either way, he crushed it with strong performances throughout the show.
Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes: I applauded the way Cody pointed at Roman Reigns after winning the Royal Rumble match. The company didn’t insult the intelligence of viewers by making it seem like there was any question as to which champion Cody would choose to face at WrestleMania. And then they threw a great curveball on Raw by having Rollins deliver one hell of a promo about why Cody should be more interested in challenging him than going after the “Hollywood Title” held by Reigns. Rollins hit hard while talking about Roman’s infrequent appearances and all of the cheating that takes place during his title matches. Rollins didn’t say anything the fans haven’t already picked up on, yet it was still jarring because WWE has avoided drawing attention to the infrequency of Roman’s title matches and typically have the broadcast teams ignore how many of his wins have been due to outside interference. Going into Raw, Cody’s decision felt like a slam dunk. Regardless of what they do going forward, the Rollins promo did the unthinkable by making it seem like Cody actually has a tough choice to make. This was extremely well done and helped further establish the importance of the World Heavyweight Championship.
Damian Priest and Finn Balor vs. “DIY” Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles: My favorite match of the night. Gargano and Ciampa have struggled to connect with their main roster mic work, but they have been wining over fans whenevery they are put in positions to shine in the ring. They looked good in defeat and hopefully they will be slotted for a good chase of the tag team titles.
Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn: McIntyre pointing out that Zayn never beats him and then talking down to him during the match actually left me wondering if he was setting the table for Zayn pull off an upset. Rather, the inadvertent headbutt to the balls finish was a clever way to give McIntyre the win while still protecting Zayn.
Bayley promo, Nia Jax attacks Rhea Ripley: A good gloating heel promo from Bayley followed by a strong beatdown angle. Jax dominating Ripley was a good way for her to bounce back from her Royal Rumble elimination. It also sets her up as a strong challenger to Ripley, who should be in total babyface mode in front of her home country fans when they meet at the Elimination Chamber.
Gunther vs. Kofi Kingston for the Intercontinental Championship: I don’t think anyone thought Kingston had a chance to win, but Gunther’s televised title matches still feel like a big deal. The post match attack by Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci shifted the focus back to their tag team feud with the New Day duo. It sure would be great if this is all leading to Big E returning to help battle the Imperium trio.
Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed: A good television win for Uso. It feels like Reed just needs one signature win over a meaningful player to elevate him to the point that viewers will start to see him as a more realistic threat to beat wrestlers at Jey’s level.
WWE Raw Misses
Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark vs. Piper Niven and Chelsea Green: The random women’s tag team matches continue. Baszler and Stark have yet to lose in 2024 and yet it doesn’t feel like they have gained any momentum.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions “The Kabuki Warriors” Asuka and Kairi Sane vs. Tegan Nox and Natalya in a non-title match: The match was fine and set the table for the Nox and Natalya split. But the women’s tag team division continues to feel ice cold with a lot of teams that are not over and title belts that have been subjected to an ongoing game of hot potato.
“It sure would be great if this is all leading to Big E returning to help battle the Imperium trio.” I would pop and mark out like someone 1/3 of my age if that happened!
>>Punk did a great job of putting things in perspective by sharing the news of his triceps tear and then saying that it’s nothing compared to what his friend who is battling cancer is going through.<> It was legitimately surprising to see Punk take part in the beatdown angle even though he also finished the Rumble despite suffering a major injury. <<
FYI, it isn't necessarily a "major" injury. In fact, there is a grade 1, 2, and 3, and if it was anything more than a 1, he wouldn't be involved in a beatdown.
Great point. Would love to see Big E head to head with Gunther.
If random tag matches developed characters, the WWE women’s division would be Dickensian.