WWE Raw March 9, 2026: Seattle Got a Show Worth Staying Up For

Seattle showed up to Climate Pledge Arena on Monday night, hoping for a good time on Raw with WWE being on the road to WrestleMania 42. For the most part, they got one, though not before sitting through one of the stranger opening segments in recent memory. Let’s get into it.

The Opening Segment Was a Mess, and That’s Being Kind

When Adam Pearce called out Seth Rollins to start Raw, what followed was something that can only be described as a fever dream directed by someone who really, really loves ninja movies.

Rollins appeared surrounded by roughly 20 masked men who circled the ring like a human whirlpool. It looked ridiculous. It was ridiculous. Even Pearce, a man who has seen everything in this business, couldn’t hide his exasperation. When Logan Paul and Austin Theory showed up to do their generic heel thing, Rollins used his masked army to disappear into the crowd like a magician doing a budget escape act.

Then, for reasons that defy logic and storytelling, LA Knight came out to help. Followed by The Usos. Neither of them had any real business being there. It felt like WWE threw every available body into the segment and hoped nobody would notice the plot holes. We noticed.

The good news? Things got dramatically better on Raw from there.

Bayley and the Women’s Division Stole the Whole Show

If you tuned out after that opening disaster on Raw, you missed the best match of the night — and honestly, one of the best gauntlet matches Raw has produced in years. Bayley outlasted Iyo Sky, Asuka, Ivy Nile, Lyra Valkyria, and Raquel Rodriguez to earn the right to challenge AJ Lee for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship next week in San Antonio. And the journey to get there was genuinely entertaining television.

Sky vs. Valkyria kicked things off with crisp, athletic wrestling that reminded you why the women’s division has been the most reliable part of this show for the past year. Liv Morgan’s interference created a ripple effect that took out Rodriguez and set off a chain of events leading to Nile pinning Sky after Rodriguez left her in a heap on the apron.

Nile looked fantastic in her brief moment in the spotlight. She is too talented to keep disappearing from TV, and WWE Creative needs to figure that out yesterday.

The showdown between Bayley and Asuka was everything you’d hope for from two former world champions with years of history. When Valkyria reappeared to cut off Kairi Sane, Bayley capitalized with the Rose Plant for the victory. The crowd erupted. Bayley vs. AJ Lee is the kind of dream match that puts smiles on people’s faces, and it’s coming next week.

Penta Is the Real Deal

Penta retained the Intercontinental Championship on Raw against El Grande Americano — or at least, the version of Americano who actually showed up, after Danhausen cursed the original backstage and a bigger, taller impostor strutted to the ring in his place.

The match was better than it had any right to be. Americano gave Penta everything he could handle, including a “Death Valley Driver” that had the champion in genuine trouble. But Penta answered back with a springboard Mexican Destroyer that brought the house down. Clean win. Strong defense. Exactly what a new champion needs.

Penta’s energy is contagious. His promo before the match is the kind of moment that reminds you why professional wrestling connects with people on an emotional level. The man is the best pure babyface on the entire roster right now, and it isn’t particularly close.

Judgment Day Finally Blew Up

For months, WWE has been teasing a Judgment Day split with all the patience of a kid waiting for Christmas morning. Monday night, they finally opened the present, and it was the best spot on Raw.

Dominik Mysterio confronted Finn Balor over his interference in the Intercontinental Championship match last week, and what started as a faction meeting turned into a four-on-one beatdown. McDonagh turned on him and swung the chair. Dirty Dom hit a 619 with a ring bell hammer loaded in his shoe. Multiple frog splashes followed, with a steel chair involved for good measure.

It was brutal. It was personal. And it was long, long overdue. Balor vs. Mysterio at WrestleMania 42 now feels inevitable, and the crowd’s reaction Monday night confirmed there’s genuine heat in that program. The Prince will rise again — and if you’re thinking “the demon” is coming, you’re probably right.

Former Judgment Day member Damian Priest summed up the whole situation perfectly with two words on social media afterward: “Sucks, doesn’t it?” Justice has a sense of humor.

CM Punk Played Chess While Everyone Else Was Playing Checkers

Raw closed with CM Punk doing what CM Punk does better than almost anyone alive — standing in the middle of a ring with a microphone and making you feel every single word.

Punk addressed his comments about Roman Reigns’ late father from the previous week, then did something clever: he reminded everyone that the World Heavyweight Championship he carries exists specifically because Reigns refused to defend his title consistently. That’s just facts delivered as a right hook.

When The Usos interrupted, the segment shifted into something genuinely compelling. Jey came in hot. Jimmy came in calm and measured, which actually carried more weight — a man speaking with dignity demanding respect for a family member who can no longer speak for himself.

Punk, to his credit, acknowledged he went too far. He even said, “I’m sorry.” But being CM Punk, that apology came wrapped in a reminder that Reigns treated his entire family like garbage for years and couldn’t even bother to show up in Seattle to handle his own business.

Jimmy dropped Punk with a right hand. The Usos walked out. The crowd sat in stunned silence, then erupted. This is the playbook. Punk is getting inside Reigns’ head, pulling the Usos into doubt, and using the Tribal Chief’s own history against him. It’s brilliant character work ahead of what should be a WrestleMania main event for the ages.

Final Grade: B

This wasn’t a perfect Raw by any means. The opening segment was genuinely bad, Oba Femi deserves a real story by now, and the El Grande Americano situation is wearing out its welcome fast.

But the women’s gauntlet match alone was worth the price of admission. Add in Penta’s clean title defense, the long-awaited Judgment Day split, and one of Punk’s best closing promos of his current run, and Seattle got a building block episode that moved the needle heading into WrestleMania season.