{"id":215983,"date":"2026-05-05T14:15:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T19:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=215983"},"modified":"2026-05-05T14:15:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T19:15:34","slug":"wwe-raw-hits-misses-5-4-becky-and-sol-ruka-exchange-theory-vs-joe-hendry-breakkers-attack-on-seth-mcdonagh-vs-balor-jacob-fatu-and-roman-reigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/05\/05\/wwe-raw-hits-misses-5-4-becky-and-sol-ruka-exchange-theory-vs-joe-hendry-breakkers-attack-on-seth-mcdonagh-vs-balor-jacob-fatu-and-roman-reigns\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE RAW HITS &#038; MISSES (5\/4): Becky and Sol Ruka exchange, Theory vs. Joe Hendry Breakker&#8217;s attack on Seth, McDonagh vs. Balor, Jacob Fatu and Roman Reigns"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-151790532\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p><b>Opening Segment &#8211; MISS:<\/b> Part of me liked the way Raw started off hot with Roman Reigns arriving to try to start the show calling out Jacob Fatu, only to find out that Fatu hadn\u2019t arrived yet. It had that \u201canything can happen\u201d feel. That was followed by what was scheduled to start the show, Seth Rollins going to the ring to call out Bron Breakker. Breakker then attacked Rollins from behind and beat him up. It had some surprise moments, and a nod to the never ending tension between Reigns and Rollins. But, it still just didn\u2019t click for me. WWE is over relying on brawls. We\u2019d see more brawls later in the show. The fans chanting \u201cone more time\u201d at Breakker spearing Rollins is a sign that the segment failed to put heat on the heel or sympathy on the babyface. It also had a bait-and-switch where fans got excited to see Reigns and Fatu, only to have to wait until the end of the show instead.<\/p>\n<p><b>McDonagh vs. Balor &#8211; HIT:<\/b> WWE\u2019s stories can go on too long. It was a long story to get to Finn Balor breaking away from Judgment Day. He did, and he beat JD McDonagh. Then he beat Dominik Mysterio. Now, he\u2019s still in this storyline having to face McDonagh again. This time, the story is about Roxanne Perez possibly leaving the group, only to (for now) stay in the group cheating to help McDonagh beat her former friend Balor. I am giving the match a minor Hit for the wrestling quality between Balor and McDonagh. The match went a pretty good length (a marathon for Raw these days) and was fun to watch. But, the constant interference from every member of Judgment Day got old, and made the referee look stupid and inept.<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Raw: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/wwe-raw-post-show-5-4-keller-white-talk-roman-fatu-contract-signing-wwe-roster-cuts-club-wwe-cena-s-announcement-logan-s-tantrum--71870689\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cwade Keller\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WWE RAW POST-SHOW (5\/4): Keller &amp; White talk Roman-Fatu contract signing, WWE roster cuts, Club WWE, Cena's Announcement, Logan's tantrum\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=71870689&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b>Penta &amp; Evans vs. Page &amp; Rusev &#8211; HIT:<\/b> This was my favorite part of this week\u2019s show. This was a very good tag match as Ethan Page, teaming with Rusev, got a pinball victory over Intercontinental Champion Penta, teaming with Je\u2019Von Evans. It was high energy and fun to watch from start to finish. The fans were into the action. Evans and Penta are definitely over with the crowd. Page is off to a good start on the Raw roster since his NXT call up a few weeks ago. This is a solid role for Rusev too. But, I am curious how long he will play nice with Page.<\/p>\n<p><b>Ruca &#8211; Lynch &#8211; HIT:<\/b> I am interested in seeing what will ultimately between the newly arriving Sol Ruca who officially signed her Raw contract in this segment, and the IC Champion Becky Lynch who interrupted. The mic work from both was strong as Lynch complained to Adam Pearce about losing her scheduled time and Ruca pushed back about being interrupted in what was actually her time. It is unfortunate that Ruca slipped on the Sol Snatcher at the end of the segment, because that would have been a big exclamation point on an otherwise good segment. But, she did recover well enough.<\/p>\n<p><b>Theory vs. Hendry &#8211; MISS:<\/b> A 3 minute match with a non-finish isn\u2019t a great way to introduce a new wrestler in terms of this being his in-ring debut on Raw since getting called up from NXT. The brawl that followed was well done with Logan Paul, The Street Profits, Breakker and Rollins all getting involved. But, it was another brawl. It is getting repetitive. If I\u2019m Rollins, I\u2019m upset at Montez Ford for interrupting his attempt to get revenge on Breakker allowing Breaker to spear Rollins one more time. But, that wasn\u2019t the story that they told later in the show when the Profits were more upset at Rollins which didn\u2019t make much sense to me.<\/p>\n<p><b>Femi vs. Otis &#8211; HIT:<\/b> This is a minor Hit for the performance by Oba Femi as he did a nice job of playing to the fans and indicating that he had to come up with a plan in the moment to figure out how to get Otis up for his finishing move. That was clever, and well done by Femi. I was certainly more interested in seeing Otis accepting Femi\u2019s challenge than Akira Tozawa, so the switch before the match worked for me. This open challenge will work better with obnoxious heels than earnest babyfaces. And the challengers should get a brief chance to talk before hand to explain why they want the match in the first place. What is in it for them?<\/p>\n<p><b>Asuka &#8211; Sky &#8211; HIT:<\/b> This was a good pre-recorded face-to-face between Asuka and Iyo Sky ahead of their big grudge match at Backlash on Saturday. It is too bad that they have to ignore Kairi Sane\u2019s previous involvement in the feud which was pretty central to it. But, the performances were strong and the use of subtitles worked well to allow them to spend most of the time talking in their native language. The match should be excellent, if WWE actually gives them time to wrestle.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3715549751\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><b>Fake Luchadores &#8211; MISS:<\/b> Michael Cole wasn\u2019t even trying to hide his disdain for this storyline. I understand that it is over in AAA, and that WWE wants more of their American fans (and any fan around the world) to watch more AAA. So, they want to expose the audience to some of those wrestlers and storylines. But, man is this stupid. At least they aren\u2019t pretending that the Creeds aren\u2019t the new team working with Chad Gable. But, why have them using their fake Mexican names while also acknowledging their true identity? The whole story has been so stupid that this isn\u2019t getting me interested in watching more AAA. I don\u2019t want to have to watch several different promotions to fully enjoy Raw, Smackdown or NXT. I would love to see a six man tag match between these six very talented wrestlers under any other circumstance.<\/p>\n<p><b>Reigns &#8211; Fatu &#8211; MISS:<\/b> Jacob Fatu is coming across as a heel on Raw but came across as a babyface on Smackdown. I love the idea of two alphas in Fatu and Reigns going after the World Title. I am less interesting in the Bloodline aspect of it at this point. I fully appreciate that WWE is working overtime to get the Tongan Death Grip over as a very dangerous, killer move. But, it is still a boring move which I don\u2019t feel Fatu needed. Using it is part of what is making him a heel, but why have him be a heel when he was popular as a babyface? The backstage politics which creep into all of Reigns\u2019s stories don\u2019t interest me either. The physicality was strong with Reigns fighting back which he wasn\u2019t able to do last week when Fatu surprised him with the Death Grip. But, Fatu still got the better of him in the end. That worked well. So, it wasn\u2019t terrible, but still a Miss.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com&#8217;s WWE Raw Hits &amp; Misses Specialist, providing his point of view for Raw each week. Email him at jmezz_torch@yahoo.com. Follow him on BlueSky @jonmezzera.bsky.social.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show (5\/4) - WWE Raw w\/Keller &amp; White\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pCM3M2jzYM8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-4184392482\"><div id=\"pwtor-3828349167\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Opening Segment &#8211; MISS: Part of me liked the way Raw started off hot with Roman Reigns arriving to try to start the show calling out Jacob Fatu, only to find out that Fatu hadn\u2019t <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/05\/05\/wwe-raw-hits-misses-5-4-becky-and-sol-ruka-exchange-theory-vs-joe-hendry-breakkers-attack-on-seth-mcdonagh-vs-balor-jacob-fatu-and-roman-reigns\/\" title=\"WWE RAW HITS &#038; MISSES (5\/4): Becky and Sol Ruka exchange, Theory vs. Joe Hendry Breakker&#8217;s attack on Seth, McDonagh vs. Balor, Jacob Fatu and Roman Reigns\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":215984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,28,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-215983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists_hitsandmisses","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-05-at-2.14.27-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215983"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":215985,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215983\/revisions\/215985"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}