Here we are! We made it past the most unique WrestleMania in history. After WrestleMania there always seems to hit a “reset” button with a lot of storytelling and potential focus for the rest of the year. Last night seemed to start that. The women were very well represented on this week’s show. The most they have been in fact since WWE has had to go to crowd-less shows as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The first hour was filled with female talent. To start we were treated to the first match of the night which was Asuka vs. Liv Morgan. What a treat this was. A match that I personally never knew I needed until it happened. These two put on a fantastic show. The best matches are the ones that you could see any of the participants winning, and this was just that.
Morgan was coming off of a win against Natalya from WrestleMania and Asuka was coming off a loss. Although in the end Morgan tapped out the to Asuka Lock, the loss didn’t make her look bad at all. There are certainly ways to make someone lose with style and that was what was done here. If this was a year ago, then without a doubt this would have been a squash match on Morgan. Fingers crossed that there is a lot more success in her near future.
From here we move onto the official debut and move over to the RAW brand of Bianca Belair. Belair made a surprise appearance at WrestleMania when she came to the aide of her husband, Montez Ford. Zelina Vega inserted herself into the feud between The Street Profits and her clients Angel Garza & Austin Theory. Belair didn’t take that lightly and warned her not to touch her husband.
Vega wouldn’t listen the following night on RAW. This prompted Belair making her way to the ring and declaring that she is officially on the red brand. The two had a very well worked match that ended in a disqualification as the Street Profits along with Garza & Theory broke down into a fight. This turned into a 6-person mixed tag match with the women getting the fall. Belair would hit the KOD to Vega and pick up a victory in her first match moving over to the red brand.
In addition to these matches, we also witnessed the return of Nia Jax. Jax has been out for a year and it was good to see another face back on the roster. She defeated Deonna Purrazzo and did so in a rather quick fashion.
Other women on the show were Becky Lynch, Shayna Baszler, Charlotte Flair, and Lana. The first three were promos, nothing earth shattering there. For Lana, there seems to be a disconnect between her and Bobby Lashley. It looks like they might be broken up in the near future. If this is the case, what would be next for Lana?
Let’s get into the Winners & Losers of the night:
WINNERS: Asuka & Liv Morgan
This match was great. It allowed Liv to shine and at the same time didn’t dull Asuka, especially after she had to drop the tag titles. With Money in the Bank still being advertised, Morgan should be a shoe-in for that match and should win it. I personally would love to see this turn into a feud between these two.
WINNER: Nia Jax
Jax wins with her return back from her year long absence. Although, to be honest, I wish they would have brought her back in a different way. Her just having a squash match with Deonna didn’t really provide the excitement that it should have. She could have came out and attacked Asuka & Liv after their match and it would have been a more exciting return. Good to see Deonna on RAW regardless.
WINNER: Bianca Belair
Bianca had a very strong debut. Not only did she technically have two matches, but she also was given the pin during the mixed tag match. Having this feud with Zelina isn’t a bad thing if it continues. Getting Zelina in the ring more could put on some quality matches between the two. If it doesn’t continue then it will be interesting to see who they would have her feud with.
She definitely should be a part of the Money in the Bank match as well along with Liv. They need to take the ball and run with it. Bianca has that star power.
LOSERS:
Overall I personally wasn’t too impressed with anything involving Becky, Shayna, or Charlotte. Instead of them having a match or developing anything further, it was just normal talk. It would be nice if Becky were to get into the ring more instead of constantly just having promos.
What did you think of this RAW after WrestleMania? Who were your Winners & Losers? Leave your thoughts below.
