Monday Night RAW 3/16 Edition was aired live from the Performance Center, which was announced to be the new home for WrestleMania. It’s unbelievable to think this is what it has come to. A Mania, in a practically empty area, save staff. Without a live crowd, it’s hard to feel pulled in.
Maybe something different is what we need right now. SmackDown saw success last week, 205 Live was taped, and now we got RAW, which was mostly promos and a replay of the Men’s Royal Rumble. Stone Cold didn’t show up until the very end, but this was likely inevitable had the show been live like normal.
We kick off with Edge, giving a promo which evokes the Edge of the Rated R years. Intense, emotional, and ready to fight. This is the Edge we wanted, and it’s the Edge we got. It seems the theme of this year’s Mania grudge matches will be of a personal nature, and for Orton, whom we haven’t see much of lately, so this may harken back to the years of the Rated RKO days.
Contract Signing Between AJ Styles and The Undertaker – The lack of crowd was felt, typically when the Deadman shows up, the roof explodes. But it was fine, once you feel into the show, you still can feel the presence of the ‘Taker. However, there’s no contract! Styles is hiding out backstage, who then digs deeper into some personal issues for “Mark” and then sends out Gallows and Anderson with the paperwork. As expected, the OC is demolished.
OK segment, but I do like the mind games AJ Styles is playing. Turnabout is fair play now, isn’t it?
Rey Mysterio defeated Andrade in a Non-Title Bout. Hey, good match. Nothing spectacular, but a fun match to watch, and this was the purpose of tonight’s show. Give us something fun. Mission accomplished.
Becky Lynch WrestleMania Promo: The Man is here and once again, delivers a scathing promo on Shayna Baszler and throws some harsh words towards the MMA fighter. This is again, despite an empty arena a promo which a live crowd would have hung on every word. Kudos to Lynch for knocking another one out of the park.
Kevin Owens delivers his Mania Promo and hits back-to-back homers. Lynch, now Owens delivers two badass promos in a row, Owens using the PC Center as the focal point for both himself and Rollins. Creative, brilliant, and emotionally charged. This is the Mr. KO we love to watch.
The final live promo featured Stone Cold Steve Austin, and while it was meant to be fun, the lack of a live reaction was the downside. His promos typically cater to a live crowd, which he even joked about with a “tough crowd” line from the silence. In any case, Byron Saxton ate a few stunners while Austin invited Becky Lynch to close the show with a beer bash.
Was this the show we wanted? No, but it was the show we needed. Live crowd or not, WWE did what they could to continue to entertain their fans and not lose any momentum building towards WrestleMania.
Keep up the fun.
Monday Night RAW 3/16 Edition is now streaming on Hulu.
EXCLUSIVE: The #StreetProfits want the smoke, but they got the STUNNERS!@steveaustinBSR showed @MontezFordWWE and @AngeloDawkins a #316Day they would NEVER forget while @BeckyLynchWWE gave @ByronSaxton a special surprise in this thrilling exclusive not seen on #RAW! pic.twitter.com/jb07mQHcLJ
— WWE (@WWE) March 17, 2020
