WWE Raw recap, review: Edge delivers a WrestleMania challenge
By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst
As WrestleMania rapidly approaches, Hall of Famer Edge returned to WWE Raw this week for a challenge to the roster.
Welcome back to my "Highs and Lows," this time covering the 2/21/22 edition of Raw featuring Edge’s WrestleMania challenge, Bianca Belair in a stellar match with Doudrop and an appearance from Logan Paul.
Here are the quick match results:
- Alpha Academy defeated Street Profits via pinfall (while Montez Ford’s foot was held down by Chad Gable on the outside)
- Tommaso Ciampa and Finn Balor defeated The Dirty Dawgs via pinfall
- Rhea Ripley defeated Nikki A.S.H. after hitting The Riptide
- Damian Priest defeated Shelton Benjamin via pinfall
- Dana Brooke pinned Reggie to regain the 24/7 title
- Bianca Belair defeated Doudrop via pinfall after hitting the KOD
- Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens defeated RKBro to earn a spot in the upcoming Raw tag team title match
RAW HIGHS
Edge’s open-ended challenge
"The Rated-R Superstar" asked someone in WWE’s locker room to step up by challenging him to a match at WrestleMania, and I enjoyed how he sprinkled teases for possible opponents throughout.
Don’t worry, fellow gumshoes, I’ll play the part of lead detective here and point them all out for the rest of the group.
First, Edge talked about how he always dreams of what it will feel like to walk down the aisle at WrestleMania and soak in the adulation from the crowd again, so that he can be "phenomenal" for them. He then held a long pause and looked straight into the camera with a smirk on his face.
This was a clear nod to AJ Styles, who even as recently as this month on "Out of Character" said he wants to go one-on-one with Edge on "The Grandest Stage of Them All."
The former WWE Champion went on to say that at WrestleMania you need to "fight your inner demon" — a reference to Finn Balor's alter ego — and become "undeniable."
It might be a stretch, but the latter seems to be in reference to Cody Rhodes, who recently announced that he was a free agent and has been rumored to be in talks with WWE about a potential return.
Lastly, Edge mentioned that if someone chooses to fight him at WrestleMania, he’ll make them "live forever," which just so happens to be Damian Priest’s catchphrase.
In my opinion, the most likely of these Superstars would be AJ Styles. That's a dream match fans have wanted to see for years, worthy of a WrestleMania marquee, and Styles would undoubtedly pull an amazing match out of him.
The Miz brings Logan Paul back
My favorite part about this segment was Miz playing into the aforementioned Cody Rhodes rumors by making it sound like that’s who he’d reveal as his WrestleMania partner against The Mysterios.
Instead, it was Logan Paul, and the guy is properly positioned as a heel this time around — which is much more appropriate.
We also saw Rey Mysterio form a brief bond with Bad Bunny recently in the Royal Rumble, so if The Mysterios need celebrity backup, BB makes the most sense based on his history with The Miz.
I would love to see Bad Bunny and Rey hit another dual 619, only this time on Logan Paul. That would certainly create some headlines.
Bianca Belair’s Road to WrestleMania
"The EST of WWE" is officially back on track after winning the Women’s Elimination Chamber match this weekend, as she’s now earned a Raw Women’s title shot at WrestleMania because of it.
As I said on Twitter over the weekend, Bianca winning the match was the right decision. She MUST defeat Becky Lynch at WrestleMania in order to redeem her loss last year at SummerSlam.
So far, we’re on the right path to getting there.
Belair’s promo this week in which she pointed out how hard she’s worked to earn her way back to Becky Lynch, as well as the subsequent match with Doudrop, were the perfect way to kick off her Road to WrestleMania.
They made Bianca look resilient, confident and damn strong. Hopefully that continues all the way until April.
Tommaso Ciampa teams with Finn Balor
What a smart way to get new fans behind Ciampa!
Even viewers who only watch the main roster know Finn Balor is synonymous with the NXT brand, so having the beloved babyface give his seal of approval to Ciampa was a great launching point for the possible new Raw Superstar.
Finn being back in action is great for Raw, too. His absence has been felt by the fanbase, and it’s good to see him in the mix as The Road to WrestleMania kicks into gear.
I also felt as though Balor/Ciampa getting a win over The Dirty Dawgs might actually influence some non-NXT viewers to tune in on Tuesday for the match between Ciampa and Dolph Ziggler on NXT 2.0. So that’s another plus here.
RAW LOWS
Nothing
Sure, I might’ve had a few minor criticisms here and there while watching, but that’s normal for just about every person watching anything.
Thankfully, nothing stuck out to me as deserving of paragraphs worth of constructive criticism. Though, I’m sure someone reading this will have a different opinion and flame me in the replies on social media.
That’s just how the internet works.
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Ryan Satin is a WWE analyst for FOX Sports. Satin previously appeared on FS1's "WWE Backstage" and founded Pro Wrestling Sheet, where he broke countless news stories as editor-in-chief.
