‘WWE Raw’ Review (Mar 18th 2024)
Welcome to this review of this past Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, right here on Nerdly. Let’s see what went down on this week’s show!
Match #1: #DIY def. The Creed Brothers
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Despite dominating during their time in NXT, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa have never had a match at WrestleMania, and this seemingly spurned them to leave it all on the line. Brutus and Julius Creed wowed the WWE Universe, especially when Julius lifted from his knees into a standing vertical suplex, showcasing his raw strength. The Creed Brothers continued their punishing attack, sending Ciampa through the announce table area and leaving Pat McAfee speechless. Julius and Brutus caught their opponents with tandem ankle locks, but Ciampa and Gargano countered into a Sicilian Stretch and Gargano Escape. Gargano scored the pinfall after both teams went back-and-forth with pin attempts. Next stop for #DIY: WrestleMania.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell def. Katana Chance & Kayden Carter
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After last week’s vitriolic diatribe to Maxxine Dupri that allowed her and Indi Hartwell to get the win, Candice LeRae and Hartwell took on Katana Chance and Kayden Carter. LeRae continued her devious tactics, attacking Chance after Chance looked to have tweaked her knee. The Poison Pixie used the ring post to further damage Chance’s knee, allowing her to pick up the victory for her team and leaving Hartwell conflicted over her tag team partner.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #3: Ricochet def. “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After Ricochet dispatched JD McDonagh in the Gauntlet Match last week, The One and Only faced “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio. With McDonagh at ringside, Ricochet had to deal with double the trouble as McDonagh constantly tried to distract and interfere. Ricochet scored a win after a Recoil onto Mysterio, once again frustrating Judgment Day.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: The Awesome Truth def. Indus Sher
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Competing for a chance to qualify for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Title Six-Pack Ladder Match at WrestleMania, the newly reformed team of The Awesome Truth took on Indus Sher. Somehow, R-Truth found his way on top of Veer, earning the victory for his team and sending himself and The Miz to WrestleMania.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #5: The New Day def. Alpha Academy
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With each duo hoping to find its way into WrestleMania’s Undisputed WWE Tag Team Title Six-Pack Ladder Match, The New Day and Otis and Akira Tozawa battled in a thrilling tag bout, and The New Day won after Xavier Woods hit the Limit Break.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #6: Last Woman Standing Match – Becky Lynch def. Nia Jax
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With a brutal Last Woman Standing Match the only way to settle the years-long score between Becky Lynch and Nia Jax, each competitor took the other to the limit. The Man had never beaten Nia Jax one-on-one but was entering her second Last Woman Standing Match, having defeated Charlotte Flair six years ago. Meanwhile, this was Jax’s first match of this kind. Jax took no time getting acclimated to the matchup, however, hitting a huge Samoan drop on The Man onto several steel chairs. Jax then continued the assault, hitting The Man with debilitating chair blasts. The brutality of each individual could not be satiated, as Jax hit another Samoan drop through a table before hitting the Annihilator. Just as the referee looked to count to 10, The Man rolled out of the ring to beat the count. Somehow, Lynch dropped Jax with a massive Man-handle Slam through the table from the ring apron, but Jax beat the count. The Man then delivered a leg drop from the top of the ladder onto Jax through the announce table. Covered in debris, Jax could not get up before the count, giving The Man another Last Woman Standing Match victory.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
I hate to repeat my sefl but, like last week, this episode of Raw opened strong and closed stronger. Nothing in between really mattered in comparison to those two matches. Although those “in-between” matches this week were of considerably lower par… Unfortunately, the multiple tag matches didn’t really do much in terms of generating excitement or interest but, fingers crossed, they do lead to a great multi-team match at Wrestlemania! I’ve seen some people say Nia Jax did nothing for the main event but I liked it and I’m willing to overlook Jax’s shortcomings in a match like this – it’s definitely worth your time giving the main event AND the opening tag match a watch. Everything else? Meh.
