On February 26, WWE presented the weekly Monday Night Raw episode live from SAP Center in San Jose, California. The show featured the fallout from the Elimination Chamber premium live event, and the build to WrestleMania XL continued. Cody Rhodes faced Grayson Waller, while Sami Zayn faced Shinsuke Nakamura. We also saw a Street Fight between New Day and Imperium on the show. Let’s discuss everything that happened on WWE Raw.
Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch face-to-face
The show opened with Dominik Mysterio in the ring, and he introduced The Women’s World Champion, Rhea Ripley. The crowd gave a great ovation to the champion.
Rhea welcomed everyone to Monday Night Mami. She talked about her victory against Nia Jax at Elimination Chamber. Lynch congratulated Ripley on a successful title defense in her home country.
Dom tried to interrupt, but Lynch shut him up. Ripley told her not to disrespect Mysterio again. Rhea and Dom walked off. Nia Jax attacked Becky from behind and delivered two leg drops. She went for the Annihilator, but WWE Officials stopped her.
Grades: B-
Analysis: The Road to WrestleMania won’t be easy for Becky Lynch. Nia Jax has been getting booked well since her return.
Singles Match
Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
The match began with arm drags as Shinsuke continued his kicks to the ribs. At ringside, Sami landed a moonsault block from the barricade. Back in the ring, Nakamura landed knee strikes. Sami bounced back with a Michinoku Driver for a near fall.
Zayn delivered a tornado DDT. Nakamura replied with a front suplex on the apron. Back from the break, Nakamura delivered a spin kick. As he rushed for Kinshasa, Zayn countered it into a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall.
Shin escaped a Helluva Kick and hit a flying knee to the back of the head for a two-count. Nakamura followed it up with a flying knee at ringside. Zayn barely entered the ring before 10-count. Shin connected with a knee to the face, but Zayn put his foot on the bottom rope to save the match. Zayn delivered two Helluva Kicks to win the match.
Winner: Sami Zayn
Grades: B+
Analysis: It was a good match. These two share a great in-ring chemistry. The path to WrestleMania is still unclear for these two.
Singles Match
Raquel Rodriguez vs. Chelsea Green
Chelsea showed her anger at WWE management before the match. She claimed she would have won the battle royal last week if Raquel had not been added to the match. In the match, Green slapped Raquel.
This angered Rodriguez, and she delivered two fallaway slams followed by a Tejana Bomb for the win.
Winner: Raquel Rodriguez
Grades: C
Analysis: Chelsea Green is such a character on TV and needs to be featured more. Raquel is back and looks better.
Backstage: Sami Zayn was interviewed and said it was a big win for him. Zayn claimed that he would find his path to WrestleMania. Imperium walked by him, and Gunther stared at Sami.
– Cody Rhodes talked about challenging The Rock. He also demanded that Grayson Waller should love him. Cody said that he had great moments with Waller. He brought back Jey Uso on The Grayson Waller Effect, challenged The Rock on his show, and now he will give him a main event on Raw.
Gunther looks for his WrestleMania Opponent
Gunther made his way to the ring alongside Kaiser and Vinci. The Ring General praised Jey Uso and said that Jey almost took the title off him. Gunther talked about his historical title reign of over 600 days. He then made fun of names like Sami, Gable, The Miz, and R-Truth.
The Judgment Day interrupted them. Priest talked about their dominance in the Elimination Chamber. He said they plan to add more gold to The Judgment Day, such as the Intercontinental Championship. Gunther made fun of Judgment Day members. He laughed at Dominik and shoved him. Priest was infuriated, but Balor and Mysterio held him back.
Grades: B+
Analysis: It was an excellent segment. WWE is creating a buzz surrounding the IC Title. Minutes ago, they teased Sami going for the title, and later, it was Damian Priest.
Tag Team Street Fight Match
New Day vs. Imperium
Next up was a tag team Street Fight between Imperium and New Day. The fight quickly reached the stage wall. Woods destroyed a trombone on Kaiser and Vinci. New Day started their stereo double team action with Kofi hitting a somersault plancha and Woods hitting a sliding dropkick.
Kofi and Kaiser brought the fight into the crowd. On the apron, Vinci delivered a back suplex to Woods. The crowd wanted tables, but Kaiser made fun of them by pulling out a table and putting it back.
Imperium members destroyed Woods with a steel chair and landed stereo dropkicks. Kofi came back with a flying cross-body block on the opponents. Kingston delivered the SOS, and a Boom Drop on Vinci.
Kofi set up a table at ringside and looked to suplex Kaiser. Vinci joined in, and they countered it with a double suplex on Kingston. Imperium dominated New Day with kendo sticks.
At ringside, Kofi got revenge when he blasted Pat McAfee’s chair into Kaiser’s face. New Day now uses kendo sticks to their advantage. Kofi brought a table and held Vinci over it. Woods landed a flying elbow on Vinci through the table in the ringside area.
Back in the ring, Kofi delivered a backbreaker, and Woods landed a double stomp on Vinci. Kaiser pulled out the referee on the pin to save the match. Kingston laid out Kaiser with a suicide dive.
“This is Awesome,” chants from the crowd echoed through the arena. As Kofi was headed to the top rope, Vinci knocked him and sent him through the table at ringside. Ludwig sent Woods into the chair stuck in the corner and rolled him for the three-count.
Winners: New Day
Grades: A
Analysis: Amazing Street Fight between New Day and Imperium. This is a top-heated feud that looks to culminate with a superb Street Fight.
Backstage: On a phone call, Adam Pearce congratulated Bronson Reed on the birth of his child. Gable came and demanded a shot at Gunther’s IC Title.
Tag Team Match
Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark vs. Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae
LeRae started with Baszler and delivered a step-up senton splash. Candice knocked Zoey out and delivered a cannonball at the ringside.
Indi Hartwell got the hot tag like in Australia at the Elimination Chamber. However, Hartwell couldn’t do much and suffered a spinebuster from Shayna, followed by Kirifuda Clutch to finish the match.
Winners: Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark
Grades: C-
Analysis: Baszler and Stark are dominant in the women’s tag team division and seem to be the next contenders for the titles.
Backstage: R-Truth was in Judgment Day’s clubhouse looking at old t-shirts. The Miz and DIY approached him. Truth considered Gargano, Shawn Michaels, and Ciampa as Triple H. He called the faction Regeneration X.
Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins war of words
Drew McIntyre went to the ring and said, “We did it,” on his Elimination Chamber victory. He thanked fans for the prayers. Drew said that he had a burst eardrum, and the doctors told him that he might miss WrestleMania. Drew made a joke about CM Punk on this.
McIntyre sat cross-legged in the ring just like Punk and called out Seth Rollins. The World Heavyweight Champion came out and Seth congratulated McIntyre on his win.
Rollins said that McIntyre now has a chance to do what he did in 2020, but this time in front of the fans. A visionary is standing in his way. McIntyre questioned Seth why he was getting involved in The Bloodline business on SmackDown.
Drew said that he wants Rollins to be 100% since WrestleMania. Rollins explained to McIntyre that some risks are worth taking. He said he wanted to remove the Bloodline and protect this industry.
Rollins said that he has not been selfish anymore since the birth of his baby girl. They need to finish the Bloodline, or they will reach the World Heavyweight Title to gain more power. Seth walked off after this.
Grades: B+
Analysis: Great stuff from Seth and Drew. Rollins gave good answers to McIntyre’s meaningful questions. McIntyre is not happy with Seth’s involvement in The Bloodline story.
Singles Match
Nia Jax vs. Liv Morgan
Earlier tonight, Nia assaulted Becky and warned Liv to give her ten times more beating. Morgan tried to use her quickness early in the match, but Jax laid her out with a Samoan Drop.
Jax delivered a running hip attack and applied some stretch submissions. Liv escaped a leg drop on the apron and landed a suicide dive at ringside.
Back from the break, Morgan moved away from a senton splash and hit Jax with a flying Codebreaker for a near fall. Nia delivered a Samoan Drop on the ring post.
Out of nowhere, Becky attacked Nia, and the match ended in disqualification. Lynch bounced Nia’s face off the commentary table. Back in the ring, Jax wisely rolled away to retreat.
Winner: Nia Jax by DQ.
Grades: B-
Analysis: Becky Lynch got revenge, and it looks like Lynch had to go through Nia to reach Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania.
Backstage: Becky got her match with Nia next week. Liv Morgan was not happy with Lynch interfering and costing her the match.
– Jey Uso was interviewed backstage. He said that he has been falling short in matches recently due to his own family. McIntyre came out and said that Jey deserved everything that happened to him. Uso punched him in the face, and they started brawling. WWE Officials break it up.
Singles Match
Cody Rhodes vs. Grayson Waller
The crowd was heavily chanting for Cody. After a few headlocks, Rhodes delivered a delayed Vertical Suplex. We heard an announcement from the commentary desk that Paul Heyman is backstage at Raw.
Waller landed a dropkick on Cody and applied a neck vice. Rhodes bounced back with a Snap Powerslam and a Disaster Kick for a nearfall. Theory got on the apron, but Cody knocked him. In the end, Cody won after a Cody Cutter and a Cross Rhodes.
Paul Heyman came out with security guards. Cody grabbed a steel chair and called them out. Heyman told Cody to back down from his challenge to The Rock. Cody said that he was a fan of The Rock but was fed up with being nice.
Heyman reached the ring apron with guards. Cody attacked the security guards with steel chairs. Heyman took to his phone to call Roman Reigns and The Rock.
Cody told Heyman his message that The Bloodline is not hunting Cody Rhodes; he is hunting them.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Grades: B+
Analysis: A decent match with a dramatic segment to finish the show. They are going high behind a Cody Rhodes vs The Rock singles match.
A fine episode of Monday Night Raw to follow up the Elimination Chamber. The chamber winners made their presence felt. The IC Title story will be interesting heading into WrestleMania, as multiple superstars are racing to challenge Gunther.
