It’s pretty wild how quickly we’ve gone from Becky Lynch questioning herself and lacking confidence to this utter self-assurity that she’s got now, but I guess that’s what happens when you beat the only person you feared twice in a row.
And hubris? Thy name is Shayna Baszler.
Lynch had her rematch with Asuka early in this show, and it was a really solid match with a fun finish. There was a fast-paced scramble near the end that had Lynch planting Asuka with a freaking Rock Bottom to end it. But of course, that wasn’t the story here.
The story was Lynch’s presumed WrestleMania opponent assaulting her after the match and putting her to sleep. Then, Baszler followed that up by tossing her mouthpiece aside, brushing Lynch’s hair aside to expose the back of her neck, and biting the everloving hell out of it.
It sure woke Lynch up in a hurry. She was screaming and Baszler had an absolutely comical amount of blood dripping out of her mouth once she leaned back. It was one of those shocking, not altogether realistic moments that have you searching for how to react.
Lynch, to her immense credit, reacted EXACTLY how you would act if someone bit you. She screamed, mumbled “Jesus (bleeping) Christ” to herself over and over, and capped that up by trying to convince herself she was fine.
Uh...look at all the blood on your hands, Becky. You aren’t fine.
The medical team tried to get Lynch into an ambulance, which led to a really odd moment. Lynch didn’t want to go to the hospital...only to resist their help, steal the ambulance, and drive to the hospital herself. With no identification or insurance on her! I mean have YOU ever tried to get medical attention in America without your medical card?!
(Now I’m just imagining a scenario where Lynch is intimidating the doctors to treat her without insurance. Ah well.)
Anyway, needless to say that Baszler got Lynch’s attention. That neck bite was definitely an eye-opener, so hopefully this continues to be interesting.
Broken Matt Hardy
Yuuuup, Randy Orton’s back to being fully-psychonic with a “chaotic evil” alignment. He got in the ring to try to explain why he assaulted Edge, but Matt Hardy quickly interrupted him. I’d imagine Matt wanted to make it harder for Orton to walk away this time.
Which is an interesting choice of a person to have out there defending Edge, right? But Hardy didn’t shy away from that, either. He discussed their history - both personal and the history they made in WWE - to explain how those heated emotions just die in the face of watching someone forced to retire due to injury. Because of that, Matt was around to hear Edge’s “what if?” questions. He had to listen to those questions while knowing that there was never going to be a happy answer.
But there was! Edge was able to have another surgery and get into shape to allow a final run in wrestling...only for Orton to ruin it.
Hardy didn’t ask for an explanation of Orton’s actions; instead, he asked what was wrong with him. Orton responded with violence.
Maaaan, those conchairtos really do the trick, don’t they? It’s such a wild overreaction by Orton, too. Hardy was clearly hurt by what Orton had done to Edge, but it wasn’t like he was out here threatening Randy. And it just doesn’t matter; it’s like making Orton confront his feelings is enough to make him resort to unyielding violence.
Anyway, I thought this was neat! Good use of Matt here for this story in what has to be one of his last WWE appearances.
Kevin Owens’ friends still suck
You’re giving me reeeal Overhaul vibes in that fur-lined jacket, Seth. Oh, and he has the glove too! This comparison works on multiple levels!
So...a 4v4 match was our main event. Samoa Joe returned to rejoin La Résistance (sorry Greenfield) in a really fun match that had an awesome finish. Joe had Buddy Murphy tapping out in the Coquina Clutch, but the AOP distracted the referee long enough for Seth Rollins to smash Joe with a Curb Stomp to win the match.
This is all well and good on a show that featured a lot of story stuff, but nothing’s really advancing here. Kevin’s friends have proven to a certainty that they can’t get the job done. They lose to Rollins’ gang every single week. So Kevin...what are you going to do? It’s time for some sort of change to take place here.
The Rest
Street Profits def. Riddick Moss and Mojo Rawley, Riddick Moss def. Mojo Rawley for the 24/7 Championship - Hey remember that Mojo promo from yesterday? Allow me a moment to laugh hysterically.
(Laughs hysterically.)
I have no idea how good or bad Rawley is as a wrestler at this point, but he will never be taken seriously in WWE. We’ve been conditioned to view him as a colossal joke at every turn.
MVP wants to be Drew McIntyre’s Paul Heyman - I mean...okay. I get that it’s WWE and everything, but if you were actually in Drew’s shoes, you HAVE to accept the help, right? Besides, MVP is dope. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with MVP?
The story of “I’m a loner” was too heavy-handed for my tastes, but whatever. It works.
Angel Garza def. Cedric Alexander - I’m all in on Garza, man. He is every adjective that means “too much” when he talks and makes expressions. It’s hilarious. Humberto assaulted him before his match but it still didn’t matter because he’s Angel Garza.
Rhea Ripley def. Sarah Logan - Ohhhh honey. What are you doing? “I don’t like you walking around like you own the place.” Fine, eat this boot then, I guess. C’mon, Logan.
Charlotte gave Ripley the runaround while also promoting NXT TakeOver: Portland.
Ricochet def. Bobby Lashley - Hey remember when Johnny Gargano had that sick Lashley-related burn on Finn Balor last week? Ricochet is literally the exact same character as Raw Balor was. Enjoy the wins until your Lesnar match, man!
Aleister Black def. Akira Tozawa - We have a new “best Black Mass sell” award winner, Cageside: Akira Tozawa! The violent twist before slumping to the floor was top notch stuff.
Another fun Raw! If you’ve got to pick one show until we get to WrestleMania, this is probably the brand to pick, folks.
Grade: B+
Your turn.