Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (4/7/25)
Ladies and gentlemen…
A Second City Saint, a Wise Man and a Visionary walk into an arena…
After revealing “The Favor,” CM Punk and Paul Heyman will both be here tonight on Monday Night Raw in Minneapolis, but so will Seth Rollins!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Lyra Valkyria VS Bayley; Lyra wins and retains the title.
- Six Man Tag: El Grande Americano & The Creed Brothers VS The LWO; Americano & The Creeds win.
- WWE World Tag Team Championships: The War Raiders VS The New Day; New Day wins by disqualifications, the War Raiders retain the titles.
- PENTA VS Dominik Mysterio w/ Carlito; Penta wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Adam Pearce is in the ring.
The Raw General Manager welcomes Minneapolis to the show, and he knows we all saw what happened last week revolving around the WWE Women’s World Championship. The situation needs to be address, so please welcome out THE champion, Iyo Sky! The fans cheer as the Evil Genius makes her way out, her title already sitting on the pedestal in the ring. She shakes Pearce’s hand and then takes up a mic. The fans cheer, Iyo bows in thanks, and Pearce now welcomes out Iyo’s opponent, Bianca Belair! The fans are a bit more torn about The EST, but she still makes her way out here to join Iyo and Pearce in the ring.
Bianca points to the WrestleMania sign, but then Pearce welcomes out the wild card, “representing Judgment Day,” Rhea Ripley! Mami makes her way out, and Pearce must be out of sorts if he thinks she’s still part of that group. Rhea and Bianca each have mics now as Pearce welcomes them all here, and says he takes responsibility for last week. He was wrong. Wrong to put Bianca in that position as referee, wrong to assume any of the three could handle this like professionals. The fans boo Pearce there, but he says there is one way to right this wrong: Iyo Sky will defend the WWE Women’s World Championship IN A TRIPLE THREAT!
The fans love that idea! Iyo and Bianca aren’t so happy, but Pearce wants everyone to sign the new contract. Bianca says a couple weeks ago, this would’ve pissed her off because she earned her way to WrestleMania. Win Elimination Chamber? Did that. Be special guest ref? Did that. But she didn’t do all that just so Rhea could just waltz into the match with them! But she doesn’t care anymore, because she is not afraid of Rhea. She went through Elimination Chamber, watched two of her closest friends tear each other apart, and she still won! If she can overcome all that, of course she can overcome a Triple Threat!
The fans rally for Rhea but Bianca says no, Bianca WILL be Women’s World Champion, and she will go through Rhea to get it! Bianca signs her part, and Rhea says, “You really think I’m scared of you?” Bianca tells Rhea to shut up and just sign her part. She whined enough to get here, so here is what she wants! Rhea signs, and then throws the contract back at Bianca! Bianca catches it, but Iyo has them both hold on. Only for Rhea to push her side! Iyo says screw it! She storms out of the ring but Pearce brings her the contract. Iyo says yeah, okay. But then she springboard MISSILE DROPKICKS Rhea AND Bianca!
Iyo smiles as she signs her part of the contract, and then holds up the belt! The fans like that! Will Iyo not be some underdog afterthought champion? Will she have the formula for defeating The Brutality AND EST?
Judgment Day is in the clubhouse.
Carlito is upset that he’s only a 77 on 2K25, but that cracks everyone else up. Finn Balor walks in and says he can’t believe the announcement! A Fatal 4 Way for the Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker VS Penta VS Finn VS Dom! That’s incredible! Finn didn’t realize Dom wanted the shot, too. But hey, the more the merrier, right? Liv says that’s what she was thinking when she suggested Pearce put Dom in the match. Because what’s better than one member of The Judgment Day fighting for the title on the Grandest Stage of Them All? Finn says, “Two.” Yes! Now that doubles the odds of them bringing that title back.
Because it doesn’t matter who wins, so long as it’s one of them, right? Of course not! And Finn knows the people are saying Dom doesn’t have what it takes. That Dom isn’t tough enough. That Dom doesn’t have the killer instincts. That he’s just a loser! But tonight, Dom gets to prove them wrong when he beats Penta all by himself, because Finn beloves in him. Finn pats Dom on the shoulder, then heads out, but Dom asks the others what he’s supposed to do. Carlito says don’t worry, he’s got Dom’s back. Oh! And Mall of America! Biggest mall in America! Carlito’s gonna check it out. Will Judgment Day (not) be fine at WrestleMania?
WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Lyra Valkyria VS Bayley!
The Morrigan promised the Role Model to give her a fair shot after making it through Raquel Rodriguez, and since she did that, here’s that match! Will Lyra regret giving #GrandSlamBayley this shot at her gold? Or will she still hold on to the #ShinyShiny?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who brings this belt down the Road to WrestleMania!
The bell rings and the fans rally as the two circle. They feel things out, clinch, and Bayley goes for a leg. Lyra rolls Bayley, ONE, Lyra facelocks but Bayley trips her up! Bayley goes to stack but Lyra moves around. Bayley facelocks, Lyra wrenches out to wristlock, but Bayley headlocks. They fight for control, and Lyra wrangles Bayley to then chinbar. The fans duel as Bayley fights up, but Lyra snapmares. Bayley stands to wrench, Lyra waistlocks but Bayley facelocks. Bayley headlocks, but Lyra powers up and out. Lyra drops down, hurdles, but Bayley avoids the monkey flip! Lyra kips up but Bayley rolls her up, TWO!
The fans cheer as the two stand off. They circle and feel things out again. Lyra waistlocks, Bayley switches, repeat, then Lyra shoves to drop toehold. Lyra headlocks but Bayley slips out and has the arm! LA MAGISTROL, but Lyra rolls through to return the LA MAGIST- NO, Bayley stuffs it to a cover, TWO! Bayley says it was that close. Lyra storms up, kicks, but Bayley blocks to KNEE Lyra! Lyra staggers to the corner, Bayley runs up, SUNSET- NO, Lyra stops that and reels Bayley into her own sunset, TWO! They clinch, Lyra UPPERCUTS, but Bayley forearms! They go back and forth, Lyra kicks and kicks and sweeps the legs!
Lyra basement DROPKICKS, then she NORTHERN LIGHTS! Bridging cover, TWO! Bayley stays in this and the fans rally up. Lyra stands Bayley up to then whip her to the corner. Bayley reverses, Lyra goes up and over and cartwheels! Lyra comes back, leg scissor takedown, then Lyra steps through! Lyra holds onto Bayley’s legs to turn her over! Bayley fights but Lyra has the arms, MEXICAN SURFBOARD! Bayley endures, and Lyra swings her around! Lyra drops Bayley, flips her into a ghost pin, TWO! Lyra looms over Bayley, then brings her up again. Lyra UPPERCUTS Bayley to a corner, but Bayley ELBOWS in return.
Bayley storms up, puts Lyra on ropes and grinds forearms into her face. The ref counts, Bayley stops to whip, but Lyra reverses. Bayley ducks ‘n’ dodges, and avoids the leg lariat! Lyra gets stuck, but she manages to dodge Bayley! Bayley tumbles out, Lyra WRECKS her with a dropkick! The fans fire up as Lyra puts Bayley in the ring, then climbs for a CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! Bayley stays in this and Lyra is a bit frustrated, but Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Bayley has Lyra down with a HALF CRAB! Lyra powers up, turns over, and BOOTS Bayley away! The fans rally up, Bayley rises, but Lyra fires a forearm! Bayley fires back! Lyra ROCKS Bayley, but Bayley ROCKS Lyra! Lyra fires a flurry, then runs up, but Bayley puts her in the ropes! HOTSHOT! Lyra flops to the floor, Bayley goes out the side! DAREDEVIL DROPKICK through the corner! The fans fire up and Bayley goes back inside. Bayley builds speed and DIVES but Lyra moves! Bayley crashes ‘n’ burns, Lyra builds speed, but Bayley stops the dropkick! BAYLEY2BELLY on the floor!
The fans fire up and a ring count starts! Both women are down at 5 of 10, but Lyra sits up at 7. Both women rise up, and they spring in at 9! The fans fire up as this continues! Bayley crawls over to Lyra, brings her up and fireman’s carries, but Lyra fights around to swing and arm-drag! Lyra then ENZIGIRIS and Bayley staggers! Lyra gut wrenches for a DOCTOR BOMB! Cover, TWO!! Bayley survives and Lyra is frustrated, but she hurries to to fireman’s carry. Bayley fights free, but Lyra KNEES low! Lyra fireman’s carries, but Bayley flails free! Bayley runs to KNEE Lyra down! Cover, TWO!! Lyra survives and Bayley can’t believe it!
The fans rally up as both Bayley and Lyra rise. Bayley has Lyra in a corner and puts her up top. Bayley climbs up, the fans duel, and Lyra resists the suplex! Lyra fires body shots and CLUBS Bayley, to then slip down and bring her off the corner! Bayley fights free, runs back in, SUNSET FLIP BUCKLE BOMB! Lyra flops down, Bayley drags herself to the apron, and the fans rally up again. Lyra grabs at Bayley’s foot to anchor her but Bayley kicks free. Bayley rises up, but Lyra has Bayley in the ropes! Lyra then drags Bayley in, uses the corner, TORNADO DDT! Lyra then rolls through, FISHERMAN SUPLEX! The fans fire up as Lyra covers, TWO!!
Bayley survives and Lyra frowns, but “This is Awesome!” Lyra goes to the corner, climbs to the top, and she watches Bayley rise. TURN OF- NO, Bayley SLAMS Lyra down, turns her over, BOSTON CRAB! Lyra endures while the fans fire up! Lyra claws her way over, reaches out, but Bayley drags her away from the ropes! Bayley sits deep on the hold, but Lyra pries at the legs! Bayley shifts, ROSE- NO, Lyra rolls through, trips Bayley, jackknife bridge! LYRA WINS!!
Winner: Lyra Valkyria, by pinfall (still WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion)
Bayley is stunned, but Minneapolis gives a standing ovation! Lyra found a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, and she shows Bayley respect. Bayley nods and slaps Lyra’s hand away!? But then Bayley knows that’s not right, and she HUGS Lyra! These two are still going on to Friday Night SmackDown to be part of that big Women’s Tag Team gauntlet, could they both be going to Mania together?
Backstage interview with Bert Kreischer.
Cathy Kelley welcomes the actor-comedian, and brings up his new Netflix special. But before Bert can go on about it, Team American Made interrupts! Chad Gable says it’s great to see Bert! He’s a big fan of Bert’s, and surely Bert is a big fan of Gable’s, because it’s the only reason Bert would be here. Gable’s the only real star to come outta Minnesota. Too bad for everyone that Gable isn’t competing tonight. But what he does have is his guys, the Creed Brothers, taking down the LWO in tag team action, as well as seeing the greatest luchador of all time, El Grande Americano! Bert says this is awkward, but he isn’t here for them.
The Alpha Academy steps in and Bert hugs it out with Otis! Then they both rip off their shirts! Gable shouts, “Idiots!” American Made storms off, and Otis tells, “Minneapolis, we’re coming, man~!” Bert is all fired up, but will we still see everything Gable just said? Or will the LWO get some payback on Julius & Brutus?
Backstage interview with AJ Styles.
Jackie Redmond is with the Phenomenal One, and says Logan Paul had quite the audacity to do and say what he did last week. But where is Styles’ head at going into that match? Styles says he’s in a good place. He gets to embarrass Logan Paul on the Grandest Stage of Them All, because you can’t beat experience. But then Karrion Kross interrupts with, “Experience? How did that experience work for you last week? And who exactly got embarrassed? Explain this whole situation to me, please.” Styles asks what Kross wants from him, and Kross says Styles knows what he wants: to help Styles. WWE needs the Styles that can get the job done.
What Styles is that? What is this obsession Kross has with that Styles? Kross says it’s because Styles needs to win at WrestleMania! If Styles loses, they ALL lose! WWE NEEDS Styles! Oh, if that’s what Kross wants, fine! Styles will talk with Pearce, and then next Monday Night Raw, Styles will give Kross a taste. Styles heads out, and Scarlett has Kross stand down. “That worked.” Kross says he agrees. Is Kross pushing Styles’ buttons actually for a good reason?
Six Man Tag: El Grande Americano & The Creed Brothers VS The LWO!
While it’s “hard to imagine,” Chad Gable managed to bridge the gap between the so-called greatest luchador of all time with Team American Made. Will Gable be celebrating here in his hometown, despite “not” competing here tonight? Or will Dragon Lee, Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde throw them all into the Gulf of America?
The trios sort out, and Brutus starts, but Dragon Lee calls out Americano for what he did last week. Brutus says they don’t have to listen to Dragon, so Cruz starts instead. Brutus TACKLES Cruz, goes for a top mount, then a rear mount. Cruz fights up, Brutus hammerlocks, but Cruz reaches back to FLYING-MARE! Cruz then bypasses, but Brutus CLOBBERS him! The fans boo but Brutus tags Julius. Julius runs up, but Cruz arm-drags him down! Tag to Wilde, they double whip, then DOUBLE ELBOW! Wilde runs, Cruz helps out, HIP TOSS SPLASH COMBO! Cover, TWO! Wilde keeps Julius down, but Julius throws Wilde by his hair!
Wilde reaches up to headscissor and swing! The fans cheer as Wilde RANAS Julius, then runs up, goes up, crucifix takedown! Julius fights off the armbar, Brutus and El Grande storm in and stomp Wilde! Dragon Lee & Cruz get in there, it’s a wild brawl, and the fans fire up! LWO triple whip everyone to corners, then they crisscross! LARIATS! LARIATS! And then DROPKICKS! LWO stands tall while Americano Made regroups. “L! W! O!” then TRIPLE TOPE CONJILO! The fans fire up as LWO stands tall! They put Americano Made in the ring, Lee tags in, and everyone goes up to the top rope! But Americano Made trips them all up! TRIPLE SUPERPLEX!!
The fans fire up as all six men are down in the ring, and Raw goes to break!
Raw returns and Lee fires body shots on Julius. Julius DECKS Lee, then he BLASTS the LWO corner! The fans boo but Julius whips Lee to a corner. Julius runs up, but into a BOOT! Lee DECKS Brutus, then goes up the corner. Julius is up after Lee and fires hands! Julius goes to the very top, but Lee trips him into the Tree of Woe! WOE STOMPS! The fans fire up, Lee and Julius crawl, hot tags to Brutus and Cruz! Cruz springboards to CROSSBODY! Then he LARIATS! He BLASTS Americano! Then he runs to RANA Brutus to a corner! Julius runs up, Cruz dodges, POP-UP RANA! Cruz runs at Brutus, GAMANGIRI!
Cruz brings Brutus in, ANARCHY! Cruz throws off his shirt and then throws it to the fans! Free souvenir! Cruz goes up, up, and SWANTON BOMBS! Then he DIVES onto Julius!! The fans fire up with Cruz, but Americano gets in! Cruz GAMANGIRIS him away, springboards, but Americano ducks under! Americano waistlocks. Cruz switches, repeat, and Americano O’Conner Rolls! TWO, and Cruz BOOTS Americano! Tag to Lee and Lee brings Americano in! Cruz goes up, LWO hits a BLOCKBUSTER- SPANISH FLY!?! Americano turned that around! But now Lee has him all alone. Lee is furious over the disrespect, and he BOOTS Americano!
Lee reels Americano in, hoists him up, SIT-OUT POWERBOMB! Julius SHOOTING STARS that apart!! The fans fire up while everyone is down at ringside! “This is Awesome!” and Rey coaches his guys. Wilde uses Cruz as a boost to SUPER TOPE onto Brutus! Cruz LARIATS Julius out, then he has the ref move aside! Cruz goes up, up, TRIANGLE TORNILLO onto Julius!! The fans are thunderous, but wait! Ivy slips a metal panel to Americano! He puts that in his mask! Rey saw that, he tells Americano to get off the corner! Americano HEADBUTTS Rey with the loaded mask!! But Lee trips Americano up! Lee goes up, and says he’s gonna reveal the truth!
But Americano HEADBUTTS Lee!! Lee falls, Americano DIVING HEADBUTTS!! Cover, Americano Made wins!
Winners: El Grande Americano & The Creed Brothers, by pinfall
Rey tries to explain what happened, but he’s so dazed from the loaded headbutt. Will nothing stop El Grande Americano from taking over the WWE?
GUNTHER is here!
Minneapolis boos Der Ring General as he struts out here, wearing the World Heavyweight Championship around his waist, as well as a very politician style suit ‘n’ tie. Gunther stands on the desk, even as fans chant, “We Want Jey!” Gunther steps down, grabs a mic, and then goes into the ring. He holds up the title and has a big smile on his face as the fans boo. But then Jey Uso appears! Gunther is even more amused as Minneapolis now bounces with Main Event Jey, but Jey is not really in the mood to YEET right now. Jey, dressed all in black, glares at Gunther as he makes his way down the steps to ringside.
The fans still YEET and bounce for Jey as he walks up the steel steps into the ring. Gunther grins and lets Jey step inside. The fans still “YEET! YEET! YEET!” but then Jey snatches the mic out of Gunther’s hand! Gunther is rather surprised, but still smiling as Jey seethes behind his sunglasses. Jey takes those off, the fans “YEET!” even harder, and Gunther starts to chuckle. The fans rally with “UCE! OH! UCE! OH!” as Jey gathers his thoughts. Jey tells Gunther, “You have a mother. You got a mom. You talk to your mom? What do y’all talk about? Family stuff? She ask you like, ‘How’s the wife? How’s the grandson doing?'”
You walk your dog, cook food, regular family stuff, right? Fans “YEET!” for that. Jey says he’s got a mom, too. Wanna know what they talked about this week? You wanna know what he had to tell her? Her oldest son, laid up in a hospital bed. Her oldest son, 15 stitches across the forehead. Wanna know what she asked Jey? She said, “Why didn’t you protect him, Joshua?” As a grown man, Jey ain’t eve lied to her, and he won’t do that now. He said he was afraid! Afraid of Gunther! Gunther had Jey! Gunther had the drop on Jey, three steps ahead of him, playing chess while Jey’s playing checkers! But that wasn’t enough for Gunther, was it?
Gunther had to get family involved. We all know how Jey feels about his family, especially Jimmy. The fans rally behind Jey while he paces. Gunther violated Jimmy, left him a bloody pulp, while Jey was zip tied to the ropes! Jey watched as Gunther painted Jimmy’s blood all over his body. Jimmy’s blood is on Jey’s hands, too! Jey ain’t never felt so hopeless, helpless, disrespected, pissed off, mad, angry, and damn near scared! Gunther made the whole world stop! He violated Jey’s twin brother in front of him! That made Jey’s heart stop. You know what the crazy thing is, Uce? In Jey’s darkest moment, right here in front of the world, a lightbulb went off. Ain’t that something?
You wanna know what Jey realized? You wanna know what Jey knows now, Uce? Gunther, look at Jey: Jey ain’t afraid no more. The fans fire up for that! “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Gunther is a bit rattled himself right now, but Jey tells him no. Before WrestleMania, Gunther needs to hug and kiss his family. Before WrestleMania, Jey will lay his head down and say a prayer. He will pray about Gunther, but more so for himself. Jey will ask the Lord to forgive him for the man he is about to become. Because at WrestleMania, Jey will get Gunther! Jey will get Gunther for Jey, for Jimmy, for the whole damn family, and Jey will take that World Heavyweight Championship!!
The fans are thunderous for Jey as he throws down the mic and truly throws down the gauntlet! Will nothing stop what is coming for Gunther in just 12 days time?
Natalya & Maxxine Dupri talk with Adam Pearce backstage.
The Queen of Harts says, “It’s one thing to team with Maxxine, it’s another to team with her in a gauntlet match.” Pearce understands, but this is WrestleMania season! Go into the deep end! Natty says fine, and Pearce wishes this duo good luck. Rey walks in, and Pearce already knows what he’s going to ask. We all saw what happened out there, so Pearce will let Rey have Gable wherever and whenever he wants. Oh, no, Rey doesn’t want a match with Gable. He wants “the idiot” who has been disrespecting everything Rey stands for! The guy who’s been making a mockery out of everything Rey has worked his entire life for, the art and tradition of lucha libre!
And that means Rey wants El Grande Americano! Rey will expose him for the fraud that he is! Rey will pick the place, though, on where he’ll face that guy. Pearce says yes, out of respect for Rey, he’ll do it. Then it’ll be Rey Mysterio VS El Grande Americano… at WrestleMania! Pearce says then it is official! Muchos gracias. Rey heads out, but is this really a case of two birds with one stone?
WWE World Tag Team Championships: The War Raiders VS The New Day!
This is quite the storied rivalry that Raw reignites tonight. Erik & Ivar have gone to Ragnarök and back with Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston, but that was a very different New Day back then. Will the Raiders stay golden this close to WrestleMania? Or will Woods & Kofi once again be W, W, E, World, Tag, Team, Champions~?
Raw returns and the War Raiders have made their entrance. The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see who is truly the best team in WWE today!
The teams sort out and Ivar starts with Kofi. Kofi dodges Ivar, headlocks, but Iva powers out to fireman’s carry. Kofi slips free, shoves, drops down then hurdles over, but Ivar stops himself. Ivar then CLOBBERS Kofi, and he scares Kofi with just showing haymaker! Kofi bails out, Woods calms him down, and Kofi goes back to the ring. Tag to Woods, and then Woods slowly goes around the outside. Erik tags in, he runs up, but Woods stays back. Kofi slips in, that distracts Erik, and Woods slides in so he can BLINDSIDE Erik! The fans boo but Woods stomps away on Erik! The fans boo more but Woods soaks up the heat.
Erik CHOPS Woods, Woods ROCKS Erik, and Woods rains down fits! Tag to Kofi, he stomps away, then he tags Woods! The stampede has begun, and then Kofi tags back in. Woods goes to send Kofi in, but Erik CLOBBERS them both! The fans fire up as Erik tags Ivar! Ivar scoops Kofi for a SIDEWALK SLAM! Ivar then runs to SPLASH! The fans fire up and Ivar tags Erik. Erik whips Kofi to the corner, Kofi goes up and over, then comes back, but into a scoop and SLAM! Erik tags Ivar, then he scoops Woods! Erik SLAMS Woods, Ivar scoops and SLAMS Kofi! Ivar says “UP!” and Erik scoops hm! Erik SLAMS Ivar onto Kofi!
The fans fire up as Erik brings Woods around to TOSS him! The Raiders have The New Day on the outside, but Woods ELBOWS Erik! And he grabs a chair! But Erik DECKS Woods first! Ivar whips Kofi hard into barriers, then Erik calls to him. The Raiders say “WAR! WAR! WAR!” and Ivar SPLASHES Woods against the barriers! The fans fire up again while the Raiders stand tall and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Woods has Ivar in the corner. The fans chant, “NEW! DAY SUCKS!” Ivar shoves Woods away, Woods comes back, but into a SEATED SENTON! Both men are down, the fans rally, hot tags to Kofi and Erik! Erik CLOBBERS Kofi, CLOBBERS him again, then reels Kofi in for an EXPLODER! The fans fire up, Woods is back, but Erik scoops to GUT BUSTER! Ace Ten Mao! But Kofi runs up, only for Erik to dodge and URENAGE! Tag to Ivar, they catch Woods, THOR’S HAMMER! Then the pop-up for Kofi, and the WAR MACHINE!! Cover, WOODS BREAKS IT! The fans are torn but Erik TOSSES Woods!
Woods has a chair! The ref is busy with Erik but Ivar stops Woods! They tug-o-war, and Ivar takes the chair! He SMACKS Woods down, but the ref saw that!
Winners: The New Day, by disqualification (War Raiders retain the titles)
Ivar explains to the ref what was going on, but the ref already made his decision. The only silver lining is that Champion’s Advantage comes into play. But then Kofi SMACKS Ivar with the chair! Erik fires hands on Kofi, Woods is up to CLUB Erik! They beat Erik down while the fans boo, but Kofi wedges that chair into the corner. The New Day drags Erik up to RAM him into the chair! The fans boo but New Day says THEY are the best, not anyone else! They then TOSS Ivar into the timekeeper’s area! The ref reprimands, but Woods brings out more chairs! Woods slashes the throat, he wants to end the Raiders!
Woods sits that chair up, then drags Erik up and over. Woods puts Erik’s head against the chair, and Kofi climbs up! The ref reprimands, but here come producers and other refs! They stop Woods & Kofi from injuring Erik! The New Day is furious, but will they have their day?
PENTA VS Dominik Mysterio w/ Carlito!
Adam Pearce really raised the ante on WrestleMania 41 as we will be getting an Intercontinental Championship Fatal 4 Way. But will those odds not matter to the Man with Cero Miedo? Or will “Dirty Dom” prove he can actually do things all by himself?
Raw returns Dom has already made his entrance. The bell rings, Dom and Penta circle, and the fans chant, “Dom, You Suck!” The two tie up, Penta puts Dom in the corner, but the ref counts. Penta backs off, he and Dom reset, and Dom flexes. The fans boo but the two tie up. Penta waistlocks, Dom switches, Penta switches, repeat. Penta then CHOPS, but Dom CHOPS! Dom kicks, CLUBS, and he fires off on Penta! The fans boo but Dom stomps Penta as he stands back up. Dom soaks up the heat, then drags Penta up. Dom whips Penta to a corner, then runs in and LARIATS! Dom pushes Penta down but the fans boo Dom more.
Dom tunes up the booing, but Penta fires body shots! Dom knees low, ROCKS Penta, then brings him around to put in the corner. Dom fires body s hots, then RAMS into Penta again and again. The ref backs Dom off, but then Dom goes up the corner in his fuzzy sheepskin boots to soak up the heat. Dom then whips Penta to ropes, but Penta ducks ‘n’ dodges to RANA! The fans fire up while Dom flounders! Penta scoops to BACKBREAKER! The fans cheer as Penta runs, SLING-DOG! Dom flounders out of the ring and the fans rally for Penta! Penta goes up, up, and SUPER CROSSBODIES! Down go Dom & Carlito, and the fans fire up while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Penta is up top. Dom climbs up after him, but Penta throws hands! Dom backs off, Penta leaps, but into a kick! Dom snap suplexes for Uno Amigo! Then he snap suplexes for Dos Amigos! The fans boo, but Dom still hits THREE AMIGOS! Cover, TWO! Dom drags Penta up, but Penta breaks free! Penta dodges a lariat, but Dom trips him onto the ropes! The fans boo as Dom dials it up, but Penta SUPERKICKS! Dom flounders to a corner, Penta runs in and GAMANGIRIS! Penta sits Dom down, then headstands for the DROPKICK! Penta drags Dom to a cover, TWO! The fans rally while Penta stands again.
Penta brings Dom around, pump handles, but Dom slips fere! Dom SUPERKICKS, but not the strongest! Dom runs, to DESTROYER! And then he DROPKICKS Penta to the ropes! Dom redials, 619! Penta falls back, Dom goes up, FROG SPLASH onto knees! Penta cradles Dom, TWO! The fans fire up while both men are down! Dom drags Penta up, fireman’s carries, but Penta fights free! Penta dodges a lariat, wrenches and WRINGS Dom’s arm! Penta traps one arm, grabs the other, but Dom resists! Penta SLAPS Dom, and shouts, “CERO! MIEDO!” SACRIFICE!! Dom clutches that arm, but Penta pump handles! PENTA DRIVER! Cover, Penta wins!
Winner: Penta, by pinfall
Cero Miedo is undefeated, and he just proved Dom can’t do it on his own! But here comes Carlito! Carlito CLOBBERS Penta, then throws more hands! Penta fires back, but Dom anchors Penta’s legs! Carlito hits the BACKSTABBER! The fans boo as Dom & Carlito mug Penta, but then HERE COMES BRON! The fans bark it up for the Badass Intercontinental Champion! Carlito runs out there to intercept, but Bron SPEARS Carlito! Bron hit Carlito so hard, Bron then flips through to stand back up! Bron goes after Dom, Dom dodges, but a SPEAR hits Dom! Bron is seething, he aims at Penta, and he SPEARS!!
The fans bark even louder as Bron just demolished three men in under a minute! But then Finn gets Bron! EYE OF THE HURRICANE! The fans boo as The Prince takes advantage. Finn tells Penta that this title is HIS, cabron! Finn doesn’t even really pay attention to Dom as he holds up the belt. But Bron is up! Finn runs away before he gets destroyed! Finn doesn’t have to beat everyone, he just has to pick his opening, same as he did tonight. Will that be enough to take this title home to the Judgment Day? Or will Bron show he can defy the odds with brawn alone?
Paul Heyman is here!
“Ladies and gentlemen,” The Wise Man gives his introductions, and he wants to state a couple of things for the record so that we can get it out of the way and move on to WrestleMania. Item Number 1: Heyman will always be loyal to his Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. The fans are torn, but Heyman continues. Item Number 2: Heyman will always be loyal to his best friend in the world, CM Punk! The fans are again torn, but Heyman says just because he is loyal to both of them does not mean he will ever in his life be disloyal to either of them. “So when it comes to WrestleMania, let’s get one thing perfectly clear!”
Seth Rollins is here! The fans fire up and sing along, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” as Rollins struts out in denim bellbottoms and what appears to be a robe or coat made from recycled denim. Rollins grabs a mic as he revels in the singing from Minneapolis. Rollins smiles at Heyman, then tells Minneapolis, “Welcome to Monday Night Rollins!” The fans cheer, and Rollins says in case you don’t know, he will introduce himself! He is a Visionary, he is a Revolutionary, he IS Seth! FREAKIN’! Rollins! But tonight, it isn’t about him! Tonight is about… Paul… Heyman…! And Heyman’s out here talking about loyalty, which is why Rollins wants to be out here.
Rollins wants to ask Heyman a question that has been on everyone’s minds: Whose side is Heyman on? Who IS Paul Heyman? Who does he wanna be? Is he the very best friend~ to CM Punk? The fans chant for “C M PUNK! C M PUNK!” Or is Heyman the Special Counsel, the Wise Man, to Roman Reigns? “O T C! O T C!” Rollins hears Heyman out here right now, trying to convince all of us, including himself, that he can do both at the same time! And Heyman… It occurred to Rollins over the past week that Heyman is neither. Heyman smirks as Rollins takes off his sunglasses.
Rollins knows Heyman’s spiel: Roman Reigns plucked him from obscurity~! He brought Heyman to the Island of Relevancy~! Roman Reigns doesn’t give a DAMN about Heyman! Roman Reigns uses Heyman! Y’know what Roman likes Heyman for? Shining his shoes, booking his private jets, ordering his steaks, and handing him his ula fala. That is what Roman has Heyman for. Roman Reigns does not respect Heyman. Don’t play dumb! Here’s a history lesson: WrestleMania 40! Roman Reigns loses the WWE Championship in the main event thanks to… Hmm, hmm, hmm… A very well-dressed Visionary.
Roman then does what he does best, and he disappears. Does he take Heyman with him? No! He left Heyman in the “very caring” hands of Solo Sikoa, and the rest of The Bloodline. Did they treat Heyman well? Were they kind to him? No! Every single day, they treated Heyman like he was the scum of the Earth! Every single day, we all waited, we all wondered, “Is Roman Reigns gonna come save Paul Heyman?” Did Roman come to Heyman’s rescue?! No. He left Heyman to be massacred in his hometown, in front of his own children. Jacob & Azalea Heyman had to watch their father be put through a table because Roman Reigns doesn’t care about him!
And y’know who else wasn’t there? Heyman’s best friend in the world~, C… M… Punk. “Best friends love each other, Paul. They’re there for each other. They don’t use each other when it’s convenient. Ten years ago, CM Punk walked out on every single person in this arena, and you included. He walked out on you, too! Did he take you with him, Paul? No! He tried to tear down everything that you were building here! And when he came back, did he come back because you asked him to come back? Did he come back and embrace you, and take you with him on his ride? No!” Punk & Paul sure love to reminisce and romanticize about WarGames.
But let Rollins remind you that CM Punk was not the first choice for Team Roman at WarGames, Rollins was. Stop him when he’s telling lies! Heyman admits, that is true. Rollins declined, but Punk was the last and only choice left. Did he join Team Roman out of the goodness of his heart because he loved Heyman? No, it’s because he used it to get a favor out of Heyman! Heyman tears up a bit as Rollins says Punk is NOT Heyman’s best friend. Punk loves no one but himself. And to be honest, Heyman, and with Minneapolis, Rollins feels bad for Heyman. Heyman is in a very difficult, unenviable position. He is between a rock and a hard place.
The easiest solution for everyone involved would be Heyman removing himself from the situation entirely, letting Rollins, Punk and Roman battle it out for the soul of this industry! But Heyman can’t do that? Or he won’t? He won’t betray his Tribal Chief, he won’t betray his best friend, Rollins understands that. If only there was a solution. If only there was a way they could remove Heyman from the situation… Rollins circles Heyman like a denim shark, and Rollins says, “It’s for your own good.” Rollins will take it as a privilege to remove Heyman from this situation right here, and right now. The fans boo and Heyman glares at Rollins.
Rollins says it’ll be quick and easy. Just a boot to the head, then a stomp, and it’s all over. Nobody’s here to save Heyman. Roman isn’t here. CM Punk… What’s that thing he likes to say? He’s not here to make friends, he’s here to make money. So the question then is… How much is Heyman worth? Is he worth this much? And Rollins slaps Heyman in the arm. Rollins wonders… Is it this much? And now he SLAPS Heyman in the face! C’mon, Paul… Rollins pushes Heyman around, but Heyman shouts, “Don’t put your damn hands on me again!” The fans fire up for Heyman, but Rollins smiles.
Rollins SMOTHERS Heyman into a corner, but here comes Punk! Seems Punk does care, and he slides right in! Rollins and Punk brawl, Punk TACKLES Rollins to the mat and rains down fists! They go out of the ring, the fans fire up, and Punk THROWS Rollins over the desk! The brawl continues against the barriers, into the Hydration Station, and then around the way! Rollins throws Punk, but then Punk throws Rollins into steel steps! Punk pulls those apart, and he drags Rollins over to throw hands! The fans fire up as Punk smothers Rollins with the steel! Punk then lines up a shot, runs in and- NO, Rollins gets away before a stomp!
Punk slides into the ring to pursue, but Rollins STOMPS Punk!! The fans fire up and Heyman is devastated! Heyman checks on Punk, but Rollins takes aim! CURB STMOP just short of Heyman! Heyman is scared silent, and Rollins takes the mic to say, “Now you owe me a favor.” What?! Rollins can’t be serious! But will the Visionary put Heyman in a lose-lose situation in Vegas?
My Thoughts:
A great Raw here, though it feels rather slim without John Cena or even Cody Rhodes showing up. But given they already gave us their hottest promo battle, and a really well done video package, I feel like we’ve gotten all the math we’ll get for that match. In place of Cena and Cody live, we did get that powerful promo from Jey. This fire Jey is bringing, he surely must be winning at WrestleMania. And naturally, the Women’s World Championship Triple Threat is finally official with a speed run version of a contract signing. Iyo standing tall here with just one more episode to go, I wonder if that is the go-home math signaling someone else (Bianca?) wins the title.
A great opening match with Lyra VS Bayley, and I figured Lyra would win. An intriguing detail was Bayley almost disrespecting Lyra, and now they’ll be going to SmackDown as a team. I don’t see them winning the gauntlet, but perhaps there is something to how Liv & Raquel want to be a Two Woman Power Trip. Maybe Bayley & Lyra do win, but Liv & Raquel want an Intercontinental Championship match in return, really upping things for WrestleMania weekend. Also, I don’t see Natalya & Maxxine winning with Natty being so down about having to team with Maxxine for a gauntlet, not just a one-fall match.
Very good promo from Styles and Kross, because in the end, Kross just doesn’t want Logan Paul winning at WrestleMania. Which I agree with, and not even in kayfabe. But Styles VS Kross will be really good stuff, can’t wait to see Styles bring out his aggression. Really fun promo from Gable with Bert Kreischer and Alpha Academy, and a great Six Man Tag of LWO VS Americano Made. That was probably one of LWO’s better showings because Wilde got to do that wild tope and Cruz got to do his own high-flying. But of course there was cheating for Americano Made, and now we’re getting Rey VS Americano. Duh, Rey has to snatch that mask off Gable at some point or this is for naught.
Very good tag title match, but I was a little surprised we got it here. At the same time, New Day winning by disqualification and then beating War Raiders down, surely we get a rematch of this for either the go-home into WrestleMania or even as part of WrestleMania. Two nights and I’ve lost count of how many matches, they might be able to do something with this. Good stuff in building the Men’s Intercontinental Championship Fatal 4. Judgment Day continues to have passive aggressive dysfunction, and then Penta VS Dom was a very good main event match. Good win for Penta, but of course Judgment Day beats Penta down. Bron and Finn getting involved was good stuff, too, there are all sorts of possibilities with that Fatal 4.
And a great closing segment with Rollins confronting Heyman. There has been this notion that perhaps Heyman joins Rollins, and that feeling was kinda coming and going during Rollins’ promo. Rollins and Punk had a good brawl, and Rollins standing tall to then “spare” Heyman was good stuff. Rollins wanting his own favor also feeds that notion, but I personally don’t see it happening because at this point, I’m not sure it’d make sense. Heyman staying with Roman and upsetting Punk makes sense. Heyman joining Punk and leaving Roman also makes sense. Heyman choosing Rollins after being threatened doesn’t make sense.
My Score: 8.8/10
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
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!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Say his name and he appears…?
Joe Hendry showed up Trick Williams last week, so Trick Williams showed up in TNA! Will Joe Hendry return to NXT and Whoop Dat Trick?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- NXT North American Championship: Ricky Saints VS Lexis King; wins and
- Sol Ruca VS Karmen Petrovic w/ Ashante THEE Adonis; wins.
- NXT Tag Team Championships: Hank ‘n’ Tank VS Josh Briggs & Yoshiki Inamura; win and
- Iyo Sky & Jordynne Grace VS Giulia & Roxanne Perez; win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Joe Hendry is here!
Vic Joseph said his name, so he appears! The TNA World Champion makes his way to the ring, the fans wave their hands from side to side, and Hendry raises his title. The fans cheer, Hendry has the mic, and… TURNS! The fans cheer again, and they chant, “We Believe! We Believe!” Hendry says he is back in front of the NXT Universe! And what a journey it has been. I just wrested Randy Orton at WrestleMania! And less than 48 hours ago, I successfully defended my TNA World Championship at Rebellion.” The fans cheer that, but Hendry says we unfortunately know what happened next. Trick Williams attacked Hendry while his back was turned!
The fans chant F That Trick, and Hendry says he agrees! Hendry knows he embarrassed Trick, he expected retaliation, but what Trick did… He crossed the line! Hendry said Trick was entitled, but now it’s worse than that. Trick used to be someone the fans could get behind! That could lead the locker room! Trick was Mr. Let’s Talk About It, but now Trick can’t stand the fact that fans aren’t talking about him, they’re talking about Hendry! And what the fans are saying is, “We Believe!” The fans do chant that again, and Hendry says Trick is also arrogant. Because instead of looking within, he blamed everyone else that he couldn’t win back the NXT Championship!
We know Oba Femi won’t just give Trick another title match, so Trick thought he’d take a shot at the TNA World Champion! Trick, Hendry assures you he is an entertainer, but he’s also got an antagonistic side, and he recognizes what this is. Hendry will NOT fall for the deception, so he will make this nice and easy: Hendry will say Trick’s name and make him appear! Get out here right now! But wait! That’s DARK STATE! No one is safe, especially not aa wrestler from another company! Dion Lennox, Cutler James, Osiris Griffin & Saquon Shugars swarm Hendry! The fans boo, but they give Hendry the DARK STATE BOMB!!
Hendry writhes while this wild pack of dogs bark and talk trash. Will Trick even need to bother to do something after what just happened?
Ava Raine meets with…?
The NXT General Manager knows it has been a couple hectic weeks, but she gives congratulations on the WrestleMania win, and welcomes them back to NXT. Iyo Sky thanks Ava for that. Ava says she knew Iyo would be coming given the attacks from Roxanne Perez & Giulia, so she is prepared. There is a tag match set, but has Iyo found a partner? Well, no, not yet. But Iyo is sure she will. And tonight- Oh, in steps Jordynne Grace! The Juggernaut offers her help, because she knows it’ll help her get one step closer to the NXT Women’s Championship. Iyo says okay, she accepts. The Juggernaut & The Genius of the Sky shake on it, but Jordynne’s grip is so strong!
Jordynne apologizes, and they high-five instead. Will this super duo take down the new villainous combination of Prodigy & Beautiful Madness?
Gigi Dolin & Tatum Paxley are backstage.
Karmen Petrovic is with them in the dining area and says they were SO close to becoming WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Not to mention, they almost won the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championships at Rebellion! Gigi points out they weren’t even one of the teams pinned in that Fatal 4 Way match. Tatum says right! And she just feels that if they could get one more shot- Ashante THEE Adonis interrupts. He says he was looking all over for Karmen. Hey, don’t worry about these losers, Karmen. They gotta go cuz he just got her a match with Sol Ruca! Karmen says first, don’t do that. They’re not losers.
Adonis apologizes, but says she needs to hurry to get ready. Karmen says yes, she knows, okay. But when? Tonight! What?! But she isn’t ready! Well, she better get ready! And after she wins tonight, “we” have a title match. Let’s go. Karmen sighs but she does head for the locker room. Gigi repeats that: “We have a title match?” Wow… Is Adonis being a bit controlling in this relationship? Or can Karmen make the most out of the opportunity he got for her?
NXT North American Championship: Ricky Saints VS Lexis King!
The Absolute overcame All Ego at Stand & Deliver, only for The Drama King to think he could just call his shot. Lexis lost his Heritage Cup because he was looking too far ahead, but will he be right on the money tonight? Or will the revolution still be televised?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who’s really championship material!
The bell rings and Lexis CLOBBERS Ricky from behind! The fans boo but Lexis CLUBS away on Ricky, then stomps a mudhole in the corner! Lexis gets in Ricky’s face, whips him corner to corner, then runs up, only to get a BOOT! Ricky goes up, MISSILE DROPKICKS Lexis down, then drags Lexis up to CHOP! And CHOP! And UPPERCUT! Ricky fires haymakers from all sides, and he bumps Lexis off buckles. And bumps him off buckles again! Ricky winds up to CHOP and the fans cheer! Ricky gives the fans what they want with the “Stroke~!” and the fans fire up! Ricky whips Lexis, ELBOWS him down, then finally takes his vest off.
The fans fire up for “Stroke Daddy!” as Ricky frames his shot. Ricky storms up, but Lexis UP KICKS! Lexis headlocks, then punches away on Ricky’s head! The ref reprimands but Lexis digs his boots in. The fans boo, the ref counts, and Lexis stops at 4. Lexis CHOPS Ricky, whips him, but Ricky reverses. Lexis goes up but Ricky stays back! Lexis is confused as to where Ricky went, but Ricky spins him around to SLAP! And CHOP! Ricky fires haymakers, then whips. Ricky dodges Lexis to then OVERHEAD SUPLEX! Lexis bails out, but Ricky builds speed, and Ricky WRECKS Lexis with a dropkick! Ricky steps on Lexis to then go to the fans!
The fans fire up as Ricky is on the barrier and poses! Ricky blows a kiss and NXT goes to break.
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
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!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
The Visionary, the Wise Man, and the Badass…
After a wild Raw After Mania, Seth Rollins, Paul Heyman & Bron Breakker will be here to establish themselves as the new force of nature on Monday nights!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Rhea Ripley VS Roxanne Perez; Rhea wins, by disqualification.
- Finn Balor & JD McDonagh w/ Carlito VS The War Raiders; The War Raiders win.
- Stephanie Vaquer VS Ivy Nile w/ Chad Gable; Vaquer wins.
- Sami Zayn VS Bron Breakker w/ Paul Heyman & Seth Rollins; Bron wins, by referee stoppage.
PLAY BY PLAY
Nick Aldis is filling in for Adam Pearce.
The Raw General Manager is taking some administrative leave given last week’s particularly chaotic and violent Raw, so the SmackDown GM will gladly step in. Surely no ulterior motives like showing he’s a superior GM…
Seth Rollins is here!
Kansas City fires up for the Visionary as he leads The Wise Man and the Badass to the ring. And while Rollins wears stylish sunglasses and long-tailed coat, Paul Heyman got Bron Breakker to wear a suit! The fans sing, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” as the three step into the ring, and Rollins pats both Heyman and Bron on the shoulder. The fans bark for Bron, and they again sing for Rollins as Rollins has the mic already. Rollins revels in this moment as usual, then he tells Kansas City, “Welcome to Monday Night Rollins~!” He is the Visionary, he is the Revolutionary, he is Seth FREAKIN’ Rollins!
“And in case you didn’t know, you’ve been living under a rock, you’re looking at the winner of the main event of WrestleMania! And I know it’s a little difficult for some of you out there that still wanna chant for CM Punk…” Some fans do indeed still chant for CM Punk. Rollins nods and says, “I knew there were still a few out there. And I know it might be painful for you who still wanna put your fingers in the air for Roman Reigns…” And fans do indeed raise the ones and chant “O T C! O T C!” Rollins says what you are looking at in this ring right now is the future of this industry! The fans do cheer that.
Rollins says the future runs through one man. That man is NOT CM Punk. That man is NOT Roman Reigns. Hell, it’s not even John Cena, Jey Uso or Cody Rhodes! The future of this industry, with Paul Heyman to his left, and Bron Breakker to his right, the future of this industry runs through SETH FREAKIN’ ROLLINS! But wait! Sami Zayn makes his way out here! Sami goes to the ring and grabs himself a mic, but Rollins gives Sami the introductions. The fans do cheer, and Rollins has Bron stand down. Rollins says it is good to see Sami back on Monday Night Raw! Rollins assumes Sami caught WrestleMania.
Sami says yes, he did. He saw the main event of night one. How long have they been friends? A long time, right? Well, then Sami feels the need to come out here as a friend, as someone who has known Rollins a long time, to say that this… “This is a load of crap, man.” What/ What does he mean? Uh, how much time did Rollins talk about Punk, Roman, and how one the one thing those two had in common is standing by Rollins now. How is Rollins any different? Whoa, wait, is Sami comparing Rollins to Punk and Roman? How can this NOT be different? Sami says for the longest time, he started to believe Rollins just had this hatred for Punk and Roman.
But now, maybe Rollins was just jealous of them. Maybe Rollins just wanted to be in the position that they were in. Rollins says Sami, look, Rollins is not Punk, he is not Roman, this is the vision for the future! They go back many, many years, talking about what the vision of the future would look like. Oh, yes, isn’t that a coincidence? The “vision” for the future of the WWE and of the entire industry for years to come, it all revolves around Rollins being front and center. That’s not a coincidence! Rollins is the best man for the job! That’s Sami’s point, Rollins. It isn’t coincidence, it is hypocrisy.
Sami says all this time talking about The Bloodline this, the Bloodline that, and- Rollins stops Sami there. This is NOT The Bloodline, stop making that comparison! Well how is it different? The Wise Man over on that side, and a lapdog over on the other. And if Bron keeps looking at Sami like that, Sami will kick Bron’s face in! The fans fire up hearing that! Rollins shouts for everyone to calm down. Sami, what is this? You came out here to be honest with Rollins, so Rollins will be honest with you. This IS the vision for the future. And Sami is either with them, or they are against them. And that’s not a threat.
Rollins doesn’t want Sami to be an enemy. This whole thing is bigger than Rollins. It doesn’t matter if Rollins hates you like he does Roman and Punk, or if he loves you like a brother. You stand in his way, you become a target, and Rollins doesn’t want that for Sami. So they can find a solution to this. It doesn’t have to come to blows. Wise Man, please, pull some strings. Sami can be moved off Raw. The fans boo and Rollins says no, that’s not a threat! It’s just that Sami clearly won’t buy in, so maybe they can cash him out. That is not a threat. But it is an offer. A favor, even. So look, Sami, just think about it. But they will need an answer by the end of the night.
Rollins turns to go, Heyman has Bron stand down, and the clock is ticking. Will the Underdog from the Underground side with Rollins’ vision? Or will he be the first to stand against it?
Rhea Ripley VS Roxanne Perez!
Mami came to the rescue last week when The Prodigy and Giulia went after Iyo Sky and Stephanie Vaquer. Rhea still wants to be on top, will her brutality go a long way towards that? Or will the former NXT Women’s Champion pop off against the former Women’s World Champion?
Raw returns and Roxie makes her entrance. The bell rings and the fans rally up. Rhea and Roxie circle, the fans behind “MAMI! MAMI!” The two tie up, Roxie dodges and then bails out. The fans boo but Roxie tells the ref to back Rhea off. Rhea does back up, and Roxie takes her time stepping inside. Roxie and Rhea feel things out, but then Roxie bails out again! The fans boo but Roxie is clearly trolling. Roxie then throws her jacket at Rhea! Roxie storms in and CHOP BLOCKS! Rhea writhes, the fans boo but Roxie talks trash. Roxie CLUBS and kicks and stomps, but then Rhea grabs Roxie by the hair!
Roxie SLAPS Rhea, then laughs. Rhea is furious so now Roxie apologizes. But then Roxie dropkicks the legs out and Rhea hits buckles! Roxie runs in, UPPERCUTS, then comes back, but into a BOOT! Rhea reels Roxie in, Canadian Racks, but Roxie hooks the ropes! Roxie slips free, ducks ‘n’ dodges to wheelbarrow, but no bulldog! Roxie shifts to roll Rhea, and she stomps away on the bad leg! Rhea BOOTS Roxie away with the good leg! But then Roxie SWEEPS the legs! The fans rally but Roxie DROPKICKS Rhea out! Roxie builds speed to DIVE! But Rhea catches her! The fans fire up as Rhea THROWS Roxie into barriers!
Roxie is down, Rhea shakes out the bad leg, then she drags Roxie up. SNAKE EYES off the barriers! The ring count climbs, Rhea stalks Roxie, and Rhea puts Roxie in the ring. Roxie backs up but Rhea puts her on the apron! Rhea DECKS Roxie, then drags her back up, only for Roxie to trip Rhea! Roxie SLAMS Rhea’s bad leg into the post! Rhea resists as Roxie tries again, but Roxie CLUBS away, then she SLAMS the leg back into post! The fans boo but Roxie runs, tilt-o-whirl RUSSIAN- NO, Rhea blocks with power! Roxie slips free of the scoop but Rhea LARIATS her down! The fans fire up while Rhea gets her leg moving.
Rhea hauls Roxie up, whips her to a corner, then runs in. Roxie BOOTS Rhea away, then goes up and leaps! But Rhea catches her again! Rhea powers through to suplex high and hard! Roxie staggers up, but Rhea DROPKICKS Roxie down! Roxie bails out, Rhea shakes the bad leg out, and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Roxie double jumps and MOONSAULTS! Cover, TWO! Rhea survives and Roxie grows frustrated. The fans rally but Roxie goes for the bad legs. Spinning toehold, then a DEATHLOCK! Rhea endures as Roxie puts on the pressure! Rhea CLUBS Roxie, Roxie pushes on the bad leg, repeat! Roxie fires a forearm, Rhea fires a haymaker, but Roxie fires a flurry! Roxie lets Rhea go to then have a standing toehold! Roxie pushes on the knee and ankle, but Rhea kicks with the free leg! Roxie still holds on so Rhea kicks at her again and again! Rhea finally BOOTS free, then ENZIGIRIS! Roxie comes back, but Rhea wrenches to a short arm LARIAT!
Rhea short arm LARIATS, then ducks a shot to wrench and HOOK KICK! Rhea reels Roxie in and lifts her up, Canadian Rack for the RAZOR’S EDGE! Roxie flounders, Rhea SLIDING KICKS! Cover, TWO!! The bad leg holds Rhea back and Roxie survives for it! Rhea hobbles and goes back for Roxie. Rhea drags Roxie up, then fires off in the corner! The ref counts but the fans fire up! Wait, is that Giulia!? The Beautiful Madness is back again, taunting Rhea. Rhea eggs Giulia on, but Roxie snatches Rhea to a cradle! TWO!! Roxie runs and tilt-o-whirls to SPIKE-RANA! Roxie gets moving and she HANDSPRING KNEE DROPS! Cover, TWO!!
Rhea survives and Roxie is freaking out! Giulia is just as frustrated over that count, but Roxie drags Rhea up. Roxie SLAPS Rhea, Rhea SLAPS Roxie! Roxie SOBATS, hops on, POP- NO, Rhea flips that over and KNEES Roxie down! Rhea then glares at Giulia. Giulia eggs Rhea on, Rhea grabs Giulia’s hair! Roxie rolls Rhea, but Rhea rolls through and HEADBUTTS! Rhea pump handles, but Giulia CHOP BLOCKS Rhea!
Winner: Rhea Ripley, by disqualification
The fans boo but Giulia HAMMERS away on Rhea! Roxie joins in, but here comes Iyo Sky! The fans fire up as the Evil Genius rushes in, dodges Roxie and SHOTEIS Giulia! SHOTEI for Roxie! Iyo blocks Giulia’s kick to send it into Roxie! Then victory roll, STOMP 182! The fans fire up with Iyo, and then she runs at Roxie! Roxie puts Iyo on the apron, but Iyo GAMANGIRIS! Giulia is up, and she trips Iyo up on the springboard! Now the champ is getting mugged! Rhea returns, and that sends Roxie & Giulia running! Roxie & Giulia never used to be friends, but they have common targets in Iyo & Rhea. Will they come to regret it?
Judgment Day talks in the clubhouse.
They’re all excited, and then Finn joins in! Finn formally welcomes JD McDonagh back from injury, and mentions they need to talk later. They go off to the side and Finn thought JD was going to tell him when he was back. JD says he told Dom first, he meant to tell Finn, and he’s sorry. Finn is fine with that, he just wishes JD had told him. JD knows, but with the Intercontinental Championship match, JD was cleared quicker than he thought and- Liv checks in. Is everything okay? Sure, of course! Just catching up. Okay, but why aren’t they getting ready for their match? Wait, what match?
JD says he was also going to tell Finn but it got away from him. Liv said it’d be great if JD & Finn made another run at the World Tag Team Championships, and JD agreed, so he went to Nick Aldis and they’ve got a match with the War Raiders tonight. JD thought Liv was going to tell Finn. Liv says it’s just been so busy, it slipped her mind. But she just figured, since Finn isn’t a champion right now, that he’d be interested. Well of course he’d be interested. But in the future, please keep Finn in the loop. Yes, absolutely. Finn says he’ll go get ready, JD and Liv grumble at each other, but Carlito says it’ll be great once everyone is champion. Oh wait, maybe Carlito should be, too…
Liv & JD go back to the game with Dom and Raquel, and Carlito seems to have an idea. But what title could Caribbean Cool possibly capture?
Logan Paul is here!
Raw returns as The Maverick is already in the ring. Kansas City boos, but Logan says, “Hey, yo! That’s crazy, cuz I dunno if y’all remember, but I beat the Phenomenal AJ Styles last weekend at WrestleMania. And I hear you. You people still aren’t satisfied. Hey, hey, hey, I get it. You’re from Kansas City, you’re a victim of circumstance. You don’t know greatness when it’s standing right in front of you. You people are so, so stupid! You don’t know what a true legend looks like. And hey, hey, I’m gonna say something, and it might offend some of you, you’re not gonna like it. But a true legend certainly does not look like your current World Heavyweight Champion, Jey Uso.”
The fans boo but Logan says he has had seven days to think. He realized he’s done just about everything there is in this industry, except win the world title. “So Jey Uso! Consider your days numbered, because you have something that I want!” But then YEET! Here comes Main Event Jey! The fans fire up and sing along with that Day One Ish, and the bounce is on! Jey even bestows his YEET sunglasses to a young fan who beat cancer and is at his first WWE show. The fans fire up for that, and they YEET again! Jey steps in the ring, grabs a mic, and the fans “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Logan looks right at the belt, and Jey tells him hold up.
Let’s silence this noise! Cuz Logan thinks that after 15 YEARS of Jey making a name for himself, finally becoming World Heavyweight Champion, that Jey’s just gonna hand this over to some punk YouTuber like Logan Paul! STOP! “YEET!” Jey tells Pat, “Can you believe this?” Jey says let’s get real for a minute. Jey watched Gunther beat his twin brother to a bloody pulp. That did something to Jey. It lit a fire inside of him that ain’t ever going out. So look, Logan, this title is not given, it is earned. And it’s Jey’s! So if you want it, come take it! Four letters, one word. Uh, uh, YEET!! The fans fire up, but Logan rolls his eyes.
“YEET? You sound so stupid, Uce. I’ve done more in four years than you have in 15! All of you know that’s true!” So Logan has something for Jey! This is how it’s gonna go: That title? Logan will take it from Jey. And Jey will do what he does best, what he always does, and that is crash out, screw up, and lose in less time than he held the Intercontinental Championship. So enjoy it while you- SUPERKICK!! The fans fire up as Jey just knocks this punk ass YouTuber on his punk ass! Will this be the story of Logan trying to take the main event from Main Event Jey?
Finn Balor & JD McDonagh w/ Carlito VS The War Raiders!
The Prince was as surprised as the fans to see The Irish Ace return, but while JD helped Dirty Dom become Intercontinental Champion, now the lads can be WWE World Tag Team Champions again. Well, that’s if they can get past Erik & Ivar to go after the New Day. Will this be a bright new chapter for Judgment Day? Or will they simply run into Ragnarök?
Speaking of The New Day, they’re ringside to be part of commentary, and they’re just running down everyone, even claiming that by supporting the War Raiders, you’re supporting literal war. The teams sort out and Ivar starts against JD. The bell rings and they tie up. JD waistlocks, headlocks, but Ivar powers out. JD RAMS Ivar but he’s the one that falls back! Finn swipes at Ivar, Ivar storms up on Finn, but JD headlocks Ivar. Ivar powers up and out again, but JD slips through the backdrop! JD waistlocks, Ivar bucks the O’Conner, then Ivar DECKS Finn! JD CLUBS Ivar, kicks away, and Finn tags in. The Judgment Day mugs Ivar, then soaks up the cheers and jeers.
Finn tags JD back in, JD wrenches Ivar’s beard! Ivar whips JD away, then he BACKDROPS JD! Tag to Erik and he DECKS JD! Finn runs up, but Erik wrenches and lifts Finn for an EXPLODER! JD runs, Erik dodges and SHOTGUN KNEES! The fans fire up and Erik tags Ivar in. Erik sends Ivar in and he LARIATS Finn! Then he feeds Finn to Erik’s ELBOW! Ivar KNEES JD, whips and Erik KNEES JD down! Erik drags JD up, TOSSES him out to join Finn, and the fans cheer on the Raiders. The New Day taunts the raiders with the titles, and Judgment Day returns! But the Raiders scoop and SLAM both JD & Finn!
Finn tumbles away, Ivar scoops JD to SLAM him again! Erik scoops Ivar to SLAM him onto JD! Erik steps outside so Ivar can tag him back in. Ivar then lines up a shot, and the fans fire up as he runs in. But Carlito drags Finn who drags JD to get him out of the way! Ivar crashes into the LED apron! Erik checks on Ivar, Woods mockingly says, “It’s impressive cuz he’s fat, wow~.” The New Day verbally runs down the Raiders while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and JD RAMS Erik into the Judgment Day corner. The ref counts as JD throws hands, but fans count along. Erik stops JD at 5, BLASTS Finn, but JD kicks Erik. Erik DECKS JD! Both men are down, the fans fire up, and New Day makes bald jokes on Erik. JD and Erik crawl, hot tags to Ivar and Finn! The fans fire up as Ivar rallies on Finn! Scoop and SIDEWALK SLAM! Ivar runs to SPLASH! The fans fire up with Ivar and he runs, but Finn dodges. Ivar SEATED SENTONS! Then he cartwheels past JD to HEEL KICK! The fans fire up and Ivar gets them to chant, “WAR! WAR! WAR!” Ivar runs to BRONCO BUSTER!
Finn sputters into the drop zone, Ivar goes up, and the fans fire up again. DOOMSAULT FLOPS as Finn moves! Carlito is relieved while Finn and Ivar are both down. Finn crawls, Ivar stirs, and New Day just puts themselves over. Hot tag to JD, and he uses Ivar as a step to BLAST Erik! Then JD DUMPS Ivar out, and he ASAI MOONSAULTS! Direct hit and no desk to worry about on that side! JD puts Ivar in the ring, climbs up again, and he MOONSAULTS! Cover, Erik breaks it! Finn returns to fire hands on Erik! Finn TOSSES Erik out, then he and JD double whip Ivar. Erik sneaks a tag, Ivar breaks the double lariat!
Ivar handsprings and DOUBLE BACK ELBOWS! Kofi say she can do that, too. Erik goes out to fetch JD, Ivar has Finn, and the fans fire up as the Raiders DOUBLE LAWN DART Finn & JD into each other! New Day says get those two in the ring then! Dummies! Erik puts JD in, then glares at Kofi & Woods. Ivar throws Finn at the New Day! The fans fire up, and then Ivar SPLASHES them all!! The fans fire up, Carlito gets up, Erik DECKS him! JD rolls Erik up, TWO! Erik has JD but JD JAWBREAKERS! JD goes up, Carlito distracts more, but PENTA is here! He SHOVES JD to screw JD! Payback for WrestleMania!
Erik tags Ivar, the fans fire up as JD is popped up for the WAR MACHINE!! Cover, War Raiders win!
Winners: The War Raiders, by pinfall
The man with Cero Miedo made sure JD & Finn get nothing! Will Dirty Dom and the Intercontinental Championship be next? Will New Day have to face the raid once more?
Sami Zayn contemplates backstage.
Otis asks him what he’s thinking, and Sami says he isn’t sure. But then in steps Paul Heyman. The Wise Man sits with Sami and asks Otis give them the room. Otis obliges, and Heyman says he was thinking about what Sami said about The Bloodline. Heyman & Sami are OG Bloodline, y’know? Sami says that is true. But Heyman blew up whatever was left. Well, Heyman respected when Sami broke away. Maybe one day, Sami will respect what Heyman did. But Heyman isn’t here to talk about that. “Seth Rollins views himself as the vanguard of the future of this entire industry. And whether he is or he isn’t, that’s how he views himself.
“And Bron Breakker? Well, that’s his dog at the gate. And whether he is or he isn’t, that’s how Bron Breakker views himself. And Bron Breakker right now is demanding a match with you. Seth and I, we can’t say no to that because Bron Breakker is the key to our plans. But Seth Rollins, he holds you in such reverence, he is offering you a pass. If you accept being traded to SmackDown starting this Friday, everybody wins!” Sami is about to get up but Heyman has him hold on. Heyman has spoken with Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis. Seth Rollins is going to do Sami a favor. Oh, is he? Yes.
If Sami accepts the offer, the moment Sami arrives on SmackDown, he is set to face the winner of John Cena VS Randy Orton after Backlash! Just like that! Instant #1 contender. That’s how much Rollins thinks of Sami. Think of your future, Sami. And of your family’s future. “Sami, you can live in the future… Or you can die with the past. Think about it.” Heyman pats Sami on the back, leaves, and Bron is there around the corner. Will the dog still get to take a bite out of the underdog? Or will Sami make his dreams come true?
Becky Lynch is here!
Kansas City isn’t quite as excited to see The Man as usual given what she did to The Morrigan the moment they lost the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. Becky grabs a mic and says, “The Man has come around to Kansas City! And The Man is back in business, so let’s get down to business, shall we? Bayley was tragically taken out of her WrestleMania match, but there won’t be any murder mystery, any weeks long whodunnit. I have examined the evidence, I have reviewed the footage, and we have found the culprit. It was me! I did it!” The fans boo, but Becky says no no no no no no! Don’t make her the bad guy here!
They can’t act like Becky is the villain! You can’t fake outrage! Bayley has attacked Becky nonstop since 2019! And not one time did Bayley apologize! But are we supposed to just forget about it? Just like how Bayley’s forgotten just what this business is! While Bayley’s out here going, “Everyone, please like me!” and wearing everybody else’s merch, and dancing to everyone else’s music, and asking, “Why aren’t I a bigger star?” Well, she just saw what a bigger star looks like when Becky walked down the ramp at WrestleMania! The fans boo, but Becky says that brings her to Lyra Valkyria. As the saying goes, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
But then the reverse works, too. The friend of an enemy is an enemy! Lyra wouldn’t be in this business if not for Becky! Becky had high hopes for Lyra. But while Becky was out, Lyra cozied up to the woman Becky’s been fighting for the last six YEARS!? Even then, Becky still tried to save Lyra and get her to “ditch that b*tch!” Lyra never would’ve won those tag titles with Bayley! But it was too late, she was already compromised as a loser. Becky showed Bayley what she thought of her before- Wait! Lyra is here! Lyra has a mic already and she says, “You had high hopes for me? Do you know how many women in that locker room warned me about you?”
Becky says, “I bet they did.” Lyra says Bayley was one of the first! Well, of course she was. Bayley said Becky would step on anyone just to get ahead. Lyra didn’t buy any of it, because she was so caught up in some stupid fairytale dream of two Irish women as tag team champions at WrestleMania! Because of the hopes she had for Becky! And Lyra isn’t sure how it took her all those Manhandle Slams, but Lyra finally sees it now. She knows exactly what Becky is: The Illusion of Becky Lynch is dead. And Lyra will make her pay for what she did! Becky bails as Lyra storms in, and Lyra says c’mon, she’s really gonna run away?
Kansas City wants to see a fight, right? The fans cheer that yes they do! Lyra asks what’s the matter. Is Becky thinking back to the last time they went 1v1? When Lyra beat Becky and took the NXT Women’s Championship? Becky says no, no, no, from now on, The Man only fights when it matters. And it doesn’t matter here in Kansas City! Lyra says she should’ve seen this coming, too. Sorry, Kansas City, but The Man is too good for you. But fine, they’ll do it at Backlash. And The Man will only want it if the Women’s Intercontinental Championship is on the line. Then Becky’s got it! Well, okay. Becky will make that title matter like she did Lyra matter!
So welcome to the- OH SHUT THE HELL UP, BECKY! Becky didn’t make Lura matter, Lyra made herself matter. Lyra doesn’t want to be the next Becky Lynch. She is Lyra Valkyria, and she will be both a better person than Becky, and she already knows she’s a better wrestler! Becky tells Lyra, “You listen to me, you little punk!” Becky rants about how Lyra wouldn’t even be in WWE if not for Becky paving the way! But then Lyra WERCKS Becks with a dropkick! The fans fire up as Lyra then goes after Becky on the outside, shoves her into the ring, and then hurries to throw down hands! The fans fire up more but Becky bails out again!
Becky runs away into the crowd and then into the night, but Lyra eggs her on. Will Becky face all the backlash for what she’s done since her return? Wait, speaking of return, Becky CLOBBERS Lyra on the ramp! The Man uses a cheap shot, but will Lyra make sure she sees the next one?
Nick Aldis talks with Penta backstage.
The substitute GM wants Penta to tranquilo. He knows what Judgment Day did, he knows Penta wants payback, so he’ll let Penta off without a fine. But we can’t have this happening, okay? Penta thanks Aldis. Aldis does have good news. He has put it on the books for next week: Penta VS JD McDonagh! Good! Penta will be ready! Penta thanks Aldis again, and then Penta turns around, to see Chad Gable & Ivy Nile. Chad, in his new “El Grande Americano es Numero Uno” shirt, tells Penta that he was just walking Ivy to gorilla and couldn’t resist to talk to another luchador on his descent.
Penta thought he was pretty slick pulling out a cheap victory on Gable for the Netflix debut, huh? But look at him now. Dropping the big one at WrestleMania. Oh, nothing to say? Isn’t it Cero Miedo? More like cero comebacks, clown! And also, Penta losing wasn’t the favorite part of WrestleMania for Gable. It was Penta’s loser brother, Fenix, dropping the ball in his WrestleMania debut to El Grande Americano! Penta BOOTS Gable down! Penta tells him not to talk bad on his brother! Don’t mess with the Lucha Brothers! And yes, he IS Penta, and he does have Cero Miedo, pendejo! Penta storms off, will Gable still be able to coach Ivy for her match?
Rusev speaks.
“Once upon a time I had it all. The gold, the fame, the tank at WrestleMania, then I lost myself. I left the WWE, and on my way home to Bulgaria, I fell into the abyss. In that abyss is where I found myself, healed myself, redeemed myself, and fixed myself. In that Hell, I realized I will no longer fight for a woman that isn’t mine, nor a flag that never was. An epiphany. I was finally free to crush people not because I was told to, but because I wanted to. So now, I will use my hands and jacked body for good. I will hunt the frauds, the arrogant, those who waste their talents like I did. And through pain, I will perfect them all for good.
“So my brothers, your lack of suffering ends now. I am the tempest rolling in. I will hunt you, forgive and fix you, like I fixed myself. But choose your next steps wisely, because for a righteous man, savagery will be no hardship. Ending you will be no loss.” Rusev is ready to fix the Raw roster, who will he choose to work on first?
Stephanie Vaquer VS Ivy Nile w/ Chad Gable!
La Primera made quite the impression on the Raw After Mania, then she thwarted Roxanne Perez on the NXT After Stand & Deliver. She has returned once again, will she continue to show why she is THE NXT Women’s Champion? Or will the Diamond Pitbull show her American Made strength?
The bell rings and the two circle. The fans rally as the two feel things out. Ivy refuses the knuckle lock but Vaquer avoids the leg pick. Ivy comes back to lift and SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Ivy facelocks, gator rolls, and she keeps hold of Vaquer to then float around, flip her over and cover, TWO! Vaquer waistlocks now, pops Ivy down to a O’Conner BRIDGE, TWO! Ivy gets up, runs up, and she kicks low. Ivy headlocks, Vaquer endures, and Vaquer powers up and out. Ivy runs Vaquer over, kisses the biceps, and things speed up. Vaquer bypasses Ivy then runs her over! The fans cheer, Vaquer storms up on Ivy, and whips her to ropes.
Ivy tilt-o-whirls to RANA! Vaquer comes back, Ivy ducks and whips, and Vaquer tilt-o-whirls to roll-up deep! TWO, and Ivy stands back up. The fans cheer the standoff, and then the two step up. Ivy swings, but into a wrench and snap suplex! Vaquer sits Ivy up and smiles. The fans like where this is going! Headscissors for the- NO, Ivy pops free to tie up the legs! QUEEN ANGELITO STRETCH, into a SURFBOARD! Vaquer endures, pushes back to roll, andshe has the headscissors! DEVIL’S KISS! TEN kisses, yeeeeeeeah~! Gable is frustrated, the fans are fired up, and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns, and we get more DEVIL’S KISSES! Another TEN, yeeeeeeeah~! The fans fire up more while Gable is protesting. Ivy goes to a corner, Vaquer runs in, METEORA! Vaquer drags Ivy out, pushes her down to a cover, but Gable gives Ivy the ropebreak! The fans boo and Vaquer knows what happened. Gable plays innocent, but she storms out after him! Gable asks what’s her problem. But Ivy runs up to GERMAN SUPLEX Vaquer to the floor! Ivy puts Vaquer in the ring, hurries to go Around the World, CALF KICK! And then GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! The fans fire up as Vaquer survives but Ivy is right on her.
Ivy pushes Vaquer to the drop zone, climbs up the corner, but Vaquer rises to UPPERCUT! The fans cheer and Vaquer goes up! Vaquer brings Ivy to the top, but Ivy fights with body shots! Vaquer fires a flurry of HEADBUTTS! Vaquer shakes that off, then hoists Ivy up, SUPERPLEX! Cover, TWO! Ivy survives and Gable can breathe again. The fans rally up, “This is Awesome!” as Ivy and Vaquer rise. Vaquer HEADBUTTS, but Ivy fires a forearm! Vaquer CHOPS, so Ivy CHOPS! The fans rally as the shots keep going, and they turn to forearms! Ivy gets the edge, but Vaquer ducks a kick to mule kick!
Vaquer tucks Ivy, but Ivy powers out and scoops! SWINGING SIDE SLAM! Cover, TWO! Vaquer survives and the fans fire up! Vaquer goes to a corner, Ivy runs in, but Vaquer dodges the kick! Vaquer grabs the other leg, sticks it in the ropes, and then SUPERKICK! Then the DRAPING DRAGON SCREW! Vaquer tucks Ivy in, S V B!! Cover, Vaquer wins!
Winner: Stephanie Vaquer, by pinfall
The NXT Women’s Champion has been busy, but it isn’t slowing her down! Will the Dark Angel continue to fly high no matter where she goes?
Aldis talks with AJ Styles.
Aldis knows The Phenomenal One is upset with how things went for him at WrestleMania. Logan Paul, Karrion Kross, trickery, all that. But Aldis knows Styles is still phenomenal. They’ve got a long list of opponents to help Styles get back on the horse. Styles says he’s got some ideas himself. But in step Judgment Day first… Liv has Dom & Raquel with her as she “apologizes” for interrupting, but she’ll need time off for Liv’s big Hollywood movie role! Yes, Aldis is aware. Congrats on that, that’s very exciting. And as far as he knows, the paperwork is all good. Liv thanks Aldis, but now Dom asks that he gets time off, too.
Um, why? Because Dom is a champion and he gets what he wants. Oh, is that so? No, Dom should’ve listened to his dad more. When you’re champion, you have to do more work. So request denied. And if they don’t mind, Aldis was in the middle of a conversation. Dom asks what Styles has to talk about, a retirement home? HAHAH! Didn’t Styles break a hip like Dom’s deadbeat dad? No, actually. Styles is thinking about breaking something else, if you catch his drift. Liv has this stop here. Judgment Day leaves, and Styles says if we’re talking opportunities, he just got an idea. Aldis says he knows exactly what Styles means. Is Dom’s name about to move way up the list?
Sami Zayn paces.
But Karrion Kross finds him. Kross says Sami’s got a really big decision to make tonight! And hopefully, Sami makes the right choice. Kross smiles and leaves, are his mind games only going to make things harder for Sami?
Pat McAfee addresses Gunther’s actions last week.
After reviewing footage of Der Ring General taking umbrage with Michael Cole’s mere opinion, and then the brutal physical assault on Pat McAfee for him simply sticking up for Cole, it is announced that Gunther has been fined an undisclosed yet large amount of money, and has been suspended indefinitely. Pat then stands up on the desk with a mic in hand, and the fans cheer as he says, “It is my honor to get a chance to chat in the city of the Home~ of the~ Chiefs! This place is glorious, and it’s the right place for me to deliver this message. There are a lot of people that have forgotten who the hell I am.
“I’ve had such a successful career on a microphone, I think even I have forgotten who the hell I am! This past week has made me look in the mirror and realize some things. That I’m still that dog that was born in the east hills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to a truck driver that was just trying to go paycheck to paycheck to paycheck. I am a man that was not handed a lot in this life. I am a man that is lucky to be blessed with great friends. I am a man that went from being a irrelevant bum to a human that is known in basically every city in this country. I don’t have more talent than anybody, I’m definitely not better looking than most folks.
“But I happen to have a few things that I hope people will remember me by whenever my time has come to pass. When I die and I’m six feet in the dirt, I hope they say, ‘That guy was an incredibly hard worker. He worked his ass off. Not only for himself but for his friends, for his family, and for his community.'” The fans cheer that! Pat continues to say that he hopes they say he was empathetic. Whenever he received a lot, he gave back a lot. He gave millions, “AND MILLIONS~!” of dollars to his community and to children’s hospitals across this country. To military foundations, to homeless shelters, to LGBTQ reach out.
To public schools, to underprivileged communities and societies! Pat hopes that the people know he gave back and made the world better than when he came into it. And last but not least, when Pat is dead and gone, he hopes they will say that he was a loyal mother effer! The fans definitely cheer that! Pat says, “You must ride for those that ride for you. If one go, all go. You’re either with me or against me. And there’s one man that has been with me since the day I met him, and he just so happens to be the greatest of all time, MICHAEL COLE!” The fans cheer for Maggle, and Pat says to Cole, he will be loyal until he’s in the soil.
And if someone has something with Cole, then they have something with Pat. So last week, when that Austrian a-hole put his hands on Cole, Pat had no other option than to protect his guy! IT was deep in Pat’s soul, his blood. Afterward, Pat got attacked. Pat sees himself choked out all over the internet and TV. Friends and family told him not to do this with Gunther. Gunther is in his prime, a former World Heavyweight Champion. Pat said, “F THAT!! If I die, I die. If you’ve got a problem with Cole, you’ve got a problem with me, Gunther! SmackDown’s version of Adam Pearce, please come out here!”
Nick Aldis does make his way on stage, and Aldis wants Mr. McAfee to calm down. Pearce’s style tends to be, “let chaos reign,” but Aldis is in charge tonight and he does things a little different. And we all know that this is not the time nor the place for this. But Pat called Aldis out, so here he is. Please, keep it professional. Pat says he knows Aldis is just some middle manager, just like Pearce. Pearce, we miss you. But Pat knows Aldis has the power on this particular evening to make some things happen. Pat doesn’t like that Pearce suspended Gunther, that Gunther isn’t here. Aldis, lift the suspension so Pat can fight Gunther ASAP!
The fans like the sound of that, and Aldis says he figured it’d be something like that. That is why Aldis discussed this ahead of time with Pearce. As far as the suspension goes for Pat to go after Gunther, the answer is… No. The fans boo, but Aldis says both Gunther and Pat are far too valuable of assets to the WWE to take such a risk. But speaking of value, Aldis does have an alternative. They can lift he suspension on Gunther, and Pat can get his hands on Gunther, in a sanctioned contest inside the ring. Pat, what Aldis is proposing is Pat McAfee VS Gunther 1v1 at Backlash! The fans like the sound of that, too!
Pat says him and Gunther, 1v1, St. Louis, Backlash… DEAL! The fans cheer Pat on, but Cole is a bit worried. Win, lose, or draw, will Pat put Gunther in his place and show you can’t just bully anyone you want?
Sami is still thinking…
And then he crosses paths with Jey Uso. Jey tells his brother from another mother, Jey just wants to check in. Sami appreciates that. It is a big decision. Jey says whatever Sami decides, it’ll be the best for Sami. Jey loves you, dawg. Sami says he loves Jey, too. They hug it out, and Sami heads out. Will Jey having his back help Sami with that decision? But then LOGAN PAUL SUCKER PUNCHES Jey! Logan says that’s karma, Uce! Logan leaves Jey down and out, but will Logan face some karma of his own?
Seth Rollins is back in the ring.
The fans again sing for the Visionary, and he says, “Well, we are here. It is nearly the end of the night, so… Sami Zayn, I’d love for you to come out here and let’s talk this out, my friend.” Rollins waits, and Sami makes his entrance once again. The moment of truth is here as Sami again joins Rollins in the ring. Rollins says before Sami makes his decision, he just wants Sami to hear him out. Sami is putting Rollins in a very, very difficult position. He really is. They go back a long way, and Rollins does not want to see anything bad happen to Sami. Rollins gets it, Sami doesn’t like Bron or Heyman, but this is Rollins!
Twenty YEARS of friendship, Rollins and Sami. Last week, Sami came back to Raw, celebrated with Jey & Jimmy Uso because they’re friends. When Sami came out here, Rollins thought Sami was giving him the same respect. Rollins knows Sami doesn’t agree with it, but Rollins and Bron and Heyman, that is the way forward. Rollins believes with his whole heart that this IS the vision for the best future of the WWE. Rollins wishes he had someone else to believe in, but there is no one better to lead us into the future than Rollins. And the fact Sami doesn’t believe in Rollins hurts. Because this business tears relationships apart, friendships apart.
They’ve both been on either side of that, and Sami knows that after everything is said and done, how many true friends can Sami count he’s made in this business? It’s all on one hand, right? Less than five. But for Rollins, Sami was one of those true friends. When Rollins’ baby girl was born, Sami was one of the first people he called, as he’d just become a new father himself. Rollins was scared out of his mind, had nowhere to turn, so he turned to Sami. Sami gave him some of the best advice he’d ever gotten in his entire life, and he will forever be grateful. So please, allow Rollins to return the favor and give Sami some advice that could save his life.
Rollins wants Sami to take the pass. Take the way out. Whatever Heyman’s got lined up, go take it. Because if Sami stays on Raw and doesn’t believe in Rollins… Bad things are gonna happen. And Rollins loves Sami, he doesn’t want that to happen, so just take the pass. Take the way out. Rollins is begging Sami to take the out! The fans are torn, Sami is conflicted, and Sami says if he hurts Rollins’ feeling as a friend, he is sorry. Everything Rollins is saying is true, their friendship transcends the business, their children are friends, these two are good friends. Outside of this ring, that is true.
But when it comes to everything that Rollins says inside this ring… Sami says Rollins is playing games. Rollins is good, always has been. Sami’s never been good at that stuff. That’s why Rollins is in this position. And Rollins knows because of how close they are, he knows what cards to play. Sami confided in Rollins over the years, and how the one thing that’s eluded him in his entire career, how much it nags at him, that one thing Sami has yet to get is a world championship. And now, Rollins is dangling that in front of Sami. That is what Rollins is doing. Friend or not, for as long as Rollins has known Sami, has he ever, ever known Sami to run away?
Talk about hurt feelings, Sami will not stand here as his “friend” threatens him. Because that is what Rollins is doing. Rollins is saying if Sami doesn’t submit to Rollins’ future, he is a target. Guess what? Sami’s been a target 1000 times before! Sami can live with bein ga target, but he can’t live with being blackmailed, blackballed, blacklisted, extorted, manipulated! He will NOT be threatened!! The fans fire up as Sami says he WILL win a WWE world championship!! And when Sami does, it will not because of a favor from anyone., It will be from Sami doing it his way, and doing it the right way!
The fans cheer Sami on as Sami says, “As a friend, I respect you, I love you, but this is me telling you to go to Hell.” Rollins sighs, and here comes Bron! Heyman did say the dog would be coming for the underdog, will Sami not back down from this fight, either?
Sami Zayn VS Bron Breakker w/ Paul Heyman & Seth Rollins!
The bell rings and Sami runs up, only for Bron to RAM him into a corner! Bron RAMS Sami again and again and again, then stops as the ref counts. Bron THROWS Sami overhead! Rollins watches on as Bron storms up on Sami to ROCK him! Bron scrapes Sami’s face against the ropes! Bron then whips Sami, but Sami KICKS the backdrop away! Sami goes to a corner, Bron runs up, but Sami ELBOWS him! Sami goes up, and he AX HANDLES Bron down! The fans fire up, Sami runs up on Bron and kicks him! Sami bumps Bron off buckles, then pushes him down. Sami goes back up, and he AX- NO, Bron hits another OVERHEAD SUPLEX!
The fans are torn, but plenty bark it up for Bron. Bron stalks Sami, drags him up and throws haymakers. Bron talks trash, CHOKES Sami on the ropes, then steps off. The ref reprimands and Sami sputters but Bron comes back for more. Bron whips Sami to then ELBOW him down! Bron smirks while fans are torn between boos and barks. Bron drags Sami up, brings him around, but Sami fires forearms and CHOPS! Sami fires more shots, more CHOPS, but Bron knees low! Bron headlocks, Sami powers up and out, drops down then jumps, but into a SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Sami is tougher than that, but Bron stays focused.
Bron drags Sami up and puts him on the ropes. Bron fires knee after knee, then whips Sami to ropes. Sami springboards to go up and over, then LARIAT! The fans fire up as now Bron scrambles. Bron runs back in but Sami TOSSES him out! Sami goes to the apron but Bron grabs a leg! Bron YANKS Sami down, then SMACKS him off the desk! Rollins doesn’t even look as Sami sputters. Bron goes up, aims, and FLYING LARIATS Sami onto the desk! Sami flops to the floor in a heap, but Rollins is still stoic as Raw goes to break.
Raw returns once more as Bron has Sami up top. Bron brings Sami up, but Sami fights the suplex with body shots! The fans fire up as Sami CLUBS away on Bron’s back! Sami then adjusts and SUPER SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO!! Bron survives, the fans fire up, and while Heyman nods, Rollins almost starts to scowl. Sami rises, the fans bring the fireflies out for Sami, and Sami storms up on Bron. Sami clinches, but Bron fights the exploder with elbows! Bron then wrenches, but Sami CHOPS, goes up, and up and TORNADO DDTS! Cover, TWO!! Bron survives, and now Heyman is a bit worried.
Rollins is still scowling the same as he was a moment ago, but the fans rally up for Sami. Sami goes to a corner, climbs up, and the fans cheer him on. But Bron is right after him! Bron anchors a leg, Sami throws down elbows, and Bron staggers away. But Bron is right back up! SUPER STEINER! The fans fire up as Bron brings down the straps! Bron aims, runs in, but Sami KICKS Bron! Sami clinches to CORNER EXPLODER! Bron sputters and the fans fire up for Sami! Sami is in the corner, he wants Bron to rise up, and he runs in, but into a SPEAR!! Bron turns things back around, and then he looms over Sami.
Bron looks to Rollins, Rollins gives the slightest nod, and Bron builds speed! SPEAR!! The fans bark while Sami flounders away to the apron. Rollins is there to tell Sami, “It doesn’t have to be this way. Take the out! There’s still time!” Sami tells Rollins, “GO TO HELL!” Sami drags himself up, but Bron builds speed! SPEAR!!! Sami is down and writhing again while the fans bark. Rollins frowns as Sami flops out to the floor. The ref checks Sami, and then he calls in the medics! Sami took a lot of damage, especially from those spears. Heyman tells Rollins to not feel bad, this isn’t on Rollins. And then Rollins tells Bron to finish this.
Bron goes outside, takes a lap, and he builds speed for the SUPER SPEAR!!! Bron just devastated Sami all over again! But then Bron tells the producers and refs to back off! Bron isn’t going to stop until Sami either gives up or is unconscious! Bron puts Sami in the ring, but the ref calls this! Bron wins!
Winner: Bron Breakker, by referee stoppage
Bron says no, this doesn’t end like that! Rollins steps inside, even as medics check Sami. Rollins has Bron stand down, he’s done his part. Sami sits up, and Rollins says tonight is the first lesson: There are people who deserve their respect! Who deserve their compassion! Sami made his bed, so now he’ll sleep in it. THEN ROLLINS CURB STOMPS SAMI!!! Heyman grins a sinister grin, fans sing “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” Is Rollins’ vision for Monday Night Raw and all of WWE all but inevitable?
My Thoughts:
Great episode tonight, but they snapped back to under 2.5 hours after last week’s big Raw After Mania. Rhea VS Roxie was a great match, even with Giulia getting involved. Iyo helping Rhea was good stuff, and that’s gotta be a tag match at some point. Judgment Day has continued disfunction as Finn is all out of the loop and getting put in a tag match. Great trash talk from The New Day, and great move from Penta to screw Judgment Day over. While Penta is getting a match with McDonagh, his interaction with Gable might invite an appearance from El Grande Americano. I bet Penta VS El Grande Americano could be set for Backlash. And then how hilarious would it be for the secret to be exposed just because the Lucha Brothers want a tag match with Gable and El Grande.
Very good match from Vaquer VS Nile, and that was probably one of Ivy’s best matches in awhile. Nothing else happened so this might’ve just been a good showcase for Vaquer. For all anyone knows, she’ll have a great feud with Giulia and Jordynne Grace, then Vaquer drops the title so she can jump right to Raw. Good promo from AJ Styles and Aldis to also bring in Dom, Liv & Raquel. Liv going off to do some movie stuff is cool, and I like that Dom thinks he can just get time off along with Liv. If Penta’s shifting to Gable/Grande, I bet Styles VS Dom will be the first Intercontinental Championship match for Dom’s reign.
Great promo from Becky, though I should’ve figured they were making her Bayley’s attacker. Lyra had a very good response, and their Women’s Intercontinental Championship will be a great match. I feel like Becky is about to return the favor of that NXT Women’s Championship match and take Lyra’s title. They’ll be 1-1 in their 1v1 series, and the tiebreaker can be some epic stuff for Money in the Bank in June. Very good promo from Rusev to put his return into perspective. I still think he and Otis have a match as Rusev’s in-ring return, and then he will win so he can move on to even bigger names.
Good promo from Logan, though as a Heel, he glosses over how he hasn’t actually done everything. There are a lot of titles and match accomplishments for him to still do, but whatever. Plus, great response from Jey, both verbally and with that superkick. Logan getting payback backstage was fitting of Logan being such an obnoxious Heel, and I am pretty sure this is a sign that they learned from their bad pacing with the Jey VS Gunther build. Speaking of, great promo from Pat to hype things up going into Pat VS Gunther at Backlash. I guess Pat must’ve been getting himself ready this whole time, because we’re talking 12 days until it’s time.
And of course, Seth Rollins’ new faction and how Sami Zayn stood up to him is THE story going now. Good promo to start the show, bringing up how Rollins is being no better than certainly Roman by starting a faction, and then Rollins being diplomatic in a backhanded way. Sami contemplating the choice while hearing from others was good stuff, and I like that Kross is back to copying Sami’s hair the way he also copied Styles. Naturally, Sami as a Face, he chose to stand against Rollins and his attempt to control the WWE, and we get a great main event.
If I had a nickel every time Sami lost by referee stoppage, I’d have (at least) two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but I like that it’s kinda Sami’s thing. And the framing of Rollins giving Sami that Curb Stomp was a bit obvious, but that’s why it was also perfect. I don’t know if Sami gets any allies in this fight, with so many names out there preoccupied in other stories right now, but I guess we’ll have to see if Sami even returns next week to keep fighting.
My Score: 8.8/10
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
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!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
4 Corners Podcast: Is It Drafty In Here?
Patrick and Dave discuss the NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders, and the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!
4 Corners Podcast: Rory McIlroy, NBA Playoffs & NIL
Join Patrick and Dave every Tuesday as they cover the four corners of the professional sporting world!
4 Corners Podcast: Houston Still Has a Problem
This week, we discuss the NCAA Final Four, the NHL Playoff chase, the end of the Gr8 Chase and much...
4 Corners Podcast: Chalk & Chase
This week we talk a little MLB, discuss the red-hot Blues, the GR8 Chase, and whether a chalky NCAA Tournament...
4 Corners Podcast: March Madness Bracket Breakdown
This week on 4 Corners Podcast we break down the Men's NCAA tournament bracket. Which of the top seeds will...
Bandwagon Nerds #286: Hela Hath No Fury
VILLAIN MADNESS reaches its epic conclusion. Plus trailers for Predator: Badlands, Pee Wee as Himself, WWE Unreal and much more!
Attitude Of Aggression #307- Game Gone Wrong?- Part 2: What Do Dragons Eat Anyway?
The guys discuss Episode 1 of Season 8 of Game of Thrones. Did it deliver or are there problems already?...
Bandwagon Nerds #285: Celebratory & Gratuitous
Daredevil: Born Again finale, loaded trailer park, plenty of Star Wars news and the Elite Eight round of VILLAIN MADNESS!
Bandwagon Nerds #284: Mission Unlikely
The Nerds break down a tremendous Episode 8 of Daredevil: Born Again. Plus, the Sweet 16 of Villain Madness and...
Mitchell’s Hyrule Puro-Resu News Report! (4/10/25)
It's gonna be May!
Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (4/29/25)
Look who's back!
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (4/28/25)
Complete the trifecta...
Andrew’s TNA Rebellion Results & Match Ratings: 4.27.2025
Do we make any history with an NXT wrestler taking TNA titles tonight?
Mitchell’s AEW Collision Results & Report! (4/26/25)
So c'mon, baby, just jam for me!
Mitchell’s NJPW Wrestling Redzone Results & Report! (4/26/25)
The tag titles are up for grabs!
Mindless Wrestling Podcast: WrestleMania 41 Scorecard: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
With WrestleMania 41 in the rearview mirror, we break down both nights and give it a final grade.
Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/25/25)
Time for some TLC!
DWI Podcast #473: Snap Into It
Best friend of shoe joins us as we discuss the fallout from WrestleMania 41!
Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.24.25
We get another chapter of Hardy Compound shenanigans! NEMETH BROTHERS! WE KNEW YOU'D COME!
Mitchell’s ROH Results & Report! (4/24/25)
The Chef is back!
-
Coverage5 days agoMitchell’s WWE Evolve Results & Report! (4/23/25)
-
Coverage5 days ago
Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.24.25
-
Coverage4 days ago
Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/25/25)
-
Podcasts6 days agoPOD is WAR: I Could Put 15 Japanese Guys In Here (WrestleMania / NFL Draft)