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WWE Network Review: WWE Raw Talk for 3/15/21

By Aneil Komal • Published 17th March 2021

This week’s Raw Talk begins with the new full-time host Kevin Patrick and 24/7 champion R-Truth (still in his Austin gear), who got his “baby” back from Bad Bunny on this week’s Raw. Both men talk about WWE Champion Bobby Lashley defeating Sheamus in the main event, calling it a clash of the titans. They also bring up the news of Drew McIntyre getting his WWE championship rematch against Bobby Lashley at Wrestlemania. Truth says he likes both men although not so much Lashley after being put in the “Nelson from The Simpsons”. Calling his co-host Danica Patrick, Truth asks Kevin who does pick to win. Patrick would choose Bobby Lashley but adds that Drew has to go through Sheamus first before focusing on the WWE Champion. They then speak about The New Day winning the Raw Tag Team championship to become eleven-time champs before having a Broken Skull IPA in celebration of Stone Cold day. The last piece of news from Raw was Asuka returning and beating up Shayna. Truth thought it was not right for Asuka to use the exposed turnbuckle like that but Kevin supported the Raw Women’s Champion’s actions. Lastly, Kevin also informed Truth that he is now a 51-time 24/7 champion.

Aneil’s Take: With Wrestlemania only four weeks away, a lot of news and changes on this week’s Raw. The WWE championship match was announced as McIntyre will face Lashley at Wrestlemania. I was hoping they would have added the championship stipulation to Sheamus/McIntyre at Fastlane but it is what it is. I was surprised that The New Day won the Raw Tag Team Championships back, although Benjamin and Alexander had a lackluster title run. Also, I like the aggressiveness shown by Asuka, trying to destroy Baszler’s teeth with the exposed turnbuckle. With Heyman teasing the idea of Baszler going after the Raw Women’s Championship, it might lead to a championship match at Wrestlemania.

The first guests are former WWE Champion The Miz and John Morrison. Kevin asks The Miz about his feeling after Raw. The Miz says his body hurts having to go through McIntrye this week and Lashley twice last week. For The Miz, he does not understand how he is viewed as the bad guy, believing he is the good guy. The Miz adds that the WWE Championship match at Wrestlemania should be a triple threat since he is a must-see. Truth would question Miz and Morrison on attacking Bad Bunny. Miz claims Bad Bunny disrespected the business by giving away the 24/7 championship instead of defending it. The A-Lister also says Bad Bunny was disrespectful by stepping up to them. Morrison adds that Bad Bunny earned his Grammy, which he should have done the same for the 24/7 championship. The Miz says there is no denying how big of a star Bad Bunny is, but tells the Latin rappers not to step into his ring. Truth and Miz go back and forth, even accusing Kevin of having a fake accent before leaving the set.

Aneil’s Take: As expected, looks like we will have the tag team match between Bad Bunny/Damien Priest and The Miz/Morrison. I guess Miz is trying to make the case that Bad Bunny is just another celebrity trying to live his dream which is the A-Lister’s reality. I will say, it has been pretty cool to see Bad Bunny appearing on Raw weekly since the Royal Rumble. While he has been partnered with Damien Priest, I wonder if Booker T will play a part in the match at Wrestlemania.

The next guests are Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke. Kevin mentions Truth trying to give them a beer before their match which Dana says she does not drink beer. Speaking on their victory, Dana says they want the Women’s Tag Team titles. She and Mandy are doing everything to can, training endless hours to get the Tag Team titles. Mandy believes there is a need for change and wants revenge for the arm injury she sustained from the current champions. As for the possibility of Nia and Shayna lose the titles to Sasha and Bianca, Dana says it does not matter what they face, they are still set on going after the Tag Team championships. When asked who would they prefer to face, Dana answered Nia and Shayna because they want their revenge and to see some change. Dana compared the champs to a mountain and which they will climb and conquer. Kevin says Dana and Mandy are an actual team while Nia and Shayna are not, especially with Reginald in the fold. When asked about having a Wrestlemania moment, Mandy says it would be the world. They mention never having a championship opportunity, but winning at Wrestlemania would be memorable.

Aneil’s Take: Honestly, I cannot buy this team with Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke. They just seem like a generic team that was put together for the sake of creating a tag team. After her feud with Sonya, I was hoping this would lead to a singles run for Mandy. If anything, I could see Dana being put in a team with Lacey (before her pregnancy). I wish both Mandy and Dana well, but it is hard for me to take them as a tag team.

The final guest is Drew McIntyre. Kevin asks McIntyre how he feels both physically and emotionally. McIntyre says both Sheamus and Bobby put on a performance in the main event. After the match, Lashley talked trash to him so he hit him with a Claymore as a reminder it would be over if it hits his finisher. Drew then spoke about events at Elimination Chamber but says he is happy he gets his rematch at Wrestlemania which they will put on a match that people will remember. Truth brings up Kevin picking Lashley, which McIntyre says he will have to get through Sheamus first, adding that they are going to beat the hell of out each other. Kevin questions if it hurts to fight his former best friend, which Drew says it does, especially with their families knowing each other. McIntyre brought up his friendship history with Sheamus friendship from their home countries to the WWE. He explains his wife noticing Sheamus’ jealously and he knew his “big brother” did not like him being at the top. McIntyre says he would have given a title shot to Sheamus if he had simply asked for it. Talking about Wrestlemania being at Performance Center to Raymond James stadium, McIntyre says he had a lot of personal goals since winning the championship last year. His goal was to make it through all of the PPVs as champion and then have his moment of walking out as champion at Wrestlemania. McIntyre says he will do whatever it takes to get his moment at Wrestlemania. Kevin concludes by saying anyone would be a fool to go against McIntyre who is on fire. Truth and Patrick thank McIntyre for being on Raw Talk as the show closes.

Aneil’s Take: While I was not a big fan of Drew McIntyre throughout the years, he has really grown onto me this last year or so. His babyface run as champion has been fun to watch, to the point where it seems weird to see him without the WWE Championship. He has shown a lot of confidence and comfort being in the top babyface role. I did wish McIntyre had the opportunity to walk into Wrestlemania as WWE Champion, especially being one of the superstars who has carried the company through this pandemic. Going into Wrestlemania as the challenger may allow him to capture the Wrestlemania moment he should have had last year in front of fans.

Final Thoughts

I thought this was a decent Raw Talk. Of course, it is not like Talking Smack, but the interview with Drew McIntyre and The Miz & Morrison were pretty good. With Fastlane being the last stop to Wrestlemania, tune in to see if there will be any unexpected twists and turns!

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