WWE Raw: Results, Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for April 30

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Greatest Royal Rumble fallout and Backlash build promise to dominate WWE Raw this week. Follow along with our live review during the broadcast!

Previously on WWE Raw, we got an idea of who’s filling what roles after the Superstar Shake-up. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn took over for The Miz, both with a talk show and getting flattened by Braun Strowman. And Ronda Rousey took over for Asuka as the “look at me the wrong way and lose an arm” threat.

This week on Raw, there are main focus points. First, the fallout from the Greatest Royal Rumble takes center stage. And second, the final push towards Backlash should help solidify Sunday’s card.

To kick things off, what’s next for Braun Strowman? He went through 49 other superstars to win the largest Royal Rumble match in WWE history. Oh, and he scored the most eliminations in a single Rumble while he was at it. He got a fancy green belt for his efforts, but there must be more of a prize for the Monster Among Men. Right?

And what’s up with Roman Reigns? The finish to the cage match in Saudi Arabia was controversial, and the outcome did The Big Dog no favors. When the dust settled, Brock Lesnar — improbably — was still Universal Champion, leaving Reigns the big loser once again. At some point, something’s got to give, and Lesnar and Reigns will have to go their separate ways. Will tonight be that night?

The only title that did change hands at GRR was the Raw Tag Team Championship — and only because it was vacant heading into the show. Would you be surprised if I told you that the new champs were the only Raw superstars challenging for the titles? Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt defeated The Bar, and now things should get really wacky. What’s up first in the Era of Wokenness?

There’s a ton more happening on WWE Raw this week, but as of this writing there were no matches announced. Look for Ronda Rousey to continue being a thorn in the side of any superstar who tries to take a shortcut. Maybe some of the surprise entrants in the GRR will show up tonight, like Rey Mysterio or Hornswoggle. And let’s not forget the Intercontinental Champion, Seth Rollins, and his looming feud with Finn Balor.

Related Story: Was Greatest Royal Rumble Worth Leaving Women Behind?

WWE Raw kicks off at 8 p.m. ET, so come back then for our live review!

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T-Shirt? Sleeves? Roman Means Business

Seriously, when was the last time Reigns came out in something other than his ring gear or a tank top? I feel like the guy always has to show off his muscles and tattoos, which are impressive and all. But once in a while, change it up, man.

When the words start flying, it’s pretty much what you would expect from a guy who was the victim of the worst call since Jim Joyce robbed Armando Galarraga of a perfect game in 2010. “I’m the REAL Universal Champion!” “I BEAT Brock Lesnar in that steel cage match!” “I’m a man of my WORD!” It’s not bad, per se, but it’s not great. And the crowd in Montreal wanted no part of it.

As Roman talks about how he still has faith in himself — even if the fans lost faith in him (cough cough) — he’s mercifully interrupted by Samoa Joe on the video screen. It’s short and sweet and to the point, and it stops Reigns from talking for a bit. Then the WWE Universe is treated to the latest in a long line of opponents designed to get Reigns cheered: Jinder Mahal.

Wait, what?

Jinder wants a match against The Big Dog en route to his own Universal Championship victory, which no. Please, god, no. Anything but that. Keep the title on Brock Lesnar if Mahal is a “legit” contender. Thankfully, before anything can happen, a pair of Montreal heroes show up to issue their own challenges.

Sami Zayn is out first to a huge pop, dwarfed only by Kevin Owens upon his arrival minutes later. They both play to the crowd by speaking French/Quebecois, which
I always love. I have no idea what they’re saying, but everyone is happy, so why not?

A popularity contest leads to Owens declaring himself Roman’s opponent, so Reigns punches him in the face. Classic babyface move! Jinder and Sami (and Sunil Singh) start to beat down Reigns. After KO joins, Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman even the odds, and I smell a six-man tag match later in the night.

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Elias vs. Bobby Roode

Result: Elias defeated Bobby Roode via ref stoppage

Rating: 2.25 out of 5 stars

Elias goes up against Bobby Roode in a rematch from last week, where the man with the golden pipes got a shocking victory over The Glorious One. In a change from last week, Elias was actually able to deliver his pre-match concert. Those are always a treat. Of course, the performance still doesn’t actually reach its conclusion, as Roode interrupts once again.

Because the musical interlude gets its own segment this week, the match itself begins during the commercial break. Now, I’m no advertising executive, but if Raw airs on the same network as SmackDown, and the latter airs some commercials in a picture-in-picture setup, wouldn’t that be available for Raw as well? Of course it is: the same technology is used to show WWE Network event ads! So not only is the beginning of the match not seen, but Elias and Roode have to put on the brakes and hit a rest hold so we can watch a Backlash commercial.

Because of all the extraneous stuff happening, the match never really gets going. Elias displays his strength in a big way, tossing Roode halfway across the ring. But then we go right into another commercial break, so the match once again comes to a screeching halt. Once I find out about the upcoming episode of American Ninja Warrior and stop my craving for a Little Caesar’s pizza (pizza), it’s time to get to the finish.

Part of why I didn’t really buy into this match was that the main thread — Roode’s breathing difficulty/neck issues — seemed waaaaaaaay too contrived. Was it all the chinlocks that caused the throat injury? Roode kept kinda forgetting about it, which also takes you out of it. The actual finish is Roode taking more damage to the throat by clearly going shoulder-first into the ring post (thanks for that close-up, Mr. Dunn), and the doctors stopping the match.

If this one actually had some momentum behind it, it could have been pretty good. The rivalry is actually heating up, but it could be so much more. This is just one spoke in the wheel, and just because it wasn’t great doesn’t mean the whole thing isn’t good. Hopefully next time, there’s less starts and stops during the match.

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Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) vs. Jean-Paul & Francois

Result: Authors of Pain defeated Jean-Paul & Francois via pinfall

Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars

Quebec’s own “Jean-Paul” and “Francois,” better known as Scott Parker and Shane Matthews — 3.0, as you can see on their tights — decided to issue a challenge to Akam and Rezar. Clearly they’d seen what James Ellsworth parlayed a match against Braun Strowman into, and they have four hands between them! That means they’d have two fighting chances!

In reality, though, the Authors of Pain just needed two guys small enough to hit a Super Collider on. So Francois gets beaten pretty quick, tags out to Jean-Paul, and it’s pretty much over before it gets started.

For Akam and Rezar, it’s a decent chance to show what they were known for in NXT — sheer destruction. They’re bigger than just about anyone they get in the ring with, so why wouldn’t they be able to just throw them around? With the right opponents (like tonight), the Super Collider is an awesome move. Getting to break that out is good to see.

A Final Chapter spells the end of the hometown talent, and the Authors hop on the mic to announce that they’re “centered on destruction.” Yeah, I know, I just said that, guys! Seeing Akam and Rezar get to speak for themselves is a huge step forward for them, and it means they’ll be that much better moving forward.

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Monday Night Rollins

I half expected Rollins to bust out the slide projector, because he went through his entire travel itinerary for the past month. NOLA, South Africa, St. Louis, Jeddah… A little pandering to the crowd never hurt anyone, did it?

In this one brief promo, Rollins transforms into Raw‘s top babyface in front of our very eyes. Like, everything WWE (read: Vince McMahon) wants from Roman Reigns, we have in the Kingslayer. Think about it: Rollins has the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. They’re excited to hear what he has to say. Hell, they don’t even boo that loud when Seth says Roman is the “real” Universal Champion.

But wait, why did he bring up Roman? Because he basically straight-up called out Brock Lesnar. Rollins wants to be everything Brock isn’t as champion. He’s better than he’s ever been in WWE, he’s trying to put Reigns over, and he’s calling out Brock Lesnar? Put a rocket on Rollins and shoot him to the moon, baby.

Out comes Finn Balor to issue a challenge for the Intercontinental Championship. It appears Rollins and Balor reach an agreement, but out comes the Miztourage to once again plead their case for a team up. This time, Axel and Dallas want to be the Four Horsemen of WWE. Can’t be as bad as Mongo in the Horsemen, to be fair.

After Finn and Rollins repel the obvious attack, Balor attacks Rollins from behind, because he really is Loki after all. A semi-evil Finn Balor is something awesome if done right, and I hope he gets the chance to really run with it.

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Ruby Riott (w/ Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan) vs. Sasha Banks

Result: Ruby Riott defeated Sasha Banks via pinfall

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Before the match, Charly Caruso asks Sasha Banks if she’ll counter the Riott Squad with Bayley in her corner. But apparently, Bayley’s gone off the grid, and Sasha hasn’t heard from her. So The Boss is going it alone, which I’m sure won’t come back to bite her in the end.

The first part of this match was exceedingly good. It’s almost like the women’s division is well-rested from not traveling as much as the male superstars this past weekend. But I can’t imagine why that would be the case, no sir, not a clue.

Kidding aside, this is also one of those matches you don’t realize you want to see until it happens. Riott has been quietly building a reputation as one of WWE’s brightest young stars, which isn’t surprising if you’ve seen her work prior to joining NXT. If I had to stake my life on it, I’d say Ruby is actually better now than when she was on the independent scene.

And Sasha Banks is pretty dang good, too. The rolling arm drags in the beginning were super clean and fluid. Her ring awareness, even on the outside, helped her avoid interference from Logan before the break.

After the commercial, things were still good, but the finish came down to a three-on-one advantage for Ruby. I would have preferred a clean win, but there’s still time for that down the road. The stage dive cannonball senton was amazing, and to me should have been the finish — especially with Sasha favoring her ribs.

But Sasha was outnumbered, so this one furthers the feud with Bayley as well. And Ruby gets a huge victory over one of Raw‘s top competitors. Great stuff.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/991129404397965312

Moment of Bliss

I’m on record as hating this bullying story, but the whole “are you tall enough to ride the tea cups” thing was damn hilarious. Sue me, I love Disney and stupid jokes.

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Titus WorldSLIDE

I had this whole elaborate conspiracy theory cooked up about Titus and his, uh, moment at the Greatest Royal Rumble. Big man already has a T-shirt designed commemorating the thing. To me, that screamed “PLANT!” Or, uh, he fell on purpose. Didn’t tell anyone, just decided to do something to try and grab that infamous brass ring, you know?

But after hearing him speak, now I’m just as convinced he just tripped after all. But good for him if he can actually turn this into an actual push of some sort. And if Baron Corbin is getting involved, chances are at very least it’ll be a somewhat high-profile story for Titus.

Deleters of Worlds Through History

Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt were on Washington’s boat as he crossed the Delaware? I’M DEAD.

Kudos to Matt Hardy, because he’s done what creative has failed to do for nearly 5 years — get Bray Wyatt over. It’s unbelievable that winning the WWE Championship wasn’t the best thing Bray would do in the past 18 months. But this stuff, silly as it may be, is terrific.

Here’s to this tag team having some legs and lasting a while, even if they don’t remain champions for much longer. I don’t think the championships are necessary for Hardy and Wyatt, since they’re all about the spectacle. Let them hang on the the titles until, say, Money in the Bank in July, and then just have them keep doing what they’ve been doing.

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Jinder Mahal (w/ Sunil Singh), Sami Zayn, & Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley, & Roman Reigns

Result: Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley, & Roman Reigns defeated Jinder Mahal, Sami Zayn, & Kevin Owens via pinfall

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

World’s most obvious booking at play here, with the three heels who challenged Reigns teaming up to face The Big Dog and the two guys who saved him from the beatdown. And my head canon says that Braun is only working with Reigns for now because he still isn’t finished with him, and he’s just making sure that no one gets in his way of actually finishing things.

Of course, the heels play things up by not actually facing Roman right off the bat. Reigns would take control before the commercial break, but after the ads Team Canada was firmly in control. Even Bobby Lashley couldn’t turn the tide for long: he spent an entire Backlash ad in a Kevin Owens chinlock!

A hot tag from Lashley to Reigns turned the tables briefly, but a KO DDT to Reigns was immediately followed by another commercial. So now, two matches tonight have been interrupted by two commercial breaks, plus a Backlash ad over the action. Who lays this stuff out? It’s a three-plus hour show with, what, six matches on a good night? Isn’t there some better way to place the commercials or break up the segments so momentum doesn’t die a slow death every three minutes?

The real highlight of the match is when Braun finally tags in. Of course it is. He once again goes full choo-choo on Owens and Zayn outside the ring, but some surprising teamwork from both sides made the finishing sequence highly enjoyable. The spear out of nowhere from Reigns was great, but KO with the superkicks tried his best to steal the show.

Overall, I still think Riott/Banks was the better match, but this was one was more fun.

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Greatest Royal Rumble

Look, I’ve already written my thoughts on the GRR, so I’m not going to repeat them here. Go read what I’ve already written. I’m only putting this here so no one accuses me of “forgetting” a segment of the show.

Baron Corbin vs. No Way Jose

Result: No Way Jose defeated Baron Corbin via pinfall

Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars

Before the match, Corbin antagonizes the crowd, because Heel Schtick 101. I’m surprised he didn’t tell anyone to go back to Ring of Honor. I do like Corbin’s attitude, which seems like it’s changed just a bit since he joined the WWE Raw roster. He’s less silent and methodical, and more vocal about his plans.

After Corbin jumps out to a quick advantage, Titus Worldwide makes their way down to the ringside. If you couldn’t see where this was going, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you. Dana Brooke and Apollo “Don’t Call Me — Wait, I Have A Last Name Again?” Crews make a show of wiping down the ramp so their fearless leader doesn’t fall again. I love this stuff, even if objectively it’s kind of lousy (only because it takes away from the actual wrestling on the show).

Of course, Corbin can’t ignore Titus, who promptly “falls” while trying to get into the ring. While Corbin ridicules him, Jose takes the opportunity to regroup and score a surprise win via rollup. Again, it’s not good by any stretch of the imagination in terms of wrestling. But it’s entertaining, and that’s okay.

(Also: No Way Jose in Titus Worldwide would be amazing, if only for Dana Brooke joining him in his dance parties.)

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Mickie James (w/ Alexa Bliss) vs. Natalya (w/ Ronda Rousey)

Result: Natalya defeated Mickie James via pinfall

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Both superstars in this one were nursing injuries suffered last week: Natalya had a bum knee, and Mickie was still feeling the effects of a Ronda Rousey armbar. They also each had backup just in case: Mickie had Alexa Bliss, as per usual, and Nattie brought Rousey with her.

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The match wasn’t really much of anything, because it only served as a backdrop to everything else happening at ringside. You had Bliss trying to help out Mickie, only for Rousey to chase her around ringside. Then Nia Jax came down after the match, and Bliss ran away. Don’t forget Nia entering the ring to stare down Rousey and Nattie, before raising their arms in victory.

I still think before long, Natalya and Rousey will become bitter enemies. Now, I don’t doubt they’re longtime acquaintances, but the story kind of came out of nowhere. If it’s not actually leading to a feud, why bring it up at all? Or, why put so much focus on it, I guess I should say?

It seems like many of the stories in WWE (on Raw at least) are in holding patterns until Backlash is done. Roman Reigns can’t really do anything until he faces (loses to) Samoa Joe. Some titles are up for grabs in cross-brand matches. Once Nia is done with Bliss, the women’s division can continue moving forward.

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Intercontinental Championship Match

Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor

Result: Seth Rollins defeated Finn Balor via pinfall

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

It’s not a stretch to say that this match had Match of the Night potential. Both superstars are among the best on Raw, in terms of both talent and popularity. And the repertoire each man utilizes is high octane, rapid fire. So the odds of delivering that MOTN were pretty good.

And deliver it did. These two have had a bunch of matches with each other lately, whether tagging with each other, or as part of a multi-man match, or in singles matches. Each time they’ve competed, they’ve built on those previous encounters. Just when you think you know what’s coming, they flip the script and surprise you.

Take the superplex/Falcon Arrow combo Rollins is known for. In previous matches, Balor countered the Falcon Arrow into a rollup. One time, it won him the match; the next, Rollins was able to kick out. So tonight, Balor just straight up did the Falcon Arrow himself. Who saw that coming?

The last two to three minutes of the match were just absolute fire. There was not a single second of letting up from either superstar. Even trying to get to their feet was an adventure. And the Blackout reversals/avoidances by Balor was bordering on the absurd, but in the best way possible.

While it would have been nice to see Balor win the title, from a story perspective it makes more sense for Rollins to retain and face The Miz at Backlash. Rollins is the one who took the title from Miz at WrestleMania, so it’s only fair for Miz’s rematch to be against the Kingslayer. After the match is done, Balor can jump back into the title picture without any other challengers in the way.

Next: 25 Greatest Entrance Themes in WWE History

That concludes another episode of WWE Raw. It seemed like it dragged in the middle, but overall it was a decent episode. Three really good matches anchored the show this week, although a couple of duds kind of cancel that out. What did you think?