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With this week’s Raw being the go-home show before Backlash, it delivered several segments that succeeded in building anticipation for it. As great as those segments were, the highlight of Raw this week involved a storyline that has no implications for Backlash. In a match that wasn’t previously advertised, World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso had his first title defense in this week’s main event. After a heated segment with Paul Heyman that opened the show, Jey agreed to defend his title against Heyman’s newest client Seth Rollins. Little did Jey know that the exchange he had with Heyman was all part of the wise man’s plan.
Even though Jey’s title reign has yet to even surpass one month, this match against Rollins had many uncertain of what the outcome would be throughout it. In addition to that, we saw Penta’s issues with the Judgment Day escalate, another great back and forth between Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria, and one last face to face between Gunther and Pat McAfee ahead of their match this Saturday. As storylines tend to cool down in the weeks after WrestleMania, this week’s show displayed the complete opposite.
Penta vs. J.D. McDonaugh
Latest Developments:
On the April 21 Raw, Penta challenged Dominik Mysterio for his newly won Intercontinental Championship. As Penta was about to win the match, a returning J.D. McDonaugh appeared and pushed him off the top rope. The interference allowed Dominik to take advantage and hit Penta with a Frog Splash to retain his title. Last week, McDonaugh & Finn Balor faced the War Raiders in a match where J.D. was about to pick up the win for his team until Penta appeared to return the favor from the week before. Penta’s involvement led to the Raiders hitting JD with the War Machine for the win.
This week, Penta and J.D. went one on one in a match where Finn was caught throwing Penta into the ring by the referee after he pulled him off the apron, which led to Finn & Carlito being kicked out of ringside. Chad Gable then appeared and attempted to pull Penta’s leg as he was on the top rope, but Penta kicked him down and leaped over the top rope onto him. J.D. took advantage of the distraction and had Penta down for a top rope Moonsault, but he missed. Capitalizing on this, Penta hit J.D. with a Mexican Destroyer for the win. Later in the night, it was announced that Penta will once again challenge Dominik for the Intercontinental Title at Backlash.
Analysis:
After J.D. cost Penta the IC Title two weeks ago and Penta returned the favor last week, it seemed like this feud was heading for a match at Backlash. After how everything played out here, it makes more sense that this match took place a lot sooner. Even with the Judgment Day/Chad Gable interference and all the shenanigans, this was still a fun match between these two. Even though outside interference can sometimes take away from a match, it felt like it only added to the match in this scenario. While they’re capable of putting on a better match if given more time, this one gave us enough to be satisfied.
More than anything, this was mainly used to set up Penta and Dominik for this Saturday. With this being Dominik’s first defense on a PLE, how this one plays out will set the tone for his title reign. While there is a small chance that Finn could end up costing him the title “accidentally,” to take the title off of him so soon would be a mistake. Even if Dominik doesn’t lose the title this weekend, Finn will likely still play some kind of factor in the outcome as their issues are still building up. Until Finn and Dominik finally face each other, whatever feuds Dominik is involved in until then will likely be used just to kill time.
Grade: B
Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria
Latest Developments:
On the April 21 Raw, Becky Lynch & women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria lost the women’s Tag Team Championship to Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez just 24 hours after winning them. Becky helped Lyra up after the match and hugged her, but then immediately turned on her with a clothesline followed by three Man Slams. Last week, Becky was in the ring cutting a promo where she took credit for Lyra’s success until Lyra came out to interrupt her. Lyra challenged Becky to match on the spot but Becky rejected the offer, agreeing to face her at Backlash instead. Lyra drop kicked Becky through the second rope and attacked her until she ran away, but Becky got the last laugh as she knocked down Lyra from behind moments later as she stood in front of the entrance.
Becky came out this week to once again cut a promo about how she’s responsible for Lyra’s success until Lyra came out to confront her. Becky went on about how even Sports Illustrated said that she’s the greatest to ever do it and told Lyra she would only be nothing more than the moment after the moment. Lyra responded by running down all of Becky’s firsts but when she brought up who the first women’s Intercontinental Champion was, she reminded Becky that it was her who did that. She then told Becky that she hopes she likes second place as long as she’s around, which led to a brawl between them after Becky attempted to sucker punch her. Becky attempted a Man Slam, but Lyra reversed it into a Nightwing and stood over her holding up the title to end the segment.
Analysis:
For the third week in a row, Becky and Lyra had another entertaining segment together. In these last two weeks, Lyra has been very impressive with her mic work and the shots she’s thrown at Becky. The best line she had was by far the one about how she’s defended her title more times this year than Becky has made appearances. As great as she is in the ring, a legit feud like this with a big star like Becky to play off from is exactly what Lyra needed to get people more invested in her. Even though this feud is still new, it feels like it’s succeeding in that department so far and has consistently been one of the better parts of the show.
The way this feud has played out since it started has honestly made this one of the most interesting matches going into Backlash. With it being as good as it’s been so far, there is no way that their match this weekend is going to be the end of it. In order for the crowd to get more behind Lyra and for this story to really work, she’s going to have to lose this match. Even if she does, it won’t hurt her at all as long as she eventually wins it back from Becky later in the year. Storylines like this are ones that don’t need to be rushed and if they take their time with it and are able to keep it as good as it is now, it could go down as one of the best feuds of 2025.
Grade: B+
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Iyo Sky vs. Roxanne Perez
Latest Developments:
On the April 21 Raw, Women’s World Champion Iyo Sky faced NXT Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer. Both women were putting on a great match until it ended prematurely when NXT’s Roxanne Perez and Giulia got involved and attacked both women. Rhea Ripley came to their rescue as she fought off Perez and stared down Giulia before she walked away. Last week, Rhea went one on one with Perez in a match where Giulia interfered as Rhea was about to hit the Riptide on Perez to end the match on a disqualification. Iyo came out to make the save, but she was attacked by both women until Rhea ran them off.
With Rhea away this week on a promotional tour, Iyo went one on one with Perez. Both women put on a competitive match that saw them exchange multiple pin attempts until Iyo’s last pin attempt resulted in her getting the win. Perez put out her hand for a handshake after the match, which Iyo accepted before Perez left the ring. This all turned out to be a set up as Giulia attacked Iyo from behind and Perez got back into the ring to join in on the attack. Giulia helped Iyo up as Perez kicked her in the face and the two of them stood over her to end the segment.
Analysis:
To no surprise, this was another good match involving Iyo Sky. Despite being in many ways the odd woman out in the feud with Bianca and Rhea heading into WrestleMania, winning that match in the end really elevated her to a level she’s never been on before. In addition to her ring work, her charisma and energy just make it hard not to be a fan of hers. Roxanne Perez lost nothing by getting pinned here and considering what happened after, everything is all moving in the right direction. With Rhea being gone this week, Perez & Giuila attacking Iyo after the match was the perfect way to put heat on them and to set things up for the eventual tag match when Rhea comes back.
Whether that match happens next week or possibly at Saturday Night’s Main Event, it’s going to be a match to watch once it does happen. With Perez & Giulia being new to the main roster and the unfinished business between Iyo and Rhea, there’s no other logical outcome for this one than a win for the new call ups. There’s even a chance that Rhea could turn on Iyo during the match and end up forming a new stable with Giulia & Perez. After losing to Iyo twice, this all could lead to her feeling desperate and resorting to forming this stable to finally beat her. Much like the Lyra and Becky feud, this storyline involving these women has potential to be one of the better parts of the show if treated in that way.
Grade: B
Gunther vs. Pat McAfee
Latest Developments:
On the April 21 Raw, Gunther put Michael Cole in the Sleeper until Pat McAfee came to Cole’s rescue and knocked Gunther off from him. Despite being separated by officials, Gunther got past them and trapped McAfee in the Sleeper on the ground for several moments until officials pulled him off. Several days later, Adam Pearce indefinitely suspended Gunther due to the attack. Last week, McAfee cut a promo on top of the announce table about his loyalty to Cole and asked Nick Aldis (who was filling in for Adam Pearce) to lift Gunther’s suspension so that he could get his hands on him. Aldis proposed to lift the suspension under the condition that McAfee could face Gunther in a sanctioned match at Backlash, which McAfee agreed to.
This week, McAfee and Gunther had a face-to-face promo moderated by Pearce where there was no physicality allowed between the two of them. McAfee accused Gunther of becoming too comfortable to the point where that was going to lead to him overlooking McAfee and said he was going to prove that this version of him is soft. Gunther responded by telling McAfee not to worry about him overlooking him, as he promised that he’s going to have his full and undivided attention once their match happens. He vowed to maul McAfee and choke him out until he drops like a wet towel. Gunther ended the promo by saying only the grace of God will be able to lift his arms off his throat on Saturday as he slammed the mic into his chest.
Analysis:
Other than Lyra and Becky, this match between McAfee and Gunther is the match at Backlash with the most intrigue. This segment here was intense, personal, and more than anything, it sold the match for this weekend. With Gunther being such a hard hitter combined with McAfee’s athleticism, this match in the end will be way better than many people are probably expecting it to be. As interesting as this match looks and the potential that it has to be good, the outcome is a forgone conclusion. Considering that Gunther just lost the title and McAfee isn’t even a full-time wrestler, it would be weird if Gunther lost here too.
Regardless of that, the segments they’ve done to build towards it have been gold. This storyline is a prime example of how the journey is more important than the actual destination. With Gunther doing some of his best heel work recently, McAfee’s promos aimed at him have made him relatable and someone you want to cheer for. With all that combined with what Gunther said here at the end of his promo, he’s going to be even more of a despised heel when he brutalizes McAfee the way he does on Saturday. While this feud is clearly just a short-term one, it has been one more than worth enjoying while it lasts.
Grade: A
Jey Uso vs. Seth Rollins
Latest Developments:
After his new alliance of Seth Rollins & Bron Breakker brutally attacked C.M. Punk, Roman Reigns, and Sami Zayn at the end of the last two weeks of Raw, Paul Heyman interrupted World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso’s promo at the start of this week’s show. Heyman told Jey while he may want and need to be champion, Rollins has to be champion. Heyman said he was going to do Jey a favor and allow him to pick the night where he would lose the title to Rollins as he challenged him on behalf of Rollins for anytime and anyplace. Jey stopped Heyman as he was about to leave the ring and backed him into the corner as he agreed to face Rollins later in the night. Several moments later backstage as he met up with Rollins & Breakker, Heyman told Rollins that Jey fell for their plan just like he said he would.
In this week’s main event, Jey defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Rollins in a competitive match where a distraction from Breakker at ringside allowed Rollins to hit a Falcon Arrow followed by a Curb Stomp onto Jey for a near fall. Sami Zayn’s music hit as he appeared through the crowd and attacked Breakker, which allowed Jey to hit a distracted Rollins with a Spear and a Splash from the top rope, but Rollins kicked out. Breakker hit Zayn with a Spear outside the ring and as Jey went to check on him, Breakker Speared him as the referee was distracted by Heyman. Rollins hit another Curb Stomp on Jey in the ring but as he was about to pin him, C.M. Punk came out with a chair that he threw at Breakker in the aisle way and Punk then attacked Rollins in the ring with the chair followed by Breakker until they ran away. Punk held the chair in his hand as he stood side by side with Zayn in the ring as Jey was down in the corner and they stared down Rollins & Breakker as the show went off the air.
Analysis:
Despite this match not being advertised beforehand, it turned out to be a great main event. While Jey Uso vs. Seth Rollins seemed like a match we wouldn’t get until possibly Summerslam, it was a real treat to get it here. While no one deep down expected Jey to lose the title here, there was enough drama and believable close calls in this match where there was a chance it could’ve happened. The one fault in this whole scenario was the fact that the referee never called for the bell to end the match on a DQ when Punk attacked Rollins. With it being the main event and for the title, they should’ve given the people a clear-cut decision before the show ended.
Even though it was great to see them, it was a bit surprising to see Sami Zayn and C.M. Punk back so soon after how brutally they were attacked by Rollins & Breakker. With the appearances they made here at the end of this match, this is clearly setting up for a tag team match. Since the Backlash card is already filled up, that tag match seems likely to happen at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Even though Rollins didn’t win the title here, the momentum that he, Breakker, and Heyman have with this new alliance they’ve formed makes it feel inevitable that he will be the one to eventually dethrone Jey. Until Jey crosses paths with Rollins again, whatever storyline he’s involved in as champion is going to be second place to this one.
Grade: A
Other Raw Highlights:
Sheamus vs. Austin Theory
After Grayson Waller pulled himself out of a match against a mystery opponent, he suggested to Adam Pearce that his partner Austin Theory fill in for him. As Theory was in the ring waiting to find out who the opponent was going to be, it was revealed to be a returning Sheamus. Despite Theory briefly having the advantage, Sheamus rebounded with a White Noise from the second rope. As Theory was down from it, he questioned Waller for putting him in the match as he backed away. Sheamus then hit Theory with the Beats of the Bodhran across the chest 14 times followed by the Brogue Kick for the win.
Analysis:
While predictable, Sheamus had a strong return here in a match that served as a great re-introduction for him. This segment not only gave us a Sheamus return, but it also gave us hints at an eventual split between Theory & Waller. While they’ve been teasing dissension between them for way too long now, perhaps now they will finally pull the trigger. It feels like they’ve done all they can do with them as a tag team and as long as they stay together with how things are now, it won’t do either one of them any good. Even though it’s too early to tell and it’s been teased too long for people to even care anymore, perhaps what we saw here could be a sign that their split is finally going to happen this time.
Rusev vs. Otis
After returning on the April 21 Raw and attacking Alpha Academy, Rusev had his first WWE match in over five years this week against Otis. Despite a strong effort from Otis, the momentum he had came to a halt when Rusev kicked him in the face. Rusev picked up the win when he trapped Otis in the Accolade and forced him to tap out. Akira Tozawa challenged Rusev after the match and even ripped his shirt off, but he walked away. As Tozawa checked on Otis, Rusev ran back into the ring and Powerbombed him onto Otis.
Analysis:
With this being the first WWE match for Rusev in five years, this is exactly the kind of match he needed to have. Even though it wasn’t a squash and Otis put in a strong effort, Rusev looked strong and dominant here. Otis & Tozawa are the perfect people for him to go through right now to build heel heat and establish him as a killer. From what we’re seeing so far, it’s going to be fun to see him eventually have matches with established stars like Jey Uso, C.M. Punk, Sami Zayn, and Gunther potentially. Until then, where he is right now is the perfect way to utilize him.
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