By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw Hits
The Rock and Roman Reigns: The opening promo segment was strong and set the table for the main event. I’m not sure why they felt the need to tease the possibility of Rock or Reigns facing Seth Rollins in the main event, as it made the Rollins vs. Solo Sikoa announcement feel like a big letdown, but I still enjoyed the way that they focused on putting heat on the heels heading into WrestleMania. The beatdown of Rollins and Cody Rhodes at the end of the show was terrific.
Drew McIntyre: The funeral home promo video was strong. McIntyre appeared to be the odd man out when it came to having a big WrestleMania match before CM Punk got hurt. McIntyre has made the most of the opportunity and continues to be one of the most compelling characters on WWE television.
Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch: A good pull apart brawl to close out the hype for the Women’s World Championship match at WrestleMania. The backstage issues between Dominik Mysterio and the rest of Judgment Day over him inviting Legado Del Fantasma to the clubhouse was interesting and I’m curious to see what that’s leading to.
Ricochet vs. Ivar: A good spot-heavy match. Ricochet’s style really stands out in WWE because he’s the only guy who works it on the main roster. Ivar has done a really nice job as a singles act since Erik was injured. Here’s hoping that the Viking Raiders are repackaged and get a meaningful push once Erik is able to return.
Sami Zayn vs. Bronson Reed: Another solid match. I didn’t like the “apparent no-contest” style finish (more on that later), but I’m also happy that one training session with Chad Gable didn’t lead to a complete turnaround for the Zayn character. That training session footage left me with mixed feelings. Gable pushing Zayn was logical, but Sami admitting that he’s afraid was way too similar to Rocky Balboa’s speech to his wife in Rocky III. It’s one thing to be use something as inspiration, but the spirit of the speeches being so similar took me out of the moment. Even so, I am still looking forward to Gunther vs. Zayn as much as any match on the WrestleMania card.
Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, and JD McDonagh vs. Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Johnny Gargano, and Tommaso Ciampa: A soft Hit for Priest looking dominant heading into WrestleMania. Fortunately, Gargano appears to have avoided serious injury despite his rough landing after performing a dive on Dominik Mysterio at ringside.
Asuka, Kairi Sane, and Dakota Kai vs. Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, and Tegan Nox: A soft Hit. I was surprised that the match was so competitive given that Damage CTRL have a WrestleMania match while the other three didn’t crack the lineup. Even so, the right team went over in the end.
WWE Raw Misses
Seth Rollins vs. Solo Sikoa in a Bloodline Rules match: The ring work was solid, but the “apparent no-contest” finish occurring twice in one show brought back bad memories of Vince McMahon booking. Given the obvious out that Rollins had due to all of the outside interference, why not give Solo his first win since he defeated John Cena at WWE Crown Jewel? It would have given Sikoa something to hang his hat on while also giving Rollins a loss to avenge somewhere down the road.
Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri vs. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell: LeRae’s antics distracted her own partner, which led to Dupri stealing the pin for her team. Dupri didn’t gain much from winning in this fashion, and it’s a shame that Nile feels like she’s just along for the ride despite the fact that the crowds got behind her in NXT and when she first came up to the main roster with the Creed Brothers.
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