WWE RAW after WrestleMania 41 was presented from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It brought the fallout from the two-night grand spectacle that took place at the Allegiant Giant and changed the landscape of WWE drastically.
The night saw the iconic rivalry between John Cena and Randy Orton reignited, a new Paul Heyman Guy joining him and Seth Rollins, and some thrilling in-ring matches that captivated one of the most passionate crowds in WWE history.
Quick Results
- Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez defeated Becky Lynch & Lyra Valkyria to become the new WWE Tag Team Champions.
- IYO Sky defeated Stephanie Vaquer via disqualification in a singles match.
- Dominik Mysterio defeated Penta to retain his WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Best Match
The best match candidate this week on WWE RAW undoubtedly went to NXT Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer competing against the WWE Women’s World Champion IYO Sky. The match garnered ‘This is Awesome’ chants even before the duo locked up, showcasing the fans’ excitement at seeing this dream match come true.
The match was a sight to witness that had the fans glued to their seats. Vaquer and Sky displayed an excellent showing in the ring that captivated the audience. However, the ending was slightly abrupt, with Roxanne Perez and Giulia attacking the duo. But it led to the appearance of WWE’s beloved Mami, Rhea Ripley, who saved them from the NXT invasion assault.
Worst Match
In my honest opinion, all three matches that took place were good. However, if we had to select one for this category, it would not have been the worst match but a less stellar one. That match would be the opening match between Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. The match gained the least reactions and only got one when Morgan and Rodriguez won back the titles.
Noteworthy moments
One of the biggest highlights of the night was Gunther’s heinous actions after losing the World Heavyweight Championship to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41. The Ring General came out frustrated and lashed out at Michael Cole for his comments about him on the road to WrestleMania. He then tried to lock him into the sleeper hold, but Pat McAfee came to his aid. However, McAfee was also assaulted as Gunther trapped him in the sleeper hold, too, until WWE officials broke it up.
Another major highlight was Seth Rollins officially becoming a Paul Heyman Guy after The Wiseman betrayed both his best friend, CM Punk, and his Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, at WrestleMania 41. Rollins bragged about the same until CM Punk came down to brawl with him. But Rollins managed to rake his eyes and put him down with a Stomp. The segment was not done as what happened afterwards was an absolute shocker.
One big highlight of the night was the return of former WWE United States Champion Rusev. The Bulgarian Brute came out during an in-ring altercation between the new WWE World Tag Team Champions, the New Day, and the Alpha Academy. After he stared down the New Day, Rusev took out both Otis and Akira Tozawa to make a huge statement on his first night back on WWE RAW.
The last noteworthy moment from WWE RAW after WrestleMania 41 was the return of Judgment Day member JD McDonagh after months of inactivity due to injury. He came during the final moments of the match between Dominik Mysterio and Penta for the WWE Intercontinental Championship and assisted Dominik in beating Penta. The match ended with the entire Judgment Day posing on the ramp in celebration mode.
Holy Sh!@ Moments
The biggest Holy Sh!@ moment of the night came after Seth Rollins took out CM Punk. That led to the appearance of Roman Reigns, who came down and dropped Rollins with a spear and a Superman Punch to Paul Heyman. As the OTC was about to strike down his former Wiseman again, he took an unexpected spear from Bron Breakker, followed by a vicious beatdown to both Reigns and CM Punk. The show ended with Rollins, Breakker, and Heyman cementing their alliance as the Wolf Dog became the newest ‘Paul Heyman Guy.’
Another shocking moment that was on par with this came during the opening segment of WWE RAW. The new Undisputed WWE Champion, John Cena, came out and addressed the fans. The record-setting 17-time World Champion berated the fans and counted down the remaining days left for him before he took the WWE title away with him and retired with it. As Cena was closing out, his iconic rival, Randy Orton, appeared out of nowhere and gave him an RKO, hinting at one last showdown with him soon.
Also read: John Cena Offers Surprise Opinion Of Former Boss Vince McMahon Amid Scandals: ‘I Love Vince’
The last shocking moment of the night was Becky Lynch turning on Lyra Valkyria after the duo lost the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. The Man viciously attacked her former protege after dropping the tag titles just one night after winning them, and left her lying in the ring to cement her heel turn.
Lowlights
The only lowlight from this week’s edition of WWE RAW was Jey Uso’s World title win celebration segment. It was a typical YEETin segment. Although Sami Zayn’s return and Jimmy Uso made it look good, it was the least relevant thing on the card this week. However, there was one moment that looked like Zayn was going to turn on his friend Jey Uso, but it did not happen.
Also read: Triple H Offers Disappointing Update On When Chyna Will Finally Be Inducted Into WWE Hall Of Fame