WWE Raw: Results, Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for March 5

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Bayley vs. Mandy Rose (w/ Paige & Sonya Deville)

Result: Bayley defeated Mandy Rose via pinfall

Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars

We were supposed to be getting Bayley’s side of the story, as it relates to her friendship with Sasha Banks (or lack thereof). But before Bayley can get to sentence two of her story, out comes Absolution. Paige hints that Bayley might be better off embracing the dark side – perhaps even joining Absolution.

Again, before anything can get going, Mandy Rose heads straight to the ring for a match with The Hugger. I find it funny that on a three hour broadcast, it can still feel like certain things are rushed like crazy. Nothing has a chance to breathe on Monday nights, even though there’s so much time to work with.

The match was perfectly fine – nothing to write home about either way. Mandy is definitely developing into a capable superstar. And despite shoddy character development, Bayley is still a bona fide star. But the real story has nothing to do with the bell to bell action – it’s about what’s next.

Absolution tries to utilize the numbers game to Rose’s advantage, but Bayley is able to see it coming and avoid the trap. A gator roll leads to a “surprise” Bayley victory – and an Absolution beatdown follows. Sasha Banks comes out to even the odds – despite being a really terrible friend, and despite Bayley walking out on her last week.

When Bayley realizes what happened, she’s not happy. Man, if I was getting beat down by a couple of other guys, I’d thank anyone who helped me. But I guess Bayley has integrity or something, so she also rejects a hug from Sasha. Whoa.