WWE RAW Review – March 06, 2023
Kicking off this week’s Raw with we head to a video of Paul Heyman, Solo Sikoa & 1/2 of the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Jimmy Uso arriving at the arena earlier today. Heyman goes over the game plan with Jimmy & Sikoa. He tells Jimmy that he needs to take care of the Sami Zayn problem regardless of what Jey Uso chooses to do on Friday while Sikoa solves the Kevin Owens problem. They walk off and Heyman calls Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa
Kevin Owens wastes no time as he fires off right hands before they spill to the outside and Owens whips Solo Sikoa into the barricade. Sikoa sends Owens colliding with the ring post, and the two get into the ring. The bell sounds, and Owens rains down right hands. Sikoa fires back with an uppercut and a series of stomps, then delivers a knee to Owens’ spine and a right hand to his head.
He then delivers several more stomps and a running knee, then follows it up with a diving headbutt. Sikoa locks in a chinlock, but Owens fires back with a senton. Jimmy Uso runs down to the ring and distracts Owens allowing Sikoa to deliver a hip attack. Owens rolls to the outside, and Sikoa follows him out there before delivering a 2nd hip attack that sends us to a break.
After the break Sikoa fires off several right hands and headbutts then he hits a Samoan Drop, then charges at Owens. Owens ducks out of the way and delivers a DDT then follows it up with a series of forearms. He sends Sikoa shoulder first into the ring post and looks for a Stunner but Sikoa ducks it. Owens lands a pair of superkicks and a cannonball, then ascends to the top and delivers a Swanton Bomb. He goes for a pin but Jimmy breaks the fall and begins beating down Owens causing the DQ.
Winner By DQ: Kevin Owens
After the match Jimmy & Sikoa continue to beat down Owens. They lay him on the announce table and Sikoa sets up for a splash but Sami Zayn appears out of nowhere and saves Owens. He grabs a chair and begins swinging it around, causing Sikoa & Jimmy to retreat. He then extends his hand to Owens and offers to help him up after they wind up back in the ring but Owens refuses to take it and slides out. He then heads to the back.
We are back from the break we go backstage to Bobby Lashley. He says he is tired of playing kid games with Bray Wyatt and showed up on Smackdown this past Friday to face him man to man. He says Wyatt decided to send Uncle Howdy instead and asks Wyatt what it will take to meet him in person as Wyatt’s logo flashes on the screen behind him.
We head backstage to Byron Saxton is with Carmella & she says that she will beat Raw Women’s Champion Bianca BelAir tonight before Chelsea Green walks in and they begin bonding. Green suggests that they go over Adam Pearce’s head to complain about his performance as a WWE official and Carmella agrees. She then asks Green to be in her corner, and Green says she will be there.
Non Title Match
Raw Women’s Champion Bianca BelAir vs. Carmella
Match starts off with a lock up before they go back & forth with submission holds before Carmella tosses Bianca BelAir to the outside and sends her crashing into the announce table. BelAir chases Carmella back in the ring then delivers a dropkick before Carmella plants her as we go to a break.
After the break Carmella delivers a hair whip and ascends to the top. She looks for a Frog Splash but BelAir catches her and rolls through. She hits a backbreaker and a moonsault off the ropes then goes for a pin. Chelsea Green causes a distraction, and the referee misses the fall. BelAir pulls Green in the ring, but Carmella catches her with a superkick and saves BelAir.
BelAir delivers a series of right hands before Green tries interfering once more. BelAir tosses Green into the timekeeper’s area and gets back in the ring. Carmella rolls her up with her feet on the ropes but BelAir kicks out and hits the KOD for the win.
Winner: Raw Women’s Champion Bianca BelAir
After the match Carmella & Green beatdown BelAir but Asuka’s music hits and she spits her mist into Green’s face. She gives BelAir a friendly nod before they stare one another down.
We head backstage to Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens. He asks Owens if he understands what he’s been telling him and says the only way to take down The Bloodline together. Zayn tells Owens to listen to him, but Owens cuts him off and says he knows they’re too much for one person to handle. He says they may be able to take down the stable together, but he doesn’t want to do it with Zayn. He tells Zayn he doesn’t care what he does and tells him to leave him out. A dispirited Zayn walks away.
After the break The Miz is in the ring. He says he will be moderating the upcoming face 2 face between Seth Rollins & Logan Paul ahead of his duties as host of WrestleMania 39 and will put his biases aside. He then introduces Paul & Rollins follows. Miz tries and gets the fans to stop singing Rollins’ song but they refuse to do so.
Rollins mocks Paul and says it sounds like fans know who he is, but they haven’t been formally introduced. He tells Paul who he is before Paul says he knows who Rollins is. He says he is the guy he eliminated in the Royal Rumble and kept him from winning Elimination Chamber, then says he doesn’t know what Rollins’ problem with him is other than he is better than Rollins has been in the past 20 years. Rollins tells Paul no one likes him because he is scum and a human dumpster fire then says no one wants to see him here. He says Boston came to see him get his pound of flesh and says it’s time to fight.
They prepare to get physical but Miz stops them. Paul tells Miz he does what he wants, but he won’t fight Rollins now because he doesn’t fight for free. Miz interjects and says as host of WrestleMania, he can make the match happen for WrestleMania. Rollins makes sure he heard Miz right, then tosses him out of the ring in an effort to get him to go to the back and do such. Rollins & Paul begin to brawl, and Paul looks for the Curb Stomp. Rollins ducks it and hits an intervening Miz with a superkick. He shoves Paul into the corner but Paul knocks him down with a right hand and tells him to let him know about WrestleMania.
Omos vs. Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler locks in a sleeper hold but Omos gets Ziggler off his back, then delivers a big boot as Mustafa Ali watches on from the crowd. He follows it up with a two handed chokeslam for the win.
Winner: Omos
After the match MVP grabs a mic. He says Brock Lesnar asked him to hype up his WrestleMania match with Omos and he did just that.
We head backstage to Maximum Male Models, who are complimenting someone. Baron Corbin walks in and says he appreciates their comments, but they tell him they were talking about Otis. We pan over and see him talking to Chad Gable. Maxxine Dupri tells Corbin that she sees something in him, and if he can help them get rid of Gable tonight so they can get to Otis, then she will sign him. Corbin agrees.
After the break we head backstage to Paul Heyman,Solo Sikoa & Jimmy Uso. Heyman tells Jimmy that he has the ability to put an end to the Sami Zayn problem once and for all, then reminds him of how important it is for him to make sure Jey shows up on Friday.
Johnny Gargano vs. Finn Balor
Johnny Gargano & Finn Balor lock up to get this match started then they go back & forth with holds before Balor delivers a shoulder tackle. Gargano fires back with an arm drag and a dropkick. Balor hits a shoulder to Gargano’s midsection but Gargano manages to hit a hurricanrana and a kick that sends him out of the ring before he delivers a tope suicida.
We are back from the break Balor delivers a stomp but Gargano catches him with a kick. He hits a pair of back elbows and a clothesline then follows it up with a Spear and a knee. Balor fires back with a Sling Blade but Gargano manages to hit a pair of superkicks. Balor hits a double stomp and dropkicks Gargano in the corner then ascends to the top.
Edge’s music hits and Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley climb the ramp as they anticipate his appearance. Edge surprises Balor and pushes him off the top rope allowing Gargano to hit One Final Beat for the win.
Winner: Johnny Gargano
After the match Priest looks to attack Gargano but Dexter Lumis pushes him meanwhile Edge is inside the ring and he hits Balor with a Spear.
We head backstage to Byron Saxton is with Edge. Saxton asks Edge for his comments in regards to what just happened, and Edge says the pair have cost one another matches and affected one another’s careers. He tells Balor he will be in the ring next week and invites Balor to meet him there.
Piper Niven vs. Nikki Cross
Nikki Cross attacks Piper Niven from behind before the match can even start. She jumps on Niven’s back and the bell rings. Cross delivers a crossbody but Niven rolls to the outside before Cross can pin her. Cross delivers a dropkick to Niven’s knee and looks for a swinging neckbreaker but Niven catches her and plants her with the Loch Ness Slam for the win.
Winner: Piper Niven
After the break John Cena heads down to the ring as the hometown crowd gives him a warm welcome. However, before he can speak United States Champion Austin Theory’s music hits and he heads to the ring.
Theory says he has all the respect in the world for Cena. He says Cena is the reason he became a wrestler in the first place and he has all the respect for him. He says he has a gift for Cena then offers Cena a United States Title match at WrestleMania 39. Cena declines his gift, then says while he took a second to think it over, his answer is no because he hasn’t earned the right to give his gift. He says no one cares about Theory because they don’t believe him. He says he doesn’t believe in himself and has no heart, then says he’s been in his place. Cena says Theory is in his ruthless aggression era and says he has no heart and soul, then adds that Theory is a pair of trunks away from being a jabroni. He tells Theory he has the best name in WWE because he is simply a theory. He says in theory, fans should be in arenas to see him, but no one cares and he’s wasting everyone’s time. Cena says himself and Boston would like to give him a gift the option to leave the ring and remain in one piece.
Theory says he isn’t going anywhere like the bald spot on Cena’s head. He says he’s seen all the shirts like the one he’s wearing that say never give up. He asks Cena if that’s what he’s doing, then asks him where the hustle, loyalty, and respect is. He then tells Cena that you shouldn’t meet your hero because they always disappoint.
Cena tells Theory he would rather be bald than have crowd noises added to his matches, then says he said no to Theory because he isn’t ready. He says if they square off at WrestleMania, then Theory loses everything whether he wins or loses. He further explains his point, adding that if Theory were to win, then he would have to face the harshest critics the fans. He says Theory made it personal when he brought fans into things, then thanks his family and the fans. He asks fans if they want to see the match and they erupt. Cena says he will never give up on fans, then says Theory made the biggest mistake of his life by offering Cena the match. He wishes Theory locks and says he’s going to need it.
Cena walks off, but before he heads to the back, he tells Theory that he is n no way ready for the WrestleMania stage. He then says someone who is ready for it is here tonight and introduces Cody Rhodes. Rhodes heads out and they embrace.
Chad Gable vs. Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin delivers a splash as we see Maximum Male Models watching on from backstage as Corbin delivers a splash and rains down elbow strikes. Chad Gable fires back with a German suplex but Corbin delivers a chokeslam before Gable locks in the Ankle Lock and Corbin taps out.
Winner By Submission: Chad Gable
Becky Lynch says The Man & Lita have come around, then says when two legends come together, they don’t miss. Lita says you either let an opportunity pass by or you make the most of it and while Damage CTRL didn’t take it easy, they did make it worth it. Lita says there is someone they have yet to thank for helping them last week, and Trish Stratus’ music hits.
Stratus heads to the ring and tells Lita she always has her back. She says getting to see her team up with Lynch to capture gold meant a lot to her.
Damage CTRL’s music hits and the trio head to the ring. Bayley says Lita,Stratus & Lynch love to steal the spotlight for their benefit. She says she sees through them and calls them selfish. She says the 3 of them will be the reason Lita & Stratus never come back. Stratus says she warned her that she could quickly go from is retired to was retired. She challenges Damage CTRL to a 6 Woman Tag Team Match between them and herself,Lynch & Lita. Bayley accepts, and Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky ask her what she’s doing. Sky & Kai then look to attack Stratus & Lita but Lita & Stratus then toss them out of the ring. Bayley tries to retreat, but Lita,Stratus & Lynch surround her. Stratus sets up for the Chick Kick, but Bayley manages to escape.
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion Jimmy Uso vs. Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn wastes no time. He fires off several right hands and tosses him out of the ring, then follows him out there. Jimmy Uso whips Zayn into the barricade, but Zayn manages to toss him into the timekeeper’s area that sends us to a break.
After the break Zayn & Uso go back and forth with right hands. Zayn gains the upper hand and delivers a tornado DDT off the middle rope, then delivers a diving crossbody. Jimmy tosses him to the outside where Sikoa sets up for the Samoan Spike but the referee catches him and ejects him from ringside allowing Zayn to deliver the Blue Thunder Bomb. He goes for a pin but Uso kicks out that sends us to a another break.
After a another break, Uso delivers a kick to Zayn’s head as he sits on the top rope. Zayn goes flying, but Uso catches him with a kick. Jey Uso heads down to ringside through the crowd and gets up on the announce table. Zayn looks for a Helluva Kick but Jimmy ducks it. Zayn then manages to roll up Jimmy for the win.
Winner: Sami Zayn
After the match Jey gets in the ring and they stare one another down. He grabs Jimmy’s We The Ones Usos shirt and tugs on it before he hops out of the ring to join Zayn on the ramp where he hugs him. He holds up the one symbol with Zayn but out of nowhere, he superkicks Zayn and yells at him. He tells him that it’s always been about family then tosses him in the ring. The Usos blindside Zayn with an attack and Sikoa joins them. Cody Rhodes’ music hits and he runs down to the ring to make the save.
Next Week’s Raw
Bronson Reed vs. Elias
Non Title Match
Raw Women’s Champion Bianca BelAir vs. Chelsea Green
WrestleMania 39 Card (April 1st & 2nd)
Undisputed WWE Universal Title Match
Roman Reigns (c) vs. 2023 Royal Rumble Winner Cody Rhodes
Smackdown Women’s Title Match
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble Winner Rhea Ripley
Raw Women’s Title Match
Bianca BelAir (c) vs. Asuka
Brock Lesnar vs. Omos
Intercontienetal Title Match
Gunther (c) vs. TBD
United States Title Match
Austin Theory (c) vs. John Cena
Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
6 Woman Tag Team Match
Women’s Tag Team Champions Becky Lynch & Lita & Trish Stratus vs. Damage CTRL (Bayley,Iyo Sky & Dakota Kai)
