RAW was jam-packed full of appearances from women superstars this week. A total of 10 women were utilized with two matches (one squash match) and a lot of build-ups continue. The first match was the advertised rematch between Becky Lynch and Asuka for the RAW Women’s Title. Whereas the second match saw Sarah Logan being defeated in mere seconds by Rhea Ripley.
Ripley would then make a point to Charlotte Flair, who was standing on the stage, that she has yet to answer her challenge. Flair still wouldn’t at this time.
Other notable appearances include the apparent transition of Shayna Baszler to the RAW roster. After a hard fought victory by The Man against Asuka, Baszler attacked her from behind. Instead of simply applying her Kirifuda Clutch on the champ, she did something that no one expected. She bit the back of the neck of Lynch and the vision of Baszler’s mouth dripping with “blood” is going to be one to remember.
The last notable appearance was from Ruby Riott. Riott returned with a vengeance last week after 10-months off. She attacked her former best friend Liv Morgan in the process. She spoke with Sarah Schreiber on why she has so much animosity towards Morgan.
For the full rundown on what took place on RAW, feel free to click over to the Discussion Post which has live coverage from the show. You can do so by clicking here.
Now let’s get into the Winners & Losers of the week.
WINNER: Shayna Baszler
Whether you like her or not, that was a killer way to introduce her to RAW moving forward. One of the biggest complaints of Baszler for many people is that she is “boring.” Maybe she is a little, as her matches seem to always end the same way. That darn Kirifuda Clutch.
She should have been on RAW for a while now, but this build up for WrestleMania seems to be promising.
WINNER: Becky Lynch
Becky continues to be captivating. As long as the crowd is chanting her name, she is going to either keep that title or at least be at the forefront. She carried the emergence of Shayna from the beginning to the end of the show.
Her match with Asuka was stellar yet again, perhaps even better than their showing at the Royal Rumble. It was the perfect way to end that story and hopefully now The Kabuki Warriors can focus on the tag titles now.
WINNER: Ruby Riott
Ruby is back and made a tremendously good promo during her interview backstage. This feels like the start of something good. This is what Lana and Liv should have been. Instead we received a couple of short matches and lack of any storytelling.
Ruby is playing the one in control and letting everyone know that Liv’s “metamorphosis” is nothing but a farce. Great heel work and great follow up to her return. Now if only Liv had her own interview in response would have made it a great overall teaser for their inevitable match.
LOSER: Sarah Logan
Ugh! Crazy Mary Dobson….it just isn’t the same. Sarah could be so much more. Her in-ring abilities are so incredible that she really shouldn’t be the victim of a 30-second match regardless of who they are trying to elevate. Personally, squash matches need to go. There are far too many talented women in WWE that we do not need to see them continue. However, that is a tradition that sadly will never change.
Her mic skills still are far from the best, but at least they allowed her to get her words in before being decimated. At least she is being used, I guess it is still better than catering.
LOSER: Liv Morgan
The ONLY reasons Liv is on this list is because she wasn’t utilized when she should have been. The promo work with Ruby was great, and I am all for a build up and having patience. However, they could have snuck in a 2 minute interview with Liv responding to what Ruby had to say.
It would have only furthered the momentum.
What were your thoughts on this week’s RAW? Who were your Winners & Losers? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
Check back in with Diva Dirt next week for more news and updates on the RAW brand.
