The March 18, 2024, edition of WWE RAW went down at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The show featured appearances from Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, and Rhea Ripley among others. It also delivered some high-octane multi-man action as three teams punched their ticket to WrestleMania 40.
The main event saw Becky Lynch finally score her first singles win against Nia Jax on live television. The Man defeated The Irresistible Force in a solid Last Woman Standing Match to cap off all the action. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest hits and misses from the latest edition of the red brand.
Miss – The Creed Bros’ defeat in the tag team qualifier
The Creed Brothers continue to impress fans and peers alike on the main roster. Brutus and Julius Creed took on DIY in the opening match on WWE RAW this week. This was one of three tag team qualifiers for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship for WrestleMania XL on the red brand this week.
The two teams delivered arguably the best match of the night. Julius and Brutus Creed provided a beautiful display of hard-hitting offense. The match featured plenty of nearfalls and false finishes. Julius showed tremendous in-ring awareness when he saved Johnny Gargano from a potential injury during their powerbomb spot.
As much as I enjoyed the match, I feel DIY’s win took some momentum away from the Creeds who dominated most part of the outing. This match was likely their only chance to earn a place at WrestleMania 40. That being said, I have faith in Triple H’s long-term booking and look forward to what’s next for the young tag team on WWE RAW.
Hit – The new camera angles on WWE RAW
Props to everyone who’s been involved with WWE’s production lately. It feels so different and in a good way. Fans no longer have to sit through dozens of camera cuts per second, which was the norm during Kevin Dunn’s days as the be-all, end-all of production.
Even the entrances have changed under the Triple H regime. The heartbeat sound that signaled the arrival of a superstar was a major entrance fixture during the Attitude Era. I, for one, am enjoying these little nods to the days of yore.
Miss – Seth Rollins’ promo
Seth Rollins remains one of the most consistent and dependable performers on the WWE roster. The Visionary is fully healed from the injury he suffered during a previous episode of WWE RAW. He is set to pull double duty at WrestleMania 40.
With that said, his promo from this past Monday’s episode of RAW didn’t strike a chord with me. The laughs and giggles are apparently not doing their work anymore. Rollins looks far more believable when he is all about business.
It seems the World Heavyweight Champion is still prioritizing the battle with Bloodline over his title defense against the Scottish Warrior. Triple H better not book McIntyre to lose the high-stakes match-up come April 7.
Hit – Chad Gable vs. Sami Zayn vs. Gunther tease
Sami Zayn bested Chad Gable in their great Gauntlet Match on WWE RAW last Monday. The former Honorary Uce earned a shot against Gunther at WrestleMania XL. I was rooting for Master Gable to win because he had me convinced there wasn’t going to be a different outcome.
It appears Gable could still find a way to challenge for the Intercontinental Championship. The latest episode of RAW saw an interesting interaction between Zayn and Gable. The Alpha Academy star told Zayn he cannot beat Gunther for the title because the Ring General’s is on a completely different level.
Ideally, the backstage promo segment would lead to a triple threat match for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania XL. Assuming Triple H wants to protect Gunther, The Game books Gable to either pin or submit Zayn on the Grandest Stage of Them All. Gunther could then suffer his first clean loss on the main roster to Ilja Dragunov.
That’s how I’d book it, at least.
Miss – New Day’s win against Alpha Academy
There’s no denying that The New Day are certified Hall of Famers. Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E rank among the most accomplished stables in WWE history. They are multi-time former tag team champions. Both Kingston and Big E are former world champions as well.
New Day have done pretty much everything on the main roster. They have worked multiple WrestleMania events. One might argue that WWE needs to use them to put over other tag teams such as Alpha Academy.
However, the outcome of their tag team match tells a different story. Woods and Kingston will partake in the ladder match to decide the fate of the tag team titles. At least Tozawa and Otis are back in the game on NXT.
Hit – Cody Rhodes’ response to The Rock on WWE RAW
The Rock completely annihilated Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins on SmackDown last Friday. The Final Boss brought back his iconic concert to layeth the verbal SmackDown on his WrestleMania 40 opponents. The promo reportedly raised a lot of eyebrows behind the scenes.
Cody Rhodes fired back with a barrage of insults on WWE RAW this week. The American Nightmare cut a profanity-laden promo on The Great One. Their were multiple NSFW references. It remains to be seen if Rocky chooses to respond to Rhodes with his weekly promo on X ahead of SmackDown this Friday.
Also read: The Rock says Networks, ‘Standards And Practices’ Have Issues With My Language, I’d Rather Be Rea
