WWE Raw: Analysing and grading each segment (5 March, 2018)

#4 John Cena def. Goldust

John Cena made a surprise Raw appearance

Storyline: John Cena revealed on Raw last week that a dream WrestleMania match against The Undertaker will not be possible. The next night on SmackDown, Cena defeated AJ Styles to earn a place in the WWE Championship six-pack challenge match that will take place on Sunday at Fastlane.

Segment: Cena stated his intention to become a 17-time champion at Fastlane and revealed that, if he wins, he will grant Styles his rematch for the title in a Triple Threat match, also involving Shinsuke Nakamura, at WrestleMania. Then, to the surprise (and bemusement) of the crowd, Goldust appeared and vowed to stop Cena from going to ‘Mania. Of course, he didn’t, and “Big Match John” won relatively easily with an AA.

Verdict: This segment began as an advert for SmackDown and Fastlane, which the crowd didn’t seem to appreciate much, and it turned into a first-time meeting between Cena and Goldust. The match was short and felt meaningless, especially for a road-to-WrestleMania episode of Raw. Just why was it happening again?!?

Grade: D