WWE Raw: Results, Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for April 9

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Follow along with our live WWE Raw review. The Raw After Mania is always one of the craziest nights of the year, and after a wild WrestleMania 34 that’s sure to be the case this year.

Previously on WWE Raw, the final pieces fell into place regarding WrestleMania 34. Well, except for who Braun Strowman’s partner would be. And whether or not Undertaker was answering John Cena’s challenge. But if you watched WrestleMania, you know how that ended up, right?

This week on Raw, it’s all about the Mania fallout. If you haven’t seen WrestleMania yet, you should probably go do that before Raw. Well, at least the pre-show and the first four matches. The second half of the show was very uneven, and viewer fatigue probably made it seem worse than it was. But there’s Mania spoilers below, so be warned…

Brock Lesnar shocked the WWE Universe by retaining the Universal Championship in a bloody, brutal, god-awful main event at WrestleMania. Roman Reigns frustrated The Beast by kicking out of not one, not two, but six F5s. Ultimately, though, he fell victim to Lesnar’s wrath. This was the one foregone conclusion going into WrestleMania, but clearly everyone was wrong. What’s next for both superstars?

The other three Raw-brand championships all found new homes at WrestleMania. Seth Rollins became the latest WWE Grand Slam Champion when he won the Intercontinental Championship. Nia Jax shut Alexa Bliss up en route to becoming Raw Women’s Champion. And Braun Strowman found a tag team partner — a randomly selected audience member, a child named Nicholas — and the duo defeated The Bar for the Raw Tag Team Titles. There’s too many questions about that to even get into right now.

Of course, one of the best matches at WrestleMania was Ronda Rousey’s debut match. Rousey and Kurt Angle came out victorious over Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, with Rousey tapping Steph out via armbar. It was a stellar debut for Rousey, but what awaits her moving forward?

Related Story: WWE WrestleMania 34 Review

The answers to all this, plus more, await the world on WWE Raw tonight. The Raw After Mania is traditionally a wild affair. Join us right here at 8 p.m. ET for our live review!

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Take These Broken Wings And Learn To Fly Again

Hate her if you must, but Stephanie McMahon is nothing if not committed to her character. Here she is in a high-tech brace and sling after getting trapped in Ronda Rousey’s armbar, just to sell how tough Rousey is. If only Rousey’s finishing move was an armbar sleeper hold, just to give Steph a reason not to speak.

But she’s out here speaking, because of course she is. The delusion is strong with this one, too, as she puts herself over for how well she made the transition from executive to superstar. It’s brilliant in its simplicity, although a little annoying because it’s just another McMahon making herself the star of the show.

Steph brings Rousey out to try and schmooze her over. The boss lady puts her over huge, before claiming she’s her friend. At least, that’s what I think I heard — the crowd was quite vocal throughout the segment with some pretty pretty pretty vulgar chants directed at the Billion Dollar Princess.

Ronda, though, has watched lots of pro wrestling, and instead of shaking Stephanie’s hand she cinches in another armbar. Once again, Rousey attacked the non-check writing hand. It’s pretty impressive just how quickly Rousey has grasped the non-speaking aspects of pro wrestling. She’s got the swagger (aside from the goofy smiles), the fire, the rage – it’s all there. She’s going to be huge in short order.

The crowd once again serenades Stephanie as she’s helped to the back by the paramedics. First she gets a “You deserve it” chant, then the old Steam Classic “Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him) Goodbye.” The cherry on top was Jojo hopping on the mic to ask for a little respect for Stephanie. I love deluded, power hungry heels.

Superstar Shakeup Returns

It’s official — next week, on both Raw and SmackDown will feature the apparently annual Superstar Shakeup. Watch as I lose the ability to write about Braun Strowman and Finn Balor, and instead get Randy Orton to bore me to death every Monday.

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Nia Jax & Ember Moon vs. Alexa Bliss & Mickie James

Result: Nia Jax & Ember Moon defeated Alexa Bliss & Mickie James via pinfall

Rating: 2.625 out of 5 stars

Ok, I agree that Jax “deserves it,” but the crowd is going a bit far with the chants proclaiming such. What I don’t agree with is the continuation of the “Nia’s fat and Alexa is a b**ch” storyline, after the match last night was a perfect ending to that. Sure, a rematch is warranted, but can’t it just be a rematch about the championship?

The crowd reception for Nia was enough to warm even Tommaso Ciampa’s heart. How can you not be happy for her? She’s improved tremendously over the past year, and she had to endure that garbage body shaming story. When Alexa says Nia doesn’t have a partner, we get call-up number one – former NXT Women’s Champion Ember Moon.

Low key, Ember is the most talented superstar in this match. It’s not a knock on anyone else, as all are great at what they do. But in terms of pure ability and charisma, it’s all Moon. The reaction on the greatest move in pro wrestling — the Eclipse, her diving stunner finisher — says it all. God bless Bliss for selling it like it was the most devastating move in the business.

Great debut for Ember, and a great first showing for Jax as champion. Keep the upward trajectory of the division going.

Nicholas, Your Fifteen Minutes Are Up

Braun Strowman and Nicholas voluntarily relinquish the Raw Tag Team Championships due to a scheduling conflict. Look, I’m a teacher, and my response is TO HELL WITH FOURTH GRADE, YOU GOT A JOB TO DO, NICKY.

Maybe we’ll get a tournament out of this, which would be amazing. It would be a great spot for a team to debut. Hmmmmmmmmm…

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No Way Jose vs. John Skyler

Result: No Way Jose defeated John Skyler via pinfall

Rating: DUD

Glad to see Jose dusted the mothballs off the Rosebuds to get them a spot on Raw this week!

Let’s recap the debut of No Way Jose: Conga line, bell rings, wind up punch, three count, conga line. I wasn’t a fan of Jose when he first debuted in NXT, but he grew on me over time. Now that he’s on Raw, I have this terrifying thought that he’ll be a lesser Tyler Breeze before Labor Day.

On the plus side, he’s getting “local talent” squash matches on his debut. That doesn’t happen for just anyone. But the amount of time he’s been off television while still in NXT may hinder him a bit – he kind of became an afterthought after he was assaulted before TakeOver: Orlando last year.

The Bar Get Taken Down a Peg

Cesaro & Sheamus aren’t in a partying mood when they interrupt Kurt Angle backstage. All they want is “their” titles back. Angle isn’t having it, and he announces the Tag Team Eliminator. (It’s a tournament, folks, yippee!)

Four teams are getting a shot at the Raw Tag Team Titles. The winners of tonight’s two matches will face off next week, and that winner gets a shot at The Bar in Saudi Arabia at the Greatest Royal Rumble.

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Gallows & Anderson vs. The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder)

Result: The Revival defeated Gallows & Anderson via pinfall

Rating: 2.375 out of 5 stars

The first of two matches tonight to determine challengers for The Bar in Saudi Arabia is between Destroyed Team #1 and Ruined Team #2. Sorry, The Revival and Gallows & Anderson. Just to give you an idea as to how badly both of these teams get treated nowadays, the match began during the commercial break. Not entrances in the break, mind you – the match itself. Seems really important.

What’s most frustrating about that is that both teams can be so much more than what’s been presented. The Revival, when on top of their game, are possibly the best tag team in the world, emphasis on the word “team.” Blind tags, barely legal double teams, and tandem offense are second nature to Dash and Dawson. And Gallows & Anderson are former multiple time IWGP Tag Team Champions. Not too shabby on either side of the mat.

The part of the match we got to see was decent, it’s just that there wasn’t a whole lot there. The Revival pick up the victory, and head on to face the winner of the second eliminator later tonight. I wonder who could be writing their pass to immortality?

Whoever wins the second eliminator, you have to hope that they’ll be able to help turn the tide of tag team destruction. The Revival are finally getting on track.

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Monday Night Rollins

New Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins heads down to the ring to low key brag about his accomplishments. Pssh, you’re a Grand Slam Champion, dude, but your Shield buddies all did it first. Get with the times, pal.

Kidding aside, Rollins is right: it is pretty cool that all three members of the Shield are Grand Slam Champs. I know we talk about dominant factions any time there’s some kind of team formed. But is there another modern faction more dominant than The Hounds of Justice? I don’t think they touch classic Horsemen, but the bloat of the nWo might knock them down a peg or two. Evolution? Shield beat them in the ring until Rollins got his hands on that chair.

Before Rollins brags too long, he’s interrupted by Finn Balor. The sometimes-Demon reminds everyone that even though he didn’t win, he also didn’t lose. And he wants a singles match for the title. Yes, please.

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Out comes The Miz, Miztourage in tow. He blames his loss on deviating from his “winning strategy” to avoid hearing excuses from Rollins and/or Balor. Nice spin, bro. He blames Rollins for making “his daughter and wife cry,” and admits to crying himself when he heard about their pain.

Rollins goes full WWE Babyface™ to denigrate Miz’s in-ring ability, then tries to goad him into a rematch. Miz decides to invoke his rematch clause at Backlash, then challenges Rollins and Balor to step up to him, Dallas, and Axel.

Out comes Jeff Hardy to even the score, which prompts Miz to tuck tail and retreat. Not sure exactly how Hardy fits in, but it’s great to see him back and ready to go, although it looks like Bray Wyatt has replaced him in the Brother Nero slot in the Woken Hardy World.

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Mandy Rose (w/ Paige & Sonya Deville) vs. Sasha Banks

Result: Mandy Rose defeated Sasha Banks via pinfall

Rating: 2.25 out of 5 stars

Before the match, Bayley made her entrance to watch the match from ringside. GEE, I WONDER IF SHE’LL GET INVOLVED IN ANY WAY.

As if on cue, the match comes to an end when Mandy gets between Sasha and Bayley outside the ring, and dares Bayley to hit her. Of course, Mandy dodges, Bayley hits Sasha, and angry glares are exchanged. Wait, that’s it?

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Sasha heads back into the ring, eats a jumping knee, and that’s that. Bayley seems broken up about it, Sasha sort of chases her, but nothing comes of it. Uh, okay? Other than that, it wasn’t a particularly thrilling contest either way.

Following the match, Paige gets on the mic and officially announces her retirement from in-ring action. We all knew it was coming after reports back in December, but making it official still stings. Shockingly, her main roster career was only four years long, not counting a lengthy layoff due to injuries and suspensions.

It’s an emotional segment, because Paige is basically still a kid. Retiring at 25 is a tough pill to swallow, especially if you were basically born to be a wrestler. She mentions Daniel Bryan being an inspiration of hope after his Mania comeback this year, but referencing Edge tells me she knows she’s done. I’m sure she’ll be back at some point in a non-wrestling capacity. She’s a lifer in the business, so she won’t be able to stay away forever.

Here’s wishing the best of luck to Paige, and hoping she finds something else to throw her full energy behind.

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

Greatest Musician of My Generation

After some still photos of the John Cena vs. Undertaker showdown at WrestleMania, Elias takes center stage where he belongs to give the performance of a lifetime. He picks up where he left off last night, but before he can get too far he gets a surprise guest crashing the party – BOBBY LASHLEY.

For those not in the know, Bobby Lashley was a WWE superstar a decade ago. Since then, he’s competed for TNA/Impact, as well as in the mixed martial arts world of Strikeforce and Bellator. He’s a multiple time world champion, and generally one of the more popular wrestlers everywhere he’s been. His WWE return has been rumored for a while, but it’s official now.

Upon entering the ring, Lashley makes quick work of Elias. That stalling vertical suplex was impressive, and just a taste of what Lashley is capable of.

“I Hear TNA is Hiring”

Backstage, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens show up begging for jobs, much to the delight of Kurt Angle. He’s not delighted because he wants to hire them, but he’s delighted because he gets to mess with them. Not cool.

Angle tells them there’s no room on Raw for another tag team, which is BS. But he tells them that “TNA is hiring,” which whoooooooooooa. That’s cold – first off, it’s called Impact now, and second, why you gonna play KO and Sami like that?

Angle decides to give a singles contract to one of the two – but they have to face each other and the winner gets the deal.

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Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar, w/ Paul Ellering)

Result: Authors of Pain defeated Heath Slater & Rhyno via pinfall

Rating: DUD

Heath Slater not only has kids — he’s got a mic! He and Rhyno issue an open challenge to any tag team in the back. And since every other tag team on Raw is in the midst of the Tag Team Eliminator (tournament), it means we’re getting another call-up from NXT. This time, it’s the Authors of Pain.

Akam and Rezar have been the most dominating tag team in NXT since their debut at TakeOver: The End in 2016. They had a crazy undefeated streak early on, and eventually won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2017. They were also NXT Tag Team Champions for a time. With manager Paul Ellering by their side, the sky is the limit.

So of course, after making very short work of Rhyno and Slater, it seems the AoP have indicated they don’t need Ellering. It’s not like he’s a Hall of Famer or anything! Hopefully it’s a brief thing (although the 64-year-old Ellering may not want to travel a main roster schedule at this point in his career).

The limited in-ring action perfectly showed off AoP’s strengths. It was short, hard-hitting, and impressive. Their tandem finisher — The Final Chapter — is enough to put anyone down. It’ll be interesting to see how they fare on the main roster. But I’m already salivating over AoP vs. The Bar when that happens. HOSS FIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!

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Roman Reigns is a Sad Panda

Freshly stitched up, still swollen, and clearly despondent, Roman Reigns heads to the ring amid a chorus of boos. At first, it seemed like the end game was similar to last year’s post-Mania Raw. Remember how Roman couldn’t get a word in edge-wise through the boos?

But this year, Roman gets to talk. And honestly, it’s another in a long line of better than average promos from Reigns. Not that the crowd cared – Roman could have had an adorable puppy in his hands and told the crowd everyone was getting a bag of money and all the ice cream they could eat on the way out the door, and he’d still get booed by this crowd.

Reigns is upset that Lesnar seems to have pulled one over on WWE and still stayed home tonight. He thinks it’s a whole thing from Vince on down. Apparently, Roman found out about his match against Lesnar in Saudi Arabia on the internet! Like, the whole internet!

The conspiracy talk brings out Samoa Joe, who honestly is probably my favorite appearance of the evening. The fact that Joe has been with WWE/NXT since 2015 and has yet to appear at a WrestleMania is a travesty. But Joe just rips Reigns with an absolute fire promo, and says no matter what happens in Saudi Arabia, he’ll be waiting at Backlash.

I don’t know how “Roman is a failure” is going to get the crowd back on Roman’s side, but that’s the approach we’re taking, I guess. The one thing I do believe, though? If Roman keeps getting matches against Brock Lesnar, he’s going to win the Universal Championship.

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Titus Worldwide (Titus O’Neil & Apollo, w/ Dana Brooke) vs. Woken Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt

Result: Woken Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt defeated Titus Worldwide via pinfall

Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars

Astonishingly, this was the better of the two Tag Team Eliminator matches. A seemingly random pairing of Wyatt and Hardy has thus far paid dividends for both superstars. But being a better match than that between The Revival and Gallows & Anderson? Shocking.

Babyface Bray Wyatt is a damn revelation. I like the explanation that the Lake of Reincarnation didn’t “reincarnate” him, but cleansed him of the “succubus” Sister Abigail. It’s a perfect way to retcon his creepy side, while allowing him to maintain his supernatural qualities. Whoever came up with this idea deserves a raise (probably either Hardy himself or Jeremy Borash, if I had to guess).

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The teamwork between Hardy and Wyatt was much stronger than I was expecting. If Jeff Hardy is getting a solo run — which seems likely based on what happened earlier in the night — then Matt needs someone by his side. If he continues to make it work with Wyatt, it’s gold. After all, both men are former Tag Team Champions, so they know what it takes to succeed and have a partner’s back.

One negative here: it looks like the bloom is off the rose for Titus O’Neil and Apollo. Granted, the purpose of this match was to push Hardy and Wyatt forward. But for a team that got a bunch of chances at the tag titles in recent months, they sure went downhill fast.

(And are we really doing “Matt Hardy does a dueling chant with every other chanting superstar” thing?)

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Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

Result: Double TKO; neither man answered the referee’s 10 count

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

In their audition for both Raw and Impact Wrestling, I guess, Owens and Zayn went right after one another. I feel like I have to specify this, because the friendship the two have rekindled in recent months is usually so strong the thought of them fighting is preposterous.

The best part of the match? Coming back from commercial with no commentary due to what I’m assuming were technical difficulties. The worst part? Having a lengthy commercial break in a match between these two. Everything Owens and Zayn do in the ring to and with each other is top notch – so yeah, let’s spend a bunch of the match showing ads!

Case in point: the back and forth with finishers that couldn’t finish the match. Zayn hit a Helluva Kick, but Owens fell into the ropes — no pin attempt possible. Moments later, Owens pulled off a Pop Up Powerbomb, but he fell out of the ring.

A long back and forth match ended after Owens delivered a package brainbuster from the top rope, and neither man was able to answer the referee’s count. What. A. Gyp.

I get the idea here, that Owens and Zayn need to both be jobless. They’ve been fired from SmackDown, and they failed to earn a Raw contract. But to let this match end without a finish is ridiculous. The crowd was a littler overeager with the “Fight forever” chants, but it was a damn good match. And we were robbed of a satisfying conclusion.

Reunited and it Feels So Good

As Jeff Hardy heads to the ring with Finn Balor and Seth Rollins, he bumps into Matt. The two have a conversation that would be odd for anyone else, but perfectly normal for them. Bray Wyatt comes in, hugs “Brother Nero,” and says he feels wonderful. Of course he does.

After Matt and Wyatt leave, Jeff looks back to his partners for tonight – and they have no idea what happened. Guys, with the amount of illicit substances that have gone through Jeff’s body at one time or another, he’s going to be a weird dude.

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The Miz, Bo Dallas, & Curtis Axel vs. Jeff Hardy, Seth Rollins, & Finn Balor

Result: Jeff Hardy, Seth Rollins, & Finn Balor defeated The Miz, Bo Dallas, & Curtis Axel via pinfall

Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars

Is it just me, or was the ending of this segment a little out of place? All night, superstars were returning, debuting, retiring, or trying to get jobs. So to close out the show, we get a dark match ending? Why not put a high-impact debut in the final segment of the show?

Instead, after a decent trios match, it’s just an endless parade of finishers. Because the guys doing all the finishers need a way to get over. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great segment. But it seems a little out of place on an episode devoted to introducing fresh faces.

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Honestly, what does “beat up the Miztourage” accomplish? All three guys on the babyface side are super over. Taking out some cocky heels won’t change that. Is The Miz being written off? If he was, wouldn’t he have taken more punishment?

It’s classic WWE booking, in a sense. Logic is thrown out the window in exchange for a moment. Rather than try to put in a bit more effort and actually tell a meaningful story that helps to create moments, WWE goes backwards.

The moments are the big currency of the shows, so creative starts with those and works backward for the “build.” Sometimes, they get lucky; other times, things feel awkward and out of place.

So Jeff Hardy is back, and seemingly at 100%. Finn Balor is the coolest guy in the company. And the Seth Rollins Intercontinental Championship World Tour got started with a bang. We’ve done a lot of work for Backlash tonight, too.

Next: Brock Lesnar Re-Signs with WWE, Scheduled for Greatest Royal Rumble

This was definitely a wild episode of WWE Raw, right? Ember Moon, No Way Jose, and the Authors of Pain debuted. Bobby Lashley returned from hiatus, and Samoa Joe and Jeff Hardy returned from injury. And Paige tearfully retired from in ring competition. What did you think of this week’s show?