Here are my Raw Thoughts, Facts & Stats.
Sorry, my Weekly Column isn't done. I should have everything done by next week as there any PPVs to worry about.
I love the crowd with the Rocky Sucks chants & the We Want Cody chants. If they don't do something, it's going to be a long 2 months until WrestleMania.
Awesome segment with Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, & Drew McIntyre. I haven't seen anyone as savage as McIntyre since Macho Man. And to correct, Rollins, he & McIntyre have wrestled each other 11 times on TV & PPV in their Career going back to NXT. I know I said I wanted Rhodes VS Roman Reigns so Rhodes can finish his story, but I will take a Triple Threat Match between McIntyre, Rhodes, & Rollins. It would be different & not a match that we have seen 3 times (Rhodes VS Rollins) or 11 times (Rollins VS McIntyre).
I like the footage of the wrestlers entering the building earlier today with the times.
#DIY VS The Creed Brothers VS Imperium VS The New Day was incredible. I loved every single thing. I really wish this aired last week when Raw was Commercial Free so we can see the match during the break. It didn't matter who won. No matter what they're going to have a Banger with Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne on Smackdown & then another classic against The Judgement Day at Elimination Chamber. And for the record, Pat McAfee said that DIY & Bate & Dunne know each other very well. They have all wrestled each other in different combinations but never in a 2-on-2 Match. FACTS: This was the 3rd Fatal 4-Way Match of 2024, the 1st since Smackdown on February 2, & 1st on Raw in 2024. It will be the 1st Fatal 4-Way Match on Raw since Kayden Carter & Katana Chance VS Maxxine Dupri & Ivy Nile VS Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae VS Natalya & Tegan Nox on November 20, 2023, 1st Men's Fatal 4-Way Match on Raw since Ivar VS The Miz VS Bronson Reed VS Ricochet on November 6, 2023, & 1st Men's Tag Team Fatal 4-Way Match on Raw since The Alpha Academy VS Los Lotharios VS The New Day VS The Street Profits on September 5, 2022. This was Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano's 2nd week in a row on Raw & in the Raw opener. This was their 1st Tag Team Fatal 4-Way Match in their Career. This was Brutus & Julius Creed's 1st Raw match & opener of 2024 & their 1st Raw since they lost to The Judgment Day on December 18, 2023. This was their 2nd Tag Team Fatal 4-Way Match in their Career & 1st since they lost to The Family at NXT No Mercy on September 30, 2023, giving them a Fatal 4-Way Match Record of 0-3-0. This was Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci's 1st Raw match & opener since 1/22. This was their 2nd Tag Team Fatal 4-Way Match in their Career & 1st since they lost to The Brawling Brutes on Smackdown on September 16, 2022, giving them a Fatal 4-Way Match Record of 0-3-0. This was Kofi Kingston's 3rd week in a row on Raw, Xavier Woods' 1st Raw since January 22, & their 1st Raw opener since January 22. This was their 4th Tag Team Fatal 4-Way Match in their Career & 1st since they lost to Gallus at NXT Vengeance Day on February 4, 2023, giving them a Tag Team Fatal 4-Way Match Record of 0-3-1.
Cool promos by Shayna Baszler & Becky Lynch.
Becky Lynch VS Shayna Baszler was a really good match even if the result was predictable given how they hinted who Rhea Ripley's WrestleMania Opponent is going to be. Liv Morgan VS Zoey Stark. should be good next week.
FACTS: This was Becky Lynch's 1st Raw since she lost to Nia Jax on 1/1. This was Shayna Baszler's 3rd week in a row on Raw & her 1st 1-on-1 Match since she lost to Nia Jax on 12/4/23. This will be the 2nd 1-on-1 Match between them after WrestleMania 36 on 4/4/20, which was won by Lynch.
OK promo by Liv Morgan. Looking forward to seeing her back in action.
I was out of the room so I missed a segment with Drew McIntyre & Adam Pearce.
OK segment with Rhea Ripley & Nia Jax to make their match at Elimination Chamber Official. Maybe The Rock can use his pull as part of the TKO Board to get his cousin out of WWE.
Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa VS Ivar & Valhalla was short. Nothing special. FACTS: This was the 2nd Mixed Tag Team Match of 2024 & 1st since NXT Vengeance Day on 2/4, 1st on the main roster in 2024, 1st on the main roster & 1st on Raw since The Alpha Academy VS The Viking Raiders on Raw on July 3, 2023. It was the 1st 2-on-2 Mixed Tag Team Match of 2024, the 1st since Dragon Lee & Lyra Valkyria VS The Judgment Day on NXT on August 22, 2023, 1st on the main roster since The OC VS Karrion Kross & Scarlett on Smackdown on June 16, 2023, & 1st on Raw since Liv Morgan & AJ Styles VS The Judgment Day on May 23, 2022. This was Maxxine Dupri's 1st Raw of 2024 & her 1st Raw since she lost to Rhea Ripley on December 11, 2023. This was her 1st 2-on-2 Mixed Tag Team Match in her Career & her 1st 2-on-2 Tag Team Match of any kind in her Career. This was Akira Tozawa's 1st Raw since January 15. This was his 1st 2-on-2 Mixed Tag Team Match since he & Tamina defeated Dana Brooke & Reggie on Raw on April 25, 2022 & the 1st time he's teaming with someone other than Tamina in a Mixed Tag Team Match. This was his 1st 2-on-2 Tag Team Match since he & Apollo Crews lost to Indus Sher on Main Event on August 10, 2023 & 1st on Raw since the Mixed Tag on April 25, 2022. This was Ivar's 1st Raw since January 22. It was the 1st 2-on-2 Mixed Tag Team Match in his Career, his 1st 2-on-2 Tag Team Match since he & Erik defeated Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin on Main Event on September 14, 2023 & 1st on Raw since they defeated Drew McIntyre & Matt Riddle on September 4, 2023 & the 1st time he teamed with someone other than Erik. This was Valhalla's 1st Raw since January 22. This was her 1st 2-on-2 Mixed Tag Team Match in her Career, her 1st 2-on-2 Tag Team Match since she & Dana Brooke lost to The Iiconics on Main Event on September 12, 2019 & 1st on Raw since The Riott Squad lost to Natalya & Ronda Rousey on February 25, 2019. This was the 4th week in a row that Raw had 2 Women's Matches. This was Valhalla's 1st win since she defeated Deonna Purrazzo on Main Event on January 30, 2020 & 1st on Raw since she & Liv Morgan defeated Dana Brooke & Natalya on January 28, 2019.
Another hilarious segment with R-Truth & The Judgment Day. Put R-Truth in the Hall of Fame right now.
Solid promo by The Miz. I guess Miz & R-Truth will be wrestling The Judgment Day at WrestleMania since they weren't part of the 4-Way to earn a match at Elimination Chamber.
The Miz VS JD McDonagh was silly with R-Truth's antics & Dominik Mysterio, but it was still a good match. I loved Truth going way back to 2000 when he & Road Dogg rapped. I remember them feuding with Edge & Christian. FACTS: This was The Miz's 1st Raw since January 22. This was JD McDonagh's 1st Raw since January 15 & his 1st 1-on-1 Match since he lost to The Miz on January 8. This was the 2nd 1-on-1 Match between them after Raw on January 8, which was also won by The Miz.
Good video & promo on Kayden Carter & Katana Chance.
OK segment with Adam Pearce, Imperium, & Bron Breakker. Imperium should know Breakker. They were in NXT together for 2 years. Imperium left NXT in 2022. Breakker debuted in 2021 & wrestled on several of the same shows together. Poor Bron. He flew from Vengeance Day in Clarksville, TN to St. Louis, MO for a 30 second cameo on Raw just to fly to Orlando, FL for NXT tomorrow.
Good segment with GUNTHER & Imperium & Jey Uso. They can't do Jey VS GUNTHER at Elimination Chamber since GUNTHER can't go to Australia. They're supposed to do Jey VS Jimmy at WrestleMania. So, I guess it will be a TV feud. If Jey wins, then he VS Jimmy will be for the Intercontinental Title & then what will GUNTHER do at Mania? Nice save by The New Day. And we got a 6-Man coming soon.
Good promo by Shinsuke Nakamura.
Kayden Carter & Katana Chance VS The Kabuki Warriors was a great match. FACTS: This was the 4th Womenβs Tag Team Championship Match of 2024, making it the Championship with the Most Defenses in 2024, & 1st since Smackdown on January 26. This was Kayden Carter & Katana Chance's 1st Raw since January 8. If they would have won, Kayden Carter & Katana Chance would have been the 7th 2-time Champions after Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax, Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross, Sasha Banks & Bayley, Damage CTRL, Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez, & The Kabuki Warriors & 2nd in a row & would have been the 12th & 13th women to be a 2-time Women's Tag Team Champion. This was Asuka & Kairi Sane's 2nd week in a row on Raw, which is the 1st time they wrestled in 2 2-on-2 Tag Team Matches in consecutive weeks on Raw since they lost to Charlotte Flair & Natalya on November 4, 2019 & defeated Flair & Becky Lynch on November 11, 2019. This was The Kabuki Warriors' 1st Women's Tag Team Championship Defense, so if they would have lost, they would have been the 1st since Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez who lost to Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green on Raw on July 17, 2023 to lose in their 1st Defense. As of Raw, The Kabuki Warriors' Women's Tag Team Championship Reign has lasted 10 Days, so if they lose, they would be the 1st to lose in 10 Days, which is the 2nd Shortest Reign of All-Time ahead of Asuka & Alexa Bliss (10/31/22 - 11/5/22, 5 Days). This was the 2nd 2-on-2 Match between them after the 1st since Raw on January 8, which was also won by The Kabuki Warriors. The Women's Tag Team Championship has changed hands once in 2024, when The Kabuki Warriors defeated Kayden Carter & Katana Chance on Raw on January 8. It has changed hands 24 times in History. This was the 1st Raw since January 1 to have 3 Women's Matches.
Great promo by Sami Zayn.
Solid Raw for next week.
Cody Rhodes VS Shinsuke Nakamura was awesome. I love that it was Dusty's Bull Rope. I like that Rhodes has mist on his face & not blood like usual in a Bull Rope match. He finished his story with Nak, so let him finish his other story at WrestleMania. Damn Drew McIntyre. FACTS: This was the 1st Bull Rope Match of 2024, the 8th televised Bull Rope Match in WWE (Others: Dusty Rhodes VS Billy Graham (August 28, 1978 MSG & November 18, 1978 PRISM), Triple H VS The Rock (September 23, 1999 Smackdown), The Rock VS Al Snow (December 20, 1999 Raw), Batista VS JBL (September 9, 2005 Smackdown), Dusty Rhodes VS Randy Orton (July 22, 2007 Great American Bash), & Hornswoggle VS Chavo Guerrero (August 31, 2009 RAW). This was Cody Rhodes' 1st Raw match & main event since January 8 & his 1st Bull Rope Match in his Career, joining his Dad as the only father & son to wrestle in televised Bull Rope Matches in WWE. This was Shinsuke Nakamura's 1st Raw match & main event since January 8 & his 1st Bull Rope Match in his Career. This was the 3rd 1-on-1 Match between them after Raw on December 11, 2023 & January 8, 2024, which were all won by Rhodes.
Here are my Raw Match Rankings:
1) #DIY VS The Creed Brothers VS Imperium VS The New Day
2) Cody Rhodes VS Shinsuke Nakmaura
3) Becky Lynch VS Shayna Baszler
4) The Miz VS JD McDonagh
5) Kayden Carter & Katana Chance VS The Kabuki Warriors
6) Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa VS Ivar & Valhalla
EXIT 3: Raw in St. Louis, MO on the Road to WrestleMania was a fun one. The matches were great except for one. They kept hinting that Rock VS Reigns wasn't official, so maybe there's more. The Press Conference should be interesting on Thursday. I will watch that live, so Main Event will have to wait.
NEXT STOP: EXIT 4: Smackdown in Charlotte, NC (WOOO)
Ends Raw Thoughts, Facts, & Stats. Visit
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darrenswinloss.wordpress.com/2018/02/12/elimchamber/ for your Elimination Chamber Match History, &
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