The post-WrestleMania Backlash edition of WWE RAW will air live tonight from the XL Center in Hartford, CT with fallout from last night’s Premium Live Event.
WWE has not announced any matches or segments for tonight but the build to Hell In a Cell on June 5 should begin.
WrestleMania Backlash saw the reveal of Rhea Ripley as the newest disciple to WWE Hall of Famer Edge, helping him defeat AJ Styles, so it’s likely that the Judgment Day storyline will continue tonight.
A new challenger for Cody Rhodes is also being teased now that he defeated Seth Rollins in their rematch last night
An appearance by The Bloodline is possible as a follow-up to their win over RAW Tag Team Champions RK-Bro and Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania Backlash.
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns are set to appear to hype their WrestleMania Backlash six-man with Drew McIntyre and RAW Tag Team Champions RK-Bro.
You can also expect the following programs to continue tonight, among others: Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins, Ezekiel vs. Kevin Owens, Asuka vs. Becky Lynch, AJ Styles vs. the Judgment Day stable.
WWE RAW will air live tonight from the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Tonight’s RAW will be headlined by a 20th Anniversary Celebration for RAW Tag Team Champion Randy Orton. The WWE Legend made his official TV debut with a win over Hardcore Holly on the April 25, 2002 edition of SmackDown.
WWE has announced the following line-up for tonight:
* Becky Lynch makes her first RAW appearance since WrestleMania 38
* 20th Anniversary Celebration for RAW Tag Team Champion Randy Orton
* Hometown star and RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defends against Sonya Deville
* Bobby Lashley vs. Omos in an Arm Wrestling Contest
WWE is not planning on ending the brand split anytime soon, despite the recent title merger, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Daily Update.
There have been some rumors about WWE doing that, but at the moment the company is not expected to be merging rosters. It was noted that Vince McMahon could change his mind, but right now that is not the direction he is heading.
At WrestleMania 38 Roman Reigns brought both the WWE and Universal Championships together by defeating Brock Lesnar. The company is now moving forward with unifying the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania Backlash when The Usos face RK-Bro.
When it comes to WrestleMania Backlash, the update notes the Tribal Chief is expected to headline the event, although he does not have any match announced at this point. Roman Reigns did attack Shinsuke Nakamura on the post-WrestleMania episode of SmackDown, which could potentially lead to a match.
Roman will be defending his titles against Drew McIntyre on WWE’s UK Tour, which takes place at the end of this month before the next premium event.
On Monday Night RAW this week WWE did add another match to the card as AJ Styles will be facing Edge in a rematch from WrestleMania 38.
The WrestleMania Backlash Premium Live Event is scheduled for Sunday, May 8 from the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Below is the updated announced card:
Winners Take All Title Unification Match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. RAW Tag Team Champions RK-Bro
It looks like Becky Lynch may return to RAW on tonight’s show, her first appearance since dropping the RAW Women’s Title to Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 38.
More than a week later, it’s still sort of hard to believe Cody Rhodes is back in WWE. This week on Raw, Rhodes wrestled his first match on the red brand since 2015. A clash with The Miz from which Rhodes emerged victorious. Prior to their clash, Rhodes and Miz opened Raw with a talk show segment during which The American Nightmare dropped a couple of supposedly banned words.
The first faux pas came when Rhodes referred to the Universal Championship as a belt. The Miz quickly cut in, informing him it’s a title as belts are for holding your pants up. A line Vince McMahon has likely said to wrestlers a thousand times as he doesn’t like WWE’s championships being referred to as belts. Speaking of wrestlers, the second slip-up came when Rhodes used that word instead of Superstars, at which point Miz corrected him again.
The American Nightmare is allowed to say belts and wrestlers.
Rhodes making these mistakes would make sense as he has been working in a company that lets you say them for the past three years. The thing is, according to Wrestling Observer Radio, Rhodes’ use of these banned words wasn’t a mistake at all. It’s all part of his gimmick in WWE. That he isn’t a WWE guy at all and he uses these words because he is a different Cody Rhodes who has returned from somewhere else.
There was another subtle nod to that during the very same segment. Rhodes went to tell The Miz that he’s full of shit, only to stop short at the curse word and look around at the fans. The word shit is thrown around a lot in AEW, but it is seldom said on WWE television. Only people like Brock Lesnar tend to be allowed to say it, probably because they don’t ask for permission first.
Rhodes’ gimmick in WWE is basically the AEW guy. It’s why he has the same look, the same music, and why he almost says curse words and utters banned terms on live TV. It all fits in with the framing of Rhodes being a completely different person to the one that left WWE six years ago without having to give credit or even make mention of the company he helped create while he was away.
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is sending SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos to capture the RAW Tag Team Titles from RK-Bro to unify them
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks and Naomi will defend against Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley
MVP and Omos discuss Bobby Lashley and address the WWE Universe on a special edition of The VIP Lounge
Tommaso Ciampa is reportedly an official member of the WWE RAW roster.
WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler is set to return to RAW commentary next week.
Lawler appeared on RAW Talk last night and revealed to Matt Camp and Jackie Redmond that he will work RAW commentary for a few weeks to replace Corey Graves while Graves is on his honeymoon with Carmella.
Lawler did not specify how many weeks he will be working RAW, but Redmond noted that he will be at the announce table with Jimmy Smith and Byron Saxton for “a couple of weeks.”
“I am looking forward to it,” Lawler said. “I’m going to be back behind the announcer’s table there on Monday Night RAW because that idiot Corey Graves is getting married!,” he joked.
Graves and Carmella are set to tie the knot in Fort Lauderdale, Florida this week. Graves spoke to The Athletic last week in the lead-up to WrestleMania 38 and commented on getting married this week, revealing that the ceremony is scheduled for Thursday.
“Tuesday morning, I get on a plane and fly to Fort Lauderdale. Because Thursday, we’re getting married. Why try to relax after a busy professional week? Let’s go right into the biggest life event we could possibly have,” Graves said.
Last night’s RAW saw Carmella and Queen Zelina Vega officially split up, which came after they dropped the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles to Sasha Banks and Naomi at WrestleMania 38. The RAW segment featured a ringside make-out sessions with Graves and Carmella, which you can see below.
Elias has returned to WWE RAW with a new clean-shaven look and a new gimmick.
Tonight’s post-WrestleMania 38 edition of WWE RAW saw Kevin Owens come to the ring and admit how good WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin was at WrestleMania Saturday. Owens then said Austin’s win should be wiped from the record books because Owens wasn’t 100% going into the match as he had a bad back injury. Owens went on ranting about how great he is until the music hit and out came the former Elias.
Owens recognized this as Elias, but the man introduced himself as Ezekiel, the younger brother of Elias. This confused Owens but he insisted he was talking to Elias, while the former Elias reiterated that he is actually the younger brother to the former WWE Superstar known as The Drifter.
Owens ended up marching out of the ring without any physical action. Ezekiel watched Owens head to the back with a smirk on his face, and that was the end of the segment.
WWE began airing multiple vignettes for the re-branding of Elias last summer, but the last vignette aired on August 23, and that was the last we’ve seen of Elias until now. It was later reported that WWE had no end plan for the vignettes, and that WWE just filmed them to kill off Elias’ musician gimmick. At one point Elias had a new look in the works, reportedly similar to the look we saw on RAW tonight, but word was that WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon nixed it because he felt like it looked too much like WWE Hall of Famer Randy Savage.
Elias, or Ezekiel, has not wrestled since his Symphony of Destruction loss to Jaxson Ryker on the July 19 edition of RAW. He has also been quiet on social media since last summer.
“The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes makes his return to Monday Night Raw to a big reception. A loud “Cody” chant picks up. Rhodes is wearing a blue suit. Rhodes goes to speak, but then puts the microphone down to listen to the crowd. They chant, “Welcome back!” Rhodes smiles and looks around before getting pumped up. Another “Cody” chant picks up, and he plays to the crowd. Rhodes goes to speak, but the crowd keeps going.
Rhodes says, “So… what do you guys want to talk about?” It has been 47 days since the abrupt news that he was a free agent. Rhodes chose to remain silent. He heard stories and defamatory stories. Everyone thinks that the decision to return to WWE was difficult. It was not. It was simple really. The star that left them in the dust, the man standing here now having signed a multi-year agreement with World Wrestling Entertainment. A “You deserve it” chant picks up. If there was a glimmer of doubt or a shred of trepidation, when he rose up at WrestleMania and came back to beat one of the best wrestlers in the world in Seth Rollins, that doubt was irradiated. Rhodes read a quote that states, “A man often finds his destiny on the path he takes to avoid it.”
Rhodes has a picture of his late father Dusty Rhodes shown from a WWWF Title match at Madison Square Garden in 1977. Rhodes says there is his father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. It’s so simple to say that’s his father. In reality, he’s a legend, the son of a plumber, and the common man. To him, he was his hero. Rhodes is getting very emotional. A “Dusty” chant picks up. This photo was taken in 1977 at Madison Square Garden. His father was holding the championship belt that Hulk Hogan would get his hands on (Hogan’s name gets boos), The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H as well. Rhodes says this very photo was on the mantle in his parent’s bedroom until his father’s last day. As he got hip to the industry, he worked up a little courage to ask him poorly if he was a champion like Hulk Hogan. His father told him with the same eyes his daughter has that he had won the match by count-out and did not take home the title due to the champion’s advantage. Rhodes was 8-years-old, he knew he needed to do something. Rhodes was going to win that championship belt and bestow it into the hands of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and no one can take it from him.
Unfortunately, that dream died in front of him. That opportunity passed… or did it? He cannot physically put that title into his father’s hands, but he can put it around the waist of The American Nightmare. The crowd loudly cheers that. A “You can do it” chant picks up. Rhodes smiles. With that in mind, the silence is broken. His intentions are clear. Rhodes stands before the crowd finally ready. Rhodes is going to do it. He’s going to give the distinction that his family has been denied. He’s going to do it for the people, for himself, and for his family… and he is going to do it for “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes.
Seth “Freakin” Rollins dances out to the stage in a wild pink suit. Rollins gets in the ring and struts around Rhodes while the crowd sings his theme song. Rollins stops in front of him and looks into Rhodes’ eyes. Rhodes tosses his microphone away. Rollins smirks. Rhodes extends his right hand, and Rollins looks down at it. A “YES” chant picks up. Rollins cackles and shakes Rhodes’ hand. Rollins backs up and leaves the ring, and Rhodes looks a little taken aback.
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