7 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE Raw (Mar 22)

1. Simpler Is Better

Sometimes, you don’t need a convoluted, complex build to a big PPV match. Sometimes, the simplest path is the easiest and most logical.

Take the Raw Women’s Championship for example. The title has been secured around Asuka’s waist for seven months (and nine of the last 10), but rather than this being a hotly contested title, it’s been defended literally once in the past four months.

A lot of this is due to a lack of challengers: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler have been tied up as tag champs, while Charlotte Flair was Asuka’s tag partner (and presumably being saved for WrestleMania, whoops!). So rather than jump through a bunch of hoops, WWE went the simple and direct route.

Rhea Ripley debuted on Monday night after Asuka’s win over Peyton Royce. Ripley walked out, congratulated the Empress, then noted that she didn’t have an opponent for Mania, and challenged her. Asuka was more than game (and the announcers did a nice job during the match selling how she wants more competition) and accepted. Boom. Title match for WrestleMania.

That’s it. No huge angle, no “tag partners who can’t get along.” Just a former NXT Women’s Champion shows up and issues a challenge and gets it because she was in the right place at the right time.