Penta is Finally a WWE Champ, Danhausen Back on Track and More Raw Fallout With Punk-Reigns Latest
Following Elimination Chamber, the March 2 edition of WWE Raw on Netflix at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis began the full march to WrestleMania 42.
Penta dethroned Dominik Mysterio as intercontinental champion following a Curse at the hands of the debuting Danhausen.
Seth Rollins made his return to Raw, taking out The Vision alongside Jimmy Uso and LA Knight. Later, Jimmy defeated Austin Theory by disqualification following the interference of Logan Paul, and Jey Uso helped protect his brother.
CM Punk and Roman Reigns exchanged words again, ending with a disrespectful statement by The Best in the World about The OTC's father.
Gunther defeated Dragon Lee in emphatic fashion, making him tap out after ripping off his mask.
The following are the major fallout moments from Raw that articulated the future direction of WWE toward The Show of Shows on April 18-19.
Penta's Intercontinental Championship Win Long Overdue
1 of 5Penta has finally won WWE gold. It was long overdue, especially since the man he defeated on Raw was the same one he should have dethroned last year.
However, no matter what happened in the past, the time is now for the luchador to define his legacy.
The Intercontinental Championship is the workhorse title and should be consistently relied upon to deliver some of the best matches on the card.
Penta has all the in-ring tools to be that fighting champion, and there are plenty of options for him to feud with heading into WrestleMania 42.
This is a chance to make Penta's name and solidify him as one of the most reliable workers on Raw going forward.
The Missing Piece to Seth Rollins' Feud with The Vision
2 of 5Seth Rollins is back and on the hunt for The Vision. He got his hands on Paul Heyman on Monday after previously laying out Logan Paul and Austin Theory.
At this point, The Visionary is too much for Heyman's group to handle. Barring a return from Bron Breakker, there is a serious talent disparity in this rivalry.
The heels need to turn the tide against Rollins, The Usos, and LA Knight.
This may include Brock Lesnar, who could face Knight on the road to WrestleMania 42, but The Vision still needs at least one more member.
The best option would be to bring in both members of The Street Profits, who have done nothing on TV for months.
Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins are too good to be sidelined and would be a better tag team to battle The Usos than Paul and Theory.
This would leave Rollins to deal with both The Maverick and Theory on the road to 'Mania, giving The Visionary more to overcome heading into The Show of Shows.
In the long term, Heyman can try to build up Ford and Dawkins as singles stars more than a tag team, finally testing how far they can reach.
Gunther Has No Direction for WrestleMania
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Gunther ended the careers of John Cena and AJ Styles in December and January, respectively, yet he looks lost on the road to WrestleMania 42.
His feud with Dragon Lee ended with a good TV match with a disappointing finish where The Career Killer unmasked Dragon and revealed his face.
This was disrespectful to the luchador's legacy, as he has protected his identity throughout his career.
However, there is no indication this feud will continue from here. Gunther dominated Dragon and will move on with no clear immediate rival for 'Mania.
Dragon was feuding with Gunther on behalf of Styles, but the unmasking could lead to the Austrian colliding with Rey Mysterio.
Nothing has been established beyond that possibility, though, and The Ring General should not be the one even teasing retiring Rey when that needs to be Dominik Mysterio.
As a pure match, Gunther vs. Rey could be good, but it is unacceptable that WWE cannot figure out what to do with the top heel on Raw.
The Danhausen Experiment Will Work
4 of 5Danhausen's Raw debut was not elaborate, but it was significantly more in line with what he needs to do in WWE than his Elimination Chamber reveal.
Very Nice, Very Evil is an odd, over‑the‑top character similar to ones that have worked in years past, but Triple H has never handled a character like this under his creative guidance.
The newcomer's Elimination Chamber debut was bizarre and confusing, leaving fans to question if their time was wasted by spending any focus on Danhausen.
On Raw, his Curse directly played into Dominik Mysterio losing the Intercontinental Championship, establishing his unique power to bring doom upon even top stars.
He and Dirty Dom could work well together in the coming weeks, selling Danhausen less as a big-time rival to Dominik and more of a consistent nuisance.
Hopefully, this is the path WWE will take going forward with the former All Elite Wrestling performer, focusing on how he can tangibly affect the product and talent without distracting from the key stories.
Punk and Reigns' Verbal Warfare Has Been Great…For Now
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WWE is relying heavily on CM Punk and Roman Reigns to promote WrestleMania 42.
In order to sell this matchup, it seems the two men will keep meeting in the ring to exchange verbal jabs, possibly all the way to The Show of Shows.
This has worked so far to some extent, but it already feels like they are running out of material.
This is a classic case of telling fans to care rather than showing them why they should.
Punk and Reigns hate each other enough to taunt each other about their careers, their fanbases and their families, but it is better to show fans why they dislike each other.
Give the in-ring face-to-face a break and figure out backstage segments, vignettes and even matches that can sell this dynamic.
If The Best in the World is willing to taunt The OTC about his late father, Reigns should be willing to respond with violence while undermining the world heavyweight champion.
He could bring AJ Lee into all of this, possibly trying to cost her the Women's Intercontinental Championship she won at Elimination Chamber.
These two could brawl on movie premiere sets (at least in staged settings). They could film tense, behind‑the‑scenes segments at each other's homes, using carefully controlled, scripted confrontations to raise the stakes.
Punk has already desecrated a rival's memory in one storyline; he could threaten something similarly shocking involving Reigns' father.
Right now, words are quickly becoming meaningless, no matter how disrespectful, and the hatred between the two needs a stronger hook especially on a WrestleMania card without clear focus points otherwise.
While Reigns and Punk are selling their feud in different ways, WWE could give these main event spots to those that need them more such as Liv Morgan and Stephanie Vaquer, or Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill.
