WWE Raw – March 9th 2020: Results & Review
Welcome to this week’s Monday Night Raw review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have James Bond wearing a dress so he can…blend in with a crowd. 007, why are you wearing knickers? We’ve got lots of big pieces of news for Wrestlemania season, like Escanaba In Da Moon-Light. Schkeoba schkeiba schkiba! Wammers, Dr. Pane! Can we watch grown men grab each other now?
Match #1: Rey Mysterio def. Angel Garza
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
It took a little while longer than expected, but Rey Mysterio got his man. One month after Angel Garza put The Ultimate Underdog out of action with a thunderous DDT on the concrete, Mysterio earned long-awaited retribution by delivering Garza some much-needed humility in the form of a singles loss. Okay, so maybe not humility. Garza’s self-confidence is … healthy, to put it mildly. But he was certainly outclassed by The Master of the 619, who seemed to take issue with Garza’s attempt to steal the 619 and answered the disrespect with a flurry of offense that put the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion on the defensive. A true 619-Dropping the Dime combo put the match to bed, as Mysterio schooled a Superstar who has all the talent in the world and yet still has much to learn.
My Opinion: 3.6 out of 5 – For a match that didn’t even get a full ten minutes, this was fabulous. There was plenty of action, including several sequences of pure lucha that made me happy as a Chinese guy who doesn’t have Coronavirus. Angel has become a great character, akin to Alberto Del Rio or Eddie Guerrero, which you get a full does of in this match. Rey was his usual self, with all the grandeur of his persona on display. This was a blast, like a fire-hose on a rooster made of gummi worms.
Match #2: Bobby Lashley def. Zack Ryder
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
If you’ve been thinking, “Bobby Lashley should be contending for more championships,” Bobby Lashley agrees with you. With Lana off filming a movie, The All Mighty got back to business and back to basics, trouncing Zack Ryder in a matter of minutes in a brutal, physical manifestation of his recent frustrations following a slump of sorts. Jerry “The King” Lawler all but quoted Lashley in saying he’s looking for a title match, so someone give this man what he wants. The well-being of the roster may depend on it.
My Opinion: 2.2 out of 5 – This was…a damn squash. Damn it!
Match #3: Drew McIntyre def. Erick Rowan
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
If there’s one thing we’ve all learned, it’s that beating Brock Lesnar is as much a mental game as it is a physical one. Drew McIntyre seems well-suited to the task, following up his unmanning of The Beast with a dagger to the heart of Erick Rowan, destroying that which was most precious to the former SmackDown Tag Team Champion. Drew destroyed the cage and presumably its contents, crushing the whole lot with the steel steps in the middle of his bout with Rowan. It’s as strong an indication as any that the Scottish Superstar is prepared to cross any and all lines to win the WWE Title. McIntyre claimed the win with a Future Shock DDT and Claymore to the distraught Rowan, and he didn’t seem all that broken up about it, a potential preview for what awaits at WrestleMania: No options left unexplored, nothing off the table, no regrets.
My Opinion: 2.8 out of 5 – Drew kicked the s— out of Erick, mostly because he’s a Texas Chain-Saw-lookin’ weirdo with a spider fetish. This was all about Drew squashing Erick, which I hate, but since Drew is going for Lesnar and the Title at ‘Mania, that’s just the way it goes.
Match #4: The Kabuki Warriors def. Natalya & Liv Morgan
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With Becky Lynch and the Elimination Chamber in the rearview, The Kabuki Warriors are back to the business of a Women’s Tag Team division they more or less rule with an iron fist. The impromptu pairing of Natalya & Liv Morgan, while certainly an enticing option on paper, didn’t do much to challenge that dominance. In fairness, Natalya & Liv were starting at two disadvantages. One, Asuka was raring to beat somebody up (oddly enough, SmackDown’s Alexa Bliss got namechecked here), and a ringside brawl between Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan quickly pulled Liv into the fracas. Still, the result is what matters, and The Kabuki Warriors took advantage of Natalya’s solitude, pinning her after Asuka booted her in the back of the head. Mission accomplished.
My Opinion: 2.7 out of 5 – This was good, but it was mostly just a bunch of head-locks and transitions leading to…what-ever. Asuka and Sane were cool, though.
Match #5: Riddick Moss def. Cedric Alexander – 24/7 Championship Match
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Taking the 24/7 Championship off of Riddick Moss is turning out to be easier said than done. The NXT graduate that came out of nowhere to become the longest-reigning 24/7 Champion in history added another victory to his list by defeating Cedric Alexander, a former champ himself and the second high-flyer to fall to Moss in consecutive weeks. Alexander seemed primed to make good on Ricochet’s mistakes from last week, but he almost never got out of the blocks. Moss tossed Cedric around the ring with impunity, catching him with that nasty neckbreaker to retain the title. And with several straight-up defenses and retentions under his belt, Moss has steadily rebuilt the reputation of the 24/7 Title, to say nothing of his own.
My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – Why would you have Ced…well, it is Vince we’re talking about. Moss gets to be champion during a time when so many talented people get screwed out of their shot in favor of some pet project of the month. Aw hell…
Match #6: Aleister Black def. Seth Rollins (Disqualification)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In terms of sales pitches to join Seth Rollins’ flock, the offer to Aleister Black made a certain kind of sense. In the wake of several attacks by The O.C., it would presumably be nice to be on the other side of the numbers game. Unfortunately, the confab led to “fighting words” and a singles match that Black won, albeit in a way that ironically proved Rollins’ point. The Ominous Man From Amsterdam had Rollins dead to rights when Murphy attacked, breaking up a would-be pinfall and handing Black the win by disqualification. Rollins quickly called in reinforcements in the form of AOP, who dispatched Black just as The Viking Raiders and, finally, The Street Profits arrived to even the odds. And even though The Dutch Destroyer was seemingly out of the running, the Raiders and the Profits had a sales pitch of their own: an Eight-Man Tag Team Match. As ever, Rollins seems to have trouble recruiting allies to his cause, but you have to admire his knack for making enemies.
My Opinion: 3.3 out of 5 – This was a good match that could have been more, but what we got was still pretty fun. I hated the finish, but this seems to happen a lot. Any-way, at least these guys had a shot at wrestling each other.
Match #7: (Main Event) Seth Rollins, Murphy & AOP def. The Street Profits & The Viking Raiders
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
If the mark of a movement is the strength of its resistance, then Seth Rollins might really be onto something. The Monday Night Messiah and his three disciples barely defeated The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders in an Eight-Man Tag Team Match, despite exploiting every loophole and referee distraction that came their way. Rollins claimed the win by a razor-thin margin with a Stomp on Montez Ford and even got one over on Kevin Owens, who had been mugged by Rollins and his crew earlier and came calling for payback. The Monday Night Messiah caught Owens with a Stomp after KO had Stunned his entire flock, administering two more after the bell to make sure his message was heard. If he can’t convert a soul willingly, there’s clearly always another path.
My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – I thought this turned out very well, with Seth and The VR being the stars here. This was a lot of fun that went for closer to a half an hour. As main events go, this wasn’t bad at all.
News Of The Night:
- AJ Styles fights the Undertaker at Wrestlemania.
- Stone Cold Steve Austin will be on Raw, next week.
- Rhea Ripley shoved Charlotte Flair to build their match.
Final Verdict: 3/5
The build for Wrestlemania continued and did well, but the show itself was not as up to snuff as it should have been.