Monday Night Raw Review - April 1, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins Interrupted The Bloodline

Getting The Rock and Roman Reigns back together for the final Raw before WrestleMania was a cool visual, but they really didn't say anything we haven't heard from them before, especially Reigns. It really feels like he's coasting at this point and exactly why he needs to lose the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40. Rollins played his role well, but you can tell the crowd was deflated when they realized Solo Sikoa was accepting his challenge for later on in the night and not Rock or Reigns.

The Judgment Day ("Dirty" Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh and Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest and Finn Balor) def. #DIY and The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)

For a commercial-free first hour, you'd think this would've lasted a little longer than it did. Maybe the opening segment ran long again? They tried to pack in as much as they could, but this definitely could have been better than it was considering the level of talent involved. Judgment Day going over was the right call if the idea is for them to lose the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship on Saturday.

Sami Zayn vs. Bronson Reed Ended in a No Contest

On one hand, I like that Reed didn't immediately lose to Zayn after beating him last week. On the other, I hate that the match never actually ended. Gunther attacked Zayn on the stage while Reed was in the ring and the referee never called for the bell. Otherwise, this was a good match and I hope Reed's in line for an Intercontinental Championship opportunity coming out of WrestleMania. On a side note, the vignette from earlier in the episode with Chad Gable training Zayn was really well done.

Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri def. Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae

I've been digging what LeRae has been doing with the gradual heel turn and am happy she's been getting consistent television time along with Hartwell. However, none of these women will be at WrestleMania (as of this writing, anyway), so I would've saved this for another time. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the match other than Hartwell refusing to cheat and losing because of it. I assume this is leading to her turning heel, too.

Ricochet def. Ivar

Ricochet's been on a bit of a roll recently with wins over Judgment Day in singles matches and he picked up another impressive win here. It's been a long time since Ricochet had this much momentum and it's encouraging to see. He and Ivar had the quality contest they're capable of and the crowd popped for the finish. I'm curious what WWE has in store for Ricochet post-WrestleMania and how long his renewed push will last.

Becky Lynch and Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley Brawled

These two brawled on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour earlier in the day, and again here, and again backstage afterward. They're also at a point where they've said it all, so getting physical makes total sense. One didn't get the upper hand over the other and that's smart because it plays into the outcome going either way. There's a great chance of them having the best bout of the weekend, or at least top three.

Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai and WWE Women's Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors) def. Tegan Nox, Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler

WWE seemingly cares so little about Nox at this point that she was thrown into a team with Stark and Baszler despite being a babyface and Stark and Baszler being heels. Obviously, this wasn't a competitive contest and wasn't around them, but it did remind me that we never got a payoff for her storyline with Natalya from a few months ago. This was essentially a squash for Damage CTRL as it should have been.

World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins vs. Solo Sikoa in a Bloodline Rules Match Ended in a No Contest

Despite the Bloodline Rules stipulation, this was your standard No Disqualification match. I sure as hell hope Reigns vs. Rhodes on Night 2 of 'Mania (assuming The Bloodline win on Night 1 and I think they will) has more in store than this did. That said, it was a fun brawl with the expected involvement from Rock, Reigns and Cody Rhodes at the end. Doing yet another non-finish on the same show was stupid, but I understand WWE not wanting to beat either guy. Rock and Reigns brutally beating down the babyfaces and standing tall was a hot angle to close the show.

Overall Show

Although there was definitely more filler than last week and the three hours dragged a bit more as a result, this was still a strong effort heading into WrestleMania. The opening and closing segments had a lot to do with that, but there was some solid stuff in the middle and I'd say it accomplished its goal of leaving viewers looking forward to this weekend. WWE has done a superb job with the road to WrestleMania this year and I hope it delivers on the hype.

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