WWE Raw Review: The good, the bad, and everything in between (March 4, 2019)
Monday Night RAW returned to us live this week from the 'City of Brotherly Love', Philadelphia, after a newsworthy show last week. It definitely looks like WWE is well on its way to WrestleMania.
After a few months of boring and lackluster episodes, WWE has clearly pulled its socks up. This was the go-home episode for the Fastlane PPV, which is the last stop before WrestleMania 35.
Tonight's episode did drag a bit but the bigger moments were nicely done to make it a memorable episode. It's good to have Roman Reigns back in the fray, as it definitely felt like WWE was missing its biggest star at the top of the card. He opened the show tonight, and it set the theme for the rest of the show, with fans anxiously waiting for a Shield reunion.
Triple H came out at the top of the second hour to build his feud with Batista, in what was quite a compelling promo. The show also featured a match for the RAW tag-team championships between 'The Revival' and the team of Ricochet and Aleister Black.
It was officially announced that Torrie Wilson is set to enter the WWE Hall Of Fame class of 2019, joining DX and the Honky Tonk Man.
The main event was reserved for the RAW women's title picture, wherein Becky was supposed to sign a 'Hold Harmless Agreement' for her match against Charlotte Flair at Fastlane, announced earlier in the episode by Stephanie McMahon. These are covered in greater detail later in the review.
Nothing else significant took place on the show, apart from the six-man tag team match between Balor, Strowman, Angle vs Corbin, McIntyre, Lashley. The latter picked up the win, in what was easily the 'match of the night'.
The heels then beat down the babyfaces after the match to draw heat from the Philly crowd. RAW also featured 'Saturday Night Live' stars Michael Che and Colin Jost, who were involved in a number of skits, which were mostly not amusing, except the Braun one.
The crowd was hot throughout the night, which helped the big moments feel even bigger. In this review, we are going to cover the 'hits' and 'misses' of tonight's show.
Grade: B+
MISS: The RAW Tag-Team Scene
In what continues to be an ongoing trend, the tag-team division of Monday Night RAW is in shambles. The show featured a gauntlet match between The Ascension, Heavy Machinery, The B-Team, and the team of Ryder and Hawkins.
Heavy Machinery had minimal build and zero stakes. They went on to win the match despite being one of the teams that started the match. Throwaway matches like these don't bode well for anyone involved. This was one instance where even a crowd in Philly remained silent throughout.
After picking up a win over the Champions, 'Revival', last week, Aleister Black and Ricochet got an opportunity this week for the RAW Tag-Team Championships. Roode and Gable coming down to ringside to get a view of the proceedings totally gave away the finish of the match, as 'The Revival' retained via disqualification.
It looks like we are headed for a three-way match for the RAW Tag-Team Championships. Black and Ricochet should be involved in showcase encounters at this point in their run, rather than being subjected to poor finishes.
On the women's side, Sasha Banks, with Bayley on her side, wrestled Tamina, who was accompanied by Nia Jax. The two teams are set to clash this Sunday for the Women's Tag-Team Championships. This match didn't do much to build the match for Fastlane and felt like filler. Surprisingly enough, Tamina picked up the win over Sasha.