Monday Night Raw Review - March 28, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

WWE Champion Brock Lesnar Addressed Universal Champion Roman Reigns

As Lesnar's likely last promo before his championship clash with Reigns at WrestleMania 38, I didn't feel this hit the note it needed to. I've been thoroughly entertained by Cowboy Brock and it was cool seeing him in such a jovial mood here, but his promo felt off. Either he forgot his lines or was going off the cuff because this was all over the place. The crowd was into him, but this wasn't Lesnar's best work in the buildup to his bout with Reigns.

Rey Mysterio def. The Miz

This was a definite downgrade from their match at Elimination Chamber last month, which was given more time and was much more entertaining. This was merely a backdrop for Logan Paul parading around with Mysterio's mask on. He was the tallest damn luchador I've ever seen. The Mysterios giving the heels here their comeuppance was interesting since I assumed that would be saved for WrestleMania, though they can still have The Mysterios win and have the big payoff be Paul taking a double 619.

Omos def. The Viking Raiders by Count-Out in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match

It's sad that it's gotten to a point where Viking Raiders are being relegated to Handicap matches where they're getting squashed despite having the advantage. On paper, it's ridiculous they lost in under a minute, but I assume that was because Erik was legitimately hurt off that clothesline from Omos. Otherwise, that was a really lousy finish. Bobby Lashley resurfaced afterward to confront Omos and set up their WrestleMania match. That should be a decisive victory for Lashley. It's awesome he was able to make it back in time. He had a stellar last year and deserves to be on the card.

Universal Champion Roman Reigns Addressed WWE Champion Brock Lesnar

As noted, Lesnar's promo to start the show didn't light the world on fire in my opinion, but Reigns' promo more than made up for it in my opinion. This was fantastic stuff from Reigns and I loved how he referenced the last 'Mania match he and Lesnar had four years ago. It would have been nice if they focused on that prior to this point, but hey, better late than never. Like almost everyone else, I'm ready for this rivalry to be over so we can move on, but this did get me more excited for their upcoming encounter than I was previously.

Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Sasha Banks and Naomi def. Shayna Baszler, Natalya and WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Carmella and Queen Zelina

​This was the eight-woman tag team match I expected to see at some point before the Fatal 4-Way tag team match at WrestleMania. It was mostly average stuff, but everyone played their roles well and they kept the pace consistent throughout. Interestingly, despite getting on the same page recently, Vega and Carmella continue to rack up losses. There's a decent chance they end up retaining the titles at 'Mania, but I still suspect we'll get new champions, probably in the form of Banks and Naomi.

Kevin Owens Addressed "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

Props to Owens for carrying this entire program with Austin on his own heading into WrestleMania. His promos have been phenomenal, and just when you thought we had heard it all from him, he hit it out of the park again here. All signs seem to point to Owens and Austin going on last on Night 1 of WrestleMania and it's likely it turns out to be more than a talk show segment based on how heavily it's been hyped.

Austin Theory def. Intercontinental Champion Ricochet (Non-Title)

At this point, Theory vs. Pat McAfee may as well be contested for a midcard championship because their feud has gotten more attention than either the Intercontinental Championship or the United States Championship (with the latter being conspicuous by its absence on this show). This was a rare instance where I would have been fine with a disqualification because Ricochet losing in under two minutes after winning the Intercontinental title three weeks ago is hysterically bad. I know his "push" wouldn't last long, but that has to be some sort of record. This was too short to be anything out of the ordinary.

Bianca Belair Attacked Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch

I've mostly enjoyed this feud since it started back up again after Elimination Chamber, but I did feel like it was missing one last big angle before WrestleMania. Thankfully, we got that here with Belair getting one over on Lynch and going so far as to cut her hair. I can't say I was expecting that, and usually the heel stands tall on the go-home show if the babyface is ultimately going over. I was convinced Belair was winning previously, but now I'm not so sure. If that was the intent with this segment, then mission accomplished.

Drew McIntyre def. Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match

Yes, we got two Handicap matches on the same show. I was wondering why McIntyre and Corbin would get physical so close to WrestleMania when the whole story has been about McIntyre failing to get his hands on Corbin up to this point, but they avoided that with Corbin immediately tagging in Moss and having him take the beating instead. This feud has done nothing for me, but at least they kept this short and sweet.

Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro def. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos by Disqualification (Non-Title)

Remember this match the next time WWE tries to tell you Survivor Series is the one night of the year you can see SmackDown Superstars against Raw Superstars or see champions from both brands do battle. This "main event" paled in comparison to some of the stuff we saw earlier in the episode, but it was a quality contest in the time given. I was fine with the non-finish to protect both teams, but it was weird that The Street Profits were the ones to attack RK-Bro and not Alpha Academy, who never showed up. Instead, RK-Bro left Street Profits laying. That was certainly a heel move from Street Profits, so I'm curious if this means they will in fact be going full-fledged heel.

Overall Show

The road for WrestleMania this year has been all over the place and I agree with the general consensus that it's been underwhelming on the whole, but to give credit where it's due, this was a strong go-home show. Everything served a purpose and most things delivered. The mic work was especially excellent and I was left looking forward to both nights of 'Mania. I just wish this effort was apparent throughout the rest of the buildup to the pay-per-view.

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