6 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE Raw (27 Feb - Results & Review)

1. The Blah Build Continues

Asuka Carmella
WWE.com

Quick question, no peaking: What’s the story behind the Raw Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania?

Answer: NOTHING. Asuka won an Elimination Chamber match and is now Bianca Belair’s challenger. She sometimes spews mist and is pseudo-evil. Belair is the EST. The end.

That’s not a story. Even Monday night, after Asuka dispatched with Carmella and called out Bianca, they couldn’t even get 30 seconds into setting up an actual basis for their match before Mella bumped the two women to end the segment.

At least if they verbally sparred about how Belair had Asuka’s number once before (she beat her on a May 2022 Raw) and is looking to beat the Empress’ NXT Women’s Championship reign. Or reference their run together last summer and fall battling Damage CTRL.

But we’ve literally gotten none of that. Even Asuka’s match against Carmella wasn’t exactly a statement win – it stretched out for a good while, with the Princess of Staten Island getting a couple near-falls. And so, this underwhelming build continues.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.