WWE RAW

This was a WrestleMania go-home show in everything but name. With the biggest event of the year just around the corner, Raw needed to land its final punches and for the most part it delivered where it mattered. The problem is that the matches themselves were largely forgettable.

CM Punk hijacking the opening segment was the right call. The advertised plan was for Seth Rollins to open the show, but Punk walking out instead and sitting cross-legged in the ring instantly set a different tone. What followed was classic Punk. He referenced Houston’s wrestling history, name-dropped Paul Bosch, and then launched into a scathing takedown of Roman Reigns. Calling Reigns a “nepo baby who ate dog food for a weird old man” was the kind of line that only Punk can get away with. He also took shots at Pat McAfee and called out WWE’s ticket prices, which felt like a genuine grievance dressed up as character work. It was compelling television and the perfect way to sell the World Heavyweight Championship match heading into Mania.

Seth Rollins got his moment too, cutting a solid promo about Gunther and Paul Heyman’s apparent alliance. Rollins was clear about his two goals: win back the World Heavyweight Championship and destroy The Vision. The brawl that followed when Gunther attacked from behind was physical and well executed, with Gunther sending Rollins over the announce desk before Rollins fought back. The segment did its job but it did feel like these two are still building chemistry as opponents. There is no deep personal history between them yet and the Heyman connection is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

The in-ring action was functional without being particularly memorable. Austin Theory beating LA Knight via roll-up after IShowSpeed accidentally interfered is a story that works fine in context. Logan Paul throwing Speed into Knight was a good visual and it led to Adam Pearce confirming a six-man tag at WrestleMania with Knight and The Usos taking on The Vision and IShowSpeed. That match should be entertaining even if the build has leaned heavily on comedy.

Bayley beating Lash Legend was the weakest match of the night. The finish with Lyra Valkyria holding Legend’s leg during the pin looked clunky and the interference from Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax felt crowded. It did what it needed to do by keeping all the women in the WrestleMania tag title picture visible, but it came across as messy rather than chaotic in an exciting way. On commentary, Michael Cole mentioned that Nikki Bella is still rehabbing an ankle injury, which explains the Bella Twins’ absence from the build.

The six-man tag with Penta, Dragon Lee and Je’Von Evans taking on Los Americanos was a fun showcase for all three men heading into the Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match. The big moment came after the bell when Rey Mysterio returned and announced he had been added to the ladder match at WrestleMania. That got a big pop from the Houston crowd and adds another layer to what should already be one of the most exciting matches on the card.

RHIYO picking up a tag team win over B-Fab and Michin was straightforward enough, but the post-match angle was the real story. Jade Cargill attacked IYO SKY and forced Rhea Ripley to watch, which continues to build their WrestleMania programme. This was Rhea’s first Raw appearance since winning the women’s Elimination Chamber back in early March and it was good to see her back on screen even if the match itself was nothing special.

The Judgment Day angle saw Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh jump Finn Balor before his scheduled match could even start, using a steel chair to leave him laid out. This felt like a necessary beat to give Balor motivation to potentially bring back the Demon for his WrestleMania match against Dominik. Sometimes the best thing you can do in wrestling is keep it simple and a chair attack from your former stablemate certainly qualifies.

Stephanie Vaquer’s pre-taped promo on Liv Morgan was excellent. Vaquer is still finding her footing on the mic in English but the intensity was there and she came across as a champion who is genuinely dangerous. Her backstage ambush on Morgan later in the show reinforced that.

The Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi contract signing closed the show and went exactly how you would expect a contract signing to go. Lesnar charged Femi before he could even get in the ring, Femi caught him and drove him into the ring post, both men went through the table and security could not separate them. It was loud, it was physical and it sent the crowd home happy. Oba Femi getting the louder reaction from the Houston fans says a lot about where he stands right now.

Overall this was a solid episode of Raw that was carried by its promos and angles rather than its matches. With WrestleMania 42 now days away, the card looks stacked and most of the feuds feel like they have genuine heat behind them. The main event scene with Punk vs Reigns and Lesnar vs Femi feels massive. Whether the undercard can match that level of intensity remains to be seen, but Raw did its job this week.