8 Ups And 5 Downs From WWE Raw (20 March - Review)

1. Cody Cuts Roman To The Bone

Aside from a single handshake, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns have not come into contact during the build to their WrestleMania 39 title clash, and yet this feel like an absolutely epic struggle, a main event WWE wishes they could book every year.

Monday night, the two superstars cut into each other with words, attempting to verbally shred their opponent in advance of their match. Roman took some swipes at Rhodes’ failures and how he always “ran away” from those obstacles: Stardust, unable to get over in AEW, and an injury that forced him out of action last year.

But it was Cody who dissected Reigns by asking the very basic question the Tribal Chief clearly knew the answer to, but had never had it publicly exposed: What happens to the Bloodline if and when Roman loses the titles at WrestleMania? Reigns has to remember what it’s like to lose. Then Jey Uso will rise up and leave him, followed by Jimmy, followed by Solo Sikoa, and then Paul Heyman goes back to being an advocate, leaving Roman a chief with no tribe.

It was devastating, leaving Roman shook to the point where the only thing he could do was toss his mic and walk away. That’s a bitter and broken man, a champ who knows he very well might be on borrowed time. Just fantastic stuff to close out Raw, putting Rhodes absolutely on Reigns’ level and looking every bit the man who can dethrone the Tribal Chief.