WWE RAW aired live from the ThunderDome inside Tropicana Field. Rhea Ripley and Asuka had a contract signing for their RAW Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania tonight.
RAW Results (3/29)
- Sheamus def. Riddle
- Braun Strowman def. Jaxson Ryker
- Bobby Lashley def. Shelton Benjamin
- Xavier Woods def. AJ Styles via DQ
- Naomi def. Shayna Baszler
- Drew McIntyre def. Ricochet
- Drew McIntyre def. Mustafa Ali
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
The Hurt Business Broke Up
Hurt Business came down to the ring to begin this week’s episode of RAW. MVP said we are less than two weeks away from WrestleMania and claimed that Lashley will walk out of the event still as WWE Champion. Lashley announced that if anyone takes out McIntyre, they will take his place in the title match at WrestleMania.
Lashley noted that Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin are becoming an embarrassment and tarnishing his image. MVP called them failures for not beating McIntyre in a Handicap match.
Shelton and Cedric got pissed off and Benjamin claimed that Lashley wouldn’t be champion if it weren’t for them. A brawl then broke out and Lashley took out Alexander and Benjamin.
Alexander and Benjamin approached Adam Pearce backstage and Shelton wanted a match against Lashley. Cedric wanted a match against Lashley next week and demanded Pearce make the match official.
Sheamus Pinned The United States Champion
United States Champion Riddle battled Sheamus in a non-title match. Sheamus dominated the action early as MVP filled in commentary for Samoa Joe. Riddle connected with a knee to the face that knocked Sheamus out of the ring. Riddle followed it up with the Floating Bro off the ring apron as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Sheamus connected with a Backbreaker for a two count. Sheamus made his way to the middle rope but Riddle brought him back to the canvas with a Suplex. Riddle hit a Pele Kick and then some kicks to the Celtic Warrior’s chest. Riddle unloaded some knee strikes and hit a Broton for a near fall.
Riddle applied a Triangle submission in the middle of the ring. Sheamus tried to break the hold with a Powerbomb but Riddle wouldn’t let go. Sheamus finally was able to reach the bottom rope and Riddle broke the hold. Sheamus planted Riddle with White Noise on the ring apron and went for the cover but Riddle was able to kick out at two. Sheamus hit an Alabama Slam for another two count. Riddle went for a kick but Sheamus countered with a knee to the face for the pinfall victory. It was later announced that Sheamus will face Riddle for the US Title during Night 2 of WrestleMania.
Opinion: I can’t stand what they have done with Matt Riddle. He’s the United States Champion but comes off as a dork that is easily defeated. He lost to Ali that led to a title match and now the same thing is happening with Sheamus at WrestleMania.
Shane & Strowman Will Battle In A Steel Cage
Shane McMahon, Elias, and Jaxson Ryker came to the ring for an expose on Braun Strowman. Shane threw up a photo of Braun’s 5th grade report card that gave him all Ds. The teacher’s comments on the report card made it seem like Braun was an idiot and Shane showed an image of Strowman in a dunce cap. Strowman then faced Jaxson Ryker as Elias & Shane were ringside.
Strowman dominated Ryker and taunted Shane while doing so. Strowman lifted Ryker up on his shoulders and planted him with the Running Powerslam for the quick victory. After the match, Strowman chased Shane around but Elias caught him with a knee from behind.
Shane and Elias then beat Strowman down in the middle of the ring. Strowman got up and Shane ran away to the top of the entrance ramp. Braun noted that Shane told him that he can pick any match that he wanted at WrestleMania. Strowman announced that it will be a Steel Cage match at WrestleMania.
Bad Bunny Sent A Message To The Miz
The Miz and John Morrison hosted a new episode of the Dirt Sheet tonight. Miz and Morrison hyped up the premiere of their new “Hey Hey Hop Hop” video poking fun at Bad Bunny. Miz claimed Bad Bunny was out of line for attacking him with the guitar and vowed to pay him back at WrestleMania.
After the music video, Damian Priest and Bad Bunny interrupted. Priest said that Bad Bunny will defeat The Miz at WrestleMania and Bad Bunny added that he is going to make The Miz his bitch. The Miz tried to attack Bad Bunny but Damian got in the way. Bad Bunny caught Miz with a punch to the face to end the segment.
Lashley def. Shelton Benjamin
Lashley faced Shelton Benjamin tonight. Cedric Alexander was ringside and MVP was on commentary for the match. Shelton controlled the action early but the WWE Champion quickly battled back. Lashley brought Benjamin to the outside and launched him into the ring post.
Lashley chased Alexander around and Cedric retreated backstage. Shelton hit Paydirt when Bobby returned to the ring and went for the cover but Lashley kicked out at two. Bobby connected with a massive Spinebuster and then applied the Hurt Lock and Benjamin passed out.
Omos Attacked New Day
New Day brought AJ Styles and Omos to the ring to play some games to see who is the better team. They started with charades and New Day won that round. New Day won the next round of games and Omos put a stop to it. Xavier Woods then faced AJ Styles as Omos & Kofi Kingston were ringside. Woods controlled the action early and sent Styles out of the ring. Xavier then flipped onto Styles and taunted Omos while RAW went to a commercial break.
Woods connected with a Back Body Drop for a two count when RAW returned. Styles planted Xavier with a Neckbreaker for a two count. Xavier connected with a Tornado DDT and went for the cover but AJ kicked out at two. Omos hit Woods with a cheap shot and the match ended in a DQ. Omos then hit Woods with a Powerbomb and put his boot on his chest. AJ counted to three and posed with Omos to end the segment.
Alexa Bliss Warned Randy Orton
Alexa Bliss cut a promo holding a box in her swingset. Bliss said that legends say that these boxes have spells written all over them, including a demonic presence. Alexa stated that The Fiend was only weakened and was trapped in the box. All he needed was time and now he is ready to stand across from Orton at WrestleMania. Alexa claimed that the Legend Killer will die at WrestleMania. It was then revealed that The Fiend was sitting next to her on the swingset.
Naomi def. Shayna Baszler
Shayna Baszler squared off against Naomi tonight on RAW. Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke joined commentary as Lana, Reginald and Nia Jax were ringside. Baszler dominated the action early but Naomi took control. Naomi went for a Leg Drop but Reginald hopped on the ring apron. Lana then shoved Nia Jax onto Mandy Rose and then Dana Brooke attacked her. Shayna booted Lana off the apron and Naomi rolled up Baszler for the pinfall victory.
Ripley & Asuka Signed The Contract
Asuka and Rhea Ripley had their contract signing for their RAW Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania. Before the match, Riddle scooted up to Asuka, completely forgot his lines, and scooted away.
Ripley vowed to win the title and signed the contract. Asuka signed the contract and said that Rhea is not ready for Asuka. Rhea flipped the table onto Asuka and it looked like the RAW Women’s Champion actually got bashed in the face again. Shayna, Nia, and Reginald interrupted. Shayna boasted about kicking Asuka’s teeth out and challenged Ripley and Asuka to a tag match. Ripley accepted for the both of them as RAW went to a break.
Opinion: What an original idea. Will these WrestleMania opponents be able to coexist as a team? We definitely didn’t just see that exact same thing with Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair.
King Corbin Attacked Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre rushed into the locker room and wondered who was going to attack him. McIntyre told Strowman that he should be a five time champion by now. Strowman told McIntyre that he will come find Drew after he rips Shane McMahon to shreds at WrestleMania. McIntyre launched Humberto Carrillo across the room and got in Ricochet’s face. Ricochet told McIntyre that Lashley’s word is worth nothing but will give him a fight tonight.
Ricochet controlled the action early as WWE Champion Bobby Lashey was shown watching backstage. Ricochet connected with a Dropkick off the barricade as MVP cheered him on from commentary. Back in the ring, Ricochet climbed to the top rope and went for the 630 but McIntyre got out of the way. McIntyre hit the Claymore for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Mustafa Ali attacked McIntyre from behind as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Ali leveled McIntyre with a Dropkick and beat him down for a few minutes. Eventually, McIntyre responded with a Suplex that sent Ali flying across the ring. McIntyre hit the Claymore for the pinfall victory and called out Lashley.
Lashley made his way to the entrance ramp as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, McIntyre accused Lashley of being afraid of him. A brawl then broke out and the two superstars traded shots in the middle of the irng. McIntyre knocked Lashley out of the ring. King Corbin attacked Lashley from behind and hit him with Deep Six. Lashley applied the Hurt Lock on McIntyre and threw him to the canvas to end the show.
Opinion: I didn’t enjoy a single thing on this week’s RAW. It is so dissappointing that this is the build for WrestleMania. There are so many great matches on paper that do not feel special because of empty storylines. The event will still feel special next weekend, but there was no “WrestleMania season” this year. I had zero reaction when King Corbin showed up at the end of the show and thought this was the worst episode of RAW in 2021 so far.
