7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (9 March - Results & Review)

2. Women’s Gauntlet Proof Positive Of Women’s Midcard

WWE Raw Asuka Bayley
WWE

Fans who suffered through months of an inexplicable Maxxine Dupri singles push finally got something to breathe hope into that division Monday night when a six-woman gauntlet match rolled through Raw.

The match, which featured Lyra Valkyria, Iyo Sky, Raquel Rodriguez, Ivy Nile, Bayley, and Asuka, delivered quality action and reminded fans of what they’ve been missing the past few months. Lyra and Iyo opened the match with a fantastic bit of pro wrestling, having a great little match within the gauntlet that saw Sky advance.

Iyo would survive Rodriguez, but Raquel battered her afterward, leaving Sky defenseless for Ivy Nile to pin her immediately. Don’t worry, though: Bayley had a solid mini-match with Nile, allowing Ivy to show off her strength a bit and put the Role Model on her heels several times. It was probably Ivy’s best night on Raw in eons.

Lastly, Bayley survived a challenge from Asuka with some help from Lyra, who neutralized Kairi Sane. This segment reminded everyone how good Asuka can be in this role, flying into submission holds and blitzing Bayley with a flurry of strikes and kicks.

All told, the gauntlet match succeeded in delivering (mostly) clean finishes, a clear winner, and some standout moments for wrestlers. It also could serve as a cold restart for the dormant women’s Raw midcard, which has been neglected in recent months.

For Bayley, this also represents a great moment, picking up a victory at a time when they’ve been pretty scarce, and it sets her up to face AJ Lee for the Women's Intercontinental Title in a shoot dream match for her.

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Contributor
Contributor

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.