Why Seth Rollins’ WrestleMania Angle Is an Encouraging Sign, More WWE Raw Takes

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Credit: WWE.com

WWE Raw ramped up on the road to WrestleMania 38 with a show that highlighted the big matches for the marquee event.

Kevin Owens continued to taunt “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and Seth Rollins made another desperate attempt at stealing someone else’s spot at The Show of Shows by challenging AJ Styles for a shot at Edge.

Becky Lynch explained her heinous actions that left Bianca Belair injured and potentially unable to compete for the Raw Women’s Championship on April 2, while Natalya and Shayna Baszler proved their worth with a big win over Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan.

Omos continued his reign of terror, The Miz unmasked Rey Mysterio to ruin his win with son Dominik against Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, and Pat McAfee made a fool of Austin Theory by helping Finn Balor beat him.

All around, it was a solid show, though some angles sat better with the WWE Universe than others.

The following are the biggest takes from this week’s edition of Raw.

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WWE does not wait to do anything. The company has rushed big title wins repeatedly over the years, which is why Seth Rollins’ WrestleMania story is so fascinating to watch play out.

Most expect Cody Rhodes to face The Visionary at AT&T Stadium on April 2-3. Per Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, The American Nightmare has signed with WWE and will likely return at The Show of Shows.

Most of the time, WWE would refuse to wait this long to deliver such a major reveal. However, speculation has gotten out of hand in the excitement for Rhodes’ return, and there are few men who could instantly get him over in the company again quite like Rollins.

It is ridiculous that the former universal champion is struggling to get a spot at WrestleMania, but the story can work, especially when everyone is excited for what could happen.

All Elite Wrestling has shown before that a story can be built just as much by anticipation than delivery, and WWE is showing a similar level of restraint with its first major signing away from its competitor.

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Omos continued his dominant streak on the road to WrestleMania. He defeated Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez in a handicap match that laid out an open challenge to anyone who thinks they can topple him at The Show of Shows.

While it already took some suspension of disbelief to believe Seth Rollins cannot get a spot at the showpiece pay-per-view, it’s even worse when Omos can simply claim a spot on the card without winning a singles title in his career to date.

While defeating a giant is a story WWE loves, Omos just isn’t ready for the spotlight. He was an interesting bodyguard for AJ Styles, but on his own, he’s just a big man with a limited move set.

No matter who he faces at WrestleMania, it won’t be a big enough story to work as anything more than filler come April 2-3.

At most, Omos should be winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which would be a fine spot for him while he hones his craft for a bigger spotlight next year.

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The WWE women’s division is loaded with talent, yet the company’s female roster could not get more than 20 minutes on Monday’s Raw.

Becky Lynch cut a fantastic promo on Bianca Belair while Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley fought Natalya and Shayna Baszler in a four-minute bout. Dana Brooke and Tamina competed in a mixed tag match with Reginald and Akira Tozawa that lasted barely more than one minute.

This whole build to WrestleMania has barely featured any women, and those angles have been cut short most of the time.

The women’s tag team division has become an opportunity for WWE to throw female wrestlers onto the ‘Mania card without much story. Sasha Banks, Naomi, Ripley, Morgan, Natalya, Baszler, Queen Zelina and Carmella all are stuck in the same match that might get 10 minutes at AT&T Stadium.

It would be nice to see the women’s division get more spotlight ahead of The Showcase of the Immortals. Ideally, they could have gotten at least two more places on the card for stars such as Ripley, Morgan and Baszler to stand out in singles action or bring in a veteran such as Lita for a memorable spot.

If none of that can happen anymore, at the least give the women more time to shine next week before the men dominate the two-night ‘Mania.

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The Miz and Logan Paul vs. Rey and Dominik Mysterio is not a big match. It’s fine as a celebrity bout, but it’s not going to drive investment from the WWE Universe.

It certainly didn’t deserve a heated angle like The A-Lister unmasking Rey on Monday night. The Master of the 619 is the ultimate luchador and part of what has made his greatest rivalries work is that only his worst rivals would go after his mask.

Miz vs. Rey is a story that could have been built to such a moment on its own, but it felt like an unnecessary move at this stage in the rivalry.

Nothing is going to come out of it. Logan will wear Rey’s mask next week to taunt him, and The Mysterios will get revenge. This angle needed a more creative build.

It would have been great to see The Mysterios try to embarrass Logan on his own turf. He is a multimedia star from boxing to YouTube, and this angle could have utilized his cross-brand appeal better.