wrestling / TV Reports

Acero’s WWE RAW Review 3.6.23

March 6, 2023 | Posted by Tony Acero
John Cena WWE Raw Image Credit: WWE
7
The 411 Rating
Community Grade
12345678910
Your Grade
Loading...
Acero’s WWE RAW Review 3.6.23  

We are soooo close to Mania, and it still hasn’t hit me that I’ll be going.


It’s Monday…you know what that means.

Earlier today, The Bloodline showed up without Jey and Roman. Heyman tells Solo and Jimmy one more time, saying they heard Roman last week, he was very explicit – solve the Sami Zayn problem, and what happened? Sami escaped, meaning he survived, which means he is live here tonight. This means opportunity for The Bloodline, so Solo will solve the Kevin Owens problem tonight while Jimmy, with or without Jey, will solve the Sami problem.

Jimmy and Solo leave and Heyman calls Roman Reigns.


Kevin Owens is here to froth and seeth at the demise of The Bloodline.

Before the match starts, Owens attacks Solo Sikoa while he enters the ring. They fight on the outside for a bit, attacking along the barricade. They finallyu enter the ring and…


Kevin Owens vs Solo Sikoa

Solo kicks Owens down to the mat then hits him with a few stomps. Solo chokes Owens up on the second rope then hits a spinning leg lariat off the ropes to Owens. Solo punches Kevin away a bit then covers for a one count. A right hand from Owens pisses Solo off and he kicks Owens down. Owens with rights, hits the ropes, and Solo hits a knee to the midsection! Headbutt to the ground from Solo! Cover for 1..2..NO!!! Chinlock from behind! Owens turns into it, hits some right hands, right to the head, whip to the ropes, reversal, Owens with a kick, clothesline, Solo still standing. Another one! Kick! Another kick! Clothelsine finally drops him! Senton! Owens tries for a cannonball but Solo rolls out of the ring. Owens runs out and hits him with a clothesline!

Here comes Jimmy Uso to hop on the apron and distract. Solo with a right hand. Owens continues to climb the corner, but Solo tosses him off. HIP ATTACK IN tHE CORNER! This time Owens rolls out the ring. He sits against the barricade so Solo runs and hits him with another hip attack.

We come back to Solo hitting a Samoan Drop to Owens. A cover. 1..2..NO!!! DDT from Owens! Both men struggle to stand. Owens up first. He turns to meet Solo center ring and hits a few rights, but Solo with a harder right. He rushes the corner, Owens moves, Solo hits post, Kick from Owens, tries for a Stunner, Solo pushes him, Owens sends Jimmy flying off the apron.

Superkick to Solo. Another! Cannonball senton in the corner. Owens to the top! SWANTON BOMB! Cover! 1..2….NO!!! JIMMY COMES IN TO ATTACK AND CAUSE THE DQ!

Winner: Kevin Owens via DQ
A part of me wants to argue that they gave Solo a bit too much offense in the beginning, because it felt really pro-Solo for a while there, but considering the “type” of wrestler he is, I suppose I can forgive it. A fine opener.
Total Rating: **1/2
Match Time: 11:25

Jimmy and Solo attack Owens to the table. They lay him out and Solo looks to fly, but here comes Sami Zayn! He posts Solo then spears Jimmy onto the announce table and hits a few rights! Sami grabs a chair. He smacks the post as Solo makes his escape.Jimmy dodges a chair shot, too, as Sami swings, and heads through the crowd. Sami enters the ring with the chair as the crowd shows massive Sami love.

Sami turns to see Owens in the corner, seated against the buckle. Sami drops the chair and extends his hand for Owens to shake. Owens considers, then leaves the ring without shaking hands.


We are taken back to Smackdown where Uncle Howdy got his ass handed to him.

We head live backstage and Bobby Lashley has a message for Bray. He is tired of the kiddie games. What will it take for Bray to face him like a man?

While he says this, the screens flicker behind him with Bray’s logo.


We switch gears to Carmella backstage with Byron. She has a match with Bianca today, and this is her chance to humiliate her weeks before her title match at Mania. Pearce should have made this a No. 1 Contendership match, but he’s an idiot.

Here comes Chelsea Greene and to tell Carmella they should speak to the manager above Pearce. Pearce is shown behind them, notices the convo, and leaves before they notice. Mella invites Chelsea ringside with her tonight, then they both diss Byron and tell him to leave.


Carmella vs Bianca Belair

Side headlock takedown from Bianca! Leg scissors from Mella. Kip up from Bianca. Another side headlock from Bianca. Shoulder tackle off the roeps. Bianca hits, flips over, calls for Mella, hops over the running Mella, Bianca to the outside, she pulls Mella by the legs, Mella kicks her towards the announce table. Bianca is pissed. She chases Mella into the ring, Mella on the apron, hangs her up, enters and slams her down. Bianca whips, reversed, Bianca hops over, flips back ot the corner and smacks her ass a bit. She back flips over Mella and hits a dropkick, kips up, and misses a splash in the corner, reverses, rolls up Mella, gets kicked away, Mella kicks the leg then pulls her out, sending her face first into the mat.

We back and Bianca has mella in her arms, Mella drops to her feet, hits the ropes, tries for a rana,a but Bianca holds on and hits a backbreaker. Moonsault! Chelsea rolls into the ring to distract the ref, s owe get a no count. Bianca is pissed. She reaches for Chelsea, grabs her head, pulls her into the ring, and Mella hits a Superkick! Cover for 1..2.NO!!! Bianca hits some shoulders in the corner. Slap to Mella. Bianca mounts. Punches from above. Mella kicks, stacks Bianca for a pin, uses the ropes to get a 1..2.NO!!

Bianca shoots her to the ropes. KOD! Cover! 1..2…3!!!

Winner: Bianca Belair
Timing was just a bit off here, and a majority of it was due to Carmella. Just a slightly below average match.
Total Rating: **
Match Time: 9:14

Chelsea Green attacks from behind! Mella barks orders for Chelsea to hold Bianca, but here comes Asuka. She comes into the ring, goes face to face to face with Mella and Chelsea, and shoots mist into the face of Green.

Asuka looks towards Bianca, smiles. Bianca smirks. She stands up in the corner and reaches for a her title. Bianca and Asuka stand, grinning at each other, and they are ready.


Sami Zayn walks up to a resting Kevin Owens. Sami tells him The Bloodline is too much for any one person. This isn’t some ploy to make things better. They don’t need to be best friends or ride or even team. But they have the same objective now, and they cant do it alone. For once, listen to him this one time. He knows. He was in The Bloodline.

Owens says yes, yes, he knows. He remembers. He states as much in this very city. He gets it, they’re too much. He knows, he has been fighting for eight months. Maybe together they can take them down, but Owens doesn’t want to do this with Sami. Maybe Owens was wrong, maybe just go back to Roman, stroke his ego, he’ll probably embrace him. Owens doesn’t care, just leave him out of it. Does Sami understand?

Sami walks away.


After a replay of Seth stealing Miz’s phone and using it to call Logan Paul, we head to the ring where The Miz is waiting. He claims he is moderating this face to face and introduces Logan Paul. Paul comes out and walks right by Miz’s extended hand, then climbs the corner just as…

Seth Rollins’ music hits, and out comes the man in a red and white number akin to a melting candy cane.

Miz tries to shut the crowd up, but of course they do no such thing. Miz calls himself the moderator, and says he will keep things moving. Seth puts his hand over Miz’s mic and encourages the continued sing along.

Logan Paul: “Ey Boston, this segment’s got a time limit, so shut up.”

This gets some boos. Of course, the crowd starts it back up.

Seth finally quiets them down, acknowledges Paul, then says they’ve never been formally introduces. He is a visionary, a revolutionary, Seth Freakin Rollins.

Logan says he knows who Seth is, but the crowd starts singing again. Logan says Seth is the clown that he doumped at The Rumble, whose head he stomped at the Chamber. Logan doesn’t know what the problem with him is, other than the fact that he embarrassed Seth twice, that he accomplished in one year what Seth did in 20. He works smarter, not harder. He is naturally good at this. IN fafct, if he was Seth, he wouldn’t like him either.

The Miz doesn’t wanna take a side, but Logan makes a few good points.

Seth says he does make some good points, but none of that is the reason we don’t like Logan Paul. Let’s make it simple. We don’t like you because Logan Paul is the scum of the earth. He’s a coward, a troll. He’s a fraud. A human dumpster fire, and we don’t want you in our house. Boston didn’t come here to see them mince words, they came to see Seth get his pound of flesh. So the time for talk is over. It’s time to fight.

Seth removes his jacket, Logan seems ready for it, but Miz, ever the heel, says as moderator, it is his job to make sure they don’t fight.

Logan says not to speak for him. If he wants to fight Rollins in Boston, he’s going to do it. If he wants something, he’s going to do it. This is…how he do. But he aint gonna do it. One thing he doesn’t do is fight for free. He is a premium act, and he aint going to fight for free in Boston. However, if the stage was bigger, money was bigger, somewhere with some star power, he’d consider it.

The Miz says he is the host of Wrestlemania, and he could make Rollins vs Paul at Mania happen, he just needs one phone call.

Seth grabs the mic, saying Miz can just pull some strings? They can do that here and now? Wow!

Seth tosses Miz out of the ring. Logan kicks Seth in the mid section, tries for a stomp, but Seth dodges it and attacks. In comes Miz, Superkick to Miz! Logan with a right hook! Seth is out!

Paul grabs a mic. He says wow, tells seth when he wakes up, let him know about Mania, then tells him bye bye bitch.


Mustafa Ali is shown in the crowd, and it appears he is behind this match.


Dolph Ziggler vs Omos

Ziggler escapes the corner, hops on the back and tries for a sleeper. Omos tosses him off with ease. He runs into a right, high kick from Ziggler. Big Boot sends Ziggler down to the mat.

He lifts Ziggler by the neck. Tree Slam. Cover for 1..2..3!!

Winner: Omos
KERSPLAT!
Total Rating: NR
Match Time: :44

MVP on the mic. He says this is all the hype he needs for the match. Brock should have never ut his hands on MVP, because he gives his word, Omos tames the beast at Mania.


Backstage, Maximum Male Models are scoping out Otis. IN comes Baron Corbin to thank them for noticing, but obviously, they were talking about Otis. Maxxine says Corbin can help them. She wants him to handle Gable and she will consider taking him on as a client.



Finn Balor vs Johnny Gargano

Finn wit a shoulder tackle to take immediate control. He works the arm from behind. Gargano arm drags Finn away, goes for another, locking the arm. Finn escapes, corners Johnny, but he comes out the corner with a rana. Dropkick to Finn and Dexter is waiting for him outside. Johnny with a suicide dive!

We are back and Finn misses a clothesline, so Johnny attacks his head. Again. Chop from Finn. Clotheslnie from Johnny. Johnny waits, enziguri sends Finn to the outside. Johnny flies over th top rope, lands on his apron, SPEAR FROM THE APRON! Cover for 1..2..NO!!! Finn hits the ropes, runs right into a superkick! Another superkick! Pin for 1..2..NO!!! Finn mounts Johnny, punches a few times, but Johnny rolls him up for 1.2..NO!!! Johnny attacks Dom on the apron, turns, Finn dropkicks him out of his boots! He heads to the top rope!

Edge’s music hits so Priest and Rhea walk up the ramp to meet him, but Edge comes through the crowd to shove Finn off the top rope!

Johnny is on the apron. He dives in with a DDT and a cover for 1..2…3!!!

Winner: Johnny Gargano
Johnny definitely needed a win, but I’m not sure over Finn was the move. Still, this was more story for Finn v Edge than anything else.
Total Rating: **
Match Time: 10: 30-ish

Damien Priest goes to make the save, but Dexter Lumis stops him with a right. IN the ring, Edge hits a spear to Finn.


Video package covering Cody and Roman’s promo from Friday. It was fire.


Before the following match, Nikki attacks Piper while she is on the apron. Nikki tries to choke Piper up, pulling her hair into her face. Piper asks for the bell to be rang.


Nikki Cross vs Piper Niven

Nikki flies from the top rope onto Piper. Piper rolls outside scowling. She rolls back in, then finishes Nikki with ease.

Winner: Piper Niven
SqUiSh
Total Rating: NR
Match Time: Like 10 seconds

Backstage, Rick Boogs is trying to lift something. In comes Elias. Boogs doesn’t have his notepad. Elias says it’s ok, the only way he’ll learn is if Boogs gets out there and does it himself. Elias wants Boogs to go up to Bronson and tell him he wants to fight.

He goes up to Bronson, Bronson comes to Elias, and it appears Rick misspoke, because Bronson is down to fight Elias.


JOHN CEEENNAAAAAAAAA is here!

He doesn’t even get a chance to talk because Austin Theory is here to interrupt.

He tells John he has all the respect in the world. IN fact, Theory only becamer a WWE Superstar because of Cena. He inspired Austin. The HLR, he thanks Cena for that. Theory has a gift for Cena; a match between the two of them for the US Title.

Cena: “No.”

He said he thought it over, and no. He’s not interested in Theory’s gift because he hasn’t earn the right to give it. He’s been watching and listening to him and he doesn’t care. We don’t care about Theory. Why? Because we don’t believe him, and we don’t believe because he doesn’t. He’s a generic kid wearing fancy sneakers wearing sunglasses indoors, and he’s got nothing in here.

Cena says he has walked in Theory’s shoes. There’s a sign calling Theory a Cena wannabe. Cena is Theory’s Ghost of Christmas Future, and right now, Theory is in the Ruthless Agression faze. It almost got him fired. What an opportunity, but you could see Cena didn’t believe. Theory has given chance after chance, and they aren’t enough. He has no heart, no soul. We are here out of respect because for 20 years, they believe. They don’t believe in Theory. He’s one pair of trunks away from being a jabroni.

Now he’s going to say something good. Theory has the best name in WWE History. Stone Cold, The Rock, The Undertaker, there is no name better than Austin Theory. Because that’s what he is…a theory. In theory, he should be great. He is everything an exec looks for. IN theory, everyone here should be here to see Austin. But no one cares and he is wasting their time. So here’s a gift for Theory – shut up, turn around, get out of the ring, and we will let him walk pout in one piece.

Theory: “I’m not going anywhere just like your bald spot ain’t going anywhere.”

Theory sees the shirt, it says never give up, but wait…is John Cena saying no? He’s not going to take the match at Mania? And what bout respect? He’s disrespecting the US Title. Don’t we all wanna see Cena at Mania? Here is what Theory has realized. They are right about this – you don’t wanna meet your hero, because all they do is disappoint.

Cena would so mujch rather be bald than have them pipe in fake noise for his matches because no one cares. Theory really is a dumb son of a bitch. He didn’t say no because he gave up, he said no to save Theory’s ass. He isn’t ready. Cena’s back is against the wall. If they have a match an Cena wins, Thoery is done. He loses everything. If Theory wins, he still loses everything. Sure, you may win the day, but then you’ll have to go out the Monday after and explain. It’ll just be Theory against the most harsh audience and they will eat you alive, because they see what Cena sees. Theory is full of crap. But Cena has no choice beause you brought them into it, and now he’s gotta ask us to see what we’re going to do. Do we want to see it?

Cena may not care about Theory, but he’ll never give up on us. Theory just made the biggest mistake of his life. It’ll be Theory vs Cena at Mania for the US Title. He wishes Theory luck, we know he doesn’t have it in the brain or the heart or the balls. He then disses his dick.

Cena stop at the top of the ramp, then says Theory aint ready for the big stage, but Boston deserves to see someone that is, so he introduces

Cody Rhodes.

Ouch. Lol.

They hug it up at the top of the ramp.


The amazingly beautiful Cathy is backstage, and wants to ask Sami his thoughts on tonight’s match.

Sami Zayn brings up WarGames, says Kevin is right, but everything has changed. The one guy who was supposed to have his back must now “end” him? If Jimmy doesn’t end him, it’s the end for Jimmy, and he wont go anywhere till he sees the end of The Bloodline, so sorry “My dog,” tonight will not be your night.


Chad Gable vs Baron Corbin

Winner: Chad Gable
A short match with an interesting win.
Total Rating: NR
Match Time: NA


WE come back to RAW just in time for Becky Lynch to make her entrance with Lita making her own immediately after.

Becky says they are here as new tag team champs and says when a couple of legends like them stand side by side, they don’t miss.

Lita says she couldn’t let this opportunity pass her by. Dakota and Iyo did not make it easy, but they did make it worth it. Lita thanks Becky, but there is a very special equalizer they have yet to thank.

Trish Stratus is out looking fine as ever.

She says she will always have Lita’s back, and she did warn Bayley in Toronto to shut her mouth.

This brings out Damage CTRL. They are pissed. Bayley says they love to steal spotlights just to add to their trophy case. While all these idiots cheer for them, she sees right through all of them. They are selfish. Trish and Lita, they are legit the reasons why these girls are in the ring right now, but the three of them will be the reasons why they never come back.

Trish says Bayley is not so good at listening. She could real quickly to I am retired to I was retired. She couldn’t think of a better place to shut her mouth up than on the grandest stage of all. So three v three at Mania.

Bayley accepts, but Dakota and Iyo don’t look too pleased. They then turn to attack, but Lita and Trish telegraph it and send them to the outside.

Bayley and Becky go face to fae. Lita and Trish standby. Bayley turns and runs into both of them. Bayley tries to give a right to Becky, but Becky blocks and hits a right, then Lita, then Trish.


Sami Zayn vs Jimmy Uso

Thesz Press from Sami to start! Clothesline sends Jimmy outside! Uppercut from Jimmy on the outside. He sends Sami into the barricade then rushes the corner but Sami sends him flying over.

We are back from a break, and Sami is flying off the top rope with a crossbody! Cover for 1..2.NO!! Sami with a blue thunder bomb attempt but Jimmy drives some elbows to the head. Right hand to Sami. He rushes and gets sent over the top again. Solo is outside while the ref holds Jimmy back. Solo thinks of the spike, but the ref tells him he’s gone. He must go to the back.

Sami re-enters the ring. Blue Thunder Bomb! Cover! 1..2…..NO!!!

Back from another break and

Winner: Sami Zayn
A good main event that wraps up the wrestling portion of the show, which was severly lacking.
Total Rating: **1/2
Match Time:

Jey stays standing for a bit on the table, then enters the ring. Jimmy stands up, a bit worried. Jey walks up to him slowly. Closer. He puts his hands on the shoulders of his brother, then grabs his shirt and twists it, seemingly still confused. He goes to walk away, with his back to Jimmy. Jimmy turns, and Jey leaves the ring. Jey leaves the ring, walks by Sami, looks him in the eyes, then hugs Sami!!!! Sami is shocked. The crowd pops huge. Sami says they will take The Bloodline down! Jey holds his finger in the air, Sami does too. Sami tells Jimmy it’s not too late. Jey drops his finger, looking at his brother. HOLY SHIT chant.

SUPERKICK TO SAMI!!!!

Jimmy smiles in the ring. Jey grabs Sami, screams in his face, “You thought I was gone choose you? It’s family shit. It’s family boy.”

He sends Sami into the ring. The Usos attack! Here comes Solo!

Cody Rhodes music hits and here he comes to make the save.

End Show

7.0
The final score: review Good
The 411
If it's felt like the Mania card has had a bit of a slow build the past few weeks, that's because it has, but the hope is that tonight was the trigger that needed pulling, as the ending was a hell of a bang. Unfortunately, the rest of the show was just sort of there. I will admit that it wasn't bad by any means. Things moved along, stories progressed, matches were made, and they are likely playing it safe due to Mania. Still, this RAW felt like a three hour show. Wrestling-wise, there was nothing that stands out as noteworthy. Storywise, we are moving along nicely in many avenues. Due to this, tonight's episode was an easy 7-7.5
legend

article topics :

RAW, WWE, Tony Acero