WWE Monday Night Raw Review – 03.09.26

Welcome to a special Monday Night Garth Edition of WWE Monday Night Raw, filling in for the Doomie Award Winning Kat Bourne, who is day-to-day due to illness and we all wish a speedy recovery. This week, Monday Night Raw is coming to us LIVE from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA. Tonight, we’ll determine the #1 contender to the Women’s Intercontinental Championship via GAUNTLET (featuring the likes of Bayley, Iyo Sky, Lyra Valkyria, Ivy Nile, Asuka, and Raquel Rodriguez). Penta will defend his newly-won Intercontinental Title against The ORIGINAL El Grande Americano (a.k.a. Chadro), and Oba Femi is gonna make Rusev wish he was back home.

Michel Cole and Corey Graves are ringside to call the action, unless otherwise noted. We run down the card as we get a look at some of the WWE Superstars making their arrival earlier in the night, including WWE World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk.

Recap from Last Monday where the snake-bit Vision is down to just Logan Paul and Austin Theory. Seth Rollins makes another appearance following several decoys, getting a free shot at Paul Heyman and knocking him out with a Curb Stomp.

RAW General Manager ADAM PEARCE is in the ring to address the WWE Universe. He has some “unfortunate” business, in the sense that it’s time to have a conversation with someone who has been hanging around lately, and that’s Seth Freakin’ Rollins. The Vision are here tonight (what’s left of them), and he knows Rollins is here as well. Suddenly, a bunch of masked men storm ringside, and seriously, Triple H better have gotten a good deal on this bulk purchase. The crowd doesn’t even react to them shuffling around like some goobers.

Seth finally unmasks and hopefully the comedy show is over. Does the Vision deserve what they had coming to them? Yes, but Seth had surgery just a few months ago. What happens when the hit-and-run doesn’t work? We don’t need the Worst Case Scenario, and that would be the end of Seth Freakin’ Rollins. Before Seth can speak, out comes Logan Paul and Theory. Paul says it’s not a matter of if, but when, and when is NOW. Before the two can stomp out a new hole for Rollins, the masked geeks shuffle around again, allowing his escape.

L.A. Knight wants in on the fun, and there’s no words exchanged as Paul meets him in the aisle and gets thrown into the barricade. They bring the fight in the ring, and here comes Jimmy and Jey Uso to… give the babyfaces stronger odds? Before things get too out of hand, Theory pulls Paul to safety. SORRY ABOUT YOUR LUCK, UCES! What the FUCK was this segment?! It’s been real, see you next time! … What do you mean the show isn’t over?!

Did You Know… The NBA canceled the Atlanta Hawks’ Magic City Promotion. A promotion cleared by the league ahead of time. Adam Silver

Jackie Redmond catches up with Jimmy and Jey Uso backstage. Jey doesn’t give a damn about Seth Rollins, but they got receipts to hand out. As for CM Punk’s comments about Roman Reigns, Jey’s got nothing to say, but Jimmy says maybe they do… and then they walk off camera.

Women’s Gauntlet Match for a Shot at the W-Intercontinental Championship…
Cole notes this is the first Women’s Gauntlet Match on Raw in 4 years. If we’re unfamiliar with Gauntlet Match rules, two women start, and after a fall (via any means), the next participant enters and so on until all participants have entered and one woman is left standing.

Lyra Valkyria and Iyo Sky get the unlucky odds of starting the contest. Lockup and Sky with the first strike. They jockey for control with some chain wrestling before hitting the reset. Valkyria cranks up a side headlock and comes off the ropes with a glancing heel kick for a two-count. Sky with her speed and agility to swing momentum in her favor, sweeping Valkyria off her feet and coming off the ropes with a boot. Valkyria sends Sky to the floor, misses the wrecking ball dropkick, and Sky quickly follows with a tope suicida. Back inside, Valkyria meets Sky at the top rope, hanging her up across the top rope. The wrecking ball dropkick connects on the second try as Raw Rolls On…

We return from the ad break with the BOO/YAY strike exchange. We’re 5 minutes into what could be an hour-long match. Let’s save some stuff for later. Iyo with a butterfly back breaker and running knees. Valkyria again blocks a trip to the top rope, but Sky creates separation in the opposite corner. Lyra isn’t getting much going, but intercepting Sky on the top seems to be working out. Valkyria surprises Sky with a step-up enzuigiri and follows it up with a tornado DDT and fisherman buster for a near-fall. Sky avoids the Nightwing and rattles Valkyria with a roundhouse kick. Over-the-Moonsault connects and Valkyria is eliminated at 9:23.

RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ enters next, with Sky cutting off her entry with a dropkick. She loads up for another tope, but Raquel catches the attempt. Sky fights free, but Rodriguez runs through her with a clothesline. Into the ring, and Rodriguez with a corkscrew elbow off the ropes for a two-count. Sky teases a comeback but gets sent across the ring with an impressive shoulder block as we take another break.

We’re back and better than ever with Sky fighting for position in the corner before snapping Rodriguez off the turnbuckle with a hurricanrana. Missile dropkick from Sky as Graves mentions her tapping into the Energy reserves. WWE AND MEGA MAN CROSSOVER CONFIRMED. Sky with the double knees, but as she sets up for the Moonsault, LIV MORGAN runs out for a distraction. Now STEPHANIE VAQUER comes out to take Liv out of the equation. Back to the action in the ring and Sky cradles Rodriguez for three at 16:09. Raquel doesn’t take the loss well, booting Sky out of the ring and giving her a taste of the steel.

IVY NILE sprints out to take advantage and covers Sky for three at 17:26.

BAYLEY is our 5th entrant, looking to find her path to WrestleMania. She wastes time looking over Sky’s fallen body, allowing Nile to get the jump and send her crashing into the steps… as we take ANOTHER BREAK! Bayley fights out of a rest hold as we come back from our 3rd ad break of the match, but Nile regains control with a gut-wrench suplex. Bayley with a leverage move to break a chin-lock and storms out of the corner with a neck breaker. She unloads the Five Moves of Doom and drops an elbow across the back for a near-fall.

Nile escapes the Bayley-to-Belly and takes Bayley out of the corner with a German suplex for two. Nile gets caught up in the ropes and Bayley snaps her down for another two-count. Roseplant is blocked and Bayley gets caught under the chin with a boot. Delayed vertical from Nile, getting one of the better reactions of the match so far, but it only gets a two-count. Bayley with some separation, but she’s too slow climbing the ropes. Story of the match for our babyfaces. Nile with a super-plex (with an odd landing) and a swinging uranage that sends Bayley rolling out of the ring. Nile follows and is thrown into the steps for being too aggressive. Back inside, Bayley’s flying nothing backfires and she gets knocked to the floor again. Bayley traps Nile across the rope, hits an elbow off the apron, and Bayley-to-Belly gets three at 27:45.

g is our final entrant, and I lost my bet from earlier about a heel going the distance, only to lose to a fresh babyface. Bayley greets Asuka in an aisle with a heat-seeking missile forearm. Sane gets in the way of things, allowing Asuka to knock Bayley’s head off as we go to our fourth break.

When we return, Bayley sends Asuka’s head into the bottom turnbuckle with a sunset flip. Asuka picks the leg and transitions to an Ankle Lock. Bayley rolls for the ropes so Asuka releases and hooks the leg for a pinning combination for two. Bayley with the leg capture now, cranking on the ankle until Asuka rolls out of the ring. Back inside, they trade heavy strikes with Bayley getting the better of this exchange. Asuka quickly outclasses Bayley with the strike exchange, scoring a series of near-falls from her strikes. Bayley counters the Shining Wizard and Bayley-to-Belly gets two. Bayley gets bumped to the floor in an attempt to climb the ropes. Kairi tries to get involved, but Lyra Valkyria is back to even the odds! Asuka catches Bayley coming off the second turnbuckle and the Asuka-Lock is applied. Bayley rolls through and Roseplant finishes Asuka at 37:14, giving Bayley the shot at A.J. Lee on next week’s episode of Raw.

This was a clear attempt to pad the run time of the show as far as creative input is concerned, but the work was fine from all participants. I would like to see Raquel get a stronger push. It feels like we’ve teased a split between Asuka and Kairi forever, and the Lyra/Bayley stuff goes back to the end of the Summer. I’m all for slow-burn, but one major complaint I have for the current state of WWE is that it takes FOREVER to get storylines to progress. Anyway, back to the match… some people grade each segment like it’s own match, but it’s one continuous bout, so call the whole thing ***½ and fantasy book how Bayley crashes out after her loss next week.

Recap of last week’s in-ring war of words between CM Punk and Roman Reigns, including one of those shooty-shooty comments about Roman’s deceased father after taking shots about what he’s good for to WWE and that’s to pop a gate or two before sending him off on a John Cena-style retirement tour. Yeah, the Punk comment was the lowest shot of the segment, but if you think any of this wasn’t approved ahead of time, I don’t know what to tell you.

DID YOU KNOW… Stephanie McMahon, A.J. Styles, and Demolition are the names already announced to be inducted into the Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

We cut to footage of MAXXINE DUPRI attacking NATTIE from behind during an interview that I’m sure was fantastic and displayed Nattie’s amazing personality. Seriously, we let Shayna Baszler go and give Natalya the Temu Version of the same gimmick?

DANHAUSEN stops THE ORIGINAL GRANDE AMERICANO and talks about making money off mask sales, but Americano tells him he doesn’t have time and that he needs to go. Since he doesn’t want to join forces with Danhausen, Americano is CURSED~! Americano doesn’t seem too threatened by that as he readies for the match coming up next. The crowd seemed into the Danhausen curse. This guy might get over!

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match:
PENTA (c) vs. THE ORIGINAL GRANDE AMERICANO:
No big match introductions for this one. Before the match, Penta addresses the audience, thanking his family, friends, and all the fans for supporting him. This title isn’t just for Penta, but everyone who never gives up and keeps believing in themselves. I apologize that I cannot transcribe the Spanish portions of his promo, my Spanish is weak.

Speaking of weak… wait, it’s EL GRANDE AMERICANO! YES! IT’S THE GOOD ONE! We join the match already in progress, with Americano in control of a side headlock. Penta with the escape and he catches Americano mid-flip with a boot to the chest. Americano puts on the brakes in the corner and slaps the taste out of Penta’s mouth. Penta gets sent to the post and Americano unloads with mounted right hands. More rights in the corner until Penta grabs the mask, forcing a switch. Americano does him one better, going for the eyes away from the view of the referee. It continues to be a back-and-forth contest, with Penta catching Americano in the corner with a back stabber, but forfeiting control on a failed dive through the ropes. Instead of following up, Americano poses with the Championship belt as we take an ad break.

We return to the action with Americano getting tripped up and Penta dropping a leg across the back of the knee. Penta bounces off the ropes with a Slingblade and hits head-stand dropkick out of the corner. Americano powders and Penta follows with a tope con hilo. Back inside, Penta with a flying body press for two. Penta goes for the arm, but Americano doesn’t waste time getting to the ropes. Spinebuster and roll-over cradle from Americano for two. They switch off, struggling to get that next big move. Americano blocks the Destroyer and connects with a Death Valley Driver for two. Americano dives into a pair of knees and Penta hits a Springboard Destroyer to retain the Championship at 10:42 (match JIP). Cole sells the match as a big deal, but starting it in progress and the long ad break made it hard to be invested. **½

STEPHANIE VAQUER with a pre-tape promo, talking up Liv Morgan’s beginnings and training her way from the bottom. Now she hides behind a trashy man, and has her friends do her dirty work for her. The “Mud Huts” Liv refers to made her the person she is today. She was forged in hell, forged in fire, and while both have made it to where they can be the best, Liv has gotten lazy and looks for the easy way to get what she wants. I’m not feeling the Rumble-winner Insta-Feud vibe, but this was a well done segment.

We cut to Liv’s reaction with Raquel and J.D. McDonagh not saying much, and she’s trying to sell that she’s not bothered by Vaquer’s words. Dom storms in, frustrated that he’s unable to find Finn. He’s got something to get off his chest and needs to head to the ring.

DID YOU KNOW… Royce Keys is STILL being interviewed by Stephanie McMahon!

The JUDGMENT DAY (DOMINIK MYSTERIO, LIV MORGAN, and RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ) come to the ring. Dominik doesn’t waste any time, he’s demanding a rematch from Penta. He should be the Champion, but Penta is walking around with HIS title, and we know who is at fault. He needs Finn Balor out here, and hates to air their dirty laundry in public. FINN BALOR comes out with J.D. McDONAGH as Michael Cole catches us up on what happened last week, with Balor stopping McDonagh from helping Dom win via under-handed tactics.

Dom wants to know if Finn got him his rematch from Adam Pearce. Finn takes blame for Dominik not being Intercontinental Champion and apologizes, but he was trying to teach him a lesson. They’re a family and will always have each other’s backs. Dom said he wanted to be the greatest Mysterio of all-time, and he can be, but to be the greatest you need to learn that sometimes you have to fight your own battles. He’s tried to help guide Dom for two years, and the more he helps and pushes him in the right direction, maybe Dom’s dad was right; maybe he is a spoiled little pr—.

Dom doesn’t appreciate the honesty, pie-facing Finn, and Finn responds with a Pele Kick. Finn isn’t done, hitting a Slingblade, but before he can add to it, J.D. cuts him off with a clothesline. It’s a 4-on-1 assault, with Dom fetching a chair and hammer. Finn briefly fights back, but Dom knocks him out cold with the hammer. Dom isn’t done, loading up his shoe with the hammer and hitting Finn with a 6-1-9. Finn must not have any friends, as the beatdown continues, including a frog splash across a chair. Wow, I’m surprised they finally pulled the trigger! I don’t feel TOO bad for Finn, considering his douchebag heel behavior for quite a few years, but this was well done to finally move us to the next chapter of the Judgment Day.

Adam Pearce is talking with JE’VON EVANS and thinks 2026 is going to be a great year. Enter KOFI KINGSTON and GRAYSON WALLER. Kofi says maybe they got off on the wrong foot and the fact of the matter is he sees a lot of himself in Evans. He was that kid who came up with new moves no one else could do and became the Champion, and Evans can be that guy too, with the right team around him.

Jackie Redmond is with BAYLEY and LYRA VALKYRIA. Bayley is PUMPED and appreciates Lyra having her back earlier (though she might not have needed it). If it wasn’t for A.J., a lot of them might not be here, and it’s an honor to get in the ring with her. When she beats A.J. for the belt, then maybe she and Lyra can run it back.

OBA FEMI vs. RUSEV:
Last week on Raw, Rusev stepped up to the plate as the next victim for the Oba Femi Train. Femi’s already crushed the likes of Kit Wilson and Johnny Gargano with ease, and still is bouncing from Raw and Smackdown as a “Free Agent.” I don’t think we should rush into things, but this man has a license to print money written all over him. Not to dump on Rusev more than I already have, but there’s nothing special about him at this point. His look is generic and he feels out of place in today’s presentation. Rusev is VERY GENEROUSLY rated an “83” in 2K.

They meet in the middle with a double clothesline, with neither man budging. They take turns throwing more clotheslines and right hands, with Rusev cutting Femi off with knees to the body. Whip reversal to the corner and Femi with a running uppercut. Rusev meets Femi in the opposite corner with an avalanche, but runs into a big boot and gets sent over the top rope with a clothesline. Rusev with a shot to the throat, but that only temporarily stuns Femi. Femi scoops Rusev up for a slam, but gets sent to the post and Rusev follows with a spinning heel kick.

Back inside, Rusev throws more bombs. Femi’s Chokeslam is blocked and the Mashka Kick sends Femi staggering into the corner. Femi recovers immediately, hitting Rusev with a running uppercut, launches Rusev across the ring, and the Fall From Grace Powerbomb finishes at 3:09. This was all it needed to be. Meaty men slapping meat and Femi getting a short and decisive victory.

NEXT WEEK… BROCK LESNAR returns as Raw comes to San Antonio! A.J. Lee defends the Intercontinental Championship against Bayley! ORIGINAL EL GRANDE AMERICANO goes one-on-one with EL GRANDE AMERICANO! Finally, ROMAN REIGNS will be here LIVE.

WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM PUNK makes his way to the ring (and we take our last break). Punk wasn’t sure of the temperature of the room but the crowd seemed to be happy to see him, so he does the hometown kiss-up by asking about the Seahawks. Punk alludes to a specific “disrespectful” comment last week, but Roman has never respected him for his entire career. Short “OTC” chant, with Punk chiming in “hold your breath, he might show up.”

Roman may not respect him, but he will respect the position he holds, and that includes Championships. This title was created because Roman shunned his responsibilities, but he defends it because he’s proud of it and the fans deserve a fighting Champion. If you stand across the ring from CM Punk, you level up, and if you don’t, you end up dumbfounded like Roman Reigns last week.

Here comes JIMMY AND JEY USO. Jey looks gassed pacing back-and-forth, demanding Punk to apologize. Jimmy’s reserved approach is more acceptable than Jey’s Dinner Theater performance. Well, until he calls Punk “Phil”, CAUSE WE’RE SHOOTIN’. GET HIM A PEPSI, BRUV. Punk says he’s the Voice of the Voiceless, but they disrespected their Uncle who has no voice. Punk talks about learning from their family and having nothing but respect, except for THAT ONE, that one son-of-a-bitch. Roman is a back-stabbing, gaslighting politician and Jey doesn’t want to hear it, he wants two words; “I’m Sorry.”

Crowd chants “Say You’re Sorry” as Punk ponders his next move. He’s sorry… that Roman has treated them and everyone else like garbage and never publicly apologized to the family he pretends to love. He disrespected his mentor Dusty Rhodes by calling him irrelevant, but he’s SORRY that Roman Reigns tricked them that he gives a damn about anyone or any of this. If he did care, he’d be standing in the ring talking to him now instead of his “Young Boys”, triggering a shove and a right hand from the Usos, knocking Punk on his ass as the credits roll (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER PAUL LEVESQUE). Punk typically delivers the goods on the microphone, but credit to Jimmy for not only delivering with what little needed to be said, but his presence, compared to Jey looking like he works for dry biscuits and watered-down Orange Drink at the local theater.

Final Thoughts: I’ve said for weeks that Roman vs. Punk is the only match that has me interested in WrestleMania: Las Vegas Part 2, and while I enjoyed most of what took place tonight, I’m still not sold on the two-night event, especially knowing a major program is Seth Rollins and the Shell of the Vision.

We got the big angle where Finn Balor is finally turfed from The Judgment Day, and that at least should be interesting to see if they recruit someone else or who Finn has in his back pocket to even the odds (don’t say Rey Mysterio…), and I’m sure we’ll get CM Punk vs. Jimmy or Jey down the road sooner than later to fill time with 40 days until WrestleMania.

Oba Femi is a ready-made-star, but we don’t know his immediate direction (though we’re all hoping he crushes Brock in the Mania Open Challenge). I can’t say I’m interested in anything about Bayley in 2026 as we keep teasing a split with her and Lyra Valkyria, and the Americano vs. Americano feud, at least as part of WWE TV, is no buys, and hopefully it’s written off or is left as an AAA-exclusive angle.