Tag: Sami Zayn

ICYMI: Sami Zayn made the best ring entrance in Raw history

There’s coming through the crowd, and then there’s what Sami Zayn did this week on WWE Raw in Montreal.

WWE is making impressive improvements to its TV presentation this year that have reached premium live events and its weekly shows alike. That includes Raw, and I’m sorry to say that if you didn’t catch this week’s episode, you missed hometown hero Sami Zayn make the most spectacular ring entrance in the show’s long history in Montreal.

Before we get to the footage, some back story. Jey Uso had just defeated Finn Balor in the night’s penultimate match, and because he had previously told Cody Rhodes he didn’t want any backup, he was jumped by all of The Judgment Day after the final bell. Jey managed to escape the attack by heading up into the crowd, ultimately pushing forward to the concourse of the Bell Centre.

Uso just kept going and (after shoving aside one fan who got too close to him on the way) ended up outside the building … where he was surprised to find Zayn. Sami told Jey that the first wrestling show he ever saw was in that same building, and he wanted to enter as champion the same way he did “all those years ago, right through the front door.”

The continuous take that began with Uso leaving then followed Zayn on his way to the ring, through legions of adoring fans. Check it out here and see if you can remember any Raw entrance that topped this one.

The creativity that the WWE production team has been showing with Paul “Triple H” Levesque at the helm of creative has been something to see, further emphasizing that this is a new era of the company’s product. With hints that even more changes and experiments are on the way once Netflix becomes the new home of Raw in 2025, it’s possible that Zayn’s best entrance ever might not stay that way for all that long.

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Raw After WrestleMania results 04/08/24: New era includes Rock mystery, Cena cameo, same CM Punk

The Raw After Mania didn’t disappoint, though Drew McIntyre might have his head explode thanks to CM Punk.

When WWE Raw rolls into the Wells Fargo Center tonight, it’s going to help turn the page from whatever we just came out of to what Cody Rhodes has dubbed the Renaissance Era. That’s a fine name for it since professional wrestling is back and sports entertainment seems to be fading away like a bad dream once you’ve been awake for 15 minutes.

Also, now that Rhodes is the new champion, he can call it any damn thing he wants.

Last year’s Raw After WrestleMania was famously a big letdown, feeling like any other Raw in mid-June rather than a show that would chart the course for exciting new things ahead. The blame was laid squarely at the feet of Vince McMahon, who apparently did the opposite of saying “perfect, no notes” and concocted a whole new show on the fly. And not a great one.

In contrast, even with Triple H already very much putting his stamp on WWE with WrestleMania 40, you can imagine he’ll want to keep the excitement going with a compelling show tonight in Philly. We already know the first hour is commercial-free, which WWE can no doubt afford to do after the massive WrestleMania gate and the extra sponsorships it showed off compared to years past.

There have been some more hints put out about surprises and such for tonight, but we can’t tell you what they are because Adam Pearce has us blocked on X. We’re not even sure what we did, but we’re all of a sudden big Nick Aldis fans now.

(Just kidding, Scrap Daddy, we still love you even if you don’t feel the same.)

In any case, we’re looking forward to this new era kicking off, so let’s do exactly that.

WWE Raw After Mania results from Philadelphia:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • Triple H and Cody Rhodes kick off the new era, but The Rock says he’ll come for Cody eventually
  • Newly crowned champs Damian Priest and Sami Zayn are shown entering the arena
  • Ilja Dragunov def Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall
  • A video package shows how Drew McIntyre won, then quickly lost the World Heavyweight Championship, and McIntyre is shown heading into the arena earlier today
  • The Judgment Day has more singles gold but no tag team titles … and still has an R-Truth problem
  • The Awesome Truth and John Cena def. The Judgment Day by pinfall
  • Bronson Reed cuts a promo before he’s part of a four-way No. 1 contenders match, and there’s an unusual test pattern in the background on a monitor …
  • Rhea Ripley tells Dominik Mysterio he needs to handle Andrade betraying him but gets attacked out of nowhere by Liv Morgan
  • Roxanne Perez def. Indi Hartwell by pinfall
  • Sami Zayn and Jey Uso still remember their special handshake, apparently
  • Natalya and Perez bump into each other backstage and say they’ll see each other on NXT
  • Sami Zayn is now a champion but Imperium isn’t quite done with him
  • A promo video airs for the impending return of Sheamus

  • Sami Zayn and Chad Gable def. Imperium as Gable pins Vinci
  • Jey Uso cuts his own promo before the main event
  • The three general managers discuss putting their differences aside for the sake of the product, but they get a visit from Chelsea Green, upset about being left out of WrestleMania; she’s happy when she learns she has a match, but the laughs by the GMs suggest she may not be thrilled about her opponent
  • Jade Cargill def. Chelsea Green by pinfall in a matter of seconds
  • Zayn finds Gable and says he knows what Chad wants as a favor: a shot at the Intercontinental Championship; next week in Montreal, it’s on, and Gable says he can’t wait
  • Drew McIntyre says “what happened last night was complete and utter BS,” noting his moment lasted only five minutes and 46 seconds; he thanks Seth Rollins but “that bondage Undertaker” screwed it all up and also says it’s on sight with CM Punk
  • Jey Uso wins a Fatal Four-Way No. 1 Contenders Match, earning a World Heavyweight Championship shot after CM Punk prevents McIntyre from winning

Cody Rhodes finished one story, but The Rock makes it clear another one is just starting

Both “Triple H” and “thank you Hunter” chants greet the CCO as he takes the ring. “Here’s the thing, I came out here to thank you,” he says, noting that by every metric it was the biggest WrestleMania ever.

He had the privilege of welcoming everyone to Mania and now has the privilege of welcoming everyone to Raw. It’s time to welcome the man who will lead us into a new era, which of course is Cody Rhodes. The new Undisputed WWE Champion shakes hands with Triple H before holding his title aloft to multiple sides of the ring.

A big “you deserve it” chant greets Rhodes, after which Triple H congratulates him while also giving Roman Reigns some props for his title reign.

The CCO mentions it’s a gate record for an arena show tonight, and he also shows off a video tribute to Cody set to “Rise Up” (albeit on smaller monitors since the large Tron isn’t in the Wells Fargo Center to squeeze more people in). It brings Rhodes to tears, and he hugs Triple H, who departs afterward.

Cody kneels down and kisses his title belt before getting to his “What do you want to talk about?” catchphrase. Rhodes turns to Samantha Irvin, asking her to announce him again as the new Undisputed WWE Champion, and she happily obliges.

He tells the fans that together, they are standing on top of the mountain, and he acknowledges the 1,316-day run for Reigns, wondering if he’s the most important superstar of our generation. The fans start a “thank you Roman” chant in response.

Rhodes discusses the “why” and shows a clip of his daughter imploring him to finish the story. He says he wants her to know that when he goes to work, he does so in the main event and as champion. Cody ponders the new experience of having the line be for him, but as he gets to the undisputed bit, he’s interrupted by The Rock.

There are some boos for the Final Boss but a “Rocky” chant as well. Ah, but then the trolling arrives in the form of an “Undertaker” chant, and it’s hard for The Rock to start talking as he gets booed when he tries.

The Rock finally says he came out to give flowers but also to insult Philadelphia for breaking the record for the largest gathering of trailer park trash. Both men then take turns holding up their titles for the crowd. Oh yeah, The Rock as The People’s Championship, remember?

Ignoring the fans, The Rock congratulates Rhodes for beating Reigns and says his mom and late dad were proud of him. He talks about the two belts and then asks if there’s any way The Rock can hold “that title.”

Rhodes says yes, if they can swap. Rock says it feels right and thanks Cody for allowing him to do it. The fans start a “this is awkward” chant while they hold each other’s championships.

The Rock confirms that “he has to go away for a little while now,” which he doesn’t want to do since he and Cody made it cool again. When he comes back, though, The Rock is coming for Rhodes whether he’s champion or not.

“I’m looking forward to it,” replies Cody. The Rock reminds Rhodes that while Cody beat Roman, but the previous night, Rock beat Cody. Rhodes’ story with Reigns might be over, but their story has just begun.

Rhodes says that while The Rock is the Final Boss, he’s the champion, the champion of the fans, and that means he’s The Rock’s champion. The Rock says he has something to give Cody before he rides off into the sunset, and he insists Rhodes doesn’t even have to open his hand to know what it is.

“Don’t you ever break my heart again,” The Rock says before departing. And Rhodes suddenly looks shook.

New gold in The Judgment Day hasn’t solved their R-Truth problem

Finn Balor taunts the doubters, and Rhea Ripley says they have some business to attend to. First, though, they bring out the new World Heavyweight Champion, Damian Priest.

The celebration doesn’t last long before it’s crashed by R-Truth, who says he’s brought the tag team titles back to The Judgment Day. It sounds like he’s about to advocate for The Miz joining, but The A-Lister instead joins them in the ring to try to explain to his partner that neither of them are in the group.

Balor is unamused, vowing that the Awesome Truth is going to have the shortest title reign ever. Finn challenges them to put the titles on the line right here, right now, but R-Truth says they can’t because there are only three of us.

He’s not talking about Little Jimmy, but rather “the guy you can’t see.” JD McDonagh happily accepts, then The Judgment Day starts beating Truth down before he can reveal their partner.

“The man you can’t see” helps Awesome Truth defeat The Judgment Day

Well this is a handicap match to start, but we’ll see if it stays that way. Does R-Truth have a real live person to partner with them? They might not need one the way they’re performing early on.

The momentum for the new Rag Tag Team Champions seems to be fading during a picture-in-picture segment, but reinforcements arrive in the form of John Cena. He quickly tags in and hits some offense, and all three men pull off the “15 Knuckle Shuffle” and simultaneous Attitude Adjustments to get the win.

Sami Zayn hasn’t quite freed himself from Imperium

Yet another new champ and another “you deserve it” chant. Zayn says he really wanted to do something historic this year at WrestleMania, and he did it by defeating the best Intercontinental Champion of all time.

With the fans singing again, Sami says they all helped him with their belief. Same with his wife and kid, and his friend Kevin Owens. One other person helped him too, but before he can get to that, he’s interrupted by Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci.

Kaiser says Gunther spent two years putting all his hard work into elevating the IC title, and it breaks his heart to see “somebody like you” holding that championship right now. Imperium heads toward the ring but thinks better of it when Chad Gable joins Sami in the ring.

CM Punk screws Drew McIntyre, Jey Uso wins a title shot

A strong case could be made for any of these four gentlemen, though you’d assume either Jey to keep the face-heel dynamic intact or Drew to seek revenge for the MITB cash-in.

Oh yeah, no DQs in a match like this, so sure, table in the corner, why not? It’s unfortunate for Jey as Reed powerslams him through it.

One thing the fans enjoy is Reed and McIntyre exchanging chops in the finest big meaty men tradition. Reed ends up eating a bunch of superkicks until he’s speared by Uso, and McIntyre hustles to break up the pin.

Reed recovers quickly and nearly pins Ricochet, then McIntyre prevents him from launching into a Tsunami. Reed clears off the Spanish announce table (even though they aren’t there), but he’s the one who ends up on it, and Ricochet hits him with a springboard 450 splash to put him through it.

With McIntyre looking for a win, he’s suddenly grabbed by CM Punk, and Uso takes advantage with a spear and an Uso Splash to win it.

WrestleMania 40: Biggest takeaways from Night 1

Look back at WrestleMania 40 Night 1 and ahead to what’s next for its winners and losers.

Since 1985, WrestleMania has been utilized as a way to showcase WWE and its biggest stars.

But as the 40th edition of the “Showcase of the Immortals” descended upon Philadelphia this week, it was clear that the event that was once a single day with a 1 p.m. start time has grown into a cultural happening for wrestling fans.

It’s a place where fans from opposite corners of the planet with nothing in common other than an undying love for professional wrestling can quickly bond and create lasting memories together.

Heck, you may even find Eagles and Cowboys fans putting away their differences for a week all in the name of pro wrestling.

There are wrestling shows, meet and greets, parties, and even a wrestling block party on South Street — and that was just Saturday.

But while all of those events are meaningful in their own right, the main course is still WrestleMania, which has also seen its share of growth over the years. WrestleMania XL on Saturday was simply the latest piece of evidence.

Here are my takeaways from a brutally cold night at Lincoln Financial Field:

Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes is shaping up to be a chaotic affair

It was an all-too-familiar scene for Cody Rhodes Saturday night as for the second year in a row, he was left sitting dejectedly in the ring while Roman Reigns — joined this time by The Rock — celebrated another victory over him.

Because of that result, Rhodes’ Undisputed Universal Championship match against Reigns will now take place under Bloodline Rules, which basically means there are no rules.

Within the story, it means Rhodes will be entering the match in a great deal of peril.

Rhodes and his partner Seth Rollins fell short against Reigns and The Rock Saturday and there was no interference. There was no sign of Solo Sikoa, and Jimmy Uso was still recovering from his defeat at the hands of his brother, Jey Uso, earlier in the night.

Sure, The Rock used his “Mama Rhodes” weight belt to help his team earn the win, but there isn’t a ton of wiggle room for Rhodes to dispute the outcome. Simply put, Rhodes and Rollins got beat. 

Now, Rhodes will have to try to do this all over again, except this time, The Bloodline can do whatever they want given that there are no rules.

However, the lack of rules also extends to Rhodes, who I expect will have a lot of backup during the title match. 

The result could be a chaotic, overbooked mess — and I would love every second of it.

The main event isn’t just the culmination of Rhodes’ story. It is the culmination of so many others as well. The Bloodline saga has incorporated so many characters since it began in 2020, it would only make sense for them to have a role in the climax of one of the best stories in wrestling history.

It’s a story that has drawn comparisons to the Avengers, which makes sense given WWE employs a former Marvel writer (Rob Fee).

While “Infinity War” ended on a bleak note, “Endgame” saw the heroes overcome Thanos and save the day. Will Rhodes enjoy a similar fate Sunday night?

Side note: The Rock’s entrance may have been the best in WrestleMania history.

Will we get Rhodes vs. Rock in the future?

One detail that some may have missed Saturday night was The Rock pinned Rhodes to win the match.

To me, that leaves the door open for a possible match between these two in the future. It doesn’t seem that far-fetched given all of the physicality between the two even before WrestleMania. 

But then during the post-show press conference Saturday, The Rock hinted that part of the reason why he returned to WWE (and joined TKO overall) was to build something not just for WrestleMania XL, but for the future as well.

Nothing is guaranteed, but I think it is something to keep an eye on moving forward.

Sami Zayn ends Gunther’s reign

The last two WrestleManias have been very kind to Sami Zayn.

Last year, he closed out Night 1 with an emotional victory for the tag team titles alongside his best friend, Kevin Owens.

This year, Owens was the last person to lend Zayn words of encouragement before he walked through the curtain to challenge the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time, Gunther.

And once again, Zayn walked away with gold.

In what was in my opinion the best match of the evening, Zayn ended Gunther’s historic 666-day reign (was it a bad omen for Gunther?) with a pair of Helluva Kicks to become the new Intercontinental Champion. It is Zayn’s first singles championship since he held the same title back in 2022.

One aspect of the Bloodline story that I don’t think is talked about enough is how it has developed multiple people into major stars, and Zayn is a prime example. 

Zayn was an over enough heel that he was slotted into a match with “Jackass” star Johnny Knoxville at WrestleMania in 2022. But once that was over, he was kind of … just there

But then Zayn began his attempts to join the Bloodline. Fast forward to 2024 and Zayn enjoyed an emotional moment in the ring with his family in front of more than 70,000 people. 

What a time.

What’s next for Rhea Ripley?

Mami proved once again that she is still on top after she defeated Becky Lynch in the night’s opening match to retain her WWE Women’s World Championship.

The match itself was good, but it left me with one question: What’s next for Rhea Ripley?

The Raw women’s division doesn’t have a slew of credible challengers lined up for Ripley. Lynch was easily the most credible, but Ripley has already beaten her clean in the middle of the ring.

Based on the reaction Ripley received in Philadelphia (and everywhere else), she is one of WWE’s biggest stars at the moment. I’d imagine WWE will have something planned. However, that does not mean it will be anything of real consequence.

WWE makes the right decision to split the tag titles

Anyone that knows me and how I view professional wrestling knows that I am usually against having split championships.

The NFL doesn’t split up the Super Bowl title. It goes to one team and one team only. That’s what makes it special.

For me, the same applies to pro wrestling, as I am typically in favor of having one title per division. That means one world title, one set of tag team titles, etc.

However, I am not unreasonable. I understand that WWE has placed itself under the unique circumstances of having a massive roster of wrestlers that need their respective time to shine. Five hours of television (not counting NXT) is simply not enough to feature them all, which means they are divided up into their own brands, and those brands come with their own set of championships.

I understand that. I’m not usually in favor of it, but I understand. That is why I am on board with WWE deciding to split up the undisputed tag titles and go back to having Raw titles and Smackdown titles.

Entering WrestleMania 40, each brand already had its own set of championships. The only one that was undisputed were the tag team championships.

I guess you could make the case that Reigns is the top champion in WWE since he is the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and since the universe is bigger than the world (looking at you, World Heavyweight Championship), you could make the case that those titles are not on equal footing.

But when it comes to WWE’s tag team division, there is no hierarchy. Both titles are very much on equal footing.

WWE’s tag team division is pretty stacked at the moment. There’s young talent on both shows that did not appear at WrestleMania. It only makes sense to give each show its own set of titles so that more teams can be featured at a given time.

Also, it probably cuts down on the wear and tear that comes with appearing on both shows on a regular basis.

I think Austin Theory and Grayson Waller walking away with the Smackdown titles was a smart decision by WWE. They’re young, they’re talented, and I believe they have a bright future ahead of them. However, they still need time to develop into the top singles stars I think they are capable of being. 

A good way to help them eventually get to that point is to develop together as tag team champions. It’s a method that has been proven to work with countless others in the past. Legends such as Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Batista, just to name a few, all started as one half of a tag team or as a member of a larger group before spinning off to become bigger stars. 

Whether Waller and Theory will reach those same heights remain to be seen, but I do believe they are on the right track.

On the opposite end of the spectrum would be R-Truth and The Miz, collectively known as the Awesome Truth. Truth and Miz have decades of experience between them and have enjoyed a recent run of success, mainly due to the fans simply loving Truth and his shenanigans. 

It was great to see Truth have a WrestleMania moment after all of these years. He’s gone from K-Kwik to the first Black NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and on this one Saturday, he sat atop the ladder before 70,000-plus who were all thrilled to see him become a champion.

Bah gawd, that’s Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson’s music!

Wrestling fans from around the world may or may not have cared, but wrestling fans from Philadelphia most certainly cared that recently-retired center Jason Kelce and tackle Lane Johnson not only appeared at WrestleMania, but were also involved in a match.

In the latter stages of the tag team match that pitted Rey Mysterio and Andrade against Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio, two large men wearing luchador masks hopped over the guardrail and prevented Dirty Dom from bringing a steel chair into the ring.

One of the masked men then tossed Dom into the ring post before throwing him back into the ring so he could receive a call from the 619 area code to end the match.

The men then hopped into the ring to reveal themselves to be Kelce and Johnson.

For the uninitiated, Kelce is among the best centers of all time and delivered the best Super Parade speech ever. He also co-hosts the popular “New Heights” podcast alongside his brother, Travis Kelce. I think Travis dates Taylor Swift or something.

Johnson is arguably the best tackle in the NFL and is always willing to cut a Steve Austin-esque promo. 

He also recently worked out with Seth Rollins at the NovaCare Complex, the Eagles’ headquarters.

Maybe it wasn’t for everyone, but as a Philadelphian — and former Eagles employee — I was here for it.

Yes, the crowd was cold — literally

If you watched WrestleMania from the comfort of your own home, you were guaranteed to be warmer than the 72,543 fans in attendance at Lincoln Financial Field who had to endure a brutally cold night in Philadelphia.

Just a week or two ago, it was 70 degrees and sunny in Philly. On Saturday night, the temperate dipped into the 40s with some gusts of wind to boot. It felt more like an Eagles playoff game than WrestleMania.

While it didn’t sour my personal experience, I do understand why others weren’t as enthralled, which I’m sure contributed to the lack of noise you heard at times during the event.

Philadelphia fans have a reputation for being vocal, especially when it comes to wrestling. However, not all of the fans at Lincoln Financial Field were from the Philly area, and they probably didn’t dress warm enough to prepare for the bone-chilling temperatures.

I wore a jacket with a hoodie underneath and was still kind of cold. There were plenty of cool WrestleMania fits on display Saturday night, but not all of them were ready to endure a chilly night in Philadelphia.

If someone traveled to WrestleMania, they probably didn’t pack a winter coat, which is what would have been the appropriate attire for Saturday night.

The cold is the only explanation I have for why WWE had a few production hiccups during the show, which is not what you would expect from WWE in general, but especially so at WrestleMania.

I’ll be attending Sunday night’s show as well and will be sure to dress even warmer.

WrestleMania 40 results: Sami Zayn proves he has it, ends Gunther’s record reign

The underdog is now a champion, as Sami Zayn defeated Gunther for the IC title at WrestleMania 40.

In lieu of a fancy entrance for Sami Zayn, we see him get a visit from his wife and child backstage, though he tells his son he doesn’t want him to see what’s about to happen. He also gets a visit from Chad Gable, who suggests that he’s got this but also adds “don’t forget, you owe me a favor.” Last, Kevin Owens is waiting to give him last second encouragement before he steps through the curtain.

As usual, Gunther is accompanied by Imperium, but only as far as the stage. The announcers layer on the “Rocky IV” symbolism, with Gunther obviously playing the Drago role.

A German suplex and a hard chop get Sami’s attention, as does a boot to the face. Another chop drops Zayn as soon as he reaches his feet, then the cycle repeats. Zayn’s wife is out in the crowd and is starting to look concerned.

She feels a bit better after Zayn’s running clothesline slows the champ’s attack. A half and half suplex leads to another, but Gunther bears down for a hard clothesline and a near fall.

Zayn ends up in a sleeper, struggling to inch forward and grab the ropes. A German suplex yanks him forcefully back to the middle of the ring, but he’s able to hit an exploder to put Gunther in the corner. Alas, the champ’s dropkick answers a Helluva Kick attempt, though even after a powerbomb and a stack, Zayn kicks out at two.

Gunther treats Sami to his own version of a Helluva Kick, but Zayn responds with the real deal. He covers but sees Gunther kick out at two.

Sami goes rushing in again but eats a lariat and two powerbombs. Somehow he gets his shoulder up again. The champ is undeterred, smacking Sami with kicks and stomps. Zayn ends up laying flat across the Prime logo as the ref checks on him.

Gunther exchanges some taunts with Sami’s wife while Zayn tries to will himself to his feet. Sami catches Gunther with a Helluva Kick on the top rope, then hits a brainbuster. There’s a Helluva Kick in the opposite corner and another after Gunther turns around. Sami covers and hears the count hit three.

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WrestleMania 40 Night 1 results: All matches, winners from Philadelphia

Keep up with all the action from WrestleMania 40 Night 1 with results and live updates from Philadelphia.

The big day has finally arrived. The first of two big days, to be precise, as Night 1 of WrestleMania 40 invades Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. A completely sold-out crowd is expected to watch seven matches, culminating in what WWE is calling the biggest tag team match in WrestleMania history.

Considering the main event at WrestleMania I was a tag team match, that’s really a matter of opinion. There’s no question that it has real stakes, however, as it can shape the all important stipulation for the Night 2 main event.

Roman Reigns and The Rock have so far managed the two-alpha problem in The Bloodline just fine, and if they defeat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins tonight, they’ll ensure Reigns has Bloodline Rules on his side against Rhodes on Sunday night. That will certainly make Cody’s second chance at finishing his story a lot harder.

The main event has attracted the lion’s share of attention, but there are several other great matchups on Night 1. The expected opener, Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship, is definitely one of them. So, too, is the battle of brother between Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso.

The Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder Match should also be a spectacle where any team can win — or maybe more than one team, since it appears the Raw and SmackDown titles could be separated again during the match. And we’ll see the bona fide debut of Jade Cargill, something fans have been anxiously awaiting.

We’ve got multiple people on the ground in Philadelphia, and we’re ready to get this rolling.

WrestleMania 40 Night 1 results from Philadelphia:

(please click on any match with a link to see full details)

  • Coco Jones performs “The Star-Spangled Banner” to kick off the show
  • Triple H welcomes the crowd to a new era
  • Rhea Ripley def. Becky Lynch by pinfall to retain the Women’s World Championship
  • Pretty Deadly gives their own unique takes on the teams in the Six-Pack Ladder Match
  • Austin Theory and Grayson Waller and The Awesome Truth win the Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship; Theory and Waller grab the SmackDown titles, while R-Truth and The Miz grab the Raw titles
  • Andrade and Rey Mysterio def. Dominik Mysterio and Santos Escobar by pinfall, thanks in part to two masked figures who revealed themselves to be Philadelphia Eagles lineman Lane Johnson and recently retired center Jason Kelce
  • Jey Uso def. Jimmy Uso by pinfall
  • Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi def. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai and Kabuki Warriors) by pinfall as Cargill pins Kai
  • Sami Zayn gets a visit from his family and Chad Gable, who tells him that “you’ve got this on your own” but also says “don’t forget, you owe me a favor”; he also gets some last second encouragement from Kevin Owens
  • Sami Zayn def. Gunther by pinfall to become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion
  • Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce come to the ring to reveal tonight’s announced attendance: 72,543
  • The Rock and Roman Reigns def. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins by pinfall, meaning the Night 2 main event will be Bloodline Rules

WWE Raw results 04/01/24: The Rock, Roman Reigns rule once again

Seth Rollins had a good plan B in Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes, but it ended up not mattering on WWE Raw in Brooklyn.

We’re less than a week away from WrestleMania 40. Wild, right? You know we’re getting quite close because The Rock and Roman Reigns will on on WWE Raw tonight from Brooklyn, which isn’t something that happens every week.

OK, in fairness, The Rock has been around an awful lot as of late. He’s really jumped headfirst into this Final Boss heel run, regardless of whether it was originally in the cards or not.

Before you try to get any jokes off about Reigns, he typically isn’t even on Raw, so Monday nights aren’t really his domain. But it’s WrestleMania week, and now all bets are off.

Ah, but there might be the rub. See, last time we saw The Bloodline, the entire group minus Reigns was ruining last week’s episode of Raw for Cody Rhodes. Things got so bad for the American Nightmare that he ended up taking an extended beating from The Rock, one that was so one-sided that Rhodes could neither fight back nor object to hearing “look at you now” about 75 times.

Was that worse than being bloodied? You decide!

Seriously, though, it seems a bit unlikely that Rhodes would just let The Bloodline flaunt what they did without attempting to get some measure of revenge. Cody has sufficient backup in the form of Seth Rollins and Jey Uso, both of whom had his back last week, so … let’s just say it would be strange indeed if he didn’t show up trying to settle the score in Brooklyn.

There is indeed other stuff advertised for this show, including a Sami Zayn-Bronson Reed rematch, a women’s tag team match that will likely feature Candice LeRae acting horrible again, and The New Day teaming with #DIY against The Judgment Day. But Rock and Roman are where it’s at, and they might want to keep their guard up.

Let’s head to Barclays Center and see what’s what.

WWE Raw results from Brooklyn:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • As one might expect, the show begins with a recap of the stuff between The Rock and Cody Rhodes from last week’s episode of Raw
  • The Rock is in Brooklyn and he’s not alone, but does Seth Rollins bite off more than he can chew?
  • Footage is shown on Becky Lynch confronting Rhea Ripley on “The MMA Hour” earlier today; afterward, Cathy Kelley asks Lynch about it, and The Man says she’ll be in the ring later if Rhea wants to do something about it
  • The Judgment Day def. The New Day and #DIY by pinfall
  • The Rock says goodbye to Reigns, who is off to write his speech … because he’ll be inducting Paul Heyman into the WWE Hall of Fame Friday night
  • A classic training montage is shown of Sami Zayn training with Chad Gable and Alpha Academy to prepare him for Gunther
  • The Judgment Day gets a visit from Legado Del Fantasma, and Dom’s teammates aren’t crazy about him inviting Santos Escobar and company into their clubhouse
  • Sami Zayn vs. Bronson Reed ends suddenly as Gunther attacks Gable, then Sami
  • Jey Uso runs into Lil Wayne backstage, and Weezy says he’s going to premier a new single at WrestleMania
  • Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri def. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell by pinfall after Dupri dropkicks Hartwell into LeRae on the apron while the two are bickering (though only after Candice looks like she’s up to her dirty tricks again)
  • Jey tells Seth he has his back the same way Seth had his last week; they take a walk and talk strategy
  • A video promo by Drew McIntyre has the Scottish Warrior delivering what appears to be a eulogy for Seth Rollins’ career while also getting in some shots at CM Punk

  • Ricochet def. Ivar by pinfall, somehow hitting the big man with a fallaway slam along the way, hot damn
  • Damian Priest is upset that Ricochet hasn’t been handled yet, so JD McDonagh says he’ll take care of him during the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, and Dom says Andrade can handle it, offering him full membership if he does
  • Becky Lynch is looking for a fight, and she gets a brief one from Rhea Ripley
  • Dakota Kai and Damage CTRL say they’ll prove at WrestleMania that they are the future while also proving something in the ring tonight
  • Pearce is still struggling to get the Lynch-Ripley fracas under control backstage
  • Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai and Kabuki Warriors) def. Shayna Baszler, Tegan Nox and Zoey Stark by pinfall
  • Michael Cole and Pat McAfee run down the WrestleMania XL card; we do the same thing here
  • Kelley asks Rollins why he’d take on this match tonight so close to double duty at WrestleMania, and along with saying he only knows one speed, he says he always has a plan B; on his way to the ring, though, he runs into McIntyre, and says “I ain’t dead yet” while heading for the curtain
  • Seth Rollins vs. Solo Sikoa ends in a no contest in a Bloodline Rules match, as The Rock and Reigns end up beating the heck out of Cody and Seth to end the show

The Rock is in Brooklyn and so is Roman Reigns, but neither of them are fighting Seth Rollins tonight

The Rock is a man of his word: He told Cody Rhodes he’d make him bleed, and that’s exactly what he did. And all the Cody Crybabies didn’t like that.

Though he mocks grown adults for crying about it, there were some reactions that stopped The Rock in his tracks. Namely, little kids crying on social media. Stuff like that breaks The Rock’s heart, however … there are moments in life when a man’s gotta to what a man’s gotta do.

The Rock repeats his assertion that professional wrestling is cool again and ratings have skyrocketed because of The Rock. Finally, The Final Boss has come back to Brooklyn, which gets most of the fans chanting “Rocky.”

But he didn’t come alone, as the rest of The Bloodline arrives. Roman Reigns gets Brooklyn to acknowledge him, then talks about the motto on his hoodie: “Family Above All.” He says it’s how he’s always operated, and he came to Raw to acknowledge his family.

“No yeet,” he says to the the chorus of “Yeet” chants, threatening to leave if the fans continue. Reigns says he wants to thank his cousin for making this the easiest WrestleMania of his life. He says they’re going to smash Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the tag team match and then have their way with Cody on Sunday.

But The Rock went above and beyond, making Cody bleed. Reigns insists that Rhodes only wanted to be part of WWE once he saw it was becoming cool again, but while they allowed him to be involved, this is far enough.

We’ll never know what Reigns intended to say next, as Seth Rollins’ music hits and the World Heavyweight Champion descends from the crowd like he did in The Shield era. Rollins says he’s not stupid enough to fall into their trap in the ring, and if they want a piece of him, they’ll have to come up in the crowd and fight the whole city of Brooklyn.

Rollins says the time for talk is over and he wants a fight — and tonight, not five days from now. Specifically, he asks for the biggest main event of all time and challenges The Rock to a match tonight. Or Reigns, he doesn’t care, nor does he mind if they set a stipulation. Who’s got the balls, he wonders.

The fans chant for Rocky again, and he’s incredulous, saying Seth doesn’t want any of that. Rollins isn’t going to fight The Rock or Reigns, as you expected, but since they always have a plan, they step aside and let Solo Sikoa step up.

Sikoa says he’s fighting Rollins, and Seth agrees, but The Rock says it’s Bloodline Rules.

Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley ignore the GM, start a brief scrap

No more talking for The Man. She wants a fight with Rhea Ripley right now. But General Manager Adam Pearce isn’t about that life, saying he needs to save that for WrestleMania and respectfully asks her to leave the ring.

Ripley comes out right after that, and Pearce tries to calm her down too. Rhea tosses her title belt to Pearce, powers through some security guards and heads to the ring.

The two WrestleMania opponents scrap, breaking free from security guards until Lynch dives from the top rope onto Ripley and a bunch of the guards on the floor. They’re eventually pulled apart just by sheer numbers.

Seth Rollins can’t defeat Solo Sikoa, as Bloodline Rules turns out to be literal

Rollins hits a suicide dive as soon as the bell rings, clearly not sitting back and letting Sikoa settle in. The fans challenge the record for least time passed before chanting for tables as Sikoa is hurled into the steel steps.

Heading behind the timekeeper’s area, Rollins starts chucking chair after chair at Solo, then DDTs him on a chair as well. The rest of The Bloodline might want to check on their boy.

A big cheer erupts from the fans as Rollins goes under the ring for a table setting it up in the ring. That backfires, however, when Sikoa meets him on the top turnbuckle and treats him to an Avalanche Samoan Drop to smash through it.

After commercials, Rollins has rebounded nicely, getting out a second table. Seth looks like he might go through that one too, with Solo looking for the same move. This time, Rollins pulls off the sunset flip, powerbombing Sikoa through the table. He wants a Stomp but is attacked by Jimmy Uso, who soon has to leave to deal with the incoming Jey Uso.

Unfortunately, Jey runs into The Rock, who quickly chucks Jey into the video board. The Final Boss heads for the ring and menaces Rollins. But Seth simply smiles, because Cody Rhodes’ music hits and the American Nightmare runs to the ring.

Rhodes unleashes on The Rock, then joins Rollins in clearing off the announce table. Cody looks for a Rock Bottom but is wiped out by Roman Reigns (who came out from beneath the ring), and now it’s a proper four-man melee.

The fans chant for CM Punk, but Reigns lays out Rollins with a Superman punch and spears Rhodes. Roman yells “this is it, this is everything” at Cody, then hugs The Rock. Reigns looks at his watch and The Rock takes off Cody’s belt, lashing both Rhodes and Rollins before tossing it to Reigns to do the same.

Sikoa is then ordered to hold Rhodes in place so The Rock can lash him again. The Rock holds up Cody’s belt and Roman raises his title belt as boos rain down on them. The Rock lays into Cody one more time as the show goes off the air.

WrestleMania night 1 card: All matches confirmed for April 6

A look at WWE’s match card for night 1 of WrestleMania 40.

As WrestleMania 40 approaches, the card nears completion, with a long list of matches set to unfold during the two-night extravaganza at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. WWE’s plans potentially shape this to be the biggest edition of the Grandest Stage of Them All, as some of the top talent of the past and present will compete and create moments to last a lifetime.

With so many planned matches, not all of them will be on one night, which is how it used to be. It gives each match more breathing room, rather than packing a bunch of short matches across just one night.

Night 1 of WrestleMania takes place on Saturday, April 6, headlined by Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns and The Rock, who will compete in his first full match in more than a decade.

[lawrence-related id=47271]

This monumental tag match has night 2 implications as if Rhodes and Rollins win, tall members of The Bloodline will be banned from ringside for Rhodes vs. Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. If Reigns and The Rock win, the title match is Bloodline Rules, allowing anyone from Solo Sikoa to Jimmy Uso to interfere.

WWE also confirmed that Gunther will defend his Intercontinental Championship on night 1 against Sami Zayn, as well. With the Imperium leader’s record-breaking title run on the line, it could mark a historic moment for the Canadian star’s career if he wins.

WrestleMania night 1 goes down on Saturday, April 6 from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Latest update: April 1, 2024, 9:08 p.m. ET.

WWE WrestleMania 40 Night 1 card:

  • Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns and The Rock – If Rhodes and Rollins win, then all members of The Bloodline will be barred from ringside during Rhodes’s Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match against Reigns on Night 2; however, if Reigns and Rock win, then the championship match will be Bloodline Rules
  • Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch – Women’s World Champion
  • Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Intercontinental Championship match
  • The Judgment Day (Finn BĂĄlor and Damian Priest) (c) vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate) – Six-Pack Ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
  • Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
  • Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka and Kairi Sane)
  • Rey Mysterio and Andrade vs. Dominik Mysterio and Santos Escobar

[lawrence-related id=47394]

WWE Raw results 03/25/24: The Rock bloodies Cody, CM Punk makes Mania plans

The Fina Boss lived up to his word on WWE Raw from Chicago, much to Cody Rhodes’ detriment.

“Look in my eyes, what do you see? CM Punk on my TV!”

OK those aren’t the actual words to “Cult of Personality,” but they do fit the rhythm and also summarize the big selling point for WWE Raw tonight in (well really near) Chicago. Even though Punk won’t be able to compete at WrestleMania due to injury, there’s no reason he can’t address what is sure to be a rabid hometown crowd.

Considering Drew McIntyre keeps talking about him even while he’s out, Punk has stayed hot even while he’s been rehabbing his torn triceps. Our feeling here at Wrestling Junkie is that he and the Scottish Warrior are going to have a feud later this year, assuming McIntyre wins gold at WrestleMania.

Seth Rollins is going to have something to say about that, of course, and he might get involved in tonight’s festivities too. We know McIntyre is in town.

As for actual wrestling matches, WWE has promoted a bunch of those as well, including solo outings for Jey Uso and Sami Zayn, Ricochet taking on JD McDonagh, Andrade in action against Ivar, and new queen of the mean girls Candice LeRae battling Ivy Nile.

That’s plenty of reason to tune in even if you weren’t looking forward to seeing Punk, though you know you are. Here’s how it all unfolded.

WWE Raw results from Chicago:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are shown on the way into the building, after which we see highlights from the final segment of SmackDown that led to a standoff between Rhodes and Roman Reigns
  • Cody Rhodes is kicking us off, but The Rock is here too, and something he says to Cody has him a little shook
  • Jackie Redmond wants to know what The Rock said, but he suggest she ask Cody instead
  • The Judgment Day gets ready for tonight, with JD McDonagh saying he’ll handle Ricochet and Damian Priest suggesting he has a plan to have things in their favor heading into WrestleMania
  • Ricochet def. JD McDonagh by pinfall, shaking off distractions from Dominik Mysterio, who gets himself ejected from ringside before the finish
  • CM Punk has his homecoming, which turns into a discussion with Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins about WrestleMania
  • A short video shows Shinsuke Nakamura saying he’ll be a nightmare for Jey Uso tonight
  • Candice LeRae def. Ivy Nile by pinfall, again taking shortcuts and again making Indi Hartwell look like she feels bad
  • The New Day and #DIY do some backstage bickering when they’re visited by The Awesome Truth; R-Truth is hyped because he thinks it’s going to be The New Day vs. DX, and is that Paul Heyman talking to McIntyre in the background?
  • The New Day vs. #DIY ends in a no contest as The Judgment Day attacks both teams, and Awesome Truth (who were on guest commentary) ends up getting hauled into the mess and laid out as well
  • Redmond finds Rhodes, but Cody says it’s something he can’t repeat but suggests “it’s a promise that he can’t keep”
  • Cathy Kelley talks to Gunther, who doubles down on his assertion that Sami Zayn doesn’t really think he can win at WrestleMania, or even beat Bronson Reed tonight
  • Andrade def. Giovanni Vinci by pinfall
  • When are Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch finally going to throw down? How about right now
  • Chad Gable stops Sami Zayn and pleads with him to focus on his match tonight; Sami appreciates the tough love approach and says Chad is right, then shakes his hand
  • Bronson Reed def. Sami Zayn by pinfall after a distraction by Gunther proves costly for Sami
  • Jey Uso cuts his pre-match promo on Nakamura, but he gets a quick visit from Solo Sikoa, who says nothing, and Jimmu Uso, who says “no yeet”
  • Zayn laments to Gable that he knew what Gunther was doing and it still worked; Chad says that Sami needs a different approach, and they can talk about it
  • Rollins finds Jey and says something doesn’t feel right, but that he and Cody have his back so he can get that dub
  • Jey Uso def. Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall, despite The Bloodline and McIntyre scrapping with Rhodes and Rollins
  • That fighting continues to the backstage area, where The Rock attacks Rhodes with a variety of weapons, including trash cans, and they battle outside into the rain, where Cody is busted open while The Rock wipes his blood on the belt just as he said he would last week

The Rock manages to unsettle Cody Rhodes with just a whisper

What does Chicago want to talk about? Cody could say nothing, as the talk is kind of over this close to WrestleMania. After getting the fans to cheer for Pat McAfee and Michael Cole, Rhodes talks about how Roman Reigns said a lot during his media rounds last week.

A “Roman sucks” chant loudly rings through the arena while Cody says the idea that he’s not keeping his promises got under his skin. He’s actually done plenty of promise-keeping, even for people he doesn’t really know. Cody says he’s had to play the role of champion because the champion isn’t here.

Even though Rhodes says he’s done all of this without asking for anything in return, he does need something now: He needs the fans to ride with him for both nights of WrestleMania. Now he wants all 15,000 people in the arena to point at the WrestleMania sign with him, which they do.

That is quickly answered though, by the unadvertised arrival of The Rock, which also sends the fans into a frenzy. There are some “Rocky” chants among the boos, for sure. Oh, and some “holy s–t” chants that have to be blanked out.

After an extended staredown and a smirk from The Final Boss, The Rock simply whispers something to Cody and leaves The Ring, bringing “Rocky sucks” chants as he smiles and walks to the back.

CM Punk will be at WrestleMania, but will he get the last word with Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre?

The fans in Chicago greet Punk warmly before he says he will definitely be at WrestleMania. He says his arm is not great and he’s not medically cleared, but his mouth works. Does that mean he will host WrestleMania? Ten years ago he said he would have felt that was beneath him, but now he wishes he could just be in front of the people.

What about being a referee? Is there a title match that could use an impartial referee? People sure like talking about him, though, and Punk mentions that Roman Reigns talked about him on Pat McAfee’s show, but he’s earned the right.

Seth Rollins also likes talking about him, but Punk also figures maybe he’s earned the right too. In contrast, The Rock hasn’t talked about him, but Punk likes to think it’s because he already knows his arms “were just too short to box with God.”

And then there’s Drew McIntyre. Punk says he’s been very quiet because in Chicago, if you have a problem you handle it face to face like a man. The Scottish Warrior arrives and promptly gets a dose of verbal venom, which gets the fans on him too.

McIntyre says he’d love to head to the ring but also reminds Punk of what happened last time that happened. As they argue about t-shirts, McIntyre claims he doesn’t hate Punk, because CM completes him.

They finally end up finding something to argue about: McIntyre calling himself The Chosen One. Punk wants to know who chose him, because it wasn’t the people.

Drew insists he wants CM to have a front row seat at WrestleMania to see McIntyre have his long awaited moment in front of a stadium full of live fans.

That, in turn, brings out Seth Rollins, and the fans reach full throat again. Rollins, of course, doesn’t like Punk and says he doesn’t get to make decisions about a WrestleMania main event when he’s not in it.

Still, Rollins decides to poll the crowd: Should Punk be on commentary? That “referee” chant suggests they’d prefer something out. Punk demonstrates he can count with his left arm but also says he doesn’t think he could be impartial with “these two dips–ts,” to which McIntyre hilariously quips “PG, brother.”

Seth insists he never even thinks about Punk but appreciates the irony of him calling Rollins’ finest hour. He says Punk can do whatever he wants at WrestleMania as long as stays out of Seth’s way.

Punk says it’s decided: He’ll do guest commentary and manage to actually make them both interesting. An angry McIntyre says Punk doesn’t get the last word, insisting that Punk is “my No. 1 Stan,” but he climbs in the ring as he’s talking and gets a superkick and a Stomp from Rollins.

Words finally turn to fists for Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch

Is Ripley getting enough attention? She tells Dirty Dom she doesn’t think so, saying Becky Lynch keeps fighting other people week after week. Though Rhea figures she could have attacked The Man at any time, she decided to be respectful.

Now she’s just getting impatient. Mysterio is about to throw in his two cents when Lynch’s music hits. Becky taunts Rhea about not ever wrestling on Raw any more, to which Ripley says she doesn’t need to be in the ring every week to get everyone’s attention. She can just post a photo or video online and “watch these freaks eat it up.”

They simply have different opinions on what being a champion is all about. Ripley agrees that Lynch is a survivor … or really a cockroach, since she’s hard to kill but not impossible. Rhea says she’ll leave Becky alive so she can sit on her couch and hear her daughter call Ripley Mami.

Lynch says if Ripley ever mentions her daughter again, it will be the last words Rhea ever utters. Neither her quips nor the title is a joke to Becky, even if they are to Rhea. Lynch also says when Ripley throws the first punch, there’s no going back, and neither of them will ever be the same again.

Dom holds Rhea back, but that gets him punched, and now Becky and Rhea are throwing hands. They battle onto the ramp, where referees finally arrive to separate them.

Jey Uso perseveres through chaos, pins Shinsuke Nakamura

It’s all yeets early, meaning strikes from Jey, but Shinsuke manages to fight back pretty quickly. The question is how long will it be until this all degenerates into chaos.

It won’t be until after the commercial break, when Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso emerge from the crowd and are quickly intercepted by Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. Here comes Drew McIntyre too, who ends up giving Rollins a Future Shock on the floor.

Amidst the melee on the floor, Uso is able to superkick and spear Nakamura, ending the match.

WWE Raw preview 03/25/24: CM Punk is home in Chicago

Here’s what to expect for WWE Raw from (near) Chicago, including both Jey Uso and Sami Zayn in action.

Yes, CM Punk is still injured. Does that matter when WWE Raw is coming to Chicago tonight?

No, no it does not.

Here’s what to watch for on this final Monday of March, less than two weeks out from WrestleMania 40.

What can CM Punk do to spice up the Road to WrestleMania?

Well, he’s still great on the microphone, right? We’d fully expect that the Best in the World will have a few interesting comments on how WrestleMania is shaping up, particularly since the champion we all thought he’d be facing in Philly (Seth Rollins) is on this show.

There’s someone else who won’t keep Punk’s name out of his mouth, however, and that someone is Drew McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior has practically made trolling Punk his own cottage industry at this point, so it would be silly not to expect Chicago’s favorite son to address that tonight.

Can Jey Uso, Sami Zayn remain on track?

Both Jey Uso and Sami Zayn know what they’ll be doing at WrestleMania, competing in matches that have high emotional stakes for different reasons. Conveniently, the former Bloodline teammates (seems like a lifetime ago now!) both are in action tonight in the kind of “can’t afford to look past this bout” showcases that at their best can make pro wrestling feel more like unscripted sports.

Jey gets Shinsuke Nakamura, while Sami takes on Bronson Reed. Those are men who are prickly even in the best of times, and are certainly in foul moods now that their own chances at WrestleMania glory seem to have fallen by the wayside. Plus there’s always the chance that Jimmy Uso or Gunther could interfere, so … yeah.

Advertised WWE Raw card for Chicago 3/25/24:

  • CM Punk returns to Raw
  • Jey Uso vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Sami Zayn vs. Bronson Reed
  • Ricochet vs. JD McDonagh
  • Ivy Nile vs. Candice LeRae
  • Andrade vs. Ivar

You probably won’t want to miss this episode so close to the Show of Shows, but you can join us back here at Wrestling Junkie if you’re otherwise engaged for the latest WWE Raw results and updates.

WWE Raw results 03/18/24: The Man takes flight to be Last Woman Standing

This week on WWE Raw, Becky Lynch outlasted Nia Jax, Cody Rhodes spit fire at The Rock, and Sami Zayn questioned himself.

Becky Lynch doesn’t do tune-up matches. She only does big time bouts even while on the Road to WrestleMania, and she’s got another one tonight on WWE Raw in Raleigh.

See, there’s something that just doesn’t sit right with The Man about Nia Jax. It’s not just that Jax beat Lynch clean earlier this year, though that’s definitely a big part of it.

The rest has to do with Lynch trying to prove she’s the best at what she does when she faces Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 40. How can she claim to be the top dog if she can’t first say definitively she’s better than Jax?

Becky would tell you she can’t. That’s why we’ve ended up with a Last Woman Standing match less than three weeks out from Philadelphia. It should be really fun, and there’s definitely a chance that Liv Morgan gets involved as well. What would that mean for the Showcase of the Immortals? We’ll find out soon enough.

The other big thing on tonight’s Raw is getting more teams into the Six-Pack Ladder Match for the men’s tag team titles at WrestleMania. There are three qualifying matches on the card this evening, and the one we’ve really got our eye on is #DIY vs. The Creed Brothers. Honestly seems like both teams would be great to have in the title match, so we’re not sure which way this one will go.

Oh, and there’s going to be a contract signing between Gunther and Sami Zayn, so if you’re one of the people still holding out hope that Chad Gable works his way into a Triple Threat situation, this would be the time.

We’re pumped for this Raw, one of only three left before WrestleMania. Let’s get into it.

WWE Raw results from Raleigh:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • Jey Uso has a discussion with Jimmy Uso, then gets assistance from Cody Rhodes to fight off an attack from Jimmy and Solo Sikoa
  • A hype video is shown for the Last Woman Standing match, along with a shot of Becky on her way into the arena
  • Paul Heyman apologizes to Adam Pearce for Jimmy and Solo “going into business for themselves” and insists they did what they did on their own and Pearce has Roman Reigns’ word that they are gone; Heyman adds that he has official business to do and that “everyone is going to be caught off guard”

  • #DIY def. The Creed Brothers by pinfall in a WrestleMania Tag Team Qualifying Match
  • The Judgment Day talks to Andrade, who will get a chance to impress them next week; Damian Priest chastises JD McDonagh for not winning the Gauntlet match, but somehow it now falls on Dominik Mysterio to get some shine back by defeating Ricochet tonight
  • Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell def. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter by submission, with LeRae taking advantage of a knee “injury” to Chance and exploiting it to get the victory
  • The Rock Concert segment from SmackDown is shown
  • Cody Rhodes has some venom for The Rock tonight, and does some negotiating of sorts with Heyman
  • Nia Jax says Becky Lynch has never beaten her, and when that proves true again, Nia plans on taking her spot at WrestleMania
  • Jey Uso offers to watch Cody’s back if needed on SmackDown, though Rhodes also says he gave his word he’d show up alone
  • Ricochet def. Dominik Mysterio by pinfall, with McDonagh unable to help Dom win or successfully ambush Ricochet after the final bell
  • Sami Zayn finds Chad Gable and expresses his respect for Gable, but they end up having a disagreement over Chad’s “it just means more” mantra before Gable suggests that Zayn “can’t beat Gunther”
  • The Sami Zayn-Gunther contract signing turns into a referendum on self-belief
  • Awesome Truth gets a pep talk from #DIY before heading out to face Indus Sher
  • The Awesome Truth def. Indus Sher by pinfall in a WrestleMania Tag Team Qualifying Match
  • Zayn demands to know why Gable said he can’t beat Gunther, and Chad tells him it’s because Sami waits for a window of opportunity to strike and will need to change his mentality to have any chance to win
  • Drew McIntyre is interrupted immediately by Seth Rollins, who poses an interesting question: Is Drew more like Seth than he’d care to admit?
  • Becky Lynch cuts a short promo ahead of her main event with Jax
  • The New Day def. Alpha Academy (Akira Tozawa and Otis) by pinfall in a WrestleMania Tag Team Qualifying Match
  • Liv Morgan stops by and tells Becky that Nia is all hers tonight — just make sure you kick her ass
  • Rollins checks in with Rhodes, who again insists he’s going to face Reigns solo on SmackDown
  • Becky Lynch def. Nia Jax in a Last Woman Standing Match
  • As Lynch takes a moment to compose herself after a hard-fought victory, she’s joined in the ring by Rhea Ripley, and the two stand eye to eye exchanging pleasantries as Raw goes off the air

Jey, Jimmy Uso talk WrestleMania, and Cody Rhodes ensures there’s no Bloodline ambush

Pat McAfee is already tired from participating in the Yeetdown. Michael Cole mentions that it will be only the third time that it’s brother vs. brother at WrestleMania. Jey says he knows The Bloodline is in the building and asks big brother Jimmy where he’s at.

Jimmy comes through the crowd, side by side with Solo Sikoa. But Solo stands outside the ring, allowing Jey and Jimmy to come face to face. Jey says regardless of what’s happened and the bad blood, he misses his twin.

Jey asks Jimmy to come back, but Jimmy insists he never left. After running down all the things Jey’s done since going to Raw, he claims the biggest moment of his career is because of … Jimmy.

Jey says nah, that his biggest career moment will be at WrestleMania 40 when he knocks the yeet out of his ass. Jey gets in the first shot, but Jimmy is able to land a superkick thanks to a distraction from Solo. it could be a two-on-one beatdown, but here comes Cody Rhodes, who chucks Jimmy aside and hits a Cody Cutter on Sikoa.

Cody Rhodes has some pointed insults for The Rock and negotiates a bit with Paul Heyman

Rhodes is dressed in all black tonight, perhaps a sign of what kind of headspace he’s in. Cody starts off by reminding us that in less than three weeks, he’s going to face the greatest champion in all of sports once again.

He’ll have a conversation with Roman Reigns on SmackDown about that, but there are complications, the biggest one being The Rock. Rhodes brings up The Rock referring to himself as our favorite heel and runs down some of the great heels he’s known.

“Rock, I don’t think you’re a heel … I think you’re an a–hole.”

Cody goes on to suggest that while The Rock made fun of him for crying, wasn’t The People’s Champ the one actually crying behind the scene? Accusing the people around him of being yes-men, Cody says that he’s lots of wonderful thing — but also a whiny bitch.

Saying it was fair game for The Rock to mention his mom, Cody also says he knows Rock’s mom. Rhodes says she’s wonderful, deserving of respect just like his own mom should be since she wouldn’t be scared of The Rock.

Addressing WrestleMania, Cody admits he doesn’t know if Sunday will be Bloodline Rules or if he’ll finish the story. But how can The Rock be so sure of himself? After all, he hasn’t been in the ring for years. Final Boss? Rhodes says maybe he’ll only be “Roman’s side chick.”

That brings out an angry Paul Heyman, who apologizes for his previous apology because it was dumb. Rhodes invites Heyman into the ring, but he says he’s cool on the apron and has a message from Reigns: When Reigns and Rhodes are face to face on SmackDown, no other members of The Bloodline will be present except for Paul.

Cody likes what he hears and says “Deal.” But Heyman says he forgot one crucial point. Namely, that Rhodes has to show up alone to SmackDown too. “Deal.”

Sami Zayn and Gunther make it official for WrestleMania, but does Sami believe in himself?

Adam Pearce is in the ring with the usual contract signing setup, summoning Zayn first and then Gunther. The Ring General mocks Sami for dressing like any slob from the crowd, to which Zayn takes offense at the feeling that Gunther doesn’t think he can win their match.

Sami angrily signs on the dotted line, but Gunther just wants to make fun of hic challenger a little more, questioning whether he even believes he can win. He smiles as he signs too and prepares to leave. But Zayn tells him to wait and tells Gunther to look into his eyes before storming off.

Is Drew McIntyre more like Seth Rollins than he cares to admit to himself?

McIntyre can’t be pleased that he’s immediately interrupted by the arrival of Rollins before he even makes it down the ramp. Mind games are fair play on the Road to WrestleMania, though.

They both end up in the ring, where Seth claims he has something to get off his chest. He admits he’s a spotlight junkie in the manner of people introducing themselves at AA meetings. “Spotlight junkie” chants break out in response.

An exasperated McIntyre says Rollins has become a parody of himself, but the only punchline is going to be when Drew beats him for the title at WrestleMania. McIntyre also mocks the “CM Punk” chant, at which point Rollins interjects and says none of this is a joke to him.

The World Heavyweight Champion says he’s been doing this for a while and it gets better every time. He wants the spotlight as bright as it can possibly be, which surprisingly gets McIntyre’s approval … except for the finish.

“You had me until you mentioned the big spotlight,” Drew says, yelling that it should only be the work they’ve done that matters. Rollins’ priorities are all screwed up, he insists, and that means McIntyre won’t get the moment he deserves — he’ll get the moment he earned.

Seth retorts that Drew is a spotlight junkie just as much as he is, motivated by the fact that his previous title run was in front of no fans. The problem is that when the lights got bright again, McIntyre fumbled the ball. At WrestleMania 40, Seth suggests, Drew will discover he’s not as good as he thinks he is.

Becky Lynch takes to the air to defeat Nia Jax in a Last Woman Standing Match

Lynch looks like she wants to try to end it early, taking it to Jax in and out of the ring. Pat McAfee says he thought the strategy would be opposite, and perhaps he has a point as Jax starts taking over on the outside. They slug it out as the match goes to its first commercial break.

Michael Cole reminds us the only way to win is to keep your opponent down for a count of 10. Jax is busy getting out a table and a ton of chairs, but Lynch is recovering and uses a chair on Nia as she climbs back in the ring.

Jax hits a Samoan Drop back onto a pile of chairs, and McAfee thinks that’s it. Narrator: It was not it.

The crowd wants tables but Lynch is busy applying a sleeper, then pivoting into a bulldog onto a chair. The ref counts to about six, then Lynch tries coming off the top rope and takes a chair to the gut.

Jax is feeling good as Lynch struggles to get back up, eating more chair shots when she does. Jax sits right on top of her on a chair, but a kendo stick is within reach for The Man, and she goes to town with that, sending Jax to the floor.

Nia recovers quickly and picks up the steps to use as a weapon. But she misses when trying a legdrop on the apron, then gets dropped on the steps. The ref gets to six, so Lynch smashes her face into the steps again. The fans roar their approval as Becky gets out a table right as more ads arrive.

There’s now a ladder set up when the broadcast returns, but Lynch is able to blind Jax with a blast from a fire extinguisher. Somehow she’s still able to stagger back into the ring and hit Lynch with a Samoan Drop that drives The Man through a table.

Jax hits an Annihilator too, and the ref starts to count. Lynch rolls out of the ring at eight, landing on her feet to break the count. Jax eyes the table on the floor, but Lynch wriggles free of a Samoan Drop and hits a Manhandle Slam through the table instead.

The ref counts but both women make it up; Jax just barely. Seeing she needs to do something spectacular to win it, Lynch scales the ladder and drives Jax through the announce table with a legdrop. The ref counts, and this time not even Jax is getting up.