WWE RAW
Episode 1348
#RAW
Original Air Date: March 25, 2019
Event Date: March 25, 2019
(aired live)
City: Boston, MA
Venue: TD Garden
Commentary: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Ring Area
Ronda Rousey heads to the ring. Ronda stands in the ring for a while, so the crowd starts to chant that they want Becky. Ignoring the crowd, Ronda reacts to the announcement that the RAW Women’s Title match will main-event Wrestlemania. All she has to say is “you’re welcome.”
She does have one more thing to say though. She says she’s going to tap her opponents out.
Sh has another thing to say. She doesn’t know what a “beat the clock challenge” is, but she’s ready to participate in the “farce” anyway.
That’s all she has to say. Three things. That’s all.
The Riott Squad heads to the ring for the upcoming match, but before the bell, Becky Lynch comes out and walks towards the ring. Becky says the best thing that ever happened to Ronda Rousey is Becky Lynch. Becky says she is the reason the RAW Women’s Title is headlining Wrestlemania.
Charlotte Flair comes out. She says she is the reason women will main event Wrestlemania. Charlotte’s WWE career is why she was hand picked to participate in the main event.
Match 1
Beat the Clock Challenge
Ronda Rousey (RAW Women’s Champ) vs Sarah Logan w/ Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott
(referee: Shawn Bennett; at ringside: Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair)
Result: Ronda Rousey wins via submission with an arm bar
Time: 1:25
Match Thoughts
I’m not really a fan of Beat the Clock Challenges. You know with near certainty who’s going to win each match, and the tension of the time limit doesn’t really do anything for me. This match was short and uneventful. Sarah Logan ran around the ring to avoid Rousey, but Rousey caught her and put Logan in the arm bar.
Match 2
Beat the Clock Challenge
Charlotte Flair vs Ruby Riott w/ Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan
(referee: Shawn Bennett; at ringside: Becky Lynch; on the stage: Ronda Rousey)
Time to Beat: 1:25 (set by Ronda Rousey)
Result: the match ends in a Time Limit Draw
Time: 1:25
Match Thoughts
Ruby fared better than Sarah. This fight was a little more even, but the extremely short time given to them made the whole thing seem frantic (not in a great way).
Match 3
Beat the Clock Challenge
Becky Lynch vs Liv Morgan w/ Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan
(referee: Shawn Bennett; at ringside: Charlotte Flair; on the stage: Ronda Rousey)
Time to Beat: 1:25 (set by Ronda Rousey)
Result: Becky Lynch wins via pinfall with a jackknife cover, Lynch wins the Beat the Clock Challenge
Time: 1:18
Match Thoughts
Charlotte hit Becky with a boot before the match started, so Liv tried to take advantage. It didn’t work so well for Live. This was fine. It was as good as a Beat the Clock Challenge can probably be.
Backstage
Finn Balor prepares to fight.
Ring Area
Finn Balor heads to the ring for a match. Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush come out next. Before they head to the ring, Lio Rush takes the time to insult Balor and the local sports team. Rush also says that he’s not cleared to compete tonight. Therefore, Lashley will instead team with Jinder Mahal.
Match 4
Handicap Match
Finn Balor vs Bobby Lashley (IC Champ) w/ Lio Rush & Jinder Mahal w/ The Singh Brothers
(referee: Dan Engler; stipulation: if FInn Balor wins, he’ll get an IC Title match at Wrestlemania)
Result: Finn Balor pins Jinder Mahal after Coup De Grace
Time: 2:16 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Balor made very short work of this match. It made sense for Balor to run around and try to end it early, and I like the result. It was fine for what it was.
Ring Area
After the match, Bobby Lashley attacks Jinder Mahal and the Singh brothers.
Outside the Venue
From Times Square, Elias talks about being the featured musical guest at Wrestlemania. He starts to play a sing, but a street performer interrupts him and plays instead. Elias tells the street performer to get lost.
Match 5
Aleister Black & Ricochet vs The Revival (RAW Tag Champs)
(referee: Darrick Moore)
Result: Ricochet pins Dash Wilder after the 630 senton
Time: 5:37 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
This was fun. Ricochet got in trouble due to the teamwork of The Revival, but Black took control once he got tagged in late in the match. A very questionable and uncharacteristic move by The Revival late in the match led to a fun yet unsurprising finish. The Revival’s title reign is not going very well for them.
Ring Area
Drew McIntyre heads to the ring. Drew reminds everyone of what he did to Roman Reigns a couple of weeks ago by showing video of the attack. Drew also shows video of his challenge to Reigns that he made last week.
McIntyre hopes someone told Reigns to refuse his challenge. After all, Drew already broke The Shield and destroyed Dean Ambrose. Drew wants Reigns to think of his family. Hasn’t reigns already put his kids through enough? Regardless, Drew wants an answer from Reigns, and he’s going to hold RAW hostage until he gets one.
Roman Reigns comes out and heads to the ring. He accepts Drew’s challenge. Reigns also warns McIntyre to never talk about his wife and kids again. Reigns attacks McIntyre and throws him out of the ring. The brawl makes it back into the ring where McIntyre hits Reigns with a low blow. When Reigns manages to stand up, McIntyre hits him with a Claymore. By then referees comes out to get McIntyre to leave, so McIntyre decides to leave.
Backstage
Dean Ambrose tells Drew McIntyre that he doesn’t feel exterminated. Dean wonders if Drew would like to try again tonight in a Last Man Standing match. Drew seems to accept.
Match 6
Sasha Banks w/ Bayley (Women’s Tag Champs) vs Natalya w/ Beth Phoenix
(referee: John Cone)
Result: Sasha Banks wins via DQ when Tamina kicks her
Time: 4:37 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
With was a pretty good match with some nice submissions towards the end, but it ended up being cut short just like last week.
Ring Area
After the match, Nia Jax and Tamina continue to attack everyone. Beth Phoenix fights back against both Jax and Tamina. Phoenix lifts Jax, but Tamina stops her before Jax can be slammed. Phoenix then hit Tamina with the Glam Slam. Jax and Tamina leave. As Sasha and Bayley try to leave, Beth Phoenix stands on Sasha’s title belt, preventing Sasha from taking it. After making her point, Phoenix allows Banks to take her title.
Video
The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) are the latet inductees into this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony.
Backstage
Charly Caruso welcomes Kurt Angle. Angle says his farewell tour isn’t about hugs and handshakes, it’s also about leaving on his own terms. That’s why Angle chose to face Samoa Joe tonight.
Baron Corbin walks up and says that people are cheering Angle because they feel sorry for him. He says Angle should have retired years ago. Angle replies with, “screw you.”
Ring Area
Alexa Bliss heads to the ring for A Moment of Bliss.
Backstage
Charly Caruso asks Sasha Banks and Bayley about their recent troubles. Sasha says she and Bayley will face everyone that they’ve had trouble with lately. They’ll face all of them at once at Wrestlemania.
Ring Area
Alexa Bliss is at a crossroads. She is close to the greatest moment of her career when she hosts Wrestlemania, but the situation between Strowman and Colin Jost is threatening her moment. Tonight, Alexa hopes to provide a moment of healing.
Braun Strowman heads to the ring and takes a seat. Alexa lists some of the things Strowman has destroyed, then she asks what would happen if Jost and Che were to get Strowman’s hands. Strowman says he was thinking about Jost when he was smashing a car last week. With that, Alexa introduces Michael Che and Colin Jost live via satellite.
Jost apologizes for wearing a sports team hat that the live crowd didn’t like in Philadelphia, so tonight he puts on another sports team hat that the live crowd doesn’t like. Che says Jost is a good guy. Jost agrees. Jost also has jokes. Strowman doesn’t like Jost’s jokes. Jost goes on to say he would like for Strowman to pay him back for the car Strowman destroyed. He also wants Brock Lesnar’s autograph.
Strowman says that if Jost and Che want to make things right, then Jost needs to enter the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. Che agrees to Jost entering the battle royal. Jost says Che is in too. Strowman asks Alexa to make their entries official. She does.
Outside the Venue
Elias is outside of Madison Square Garden. Elias calls it a dump. As Elias stands there with a cup of tea, someone give him a quarter.
Match 7
Baron Corbin vs Apollo Crews
(referee: Dan Engler)
Result: Baron Corbin wins via pinfall after End of Days
Time: 2:50 (joined in progress)
Match Thoughts
This was just a way for Corbin to get a win back from Apollo Crews after losing last week. It was unnecessary.
Ring Area
Seth Rollins heads to the ring. Rollins says that the roads he and Lesnar are each taking to Wrestlemania could not be any different. The one road out of Wrestlemania will be traveled by the man who will lead the business. That’s heavy, and Rollins wants that weight. He wants to be a champion who inspires people. Brock Lesnar does not inspire people.
Rollins has wanted this match for a long time, but he only recently realized how much his title match means to the fans. With the weight of the fans’ hopes on Rollins, he doesn’t have a choice but to beat Lesnar. With an army behind him, Rollins is unstoppable. As Rollins talks about burning down Suplex City, Paul Heyman interrupts him.
Heyman thanks Rollins for letting him know that the match at Wrestlemania is now a handicap match. It’s Lesnar versus Rollins and the entire WWE Universe. Heyman likes the odds, the odds being a zero percent chance that Rollins will win. Heyman mocks the “thoughts and prayers” that the WWE Universe is sending towards Rollins. Heyman hopes that Rollins takes it personally when he and the entire WWE Universe loses at Wrestlemania.
Heyman starts to walk away, but Rollins chases him. Rollins catches up to Heyman on the stage. Heyman falls down and begs Rollins not to attack him. Rollins laughs. Rollins says he doesn’t need thoughts and prayers to beat Lesnar, he’ll be answering prayers when he takes the Universal Title from Lesnar.
Match 8
Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe (US Champ)
(referee: Shawn Bennett)
Result: Kurt Angle wins via pinfall with a counter to the Coquina Clutch
Time: 5:28 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was a tough fight for Angle. Joe is on a roll right now, and that momentum had to be maintained. I think they did a good job of making Joe look dominant while still sending people home happy for Angle.
Backstage
Dean Ambrose prepares for a fight.
Ring Area
Triple H heads to the ring. Triple H starts by congratulating Rousey, Lynch, and Flair for main-eventing Wrestlemania. Their spot was earned. Seeing things like that makes him happy.
Something that doesn’t make Triple H happy is that he received a letter from Batista’s lawyer saying that Batista won’t compete at Wrestlemania unless Triple H agrees to another stipulation. Triple H mocks the apparently faulty logic in what Batista said last week on RAW. Triple H then reads the stipulation: if Batista wins, then Triple H will never compete again. Triple H says adding another stipulation is just another chance for Batista to quit. Triple H isn’t going to let Batista quit again, so he agrees to the stipulation.
Outside the Venue
Elias talks about himself. Behind him, his guitar case is full of money. Somebody steals his entire guitar case as Elias plays his guitar.
Match 9
Last Man Standing Match
Dean Ambrose vs Drew McIntyre
(referee: John Cone)
Result: Drew McIntyre wins after Ambrose fails to answer the ten count after the Claymore Kick
Time: 6:26 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Good match. It felt short for a Last Man Standing match, but I liked it. Every hit in the match was strong and violent, so even though the match was short, the finish felt earned. Ultimately this was more buildup for Reigns versus McIntyre, and it wasn’t much different than what we’ve seen in recent weeks, but it worked fine.
Show Impressions
This week felt like they’re coasting into Wrestlemania. Nothing big or new really happened. We saw a fair number of rematches from recent weeks, and some of the new twists weren’t very new or twisty. I liked parts of the show fine, but it was a very missable show. Except for maybe Joe versus Angle. People should see that.
Match of the Night
Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe
They’ve had better matches, but this was a nice stop on Angle’s farewell tour. I thought this was handled very well all around.
Official Results: https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2019-03-25