The March 4 edition of WWE Raw was the go-home episode for the red brand before this coming Sunday’s Fastlane pay-per-view, the final pay-per-view stop on the road to WrestleMania.
Last night’s WWE Raw saw some major developments in several key storylines including Triple H’s issues with Batista, the Raw Women’s Championship picture, and The Shield’s mini-reunion set to take place this Sunday.
There should continue to be further storyline developments moving forward with WrestleMania season in full force. With that being said, let’s take a look at a few grades from the March 4 edition of WWE Raw.
4. Opening Segment
The announcement that Roman Reigns would be stepping away from the WWE to focus on his battle with Leukemia back in October shook the WWE to its very core. Nobody knew when he would be back in the WWE, but last week saw the emotional return of The Big Dog.
Reigns’ return was one of the most emotional segments in Raw history, but last night saw him kick off Raw for the second straight week in a bit of a different way than last week. The Big Dog again thanked the fans for the tremendous response to his return and went through all of those necessary steps, but he would soon turn his attention towards the immediate future, namely trying to get the band back together.
He asked Seth Rollins to come out and once Rollins was out there, Reigns focused heavily on getting The Shield back together one last time. At first, The Architect was hesitant after the actions of Dean Ambrose a few months ago. However, after some more pondering and convincing by Reigns, Rollins agreed he was in. Ambrose was about to answer the call when he was jumped from behind by Elias before he could answer.
This was a solid segment that saw a nice blend of real-life and storyline. And wouldn’t you know, Ambrose finally gave in later in the night after appearing to turn down the offer and it will be The Shield vs. Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley at Fastlane this coming Sunday night. It should be good to see The Hounds Of Justice back together one final time if it is indeed the last time.
The Big Dog’s in-ring return will take place at Fastlane alongside his Shield brothers after a solid opening segment last night.
Final Grade: B+
3. Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin, And Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, And Kurt Angle
A trio that has been wreaking a lot of havoc over the past few months on Raw consists of Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley. These three have used each other to take out mutual enemies and things of that nature, but the biggest damage they’ve done was to Braun Strowman when they shattered his elbow.
The Monster Among Men has had it out with this trio, but a couple of other superstars have been drawn in as well and last night saw a six-man tag team match featuring Corbin, McIntyre, and Lashley against Strowman, Finn Balor, and Kurt Angle. For a match that felt a bit random, it got a good amount of time and turned out to be a solid match throughout.
It went back and forth with the momentum shifting towards both sides, but the heelish trio still felt in control more than its adversary. However, Strowman was on a roll and he mowed through his opponents at times. It wouldn’t be enough in the end, however, and Corbin, Lashley, and McIntyre would prevail and get the win before they attacked Strowman, Angle, and Balor after the match.
This trio wasn’t finished last night, however, and it would try to take out Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins later in the night before Dean Ambrose helped fend it off. And thus, it will be The Shield vs. Corbin, Lashley, and McIntyre at Fastlane. These three could manage to stick around for a while longer given the current makeup of the red brand.
It was an impressive showing for Corbin, Lashley, and McIntyre in what turned out to be a solid match against Strowman, Angle, and Balor.
Final Grade: B+
2. Triple H Segment
One of the most surprising turns of events in recent memory on Raw came last week when it was set to be a celebration for one of the greatest of all-time. It was supposed to be Ric Flair’s 70th birthday celebration last week and with everyone ready to see The Nature Boy, everything drastically changed.
Batista made his shocking return by attacking Flair and dragging him out of his locker room just to get the attention of Triple H. The Game addressed Batista’s actions last night, but not before an Instagram video was shown of Batista saying he wouldn’t be in Philadelphia last night, but that if he feels like it, he might show up in Pittsburgh next week. It’s a good thing he didn’t show up because Triple H was not in a playful mood.
He started out very serious by saying last week wasn’t about Ric Flair the character, it was about Richard Fliehr the person. Triple H said he wanted to give him one more chance to do what he loves, which is be in front of the crowd. He also mentioned the real-life relationship he has with Flair and how much of an impact he has had on his life. However, The Game would transition towards Batista and things really heated up.
Triple H called out Batista in almost shoot form by saying how he went bad guy 101 in his Instagram video and how this isn’t a wrestling character talking to him, this is the real deal. His passionate words reached a fevered pitch when he said he would meet Batista face-to-face anywhere and any time, it didn’t matter. He challenged Batista’s manhood and this was a phenomenal promo by The Game.
This issue will only continue to heat up in the coming weeks, but last night’s promo was about as heated as it gets with Triple H wanting a piece of The Animal.
Final Grade: A+
1. Becky Lynch Hold Harmless Agreement Contract Signing
The Raw Women’s Championship picture has been piping hot in recent memory with the current storyline involving Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey. After last week, however, it felt like Rousey was walking away and would not be the Raw Women’s Champion anymore.
Because Stephanie McMahon wouldn’t reinstate Lynch and lift her suspension, Rousey laid her championship down in the ring and walked out. This led to Stephanie making a match between Lynch and Flair at Fastlane for the vacant title, but given Lynch’s injury issues, she made sure The Man would sign a Hold Harmless Agreement so nothing could happen to the WWE if she gets seriously injured at Fastlane.
With The Queen and The Man in the ring, Stephanie got Lynch to sign the contract and the match appeared to be set with the Raw Women’s Championship at stake. However, The Baddest Woman On The Planet had other ideas and she stormed to the ring. She said she wants her title back because she wanted Stephanie to re-include Lynch, not take Rousey out herself. Stephanie obliged and gave the title back to Rousey, but it wasn’t enough to stop Rousey from snapping.
She said she’s the only one that can do what she wants and Stephanie can’t do a thing about it. Rousey also said she’s sick of trying to please the fans and is done with the fantasy act. She said screw the woo, damn the man, and it’s no more Mrs. Nice Girl for The Baddest Woman On The Planet before she attacked Lynch. She tried ripping her arm off several times with Flair happily watching it all take place. This was a majorly impactful heel turn that has changed everything.
The Man now has to defeat The Queen at Fastlane just to get in this Raw Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania 35, but after the actions of Rousey last night, the hill will be that much harder to climb.
Final Grade: A