Top 10 Moments from WWE’s Raw
Here are the Top 10 moments last night’s Raw:
10.) Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins respond to The Rock
Cody Rhodes greeted a fired-up San Antonio crowd to address the challenge issued by The Rock on last Friday’s episode of SmackDown–which was Rock and Roman Reigns against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins on Night One of WrestleMania 40.
Rhodes pointed out that while everyone was talking about this challenge, no one had brought up that The Rock dodged Rhodes’s initial challenge of a one-on-one match at a time and place of The Rock’s choosing. To help him respond to this, Rhodes welcomed his friend, and former foe, Seth Rollins. As the Royal Rumble winner and the World Heavyweight Champion, both Rhodes and Rollins have matches already scheduled for WrestleMania. The decision to accept or decline the challenge is not one that should be made lightly. Rollins reiterated what he told Drew McIntyre on last week’s Raw, that taking down The Bloodline is bigger than a championship, and it is a risk worth taking.
Rollins stated that the power should be held by the people rather than hoarded by Roman Reigns, and that The Rock hasn’t been the People’s Champion for a long time. The two concluded by announcing that Rollins has been medically cleared, and he will join Rhodes this Friday on SmackDown to confront The Bloodline and officially answer the challenge.
9.) Dominik Mysterio bites off more than he can chew
After a confrontation last week, Dominik Mysterio challenged Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship.
While Gunther was expectedly dominant throughout much of the match, Mysterio managed to stay in the fight with help from JD McDonagh at ringside. Gunther made it clear that he could have put his opponent away at any time, but chose to prolong Mysterio’s torture by picking him up and breaking the referee’s count before a certain pinfall.
Courtesy WWE
Eventually, after a devastating dropkick, Gunther put Mysterio in a Boston crab and forced him to tap out. The Judgment Day convened with a battered Mysterio during his post-match medical evaluation, where Damian Priest assured him that he and Finn Balor would make things right with Imperium, and volunteered McDonagh to take care of Gunther. On his way to his debut match, Andrade popped in for just a moment, and Mysterio told the rest of his faction to keep an eye on the returning superstar, as he could be important for them in the future.
8.) Damage CTRL scope out the competition
Adam Pearce ran into Damage CTRL backstage and asked them what they were doing at Raw. Dakota Kai, who turned on Bayley last week on SmackDown, explained that they were here to watch the upcoming match between Kayden Carter and Katana Chance against Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark to scout the Kabuki Warriors’ competition in the women’s tag division.
Courtesy WWE
Kai, Iyo Sky, and the Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka and Kairi Sane sat atop the commentary desk to take in the action. Baszler and Stark came out on top in the end, but their celebration was cut short by Damage CTRL, with an offer for a women’s tag team title match that will take place on next week’s episode of Raw.
7.) Becky Lynch vs. Nia Jax ends in disqualification
Becky Lynch went one-on-one with Nia Jax after attacking her during her match against Liv Morgan last Monday.
Courtesy WWE
Lynch, who has yet to beat Jax in a singles match, struggled to gain and then keep the upper hand. Jax attempted to put Lynch away with an annihilator, but Lynch rolled out of the way and managed to turn the match in her favor. Though Lynch’s momentum had picked up, she was unable to capitalize on it because Liv Morgan emerged from the crowd to interfere. Morgan attacked Jax and caused the match to end in disqualification, just as Lynch had done one week prior. Lynch and Morgan bickered before being forcefully silenced by Jax.
Courtesy WWE
Backstage, Lynch approached Morgan to chew her out, but conceded that she understood why she interfered as she would have done the same thing. Morgan accused her of dishing out punishment she wasn’t able to take, and the two decided to settle the score and in a match next week. As Lynch walked away, her WrestleMania opponent Rhea Ripley caught her gaze, and laughed at their petty squabble.
6.) Adam Pearce’s announcement
After being approached by several superstars vying for an opportunity, Raw General Manager Adam Pearce announced the plan to determine the Intercontinental Champion Gunther’s WrestleMania opponent. Six men–Bronson Reed, Chad Gable, JD McDonagh, Ricochet, Sami Zayn, and Shinsuke Nakamura–will face each other in a gauntlet match, and the winner will face Gunther at WrestleMania 40.
5.) Andrade’s first match back on Raw
After a two-year hiatus from WWE television, Andrade reintroduced himself in a match against Apollo Crews. Andrade put on an engaging performance, which was further enhanced by the excitement of the crowd.
Courtesy WWE
Longtime fans clearly have not forgotten their love for Andrade despite his absence, and those in the audience unfamiliar with his work became fans watching this match. In addition to the fans, The Judgment Day must also be impressed by Andrade’s performance, as they were seen closely watching his debut match from backstage.
4.) Time and storyline given to the women’s tag division
In the women’s locker room, Candice LeRae vented about losing their recent matches, including their failure to capture the women’s tag team championships. Her tag team partner Indi Hartwell assured her that they would pick themselves back up and work towards another opportunity, but LeRae expressed fear that time may pass them by. Natalya Neidhart seemed to agree with LeRae, but couldn’t get on the same page as her partner, Tegan Nox. The two still hold some resentment after trying to eliminate each other during the Royal Rumble, and Nox wasn’t happy about Natlaya bossing her around. Hartwell seemed similarly taken aback by LeRae’s desire to adopt a new, more cut-throat strategy.
Maxxine Dupri and Ivy Nile approached LeRae and Hartwell with words of encouragement, but an already frustrated LeRae snapped back that she didn’t want advice from someone who couldn’t even lace her boots. Hartwell apologized to Dupri and Nile before running after LeRae to talk some sense into her.
3.) Finn Balor and Damian Priest stick up for Dirty Dom
After Mysterio’s beating at the hands of Gunther earlier in the night, tag team champions Damian Priest and Finn Balor sought revenge on Imperium by taking on Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci in a non-title match. These teams are two of the best on the roster right now, but they also have great in-ring chemistry with each other.
Courtesy WWE
This chemistry, amplified by the personal nature of the conflict, made for an exciting match. Despite being pretty evenly matched throughout, Priest and Balor came away with the win, gaining some revenge for Mysterio’s defeat–and extending the feud between the two factions.
2.) Sami Zayn takes one step closer to WrestleMania/Michael Cole’s dream come true
For several weeks, Michael Cole has been complaining that Valhalla has not been wearing her antler headpiece, which he thinks is very cool. So when he saw that she was wearing it as she and Ivar approached the ring, he was psyched. Even better, she climbed onto the commentator’s desk and placed the antlers atop Cole's head, causing the crowd to go nuts.
Back in the ring, Sami Zayn took on Ivar, who was upset that Zayn had been chosen for the number one contender gauntlet instead of him. The much larger Ivar dominated for much of the match, but Zayn more than held his own. He utilized his quick wit when he failed to overpower Ivar, making several attempts to lift Ivar, in vain. The turning point of the match came when a determined Zayn finally managed to lift the big man and execute an exploder into the ring post. After narrowly avoiding Ivar’s doomsault, Zayn nailed the viking with a Helluva Kick to pick up the win.
Courtesy WWE
The victory celebration was cut short by a surprise attack from Bronson Reed, one of the competitors in next week’s gauntlet match.
1.) Jey Uso distracted in his match against Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre’s iron grip on the grudge he holds against Jey Uso has only gotten stronger, and the two faced each other in this week’s main event after coming to blows backstage last Monday.
While Uso had some high points, McIntyre was in control for the majority of the match’s first half, quickly cutting down his opponent any time he gained the upper hand. When Uso finally managed take control of the match and gain significant momentum, his brother Solo Sikoa emerged from the crowd. Uso was thrown off his rhythm, creating an opening for McIntyre to attempt a pinfall. Uso kicked out at the count of two, and Cody Rhodes entered to chase off Sikoa.
Uso refocused and took McIntyre out with a series of three superkicks and a spear. He was unable to capitalize, however, as his attention turned toward Jimmy Uso, who was ringside. McIntyre took this opportunity to gather himself and catch Jey Uso by surprise with a Claymore to win the match.
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McIntyre secured the victory by taking advantage of Bloodline interference, the very same thing that cost him his championship opportunity against Roman Reigns–and the reason he detests Jey Uso in the first place. McIntyre headed back up the entrance ramp, leaving his battered opponent vulnerable in the ring. Jimmy Uso approached his twin with a steel chair in hand to deal further damage, but was thwarted by Seth Rollins, who blew past a retreating McIntyre as he ran towards the ring.
McIntyre, who remains frustrated that Rollins is getting involved in Rhodes’ feud with The Bloodline rather than focusing on their own WrestleMania match, returned to the ring to knock some sense into the World Heavyweight Champion with a well-timed Claymore.
