Road to WWE Wrestlemania 37: Week 9

This week on the Road to Wrestlemania, tensions are on the rise and superstars are steaking their claim as to why they will be victorious at Wrestlemania. The Wrestlemania Card is set and both night’s look very solid. Here is what went down on the Road to Wrestlemania

RAW RESULTS
Sheamus defeated Matt Riddle
Braun Strowman defeated Jaxson Ryker
Bobby Lashley defeated Shelton Benjamin
Xavier Woods defeated AJ Styles
Naomi defeated Shayna Baszler
Drew McIntyre defeated Ricochet
Drew McIntyre defeated Mustafa Ali

THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM RAW
1. I am very disappointed to see The Hurt Business breakup this close to Wrestlemania. The fact that Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin aren’t even getting a Tag Team Championship rematch is wrong. Wrestlemania should have been built around The Hurt Business as a whole.
2. It was good to see Ricochet back on Raw in a meaningful match against Drew McIntyre. Ricochet should be featured on Raw every single week. The fact a person of his talent is sitting in the back on a weekly basis is a shame and an embarrassment. There a lot of stars backstage who should not be sitting backstage weekly and somehow they still are. I hope that changes once this year’s Wrestlemania is over.
3. The Women’s Division still seems like a mess to me. You have Rhea Ripley versus Asuka at Wrestlemania. This coming week on Raw you have Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler facing Ripley and Asuka. To cap it all off, you have all these other tag teams going after Jax and Baszler heading into Wrestlemania. The Women’s Division on Raw and Smackdown is an absolute mess and has no direction outside of Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair. Hopefully this can be corrected once Wrestlemania is over.

SMACKDOWN RESULTS
Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, Chad Gable and Otis defeated The Street Profits, Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio
Natalya defeated Shayna Baszler
Bianca Belair defeated Carmella
Daniel Bryan defeated Jey Uso

THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM SMACKDOWN
1. I love that we are seeing aggression from all the participants in the Universal Title Match. We saw it from Edge last week, we saw it from Daniel Bryan this week, and we have seen it from Roman Reigns since he’s been champion. I like the fact that all three of them are willing to do whatever it takes to walk out Wrestlemania is WWE Universal Champion.
2. Seth Rollins is declaring himself the new Mr. Wrestlemania, which is makes sense giving his performances at Wrestlemania in years past. This year, he goes into a match with Cesaro who has been looking for a moment like this for ten years. The Swiss Cyborg has never had a singles match on the main show of Wrestlemania. This match is make or break for Cesaro and maybe his last opportunity to get the momentum he deserves.
3. Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks has had an interesting buildup leading into Wrestlemania. I’m glad that Banks is finally going back to what made her a star to begin with. I have never been interested or invested in Banks as a face. Bianca Belair is someone who can play both roles well, but her taking on a cocky and confident Banks is something I can believe in. This will be a very epic match that will change the landscape of the Women’s Division for years to come.

BONUS TAKEAWAY
I’m absolutely appalled that the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and the Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships are on Friday Night Smackdown and not Wrestlemania. Both matches should be on the Wrestlemania Card. The tag team division on Smackdown has gotten better and the Battle Royal was designed to give someone new an opportunity. By moving these matches off of Wrestlemania, the company is robbing thirty superstars out of a Wrestlemania payday and not giving some of the younger stars a chance to shine.

This week’s Road to Wrestlemania has concluded and we are a week away from the biggest show of the year. Next week is a busy week for WWE and all of pro wrestling. Check back next week for the results of NXT Takeover: Stand and Deliver and Wrestlemania 37. Be sure to check our Facebook page for the latest news in WWE and all of pro wrestling. This has been the Road to Wrestlemania 37.