Revisiting Monday Night RAW: 2/26/24 – An Analytical Look

On Additional Review by Michael Schrute: Monday Night Raw 2/26/24

We would like to welcome everyone all to “Upon Further Review.” We’ll take a more in-depth analysis of Monday Night RAW. The content on this blog is solely my personal opinion about the show. I do not attack personally any wrestling organization or wrestler. This is simply an opinion about what transpired on the show on television. For those who have watched for a while, they know that wrestling teams have their own ups and downs in the process of creating over the decades, but there’s always something positive to be found out of every show. I have always been a fan of every wrestling company over the years and would like to see everyone else do the same without judging a business or the wrestler. Anything on the show which I did not like are not considered an attack. This is just my opinion of what was good and not so great about the show on television and we should be reminded of the entertainment that wrestling brought to us, the viewers. In that light, Upon Further Review, this is my opinion on Monday night’s RAW:

The show began by showing wrestlers who had entered the arena earlier in the morning. Looking back at the incredible works Kevin Dunn has done over the past four decades, I believe they have made a great transition to their next stage of producing TV shows. I love the fact that we’re seeing wrestlers entering the studio to give the show an enhanced sports experience and we can see the NFL regularly doing this in their pre-game programs.

A fantastic video program airs telling an account of events which took place in the Elimination Chamber. It will help viewers who haven’t yet seen the show know what’s happening tonight, so that they don’t get confused by the story as well as, also making the most important stories for viewers to keep an eye on.

Dominik was in the ring and received lots of applause. Dominik also introduced Rhea Ripley who was the one that at least half of the audience cheered for. I’ve noticed that over the past month that there hasn’t been much interactions among Ripley as well as Dominik. I’d guess this was done in order to give Ripley the mainstay in her fight against Nia Jax in the Elimination Chamber, especially with the match taking place in Ripley’s home country. Becky Lynch came to the Ring to greet Ripley. When Dominik was able to stand his hand out for Ripley and Ripley, it could be an indication that they’re still in the same place for those who were wondering why they weren’t in many segments together in recent times. Although Becky and Rhea will be battling one another at WrestleMania but they showed each other a little respect. When Nia Jax was slamming Becky, Nia stared at Ripley indicating that their feud was not over. The segment was very well-done and also brought some snark back on Jax following her defeat at the Elimination Chamber.

Sami Zayn was able to gain a victory over Shinsuke Nakamura. They reaffirmed the notion that Sami is once more believing that he can discover his way to WrestleMania. To me, it’s interested in the story and the personalities of the characters, therefore, the mission is accomplished. The more invested I am in the storyline and personalities of the characters, the more fascinated by the match.

Raquel Rodriguez Raquel Rodriguez Chelsea Green: We need to put aside the notion of jobbers, and focus on their role in the show, because it’s still a telecast show. It’s true that Chelsea Green often loses matches but does her character extremely effectively. Green has been on many interviews and has said that she prefers to act as an actor. She can work on her own and still have some rage when she is on the mic. She was able to take over Raquel and continue to be in the same role. It’s great to have Raquel return. We do not would like to see a performer suffering from any health issue or injury, as they are real people living in real life who have to go through these real-life ailments and injuries. The same is true for Liv Morgan later in the show, who recently returned.

Backstage, we witnessed the quick exchange of Gunther walking by Sami Zayn while smiling at the latter. It appears that the main storyline revolves around Zayn finding his confidence and figuring out his path to WrestleMania and it could come against Gunther. I believe it would be an excellent decision to see if Zayn gained momentum before the event, defeats Gunther and gain popularity back to the same level that he enjoyed during his feud with The Bloodline in the past.

Onstage Cody Rhodes talked about Grayson Waller and was smart enough to point out Waller’s positives. It’s better to beat someone who you’ve claimed to be a “someone” rather than beat a nobody.

A report on the Judgment Day came out during an interview between Gunther and Imperium. Damian Priest told Gunther that we’re searching to find more gold. It’s interesting that it could be that they were going to do Gunther against Zayn (pure speculation) it was this segment. I’m guessing that it was to test whether the crowd would boo for Priest because I imagine Priest turning into a babyface at WrestleMania (again just speculation). Is it possible to see Drew McIntyre defeat Seth Rollins at WrestleMania and later Priest take home the Money in the Bank briefcase to claim the title. This could send Priest out as a massive babyface and continue with the tale of McIntyre not being able to defend the title in front of the live crowd. Dominik taking on Gunther was a good way to close the show.

In the backstage area, Ripley asked Dominik why Dominik chose Gunther. Dominik’s concern shows the audience that they’re in alignment. Dominik ran into Andrade So we’ll need to see what storyline unfolds with the two.

New Day as well as Imperium engaged in a street fight. Contrary to some of the matches that have been played like this the majority of it was logical. I enjoyed the homage New Day made to the Dudleys by chanting, “Get the tables’ and their Demolition finale. The only change was Woods placing on his knee rather than putting his elbow upon Giovanni Vinci.

Shayna Baszler as well as Zoey Stark Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler Indi Hartwell as well as Candace LeRae: The crowd was completely dead during this fight. Although I think that the women’s team is extremely stacked however, tags team has has never did really seem to get off the ground. I’m not sure if it’s due to the fact that they are in the bottom part of their women’s roster that makes up this tag group division or if it’s because, from the beginning there were so many abrupt end to tag teams, regardless of the players getting injured or leaving However, I believe it’s possible that if they bring the top third of their singles who are pushed into their tag teams it could increase its effectiveness.

Drew McIntyre was in the boxing ring and mocked CM Punk. You did a great job keeping his name in the minds of the fans and encouraging them to look forward to their match once Punk returns. He warned Seth Rollins to stop involving himself in The Bloodline as they will take advantage of you and ruin your match at WrestleMania. I adore McIntyre. McIntyre character. He believes that he’s the hero. If you consider the times to the time he was turning heel, he was still against the babyfaces, but was in opposition to Jey Uso after he lost the match against Roman Reigns during Clash at the Castle. Everyone was gracious to Jey and Jey became a babyface however, Drew did not accept his apology. As babyfaces advised Drew to forget about it but he was not against them. He even joined Judgment Day at Survivor Series despite saying that I do not like you, but I’m willing to team up with you in order to have a chance at Jey Uso. He even dragged-out CM Punk as he believed that he had done the locker room an favor and is now somewhat delusional that he’s the hero of this locker. The character has developed dramatically in the last three months. It’s very similar to Bret Hart’s turn as heel at the WWF against Steve Austin. Austin turned heel who attacked Bret Hart, and costing him matches, fans embraced Austin by turning him into a babyface, and then turning Bret heel. Austin said to Bret that he was complaining about everything. Bret believed that he was right, and everyone was going against him.

Nia Jax against Liv Morgan: They’ve done well in making Jax into a formidable heel following her return. Becky Lynch interfered and attacked Jax. Another innovative production technique that was developed after Kevin Dunn retired is that we don’t notice the threat happening. Then, Becky appears out of nothing because we don’t even notice her until she enters the camera’s view and leaps Jax. It was only natural that Morgan was furious with Lynch for letting her down in the match, and she told her it was selfish perhaps resulted in the heel turning.

Michael Cole acknowledged the passing of Ole Anderson and a photo of Ole appeared on screen. I doubt this would have happened had Vince were still the boss, as they were a bit sexy between them in the 1980s. It’s great to have Triple H acknowledge the wrestling history and especially considering Ole Anderson having never worked for WWF/WWF/WWE.

Jey Uso told him he could not get his work done once begins. Drew McIntyre told him I am able to understand the struggles you’re facing and that you’re deserving of this and they got into a fight. This is a perfect fit in Drew’s character.Cody Rhodes against Grayson Waller: Waller is the most arrogant heel, and when paired to Austin Theory, they are fantastic together. It is evident that both are being pushed to the point of being below Cody which is why Cody did not hesitate to go over. In the earlier part of the show, Waller mentioned that he tried his best to safeguard Theory in the Elimination Chamber and Theory gave the impression of looking. It is possible that they will remain together for a while before breaking apart, if that is the intention. Paul Heyman came out after the game and instructed Cody to get The Rock’s name off his mouth. Cody said he’s now on the hunt for The Bloodline. The show overall had a story, and I would say this was a great show.