Raw Talk Recap: (25th February, 2018)
After Elimination Chamber went off the air, we joined Renee Young and Peter Rosenberg for Raw Talk.
Peter Rosenberg mentioned that the fans had been waiting for Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar for a long time, even though he knew that Tweets would be pouring in complaining about the result. They mentioned that Roman Reigns was a talented and polarising figure in WWE and that they had learnt a lot about what to expect for Wrestlemania from the Elimination Chamber.
Renee Young talked about the fact that Alexa Bliss had retained the Women's Championship, with both of them praising the women for their performances in the first ever Chamber Match. Rosenberg brought up the fact, that he like many other fans, kept waiting for Sasha and Bayley to come to blows and how their amazing history added to the possibility of a feud between them. Renee Young talked about being at ringside and gauging from the reactions of the fans that many of them had been hoping for the same.
Rosenberg said that while Alexa had been hiding at the beginning of the bout, but after the match, it had to be said that she deserved to retain the title. It would be interesting to see what Asuka said about her performance.
They then talked about Roman and his victory, after which he had suffered a beatdown at the hands of Strowman. This was when the first guest arrived.
John Cena
Renee Young asked Cena how he felt after the match had not gone in his favour. Cena was very morose during the interview and seemed introspective as if he was in conflict with himself.
Cena recalled the last time he had been on a talk show like this, which had been after the loss to Roman Reigns. He said that he had felt relieved at that time but it chipped away at him, leading him to question himself.
He said that he had been at a certain level in WWE for a long time, but he said that despite the feeling that the burden was gone from his shoulders, he was not physically or mentally ready to let it go.
He talked about being the guy who always believed that there would be a 'next time'.
He said that while he knew that he was not done with WWE, but logic told him that he was 41 and that he had to juggle a number of interests inside and outside of WWE. He said that he had been dishonest with himself, and to be honest he did not know whether he was going to Wrestlemania. He recalled being at Wrestlemania as a young man, grateful to rap about two artists despite not being on the card himself. He revealed that it was hard for him to face the fact that he had to show up to Wrestlemania with the knowledge that he may not be able to contribute anything to the show.
Renee Young mentioned how it was difficult for the fans and Cena himself to imagine a Wrestlemania where he would not feature. Cena said that while he knew that there had been Wrestlemanias before him and there would be Wrestlemanias after him, he admitted that the cards were not falling his way despite his ability to compete.
In a tone that was almost like he was speaking to himself, he said that though he did not have an opponent, he might have a plan. He confessed the plan might force him to step out of the proper sets of etiquette that were present in WWE. Before Rosenberg could ask for clarification, he left the table saying, "I'll figure it out."
Stephanie McMahon
Renee and Peter admitted that neither of them understood what Cena meant, as he was a 'by-the-book-superstar'. Stephanie McMahon arrived on the show and was congratulated by Renee Young.
Renee addressed the elephant in the room by asking Stephanie about Ronda Rousey and the incidents that took place that night.
Stephanie said that things had to be managed and that Kurt Angle would have to apologise during the following episode of Raw as she did not know where he had come up with the accusations he made. She also said that she was sure Ronda got worked up because of Kurt. She said that Angle's statements did not have any validity and that Ronda got swept away by her emotions. She said that she would remind Kurt and Ronda about their roles as employees in WWE.
She praised Ronda and talked about how proud they were about having Ronda in WWE. She also mentioned that they would 'tame' Ronda and help fit her into the Women's Division.
Renee segued into the Women's Elimination Chamber Match and asked Stephanie her feelings about it. Stephanie mentioned that she was proud of everyone, including the moment when Alexa jumped off the pod.
Roman Reigns
Peter Rosenberg and Renee Young talked about looking forward to Raw where things would be sorted out. Rosenberg mentioned that Rousey might still have a hand print on her face. They discussed the situation and how everyone was in a weird place following the night.
Rosenberg mentioned how passionate Ronda was about being in WWE and how she chose not to have any extra perks in her contract.
They then talked about Asuka and how she had the option to choose who to face at Wrestlemania.
Roman Reigns showed up on the show and said that while he felt mentally happy, he was physically hurt. Roman talked about Braun Strowman assaulting him, but praised him for his ability. He now had to concentrate on Brock Lesnar.
He said that now he had experience and he could use that in his bouts. Rosenberg brought up the fact that this was the first time that he would be able to face Brock Lesnar in a singles match without outside interference. He mentioned that while he was ready to face Lesnar at Mania, he would face him at Raw the very next night if he showed up.
He was not worried about Paul Heyman and said that he would handle his own yard. Roman ended by giving a 'spoiler' saying he would win the Universal Title at Wrestlemania.