Road to WWE Wrestlemania 37: Week 1

This is the first week on the Road to Wrestlemania. The immediate fallout from the Royal Rumble was. This year it’s going to be different. Instead of writing these long drawn out articles, I will be giving my three takeaways from each show along with the results of each show. It’s going to be a brief summary about my thoughts with how the buildup to Wrestlemania is going. Strap up and buckle in, because we are on the Road to Wrestlemania.

RAW RESULTS
Riddle defeated Bobby Lashley by DQ
Xavier Woods defeated Mustafa Ali
Damian Priest defeated The Miz
The Hurt Business defeated Lucha House Party to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships
Naomi & Lana defeated Charlotte Flair & Asuka and Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose
Jeff Hardy and Carlito defeated Elias and Jaxson Ryker
Alexa Bliss defeated Nikki Cross
Edge defeated Randy Orton

THREE TAKEWAYS FROM RAW
1. It’s about time Sheamus turned on Drew McIntyre. They’ve been building this thing up for months and we finally got the payoff. I’m not sure how it’s going to work going into Wrestlemania, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up in a match together at Wrestlemania in some fashion.
2. The Hurt business seems to have a few small cracks in their ranks. Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander are constantly trying one-up each other and steal the others spotlight. Monday night, MVP and Lashley had a moment where they weren’t on the same page. Lashley was destroying Riddle and MVP even had to step in to stop him. I will be curious how the Hurt Business rolls into Wrestlemania
3. The angle with Lacey Evans and Ric Flair fighting with Charlotte Flair is super weird for me but as we know it’s entertainment. Charlotte has let Asuka down twice now because of this feud, so it makes me wonder if Lacey, Charlotte, and Asuka are on a collision course for Wrestlemania. Asuka really doesn’t have any legitimate any challengers right now, so she very well could be tangled up in the Flair Family drama.

SMACKDOWN RESULTS
Dominik Mysterio defeated Baron Corbin
Cesaro defeated Daniel Bryan
Bayley defeated Ruby Riott
Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode defeated Chad Gable and Otis

THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM SMACKDOWN
1. I am not sure what is going on between Cesaro, Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura. All of them are cut from the same cloth and have been to the same places. I’m really not sure what their Road to Wrestlemania is going to look like, but if WWE wants to please the WWE Universe than they should have a significant role.
2. Bianca Belair and Sasha Bank have a healthy respect for each other, but I’m not sure if it stays that way going into Wrestlemania. Sasha Banks has been on fire since her return a year and a half ago. As far as Belair’s decision, I just don’t see her going to Raw. Monday already has some stories going on and I don’t see them diverting from them.
3. Big E has defeated Sami Zayn and Apollo Crews in Intercontinental Championship matches, so the question becomes who is next in line for a title shot? Who does Big E encounter on his way to Wrestlemania? Right now, no one makes any sense.

Bonus Takeaway: Edge appeared on all three shows this week, which I thought was brilliant. He gave the rub to Damian Priest, Bronson Reed, Karrion Kross and Shinsuke Nakamura. On Smackdown, Roman Reigns called out Edge to make a decision by the end of the night and felt disrespected that he visited Raw and NXT. Before Edge could respond to Reigns, Kevin Owens showed up to give the Stunner Reigns. I really have no clue who Edge decides, but I am intrigued by the waiting game.

The foundation of Wrestlemania 37 started this week and it will continue to build as the weeks progress. Don’t forget there are two pay-per-views before Wrestlemania, so a lot can change between now and then. Check back next week for more on the Road to Wrestlemania 37.