WWE Raw Live TV Review: The Night After WrestleMania 34 edition

By Jason Powell, Prowrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

WWE Raw on the USA Network
Aired live on April 9, 2018 from New Orleans, Louisiana at Smoothie King Center

[Hour One] Michael Cole welcomed viewers to the Raw After WrestleMania. He was joined on commentary by Corey Graves and Jonathan Coachman…

Ring announcer JoJo introduced Stephanie McMahon, who walked slowly and had a brace of some kind on her arm. Still shots aired from WrestleMania of Ronda Rousey performing the move that Steph was selling. The crowd chanted, “You tapped out” at Stephanie. Stephanie addressed the crowd and noted that it had an international flavor. She said she thought they would have some sympathy.

Stephanie told the crowd they have to admit that they were surprised by the performance of one woman. She thanked them for their accolades and said they are deserved. She said she deserves that pat on the back. Stephanie delivered big introduction of Ronda Rousey.

Rousey made her entrance while Cole noted that there were 14,821 fans in attendance. Once Rousey was in the ring, Steph conceded that she made her tap out and said she was the better woman. The fans chanted Rousey’s name. Stephanie spoke about how Rousey is an inspiration and said that with Rousey’s talent and Steph’s spotlight there’s nowhere they can’t go.

“With me in your corner they will also support you and follow you and our message,” Stephanie said. The fans responded with a bullshit chant. Steph said Rousey is smarter than all of them because she’s a business person. “You taught me a valuable lesson last night and I paid the price,” Steph said. The fans chanted “shut the f— up.” Stephanie quickly and loudly asked them to give it up for Rousey.

Stephanie and Rousey shook hands and then Rousey hugged her. Rousey’s smile turned to her angry face. Then Rousey put Stephanie in an armbar and pulled the brace off her arm. Rousey wrenched on the arm again just as she did at WrestleMania while Stephanie screamed out in agony. Graves called it a classless move as referees and trainers ran out to check out Stephanie. Coachman defended Rousey by asking if Steph really believed Rousey was going to forgive her that easily.

Rousey celebrated on the stage and then her music stopped playing. They showed the trainers tending to Stephanie as the crowd chanted “you deserve it” and then sang the “na na na goodbye” song as they helped her from the ring. JoJo asked the fans for a little respect for Stephanie, which drew loud boos…

Powell’s POV: They basically did a repeat of the way Rousey won the match. It was a fun segment and the crowd was into it.

The broadcast team was shown at their desk. Cole noted that it was a “non-traditional audience” and said it was made up of the most impassioned members of the WWE Universe. Coachman said they exercise their freedom of expression. Graves said it’s all about passion and the fans sometimes cheer who they normally boo and boo who they normally cheer. He said it’s all in the name of fun and they love all of it.

They hyped new Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins appearing, and new Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax for after the break… [C] An ad touted the WWE Superstar Shakeup as a two-night event for next week’s Raw and Smackdown shows…

Powell’s POV: The annual public service announcement regarding the Raw After WrestleMania is ridiculous. Those fans aren’t cheering who they would normally boo or booing who they would normally cheer in the name of fun. They are telling WWE who they choose to cheer and boo for on a regular basis, not just for one night. Meanwhile, I love that they do the Shakeup the week after WrestleMania. Obviously, the shows after WrestleMania do big numbers and holding the Shakeup a week later is a way for them to keep the momentum going for another week.

Still shots aired from WrestleMania…

Nia Jax made her entrance for a tag match. The fans chanted “you deserve it” as she smiled in the ring. Alexa Bliss and Mickie James made their entrance. Bliss said it looks like there’s no bigger bully in WWE than Ronda Rousey unless you’re talking about Nia Jax. Bliss cited their difference in size. Bliss claimed she lost the title match because Jax attacked Mickie James before the match. She claimed she was competing under emotional distress.

Bliss said Jax is cold as ice and everyone knows it and that’s why Jax doesn’t have a partner. Jax told Bliss to shut up. She said she enjoyed every second of what she did to the two of them. She noted that she is the new Raw Women’s Champion. She said Bliss is wrong because she does have a partner. Jax introduced former NXT Women’s Champion Ember Moon. The fans popped big for Moon during her entrance. Cole hyped the tag match for after the break… [C]

Powell’s POV: Moon is a good call-up. She dropped the NXT Women’s Championship to Shayna Baszler and they could have gotten more out of that program, but Moon is ready from an in-ring standpoint. The argument that Will Pruett made on today’s Prowrestling.net Live is that she’s not ready from a character standpoint because they didn’t do a great job of establishing who she is on NXT. I agree with Will that they dropped the ball in that area, but I’m hopeful that this will be one of those rare cases where the main roster creative team gets it right.

1. Ember Moon and Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss and Mickie James. Jax grabbed James and tossed her to start the match. Moon got another big pop when she tagged in and then an NXT chant broke out briefly as she worked over Bliss. Moon looked a little off while performing a springboard cross body block on Bliss. Moon went up top and hit the Eclipse on Bliss for the win…

Ember Moon and Nia Jax defeated Alexa Bliss and Mickie James in 3:00.

Backstage, Kurt Angle was on the phone telling someone that Moon had a great debut and was just the spark that the women’s division needs. Angle hung up when Braun Strowman entered the picture. Angle congratulated him on this win. Nicholas was with him. Strowman said it pained him, but they were relinquishing the tag titles. “He has a scheduling conflict, he’s still in the fourth grade,” Strowman said to laughs. He said that when Nicholas is done with school then they are coming for the tag titles. Nicholas said they would get these hands…

A No Way Joe vignette aired and a graphic noted that his debut was up next… [C]

Powell’s POV: Jose is a nice choice as well. He may never be a main event player like some of the other NXT prospects, but he has charisma and is always good for a spark of mid-card energy.

A commercial hyped the Superstar Shakeup as a two-day event for next week… More still shots aired from WrestleMania…

2. No Way Jose vs. John Skyler. Before the match, No Way Jose led a conga line with what appeared to be Rosebud rejects who remained at ringside during his match. Jose tossed Skyler into the air and punched on the way down to win the squash match…

No Way Jose beat John Skyler in 0:25.

Powell’s POV: Please let the wannabe Rosebuds routine be a one week only Mardi Gras thing.

Backstage, Sheamus and Cesaro asked Angle if they are going to get their titles back. He told them they lost to a 10 year-old. He said they would get a shot at the Greatest Royal Rumble. He said four teams would compete with four teams wrestling two matches tonight and then the winners meeting in the finals of the “tag team eliminator”…

Powell’s POV: Did they already give away the tag team eliminator by advertising The Hardy Brothers vs. Sheamus and Cesaro for the Greatest Royal Rumble? I guess we’ll find out if “card subject to change” applies here.

3. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. “The Revival” Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder in a Tag Team Eliminator match. The match was joined in progress. Sheamus and Cesaro were shown watching the match on a backstage monitor. The Revival hit the Shatter Machine on Anderson and Wilder pinned him…

The broadcast team set up John Cena’s PSA for Make-A-Wish…. Seth Rollins was advertised as appearing after the break… [C]

Powell’s POV: Cole mentioned the Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt alliance that formed during the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, so perhaps the Tag Team Eliminator is their way of building up to the two of them challenging for the tag titles. If so, will Jeff Hardy get a singles run on an opposite brand?

A trailer aired for the Andre the Giant documentary that debuts Tuesday night on HBO…

New Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins made his entrance and received a half-assed “you deserve it” chant. There was a very loud “burn it down” chant. He said he could finally say he is back. He said Grand Slam Rollins has a nice ring to it, which led to the crowd chanting it. Rollins noted that every member of The Shield is a grand slam champion.

[Hour Two] Finn Balor made his entrance and said there was something he had to get off his chest. Balor entered the ring and congratulated Rollins and told him he deserved it. Balor said Rollins was the better man last night. He said it was a Triple Threat match and it had a winner, a loser, and him. Balor challenged Rollins to a title match. Balor offered his hand and Rollins accepted the handshake.

The Miz made his entrance along with Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. He said he left Dallas and Axel behind at WrestleMania so Rollins and Balor had no excuses when he beat them. He brought up his daughter and said she watched the match in her mother’s arms. Miz said his daughter cried, which made Maryse cry, which made him cry.

Rollins said it’s like everyone else cries when they watch Miz try to wrestle. Miz said Rollins owes him a rematch. Rollins challenged him to invoke his rematch clause on the spot. Miz toyed with the crowd before saying no. Miz said he would invoke his rematch clause at WWE Backlash. The fans booed.

Miz challenged Rollins and Balor to face him, Axel, and Dallas. The babyfaces took their shirts off. Jeff Hardy’s entrance music played and he headed to the ring to a strong reaction and stood between Rollins and Balor. Miz and company teased taking the match before leaving the ring…

Cole hyped Roman Reigns would appear live after being beaten, battered, and bruised in the match against Brock Lesnar. Graves hyped Sasha Banks vs. Mandy Rose for after the break… [C]

Powell’s POV: It was kind of Rollins to avoid pointing out that he pinned Balor a week ago. Of course, it was a hell of a match so no complaints. Jeff showing up without Matt seems to confirm that he will fly solo rather than team with Matt as Brother Nero.

More WrestleMania still shots were shown… Graves announced Rollins, Balor, and Hardy vs. Miz, Axel, and Dallas for later in the show…

4. Sasha Banks (w/Bayley) vs. Mandy Rose (w/Paige, Sonya Deville). The Absolution entrance was not televised. Bayley made her entrance as the referee was about to start the match. Bayley took her spot in Sasha’s corner, though Sasha didn’t seem too pleased. The Brits broke out the Bayley song that was a lot more fun two years ago. Banks slammed Rose’s head into the turnbuckle and asked Bayley if she liked that. Rose took advantage and dropped Banks over the top rope. [C]

Banks performed a knee press from the top rope and covered her for two. Rose rolled to ringside. Banks leapt off the second rope at her and Rose put her head down for an awkward moment. Rose shoved Bayley, who tried to hit her. Rose ducked and Bayley struck Banks instead. Bayley was apologetic. Banks returned to the ring and took a knee to the face before being pinned…

Mandy Rose defeated Sasha Banks in 7:50.

After the match, Paige took the mic and said some know and some don’t, but it was time to come clean. She said it was hard to be on the sideline for WrestleMania. She said she was born to be in the ring, it’s her heart, her soul, and blood. She said that unfortunately due to neck injuries she can no longer perform an as an in-ring competitor. She said it’s one of the harder things she’ll ever have to say in her life. A “thank you, Paige” chant started.

Paige thanked ever single female superstar backstage and said she is proud to be part of the division that they helped make huge. Paige also thanked her family. She thanked Daniel Bryan, who came back from a career ending injury at WrestleMania and that gave her hope. She also thanked Edge for showing her there is life after wrestling.

“As much as it hurts me to say this, now I’m going to have to go find something else,” she said. Paige thanked WWE for letting her entertain them for four years. She said New Orleans is where she won the Divas Championship and New Orleans is where she wants to retire. Another “thank you, Paige” chant broke out. She got emotional and the fans chanted, “This is your house.”

Paige thanked the fans and said they were right, “this will always be my house.” Paige’s music played and she left the ring. Cole said it was a short career but she accomplished so much. Paige went to the stage and waved to the fans. Cole said he knew how hard that was for her to do. He then switched gears to hyping a John Cena and Undertaker recap segment for after the break… [C]

Powell’s POV: The word has been out about Paige’s health status for months. I’m surprised that she’s leaving WWE completely, as she definitely had something to offer as a manager type and in other areas including Total Divas. It will be interesting to find out whether that’s her choice or their choice. It’s a shame to see her career end at age 25 and I wish her the best with whatever the future holds for her.

The broadcast team recapped Undertaker vs. John Cena as still shots were shown…

JoJo introduced Elias, who played his guitar in the middle of the ring. He led the crowd into two loud “Walk With Elias” chants. He said the fans paid to see him perform at WrestleMania, but it was interrupted. The fans sang “Walk With Elias.” Elias said he was going to perform tonight even though he knew they were the scumbags from last night. A “we are scumbags” chant broke out. Elias said it was good they could finally admit it. He sang a song about how he would like to punch them all in the face.

Heavy music played and Bobby Lashley made his entrance to a big pop. A “welcome back” chant broke out. Elias swung at Lashley, who avoided it and performed a neckbreaker. Lashley held up Elias with one arm and did a 360 before dropping him with a vertical suplex…

Powell’s POV: Fans who remember Lashley from his last WWE run may be surprised to now that the guy has improved dramatically on the mic. He was a terrific heel in TNA. I’m a little concerned that they are going to slot him as a babyface based on his return, but it’s certainly possible that they took this approach for one night only since they knew he’d be cheered.

Backstage, Angle was on the phone telling someone that Lashley was back on Raw along with Ember Moon and No Way Jose. “It’s not even the Superstar Shakeup yet,” Angle said. There was a knock on the door. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn entered the room in suits and were humble as they spoke to Angle, who asked if the came looking for a job.

Angle noted that they were fired for attacking their general manager and commissioner. Zayn said it was a very different situation over there and assured him that they knew they need to be team players. “My tag team division is full, but I hear that TNA is hiring,” Angle said to gasps from the crowd.

Owens said they’re actually not a tag team and Angle didn’t have to hire both of them. Zayn was taken aback. Owens said he had a family. Zayn said he did too. Owens said he didn’t have kids. They both asked Angle for an opportunity. Angle said he had one spot on Raw and the two of them could wrestle one another for it. They agreed to the match and he smiled as they left the room… [C]

Powell’s POV: A fun segment with Angle dropping mouths with the TNA line. We didn’t hear Jeff Jarrett mention TNA once during his WWE Hall of Fame induction so it was unexpected fun when Angle mentioned his former promotion here. It will be interesting to see if the fans take a side in the Owens vs. Zayn match.

More WrestleMania still shots aired… Heath Slater and Rhyno were in the ring. Slater mentioned that they were the first Smackdown Tag Team Champions. He said he has kids and needs this job. He challenged any team in the back to come out and take out him and Rhyno. An AOP chant started and the fans got their wish…

5. The Authors of Pain (w/Paul Ellering) vs. Heath Slater and Rhyno. The broadcast team ran through Ellering’s history with the Road Warriors, er, Legion of Doom. The duo put away Slater for the win. After the match, the AOP stopped at ringside and put their fists out to stop Ellering, who looked surprised. They nudged him and he stayed at ringside while they walked away. They barked at him from the top of the ramp and he shook his head in a disapproving manner…

The Authors of Pain beat Heath Slater and Rhyno in 0:50.

Powell’s POV: The AOP are great and they and the shakeup will breathe life into the tired Raw tag division, assuming they actually stay on the brand. My guess is that Ellering didn’t want to work a full-time main roster schedule. It would be fun if he ended up managing War Machine in NXT, which would allow him to maintain his current schedule with the company.

The broadcast team noted that Brock Lesnar re-signed with WWE and showed mainstream sports headlines. They also hyped the Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns cage match that will take place on the Greatest Royal Rumble event…

Roman Reigns made his entrance to mega boos. Reigns walked out wearing a tank top style shirt and didn’t wear his usual vest. Cole ran through a list of injuries that Reigns suffered in his match with Lesnar.

[Hour Three] “As you can see, I got my ass kicked last night,” Reigns started. “But as you can see I’m here tonight and I can tell you this much, Brock Lesnar isn’t.” Reigns said he didn’t know what happened on Sunday. He said everything felt off from the way people looked at him and there was whispering behind his back. “The thing that eats me up the most is that Vince McMahon couldn’t even look me in the eye and smarten me up,” Reigns said.

Reigns said Lesnar is one hell of a businessman. He said the word was out last week that Lesnar was going back to UFC, and then today WWE announced that he signed a new contract. “And apparently I have another match with him in a steel cage that I had no clue about until I found out on the internet,” he said. Reigns said he doesn’t know what they are scheming up or what the story is behind it, but if they continue to put him in matches with Brock Lesnar the story will end with him becoming the Universal Champion. Reigns dropped the mic.

Samoa Joe made his entrance. A “Joe is gonna kill you” chant started. Joe said it was time to break out the tinfoil hats because Roman thinks there’s a conspiracy. Joe said Lesnar didn’t just beat Reigns, he exposed him. Joe said Reigns failed and that makes him a failure. Joe said it also makes him a liar, who lied to his fans, family, and even himself.

Joe said Reigns gets jacked up whenever he gets in the ring with Lesnar, while Lesnar gets richer. Joe said no matter how many times the story is told, the story will end the same with The Beast conquering the Big Dog and the Big Dog coming out and making excuses. Joe said that once Lesnar rag dolls him in the cage and Reigns fails again, he will be waiting for him at Backlash to put him to sleep. Reigns looked down and shook his head in a negative manner after Joe walked backstage…

The broadcast team hyped the six-man match, Owens vs. Zayn, and then Titus O’Neil and Apollo vs. a mystery team in a Tag Team Eliminator match… [C]

Powell’s POV: So Reigns was upset that Vince didn’t smarten him up to Lesnar re-signing? He’s mad that he had to find out on the internet about the cage match. None of this makes him seem sympathetic and Joe spoke the truth from a storyline standpoint about Roman’s shortcomings.

Titus O’Neil and Apollo were in the ring waiting to find out who there opponents were. They cut to Matt Hardy in front of The Dre trophy. Bray Wyatt entered the picture. They laughed and then Wyatt looked into the camera and said, “We’re here.” They cut back to the ring and Wyatt and Hardy were standing behind Titus and Crews…

6. Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt vs. Titus O’Neil and Apollo (w/Dana Brooke) in a Tag Team Eliminator match. Graves explained that Wyatt was rid of the succubus known as Sister Abigail when he was thrown into the Lake of Reincarnation. There was a “Worldwide” and “Delete”-off between Titus and Hardy to start. Sheamus and Cesaro were shown watching the match on a backstage monitor. Wyatt did the Sister Abigail fling of Apollo into Hardy’s Twist of Fate, which led to Hardy getting the pin…

Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt beat Titus O’Neil and Apollo in 5:10 in a Tag Team Elimination.

Powell’s POV: Hardy and Wyatt will face The Revival next week with the winning team then facing Sheamus and Cesaro at the Greatest Royal Rumble for the vacant Raw Tag Titles. The great thing about babyface Bray is that he always looks ready for a BBQ and one should always be ready for a BBQ. Oh, and I wish someone would delete Titus Worldwide.

The broadcast team spoke about Ronda Rousey’s debut at WrestleMania while mainstream headlines were shown. They also aired footage from Rousey’s segment with Stephanie from earlier in the show…

An ad for WWE Backlash touted that it’s a co-branded pay-per-view… More WrestleMania still shots aired…

7. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn for a spot on the Raw roster. Owens crotched Zayn and then dropped an elbow on him from the second rope. Owens covered Zayn for two counts three times heading into a break. [C] Angle was shown watching the match on a backstage monitor. Zayn caught Owens with a Helluva Kick, but Owens landed outside the ropes.

A short time later, Owens hit a Popup Powerbomb, but Owens fell to ringside. Owens went up top, but Zayn caught him with a boot to the face. Zayn followed up with a superplex attempt, but Owens countered into a fisherman’s buster suplex from the ropes. The crowd cheered as both men were down. Neither man got to his feet before the referee’s ten count. JoJo announced that neither man won and therefore neither man would join Raw…

Kevin Owens fought Sami Zayn to a no-contest in 10:15.

Powell’s POV: I joked on Twitter (@prowrestlingnet) before the match that I hope Zayn doesn’t drop seven pounds from his advertised weight because that would make him eligible for the cruiserweight division. Honestly, though, he could be a great top heel for that division. It would be a lot of fun to have him look down on the cruiserweight wrestlers because he’s “been to the big time” while acting like he despised the brand and was only there because he was out of options. That said, I would only want that if the WWE is truly committed to the brand. Given the match finish, I assume it’s a moot point.

A shot aired of Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, and Jeff Hardy walking backstage. Jeff came across Matt, who said he’s happy he overcame his broken condition. Bray entered the picture and glared at Jeff. “Brother Nero,” Wyatt said before hugging Jeff, who asked him how he feels. “I feel wonderful,” Wyatt said. The camera pulled back and Balor and Rollins were watching with dumbfounded looks on their faces. “What was that all about?” Balor asked. Jeff shrugged and walked away as the fans laughed…

Miz, Axel, and Dallas made their entrance for the main event… [C] The broadcast team hyped the Superstar Shakeup, Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, and Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt vs. The Revival for next week… The babyface trio made separate entrances for the main event…

Powell’s POV: The Superstar Shakeup graphic showed Kurt Angle and Daniels Bryan as the authority figures representing each brand. First, I’m not sure why Angle is employed in a storyline sense given his role in the WrestleMania mixed tag match. They really should have tied up that loose end by having Stephanie claim she signed him to a new deal with the idea being that she was attempting to win over Rousey. Second, why is an active wrestler still in charge of a brand? Will they change this on Smackdown tomorrow night?

8. Jeff Hardy, Seth Rollins, and Finn Balor vs. The Miz, Bo Dallas, and Curtis Axel. The babyface trio worked over Dallas and Axel and then motioned for Miz, who dropped off the apron heading into the break. [C] The heel trio isolated Balor for a stretch.

[Overrun] Cole reset the top of the hour and a graphic hyped the Superstar Shakeup. He noted the notable returns and NXT call-ups and said Lesnar re-signed with WWE and would face Reigns in a cage match at the Greatest Royal Rumble.

Hardy tagged into the match and worked over Axel. A “Brother Nero” chant broke out. Jeff encouraged it and Cole said it had to do with the Matt Hardy situation. Jeff hit a Whisper in the Wind on Axel and Dallas. Rollins and Miz tagged into the match. Rollins worked over Miz and performed a suicide dive on Axel.

Rollins dumped Miz to the floor and then took out all three heels with another suicide dive. A “burn it down” chant started. Miz cut off Rollins and went to the ropes. Rollins caught him with a superplex and a falcon arrow, which brought in the minions to break up the pin. Balor worked them over and performed a flip dive onto them on the floor. Rollins hit Miz with a Stomp and pinned him.

Jeff Hardy, Seth Rollins, and Finn Balor defeated The Miz, Bo Dallas, and Curtis Axel in 14:00.

After the match, Hardy hit a Twist of Fate on Dallas, Balor performed a Coup de Grace, Hardy performed a Swanton, and then Rollins performed a Stomp. They followed up by taking turns hitting the same moves on Axel…

The broadcast team stood behind their desk and hyped the Superstar Shakeup for next week. Cole said the entire landscape of WWE would change. Coachman and Graves spoke about potential moves and noted that tag teams could break up. Cole said so much is at stake and it will begin right here on Raw. Coach thanked everyone for an incredible WrestleMania week. He thanked New Orleans and the WWE Universe and said goodnight from Bourbon Street…

Powell’s POV: This is the second year in a row where they had Cole make it seem like WrestleMania week was over. It was good hype for the Shakeup and everything he said was fine, but why not add that it continues with Smackdown on Tuesday night? Anyway, it wasn’t the most attractive main event due to the heel trio coming off as weak compared to the babyface team, but the crowd still had fun with it and the popular babyfaces were showcased well at the end.

Overall, this was an excellent Raw After WrestleMania. WWE finally delivered the type of show that the rowdy night after WrestleMania crowd couldn’t hijack simply by giving those fans a hot episode complete with newsworthy call-ups and some big name returns. The fans still had fun with various chants (and one f— you chant early), but there were no embarrassing beachball moments or times when it felt like the fans were more important than what was happening in the ring. This was a really fun show and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will have more to say in my members’ exclusive audio review later tonight.

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