Opinion

Andrew’s WWE Raw & SmackDown Live Ratings & Analysis ( 4/1 +4/2/2019)

With WrestleMania on the horizon, how does the WWE main roster set up the Show of Shows? Do we get even more hype? Or do we get nothing special?

Published

6 years ago

April 4, 2019

Andrew Balaz

With WrestleMania on the horizon, how does the WWE main roster set up the Show of Shows? Do we get even more hype? Or do we get nothing special?

Raw has been mostly painful the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, but SmackDown is usually solid.

Will I be surprised? I’d like to be surprised, but I think I’m a little jaded at this point.

Let’s find out.

Raw Ratings:

Sasha Banks, Bayley, Natalya & Beth Phoenix vs Nia Jax, Tamina, Billie Kay & Peyton Royce: Phoenix wins via Glam Slam – * ¼
Jinder Mahal vs Apollo Crews: Crews wins via Frog Splash – N/A
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship Match: The Revival (c) vs Aleister Black & Ricochet: Revival win via Count Out – *** ¼
Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair & Ronda Rousey vs The Riott Squad: Rousey wins via Arm Bar – **
Heavy Machinery vs Roode & Gable: Machinery wins via Compactor – *
Braun vs…who cares: Braun squash, yay – N/A
Baron Corbin vs Rey Mysterio: Corbin wins via Deep Six – ** 1/2

Analysis:

Stephanie comes out, attempts a dumb April Fool’s joke (at least you tried) and then makes the Women’s Triple Threat a winner takes all match. So if they really want to send the fans home thinking it was the best Mania ever, seeing Becky hold up both titles at the end would be a perfect way to do it.

Heyman and Lesnar come out, I’m already bored, Rollins confronts Lesnar, little shoulder bump and then Rollins hits Lesnar in the balls. Visions of Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles dance through my head.

An eight woman tag match, that no one cares about. I mean even if it is nice to see the women get more spots on TV and PPVs, this isn’t a good look. A comedy duo of IIconics, the Samoans which are just unlikable as people, Sasha botching arm drags and Nattie being a charisma vacuum. This was hard to watch, the match at Mania will probably be the worst on the card. This was wasted time.

Batista cuts the best promo he’s done all year: “Kiss my ass”

Elias does nothing, but at least he’s getting TV time. Poor bastard.

The Battle Royal needs to be hyped? Like we think it matters? And lumberjacks just so you get to see most of the people who will get eliminated and possibly win a trophy that is the equivalent of a participation award? Apollo Crews is the tallest midget! Yay! Another waste of time segment.

The tag team titles are on the line, and the match was actually alright. I say that more because Raw has slowly been lulling me into a coma, and not because the participants are bad. Revival looked great, the Gory Special was fantastic, and the finish was perfect as well. However, Ricochet and Black attacking The Revival just because they didn’t win, AGAIN, makes you wonder what the hell is going on. You haven’t really established these two guys aside from a few throw away interviews that just proved neither can talk and Ricochet looks like a babyface. But they take advantage of The Revival whenever they get a shot. Heel/Face dynamic may not always be necessary, but the lack of anything tangible here is lazy and stupid.

EC3 and Tyler Breeze talk to Alexa Bliss, make a reference to the last SNL episode and then when Braun overhears them, they pass the buck to two nerds down the hall. It was funny, but that just means there will be a pointless squash match, in a night of pointless crap in the ring.

Roman is being interviewed and Drew jumps him! I’d really like to see McIntyre get the win at Mania to give Roman a rival to focus on for the next few months/rest of the year. This could definitely be a great main event rivalry for years to come. Both men are money.

Six woman tag match, that again didn’t really matter. The Riott Squad are worthless currently, everyone just wanted to see Ronda/Charlotte/Becky explode. And after Ronda finished things with an Armbar…we got the brawl! It started off fine enough, then once the fake police showed up, we started moving towards that ridiculous territory. Some cool moments before everyone was handcuffed and even when they got to the back. Car windows were broken, car crashes happened, Ronda nearly got decapitated by Charlotte…but it was all a bit much. I didn’t hate it, but I definitely felt it went too long and just started becoming more comical than cool.

WWE is trying to make us care about Heavy Machinery. But really…why? Just because Otis is a big goofy imbecile? Roode and Gable have to work their way back up from the bottom, I get it. But they’re much better than trying to establish a tag team which hasn’t been seen as more than comedy but their big. If Authors of Pain every come back, I can’t wait for them to destroy Heavy Machinery.

Braun squash, it’s like it’s 2016 all over again.

Demon reveal was kinda cool and Lio selling it worked okay. But this is another angle that isn’t really hot.

Mysterio and Corbin happen, and it was an okay match. Granted it did seem like Mysterio was legit hurt after trying to flip out of a suplex. The assumed injury slowed the match down a bit to make it feel rather plodding. Injuries are neither man’s fault, but it still hampered the match and just capped off a generally “MEH” show.

Overall Score: 5/10

Average show. The in-ring work was sadly uninspired, the backstage segments did amuse me here or there (like EC3 and Tyler Breeze passing the buck to two jabronis). The women’s brawl went a bit long and came off awkward to me at times, but had cool moments and I wasn’t offended by it or anything. All in all though, these Go Home shows definitely reinforce the fact that we don’t have to pay 60 dollars for these shows anymore.

They definitely give us 10 dollars worth of hype. Take that for what you will.

SmackDown Live Ratings:

The Usos, Aleister Black & Ricochet vs Shinsuke Nakamura, Rusev & The Bar: Usos win via Double Superkick – ** ½
Falls Count Anywhere: SAnitY vs The Miz: Miz wins via Production Box – ** ¼
The Hardyz, Heavy Machinery, Asuka, Carmella, Naomi, Nikki Cross, R-Truth vs Lana, Zelina Vega, Andrade, Shelton Benjamin, Gallows, Anderson, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville & EC3: No Contest – -* (negative)
Samoa Joe vs Ali: Joe wins via Coquina Clutch – N/A

Analysis:

Well we kick off with the Kevin Owens show, and by god is Owens the best host in the WWE right now. AJ and Randy didn’t need any provocation to get heated, but as soon as Styles hits the “failing drug tests” line, KO just says nothing, stands up and exits the ring. Good segment because we got a little bit of action and good subtle comedy with KO.

This 8 man tag match was decent but worthless. Hell Alexa came out afterwards basically to say the same thing of “Since you forfeited for the New Day, you will have a 4 way against the other people in the ring at Mania”. So very effectively just saying, you didn’t have match, and now you get to do this again, just more haphazardly. Will it be a good match, yes cause all 8 men will put on a good match. But it was still such a boring “twist”.

I love the IIconics, cause I have a weakness for Australian accents…but this segment wasn’t necessary. It just came off a little grating and like a time filler.

The Miz seems to have tapped into his Marine persona now that he’s fighting for his father’s honor or whatever. Shane has assumed the role of evil corporate son, and the gimmick with the ring announcer was perfect. When Shane added the stipulation, the announcer was about to announce Shane and even he had to say “not now”. So little things like that were amusing, but this match was hard to swallow. We’ve grown accustomed to the former Real World bitch boy to need every trick in the book to win against lesser opponents. But now he can take out 3 guys in a falls count anywhere handicap match. Just…sigh.

Becky doesn’t really say much, beyond establishing herself as the sentimental favorite since she pandered to the crowd well. It was a cute moment, but generally unnecessary.

So…because Mysterio took the night off to tend to the injury we get this 18 person clusterfuck? Why? Jesus…no, this was a mess and nothing good. Otis was a creep, hooray, Asuka stood tall so she prolly won’t win at Mania…but come on. Even SmackDown is wasting my time this week.

Joe murders Ali in less that 4 minutes I think. At least Joe looks like a monster and if Mysterio is actually hurt, it makes a potential squash look more convincing.

Daniel Bryan and Kofi contract signing. We know how these go. Kofi and New Day’s conviction to the story being told make anything they say resonate, even if it’s nothing really new. So well done by all parties, but this entire week on main roster was skippable.

Overall Score: 5/10

This show was insanely average. For everyone who thought Raw producers were doing stuff last week, this felt more like a Raw. Lots of rehashed match ups, thrown together multi-man clusters and a generally bland overall feeling. Plus as much as I like Miz, this sudden ability to destroy SAnitY just because of…reasons…is ridiculous. Many people had issues tolerating his Marine character because he usually plays chicken shit heel, and now since he’s angry face fighting for his family, he can beat the hell out of 3 men, 2 of which tower over him? Suspension of disbelief people.

So nothing was irritating about the show, but it just felt lazy and like it was limping to cross the finish line. Hopefully WrestleMania delivers.

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

14 hours ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

4 weeks ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1