5 Ups & 10 Downs From WWE WrestleMania Raw (March 28)
Meaningless matches fill time, decent promos salvage dismal go-home show.
Well, WWE put “WrestleMania” before Raw for this show, so you know it has to be good, right?
Right?
Actually, no.
Raw was a mess of a program Monday night, with matches featuring Mania opponents squaring off in odd matchups, a champion inexplicably losing, a Survivor Series rematch that was pointless save for the post-match brawl, and a crowd that (at least audibly) did not pick up that they were supposed to be the driving force behind the Cody Rhodes rumors.
A few promos and in-ring segments salvaged the show from “worst PPV/PLE build ever” status, but if you were on the fence about ordering Mania 38, it’s hard to imagine this really sold you… unless repeated graphics about the “Biggest WrestleMania match of all time, winner take all, championship unification” match are what really sways you.
Look, Mania is probably going to produce some legit good-to-great matches and several memorable moments. Let’s not be super-negative here. But as has been the case in recent years, the build/story isn’t where WWE excels; it’s the execution of the big show.
So yeah, let’s dive into this Dumpster fire of a show and see what we can make of it.
Let’s get to it…