WWE Monday Night Raw 3/15/2021

WWE Monday Night Raw 3/15/2021

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/wwe-monday-night-raw-382021.html

Bobby Lashley and MVP are in the ring to start the show. Bobby said he destroyed Drew at Elimination Chamber and will destroy him at Fastlane. He said this is the Almighty Era, then The Miz came out with John Morrison.

Jomo has the strangest hairstyle tonight. Miz said it's 3/16 week, and imitated Steve Austin. He then said they should do a rematch for the title in Austin's voice. He kept at it and Drew McIntyre interrupted.

Drew came into the ring and stared down with Bobby. Drew tried to make his pitch to Bobby and Miz interrupted. Drew told him to leave or he will make an example of him tonight. He called Bobby a "big bald b*tch" and Bobby jumped on him and punched him. Bobby then left and Miz then started taking cheap shots on Drew. Sheamus then attacked Bobby as Bobby went up the ramp.

After a break, Sheamus was interviewed. He said he will beat Drew on Sunday but he wants him at 100%, not 90%. He said he doesn't want Drew to have any excuses when he beats him. Drew said Bobby was messing around in his business and he wants Bobby tonight.

The Miz vs Drew McIntyre

We start this coming back from break with both guys ready to go. Miz gets the advantage early and is nailed in the corner. Miz gets picked up in a suplex and is thrown. Miz comes off the ropes and takes a Drew headbutt. Miz gets chokes over the ropes and tries to crawl to the ramp but is stopped.

Jomo grabs Dew's leg going back in and throws a pair of sunglasses at him, which Drew stomps on. Miz takes a reverse Alabama slam. Drew goes for a claymore but Jomo pulls out Miz and is ejected. We go to break and return with Miz hitting a DDT. Drew hits some overhead belly to belly suplexes on Miz and throws him out. Miz gets rammed into the apron and rails then gets his head banged off the steps.

Drew clearly misses a claymore and Miz sells it anyway. Drew doesn't pin him though and points at the Wrestlemania sign before putting Miz in a full nelson(to send a message to Lashley) to win.

Miz got more in than I expected here.

Bad Bunny is shown walking around with Damian Priest and Braun Strowman is headed to the ring.

Braun calls out Shane McMahon. Shane said he didn't know what he wanted. Braun said he has been called stupid all his life and Shane said he would never make fun of another person. Braun said he doesn't believe Shane wanted to apologize because McMahon's never apologize. He said Shane was mumbling last week because he was scared. Braun said he knows Shane wants a match with him, but since he is too scared to say it, he will challenge him.

Shane then calls him stupid and says Braun can't handle him. Shane keeps calling him stupid but finally accepts the challenge.

R-Truth is in the back with Mandy/Lana/Naomi/Dana and thinks it is 3/16, even though it is 3/15. R-Truth says "What?" like Austin did and offers them beer. He then drinks and spills beer all over himself.

Naomi and Lana vs Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose

Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler are on commentary here. Naomi gets a fallaway slam and a running knee from Mandy. Dana does a cartwheel flip onto Naomi. Lana does a satellite headscissors into a ussian legsweep on Rose and a weak bulldog. Naomi takes a double flapjack and Asuka's music hits as she comes down. Shayna goes after her and takes a spin kick and is then pounded on. Officials come down to break it up. Dana then hits a running blockbuster on Lana and wins it soon after. This wasn't good.

Kofi, Xavier and Riddle goof off in the back. Riddle said he is there to wish them luck and is playing around with his scooter. Riddle said they should all get tattoos and pancakes after they win their matches tonight. They decline and he then suggests matching scooters instead.

Raw Tag Team Champions - The Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin) (c) vs The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)

Kofi does a nice takedown with his legs. Kofi gets monkey flipped into a spinebuster. Shelton then throws Woods into the steps. Kofi M. Bison stomp's Cedric from the 2nd rope and Woods nails Shelton in the head with a forearm. The New Days tries to dive out on their opponents but Woods goes into the commnetator's booth and Kofi goes into the steps. We go to break and return with Woods and Cedric trading forearms. Woods takes a michinoku driver for 2.

Kofi runs up the buckles and hurricanrana's Shelton then Kofi hits like a jumping curbstomp on a standing shelton. Shelton pops up Kofi high and Kofi hits the SOS for 2. Kofi goes up top and Shelton jumps up top to hiptoss him for 2. Woods hits a springboard torndo ddt off the bottom rope to the floor. Kofi hits the trouble in paradise kick on Shelton and dives out then Woods comes off the top with an elbow on Shelton. Woods puts Shelton in a backbreaker over the knee and Kofi double stomps Shelton off the top to win.

It was a fast paced match and was entertaining as usual without them going too far.

AJ Styles comes out with Omos as the New Day celebrate. He mockingly congraulates them and said they are free for Mania. AJ said he has done everything in WWE, but Omos wanted to be Raw Tag Team Champions. The New Day said they aren't even a tag team, but AJ says they are now. Kofi wasn't buying it but Woods accepted for a match at Wrestlemania. This dude no wonders for the tag titles credibility. I mean maybe it makes sense from the New Day's perspective as they get a theoretically easy match, but that's about it.

Miz and Morrison run into Bad Bunny and Damien Priest in the back. Miz gets mocked for losing his title to Lashley. Miz says he isn't impressed with Bunny's accomplishments and asks Priest what championships he has won? Priest agrees and says he should start right now. Truth tries to hit Bunny with something but gets caught. Truth says he comes bearing gifts with a Stone Cold doll and a Steve Austin smoking skull title. Bunny asks what he wants for this and Truth says he wants the 24/7 title. Bunny gives truth the 24/7 title  and Priest asks what his name is. Truth says his name is Bad Bunny and people start chasing after Truth. Do I even need to comment on how bad this was? Giving away a title? And how does a title change hands by giving it away anyway? 

We go to break and come back.

Jaxson Ryker with Elias vs Damien Priest with Bad Bunny

Priest hits a high falcon arrow the spinning neckbreakers him to win it in a super short squash. Elias jumps Priest after and tries to go for a guitar shot, but Bad Bunny stops it. Elias grabs Bunny and tries to slam him but Bunny comes back with a punch. Priest then hits his spinning neckbreaker on Elias.

John Morrison comes out. While they look at him, Miz comes from behind and hits Bunny in the back with the guitar.

MVP and Bobby Lashley are interviewed in the back. MVP said he isn't letting Sheamus jump Lashley. He says Sheamus won't be 100% after his match with Bobby tonight. He then says the same thing that happens to Sheamus tonight will happen to Drew at Fastlane.

Braun Strowman vs Shane McMahon

Shane stalls outside early, saying he needs to warm up. Shane says since Braun was bullied as a kid, he is taking it back to the school yard and unveils a hop-stoch board outside. Shane does this and says it can help Braun learn to count. Braun chases him. Braun catches him and throws him into the barricade. Braun kicks him in the cheat and runs around to ram into him. Shane grabs the camera man's camera and nails him with it multiple times. Shane puts Braun across the table and jumps off the top with an elbow on him.

Shane grabs Braun by the beard and spills slime on him, calling him stupid. Man this was bad. What a wretched episode. And why the heck is there a bucket of slime there anyway?

We then replay the Orton goo angle from last week. Oh boy, that's totally what we need right now.

Alexa Bliss is riding a swimg in the back. She said Orton is going to have to take her out if he wants her out of his life. She says he can do so at Fastlane and asks if he will do it or not.

Asuka vs Shayna Baszler

Shayna kicked out Asuka's tooth a few weeks ago. Shayna did an inset saying she enjoyed it and will enjoy doing it even more tonight. Asuka jumps on Shayna and Nia gets in the ring. Asuka fights them off.

The match then starts with Asuka flurrying Shayna. Asuka gets stuck in the ropes and then knee'd in the face. Shayna goes for her choke and Asuka flips it over to pin her in yet another very short match.

Shayna tries to kick her in the mouth again but Asuka suplexes her and Kawada kicks her. Asuka then does a weak curbstomp on her into the bottom rope. Asuka takes out Shay'as mouthpiece and makes her bite the exposed bottom turnbuckle. She goes to curbstomp her into it but the ref gets in the way as Asuka gets mad.

Mustafa Ali yells at Retribution in the back as Riddle rides his scooter past them.

WWE United States Title - Riddle (c) vs Mustafa Ali

Riddle hits a nice gutwrench early and knees him out of the ring. Riddles goes outside and is put into the announcer's desk. Ali hits a sick twisting neckbreaker off the apron to the floor which had to hurt as we go to break. Back from break and Riddle is getting beat up on. Riddle does for a splash in the corner but eats the buckle then Ali puts the ring skirt over his face and punches him. Ali slingshots in then rolls into a neckbreaker.

Riddle comes back with a chest kick and combos him. Riddle hits an exploder and a senton then a fisherman's buster for a 2. Ali comes back with a spine kick and Riddle comes back with a high kick. T-Bar distracts the ref during a pin attempt and Riddle wins with a broderek. This was fine but short. Ali yells at Retribution after.

Randy Orton is interviewed backstage. Orton said Bliss dared him to kick her out of his life and he said that is exactly what he will do.

Drew McIntyre comes out to talk. He says his and Sheamus will bring a high level of physicality out for their match at Fastlane. He says Sheamus won't take him out and he will beat him up and win. Drew said he is grabbing a chair to watch Sheamus and Lashley beat up each other next.

Sheamus vs Bobby Lashley

They both flurry on each other in the corner early. Bobby takes down Sheamus and they claw and grab at each other. Bobby hits a nice leapfrog and a clothesline. Sheamus clips Bobby then drops knees on his head. Lashley hits a stiff spinning elbow and does a nice vertical suplex.

Sheamus goes into the post. Sheamus jumps off the apron onto Bobby and gets thrown overhead onto the floor. Bobby looks at Drew and Drew tells him to come on, which MVP stops. We go to break and return. Sheamus is thrown outside and rammned into the barricades. Bobby goes for the spear in the corner but Sheamus moves and Bobby nails the post. Sheamus hits Bobby with a single arm ddt on the floor then diving clotheslines him off the top. Sheamus hits some hard elbows to the side of Bobby's head.

Bobby gets thrown over the top. Sheamus hits his chest clubs on Bobby then hits the irish curse backbreaker for 2. Sheamus puts a version of the cloverleaf on. Sheamus runs into a powerslam and takes a flatliner. Sheamus takes a superplex off the top but Lashley runs into his knee soon after. Sheamus then hits white noise for 2. Sheamus goes for the brogue kick but Lashley catches him with a spear to win.

It started out good and they did a little too much in the end. I think it could have been better but the two are not bad opponents for each other at all. Lashley puts the hurt lock on Sheamus and lets go when Drew comes in. Drew hits a claymore kick on Lashley to send him out. Sheamus and Drew then jaw at each other to close the show.

Overall thoughts: The tag title match and the main were fine but the rest of the show was wretched with the slime and Bad Bunny giving away the 24/7 title.