WWE RAW Review (3/27): Who Won This Week's MVP?, Down Goes Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, Goldberg
Standout Moments
1) Most Extreme Elimination Challenge ? Very glad WWE decided to go with the elimination match rules as Fatal 4-ways are usually pretty awful, plus, it will at least come down to a one-on-one match to decide the champion at WrestleMania. That's on Sunday though, last night Bayley kicked things off with Charlotte immediately looking to get into Bayley's head by promoting the idea that Sasha Banks is simply going to turn on the champion, the first chance she gets. Although, she tried to push an old Sasha tweet as proof, "The Boss" came out to set the record straight, with a terrible promo. It didn't help that Charlotte kept trying to chime in, but Sasha seemed to get lost in this segment. Whoever wrote her lines, were way off. Things didn't get much better when Nia came to the ring, starting and stopping as she took way too much time to get into the ring. I wouldn't say she has a "Valley girl" voice, but it's pretty close, which always makes it difficult for me to really get into what she's saying. Feel like it hurts the whole "Monster" aura WWE is looking to create.
This immediately led to a tag match that didn't really get cooking until Bayley was tagged in towards the end against Charlotte. Sasha did her best to keep Nia down as Bayley was able to overcome and get the pin over Charlotte. Nia Jax wasn't done though as she destroyed all three Superstars, cementing that she definitely won't win on Sunday. Will Sasha turn on her buddy? Can Charlotte capitalize if the best friends do end up focusing on each other?
2) I Do Declare ? Nice try Sami, remember when you tried to declare yourself for the Royal Rumble? Yeah, you (and pretty much only you) have to win your way into any kind of Royal Rumble or meaningless battle royal that Curt Hawkins can simply walk his way into. Last time it was Seth Rollins, this time Sami had to face Kevin Owens, again. They always have amazing matches, so I don't really mind, but it reminds me of Rollins vs. Ziggler or Swagger vs. Rusev, we've seen it, a lot.
3) Andre Battle Royal ? Well, at least there's some hype for this year's match with Big Show and Braun Strowman seemingly going to be the main attractions for the battle royal. I'm totally fine with everyone else getting tossed in a hurry and letting these two have another match.
4) Get Off My Lawn ? Absolutely loved how we caught glimpses of Undertaker making his way through a cemetery (and digging another hole) before Roman Reigns went out to the ring later in the night. We then got a full on promo from the cemetery, before Taker showed up behind Reigns in the ring to finish what he started up on the TitanTron. Enjoyed how Undertaker turned the lights down low and Reigns just stood there like he was in line at the DMV.
5) We Stayed Up For That? ? Haven't really delved into the Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar feud as I just haven't found anything to grab hold of between these two. Maybe, I'm still salty from their previous WrestleMania meeting, maybe I just don't expect much from Goldberg at this age, but last night really didn't help their case. Getting through Heyman's promo was tough enough, but WWE made Brock look extra lame by jumping out of the ring and instantly getting speared on the floor, and that was it! Goldberg stomped around the ring, Lesnar exited with Heyman looking astonished that Goldy put down his man for, what, the four time now? I really hope WrestleMania doesn't end with these two, it could be really bad.
6) Alicia Fox - One of the funnier moments of the night.
I'm sorry, @AustinAries, but it appears @AliciaFoxy really doesn't like your face. #RAW pic.twitter.com/WEmvYcNiek
— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) March 28, 2017
Trending Up
Bo Dallas ? I know the bar is set super low here, but he had a sweet beard and a super tan! Plus, he actually got a solid pop from the Philly crowd, which has to count for something, right? As much as I still want him to team up with Bray, that seems unlikely, so the next best thing is to let him just be a comedic heel again, it's what he does best. The whole serious, rhyming thing was weird, that has to go if he ends up getting TV time in the future.
Trending Down
Triple H ? Maybe it's just me, but his (long) promos have been missing lately. Part of the issue has been Rollins' injury, which initially made this a shaky feud that may not even come together, so Triple H had to keep things vague. Once they got the Non-Sanctioned Match out there, his promos have kind of been all over the place, last night pulling in the rich angle and that Rollins has only one shot at being great. Then he started talking about one-legged contests and I was looking for Rollins to start talking immediately. Like I said last week, I'm just ready for these matches to take place. The video package WWE showed later on was money though.
This Week's MVP
Austin Aries ? Can't say this was an easy pick this week, couple good performances, but nobody really jumped out at me. I'll go with Aries though since he won his match, and cut a funny promo with the New Day to agitate Neville. If anything, this is to make up for the past week or so with Aries doing a great job since returning to the ring. Love how the personalities collide between Neville and Aries, one is incredibly serious and the other has a sarcastic edge that couldn't care less if Neville hates him. Looks like their match is going to be on the Kickoff show, but that should be to their benefit, with a hyped up crowd that won't be tired out from the marathon they will sit through.
Overall Thoughts
WWE continued to keep New Day away from crowds through a pre-taped and a backstage segment, can't say I blame them considering the location. Gallows and Anderson used a ladder backstage, which then bit them later on in the night. Last week, WWE put out a poll asking which WrestleMania match fans are most interested in and the tag match was at the bottom, so why not add in some ladders?
Not surprisingly, this was pretty much a big commercial for WrestleMania. If you're a fan who just tuned in, they did a solid job catching people up on what will go down on Sunday. For someone who watches the show every week, I can't say this one did much for me, so I'll grade it right down the middle. At this point, you're either hyped for 'Mania, or you're not and this show really wasn't going to be a "decider" for most fans who have been paying attention. Let's just get to the big dance already!
Grade (out of 10): 5 (Last Week: 7)