Raw
This week, WWE held another spectacular edition of Monday Night Raw with Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes being in the main event segment. Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns came to the red brand en route to his showdown against Cody Rhodes on The Grandest Stage of Them All. ##
Plus, a special LIVE edition of the "Impaulsive" podcast with host Logan Paul and so much more happened during tonight's edition of Monday Night. ##
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn made their entrance, as replays from SmackDown were aired, recapping the events that led to their reunion. Cody Rhodes was shown watching it unfold on a monitor, and the crowd loudly chanted for Sami. Owens commented, "sounds like they like you." The crowd then loudly chanted for Owens, and Zayn responded with, "sounds like they like you too, pal." Owens joked that the fans only did that to make him feel better.##
Zayn admitted that he realized he made a mistake by treating their reunion like a business transaction and should have known that they needed to do this as brothers. Owens said that he had been Zayn's biggest fan throughout their entire careers, whether they were together or not. He expressed frustration at seeing Zayn being held under Roman Reigns' thumb when he was better than all of them. The Bloodline knew it, and the fans knew it. Owens knew that it was time to get over everything and take down the Bloodline together.##
Zayn said they knew what was coming next and they looked up at the WrestleMania sign until the Usos interrupted them. Jey called Zayn a backstabber, and they accused each other of being backstabbers. Zayn said that they all knew Jey's dream was to turn his back on Reigns. Jimmy thought it was funny that they were looking at the sign because nothing would happen at WrestleMania.##
Owens suggested that they all had the same idea - the Uso brothers against Owens and his brother Sami at WrestleMania for the tag team titles. The crowd chanted "Yes." However, Jimmy said that wasn't happening, but Jey liked the idea because it was their chance to finally put Owens and Zayn in the dirt. Jimmy eventually agreed, so Jey accepted the match.##
Jey didn't want to wait, so the Usos attacked Owens and Zayn. A brawl broke out, and Owens superkicked Jey. However, before Zayn could hit a Helluva Kick, Jimmy pulled Jey out of the ring. Jimmy grabbed a chair as officials ran out, but before anything else could transpire, Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and Paul Heyman were shown arriving at the building. ##
Non-Title Match: United States Champion Austin Theory Vs Montez Ford ##
During the match, Ford dominated most of the action, but it was Theory who ultimately picked up the victory. It was clear that one of these men was a rising star who had the potential to be a future main eventer.##
At one point, Ford knocked Theory over the barricade and took the opportunity to sit down and pose for a picture with two enthusiastic fans. He even looked into the camera and signaled for a commercial break, which came right on time.##
Ford showcased his impressive athleticism with a flying crossbody, clotheslines, back elbow, belly-to-back suplex, and standing moonsault. He even spiked Theory with a DDT and followed up with a big flip dive. However, Theory managed to avoid a frog splash and hit a rolling dropkick and A-Town Down to secure the pinfall victory.##
After the match, Theory declared that John Cena may not believe in him now, but at WrestleMania, he would prove him wrong. ##
WINNER: Austin Theory via pinfall ##
RUN TIME: 8:54 ##
RATING: *** ##
Up Next Was The Bloodline Segment##
In the locker room, the Usos approached Roman Reigns, who appeared displeased with their recent performance. Jimmy expressed his frustration about being separated from his brother and blamed Sami Zayn for the situation. Although it seemed like he might be directing his anger towards Reigns, Jimmy quickly refocused on their common goal of taking down Owens and Zayn at WrestleMania. Reigns agreed to the plan and dismissed everyone from the room except for Jey.##
During their private conversation, Reigns questioned Jey's loyalty and reminded him that being part of the Bloodline required making tough decisions. Jey reassured Reigns that he was still committed to the family, prompting Reigns to declare his love for him. As Jey left, Paul Heyman awkwardly entered the frame, causing some amusement among the crowd. Reigns assured Heyman that he had received the answer he was looking for, but Heyman seemed concerned. ##
In terms of vocabulary, the passage mainly uses informal language and wrestling-specific terminology, such as "Uce" (a term of endearment used by Samoans) and "WrestleMania." The tone is generally confrontational and focused on the storyline of the wrestlers' rivalries and alliances. ##
Omos (w/MVP) Vs Mustafa Ali ##
This was just another easy victory for Omos to put on a gain ahead of his WrestleMania match against Brock Lesnar. Omos won with a tree slam. ##
WINNER: Omos via pinfall ##
RUN TIME: 1:00 ##
RATING: * ##
Up Next: Impaulsive TV with Logan Paul ##
Paul claimed that despite his wealth, he was still here because he loved WWE, but the fans rejected him. He pointed out that only his father, whom he had brought to St. Louis, and one fan holding a “Drink Prime” sign, seemed to like him.##
Despite his talents and the number of superstars he had beaten, the fans did not respect him. He did not bother inviting any celebrity friends to his show because he knew they would not want to come to St. Louis and disappoint fans more than the Rams did.##
Although Paul looked forward to beating Seth Rollins on his birthday at WrestleMania, he acknowledged that the match itself would be great because Rollins was among the top three in the business. However, he was not worried about winning because he and his brother agreed that you could not take a guy named “Seth” seriously. After all, Seths were nice guys.##
Paul then played a replay of himself knocking out Rollins last week, adding cartoonish sound effects and a clown emoji over Rollins’ face. However, the replays stopped and his mic cut out, and Rollins was shown in the production truck pushing buttons.##
Rollins entered the ring, wearing a leopard print suit, and instead of Paul’s usual act, Rollins punched him and tackled him onto the announce desk. Rollins went to the top and attempted a dive, but Paul was helped off the table by two guards, and Rollins accidentally wiped out the guards. This misstep allowed Paul to drop Rollins with a right hand once again.##
Paul's performance was impressive, with the crowd booing him as he spoke and responding with loud “What” chants. ##
Dominik Mysterio (w/Damian Priest) Vs Johnny Gargano ##
Gargano executed a daring dive, but Dom took over the match by slamming Gargano's injured ribs into the steel steps and barricade. After a brief intermission, Gargano retaliated by countering out of Dom's three amigos and responded with a powerful spear, earning a two-count.##
Dom tried to plead for mercy, but then he dragged Gargano into the turnbuckle. Dom attempted a cover with his feet on the ropes, but the referee caught him red-handed. Gargano capitalized on the situation, hitting Dom with a superkick that almost resulted in a pinfall. Gargano expertly evaded a 619 before unleashing a series of moves, including a clothesline, a lawn dart, and a superkick, nearly securing the win.##
As the battle continued, they struggled on the top rope, and Dom took advantage by dropping Gargano and then executing a frog splash on Gargano's back (and injured ribs), earning a clean and decisive pinfall victory. ##
WINNER: Dominik Mysterio via pifnall ##
RUN TIME: 10:40 ##
RATING: ** ##
In a dimly lit room with candles, Edge delivered a pre-recorded promo. Despite his serious tone, the poor production quality of the video was noticeable and somewhat distracting. Edge talked about his proficiency in dangerous matches such as Hell in a Cell and challenged Bálor to bring out his alter-ego, the Demon, instead of his human persona "Finn". ##
Up Next: Rhea Ripley promo ##
Ripley declared that Charlotte Flair couldn't be a true leader in the division without respecting others, and Charlotte's constant questioning of herself made it impossible for her to respect Ripley. Despite being knocked down, Ripley kept getting back up, while Charlotte tried to keep others down, but now it was time for Charlotte to go home, where she would mean nothing without WWE.##
Ripley didn't care if Charlotte respected her or not, as she was focused on becoming the champion and the biggest star in WWE. She warned Charlotte that she didn't need her respect, but she would make her fear her.##
Suddenly, the segment was interrupted by Damage CTRL. Bayley mocked Ripley and suggested that she should have asked for her advice since she defeated Charlotte at her first WrestleMania. Ripley dismissed Bayley, but Bayley threatened her in response. Ripley challenged them to a fight, and Bayley accepted, as she was already in her gear. The General Manager, Adam Pearce, was watching in the back and made the match official. ##
Rhea Ripley Vs Bayley (w/Dakota Kai & IYO SKY)##
During the third hour, Bayley attempted to win the match by cheating with the help of her allies. She executed a Bayley-to-belly on Ripley, but the latter kicked out at a count of one. Bayley tried the move once again, but Ripley countered it with a slam. Bayley didn't back down and hit Ripley with a PK. Ripley responded with a kick and locked in a standing inverted cloverleaf, but Bayley managed to get a rope break with the help of her Damage CTRL teammates. ##
Ripley was furious and went after Dakota Kai, which allowed Bayley to drop her over the rope. At this point, Lynch, Stratus, and Lita stormed into the ring (with Lynch's music playing in the background) and took out Kai and SKY. Lynch then backed Bayley into the ring, where she turned around into Ripley's Rip-tide finisher. Ripley secured the pinfall win, and the crowd erupted in cheers. ##
WINNER: Rhea Ripley via pinfall ##
RUN TIME: 10:50 ##
RATING: ** ##
Ricochet (w/Braun Strowman) Vs Chad Gable (w/Otis) ##
At the beginning of the match, there appeared to be a miscommunication between Gable and Ricochet, resulting in Gable unintentionally bodyslamming Ricochet off the top rope. Despite this, Gable continued his attack with a flying clothesline before the match paused for a break.##
After the break, Ricochet avoided Gable's moonsault and struck back with a rolling dropkick, exciting the crowd (with some help from Strowman's encouragement). Ricochet then executed a springboard clothesline and a running shooting star press, but only managed to secure a two-count.##
They exchanged cradles, but Gable responded with a cliffhanger DDT for a nearfall. Gable then locked in an ankle hold, but Ricochet managed to escape and retaliated with a superkick and a knee strike. However, Gable quickly recovered and executed a dragon suplex for a two-count.##
Otis cheered on his tag team partner Gable, but Dupri made an appearance and took Otis away backstage, distracting Gable in the process. This allowed Ricochet to hit a Destino followed by a shooting star press, resulting in a pinfall victory. Overall, it was an entertaining match. ##
WINNER: Ricochet ##
RUN TIME: 10:38 ##
RATING: **** ##
Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair & Asuka Vs Piper Niven & Chelsea Green ##
Belair and Asuka quickly dispatched their opponents, and the match went to a break just 50 seconds in. After the break, Belair dominated Niven until a miscommunication occurred between Belair and Asuka, with Asuka almost hitting Belair with a running hip attack. This led to a heated argument between the two. ##
When Belair saw Niven coming, she pushed Asuka out of the way to protect her. Belair then used the ropes to deliver a powerful KOD to Niven, earning a thunderous ovation from the crowd. ##
WINNERS: Bianca Belair & Asuka ##
RUN TIME: 6:44 ##
RAGING: ** ##
Up Next: Roman Reigns-Cody Rhodes main event segment ##
Reigns made his entrance with Heyman and Sikoa in tow, and demanded the audience in St. Louis acknowledge him, which they promptly did. ##
Cody Rhodes then made his entrance to a chorus of cheers and chants from the crowd. Reigns warned Rhodes to stay out of Bloodline business, but Rhodes refused to back down and asked Reigns what the problem was. Heyman tried to interject, but Rhodes shut him down, insisting he was talking to Reigns. ##
Reigns explained that Rhodes wasn't the problem, but rather what he represented - a wrestler from a previous era. Reigns saw himself as a megastar, while Rhodes was still talking about his plans for WrestleMania, but Reigns didn't believe he would succeed. ##
Rhodes fired back, defending his legacy and his contributions to the wrestling industry. He was offended by Reigns' dismissal of their fathers as "just wrestlers," and insisted that he had always wanted to be a superstar. Rhodes warned Reigns of what was coming at WrestleMania, and promised to remind him what it was like to lose. ##
As the tension between the two men escalated, Sikoa attempted to intervene, but Rhodes warned him that he wasn't ready yet. Despite this, Sikoa tried to attack Rhodes, but Reigns held him back and talked him down. As Reigns and Heyman left, the crowd chanted "you're not ready" at Sikoa, who stood in the ring, visibly frustrated. ##
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