RAW on Netflix was live from Glasgow, Scotland, as they begin the final leg of their Euro tour. SmackDown will be in London, a huge market, and so this show may be used to set up a larger episode of SmackDown. Still, with John Cena and Cody Rhodes booked to share the ring again and CM Punk scheduled, there was plenty of star power on the show.
Same (Old) Cena?
John Cena continued to give receipts for why he turned heel in the first place. For some, the turn still doesn’t have a fully fleshed-out motivation, but considering all the years of ‘fan abuse’ that can be referenced, it is easy to draw the line from the perpetual baby face to the disgruntled heel.
He brought up the nostalgia of the WWE ‘Spinner Belt’—a title belt specialized for Cena upon winning the championship—and the design did not make WWE fans happy. They hated the belt and the gimmick, and they let Cena know at every turn how disrespectful it was for him to alter the belt. After reminiscing, he also brought up the kid he sent into the viral ‘verse after pointing him out last week.
The crowd started chanting “F-You Cena” and “STFU” in unison, but it all just slid off John’s shoulders. He finally showed a crack in his poker face, but only after Cody Rhodes’ music hit. Cody started his promo by claiming John was overlooking him because he won’t get the chance to “take the belt from the fans” until he first takes the belt from him.
There was nothing in the way of the back-and-forth promo, and then Cena just walked out of the ring before pretending to come back before the segment ended. The segment was mid, to be honest, but it is difficult to assess where this is headed. Still, the crowd was hyped, and the program is hot, but it feels like Cody is the one keeping the most significant momentum heading to WrestleMania.
CM Punk
CM Punk was solo tonight, as neither Roman Reigns nor Seth Rollins were scheduled for this segment. He announced that a contract signing was scheduled for SmackDown on Friday— a comment that drew boos from the crowd upset that they would not get the opportunity to see all three in the ring. This was disappointing for Punk, too, he admitted. But he made no mention of his ‘favor’ and what it could have been, alluding to the idea that he was never intending on revealing it and instead used it as a misdirection.
Punk referenced ‘the kids’ that he works with and said, “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” a likely reference to his time in AEW. Whether or not the crowd understood the reference, it certainly hit for ‘those in the knows.’
The triple threat match was officially booked ahead of RAW, but this was the first time that Punk was able to react to it on WWE TV. And, instead of delivering a new thread for us to follow, he repeated the most significant talking point as far as he’s concerned. Punk doubled down on the fact that neither Roman nor Seth had ever been able to beat him without the other’s help.
It was interesting that he used that language, and you have to wonder if Roman and Seth decide that they’re better off as a faction of two versus Punk as opposed to rehashing old wounds. Could we be headed towards a reconciliation just to spite Punk?
Penta Chases Gold
Penta has remained undefeated in singles action, but challenging for the intercontinental title in the main event slot of RAW is a whole other monster, especially when you’re facing a monster. Bron Breakker has been great since his call up, but he has not been the most active champion as of late. On the other hand, Penta has stayed busy and successful as he navigates the fresh waters of WWE.
The match was over with the fans as they cheered Penta on in what was a very back-and-forth match. The Judgement Day’s Dom Mysterio pressed Penta before his match, offering him a chance to become a member of Judgement Day. With where TJD currently stands on RAW, it would be Penta doing them the favor. Penta did not answer the request, but Dom and Carlito decided to stand ringside anyway.
In the end, both Carlito and Dom interfered, and the ref was forced to ring the bell after Dom took out Breakker’s knee. They started beating on Breakker, but when they handed Penta the chair to hit the IC champ, he decided instead to throw the chair back at Dom and delivered a super kick.
Penta refused the offer, and Finn Balor helped Dom and Carlito beat down Penta and Breakker. Finn and Dom have not been on the same page as of late, but RAW ended with a strong show of unity between the male members of The Judgement Day. This could bring about a ‘choose your partner’ tag match for Penta against JD, and that would pave the way for Rey Fenix to make his debut either at WrestleMania or just before/after.
Rhea Ripley Rips Contract
Iyo Sky came out defending herself and her actions after last week’s contract-signing debacle. It was not long before Bianca made her way out to the ring, followed swiftly by Rhea Ripley. Rhea demanded her name be added to the Mania title match between Sky and Belair, but Pearce was not having it.
The three women fought and bickered before Pearce lost it on them, screaming his proposal of Rhea getting her title rematch (as is her right for a voluntary title match). Still, it doesn’t seem fair to just add Rhea, and that is why Pearce booked Sky to defend her title against Rhea next week on RAW, with Bianca facing the winner at Mania. The trio seemed satisfied with the decision, though Sky obviously was the most visibly disappointed.
Sky-Bianca does not feel like a Mania match, and adding Rhea would be an easy way of rectifying it, but if they pull the trigger on Rhea winning back the title, then it’s probably easier to work Sky into the match.
El Grande Americano A Super Chad?
Chad Gable is still pretending he is not the new luchador, El Grande Americano. He was scheduled to face Dragon Lee after he attacked them last week, but he claimed he was too sick to compete and suggested Lee face off against ‘El Grande Americano,’ instead.
Pearce took the bait, and we got the first action from El Grande Americano. He defeated Lee in a very fun and impressive match. It was interesting to see Gable adapt his skillset into a version combined with the traditional lucha style. Gable came out without the mask later during a ‘NETFLIX commercial break’ and continued to deny he was the man under the mask.
In-Ring Action/Other Tidbits
The Usos Reunite
Jey chose Jimmy as his tag partner against A-Town Down Under after the duo has been beefing with Jey for the past few weeks. It was no surprise he chose his brother, and they ended up getting the win. But what was surprising was the brothers’ honest conversation after the match.
Jey was seen sitting on the steps with his ‘head down’ when Jimmy approached him for a pep talk. Jey said he was ‘unsure’ if he could beat Gunther, and Jimmy rightfully snapped back, saying that he could not beat Gunther with that attitude. He said that he needed to dig deep and find his confidence. Meanwhile, Jimmy decided to step to Gunther—challenging the heavyweight champion to a match next week before slapping the cheeks off the champ’s face. Gunther accepted the challenge and smiled off the slap.
IC Title Defense
Lyra Valkryia successfully defended her title against Rhea Ripley but caught a beatdown for her efforts as Liv Morgan made her way into the ring post-match.
- Cena and Rhodes will once again share the ring next Monday on RAW in LONDON
- Roman, Rollins, and Punk will sign their triple threat contract for Mania live on Friday Night SmackDown.
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