SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW REPORT
APRIL 10, 2023
SEATTLE, WASH.
AIRED LIVE ON USA
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick
Tonight after WWE Raw, join Wade Keller live with guest co-host Robert Vallejos from the PWTorch Dailycast “MMATalk for Pro Wrestling Fans” to break down the show with live callers and emails.
•STREAM LIVE HERE ABOUT 5 MINUTES AFTER THE SHOW CONCLUDES
•CALL: (347) 215-8558
•EMAIL COMMENTS/QUESTIONS: wadekellerpodcast@pwtorch.com
•IF YOU DON’T LISTEN LIVE, SEARCH “WADE KELLER” ON YOUR PODCAST APP TO SUBSCRIBE AND THEN DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THE FULL SHOW TWO HOURS OR SO AFTER THE TV SHOW ENDS.
[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with Rey Mysterio making his way to the ring to address the past few weeks. Rey said that he wanted things to be different at WrestleMania, only for Dominik to interrupt. Dominik said that the Judgment Day was his real family, calling both Rey and Bad Bunny selfish. Dominik showed a recap of Theory defeating Rey and Priest putting Bunny through the table. Rey confirmed that Bunny would be back and the Judgment Day would regret it. Dominik said that the Judgment Day would beat Rey down, only for Rey to dare him to a rematch tonight. Dominik declined the challenge and presented Finn Bálor as Rey’s opponent.
(Pomares’s Analysis: The promo work from Rey and Dominik was broadly fine, being elevated by a very hot crowd. Not that invested in the continuation of this rivalry, but it makes sense after the Bad Bunny angle.)
[Commercial Break]
(1) REY MYSTERIO vs. FINN BÁLOR (w/Dominik Mysterio)
Finn took control early on with an Irish whip into the corner and right hands. Rey pummeled Finn with numerous blows to the head, followed by a basement dropkick. Finn blocked a wheelbarrow move with an elbow drop for a two count. Finn continued beating Rey down with stomps. elbow strikes and a headlock. Rey caught Finn with a rising kick, a headscissors takedown, a sliding dropkick and a sliding splash, as WWE RAW went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Rey planted Finn with a wheelbarrow bulldog. Rey crushed Finn with a diving seated senton and a springboard crossbody for a two count. Rey tripped Finn into the ropes, but received a lariat before hitting the 619. Finn blasted Rey with a shotgun dropkick, but Rey stopped him before the Coup de Grace. Rey headbutted Finn numerous times and launched across the ring with an avalanche hurracarrana. Rey hit Finn with the 619, but he blocked the Frog Splash with his knees for a nearfall. Finn launched Rey into the top turnbuckle and distracted the referee. Rey punched Dominik before he could interfere and knocked both of his opponents with a suicide dive. Dominik attacked Rey with his chain behind the referee’s back, allowing Finn to hit the Coupe de Grace for the win.
WINNER: Finn Bálor in 13:00
(Pomares’s Analysis: Rey and Finn had a genuinely great match that could have easily worked on a PPV until the cheap finish. After this year’s Mania, I’m kind of done with interference finishes for a while.)
– Earlier today, Chad Gable and Otis argued about Otis, only for a scream to be heard in the background. The camera followed it to reveal a beaten down Lita with Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch checkin on her.
– It was confirmed we would hear from Cody Rhodes up next.
[Commercial Break]
[Commercial Break]
– A lengthy recap of Brock Lesnar’s assault on Cody Rhodes aired.
– At backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Becky Lynch about the condition of Lita. Lynch confirmed that Lita was in a medical facility, but she would still defend the belts tonight. Adam Pearce appeared to confirm that Trish Stratus would take Lita’s place tonight.
– Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus made their way to the ring for their title match.
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Seth Rollins’ entrance from WrestleMania aired.
(2) BECKY LYNCH & TRISH STRATUS vs. LIV MORGAN & RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ – WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles match
Raquel tossed Lynch into the corner and caught a high crossbody. Lynch evaded a power move, only for Raquel to drive her into the corner. Liv and Raquel crushed Lynch with splashes in the corner, followed by an enzuigiri for a two count. Lynch got out of a pinfall by simply standing up and nailed Liv with a mule kick. Liv attacked Lynch with a low dropkick and a double knee drop. Stratus tagged in, blasted Liv with a double axe handle to the ribs. Lynch attacked Liv with a leaping kick, setting her up for a hurracarrana from Stratus. Lynch crushed Liv with a diving leg drop, as WWE RAW went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Liv and Stratus knocked each other down with facebusters at the same time. Raquel tagged in and clocked Lynch with a barrage of clotheslines, a Fallaway slam and a corkscrew Vader Bomb. Lynch knocked Raquel off her feet with a headscissors takedown, setting her up for a missile dropkick. Raquel pulled Lynch’s head into the ropes, only for Lynch to shut her down with headbutts on the top turnbuckle. Raquel shoved Lynch off the top turnbuckle, but Stratus still managed to hit her with an avalanche hurracarrana. Stratus helped Lynch spike Raquel with a diving leg drop for a nearfall.
[HOUR TWO]
Raquel dropped Lynch with a backbreaker, reaching Liv for the tag. Liv laid Lynch out with an assisted Tornado DDT for a close two count. Lynch smashed Liv’s head into the turnbuckle, preparing to hit her with a double superplex. Raquel powerbombed Stratus and Lynch, making them hit Liv with a superplex. Liv and Lynch exchanged strikes, until Raquel stopped Lynch on the corner. Lynch managed to hit Raquel with a flipping Stunner and Liv with a senton for a nearfall.
Liv countered Lynch’s Manhandle Slam with a roll-through. Lynch locked in the Dis-Arm-Her, until Raquel broke the pinfall. Stratus planted Raquel with Stratus-faction while Liv clocked Lynch with a Codebreaker and went for Oblivion, but Lynch countered it with the Manhandle Slam before Raquel broke the pinfall. Lynch kicked Raquel away, tagged Stratus in and took care of Raquel with a diving move off the apron. Stratus ran into Liv, but she immediately countered a roundhouse kick with a roll up for the three count.
WINNERS: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez in 15:00 to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles
– After the match, Becky Lynch helped Trish Stratus get up, only for Stratus to attack her from behind. Stratus cracked Lynch with a roundhouse kick
(Pomares’s Analysis: There were a lot of good sequences and fun spots in this match, but also various moments where the action looked disjointed and awkward. The ending was a bit surprising since I didn’t expect the Trish Stratus turn to happen so soon. Interested to see if Stratus vs Becky takes place at Backlash or at a later date.)
– At backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Paul Heyman about what Brock Lesnar did. Heyman evaded the question and focused on Kevin Owens, claiming that Riddle and Zayn had flight issues on purpose. Heyman finished by saying that they would take advantage of the situation and take care of the Kevin Owens problem.
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Trish Stratus turning on Becky Lynch aired.
– Byron Saxton tried to interview Trish Stratus, but she refused to speak.
– A recap of Triple H confirming the return of the WWE Draft aired.
– At backstage, Bayley left Adam Pearce’s office to meet Damage CTRL. Bayley said that she couldn’t get a tag title shot, but got a spot in a triple threat match for a shot at Bianca Belair’s title. Kai and Sky confronted Bayley about it, convincing her to give her spot to one of them.
– Bobby Lashley made his way to the ring for a match with Bronson Reed.
[Commercial Break]
(3) BOBBY LASHLEY vs. BRONSON REED
Lashley hit Reed with a back elbow, but he immediately responded with strikes in the corner. Lashley dropped Reed with a clothesline and a flatliner. Reed blocked a suplex and hanged Lashley on the top rope. Reed kicked Lashley as he entered the ring, following it with a shoulder tackle off the apron, as WWE RAW went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Reed shut Lashley down with a big boot, following it with right hands. Reed missed a splash in the corner, allowing Lashley to blast him with a corner splash, a shoulder strike and a swinging neckbreaker. Lashley laid Reed out with a suplex, but couldn’t follow it up with the Hurt Lock. Reed managed to crush Lashley with his body to break the hold, setting him up for a diving body block. Reed blocked a Spear, only to fall to a Spinebuster. Lashley locked the Hurt Lock in, but Reed immediately sent him out of the ring to break the hold. Lashley clotheslined Reed at ringside before having his head smashing into the ring post. The referee counted both of them out, ending the match in a Double Count Out.
WINNER: Double Count Out in10:00
– At ringside, Lashley and Reed continued brawling, forcing numerous referees and agents to break it apart.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Bobby Lashley and Bronson Reed’s encounter was a bit too sloppy for my liking. I liked the final few minutes, until the obligatory non-finish to set up a rematch happened.)
– At backstage, Cody Rhodes was shown making his way to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
– Cody Rhodes made his way to the ring and listed all the stuff he’s talked about since coming back. He admitted that he lost at WrestleMania before shutting down the idea that wins and losses don’t matter. Cody talked about Paul Heyman’s claim that he should earn another title shot to his annoyance. He moved on to the next obstacle on his path in the form of Brock Lesnar. Cody proposed the idea that Lesnar is uncertain about him and the changes he has brought to WWE. Cody put over all of Lesnar’s accomplishments before admitting that he is scared of him. He said that he still wanted to face Lesnar and would make him his victim. Cody officially challenged Lesnar to a match at Backlash.
(Pomares’s Analysis: That was another very strong promo from Cody Rhodes, transitioning his WrestleMania loss to his feud with Brock Lesnar. I’m not particularly invested in it just yet, but this was a decent start.)
[Commercial Break]
– A video package hyping up WWE Backlash 2023 aired.
– It was confirmed that Logan Paul had re-signed with WWE earlier today.
(4) THE USOS (Jimmy & Jey Uso) vs. ALPHA ACADEMY (Chad Gable & Otis)
Otis shoved Jey away, blocked a waist lock and a sunset flip before dancing for the crowd. Gable held Jey in a Crabate, setting him up for a body block from Otis. Gable countered a chop from Jimmy with an armbar using the top rope, followed by a diving clothesline for a two count. Gable pummeled Jimmy with several right hands before sweeping him off his feet. The Usos caught Gable with a backbreaker and Otis with a double superkick, as WWE RAW went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Jimmy shoved Gable into the ropes, allowing Jey to kick him on the head. Gable planted Jimmy with a Xploder, reaching Otis for the tag afterwards. Otis nailed Jimmy with a backfist and Jey with a body slam. Otis knocked both Usos down with a double body block, followed by a pair of powerslams for a nearfall. After nailing Jimmy with the Caterpillar, Otis helped Gable lay him out with a diving bulldog.
Jey broke the pin with a thrust kick, only for Otis to block his suicide dive. Jimmy blasted Otis with a suicide dive, followed by a double superkick. Gable crashed into the Usos with an Orihara moonsault , following it with a diving headbutt on Jimmy for a nearfall. Jey saved Jimmy from the Chaos Theory German suplex before finishing him with the 1D.
WINNER: The Usos in 12:00
(Pomares’s Analysis: It’s been a while since the Usos had a regular tag match outside of their feud with Sami, Kevin and Cody. I don’t know if Alpha Academy will survive the Draft, but I’m happy they got a great showcase in front of a hot crowd.)
– Iyo Sky made her way to the ring for her triple threat match.
[Commercial Break]
(5) IYO SKY (w/Bayley & Dakota Kai) vs. PIPER NIVEN vs. MICHIN
Niven shoved Sky away and blocked a sunset flip from Michin. Michin blocked a powerslam from Niven, allowing Sky to blast her with a missile dropkick. Michin planted Sky with a flapjack, followed by a suicide dive on Niven. Sky crashed into Niven and Michin with an Asai moonsault, as WWE RAW went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Niven crushed Yim and Sky with a running crossbody for a nearfall. Sky took Michin down with an avalanche hurracarrana, following it with a missile dropkick on Niven. Michin clocked Sky with a hook kick, setting her up for a GeRMAN SUPLEX. Niven smashed Sky with an uranange while Michin took both down with a dropkick/splash combination. Michin evaded an elbow drop from Niven and floored her with Code Blue for a nearfall. Michin knocked Niven with Eat Defeat, but Sky broke the pinfall with a Moonsault for the victory.
WINNER: Iyo Sky in 9:00
(Pomares’s Analysis: Pretty good match to showcase Iyo Sky as a singles star for the first time on the main roster. Assuming we get Sky vs Bianca Belair at Backlash, likely setting up the break-up of Damage CTRL afterwards.)
– At backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Kevin Owens about what happened on SmackDown. Kevin Owens admitted that facing Solo Sikoa wasn’t a good idea, but he was still willing to fight Sikoa.
– Solo Sikoa made his way to the ring for the main event.
[Commercial Break]
– It was announced that Brock Lesnar would be back on RAW next week.
(6) KEVIN OWENS vs. SOLO SIKOA (w/The Usos)
Sikoa took control early on with kicks and stomps to Owens’ damaged leg. Sikoa knocked Owens down with a back elbow, forcing to retreat to ringside. Owens nailed Jey with a jab and drove Skoa into the steel steps. Owens crushed Sikoa with a senton for a two count. Sikoa cracked Owens with a thrust kick, followed by a hip attack, as WWE RAW went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Owens spiked Sikoa with a DDT. Sikoa missed a strike into the ring post, allowing Owens to blast him with a couple of thrust kicks. Owens couldn’t hit the cannonball due to his hurt leg, allowing Sikoa to crack him with a superkick for a nearfall. Owens knocked Sikoa off the top turnbuckle, setting him up for a Frog Splash for a two count. Sikoa blocked the Stunner and floored him with a Samoan drop.
Owens tripped Sikoa on the top turnbuckle, starting a strike exchange atop the corner. Owens launched Sikoa off the top turnbuckle, took care of both Usos and crushed Sikoa with a Swanton Bomb for a nearfall. Sikoa received a Pop Up powerbomb, but was able to block the Stunner. Jey struck Owens with a superkick behind the referee’s back, allowing Sikoa to pick up the win with the Samoan Spike.
WINNER: Solo Sikoa in 13:00
– After the match, The Bloodline continued beating Owens down while Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle were shown arriving at the arena. They clotheslined Sikoa over the ropes and set Jimmy up for a Stunner from Owens. Sikoa saved Jey from the Helluva Kick, retreating alongside him.
(Pomares’s Analysis: That was arguably Solo Sikoa’s best singles match so far. However, I struggle to get invested in his matches when the interference ending is never in question. The post-match angle was alright, but it didn’t feel like anything we haven’t seen before with the Bloodline.)
Tonight after WWE Raw, join Wade Keller live with guest co-host Robert Vallejos from the PWTorch Dailycast “MMATalk for Pro Wrestling Fans” to break down the show with live callers and emails.
•STREAM LIVE HERE ABOUT 5 MINUTES AFTER THE SHOW CONCLUDES
•CALL: (347) 215-8558
•EMAIL COMMENTS/QUESTIONS: wadekellerpodcast@pwtorch.com
•IF YOU DON’T LISTEN LIVE, SEARCH “WADE KELLER” ON YOUR PODCAST APP TO SUBSCRIBE AND THEN DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THE FULL SHOW TWO HOURS OR SO AFTER THE TV SHOW ENDS.
Come on. How can anybody get behind a Cody push? The guy is not physically intimidating. Hi lack of mic skills are only hampered by his lisp (not his fault.) Tonight’s promo was uninspired and lacks any Wow factor. He used to be Stardust for crying out loud. His ring coat looks like it’s from Sargeant Pepper.
Cody vs Brock. Not even an ounce of believability.