SOUTH PHILADELPHIA – World Wrestling Entertainment has captivated audiences for generations and shook Wells Fargo Center with excitement this past Monday night. As a lifelong WWE fan, I headed down to enjoy the wild atmosphere and event that was WWE’s Monday Night Raw.
Monday Night Raw is a weekly program that promotes a roster of wrestlers as they showcase their wrestling talents and continue storylines. These events stretch the imagination and promote the skills of the superstars.
WWE started to pick up speed this past year as new creative leadership took a seat at the head of the table. No, I’m not talking about Roman Reigns, I’m talking about Paul “Triple-H” Levesque. The new chief content officer launched WWE into a new level of fame as he brought back legends such as The Rock, John Cena, and The Undertaker.
The new “Paul Levesque” era of WWE made its way to Philadelphia this Monday, October 21st, in a thriller that Philadelphians are not going to soon forget.
The event starts with “dark matches” before the program goes on air, acting as an “opener” for RAW. Dark matches are special to each city, as they are not recorded or aired to the fans who are not in attendance. As RAW went on air, the excitement wasted no time as two wrestlers ran out and started the night with an action-packed sequence that captivated the audience.
Match after match, there was no interruption of entertainment, including between segments when commercials aired to television viewers. Silly jumbotron games highlighted fans in the audience from the front row to the nosebleeds. Week recaps reminded audience members of ong
oing storylines or upcoming matches.
Rhea Ripley, a female wrestler, got the loudest reaction of the night when her music hit and the crowd jumped out of their seats to see her entrance. As insignificant as the loud reaction might seem, it is a big step for female wrestlers to be accepted by a crowd that way.
About halfway through the event, a tribute was made by the fans to Windham Rotunda. Windham, also known as Bray Wyatt, passed away in 2023, and the fans will not let his memory be forgotten as they lit up the arena with “fireflies”.
The main event of the night concluded with a title change from fan-favorite Jey Uso to Bron Breaker, leaving most of the audience disappointed. Despite the main event being over and RAW going off-air, the dark matches were arguably better than the main event.
“The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes defended his WWE Undisputed championship against the “Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu in a Philadelphia street match (meaning no rules). Cody Rhodes retained his title and proceeded to make a speech dedicating his success to the city of Philadelphia which he claims “is my favorite arena of all time.”
Rhodes then signed a custom weight belt and his 3-year worn down boots and gave them to the “loudest fan in the building”. Two young fans in the audience were gifted the belt and boots as he continued his speech.
The atmosphere of the event was nothing short of electrifying. As the fans filed out of the Wells Fargo Center, chants and catchphrases were tossed around the exiting crowd. Anticipation for the next WWE event weighed heavy in the air as families and friends eagerly discussed what they predict is going to happen in 4 days on Friday Night Smackdown.
Overall, if you or a family member is a wrestling fan and would be interested in having a great time surrounded by other passionate fans, go to a live event. WWE is heading up to Hershey next Monday, October 28th, and they will be back in Philadelphia on March 7th, 2025.
WWE is on fire right now, so don’t miss the next time they come to your area, or you might regret it!