Master Plan
This will be quick because the main event segment didn’t raise my eyebrows until the very end. But walk with me for a bit.
I didn’t like CM Punk’s “I know I’m old” routine. I understood the logic behind it but it’s never a good look for the champion to repeatedly remind the audience that they’re old. I mean, yeah he is, but there’s no need to keep repeating it. I get that Punk fashions himself the modern day Terry Funk
but it’s just a weird note to on which to hang the first part of your main event segment. Thankfully, business picked up when Jey Uso came out.
As noted later in the recap, Jey lost his cool during the Usos tag match against what’s left of The Vision. Apparently knocking out your opponents with brass knuckles and getting DQ’d is grounds for putting your titles on the line against those same opponents in a street fight. They established early that Jey is on the warpath now because he grows tired of his family getting disrespected.
There’s something elemental about this that works for me. It’s a bit of a mess story wise since Jey first wanted a world title shot at Mania and now suddenly cares less about that because it’s not an option, nor does he really care about defending the tag titles—which he said—so now he cares about defending his family’s honor, but I at least understand that emotion. I also get why Jimmy Uso is trying to keep his younger brother focused. Punk knows Jey is a hothead and it’s easier getting to him than Roman Reigns, so he did that this week.
The segment came alive for me once they got physical. Specifically when Jey ordered Roman to get physical. That’s a new dynamic for them. Was it a one off thing? Is it the sign of something greater? I hope it’s the latter because there’s a lot of potential there. Although that doesn’t seem like the mystery seed the territory is sowing. Punk seemed way too pleased for a man who got his head bashed into a ring post twice and then Powerbombed into an announce table. What’s his game? He laughed maniacally (maniacal laugh) while clearly in pain. He keeps saying Roman needs help to defeat him but Roman looked like he did a pretty good job working solo. Maybe I’m missing something here. Either way, if the vagueness is intentional, I hope it’s worth the wait because I’m riveted by that portion of the plot.
A hot way to end the show even though the segment started a tad cold.
B-Sides
- Oba Femi has to defeat Brock Lesnar, right? Not because he’s made Brock his son two weeks in a row now, but because Paul E. called Oba overhyped. Brock defeating Oba reinforces Paul’s words. Well, let me reframe this. If Brock defeats Oba thanks to shenanigans, it’s all good. But if it’s a clean victory in the middle of that ring, it robs Oba of some mystique. I don’t think Oba needs to go undefeated but he’s made a huge statement just existing on the main roster. He’s run through every “challenge” thrown at him and now WWE’s biggest mouthpiece calls him overrated hype. That happened before Oba stunned Brock again with his power while Brock’s power wasn’t enough to put Oba in an F5. Yeah, Oba’s gotta win.
- Oh one more thing on Brock. And I acknowledge there might be some dissent about this next statement but I stand by what I’m saying. I love the FAF5 shirt. It’s a dope touch. It stems from Paul’s obsession with saying “FAFO” and the way he found a way to make it reference Brock. That said, “FAFO” is yet another instance of WWE wedding themselves to African American vernacular and running with while refusing to acknowledge Black History Month. They play footsie with a culture they don’t want to fully embrace for political reasons. That sucks. And now I’m off my soapbox.
- Loved Becky Lynch telling us why she attacked AJ Lee after seemingly letting sleeping dogs lie. It all came back to her daughter, which was a great touch. Becky’s daughter is an AJ fan and that incensed The Man. She’s also pissed that fans cheer AJ after she abandoned them for a decade. The adults in the Rollins-Lynch household really take issue with people leaving and coming back to royal welcomes. Their feud was already personal but this added more to it. Becky wants her championship and to be the only star in her daughter’s life, while AJ feels insulted at the idea that she abandoned anyone or that she couldn’t cut it. And now their Mania match is official, so we see who wins the argument.
- Kofi Kingston wants to replace Grayson Waller with Je’Von Evans. Doesn’t mean it’s going to happen but it’s obvious to everyone except Grayson. The Aussie faced the Young O.G. in what was another Je’Von showcase. And I’m not mad at that at all since he’s always a highlight. Of course I want him to be a tad more careful. Je’Von landed extremely awkwardly on a suicide dive. And by awkwardly, I mean he fell on his head. He luckily bounced right back up and kept going but yeah, I’m all about him taking less of those risks or at least slowing down a tad so that he doesn’t injure himself. Of course Je’Von won but the interesting moment came after the match where Kofi told Grayson that he refused to interfere in the match because Grayson needed to get the job done. I never bought into Grayson rolling with the New Day so I can’t say I’m sad for this little experiment to end, if it is indeed ending. Unless New Day is going back to the good side of the Force, I don’t see Je’Von joining up either. So where does this ultimately end?
- More Paul E. news: He filed a restraining order against Seth Rollins. Paul showed up in the middle of the ring after Adam Pearce basically forced him out there, and he called out Seth. This was Paul sans any help. Jey Uso knocked out Logan Paul & Austin Theory during their tag match, Brock bolted after Oba embarrassed him, and we all know about Broson Reed & Bron Breakker. Right when it looked like Seth was all alone, Boston PD came to his side. Paul antagonized Seth with the second mention of Seth and Becky’s daughter, which set off Seth. I didn’t think I’d write even this many words about it because this whole thing is silly. But not in a good way. Seth violated the restraining order against a guy who he can’t actually fight, which means there’s no chance of a true emotional payoff. We’ve established his beef is more with Paul than Bron, Bronson, or anyone else. Where does this go?
- On the flip side, it’s obvious where Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio are going. Dom got his rematch against Penta but Finn interrupted. He didn’t put hands on Dom at first, but his presence distracted the champ just enough for Penta to get the W. I liked JD going after Finn before he got to the ring given their history. Finn got a measure or revenge this week when he beat the breaks off JD and the Dirty one, but not enough. Dirty Dom ran for the hills and left JD with Finn, which resulted in a coup de grace for JD McDumbDumb. I foresee JD vs. Finn in the near future but I wonder if JD has any words for Dom leaving him high and dry? There’s no way they kick another member out of Judgment Day right now but it would be weird for JD to not acknowledge Dom ditching him, thus giving credence to everything Finn said about Dom only looking out for Dom.
- A key moment during Bayley & Lyra Valkyra’s match against the Kabuki Warriors came when the action went to the outside. Bayley, perched on the barrier, pointed at the WrestleMania sign and looked at Asuka on the announce table and went for diving elbow. She missed. I mean she came up with nothing. In the ring, Lyra pinned Kairi Sane. That perfectly encapsulates this story so far where Bayley keeps coming up short on getting to Mania while her partner is doing all she can to make it happen. Here’s the rub though: What happens if they lose their tag title match against The Irresistible Forces next week in MSG? At that point, isn’t wrestling Lyra the only way for Bayley to get to Vegas? I can see a turn happening because Bayley’s come up short so many times and will snap. Especially if she blames Lyra for a loss. They could win the titles and get the perfunctory tag title defense at Mania but there’s more juice in breaking up this relationship that’s seen its fair share of ups and downs. Remember when Bayley suffered split personality disorder and Lyra was afraid of her? Pepperidge Farm and I remember. It sounds easy to just flip that switch and let them fight.
A very solid Raw. Not as satisfying as last week but not a steep drop either. We booked a Mania match, created some matches for next week’s Raw in New York City, and Oba is still a beast.
What say you, Cagesiders? What do you think CM Punk is up to?
