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WWE RAW TV REPORT
MARCH 25, 2024
CHICAGO, ILL. AT ALLSTATE ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON USA
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
Attendance: WrestleTix reported earlier today that 14,791 tickets had been distributed so far; arena set up for 15,022.
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[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with a recap of Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns’ confrontation on SmackDown.
– Cody Rhodes made his way to the ring to talk about what Roman Reigns said about him while giving praise to Pat McAfee and Michael Cole. Cody put over what he has done for some fans and admitted that he pretended to be a champion because the champion wasn’t here. He mentioned how he messed up Roman and The Rock’s plans because he won the Royal Rumble before asking the fans to point at the WrestleMania sign with him. The Rock interrupted and had a lengthy face-off with Cody in the middle of the ring. Rock simply whispered something in Cody’s ear and walked away.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Just a simple segment to keep this storyline spinning for the time being. Cody’s promo was good, but wasn’t particularly groundbreaking or memorable. The crowd’s reaction to the face-off between Rock and Cody was inarguably electric and easily the biggest takeaway from this opening.)
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of the segment between Cody Rhodes and The Rock was shown.
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond asked The Rock what he whispered in Cody’s ear. Rock simply told her to go ask Cody.
– Backstage, Damian Priest told JD McDonagh to pick up the win while Finn Bálor reprimanded him and Dominik for being on a losing streak.
(1) RICOCHET vs. J.D. MCDONAGH (w/Dominik Mysterio)
Ricochet sent JD out of the ring with a headscissors takeover, followed by a fosbury flop, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, JD clocked Ricochet with a knee to the abdomen, followed by uranage. JD missed the standing moonsault, allowing Ricochet to put him down with a handspring back elbow. Ricochet knocked JD down with a springboard clothesline, setting him up for a running Shooting Star press for a two count. Ricochet nailed JD with an enzuigiri, only for JD to shut him down with a Spanish Fly and a brainbuster for a nearfall. JD tried to go for a superplex, but Ricochet hit him with an avalanche poison rana. Ricochet put JD down with a Recoil, only for Dominik to put his boot on the ropes. JD blocked a springboard 450 Splash with his knees and got a nearfall with an inside cradle, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, JD planted Ricochet with a sitout powerbomb, but he kicked out at two. Ricochet countered the Devil Inside with a Destroyer, only for Dominik to distract him atop the turnbuckle. Dominik tripped Ricochet atop the turnbuckle before being ejected from ringside. Ricochet knocked JD off the top turnbuckle and crushed him with a Shooting Star Press for the win.
WINNER: Ricochet at 14:25
(Pomares’s Analysis: Really fun opener to once again showcase Ricochet, ahead of still not clear plans for WrestleMania. After Dominik reignited his rivalry with Rey Mysterio, I wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow takes part in the LWO vs. LDF feud and possible match at Mania.)
– Backstage, C.M. Punk made his way to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– CM Punk made his way to the ring to say that he would be at WrestleMania. Punk said that his elbow wasn’t fully healed, but his mouth worked. Punk mentioned the possibilities of hosting or refereeing WrestleMania before focusing on the likes of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and The Rock. He moved on to Drew McIntyre who has been talking about him for months, demanding to face him like a man. Drew showed up on the ramp and reminded Punk that he got hurt when facing him in the ring. Drew stood atop the announce table to say that Punk completed him and that he was his muse.
– Punk demanded Drew to enter the ring to fight him while questioning who made him the chosen one. Drew suggested Punk could be doing commentary for his world title match at WrestleMania. Seth Rollins interrupted to point out that neither Drew nor Punk get to make choices in the world title match. Rollins asked the fans if they wanted Punk to be on commentary for the title match at WrestleMania.
– Rollins said that he hasn’t thought about Punk since he got injured and that he wouldn’t mind Punk narrating him at his best. He said that it would be the closest Punk is to the world title and told Punk to stay out of his way. Punk claimed that him doing commentary would finally make Rollins and Drew interesting before walking away. Drew stopped Punk’s music to tell him that he was obsessed with him, only for Rollins to take him out with a thrust kick and a Curb Stomp.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Quite possibly the best segment on the entire Road to WrestleMania. Drew McIntyre was as great as usual and CM Punk had his best performance since coming back. The inclusion of Punk feels like it will be a game changer and will directly impact the ending of the match.)
[Commercial Break]
(2) IVY NILE (w/Maxxine Dupri) vs. CANDICE LERAE (w/Indi Hartwell)
Nile took LeRae down with a dropkick, followed by a vertical suplex. LeRae sent Nile out of the ring and pummeled her down with a series of forearms. LeRae knocked Dupri off the apron and faked a knee injury, but Hartwell refused to attack Nile. Nile tried to hit LeRae with a running knee, but she still scored the win with a roll-up with her feet on the ropes.
WINNER: Candice LeRae at 1:51
(Pomares’s Analysis: The result furthered the rift between LeRae and Hartwell, but the fact it was so short and it lacked entrances made this incredibly missable.)
– Backstage, DIY and the New Day argued about their team names and the ladder match at WrestleMania. Awesome Truth interrupted to hype up the tag match between DIY and New Day and say that they would do commentary.
[Commercial Break]
(3) NEW DAY (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa)
Kofi took Ciampa down with a dropkick, but DIY shut him down with a jawbreaker and a clothesline. Kofi evaded the spinning kick and crushed Gargano with a leg drop for a two count. New Day stomped Gargano down and caught Ciampa with kicks, setting them up for stereo dropkicks, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Ciampa took Kofi and Woods down with a series of clotheslines. DIY put Kofi down with a Sliced Bread and sent him out of the ring with a pump knee. Gargano blasted DIY with a suicide dive, only for Judgment Day to attack him and end the match suddenly.
WINNERS: No Contest at 6:32
– After the match, Judgment Day beat DIY, New Day and The Miz down before throwing R-Truth into the ring. Truth put Dominik, JD and Finn down, only for Priest to lay him out with the Razor’s Edge. Finn crushed Truth with the Coup de Grace, as Judgment Day stood tall.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Solid angle to continue building this match, but if there was no plan for a finish, I don’t think they should have gone past an ad break.)
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond asked Cody Rhodes what The Rock told him. Cody simply said that it was a promise that Rock can’t keep.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Gunther about Sami Zayn’s claim that he would beat him. Gunther said that Sami’s words were empty because he knows he can’t beat him. Gunther claimed that Sami doesn’t even believe he can beat Bronson Reed tonight.
(4) ANDRADE vs. GIOVANNI VINCI
They traded a couple of chops early on, until Andrade caught Vinci with a dropkick mid-air. Andrade crashed into Vinci with an Orihara moonsault, followed by the fake-out moonsault for a two count. Vinci blocked the Three Amigos and hit Andrade with a back elbow before receiving a big boot. Vinci caught Andrade off-guard with a running crossbody, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Andrade took Vinci down with a couple of dragon screws, followed by a running forearm. Andrade crushed Vinci with a double knee strike, but he kicked out at two. Vinci caught Andrade with a clothesline and a chop to the chest before receiving the fake-out back elbow. Andrade spiked Vinci with a double underhook spinning suplex for the win.
WINNER: Andrade at 7:10
(Pomares’s Analysis: Decent match to give Andrade another win, as he continues his storyline with Dominik Mysterio. I’m not sure where the story is going, but I assume Andrade will also get roped into the LWO and LDF feud.)
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
– Rhea Ripley made her way to the ring with Dominik Mysterio to talk about how Becky Lynch didn’t seem to be paying attention to her. Dominik tried to speak, but Lynch immediately interrupted him. Ripley told Lynch that she didn’t to prove herself by wrestling on weekly TV. Lynch said that Ripley chose to post her ass online to get attention while she bust her ass in the ring to prove herself. Ripley said that Lynch was a cockroach and that after WrestleMania her daughter would be calling her mami.
– Lynch told Ripley to keep her daughter’s name out of her mouth and that his father didn’t get to meet her. Lynch told Ripley that there was nothing respectful about her and that neither of them would be the same after WrestleMania. Dominik got in between Lynch and Ripley, only for Ripley to nail him with a punch. They started brawling, until Ripley sent Lynch out of the ring. Ripley tried to help Dominik up, but Lynch knocked both of them down with a dive from the steel steps. Lynch and Ripley continued brawling, until referees ran down to separate them.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Easily the strongest segment in the build to this match. This feud has been somewhat spinning its wheels for the past few weeks, with this exchange giving it the big boost it needed to fully reach the intensity it needed.)
– Backstage, Chad Gable warned Sami Zayn that Gunther was trying to ruin his focus.
– Bronson Reed made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Sami Zayn.
[Commercial Break]
(5) SAMI ZAYN vs. BRONSON REED
Reed knocked Sami off his feet with a shoulder tackle, only for Sami to throw him out of the ring. Sami crushed Reed with a Tope con Hilo, but Reed blocked his follow-up high crossbody. Reed put Sami down with a body block, followed by a chop to the chest. Reed knocked Sami away with a diving shoulder tackle, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Reed put Sami down with a bodyslam, followed by a leaping elbow drop. Sami blasted Reed with a series of chops before knocking him down with a clothesline. Gunther showed up on the ramp while Reed blocked the Blue Thunderbomb. Reed missed a corner splash, but Sami collapsed while going for a bodyslam. Reed dropped Sami with a modified neckbreaker for a close two count. Sami spiked Reed with a Tornado DDT, only for Reed to hit him with a lariat and a senton. Reed crushed Sami with the Tsunami to pick up the victory.
WINNER: Bronson Reed at 9:31
(Pomares’s Analysis: I get what they are going for, but I’m really not a fan of pinning the top contender to a title. I hope they are able to follow up this angle well enough next week because this week’s result didn’t work for me at all.)
– Backstage, Jey Uso told Shinsuke Nakamura that he would beat him tonight before having a face-off with Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Chad Gable cheered Sami Zayn up after coming up short against Bronson Reed. Gable told Sami that he let Gunther get in his head and that they could talk about a different approach.
– Backstage, Seth Rollins warned Jey Uso that something felt wrong and that he and Cody would have his back.
(6) JEY USO vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
Jey sent Nakamura out of the ring, but Nakamura blocked a suicide dive with an enzuigiri. Jey missed a corner splash, allowing Nakamura to crack him with two rising knees to the abdomen, as WWE Raw went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Jey nailed Nakamura with a series of right hands, followed by a thrust kick, an uppercut and an enzuigiri. Nakamura hit Jey with a kick to the back, setting him up for the sliding German suplex and a two count. Jey avoided a diving knee strike, but Nakamura still shut him down with a knee to the back of the head. Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa showed up at ringside, until Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins showed up to make the save. Rollins smashed Solo’s head into the ring post and tossed him over the barricade, only for Drew McIntyre to take him out with a Future Shock DDT. Jey caught Nakamura with a superkick, followed by a Spear for the three count.
WINNER: Jey Uso at 7:34
– Backstage, Cody Rhodes tossed Jimmy Uso out of the arena and smashed Solo Sikoa’s head into a table, only for The Rock to attack him from behind. Rock sent Cody out of the arena and beat him down in the rain. Rock smashed Cody’s head into his bus numerous times, making him bleed. Rock wiped Cody’s blood on the ‘Cody’s Mama’ belt while telling him that things shouldn’t have ended like this.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Fine match, but was clearly the backdrop to the brawl that took place during and after the match. As for the angle, it was a very well-executed beat-down with a rare use of blood adding to the intensity.)
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