This might have been one of the best WWE RAW in years. A shocking appearance, some solid matches, and a top tier promo segment made for an excellent penultimate episode of the red brand this week.
Before I begin with the hits and misses from this week’s episode, let’s do a quick review. The March 25, 2024, episode of RAW emanated from Chicago’s AllState Arena. Yes, this episode featured Chicago’s very own CM Punk.
Other notable stars included Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch, and Rhea Ripley. Without going into more details, let’s take a look at what went right and what didn’t on WWE RAW this week.
Miss – Punching bag Dominik Mysterio
Dominik Mysterio is back with Rhea Ripley after several weeks of on-screen hiatus. WWE’s most notorious couple were shown together for the most part on RAW this week. Dom joined Mami as she made her way to the ring for a segment with Becky Lynch.
The Man arrived shortly after to engage in a war of words with her WrestleMania XL opponent. Ripley dragged Lynch’s daughter into their feud and the mention emotionally triggered Becky.
Dominik intervened before turning sour, only to get dropped by Lynch. Props to Dominik for taking the sucker punch. That didn’t look like a worked punch at all. My minor issue with the segment is that why they booked Dominik to intervene if the whole point was to have security stop Ripley and Lynch from tearing each other apart.
Onto the major issue. Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch have pretty much had solo confrontations before this week’s WWE RAW. Dominik’s intervention appears to make Mami weak against Becky Lynch who, ironically, is selling the whole feud as the underdog challenger.
Hit – Andrade’s WWE RAW in-ring return
Triple H knows talking isn’t Andrade’s biggest strength. The man lets his in-ring skills do the talking. Andrade made his WWE RAW in-ring return in convincing fashion this week. The former NXT Champion had a great opponent in Giovanni Vinci.
Andrade looked crisp as ever between the ropes. Gio may be one of the most underrated talents WWE have on their roster. He did what he was supposed to do: go out and deliver a great match against the very impressive Andrade.
Miss – Motivational speaker Chad Gable
The closer Sami Zayn versus Gunther gets, the more I believe Chad Gable should’ve been in Zayn’s spot. No offense to Zayn, he’s great. I just think he should’ve been in a different role on the road to WrestleMania XL instead of chasing after the Intercontinental Championship.
Sami Zayn collided with Bronson Reed on WWE RAW this week. The former Honorary Uce lost the match after Gunther showed up to distract him. Backstage, Chad Gable told Zayn he needed to change his game plan if he wanted to have the mental edge against the Ring General.
I feel Gable’s motivational speech wasn’t consistent with what he told Zayn last week on RAW. For those unware, Gable straight away told Zayn he couldn’t beat Gunther. WWE really missed an opportunity to insert Gable into Zayn versus Gunther by turning him into a sidekick act.
Hit – CM Punk & Drew McIntyre
This segment would’ve been number one on this list had The Rock not gone full Final Boss mode on Cody Rhodes. CM Punk made his return to Chicago this week on WWE RAW. Punk shook hands with Samantha Irvin for a powerful introduction before re-entering the ring.
Punk grabbed the microphone, and the whole AllState Arena started listening to the hometown hero. Phil referenced his iconic “Box with God” promo while taking a major dig at The Rock. Drew McIntyre interrupted the segment and we got a great back-and-forth between the two superstars on the mic.
Punk even made McIntyre break character with his seemingly unscripted “who made you the Chosen One?” line. The whole promo kept the fans engaged. You could tell both men were shooting straight from the heart. Seth Rollins also showed up because he’s the World Heavyweight Champion.
The segment exposed a major flaw with Rollins’ ongoing booking. He is starting to fell like a secondary act in his own world title match. That’s one of the major risks that comes with working two major storylines simultaneously.
Miss – Michael Cole & Corey Graves narrate Godzilla x Kong trailer
This week’s episode of WWE RAW was brought to you by Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which hits theaters this Friday (March 29). I’m a huge fan of the Monsterverse and am looking forward to an epic kaiju clash on the big screen.
That being said, I think Michael Cole and Corey Graves did an underwhelming job of narrating the film’s trailer. Of course, they were trying to sell Godzilla x King as a match that’s too big for the squared circle.
That doesn’t work for me, brother!
Hit – The Rock’s keeps his promise on WWE RAW
The Rock wasn’t supposed to appear on WWE RAW this week. The Brahma Bull’s appearance was announced in advance for the April 1 edition of the red brand. Not only did The Rock interrupt Cody Rhodes’ opening segment, but he also promised to make the American Nightmare bleed.
And he did!
The closing segment of the night saw Rhodes try to take out Solo Sikoa. Rocky showed up from behind and started laying the SmackDown on his WrestleMania XL opponent while talking trash. Rock destroyed Rhodes with a couple of trash can shots to the head.
He took the one-sided beat down outside the arena. Fans were treated a an epic visual of Rocky kicking Rhodes’ a** in the rain. After turning Rhodes into a bloody mess, Rocky took his weight belt out and rubbed Rhodes’ blood all over it.
Just like he promised he would!
Fans can expect Cody Rhodes to miss next week’s RAW to sell the beat down angle. Both The Rock and Roman Reigns will appear on the final episode of the red brand before WrestleMania XL next Monday.
Also read: WWE SmackDown Hits & Misses (3/22/24)
