For Raw, Seth Rollins keeps on rolling as his match with Jinder Mahal was good. There were some close pinfalls and exciting moments in the match that made you feel like Mahal was possibly going to win. But, Rollins got himself DQ’d after using a chair on Mahal as payback for when Mahal used it earlier in the match without the referee seeing it. But, what happened after the match is where things got really good. After Rollins chased away Mahal with the chair, he celebrated on the announcers table. But, out of nowhere, Elias comes and smashes his guitar over his back, starting up what should be a very good Intercontinental championship program between Rollins and Elias.
For Smackdown, the main event got changed, but it got changed for the better. After all the rumors that Big Cass actually hurt his leg, those turned out to be false because Cass said that he was cleared to compete and the match between Daniel Bryan and Samoa Joe turned into a triple threat match. This match ended up being good from start to finish and the outcome made sense. Samoa Joe ended up solidifying the final spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match. Along with that, the rivalry between Big Cass and Daniel Bryan is far from over after Cass attacked Bryan after the match as well. Overall, they had great storytelling to help build up this match as well as future matches between some of the competitors.
The Bad
For Raw, while I do not mind the buildup between Nia Jax and Ronda Rousey, there are some huge flaws in the story. Before Jax started this rivalry with Rousey, she was a voice in stepping up against bullying and embracing who you are. But, now she starts this rivalry with Rousey and she beats up on a jobber and basically bullies her. It just shows that Alexa Bliss (who is a heel) was right the entire time in those “Moment of Bliss” segments in stating that she was a bully. After all of the buildup to have Jax stand up against bullies and then turn into one just because she is facing Rousey makes absolutely no sense.
For Smackdown, they really had nothing bad happen on their show. I thought the dance off between Lana and Naomi would possibly flop but it didn’t and they kept it short and entertaining. Smackdown has been getting better the past few weeks and they are using the two hours they have to its full potential.
The Final Verdict
This week was a pretty easy decision on who had the better show this week. Smackdown did everything right this week in building up towards Money in the Bank. They helped fill in the final slot for the men’s match, kept building up the WWE championship program, had an entertaining dance off segment, and helped start up the build for the tag team championship match. Meanwhile, on Raw’s side, they helped build up both money in the bank matches, but they had a repeat match between Braun Strowman and Finn Balor and they are showing massive flaws in the storytelling to build up the Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax program. In conclusion, Smackdown is doing the right things to build up the PPV, while Raw is just trying to cruise by into the program, which shouldn’t be the case considering they are the longer show.
Mia Yim made her return to WWE during Monday Night RAW following her release from the company back on November 4th, 2021, during a segment between The O.C. and The Judgment Day, by attacking Rhea Ripley.
AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson had been looking for some help as they battle with the faction, and Ripley has been a factor in their battles. Now, Yim joins them to help neutralize Ripley.
Yim commented on her return during a backstage interview, and made reference to the former Retribution stable that spelled the end for many promising runs.
“Oh my gosh, it feels so good to be back. It took me a year to try and find myself but now I’m ready. I’m ready to go. I’m ready to kick some ass and get my retribution. But the boys are waiting on me so I’ll see ya later.”
Following the walkout of Sasha Banks and Naomi, who were at the time the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, details have been mum on what would go on with the vacated titles, but now there finally are some details to share.
With rumors that both Banks and Naomi will be returning to the company with Vince McMahon now in charge, the Women’s Tag Team titles are now back in the spotlight after going off the radar at the time of Banks’ and Naomi’s departures.
WWE has officially announced a new tournament to crown new Women’s Tag Team Champions that will finally begin on Raw this upcoming Monday.
While it seems to lineup the returns of Banks and Naomi, no official word has surfaced as of yet.
For Raw, the main event between Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan in a Wrestlemania rematch was a good way to end their show. With this new “Wildcard Rule” being introduced at the beginning of Raw, this led to two Smackdown superstars main eventing a Raw show. While we will look into the “Wildcard Rule” later, the match between these two was back and forth and ended with Kingston retaining his championship. Kofi has all the momentum going into the Money in the Bank PPV, which is great considering he is the WWE Champion.
For Smackdown, after the Hardy Boyz had to forfeit their tag team championships due to injury, the match to determine the new champions was great. After Shane McMahon originally was going to give the titles to Daniel Bryan and Rowan, the Usos interrupted and stated that they should at least get the opportunity to earn them. Daniel Bryan and Rowan ended up winning, which is a positive sight moving forward because it will bring more attention to the division with these two as champions.
The Bad
For Raw, even though things were good for the Usos on Smackdown, they were really bad on Raw. They came out during the Revival’s match and told them that they put Icey Hot on their ring attire. This led to bad acting and just an attempt at humor, which didn’t go well.
For Smackdown, while the Aleister Black promos have been good so far, they are starting to over welcome their stay. This has been going on for about a month, so hopefully we see him in the ring before he loses all momentum.
The Final Verdict
Both brands had interesting shows this week because this new “Wildcard Rule” was introduced. This “Wildcard Rule” means that four superstars from Raw will be on Smackdown and four Smackdown superstars will be on Raw every week. This idea does seem like a bad one though because it will take time away from superstars in their respective brand. Along with that, this is right after the Superstar Shakeup, which now feels completely pointless. As to who had the better show this week though, Smackdown had better matches and was still able to help put good build towards Money in the Bank. In conclusion, Money in the Bank is still about two weeks away, but proper time has been put into it and all the matches gain momentum in build week by week.
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