The five biggest takeaways from the March 7 episode of WWE RAW from Chicago, IL
WWE RAW was live from Chicago, IL on Monday, March 7 and, as tends to be the case when RAW hits the Windy City, there was a palpable buzz about the show with Shane McMahon set to appear. Shane started off the show, but that was far from the only thing that happened as there was a surprise appearance of an NXT star, a heel turn to likely set up a WrestleMania match, and more between Dean Ambrose and Triple H.
For the full recap and results from WWE RAW, check out FanSided’s live tracker from the show that kept up with all of the action on the night. Moreover, keep up to date with all of the WWE Rumors leading up to WrestleMania 32 and beyond on FanSided.
Now that you’re all caught up, here are the five biggest takeaways from the March 7 episode of WWE RAW, including the best and worst matches, biggest winner and loser, and the best moment of the night.
Best Match of the Night
New Day vs. Y2AJ
Oh man, this match was fantastic and gets match of the night for the second consecutive week—though this week’s bout was for the tag titles. There were so many great spots throughout this match, including AJ Styles hitting both his Springboard DDT and a Springboard 450 Splash perfectly and then the finish with Big E countering the Codebreaker by just catching Chris Jericho and hitting him with the Big Ending.
As good as the match was, the post-match heel turn for Jericho was just as good as well. When he’s invested in an angle, Jericho is a top-level heel and he showed it here, topping it all off with a classic stuff-the-t-shirt-in-the-mouth-of-a-laid-out-opponent spot to walk away. With that happening after a match that was great already, this is no question the best match of the March 7 WWE RAW.
Worst Match of the Night
Brie Bella vs. Summer Rae
Who could’ve predicted that this would be absolutely terrible. These two Divas got maybe two minutes (that’s probably generous) in the ring together and they moved slowly and like they were following a script rather than actually competing in a match. Then throw in the fact that Lana again interrupted just because and attacked Brie after the match and this is only made worse.
While we’re at it, is WWE seriously going to let Lana wrestle for the first time at WrestleMania 32? Is that seriously what’s happening here? And against Brie Bella? Yikes. This is just the opposite of good things all around.
Biggest Winner
Dean Ambrose
Yes, I do realize that the Wyatt Family laid out Dean Ambrose in the main event, but hear me out.
Obviously things after the beatdown played out differently for Dean as he was able to persevere and ultimately leave the WWE World Heavyweight Champion in Triple H laid out as the show went off the air after hitting him with Dirty Deeds. That’s what Ambrose being the winner of the March 7 episode of WWE RAW really comes down to.
Not only did he sound fantastic earlier in the night when on the microphone battling with Hunter, but Ambrose also is going into the Roadblock special looking like a viable contender and like he could very well leave the show with the title going into WrestleMania 32. Do I think that happens? Absolutely not (though I think we all wish it would). However, the fact that it seems plausible that he could change the main event of WrestleMania speaks volumes about how well the company has built him over the past few weeks/months/however long. He wins, whether everyone realizes it just yet or not.
Biggest Loser
Ryback
How many times are they going to keep putting a microphone in front of this guy? Have they not realized now that he has the personality of the boulder that he shares a physical resemblance with? He was such an effective heel when he was just a silent monster that would kayfabe-murder you in the ring and not think twice about it. Now he’s a heel who can’t talk effectively and isn’t that gifted of a wrestler. That makes him look bad.
The fans are also a de-facto loser because of this because WWE is seemingly giving him somewhat of a push after this turn. That could mean that we see a lot of Ryback near the top of the card after Mania, which feels safe to say is something that almost no one who watches WWE is all too thrilled about.
Best Moment
WE ARE GETTING ZAYN VS. OWENS BE EXCITED!!!!
There probably aren’t enough words in the English language to sufficiently express my excitement when Sami Zayn’s music hit right as Kevin Owens was about to hit Neville with the Apron Powerbomb. This is seriously going to be the best match at WrestleMania 32 and it’s not even going to be close. These two guys have the perfect story to tell after essentially decade of being friends out of the ring and incredible opponents for one another in the ring.
I want to approach this with caution because, if anyone could screw up such a great story that’s already in place, it’s WWE. However, it’s really hard to contain it because the fact that they’re making this match happen makes me think that they’re going to give it the time it deserves. Sure, a lot of this moment is speculative, but the pop for Zayn in Chicago only backs up my thoughts that this was the best moment of the show.
That’s the rundown and the biggest takeaways from the March 7 episode of WWE RAW. Ole!