SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW REPORT
MARCH 6, 2023
BOSTON, MASS. AT T.D. GARDEN
AIRED LIVE ON USA
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick
Tonight after WWE Raw, join Wade Keller live with guest co-host Travis Bryant from the PWTorch East Coast Cast to break down the show with live callers and emails.
•STREAM LIVE HERE ABOUT 5 MINUTES AFTER THE SHOW CONCLUDES
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•IF YOU DON’T LISTEN LIVE, SEARCH “WADE KELLER” ON YOUR PODCAST APP TO SUBSCRIBE AND THEN DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THE FULL SHOW TWO HOURS OR SO AFTER THE TV SHOW ENDS.
[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with a clip from earlier today of Paul Heyman, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa arriving at the arena. Heyman reminded Jimmy of Roman’s order to solve the Sami Zayn problem. Heyman told Jimmy that Sami being in Boston tonight was an opportunity for the Bloodline. He said that Sikoa would take care of the Kevin Owens problem while Jimmy took care of the Sami problem for good. As Jimmy and Sikoa left, Heyman pulled out his phone to call Roman Reigns.
– Kevin Owens was already in the ring, as Solo Sikoa arrived for their match. Owens attacked Sikoa before the bell could ring, starting a brawl at ringside. Sikoa took the advantage, nailing Owens into the ring post before throwing him into the ring.
(1) KEVIN OWENS vs. SOLO SIKOA
Owens tried to attack Sikoa as he entered the ring, only for Sikoa to respond with a lariat. Sikoa shut down Owens’ attempt to make a comeback with a jumping leg lariat. Sikoa clocked Owens’ with a jab before stomping him down in the corner. Owens nailed Sikoa with a series of forearm strikes, but Sikoa knocked him down with a knee strike to the midsection. Sikoa crushed Owens with a jumping headbutt, followed by a chinlock. Owens managed to take Sikoa down with a clothesline and a senton before clobbering him with a lariat at ringside. Jimmy Uso arrived to distract Owens, allowing Sikoa to launch Owens off the top turnbuckle. Sikoa blasted Owens with two back-to-back running hip attacks, as Raw went to commercials. [c]
Back from break, Owens knocked Sikoa off the top turnbuckle, only to receive a Samoan Drop afterwards. Sikoa missed a strike into the corner, allowing Owens to plant him with a DDT. Sikoa missed a shoulder strike in the corner, but was able to block a Stunner. Owens knocked Jimmy off the apron before blasting Sikoa with thrust kicks and a corner cannonball. Owens crushed Sikoa with a Swanton Bomb, but Jimmy attacked him before a three count, causing a disqualification.
WINNER: Kevin Owens in 12:00 via DQ
– After the match, Jimmy and Sikoa laid out Owens on the announce table. Sikoa prepared to hit a splash through the table, only for Sami Zayn to make the save. Sami managed to chase both men away with a chair. Sami entered the ring and offered to help Owens get up, but he rolled out of the ring instead, leaving Sami hanging.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Kevin Owens and Solo Sikoa were having a fine match before a slightly unnecessary DQ. The post-match angle was the real focus here with the interaction between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens continuing their reunion storyline perfectly.)
– The commentary team confirmed that we would see Bobby Lashley after the break. [c]
– A recap of Bobby Lashley’s confrontation with Uncle Howdy from SmackDown aired.
– At backstage, Bobby Lashley said that he was tired of playing Bray Wyatt’s games. Lashley asked Wyatt what it would take for him to face him man-to-man.
– At backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Carmella about her match with Bianca Belair tonight. Carmella said that Adam Pearce should have booked her in a contender’s match to earn a spot at WrestleMania. Chelsea Green interrupted to applaud Carmella’s desire to get a title match before insulting Pearce. Carmella asked Green to be at her corner tonight before telling Saxton to leave them alone.
– Bianca Belair made her way to the ring for her match with Carmella. [c]
(2) BIANCA BELAIR vs. CARMELLA (w/Chelsea Green)
Belair quickly took control of the match with headlock takeovers and a shoulder tackle. Carmella sent Belair out of the ring before kicking her away into the announce table. Carmella pulled Belair’s head into the ropes and slammed her back-first onto the mat. Belair avoided Carmella’s moves, knocking her down with a dropkick. Carmella pulled Belair off the top turnbuckle, as WWE Raw went to an ad break. [c]
Back from break, Carmella avoided a body slam, slamming Belair down by her hair. Belair caught a high crossbody, but couldn’t follow up immediately. Belair planted Carmella with a side slam and a handspring moonsault, but Green distracted the referee before the pinfall. Belair pulled Green into the ring, only to receive a thrust kick from Carmella for a nearfall. Belair pummeled Carmella down with right hands in the corner, only for Green to distract her once again. Belair chased Green at ringside and tossed her over the barricade. Carmella rolled up Belair while holding the ropes, but she kicked out, immediately finishing Carmella with the KOD.
WINNER: Bianca Belair in 9:00
– After the match, Green and Carmella assaulted Bianca Belair. Asuka ran down to immediately scare them away after using her Blue Mist on Green. Asuka and Belair had a brief face-off while facing the WrestleMania sign.
(Pomares’s Analysis: There wasn’t much to talk about the match itself, apart from Carmella and Chelsea Green officially forming a team. The post-match angle started promisingly, but didn’t really have any real substance with a bland face-off.)
– At backstage, Sami Zayn met Kevin Owens and tried to convince to join forces to take down the Bloodline. Owens stopped Sami to say that he knows how tough the Bloodline is because he has been fighting them for 8 months. Owens said that maybe they could do it together, but he doesn’t want to do it with Sami. He told Sami to go back to Roman and leave him out of it.
– The commentary team confirmed that we would see Seth Rollins and Logan Paul after the break. [c]
– A video package featuring numerous highlights from Rhea Ripley’s career, aired.
– A recap of Seth Rollins calling Logan Paul last week aired.
– The Miz was in the ring to moderate the face-to-face between Seth Rollins and Logan Paul. Miz said that he would set his bias apart before welcoming Logan and Rollins. Miz tried to shut up the crowd, as they loudly sang Rollins’ theme. Logan told them to shut up because they have a time limit. Rollins spoke to say that Logan finally decided to grace them with his presence. Rollins presented himself to Logan, only for the crowd to sing over his words. Logan gloated about working smarter and not harder and already accomplishing more than Rollins.
– Rollins called Logan the scum of the earth, a coward, a troll and a fraud before saying that they don’t want him in their house. Rollins dared Logan to fight right now, only for Logan to reject the fight because he doesn’t work for free. Miz said that he could move strings and get their match booked. Rollins told Miz to do it before throwing him out of the ring. Logan attacked Rollins to start a brawl, with Rollins getting the upper hand early on. Rollins nailed Miz with a thrust kick, allowing Logan to knock him out with a punch.
(Pomares’s Analysis: There were some good lines in this segment and the crowd was really into cheering and booing Rollins and Logan respectively. However, the way it broke down into a brawl was very far-fetched and Logan’s punch didn’t look great.)
– A recap of Brock Lesnar setting his match with Omos and F5-ing MVP last week.
– Omos made his way to the ring for a match. [c]
– As Dolph Ziggler made his way to the ring, Mustafa Ali was seen ironically cheering for him from the crowd.
– Earlier today, Mustafa Ali informed Dolph Ziggler that instead of booking them in a rematch, he got him in a match against Omos.
(3) OMOS (w/MVP) vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER
Ziggler tried to lock in a Sleeper hold, but Omos immediately broke it. Omos knocked Ziggler down with a big boot, followed by the Tree Slam for the win.
WINNER: Omos in 1:00
– MVP pointed at Omos while saying that it is the only hype they need for their match. MVP said that Omos would tame the Beast at WrestleMania.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Nothing match. The crowd still doesn’t care about Omos and barely reacted to MVP’s promo.)
– At backstage, Maximum Male Models were discussing their newest possible client. Corbin appeared, thinking they were talking about him, only for Mansoor and Mace to insult him. They pointed at Otis before telling Corbin that they might give him a shot if he took care of Chad Gable.
– Finn Bálor made his way to the ring for his match against Johnny Gargano. [c]
– At backstage, Paul Heyman hyped up Jimmy Uso for his match against Sami Zayn. Heyman reminded Jimmy that if he doesn’t get Jey back into the Bloodline, Roman would blame him.
(4) JOHNNY GARGANO (w/Dexter Lumis) vs. FINN BÁLOR (w/Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio)
Gargano quickly put Finn in a hammerlock, only for Finn to respond with a back elbow and an arm lock. Gargano nailed Finn with an enzuigiri, but Finn quickly shot back with a dropkick. Finn smashed Gargano’s head into the turnbuckle before receiving a huracanrana and a dropkick. Gargano knocked Finn down with a suicide dive, as Raw went to commercials. [c]
Back from break, Gargano knocked Finn off his feet with a series of clotheslines. Gargano caught Finn off-guard with a slingshot Spear, only for Finn to counter a thrust kick with a sling blade. Gargano blasted Finn with two thrust kicks, but he managed to kick out at two. Finn blocked a headscissors takedown, driving Gargano down with an elbow drop. Gargano cracked Finn with an enzuigiri before taking Dominik down with a cannonball off the apron. Finn crushed Gargano with a jumping double stomp, following it with a shotgun dropkick. Edge’s theme played, making Ripley and Priest run up the ramp to confront him. Edge appeared behind Finn to trip him onto the ropes, allowing Gargano to hit the slingshot DDT for the win.
WINNER: Johnny Gargano in 10:00
– After the match, Edge laid Finn out with a Spear before standing tall.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Finn Bálor and Johnny Gargano had a solid match, but the focus was never really on them. Edge’s distraction made sense, but I’m getting tired of all the distraction and interference finishes in this storyline.)
– A recap of Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns’ face-off from SmackDown aired.
– Nikki Cross made her way to the ring for her match against Piper Niven. [c]
– A video package aired, announcing WWE King and Queen of the Ring to take place on May 27 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
– At backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Edge about his interference from earlier tonight. Edge told Finn through the camera that he would be in the middle of the ring next week.
– A recap of Nikki Cross costing Piper Niven her match against Candice LeRae aired. They showed footage of Niven assaulting and injuring LeRae backstage.
(5) NIKKI CROSS vs. PIPER NIVEN
Cross immediately put Niven in a sleeper hold, following it with a high crossbody. Cross nailed Niven with a low dropkick and cross chop. Niven blocked the swinging neckbreaker, planting Cross with the Boss Man Slam for the victory.
WINNER: Piper Niven in 2:00
(Pomares’s Analysis: Nothing match. Doesn’t feel like this storyline is going anywhere.)
– At backstage, Elias met Rick Boogs backstage and told him to learn by himself going out there. Elias told Boogs to face Bronson Reed and ask for a fight. Boogs misunderstood and set Elias in a match against Reed for next week.
– The commentary team confirmed that we would see John Cena after the break. [c]
– It was announced that Becky G would perform America the Beautiful on Night 1 of WrestleMania.
– John Cena made his way to the ring to loud cheers from the fans, only for Austin Theory to immediately interrupt. Theory said that he has all the respect for Cena and that became a WWE superstar because of him. Theory said that he has a gift for Cena and it’s a challenge to an United States championship match at WrestleMania. Cena declined the match, calling Theory a generic kid with fancy shoes and wearing sunglasses. Cena pointed at a sign in the crowd that said that Theory is a knock-off John Cena. Cena said that Theory is in his Ruthless Aggression phase, except for the fact that Cena nearly got fired for it while Theory keeps on getting opportunities.
– Cena said that the crowd are here for him because they believe in him, unlike Theory. Cena put over how good Theory’s name is because Theory is just that, a theory. Cena said that in theory, Theory should be everything WWE executives look for and that the fans should want to see him, but they don’t. Cena told Theory that he would give him the gift of the ability to walk out. Theory said that he wouldn’t leave, just like the bald spot on Cena’s head. Theory said that Cena rejecting the challenge is him giving up and disrespecting the fans. Theory said that people were right and you shouldn’t meet your heroes because they would disappoint you.
– Cena said that he would rather be bold than have noise piped in during his matches because people don’t care. Cena said that if Theory wins he loses it all because he would be eaten alive by the crowd the next night on RAW. Cena said that he was left with no choice after Theory involved the fans before asking the crowd iif they wanted to see him face Theory at WrestleMania. Cena said that while he doesn’t care about Theory he wouldn’t give up on the fans. Cena said that Theory made his biggest mistake and that he didn’t have it in his brain, heart or balls. As Cena made his way out, he presented Boston with a star worthy of WrestleMania in the form of Cody Rhodes.
(Pomares’s Analysis: I enjoyed John Cena’s promo a lot, but it really didn’t do Theory any favors. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be the point, but Theory looked completely outclassed here.)
– At backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Sami Zayn about his match with Jimmy Uso. Sami admitted that Owens has a valid reason to not side with him. Sami said that if he survived, Roman would have to end him. He finished by apologizing to Jimmy because tonight wouldn’t be his night.
(6) CHAD GABLE vs. BARON CORBIN
Corbin drove Gable into the corner before crushing him with a leaping splash. Gable broke out of a waist lock with a back body drop, following it with a few right hands. Gable knocked Corbin off his feet with a Chaos Theory German suplex. Corbin avoided a moonsault, laying Gable out with a chokeslam into a backbreaker. Gable tripped Corbin before putting him in an Ankle Lock for the submission win.
WINNER: Chad Gable in 3:00
(Pomares’s Analysis: Not much to see in terms of action, but I’m happy to see Chad Gable finally win a match completely on his own.)
– A recap of Trish Stratus helping Lita and Becky Lynch win the tag team titles aired. [c]
– A Top Gun movie spoof to promote WrestleMania aired, featuring The Miz and Maryse.
– It was confirmed that Seth Rollins would face Logan Paul at WrestleMania.
– Becky Lynch and Lita made their way to the ring. Lita talked about making history by winning the titles and Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky making it worthy. Lita said that there is an equalizer that they have yet to thank, as Trish Stratus made her way to the ring. Stratus started mentioning her confrontation with Bayley from a few months back, only for Damage CTRL to interrupt.
– Bayley said that Stratus and Lita only showed up when it was convenient and that they are selfish. Bayley said that Damage CTRL was the reason they would never come back, only for Stratus to reveal that she can get out of retirement and shut her up. Stratus challenged Damage CTRL to a match at WrestleMania whichBayley quickly accepted. Damage CTRL tried to beat down the champions and Stratus, but they were overpowered and thrown out of the ring.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Fine segment to set up the expected match for WrestleMania. Don’t know what happens to the belts, if they aren’t defended at WrestleMania though.)
– The commentary announced the matches Edge calling Finn Bálor out, Elias vs Bronson Reed and Bianca Belair vs Chelsea Green for next week.
– At backstage, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa made their way to the ring. [c]
(7) JIMMY USO (w/Solo Sikoa) vs. SAMI ZAYN
Sami immediately sent Jimmy out of the ring before launching him over the barricade, as Raw went to commercials. [c/ss]
Back from break, Sami kicked Jimmy away, setting him up for a Tornado DDT and a two count. Sami crashed into Jimmy with a high crossbody, but he kicked out in time. Jimmy launched Sami out of the ring and tried to distract the referee to allow Sikoa to assault Sami. The referee noticed Sikoa behind Sami and ejected him from ringside. Sami laid Jimmy out with a Blue Thunder Bomb, as WWE RAW went to its final ad break. [c/ss]
Back from break, Sami knocked Jimmy off the top turnbuckle, only for Jimmy to counter a diving move with a thrust kick. Jey Uso showed up in the crowd, running all the way down to ringside. Jimmy got distracted with Jey, barely avoiding a Helluva Kick. Sami surprised Jimmy with a sunset flip pinfall for the three count.
WINNER: Sami Zayn in 10:00
– After the match, Jey Uso entered the ring and tried to talk with Jimmy. Jey faced Jimmy before walking past him and leaving the ring. Jey hugged Sami on the apron to thunderous cheers from the crowd. Sami and Jey posed together with their hands in the air, as Jimmy watched from the ring. Jey surprised Sami with a superkick before throwing him into the ring for a beatdown. Cody Rhodes ran down to make the save, as the show came to an end.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Sami vs Jimmy was solid, but the main talking point was the post-match angle. Jey Uso finally choosing a side was exactly as emotional and heartbreaking as it needed to be. Another top-tier angle from this storyline. Cody Rhodes felt kind of tacked on at the end.)
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