6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (17 Mar - Results & Review)
Middling Raw buoyed by strong opening from Cody and Cena. Ripley has childish tantrum.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but WWE banked the success of Monday’s episode of Raw on its opening segment. If the first half-hour soared, the show would be regarded as a hit. But if it faltered, WWE would have put up an undeniable turkey less than five weeks out from WrestleMania 41.
Thankfully for WWE, the John Cena/Cody Rhodes show-opening promo delivered on a couple of different levels. Cena provided an explanation that worked and correctly conveyed his current state of mind, while Cody undeniably showed that he’s now occupying the “John Cena” role in the company and will not be denied.
Once fans got beyond that opening segment, the rest of Raw was a mixed bag, to say it mildly. Rhea Ripley had a bad night, coming across as a spoiled child who didn’t get her way, so she was going to beat people up, steal property, and try to use third-grader logic to force her way into the Women’s World Championship match at WrestleMania.
Then there’s Jey Uso, who was in need of a really good week and instead had a subpar offering. There’s still time to recapture the energy from a month ago, but another disappointing week and the World Heavyweight Championship storyline might need the paddles. This is not a panic situation, but it bears watching.
The rest of Raw sadly felt inessential, with a couple of disappointing matches and a lackluster promo from Seth Rollins. With four Raws to go until Mania, this might be the mid-build lull, but WWE needs to ramp things back up across the board.
Let’s get to it…