By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw Hits
CM Punk, Jimmy Uso, and Jey Uso: Punk closed last week’s show by telling Roman Reigns that he would bury him next to his late father. The line was overly aggressive, even when compared to the rest of trash-talking that took place. Whether that line was planned to set up this angle, or they chose this direction after Punk said the line is inconsequential. It was an impressive follow-up either way. Jey was the hothead, while Jimmy was the voice of reason. Jimmy still firmly insisted that Punk apologize for the line about his late uncle. Punk’s apology turned into him pointing out that Reigns has never apologized to his cousins for using and mistreating them during the Bloodline run. Jey shoved Punk, who shoved him back, but it was laid back Jimmy who dropped Punk with a punch. The smile that Punk flashed while down on the mat was interesting. It begs the question of whether this is exactly what Punk’s character wanted to happen. It seems like an odd choice for the Punk character to pull Roman’s cousins into this feud, but the smile suggests Punk may be plotting to turn the Usos against Reigns. Either way, this was good television.
The Judgment Day turns on Finn Balor: A strong angle. The tension had been building between the two, and it was good to see it finally boil over. I was curious to see how JD McDonagh would react to Dom attacking Balor. I thought they might have add him in a Triple Threat match with Dom and Balor (and they still could), but he showed no hesitation in joining Team Dom despite his long friendship with Balor. All signs point toward Dom vs. Balor at WrestleMania. Will Balor resurrect the Demon persona?
Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Iyo Sky vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Asuka vs. Ivy Nile in a gauntlet match for a shot at the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Title: The verbal segments carried this episode, but this was the best match of the night. Bayley going over was surprising, if only because I thought they would go with a heel challenger for AJ Lee. Nile’s stock seems to be rising. While that may seem like a strange take considering that she hasn’t won a match on Raw since October 2024, she’s getting more time to shine during her matches, and the broadcast team has been gushing over her improvement.
Oba Femi vs. Rusev: A soft Hit for a predictable match. Beating Rusev should have felt like a big win for Oba as he climbs up the main roster ladder. Unfortunately, Rusev spends most of his time on WWE Main Event, and he hasn’t won a match on Raw since last November. It wouldn’t have taken much to rebuild him to the point that beating him would have felt like an accomplishment. Is Oba’s character ever going to pick a brand to sign with?
Penta vs. El Grande Americano for the Intercontinental Title: A soft Hit for a solid first title defense for Penta. It was also good to hear from him before the match. He doesn’t say anything special to say during his promos, but he’s charismatic enough that the fans are typically responsive.
WWE Raw Misses
The Vision: Logan Paul and Austin Theory spoke on their way to the ring during the opening segment, but they never addressed the absence of Paul Heyman, nor did we get a feel for what the dynamic is like between the two characters. I’m surprised they weren’t the ones to announce that Brock Lesnar will appear next week for the first time since Seth Rollins took out Heyman. Meanwhile, the opening segment was in the middle rather than a Hit or a Miss. The gag with all of the masked mystery men was fine, but the segment was forgettable.
Background shots: It can be fun when WWE occasionally rewards viewers who pay close attention by having something take place in the background during a backstage segment. The trick is to do this in situations where it’s a perk for viewers who catch the background shot, while not making the story confusing for those who don’t. They didn’t pull that off last night. I spotted Bravo and Rayo acting like Scooby-Doo villains as they snuck up on The Original El Grande Americano, but they were so far in the background that it was hard to make out who they were. Fans who were unaware of the “blink and you missed it” bit had no idea why the Ludwig Kaiser version of El Grande Americano replaced Chad Gable’s Original El Grande Americano in the Intercontinental Title match. And this was not the only time when the wrestlers in the background are hard to make out, even if you spot them doing something. What’s the point of taking this approach if the majority of your audience can’t even see what’s happening?
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
The decline in Rusev’s career is just sad at this point. From AWOL in AEW to a jobber in WWE, it seems such a waste for someone with his abilities.