Paul Lavesque's playbook seems to be playing it incredibly safe while attempting to ingratiate new stars like Penta and Lyra Valkyria into the pro-wrestling consciousness. The results are decidedly mixed. Some weeks the midcard is represented as nothing more than backstage geeks, and other weeks they're the main event. The problem with this approach is that the midcard isn't bursting with an assortment of fascinating characters. It's just a bunch of nobodies and Penta and The Judgment Day. Instead of imploding (as I'd hoped last week), The Judgment Day has apparently grown stronger, ending the show with a post-match beatdown of Penta and Bron Breakker. It wasn't terrible, but it didn't feel earned given the state they were in last week (and every week before that). The main event Intercontinental Championship match, which was quite good, between Penta and Bron ended with Dominik Mysterio interfering. This is a clever way to continue to maintain Penta's aura while asserting The Judgment Day as a violent force, something they sorely needed.

It would be detrimental to back pedal and have them return to their clubhouse next week, but that's exactly what's going to happen. If they must have a backstage segment, show them as a united force, and then, if one of them faces Penta or Bron, have Dom interfere again. Steadily disrupting matches people actually want to see will earn them more heat than their backstage quibbling.

RAW REVIEWSTim KailMarch 28, 2025john cena, cm punk, wwe, raw, raw review, tim kail's raw review, the work of wrestling

Tim Kail's Raw Review, 3/27/25

I'm mostly pleased with John Cena's post-heel-turn promo. The Cena character hasn't fundamentally changed, as I feared he might. Instead, he's playing a man who's had a revelation. He's fed up with the fans' response to him, and he's letting out decades-worth of pent-up frustration. He still lives "Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect" (as far as he's concerned), still wears jorts, and still comes out to the same music. There's only the slightest pivot that makes him a heel, despite starting his promo with "I'm not a babyface, I'm not a heel, I'm a human being".

That pivot comes in the form of victimizing himself. He stated that he's been the victim of a toxic, dysfunctional relationship with the fans for the past twenty years. What gives his words some weight is that they aren't exactly untrue. No matter what he did, no matter how much better he got in the ring, no matter how good he was on the mic, there were those who chanted "Cena sucks!" and actively wished him harm.

Tim Kail's Raw Review, 3/3/25

Monday Night Raw got off to a raucous start with CM Punk leaping atop the announcers table to cut a promo on The Rock and John Cena. Punk was at his belligerent best, skewering both legends for their "bullshit" - The Rock's goosebumps and Cena's unflappable twenty-plus years of Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect. It was an elegant, improvised rant that Seth Rollins interrupted. Punk quickly hopped down off the desk and charged Rollins and the two devolved into an arena-wide brawl. It was energetic and excellent, exactly the kind of beginning I've wanted from RAW these past eight weeks.

Tim Kail's Raw Review, 2/17/25

Sami Zayn is one of my top five favorite wrestlers and yet I wince when he’s onscreen.

Not because he’s bad at anything he does, mind you. He’s great on the mic, grounding his words in emotional realism. It was nice to watch him kick off RAW with an earnest address to Kevin Owens. He’s also great in the ring, imbuing every move with that same emotional realism - I believe every time he hits a Blue Thunder Bomb that it’s actually going to win him the match.

I wince because I don’t have faith in WWE’s creative apparatus to do right by Sami. I’m instinctively prepping myself for a creative punch in the nose.

This scene with Adam Pearce and the booking of the “Unsanctioned” match at Elimination Chamber is all well and good, but what about WrestleMania?

The Writings