Road to WWE Wrestlemania 37: Week 5

This week on the Road to Wrestlemania, there was a big shakeup on our way towards the biggest event of the year. Things are getting more tense, stories are starting to come together, and the superstars are positioning themselves to be on the “Grandest Stage Of Them All.” Here is what went down on this week’s Road to Wrestlemania.

RAW RESULTS
Drew McIntyre defeated Sheamus
Nia Jax defeated Naomi
The Hurt Business defeated Braun Strowman and Adam Pearce
Damian Priest defeated Elias
Bobby Lashley defeated The Miz by Count-Out
Charlotte Flair defeated Shayna Baszler
Riddle and The Lucha House Party defeated RETRIBUTION
Mustafa Ali defeated Riddle
Bobby Lashley defeated The Miz to win the WWE Championship

THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM RAW
1. Bobby Lashley winning the WWE Championship is good business for The Hurt Business, but also WWE during WrestleMania season. Since Lashley has won the championship, there is a lot of speculation on who he will face at Wrestlemania. Many want Lesnar to come out of the shadows and others think McIntyre deserves a shot to win his championship. I like both ideas, so my hope is that they make a Triple Threat Match and we get an all out slugfest for the riches prize in WWE.
2. It is looking more apparent that Braun Strowman and Shane McMahon are headed on a collision, but what is Adam Pearce’s role in all of it? Pearce was Strowman’s partner on Monday and used his authority to keep the Women’s Tag Team Championships on Raw. I would love to see Pearce get in the ring again and actually show the world what he’s capable of on the biggest stage there is. The question remains, are Shane and Pearce in cahoots or is Shane giving orders? I hope we find out the answer soon.
3. Asuka has been sidelined with an injury for a few weeks, which gives the Raw superstars plenty of time to make their case as a challenger for the Raw Women’s Championship. Charlotte Flair seems poised to be a champion again but there are other women who are going to want to step up the plate. One women who should be stepping up to the plate is Rhea Ripley. She was a dominant force in NXT and should be looking for revenge against Charlotte Flair over last year’s Wrestlemania match. When Asuka comes back, I’ll be intrigued to see who challenges her at WrestleMania.

SMACKDOWN RESULTS
Baron Corbin defeated Montez Ford
Angelo Dawkins defeated Sami Zayn
Dominik Mysterio defeated Chad Gable
Bianca Belair defeated Shayna Bazsler
Cesaro defeated Buddy Murphy
Daniel Bryan defeated Jey Uso

THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM SMACKDOWN
1. I find it out that Edge, who is suppose to be in the Main Event of Wrestlemania, wasn’t on Smackdown this week. However, Daniel Bryan was on Smackdown this week and he earned himself a Championship Match at Fastlane. If Bryan were to defeat Roman Reigns, it would shake up the Wrestlemania card in a major way. We know Daniel Bryan is winding down as a full time wrestler, so if this is his last year they are going to want to do something big with him. Nothing would be bigger than being Universal Champion going into Wrestlemania
2. Buddy Murphy re-emerged on Friday and offered to help Seth Rollins and rejoin his former tag team partner. Unfortunately, he did not succeed against Cesaro like he said he would. Rollins and Cesaro will collide at some point, when is what many are wondering. Both Rollins and Cesaro should have a big time Wrestlemania match, so it would not surprises if they push it past Fastlane and into Wrestlemania.
3. This mutual respect thing between Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair is not making me excited for their match at Wrestlemania. I want to see the old Sasha Banks. Not the one who is team with Belair again at Fastlane against Baszler and Jax. The Women’s Tag Team Champions should be facing Naomi/Lana, Tamina/Natayla Neidhart, or The Riott Squad. I’m also wondering where Carmella and Bayley fit into everything. Neither of them have wrestled in a while and that is not a good look. The Women’s Division needs fixing and it needs to be fixed quickly before Wrestlemania gets here.

BONUS TAKEAWAY
I’m unsure of how serious Keith Lee’s injury is, but he went from being a major player on Raw to not being seeing at all. Lee is one of the best superstars the Raw roster has and for him to be missing out on Wrestlemania season is a tragedy. I personally hope Lee emerges back on Raw TV soon.

This week’s Road to Wrestlemania is in the books. We are halfway on the road, so I expect a lot more excitement on the second half as we move closer to the biggest show of the year. As always, check back next week on the Road to Wrestlemania.