-So, what did we think about how WWE recapped the big John Cena heel turn with The Rock and Cody Rhodes this week on the show? The recap packages and videos on the turn were excellent. Tremendously well done and they hid all of the plot holes that the angle was plagued with. WWE captured the historical significance and fan response successfully and crafted the angle recap more effectively than the actual angle was delivered.
Hello CM Punk
-CM Punk’s show opening promo was his best mic work since returning to WWE. No question about that and possibly his best work on the microphone since coming back to pro wrestling in 2021. Punk was intense, edgy, and he said much of what the audience was thinking about the state of the state in WWE coming out of Elimination Chamber. The pull apart brawl with Seth Rollins was well done and the only question I have is how the heck Roman Reigns is going to make the program between those two better? Rollins vs. Punk in a Steel Cage next week is can’t miss television, though I’d expect for Reigns to get involved, so that triple threat for WrestleMania can start taking shape.
-Otis got too much offense in on Gunther this week. The audience migrated to his side opposite Gunther, but Gunther has to look totally dominant for the storyline with Jey Uso to be as hot as possible heading to WrestleMania. It seemed like they gave Otis some unnecessary momentum simply to make the match good and it came at the expense of the heel champion.
-Jey Uso got another strong pop and has two heels in Grayson Waller and Austin Theory that he can work with and beat to continue building a resume before Gunther stands across from him in the ring at WrestleMania.
-Karrion Kross is a weird character in WWE right now. The guy popped up out of nowhere to talk with AJ Styles, but he’s creepy and says the same thing to everyone he encounters. Does this have and end game?
Important Sami Zayn update
-Good to see Michael Cole give an update on Sami Zayn after the match with Kevin Owens at Elimination Chamber. A major part of that match was the announce team selling the violence and the impact it would have Zayn. Driving that home with this update extended the meaning of that match. Thumbs way up.
-Lyra Valkyria and Ivy Nile delivered a nice women’s IC championship match. In-ring prowess has always been ahead of Valkyria’s character, but the latter very much needs to catch up. As it does, holding the mid-card title and defending it a lot can be a way for fans to engage and invest in her.
-I’ve enjoyed the Ludwig Kaiser and Penta feud. It’s a mid-card deal, but they’ve both come across like they really hate the other. I like that dynamic in a mid-card feud like this, because it makes it easier to connect with the story.
Lucha Gable
-Chad Gable got a lucha mask in that box right? I’ve been calling for vignettes on Gable’s lucha journey for weeks, so this was fun. Plus, they’ve got many other angles to explore within this narrative if they want. In the end, Gable as a luchadore — if done respectfully — could be a hit on a week to week basis.
-Another week and another really good tag team match. American Made and The War Raiders put together a dynamic match, which featured a crazy splash bump into the LED ring apron. War Raiders got the clean win, but that’s ok. Building a strong foundation for the tag division starts with finding a team to build on. War Raiders can be that team.
-Bron Breakker against The Judgment Day is a great move. Finn Balor, Carlito, and Dominik Mysterio can all sell perfectly for him and make him look like a million bucks. As we roll toward WrestleMania, Breakker has crossed paths with Balor and AJ Styles. More and more it looks like a multi challenger match is on deck.
Wow
-Wow. A strong main event with a shocking outcome. Rhea Ripley losing the world championship to Iyo Sky was a huge surprise and a major curveball. The curveball works because you want fans to believe that any outcome is possible during matches you put on television week to week. This helps that, the Cena turn helps that, and Jey Uso winning the Royal Rumble helps that. What didn’t work was how Ripley lost. She was distracted and angered by Bianca Belair cheering? C’mon. That’s incredibly far-fetched and out of touch with her character. If she addresses that in a promo, fine, but if it ends up being a means to try and protect her in losing somehow, that’s a mistake.
What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE Raw? Let us know in the comments!
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