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WWE RAW TV REPORT
APRIL 8, 2024
PHILADELPHIA, PA. AT WELLS FARGO CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
Attendance: WrestleTix reports today that 17,208 tickets were distributed so far; arena set up for 18,336.
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[HOUR ONE]
-A new “Then, Now, Forever, Together” brand stamp aired with Paul Levesque doing the voiceover with a mix of current and past stars. It had a bit of a Marvel feel to it. The last images were of Steve Austin, John Cena, and Roman Reigns. Triple H was in it early but no more prominently than many other big names.
-Triple H’s music played and he made his entrance. Raw was without the big screen stage which meant they told tickets completely around the arena. Michael Cole said, “The Triple H era is indeed here.” He said they are in a sold out arena, the 17th consecutive TV sellout with 20,248 in the venue.
(Keller’s Analysis: There’s no ambiguity or subtlety to this post-Vince McMahon Era symbolism.)
Triple H entered the ring to a “Triple H” chant ringing out. That turned into a “Thank you, Hunter!” chant. “Here’s the thing,” he said. “I came out here to thank you.” He said less than 24 hours ago, they made something very special happen. “I can now really tell you that was the greatest WrestleMania of all time. By every single metric there is, every standard there is, and everything you have said, it was the biggest WrestleMania ever.” He thanked them.
He said he stood in the ring on Saturday to welcome everyone to WrestleMania and tonight he welcomes everyone to Raw. He said he welcomed everyone to a new time and a new era. He said he would like them to welcome the man who will lead them into the new era. He introduced Cody Rhodes.
Cody made his ring entrance. He shook hands with Triple H and they talked briefly off-mic. Cody kissed the belt and then raised it in the air. Triple H raised his other arm. They both smiled. His music stopped 9 minutes into the hour. Fans chanted, “Cody! Cody!” then a “You deserve it!” chant started. Triple H congratulated him and said he absolutely deserved it. He said he brought an end to one of the most incredible title reigns of all-time by Roman Reigns at the greatest WrestleMania of all time. He said he set an attendance and gate record for WWE, the largest gate in the history of the company with over 20,000 people in his first night as champion.
Triple H said he got a call from a couple of guys in the studio who said they made something special for him. They wanted them to share it with Cody. He said he watched it and decided he wanted to show it to everyone. Levesque said because of the size of the live crowd, they don’t have the usual big screen on the stage, so they had to set up monitors at ringside. A three-minute video then aired on Cody showing highlights of his Rumble win and his path to WrestleMania and eventual title win along with vintage footage of him in his prior run as Stardust including Brandi and him together in those days. They cut to a double box screen with Cody crying and smiling and reacting to the clips.
They returned to Cody in the ring crying as fans chanted “Cody! Cody!” He hugged Triple H. Another, “You deserve it!” chant broke out. Cody put the belt on the mat and bent down and kissed it. He stood and said, “So, Raw after WrestleMania, Philadelphia, what do you want to talk about?” His voice cracked. Another “Cody!” chant broke out.
He turned to Samantha Irvin and asked her to introduce him one more time. He said it was two years ago on the Raw After WrestleMania that he came out there and laid out his goals. He said that dream became reality last night. He talked about Roman’s 1,316 days as champion. “We don’t have to like him, but we certainly acknowledge what he’s done and perhaps he’s the most important Superstar of our generation.” Fans loudly chanted, “Thank you, Roman!” Cody said, “Indeed.” He said he was the man destined to defeat him. (They’re a month apart in age, both turn 39 soon.)
He said when you get into pro wrestling, people ask why you do this. He played a video of a little girl saying, “Papa, finish the story.” He said he wants her to know that when he goes to work, he doesn’t just go to work, but he goes to work in the main event and when papa is fighting, he’s now fighting as the champion, not a challenger. He said he has always stood in the line, but now the line is for him. He said his name is Cody Rhodes, once undesirable became undeniable and now Undisputed Universal WWE Champion. Fans cheered.
The Rock’s music played and he walked out with his vanity title belt over his shoulder. Rock entered the ring to a “Rocky!” chant. When his music stopped, fans chanted “Un-der-taker!” Rock glared at the fans. McAfee said, “Too soon, too soon.” Then after a pause, fans chanted, “Rocky sucks!” It gained some steam before fading. He raised the mic. Boos rang out. Rock paused and lowered the mic. As he began to talk, a “Shut the f— up!” chant broke out.
“The Rock is a lot of things, Philadelphia, but sucks isn’t one of them,” Rock said. McAfee said, “That’s right!” A loud “Asshole!” chant rang out. He said he came out there to deliver flowers to Cody and to say Philadelphia also broke the record for the largest gathering of trailer park trash. McAfee stood and applauded. Rock got bleeped as he went off on the fans. Cole said, “It’s the Raw After Mania, alright.” This is 32 minutes into the commercial-free portion of the first hour.
Cody held up his belt to cheers. Rock held up his belt to boos. He said he came out there with no fireworks and no blood spilled, but just flowers. He told Cody he did it. He said the fans can chant what they want, but this is between the two of them. He said he made him bleed and he still did complete his story. He talked about how Mama Rhodes must’ve had a big smile on her face, just like Cody’s “daddy in heaven.” A “Dusty!” chant broke out. He said Dusty was his hero. He said Rocky “Soul Man” Johnson and Dusty ran around town together. He said his dad might not approve of all the things he did to Cody, “but I don’t care.” He said Cody did it and he finished his story and now he has the belt. He said it’s beautiful with the new American Nightmare nameplate on it.
He said some would like to say his belt is fake, but Muhammad Ali’s widow gave him the belt. He said when he joined the Nation of Dominate, Ali gave him the moniker “The People’s Champion.” He said the belt means a lot to him. He asked Cody, “But let The Rock ask you something; is there any way The Rock can hold that title?” Fans booed and Cody shook his head. Rock said he grew up in pro wrestling just like Cody did. He said he loves pro wrestling titles and he’s held many, but he’s never held that one. Cody looked to the fans who said no.
Cody asked if he wants to hold that belt. Rock said, “I do.” Cody said he can, for a moment, as long as he can hold his. Rock said, “Sure, of course, absolutely. I’d be honored for you to hold The People’s Champ title.” They traded belts cautiously and slowly. Rock admired it and put it over his shoulder. Fans chanted, “This is awkward!” Rock said the belt just kind of feels right. He thanked Cody. They exchanged belts back. Rock said it means a lot.
Rock said The Rock has go away for a little while now. Fans booed and cheered. The Rock said he loves professional wrestling and he made it cool again. He said Cody made it cool again. Fans, of course, sang the “Na na na na, good bye” song. He said when he comes back, whether Cody’s champion or not champion, he’s coming for Cody. Cody said he’s looking forward to it. Rock said he is too.
Rock said he beat Roman right in the middle of the ring 1-2-3. “However, less than 24 hours before that, The Rock beat you in the middle of the ring, 1-2-3.” He said Cody’s story with Reigns is over, but his story with him has just begun. He took off his sunglasses and looked Cody in the eyes. Cody looked quizzically at him. He said he believes that because he’s The Final Boss and also on the board of TKO “so you’re my literal boss.” Rock said that’s true. Cody said he won’t dispute that he is their champion, pointing at the fans. “And boss, that means I am your champion,” he said with a little growl in his voice.” Another “Cody!” chant started as Rock and Cody stared at each other. Rock said, “You are their champion, you are the World Champion, you are my champion.”
Rock said there is one final thing before he rides off into the sunset. He said no fireworks. He reached into his pocket and asked for Cody’s hand. He passed something to Cody’s hand and held his hand. He Cody doesn’t even have to open his hand to know what it is. “Don’t you ever break my heart again,” he said. “If you smell what the Final Boss is cooking.” He glared at Cody as his music played. Rock left the ring as Cody soaked up what Rock just said. Cole said shots have been fired in what is soon to be a future war with Cody.
(Keller’s Analysis: That was epic and set the table for a huge Cody vs. Rock match sometime in the next year. The first half was a tremendous start to Cody’s title reign and made sure everyone knew what a big deal it was for Cody to have defeated Reigns. It made Cody out to be important and the title itself important and underlined the start of a new era. I won’t rule out that this is pushing it a little bit in terms of going over the top in celebrating Cody for some fans, and WWE should get cognizant of that given Cody’s history with AEW fans. Cody has so much goodwill built up now and seems like the right person for the right moment in time for WWE, so it’s hardly an immediate concern.)
-They cut to The Judgment Day arriving earlier with Rhea Ripley and Damiae Priest with the singles belts. They showed Miz and R-Truth arriving with their newly won tag belts. They showed Sami Zayn, his wife, and his son with his new IC Title.
-They went to Cole and McAfee and then the Spanish announce team Marcelo Rodrigue and Jerry Soto.
(1) SHINSUKE NAKAMURA vs. ILJA DRAGUNOV
During Dragunov’s entrance, Cole announced that on the Apr. 26 Smackdown and Apr. 29 Raw, the 2024 WWE Draft will take place. He said Dragonuv will be a part of the draft. The bell rang 49 minutes into the hour. Dragunov landed the Constantine Special clothesline to drop Nakamura. He followed with a top rope senton attempt, but Nakamura moved. McAfee said he took “his sweet ass time” and it backfired. Nakamura delivered a sliding German suplex and a leaping knee for a near fall at 3:00. Nakamura signaled for the Kinshasa, but Dragunov avoided it. Nakamura kicked him in the head and scored another two count. Nakamura applied a chinlock. Dragunov escaped, but Nakamura kneed him in the chin. Dragunov fired back with a kick to the face, a powerbomb, and a H-Bomb forearm to a downed Nakamura’s chin. He then finished him with a Torpedo Moscow for the win.
WINNER: Dragunov in 4:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good statement win for the newcomer who will be part of either Raw or Smackdown after the draft. Speaking of the WWE Draft, will WWE reinforce the Netflix-bound Raw with Cody and his belt and move Priest and his weaker belt to Smackdown, or will Smackdown on Fox keep the top belt and top babyface star?)
-Cole threw to a video package on the Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre match with the Damien Priest cash-in.
-They showed McIntyre arriving in the parking lot earlier. Cole said he isn’t in a pleasant mood, but he’d be part of a Fatal Four-way match later to determine the new no. 1 contender for Priest’s title. Ricochet, Jey Uso, and Bronson Reed are the others in the match.
-They showed The Judgment Day walking backstage and Cole said they would be out next. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
-A video aired of various WrestleMania highlights.
-The Judgment Day’s Finn Balor, J.D. McDonagh, and Dominik Mysterio stood mid-ring as their music faded. Balor scolded the “doubters” and “haters” for being wrong about Rhea Ripley and Damien Priest. Dom got booed as he introduced Ripley. She said Mami is always on top and it’s a new era for The Judgment Day.
Balor then introduced Priest who made his way out with the World Hvt. Title belt. When he entered the ring, a “You deserve it!” chant broke out. Priest said, “You’re damn right I do.” He asked everyone to rise for The Judgement Day. R-Truth showed up and posed with them. Priest threw a fit and told him they’re not doing this again so get out. Truth said he brought the tag titles back to The Judgment Day. Miz’s music played and he came out. Cole said, “This is incredible, it really is,”
Miz said he doesn’t want to be in Judgment Day and he know Truth doesn’t either. Truth said he is. Priest said isn’t. Fans chanted, “Yes he is!” Miz announced him and Truth as the new champs. Balor challenged them to put the tag belts on the line. Truth said, “We can’t, there’s only three of us.” Miz asked if he meant a real person and not Little Jimmy. Truth said yes, he meant him, Miz, and a man you can’t see. McDonagh said that works for them. Miz said he wants to physically see their partner. Truth said he would. As Truth began to introduce the third man for their team, McDonagh, Dom, and Balor attacked them. Cole said he assumed Truth was about to introduce Jimmy. Fans were chanting “Cena!” [c]
-Cody hyped David Taylor in the Olympics.
(2) MIZ & R-TRUTH & JOHN CENA vs. FINN BALOR & J.D. MCDONAGH & DOMINIK MYSTERIO
Cena wasn’t out there at the start of the match. McAfee referred to Dom as the thing “after you wipe” or something like that. McAfee is just gross with his scatological references. They cut to a double-box break a few minutes in. [c/db]
Cena ran out to his music when Miz was in trouble. Miz tagged Cena right away he rallied against McDonagh. Truth and Miz joined in and took down Balor and Dom too. They gave them Five Knuckle Shuffles and Attitude Adjustments to win.
WINNERS: Cena & Miz & Truth in 10:00.
-They went to Cole and McAfee at ringside. They threw to a video package on Bronson Reed winning the Andre the Giant Battle Royal on Smackdown last week.
-A promo aired with Bronson backstage with the Andre trophy behind him. He talked about his match later and said he’ll prove who the World Champion should be. [c]
-They went to a wide shot of the arena and then Cole and McAfee touted that 201,924 fans attended all WWE weekend events.
-Ripley was chatting with Dom backstage about Andrade betraying them. When Dom walked away to go find Adam Pearce, Liv Morgan threw a chair at her and then attacked her. Officials pried them apart.
(3) INDI HARTWELL (w/Candice LeRae) vs. ROXANNE PEREZ
Indi was in the ring already as the camera walked through the floor seats toward the ring in a cool new production touch. Perez made her way to the ring with her NXT Title belt. Perez offered a handshake. Indy accepted, but Perez slapped her. Cole said that’s not a surprise given Perez’s attitude lately. Cole noted how aggressive Perez was being. LeRae tripped Perez running the ropes. Indy yelled at her not to do that. Perez finished a distracted Indy with her Pop Rox finisher.
WINNER: Perez in under 3:00.
-A video package aired on Sami Zayn beating Gunther for the Intercontinental Title.
-They cut backstage to Sami with the IC belt. Jey congratulated him. Sami said he’s proud of Jey too. They were all smiles. [c]
-Backstage Perez walked past Natalya who said she’d see her on NXT. Perez corrected her and said she’d see her “on my show.”
-Sami Zayn made his way to the ring to his entrance theme. Sami held up the belt as fans chanted his name. He said he’s done some historic things at WrestleMania in recent years, including this year. He said Gunther made history being 666 days as champion. “He is without question the best Intercontinental Champion of all time. But guess what? I beat him!” he said emphatically. He said the fans helped him and “my brother, Kevin Owens” helped him. He said another helped, too. As he was about to presumably mention Chad Gable, Imperium’s Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci came out to their music. Kaiser walked out and insulted Sami. He said the new Intercontinental Champion looked like a bum. He said they are there to make things right. McAfee said they’ve never seen a mirror or baby oil they didn’t like. As they were about to go after Sami in the ring, Gable ran out. He shoosh’d the crowd and yelled “Thank you!” Sami and Gable yelled down to Kaiser and Vinci. [c]
[HOUR THREE]
-A vignette aired hyping the return of Sheamus.
(4) SAMI ZAYN & CHAD GABLE vs. LUDWIG KAISER & GIOVANI VINCI
They cut to a double-box break at 4:00. [c/db]
As Imperium set up a double-team move on Gable, a “Gable! Gable!” chant broke out. Sami and Gable gave three German suplexes to Kaiser and Vinci. Sami officially tagged in and applied an anklelock to Vinci. Kaiser broke it up. Gable went after Kaiser. Sami clotheslined Kaiser over the top rope and then gave an exploder suplex to Vinci in the corner. He signaled for a Helluva Kick, tagged in Gable, landed the Helluva kick, and then Gable gave Vinci a Chaos Theory for the win.
WINNERS: Sami & Gable in 12:00.
-A highlight video aired of Jimmy vs. Jey.
-A brief promo aired with Jey yelling “Yeet!”
-They showed Ricochet warming up backstage
-Adam Pearce shook hands with Andrade as Nick Aldis and Ava stood by. Aldis said it’s a shame Pearce put so much work into signing him when he’ll snag him in the draft. Ava said they shouldn’t forget that some could end up on NXT, but they’ll keep it civil tonight. In walked Chelsea Green who complained about not being part of the greatest WrestleMania ever. She said she’s going to go to the top brass. Pearce said they got all her emails. Green squealed excitedly and said she wants her moment. Pearce sent her to the ring. [c]
-A graphic showed WWE’s travels with pins on each city on a map that they’ve sold out the last 17 consecutive TV events.
-They showed the concourse of the arena as McAfee touted the 201,924 seats filled from Friday through Monday. The camera then went through a tunnel and into the arena bowl as Chelsea’s ring entrance began.
(5) JADE CARGILL vs. CHELSEA GREEN
Green looked eagerly toward the entrance. Jade then showed up. Cole said, “Oh yeah. Ohhh yeahh!” McAfee said she was put on Earth to be a WWE Superstar. Cole said Green should shut her mouth for once. Jade won with her funisher, once known as Jaded.
WINNER: Jade in 30 seconds.
-A highlight package aired with Stephanie McMahon saying this is the WrestleMania she’s most proud to be part of because it’s the beginning of the Paul “Triple H” Levesque era. Other WM highlights aired.
-Drew McIntyre made his ring entrance for the main event. “I bet he’s not in a good mood,” said Cole. Drew walked to the ring and appeared to, indeed, be in a bad mood. He grabbed the mic and said, “Cut the music.” He said what happened last night was “complete and utter b.s.” He said his moment lasted 5 minutes and 46 seconds. “Some of you think that’s funny?” he asked. He said it’s five minutes longer than most of them last in bed. He said he respects Seth who went out on his shield. He said he shared a moment only warriors know about. “But then that bondage Undertaker screwed it all up,” he said. He said the Money in the Bank cost him everything again and he said it cheapened everything he and Seth did. He called Priest a “transitional champion” and said, after tonight the belt belongs to him. He the person who really caused it “is that prick, C.M. Punk.” He said he was within striking distance of him and he said everything he had to say, but Punk didn’t do anything about it. He said he was a coward because the second he took his eyes off him, he swept his legs and took off his metal arm brace and bashed him in the face. He said he knows Punk’ll disappear for months, but he’s going for his weakest part when they eventually fight. He said his entire body is his weakest part.
Jey Uso interrupted and made his way out to his music. They cut to a break. [c]
-Cole hyped Andrade vs. Dominik and Sami vs. Gable for the IC Title next week on Raw.
(6) DREW MCINTYRE vs. BRONSON REED vs. JEY USO vs. RICOCHET – No. 1 Contendership Fatal Four-way
The ring entrance for Reed and then Ricochet took place. The bell rang 42 minutes into the hour. They cut to an early double-box break. [c/db]
They cut to a second double-box break at 7:00. [c/db]
At 12:00, all four were down and fans were chanting “This is awesome!” Drew set up a superplex on Jey, but Jey blocked it and knocked Drew onto the top turnbuckle. Drew hung upside down from the top rope. Ricochet leaped at Jey. Jey headbutted him. Drew sat up and threw Jey to the mat. Bronson then threw Ricoch into Drew with a Bucklebomb. Reed gave Ricochet a Death Valley Driver for a near fall. Reed set up a Tsunami, but Drew intervened. Reed cleared the Spanish announce desk. Drew knocked Reed onto the table. Jey leaped over the top rope onto Drew. Jey then stood on the top rope, but Ricochet kicked him. Ricochet then pointed at Reed who was lying on his back on the table. Ricochet spring-boarded off the top rope with a 450 splash onto Reed. The table collapsed. Reed landed on the side of the table and clutched his mid-section in pain afterward. Fans chanted “Holy shit!”
Drew looked at Jey in the ring. Fans chanted “This is awesome!” Drew gave Jey a Future Shock DDT and then set up a Claymore, but C.M. Punk grabbed Drew’s leg from ringside. Jey then superkicked Drew and speared him, followed by a top rope frog splash for the win. “Punk screwed Drew McIntyre again!” exclaimed Cole as the show ended.
WINNER: Jey Uso in 17:00 to become no. 1 contender to Damian Priest’s World Hvt. Title.
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