-Well, this week’s episode of WWE Raw will obviously be remembered for the John Cena show opening promo. It was Cena’s first night at the office since turning heel at Elimination Chamber and he had a lot to address with the promo that was nearly 20 years in the making. Cena hit a home run. With so much at play for Cena right now — Cody, The Rock, WrestleMania, a 17th world championship, and being a bad guy — a promo that attempted to tie all of that into a nice little bow would have been misguided. This first night out was about Cena and they highlighted that. Cena provided an in-depth reason for the turn and pointed full blame on the fans. Yes, that’s a tired trope at times in pro wrestling, but because it was John Cena, the plane landed a little different. Cena changed up his cadence, his facial expressions, and body language in a way that screamed “different,” but left enough of the old Cena act around so as not to become likable or cool in the eyes of fans because of a new look. This all came across as very calculated and thought out, but then executed by a pro that’s invested in his job. Now, they have to go in other directions eventually. We need an explanation from The Rock and Cena as to why their partnership became a thing. We need John Cena to feud with Cody Rhodes directly. We need The Rock to return and tie up some loose ends. That all can happen throughout the next month. This week, Cena and Cena being booed was the most important endpoint. They got there.
Cody steps to Cena
-As for Cody Rhodes, he didn’t do much, but what he did do resonated. Cody played off heel Cena and spoke for the fans that he ran down. He was also very matter of fact about beating this version of Cena and didn’t hedge on that point.
-Penta vs. Ludwig Kaiser in a no holds barred match was solid and the Brussels crowd certainly loved it. Penta appears to be directed at Bron Breakker and the Intercontinental Championship now. With Kaiser, Finn Balor, Penta, Sheamus, and others hovering around the IC title, I smell a multi-person title defense for Bron Breakker at WrestleMania.
-Speaking of Balor, things got heated between him and Dominik Mysterio this week and the faction continues to hang on by a thread. Who goes babyface? Mysterio or Balor? Tough to say because neither guy has come across as all that likable in this. They are both just kind of acting like jerks to one another. A split is on the horizon, but how it goes down is still up in the air.
-Dakota Kai got a win over Ivy Nile …. filler stuff. Nile is a heel that I’d look harder at doing something with on Raw. As for Kai, this win doesn’t really do anything bigger for her at this point.
Devastation for Rhea Ripley
-Ok, what the hell is going on with Rhea Ripley? Like, she must have angered someone backstage, right? What’s happening to her character is like a soap opera star all of a sudden falling down an elevator shaft and landing in a coma. This angle with her makes no sense. Ripley has been whiny, babyish, annoying, immature, and flat out unlikable. She doesn’t deserve a shot at the championship and everybody knows it. The more she complains about how she should get one, the more unlikable she becomes. Worst of all, none of this is in line with the Ripley character. Iyo Sky is getting a nice boost because of this story due to the fact that she comes across as the adult in the room with Ripley and Bianca Belair, but Sky shouldn’t be the lead focus. That’s Ripley and this entire story has been a horrendous turn of events that isn’t fun to watch and isn’t smart for Ripley’s value as a star long term.
-Well, you had to do the Jey Uso entrance in Brussels this week and boy did it look tremendous. That said, the Jey and Gunther material itself was flat and monotonous again. WrestleMania can’t get here soon enough for this particular program.
The mask
-Who was under the mask!?!?! I’m in on the Chad Gable mask storyline. Yes, it’s silly, but there is a place for it in the right part of the card. So far, this works to that end.
-I’m not sure Seth Rollins really said anything this week besides letting everyone know he would be showing up for something more substantial with Roman Reigns and CM Punk on Smackdown. Rollins was popular with the crowd, but this could have easily been dropped from the show and nobody would have noticed.
-I liked the Bron Breakker vs. Finn Balor WWE Intercontinental Championship main event. The action was solid and it’s good to see Breakker mix it up with guys like Balor. Not a ton of drama in this, but the show ended on a high note for the in-arena audience thanks to Breakker retaining.
What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE Raw? Let us know in the comments!
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