By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw Hits
Cody Rhodes promo: Cody showed great fire while rebutting The Rock’s promos. Rock hit hard and Cody pulled no punches in response. Cody did a tremendous job as a babyface by not crossing certain lines, such as when he brought up Rock’s mother only to speak kindly of her. My only quibble is that Cody has spent so much time focused on Rock and not enough on Roman Reigns. Cody and Paul Heyman set the table for Friday’s face-to-face confrontation, which ideally will give the WrestleMania night two main event the attention that it needs.
Gunther and Sami Zayn contract signing: Zayn’s night started and ended with compelling conversations with a serious Chad Gable. It was refreshing to see this serious side of Gable as opposed to his corny comedy Alpha Academy character. The actual contract signing segment was really well done with Gunther showing supreme confidence while Zayn fired back in a way that made it clear that his character isn’t backing down. I loved the sports-like talk we heard from Gable afterward when he told Zayn that he needs to change his mentality in order to have any chance of beating Gunther.
Becky Lynch vs. Nia Jax in a Last Woman Standing match: A good main event with Lynch finally beating Jax in a televised singles match. The creative team did a good job of creating the need for this match. They easily could have had Lynch beat Jax clean and move on when they met on the New Year’s Day edition of Raw. Rather, they had Jax go over clean and that kept the feud alive. The post match angle with Rhea Ripley coming out and jawing at Lynch was simple and effective.
Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre: The build for their WrestleMania match has been a little unfocussed due to Rollins having to sell the night one tag team match and McIntyre keeping his feud with CM Punk alive. Nevertheless, I find myself hanging on every word when Rollins and McIntyre meet face to face and the outcome of their WrestleMania match feels like it could go either way.
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa vs. Julius Creed and Brutus Creed in a ladder match qualifier: The match had the usual moments where the inexperience of the Creeds showed and yet the match was still dramatic and entertaining. The back and forth nature with several believable near falls made it feel like both teams were leaving it all in the ring in hopes of earning a spot on the WrestleMania card. Michael Cole did a good job on commentary of putting over the long wait that Gargano and Ciampa have had to land spots on the big show.
Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso: A solid opening segment that reenforced the issues between the brothers. Cody Rhodes making the save without entrance music or his suit jacket was a nice touch in that it made him running out feel a little more spontaneous. One negative is that Solo Sikoa doesn’t mean as much as he should. I would not have believed it if someone had told me a year ago that Sikoa wouldn’t be in a meaningful match at WrestleMania XL. I’m sure he’ll play a role in at least one match and perhaps he’ll still land a match, but it feels like his push inexplicably stalled after he beat John Cena at Crown Jewel.
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods vs. Otis and Akira Tozawa in a ladder match qualifier: The expected outcome with the veteran team once again getting the nod to land a spot on the WrestleMania card. Both teams worked hard and the match was actually laid out to feel more competitive than I anticipated.
Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell vs. Kayden Carter and Katana Chance: Raw’s random women’s tag team match of the week actually felt like it served a purpose by showcasing LeRae as a heel.
WWE Raw Misses
R-Truth and The Miz vs. “Indus Sher” Veer Mahaan and Sanga in a ladder match qualifier: The least compelling of the three qualifying matches concluded with a clunky finish.
Ricochet vs. Dominik Mysterio: A soft Miss for the only thing on the show that felt questionable in terms of whether it served a purpose or was just killing time. I’m disappointed that Dom’s role feels diminished compared to last year when Prison Dom had the big showdown match with his father at WrestleMania 39.
To be fair to Cody, it’s easy to forget that Roman works there these days.
What do you do with Solo, though? He’s a nothing character, and the least interesting person in a crowded faction.
I don’t even know if the US Title is still on TV. Off the top of my head, I have no recollection, but Solo will be a good foil for Sammy assuming Sammy wins and Gunther is at the top of the card.
Otherwise, Solo vs Gunther would be solid.