In a relatively slow wrestling news week, the major talking point over the last several days has been Kurt Angle’s pending retirement match. More to the point, the question has been who the legendary figure would face for his in-ring farewell at WrestleMania.
Would it be someone from his past? Like John Cena, who would offer some semblance of poetic symmetry, with Angle of course having been Cena’s opponent in his first televised match in 2002. Or perhaps the Olympian could rekindle his unforgettable feud with Samoa Joe, who together arguably put on the best series of matches in TNA history. A further alternative would be for Angle to elevate a budding star before he gracefully rode off into the sunset. Someone who could drag a good match out of Kurt’s ageing body and still capitalise on the momentum generating by conquering a wrestling hero. The likes of Chad Gable or Matt Riddle are obvious choices.
But nope, we’re getting Baron Corbin instead.
WWE Hall of Famer @RealKurtAngle will have one last match at #WrestleMania, and his final opponent will be @BaronCorbinWWE! https://t.co/vWb1zoBnps pic.twitter.com/ZvAJwx5LwC
— WWE WrestleMania (@WrestleMania) March 19, 2019
It’s hard to properly convey how incredible Kurt Angle is to someone who wasn’t around 10 to 20 years ago. If you’ve only witnessed the hobbled, broken down, hunched-over husk that we’ve been subjected to since the former multi-time WWE Champion returned as Raw General Manager two years ago, then you’ve missed out on one of the most naturally gifted performers of all time. Few, if any, have merged comedy, ferocity and in-ring ability as seamlessly as the gold medalist has during his career. The originator of ‘The Three I’s’ is widely believed to have boasted the greatest rookie year ever seen in wrestling. He transitioned from winning a gold medal to winning championship gold quicker than anyone could have imagined and made it all look ridiculously easy.
But it was his charisma that really captivated audiences. Angle was able to shift between goofy sketches and uncompromising intensity in a manner so rarely seen today. He was everything and anything: athletic, smart, funny, intimidating and a technical genius. His retirement from in-ring competition should therefore be heralded. Angle is an absolute, unquestionable legend of the business.
And his last match looks to be against Baron Corbin. The master of the ankle lock against the master of the chin lock.
Now it wouldn’t be entirely out of character for WWE to abandon this program midstream, somehow writing Corbin out of the picture and replacing him with someone more exciting. But time is running out and at this point it looks rather unlikely. So we may just have to make peace with the unavoidable – Kurt will continue to beat more deserving opponents in the run up to WrestleMania, before being snuffed out by Corbin at the ‘Showcase of the Immortals’. The same Corbin who lost to Apollo Crews last night. The same Corbin who is destined to forever be the same boring non-entity we see on Monday nights each week.
Until that happens though, we can only hope. Let’s get to the best parts of Raw.
What was your favourite moment from Raw?
JP Wood
While I didn’t think that the show was any worse than average, I’m struggling to find somewhere that I felt it stood out and impressed me. Ricochet sure is fun to watch, so there was that. The Batista promo was all kinds of meh. Not bad, but not particularly good, either.
I suppose that brings me to the return of Beth Phoenix. Not the promo, that was poorly written nonsense, but the fact that she’s going to be competing again in an era that so much better fits her than the one she came up in makes my wrestling heart happy.
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Kyle Payne
Drew McIntyre cut a fantastic promo on Roman, very heelish and referenced the Leukemia. Dastardly stuff. His match with Rollins was good too. The match between Gable and Angle was nice to see and I’m sure Chad loved every second of it. I would have loved to have this be Kurt’s last match at ‘Mania instead of his revealed opponent.
I actually did enjoy Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne destroying things. Batista looking like a Bond villain was awesome and the line “what’s your malfunction?” was the highlight of my time with the show and the interview. Also, The Revival telling Corbin “Hell No” in response to being his friend.
Emma Heeley
That Drew McIntyre promo was pure fire. The man can literally do no wrong, I just don’t understand why he’s not being pushed more, he’s got it all. Literally, Universal Championship material right there. His match with Seth in this week’s main event was also very enjoyable, and I didn’t really hate the idea of Rollins losing the way he did either. It kept him looking strong, not eating a clean loss before ‘Mania.
I also really liked the stuff with Ronda and her husband, beating down the security and refs. It felt it added a level of realism to the situation. It was different, and I like different.
Nicholas Holicki
For the second week in a row I’m going with big, bad Dave Batista as the best part of Raw. The methodical, deliberate delivery of his promo was excellent, and the way he gradually escalated from restrained anger to outright fury was gripping.
Not only did you get a real sense the resentment he feels towards Triple H, but the framing and tone of the interview made it feel like the only truly unique element from last night’s show. With each passing week I become more invested in this match.
What was the worst part of last night’s episode?
JP Wood
I thought this show was so in the middle that I’m not sure I can pinpoint a logical low point, either. The Moment of Bliss was cringy, getting more of Tamina and Nia makes baby doves cry, the distraction finish in the main event ruined a decent match – but in the end, the prize goes to watching Kurt Angle try to wrestle. It was hard to watch.
Kyle Payne
So many things to choose from but I have to go with the announcement that Kurt Angle’s last match ever will take place at WrestleMania and his opponent is Baron Corbin. You know when you make a list and you say “this is the worst possible outcome”? Well, this is the worst possible outcome. Who in their right mind would think this was a good idea? Rumors suggested that we were looking at John Cena vs. Kurt Angle and even though I’m not the biggest Cena fan, that would have been great.
Also, the women’s tag division is a mess. We know the champs are finally headed to SmackDown after avoiding The IIconics long enough. But it looks like we are getting either a four-way tag match or something else with unnecessary numbers. Logically, it should be Tamina / Jax vs. Phoenix / Natalya but there is no logic on this show.
Also, could someone explain to me why WWE hates Braun and has put him in the Battle Royale at WrestleMania again? Again? Oh, and that segment backstage between Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne and security made no sense and was pointless. Even the ref speaking knew it made no sense, you could hear it in his voice.
Emma Heeley
I feel bad for constantly ragging on the Moment of Bliss segments, especially when I think Bliss is fantastic. But once again I zoned out completely. I suppose you have to get the obligatory Elias *insert hometown sports team reference here* skit in the show somehow. Thank goodness for Heavy Machinery, even though their appearance was bittersweet in my eyes. They did make me chuckle with the conga line, but it makes me a little sad to see that team potential lost in pointless segments (that didn’t even end with them being involved in the match that followed!)
The @WWENoWayJose conga line just got #BlueCollarSolid with #HeavyMachinery…in the MIDDLE of A #MomentOfBliss! #RAW @OtisWWE @TuckerWWE pic.twitter.com/D7Niq3wsVj
— WWE (@WWE) March 19, 2019
Nicholas Holicki
Everything even remotely associated with the Moment of Bliss segment. Alexa, Elias, the conga line… even the cheap furniture and needlessly bedazzled microphone were starting to annoy me by the time this living nightmare came to an end.
Elias was the guest this week, and he wasted a lot of time before revealing that he would be the headlining musical act at WrestleMania. Great, the 7-hour card has finally found its toilet break.
Before he could further run down Chicago with more generic sports-related gibberish however, he was interrupted by No Way Jose’s conga line, led by the immediately less enjoyable Otis and Tucker. Elias and Otis teased an altercation before a disguised Jose – don’t worry, I didn’t get it either – attacked the ‘Drifter’ from behind.
This “tension” (and I use that word very incorrectly) led to a nothing match between the latter pair, memorable only for the groupies around ringside incessantly chanting “No Way Jose”. This was the wrestling equivalent of a steaming pile of garbage.
How would you rate the show overall? (From best to worst: RawSome, Cor, AvRAWge, Poor and Awful)
JP Wood
AvRAWge. I don’t expect anything better than this from an average episode of Monday Night Raw. While tonight’s episode had obvious flaws and high points, the sheer blandness of it all made it neither a good nor a bad show. Just a meh show.
Kyle Payne
I could honestly type pages on why this show was a Bore but there aren’t enough words or enough time. I’m less enthusiastic about WrestleMania as a whole, at least on the Raw side. I might just watch the NXT show and the SmackDown matches only.
Didn’t they say we were in charge of WWE? That they were giving us the power? No one would have booked this show or the PPV the way they have. No one wants Kurt vs. Baron, no one wants Braun doing comedy with SNL writers and in the Battle Royale, and no one wants all these women in the tag match. Thank God for SmackDown and NXT. Even 205Live is better than Raw.
Emma Heeley
I have to give credit to Michael Cole and every scripted promo that aired tonight. If it wasn’t for them telling us every 20 minutes that WrestleMania is only 3 weeks away, given the bland action the show put out this week, I honestly wouldn’t have known.
Sure, more matchups were set for ‘Mania, but at no point during this show did any of them make me feel remotely excited to stay up and watch the rumoured 17-match card. This week’s show felt like another filler episode, with matches and promos that didn’t really lead to anything or add any fuel to current burning feuds.
This week’s Raw was Poor.
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Nicholas Holicki
As Raw drew to a close this week, I was left with one question: am I any more excited for WrestleMania after the show than I was before it?
The answer to this relatively straightforward question is a decidedly less conclusive “not really”. I mean, at least Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins were in the same building this week. And I am glad to see Beth Phoenix come out of retirement to mount a challenge for the tag team titles. But this week’s Raw just lacked that gripping angle or hot match. The prospect of Corbin retiring Angle depresses me and the Intercontinental Championship picture remains as directionless as ever.
Add in a frustratingly slow contest between Jinder and Ricochet, a truly awful Moment of Bliss segment and an enticing main event marred by a distraction finish, and this was another meandering instalment of the Monday night brand. Raw last night was Poor.
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