Right. Let me say this at the outset. I really enjoyed Fastlane, certainly far more than I ever expected to at least. The show was surprisingly good, with a lot of top notch wrestling and mostly satisfying outcomes.
I say “surprising” of course, because expectations for this show were not at all high, with the main criticism being how seemingly predicable the pay-per-view appeared on paper. Of course none of the titles would change hands; naturally the Shield reunion was built to end in a feel-good moment. We all saw that coming. To subvert much of that criticism then, WWE attempted to build an element of surprise into proceedings. Because apparently words like “old”, “stale” and “repetitive” don’t bother the company, but being predictable is where they draw the line!
Given those efforts then, it would seem somewhat ironic that it was in those moments of misdirection that the show faltered. Badly.
One such letdown came in the events surrounding a certain dreadlocked, 11-year company veteran. But more on that in tomorrow’s review… (that’s called foreshadowing).
Tonight we’ll address something arguably far, far worse. Given that it’s likely to headline WrestleMania in less than a month’s time, one would expect the Ronda / Becky / Charlotte storyline to be hitting top gear about now. What we’ve been served instead is a spluttering, misfiring clunker. And I know a thing or two about misfiring clunkers… for almost a decade I drove a 1993 BMW. That thing was basically an asthma patient on wheels.
For a little context, the story heading into Sunday was that Becky needed to defeat Charlotte in order to secure her spot in the Triple Threat for the Raw Women’s Title at the April showpiece. The equation was simple: win and she was in, lose and she was done. What wasn’t simple though was the convoluted mess of circumstances which got us to that point. Setting aside the repeated suspensions, reinstatements and replacements, Becky has throughout it all been battling a knee injury. A knee injury she incurred so long ago that I can barely remember how she first suffered it. A knee injury that has healed and returned on at least two occasions since she first hurt herself.
https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1105148247402860547
So do we all, Becky.
Overlaid with this tiresome injury angle has been both Charlotte and Ronda Rousey turning heel and taking turns attacking Becky. The result of all of this was that going into Fastlane, we were left with a hobbling hero desperately trying to hold onto her renegade persona and two sudden villains with mixed motivations.
How could you possibly make this any more anticlimactic, you ask? Well, it’s really simple. You have Charlotte batter Becky for a while, before having Ronda interfere by clocking Becky with a single punch, leading to a DQ win for the ‘Irish Lasskicker’. Then have all three women just awkwardly look at each other for a hot minute.
We're getting dangerously close to death of WCW levels here. https://t.co/ktddVOHP4s
— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) March 11, 2019
So am I allowed to say that cooled off Becky significantly? #WWEFastlane
— Bryan Alvarez (@bryanalvarez) March 11, 2019
And it’s not just Meltzer and Alvarez who took issue with the state of this booking – even more convincingly, I thought it was bad too.
But this was just the latest damaging moment in a worryingly growing list for ‘The Man’. In the last month alone, she’s grovelled before Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, been beaten up by both of her fellow competitors for the Raw Women’s Title and now worked her way into the Triple Threat match by DQ. Worse still, after realising that she had back-doored her way into the title picture, Lynch just lay in the corner grinning like a conniving heel. This was not how you get a babyface over. This was – in truth – not how you get anyone over.
At this point, the match between these three women would come as welcome relief. Because the build to get there is not helping any of them.
So did Raw manage to salvage the feud last night? Or did it simply serve to cool Becky off a little more? On the next page we look at the best and worst of the red brand, before venturing an evaluation of the show overall.
What was your favourite moment from Raw?
Kyle Payne
I really liked the main event. Ambrose is leaving and the best thing he can do for the company now is help establish someone else. I liked the lead up to the match, the match itself, and the finish. Dean Ambrose came across as someone too tough for his own good and Drew McIntyre reminded everyone why he really is the future of this brand. All signs point to McIntyre vs. Reigns and I’m all for it.
I also loved how they finally put a spotlight on Apollo Cruz with his match against Kurt Angle. It’s sad to hear Kurt is retiring but it is the right thing and it was gracious of him to make a future star shine one more time. The tag team match between Ricochet and Black versus Roode and Gable was a lot of fun and with The Revival getting into it at the end, it seems this is far from over and I’m fine with it. These six men are great at what they do.
JP Wood
I’m a sucker for a wrestling show that plays a story out from beginning to end, and this episode of Raw pulled it off nicely with the Shield. From the opening promo, to each man going his own way, to coming back together and ending with Ambrose sacrificing himself in the name of redemption.
Emma Heeley
“Guardians of the Independent Scene”. That was the best line of the night, and made me laugh out loud. I love seeing Batista back; I forgot just how great he really is. Hopefully he can still deliver as much passion in the ring as he does in his promos. I also very much enjoyed his glittery jacket, I definitely need one of those in my life. Plus his entrance music is just the best, I could listen to that for hours on repeat.
McIntyre vs Moxley Ambrose was just utter carnage and I loved every second of it! This is the Dean Ambrose everybody wants, why can’t we have this guy all the time? Whether he’s staying or going, as long as I get more of this guy I’ll be a very happy girl.
"I'll walk up that ramp, I'll tear my way through the Guardians of the Independent Scene… and I'll beat your a** on that stage!" – @TripleH
😂 🤭 #RAW @DaveBautista pic.twitter.com/vAr19efYAP
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 12, 2019
Nicholas Holicki
There was but one truly good segment on last night’s Raw, and it came in the form of notorious nose-ring model Batista and the Guardians of the Independent Scene who protect him.
The tense standoff between the returning Hollywood star and Triple H (looking like he had just returned from a morning breakfast run with his motorcycle club buddies) was everything we needed. It featured threats, uncontrolled anger and more foaming mouths than me at all-you-can-eat rib night at the local Steakhouse.
All this tension eventually culminated in a No Holds Barred match being set for WrestleMania. Throw in a Batista promise to retire ‘The Game’ at the ‘Showcase of the Immortals’ and you can color me excited.
What was the worst part of last night’s episode?
Kyle Payne
I thought Shelton Benjamin was on SmackDown? His segment with Rollins seemed pointless to me and a waste of time. Also, why is Lashley still feuding with Bálor? Why are we dragging along storylines that haven’t been exciting? Why did they put the belt on Bálor, only to take it off less than a month later? Why do I watch this show in search of logic?
Dana Brooke did come out to defend the industry from Rousey and she said all the right things, but no one was behind her because no one cares. That’s not her fault but the company should have sent someone – anyone – else out there.
Can someone explain to me what they are doing with Braun? Because I so don’t care about him anymore.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu45rM2F7p5/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
JP Wood
The Intercontinental title change was bizarre. Why did hey put the belt on Bálor in the first place if they were just going to shoot it back around Lashley’s waist? Honestly, it feels like Lashley is incapable of getting over without the belt as a prop and Lio Rush as a sideshow act.
I’m not mad at the idea of Lashley being IC champ. In fact, I think it helps him maintain relevance. My problem is with the execution.
Emma Heeley
What has Dana Brooke got to do with Ronda Rousey? When did she become a good guy again? And was I meant to care about this segment? (That’s harsh I know, but they could have picked anybody else.)
At first, I was all for this Ronda Rousey heel turn, but after her vlog video and tonight’s promo, I feel like I couldn’t care less. What is her gimmick exactly? Insulting the fans’ intelligence? Mocking the people who pay her wages? I get what WWE is trying to do with her character, but it is just not being executed all that well. She’s gone from this UFC badass to sounding like a spoilt teenager who’s not getting her way. “Well, it’s all fake anyway. I don’t care, whatever, you’re not even my real dad!”
Also, what has Finn done to warrant him being stripped of the Intercontinental title 3 weeks before Wrestlemania… ouch. I’m not a fan of this decision, I guess we’ll have to see where they go with it.
Nicholas Holicki
I had to go for a walk after watching Bobby Lashley regain the Intercontinental Title from Finn Bálor.
Nothing about this made anyone look good. Lio Rush is a goober for remaining by Lashley’s side after the giant almost erased the cruiserweight from existence a few weeks ago. Bobby looks like a chump for never being able to beat anyone on his own. Finn once again is made out to be someone with more abs than brains for getting frustratingly distracted by Rush and then losing the belt he only won 22 days ago. And the title itself continues to be tossed around more often than the phrase “I’ve got nothing to lose” during a babyface promo.
From the title reign to this awful match, what a waste of time the past month has been.
Incidentally, I had to take a slightly shorter walk following the announcement that Alexa Bliss would be hosting WrestleMania, with Colin Jost and Michael Che already confirmed as the Special Correspondents. Can’t wait for that.
How would you rate the show overall? (From best to worst: RawSome, Cor, AvRAWge, Poor and RawFul)
Kyle Payne
Tonight’s show was AvRAWge. There was some good and some bad. Watching this show with logic and common sense is a waste of time. That’s why Bálor lost the belt he just won, that’s why Batista and Triple H exchanged that weird promo, and that’s why Shelton Benjamin attacked Rollins.
Bálor should not have lost that title, he shouldn’t still be feuding with Lashley, and he should be defending that belt against someone he hasn’t faced yet at ‘Mania. That promo between Triple H and Batista was weird with their “give me what I want” and “is this what you want” back and forth. Also, since when do Heyman and Lesnar need to pay anyone to attack someone?
The tag team champions are in a nice feud with Black & Ricochet and Roode & Gable. They’ve continued to have great matches and I’m excited to see what they do next. Kurt Angle finally announcing his retirement and facing Apollo was nice. It was, for me, the main event that I enjoyed most. Ambrose and McIntyre had a great match and while it’s a shame that he’s leaving, at least he’s leaving with strong performances.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu5Dzu2FI-0/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
JP Wood
Cor. I was entertained, overall. What wasn’t to like? Loved seeing Beth Phoenix back, got to see a sick looking Black Mass, got a strong show-long storyline, spotted a wild Shelton Benjamin, was spared a full No Way Jose bit. Good times.
Emma Heeley
Another slow burner week in the lead up to WrestleMania. I felt the show started off slowly but managed to pick up speed towards the end of the night. Batista’s promo was great, Kurt’s announcement was touching, and everything involving the Shield was ace. And while, once again, the show seemed to be littered with filler, dragging down various segments, the show did actually add credence to its #Road to WrestleMania™. And hopefully, in the coming weeks, the action will only get better.
This week’s Raw was AvRAWge.
Nicholas Holicki
This was a frustrating watch. Paul Heyman presented more videos of Brock Lesnar, Finn juggled the Intercontinental belt back to Bobby Lashley and Ronda squashed Dana Brooke. And that was only the first half of the show!
The second ninety minutes saw Braun Strowman tear apart a car for the twelfth time, Elias beat up No Way Jose and another pointless walkabout by Lacey Evans. It wasn’t until Batista faced off against Triple H and Kurt Angle announced his retirement match that things started to pick up. Unfortunately by that stage we were well into hour three of the show and my patience was wearing pretty thin.
All of the optimism I had coming out of Fastlane was quickly and dramatically eroded by a pointless (at times painful) instalment of Raw. This week’s show is Poor.
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