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0 out of 12
Credit: WWE.com
After the Fastlane pay-per-view, WWE Raw has arrived in Pittsburgh for the most important episode of this Road to WrestleMania 35 to date.
Batista battled Triple H after Ric Flair's violent attack two weeks ago, laying the groundwork for a match at WrestleMania between the two former Evolution teammates.
Finn Balor defended his intercontinental championship title against Bobby Lashley, trying to end his rivalry with The All Mighty.
Add to that appearances from Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Shield's Seth Rollins, as well as the latest Raw Women's Championship image, and you'll have a show that sets the tone for the rest of the WrestleMania season.
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Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose kicked off Monday's show, just 24 hours after defeating Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre at Fastlane.
Reigns lost little time in saying that if last night marked the end of the Shield, he regretted nothing.
Reigns highlights Rollins before his clash with WrestleMania with Brock Lesnar as the WWE world chanted "Slay the Beast!"
A farewell curtailed at The Hounds of Justice concluded with Reigns who passed the microphone to Rollins before the three men launched into a final shock with the fist of the Shield.
Rollins watched his companions leave the square circle, then stared at the WrestleMania sign.
Before he could really say anything of interest, Paul Heyman interrupted the proceedings. Heyman followed the normal introduction before Rollins rightly pointed out the difficulties Lesnar had with smaller wrestlers, referring to Daniel Bryan, Finn Balor and AJ Styles.
Heyman threw out a video package that demonstrated Lesnar's sheer dominance and said that since Rollins won the Royal Rumble, he thought about the things he's going to inflict on Rollins at WrestleMania.
Almost as if it was the right moment, Shelton Benjamin hit the ring and attacked Rollins while the show was going to end.
Quality
C
Analysis
The Shield's farewells were not only lacking, but the resulting Rollins and Heyman promo did nothing to really create excitement or buzz for the World Championship game.
Yes, the crowd was totally opposed to Rollins, but the promo, as the script says, does not rely on it and the result was an unlikely start to a show that had to be much hotter to take advantage of the launched. the company had after a solid Fastlane pay-per-view.
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After Benjamin attacked him from behind, Rollins competed with the intercontinental and team multi-time champion in an impromptu addition to the show.
The architect found himself on the ground and after a head start coming out of the commercial break. From there he was thrown into the guardrail. A powerbomb attempt was canceled as the 2019 Royal Rumble winner sent his opponent face-to-face in the turnbuckle.
Heyman announced that Brock Lesnar would be in Raw live next week as Rollins made a strong comeback.
Rollins overcame a German exit from Benjamin to deliver the Stomp and win the victory.
Result
Rollins defeated Benjamin
Quality
C +
anaylsis
Given the talent involved, you would expect a better match than we had. Instead, it was really just a demonstration to prove that Rollins was able to overcome obstacles and win.
It was nice to see The Architect come back into action after wasting time because of a back injury. It was just as nice to watch Benjamin, an underused criminal, practicing his profession in a relatively prestigious setting.
Here, nothing has really been accomplished or won, but Rollins has been at the center of the most important game of his career, so that's enough for the moment.
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Bobby Lashley did not hesitate to try to retake the title of Finn Balor Intercontinental Champion on Monday night, taking the fight to the side for his smallest opponent and using his power-based attack to force him to remain distraught. .
He continued to use Balor, working with a lateral headband. He tried a motor bomb, but Balor fought and sent him to the ground. Lashley, however, recovered and delivered a side suplex on the apron. Back in the interior, Lashley worked again waiting, trying to absorb all the energy Balor had in him.
The champion beat him and delivered a dropkick to the basement to create a separation. A series of forearms continued the comeback and a corner kick allowed the challenger to take the land. Balor did the big thing for the coup de grace but Lio Rush appeared and rang the bell.
The distraction proved costly as Balor threw himself into the ropes and threw himself into a Lashley spear, which had won and his second title reign.
Result
Lashley defeated Balor to win the title
Quality
C
Analysis
So what was Balor's goal to win the title in the first place?
He only did it by pinning Rush, missed a beatdown last week that dampened his momentum and was then dominated during the majority of Monday's game before losing the gold.
It was a gloomy reign that was more like an excuse to tell an uninteresting story between Lashley and Rush than to reward Balor for being one of Raw's workhorses this year.
Worst of all, he did not accomplish anything. We are back where we were two months ago: Lashley holding the gold and Balor getting ready to go to the water before the biggest show of the year.
Some will suggest that the arrival brings Balor back to the hunt for the title, but we went there. Several times. At one point, he must be integrated into a credible champion. It has not been, for some reason.
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The Raw female champion, Ronda Rousey, did not hold back, as she attacked the WWE Universe in a passionate promo Monday night.
She invited the fans to applaud before saying that Becky Lynch is the hero they deserve because she is a coward. She gave the officials permission to make the Triple Threat match at WrestleMania a handicap match and she would be embarrassed if she even sweated.
Dana Brooke interrupts and expresses her frustration at Rousey's criticisms of WWE and her lack of opportunities. She accepted an open challenge that did not exist and was preceded by Rousey.
The referees ended the fight, forcing the champion to go back while they checked Brooke.
Quality
B +
Analysis
A brief glimpse of Rousey's new attitude as she approached WrestleMania was fantastic.
She made a short and focused promo that made sense given her frustration with fans and her upcoming challengers. Then she unleashed this frustration on Brooke, who suffered a beating in exchange for the show she desperately needed.
It worked and was reflected in the response of the crowd to Rousey.
However, WWE Creative will need to be cautious because a no-nonsense kicker is exactly the type of character that is outdated today. Given the fact that she positions it as a stub for WrestleMania, the last thing the WWE wants is to inadvertently convince her to reverse it.
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At Fastlane, The Revival managed to retain its team team championships in a highly contested Triple Threat match. On Monday night, the two teams they beat defeated the title as Aleister Black and Ricochet fought Chad Gable and Bobby Roode.
The former champions started very warmly, putting Black on the ground and placing him in the center of the ring, holding him just far enough away from his partner to prevent a tag.
The One and Only finally came in and did not hesitate to be quick and agile to thwart the opposition. A formidable double team, however, saw Gable take Ricochet with a big lock while Roode delivered a blockbuster in a super German.
A series of near-falls were traded before Ricochet put Black in the game, without his opponents knowing. After Ricochet eliminated Gable from the circle, Roode switched to Black Mass, with NXT exports winning a quality win.
As Black and Ricochet climbed the ramp, Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson attacked from behind, leaving their best opponents in the mat.
Result
Black and Ricochet def. Roode and Gable
Quality
B
Analysis
It was a fun sprint that makes the idea of a longer fight all the more appealing.
The talent at stake is not in the charts and the fact that they have grouped together what they did in such a short window suggests that a few more minutes would have resulted in one of the best television games in the world. year.
As things stood, it was a beautiful showcase of two-thirds of the team division's foundation that saw a team prepare for a championship game.
This Roode and Gable came to the rescue of their opponents when The Revival sneaked into attack, suggesting that the three-way rivalry might not be over. On the basis of the ring content provided by them up to now, this is not at all a bad thing.
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Alexa Bliss hosted her Moment of Bliss TV show Monday night with an important announcement regarding the special guest host of WrestleMania 35's Guest Moderator.
She ran the personalities for having hosted extravagance in the past. She got rid of Kim Kardashian, The Rock and New Day before launching a video revealing that … she will animate The Showcase of the Immortals.
Bliss feigned humility before naming himself the greatest superstar of all.
"And that was your moment of happiness."
Quality
C +
Analysis
A short and sweet revelation that gives one of the best female superstars something to do in WrestleMania without rushing her into a program or forcing her into an insignificant royal battle.
Bliss is an excellent personality in the heel whose strength has always been at the microphone. Let her fill her role, engage in thumbnails back and forth and maybe a major angle to WrestleMania is the best way to appeal to her talents if there is no program ready for you. A job for her.
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Elias was in the middle of the ring, ready to greet his hometown of Pittsburgh with another of his serenades, as Raw returned from the break.
The Drifter is attacking the city, claiming that everyone in Pittsburgh was a huge waste of life. He then made the obligatory joke of Antonio Brown, saying that she had personally advised the international receiver to leave the city as much as he could.
No way that Jose made the mistake of interrupting and paid for it, undergoing a nasty beat at the hands of the sinister singer.
Elias let the NXT exporter have fun on the ramp to end the segment.
Quality
C
Analysis
That's going to end with Jose winning a victory over Elias next week, is not it?
Whatever it was, it was a waste of a segment that kept Elias on the water while further devaluing José even further than it was. already.
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Before the match between Natalya and Nia Jax could really start, Tamina Snuka tried to interfere.
This drew the Beth Phoenix Hall of Fame into the ring. She attacked Jax and shot the disqualification, further suggesting that a match between the teams could take place sooner than later.
The baby's face was standing tall as Jax and Snuka pulled back.
Result
Jax defeated Natalya via disqualification
Quality
C
Analysis
It seemed that Pinup Strong would be back to compete in the women's team championship after Fastlane last night and this angle suggests that it's a very real possibility.
That Sasha Banks and Bayley attacked Jax and Snuka behind the scenes after the angle played allusions to a multi-team match for the titles. While this sounds like an attempt to squeeze as many stars as possible on the series, this should make a perfect match perfect with an unstoppable team, one of the best tandems of a past generation of female Superstars and the measure of the female tag today. division.
9 of 12
Credit: WWE.com
A week ago, Triple H asked Batista to confront him like a man. On Monday night, the Animal returned to Raw, surrounded by its own security team. He refused, however, to join the WWE COO in the ring.
Triple H attempted to make Batista head for the square circle, mocking his nasal ring and swearing to tear each of the "Guardians of the Independent Scene" if it meant getting his hands on the Animal.
Batista admitted that he had left WWE to get away from The Game and had promised to hurt anyone who was near Triple H when he was not giving him what he wanted. He wanted one last game, one last chance to leave his mentor.
A back and forth occurred before Triple H accepted and added a stipulation: the match will be No Holds Barred at WrestleMania 35.
The iconic artists looked at each other to end the segment.
Quality
B +
Analysis
Batista as a cunning student, shouting out his teacher's greatest hits and countering them was a nice touch. After all, much of his babyface trick in 2005 was based on the fact that he was smarter than what he was credited with by both The Game and Ric Flair.
The promo was all that was needed, with a hilarious line of Triple H and a great intensity of both men. The WrestleMania match will feature a gadget needed to hide the weaknesses of the Superstars at this point. Three weeks into the end, the hot match potential between two of the greatest players of all time is very high.
However, it is still interesting that Triple H enters this year's WrestleMania as a babyface although he is a stub literally everywhere else in the series.
10 of 12
Credit: WWE.com
The 1996 Olympic gold medalist and 2017 WWE Hall of Fame inductee, Kurt Angle, returned home in Pittsburgh on Monday. He was welcomed as a hero while he was preparing for his future.
Angle criticized his achievements, his historic career and revealed that WrestleMania 35 would be the venue of his farewell match.
With one more turn in the city than he's called home all his life, he said it was only appropriate that he have another match in Pittsburgh. Apollo Crews hit the ring for the said fight.
The teams controlled the game early, anchoring Angle. The hero of the hometown, however, fought and delivered his German suplexes. The crews responded with an enzuigiri and climbed the ropes for a frog splash, one of the biggest opponents of Angle, Eddie Guerrero.
Angle went aside and finished Crews a few seconds later with the Slam Angle.
Result
Angle defeated the crews
Quality
B
Analysis
Angle must bid farewell to the party in the ring of his career. He is one of the most famous members of the Hall of Fame and one of the greatest to have ever laced a pair of boots, but he can no longer stay with this generation of stars.
Pittsburgh was the perfect place to make this announcement, although one wonders why WWE Creative could not have found a more appropriate opponent than Crews.
Without wanting to offend the talented young star, it has not been taken into account since the last attempt to push him to extinction. Why waste the last game of Angle in his hometown against a guy with whom no one really has links?
11 of 12
Credit: WWE.com
Before Roman Reigns could face Baron Corbin at Monday's main event, Drew McIntyre came out of nowhere to attack the Big Dog.
He defeated Reigns and delivered a nasty Claymore Kick who sent the former universal champion to the ground. A second Claymore bounced Reigns' head into the ring.
Producers, officials and doctors went to the ring to check Reigns' reign, while McIntyre found himself facing a chorus of fools. Seth Rollins came to the rescue of his friend and helped him to be applauded by the fans.
Quality
C
Analysis
And with that, we have the first indication of the Reigns WrestleMania match.
McIntyre is a much better option for someone of Reigns' stature than Corbin would have been, but at the same time, it still seems like a disappointing option for the biggest star of the training.
Nevertheless, it was a step in the right direction in terms of warming the Scottish psychopath in front of Mania and giving him, as well as Reigns, a reason to face each other on the biggest fight scene.
Even if the result of this potential match seems to be inevitable.
12 of 12
Credit: WWE.com
In the wake of Reigns' assault by McIntyre, Dean Ambrose asked for an unqualified match with the Scottish and got one from Triple H.
It's a decision he's regretted.
Lunatic Fringe and his devious opponent fought around the arena, fighting in the stands, in the concession stand and returning to the stage after a commercial break. At Raw's commentary position, Ambrose attempted to shoot McIntyre with a sideways twist on the table, but the team failed to break.
McIntyre slows down Ambrose's movement with a low blow, then sweeps his opponent's eyes with a pencil. McIntyre is restored and sent Ambrose face-to-face on the LED stage. From there, he trapped him in a guardrail and delivered the Claymore Kick for the victory in the fall.
Result
McIntyre has defeated Ambrose
Quality
B +
Analysis
If the Reigns attack began McIntyre's warming process, it intensified it.
Ambrose is able to generate sympathy by selling the offense of an opponent and he has done a fantastic job in actually repressing McIntyre's flawless brutality.
McIntyre looked like a beast and, even though he still does not have the appearance of a Superstar destined to beat Reigns at WrestleMania, a few extra weeks will present him in this way, give him a unparalleled momentum. in its main alignment.
Perhaps the most interesting question: where was the help for Ambrose after he got up against Triple H to support Reigns?
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