WWE Monday Night Raw Review – April 03, 2023
Kicking off this week’s Raw with a recap of WrestleMania 39.
Triple H welcomes fans to Raw then thanks fans for their warm reception. He says WrestleMania 39 lived up to its nickname of The Grandest Stage of Them All then says the SoFi Stadium was packed to the rafters beyond his wildest expectations. He says he came out to thank the performers for putting their bodies on the line and their hard work, the crew that makes nights like WrestleMania possible, every member of the WWE team including Stu the cameraperson and most importantly the WWE Universe. He then addresses WWE’s deal with Endeavour and says the company isn’t going anywhere. He says WWE will be there week in and week out because WWE is then, now, forever, and together. Triple H then asks fans to acknowledge one more person and introduces Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
The Bloodline’s Roman Reigns,Paul Heyman & Solo Sikoa makes their way down to the ring.
Reigns tells Hollywood to acknowledge him, but before he can say anything else, Cody Rhodes’ music hits and he heads to the ring.
Rhodes says he knows what he wants to talk about and says today is turning out a lot differently than he and a lot of people anticipated. He says he thought he would be standing in the ring as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion then acknowledges that Reigns was the better competitor last night. He says he knows that Reigns has skated by lots of his title defenses and says he had him during their bout. He says what he wants to talk about boils down to one word rematch.
Heyman grabs the mic and asks Rhodes when he would like his hypothetical rematch. Rhodes says he wants it tonight, and Heyman says no. He tells Rhodes that he will never get a rematch, and says Rhodes doesn’t get to call the shots because he lives on the Island of Relevancy.
Rhodes asks Heyman if he thinks he’s in a normal mood after last night then asks Reigns if he doesn’t want to give fans the rematch they want. He says he essentially got both Reigns & Sikoa last night and since they’re both ready, they may as well do a tag team match tonight.
Heyman asks for a minute with Reigns and pulls him aside to advise him as Sikoa stares down Rhodes. Heyman & Reigns then finish their talk, and Heyman tells Rhodes that his challenge has been accepted, but under 2 parameters it has to be someone who wrestled this past weekend at WrestleMania and both Rhodes and his partner will never receive another Undisputed WWE Universal Title shot as long as Reigns is champion.
Brock Lesnar’s music hits and he heads down to the ring. Lesnar shakes Rhodes’ hand and agrees to be his partner.
Omos vs. Elias
Elias charges at Omos. Omos catches him with a brutal chop and a pair of bodyslams then follows it up with a splash in the corner before sending him into the top turnbuckle face first. He then delivers the double chokeslam for the win.
Winner: Omos
We then head backstage and see The Usos knocking on Roman Reigns’ dressing room. Paul Heyman emerges and welcomes them and Jimmy says they are here to see Reigns. Heyman explains that Reigns is strategizing with Sikoa outside then says Reigns appreciates their contributions this weekend. He tells The Usos that Reigns has the jet prepared for them and invites them to take the night off.
We head to ringside, where Cathy Kelley is standing by with Bad Bunny. Kelley asks Bad Bunny how excited he is to be bringing WWE to Puerto Rico as the host of Backlash and Bad Bunny says he’s very happy. He says he’s here to enjoy Raw like a fan tonight.
Rey Mysterio’s music hits then hits and he heads down. Mysterio says it’s been an emotional week after being inducted into the Hall Of Fame and says he wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for fans. Mysterio says he wanted to take this time to thank the WWE Universe for welcoming him with open arms then thanks Bad Bunny.
United States Champion Austin Theory’s music hits and he makes his way down to the ring. Theory says both he & Rey deserve some respect for doing what they said they would at WrestleMania. He says Rey beat the product of his own bad parenting while he beat a legend, but Mysterio is trying to correct the past. He says no one believed in him as boos rain down from the crowd. Theory says he’s on top of the world and he can’t be touched, then brags about beating John Cena this past weekend. He says Rey is just like Cena and he will beat him and add him to his collection. Rey says the only thing Theory will be collecting is his teeth after he hits him with the 619 before a referee runs down.
Non Title Match
United States Champion Austin Theory vs. Rey Mysterio
Match starts off with a lock up before Austin Theory delivers a shoulder tackle then we go to a break.
We are back from the break Theory sends Rey Mysterio colliding with the ring post shoulder first. They teeter on the top rope, but Mysterio pushes Theory off and goes flying. Theory fires back with a back elbow and begins to target Rey’s arm but Rey manages to deliver a tornado DDT. He ascends to the top, but Theory meets him there. Rey pushes him off and hits another senton, then delivers a crossbody off the ropes and goes for a pin.
Theory kicks out, and Rey fires off right hands in the corner. Theory gets Rey up on his shoulders and sends him crashing into the mat, but Rey delivers an enziguri and sends him into the ropes. He sets up for the 619 but Theory recovers and delivers a clothesline.
Rey once again sends Theory into the ropes but Dominik Mysterio appears. Rey fights him off and sets up for the 619 but Theory catches him and plants him with A Town Down for the win.
Winner: United States Champion Austin Theory
After the match Dominik continues to beat down his father and points at Bad Bunny in the crowd. He heads over to his seat in the front row and gets in his face. Bad Bunny responds with a forearm before Damian Priest pulls him into the ringside area. He clocks Dominik with another forearm, but Priest sends Bad Bunny crashing to the floor and clears the announce table. He then chokeslams Bad Bunny through the announce table as Dominik takes advantage and beats down his father.
We then head to a video showing the highlights of the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles match at WrestleMania 39 Night 1.
We are back from the break we go backstage and see Adam Pearce arguing with Damian Priest over what just happened between him & Bad Bunny.
Fans begin chanting you deserve it and Kevin Owens agrees with them before he adds that fans deserve it too. Sami Zayn says it’s no secret that it’s been a crazy year for him then says none of that would’ve been possible if it weren’t for the fans. He thanks them and says enough of the mushy gushy stuff. He says he knows Los Angeles likes to celebrate, and Owens says that sounds good. He says he hopes that he has the same kind of celebration in mind a good fight. He offers up an open challenge to any tag team in the back who wants a shot.
Street Profits’ music hits & they make their way down to the ring & Montez Ford says it’s a wonderful day and toasts to both Owens & Zayn. He says that the both of them deserve it before Dawkins says he & Ford also picked up a win at WrestleMania. He says they’ve put in the work, but they have yet to be recognized for their work. Street Profits then say that they want the smoke.
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles Match
Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (c) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
Sami Zayn & Angelo Dawkins lock up to get this match started then they go back & forth with submission holds before Dawkins manages to deliver a shoulder tackle. Zayn hits a series of arm drags then tags in Kevin Owens. Owens delivers a pair of sentons and tags Zayn back in. Dawkins delivers a back elbow and Ford makes the blind tag in but Zayn whips him into the corner and delivers a back body drop.
Owens tags in and fires off a few right hands then executes a backbreaker. Ford delivers an enziguri then tags in Dawkins. Dawkins beats down Owens then tags Ford back in. Ford delivers a dropkick and begins wearing down Owens’ arm that sends us to a break.
After the break Zayn tags in and delivers a diving crossbody off the top to Ford. Ford delivers a boot to Zayn’s midsection but Zayn fires back with a tornado DDT. Ford rolls to the outside as Dawkins charges at Zayn. Zayn tosses him to the outside and goes flying to level Street Profits then tosses Ford back in the ring.
He ascends to the top rope but Ford meets him there. Zayn executes a sunset bomb but Ford delivers an enziguri and tags in Dawkins. Dawkins delivers a splash in the corner and gets Zayn in an electric chair position then tags in Ford. Street Profits hit a Blockbuster and Ford goes for a pin, but Owens breaks the fall.
Zayn delivers an exploder in the corner and tags in Owens. Owens hits a cannonball, then ascends to the top and delivers a Swanton Bomb. He goes for a pin but Dawkins breaks the fall. Zayn runs in to try and take out Dawkins but Dawkins tosses him to the outside. Ford ascends to the top and looks to go flying. Zayn tags in before Owens delivers a Stunner and Zayn follows it up with the Helluva Kick for the win.
Winners & Still Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (STILL CHAMPIONS!!!!)
We go backstage to Cathy Kelley is with Seth Rollins. Kelley asks Rollins how he’s feeling after defeating Logan Paul at WrestleMania and Rollins says he’s feeling good. He elaborates and says he’s on cloud nine, then says he sent Paul and his buddy KSI back to the land of social media. He says something about tonight is missing and says the party is out there at ringside with fans.
Rollins’ music then hits and he heads down to the ring. He takes in the crowd singing his song before he heads to the back.
We then head backstage to Cathy Kelly is with the 2023 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal Winner Bobby Lashley & he vents out his frustrations with being left off the WrestleMania card before Bronson Reed gets in and they begin a verbal exchange with one another. Reed leaves and Mustafa Ali walks in. Ali provides some advice to Lashley but Lashley is having none of it and begins beating him down. He drags him out to ringside and the bell sounds.
Bobby Lashley vs. Mustafa Ali
Bobby Lashley delivers a clothesline that turns Mustafa Ali inside out then locks in The Hurt Lock for the win.
Winner By Submission: Bobby Lashley
After the break we head backstage to Roman Reigns,Paul Heyman & Solo Sikoa. Reigns asks Heyman if The Usos are gone and Heyman says yes. Reigns then asks Heyman if he knew that Brock Lesnar was going to be in the arena tonight, and Heyman says this is usually the time of year that Lesnar uses to rest and recover. Reigns says one of his greatest accolades of all time is smashing Lesnar and when he’s done doing that, he’ll smash Cody Rhodes as well before he tags Sikoa in.
Raw Women’s Champion Bianca BelAir says she is still the Raw Women’s Champion and says she can’t be the EST without stepping into the ring with the best. She says Asuka is one of the best and one of the most dangerous, then thanks her for pushing her. She says now she can proudly stand here and say she did it.
New Smackdown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley’s music hits and she heads to the ring & Ripley says BelAir walks around calling herself the EST but really she’s just the luckiest woman in WWE. She says after her huge Royal Rumble victory, she chose to challenge Charlotte Flair instead of BelAir. She says she told BelAir they would get back to this and she would eventually beat her like she did with Flair.
BelAir says she said that she wanted to stand toe 2 toe with the best and that includes Ripley. She says they will meet in the ring sooner rather than later.
Ripley looks to head to the back as Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez head down.
Women’s Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Match
Damage CTRL (Iyo Sky & Dakota Kai) vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
Dakota Kai looks for a Scorpion Kick but Rodriguez catches it and plants Kai then tags in Liv Morgan. Morgan delivers a forearm but Kai fires back with a big boot. Morgan then delivers a backstabber. Iyo Sky tags in and hits a dropkick and charges at her but Morgan sends her to the outside. Kai charges at her but Morgan throws her out to join Sky. Rodriguez tags in and powerbombs Morgan onto Damage CTRL as we go to a break.
After the break Morgan delivers a Codebreaker to Sky. Rodriguez & Kai tag in. Rodriguez hits a fallaway slam and a corkscrew elbow before Sky tags in and beats down Rodriguez. Kai quickly tags back in and Rodriguez catches her with a Texana Bomb. Morgan then tags in and delivers ObLIVion for the win.
Winners & #1 Contenders To The Women’s Tag Team Titles: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
After the break The Miz is waiting in the ring. Miz asks fans if they enjoyed WrestleMania then says it was full of surprises. He says little did he know that all the surprises would be for him or he would have several matches and physical spats with Pat McAfee, George Kittle, Shane McMahon & Snoop Dogg. He says he is done with surprises before Matt Riddle’s music hits and he heads down to the ring.
Riddle asks fans if they missed him but Miz has had enough. He blindsides Riddle and delivers several stomps, but Riddle manages to deliver a kick and a Ripcord Knee. He follows it up with Bro Derek.
Tag Team Match
The Bloodline (Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa) vs. Cody Rhodes & Brock Lensar
Brock Lesnar hits Cody Rhodes with an F5. He stares Rhodes down then delivers a 2nd one. He delivers a few stomps to Rhodes, then follows it up with a German suplex and tosses him out of the ring. He sends him crashing into the barricade spine first then suplexes him into the timekeeper’s area and rings the bell. He grabs a chair and cracks it across Rhodes’ spine then grabs one of the ring steps and sends Rhodes colliding with it.
He then delivers an F5 to Rhodes through the announce table as Adam Pearce runs down. Lesnar scares him off and tosses Rhodes back in the ring then grabs the ring steps he previously tosses into the ring and hits an F5 on top of them. He stands over Rhodes on the ring steps, then looks to head to the back as officials check on Rhodes.
Lesnar stops in his tracks and runs back into the ring. He grabs a chair and cracks it across Rhodes’ spine once again, then berates him and retreats. Medical officials appear with a stretcher in hand as Lesnar once again appears and flips everyone off to close out Raw.
Winners: No One (Match Never Got Started)
