By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw (Episode 1,720)
Knoxville, Tennessee, at Food City Center
Streamed live May 11, 2026, on Netflix
[Hour One] A WWE Backlash recap video opened the show… Michael Cole opened the show and spoke about the host city and noted that Kane is the Mayor of Knox County. The backstage and arrival shots focused on WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Paige and Brie Bella, Oba Femi, Iyo Sky, and Joe Hendry with “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins…
An SUV was shown outside the building. World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns exited the vehicle. Raw General Manager Adam Pearce confronted Reigns and said Jacob Fatu took things too far at Backlash. Reigns asked for his title belt, which a production member handed to him. Reigns said Fatu couldn’t be fired because he hadn’t acknowledged him. Reigns said he cleared Fatu and would be the one to take him out…
“The Vision” Bron Breakker, Logan Paul, Austin Theory, and Paul Heyman made their entrance. Once in the ring, Heyman introduced himself. Heyman welcomed fans to Raw, adding that it was coming from the inbred capital of Eastern Tennessee.
Heyman boasted over Bron Breakker beating Seth Rollins at Backlash, and said there would never be a reason for them to mention Rollins’ name again. Heyman turned the focus to the World Tag Team Champions and then handed the mic to Theory “to air your many grievances.”
Theory complained about The Street Profits. He said Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins need the tag team titles because Bianca Belair can’t pay the bills anymore. He brought up Joe Hendry while calling him a nerd, only to be interrupted by entrance music.
“The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins made their entrance. Once in the ring, Ford said that Theory was right that Belair couldn’t take care of the bills. He said that since Belair is busy with the baby, somebody had to come to Raw to whip their asses all over Tennessee. Ford said they came back to WWE to win the WWE Tag Team Championships. Logan said the only thing Ford has done in the last six months is organize a baby shower.
Joe Hendry popped up at ringside and sang his “Can we fire Logan Paul?” song. Corey Graves, who was on commentary, changed the lyrics to “We admire Logan Paul.” Funny. The crowd sang Hendry’s lyrics before the first commercial break… [C]
Powell’s POV: Yes, Ford did mistakenly list the wrong tag team titles. Hey, it happens. The bigger issue for Ford was that he delivered the “we want the…” line. He let the crowd fill in the “smoke” part, but it sounded like Dawkins was one of the only people in the building who actually said it. The live crowd probably just missed their cue, but it would be nice if the Profits would ditch that tired line. On a side note, WrestleTix listed the host venue as being set up for 10,062 with 9,448 tickets distributed. The venue’s listed capacity is 21,678. The last time WWE ran the Food City Center, 14,598 tickets were distributed for the May 30, 2025, Smackdown.
1. “The Vision” Bron Breakker, Logan Paul, and Austin Theory (w/Paul Heyman) vs. Joe Hendry and “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins. The match was joined in progress. Breakker tagged in and performed a release German Suplex on Hendry before a break. [C]
Ford hit Breakker with a flip dive on the floor. Ford returned to the ring and powerslammed Theory for a two count. The Profits set up for their finisher, but Logan broke it up. A short time later, Breakker went for a running spear on Dawkins on the floor, but Seth Rollins appeared and clotheslined Breakker. Moments later, Dawkins pinned Theory.
Joe Hendry and “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins defeated “The Vision” Bron Breakker, Logan Paul, and Austin Theory in 10:10 of television time.
After the match, Rollins helped Dawkins to his feet. Breakker returned to the ring and charged Rollins, who moved, causing Dawkins to be speared. Rollins superkicked Breakker. Ford returned to the ring and confronted Rollins, which led to some pushing and shoving between them…
Powell’s POV: It looked like Rollins moved Dawkins in the path of the spear. I think Rollins did it on instinct rather than it being what they were going for, because Cole was quick to defend Rollins while saying that Ford missed what happened. Cole also touted the Profits beating the tag team champions, which is the logical move, but it just didn’t pack much of a punch, perhaps because the Profits are four-time tag team champions.
Backstage, Adam Pearce spoke with Original El Grande Americano, Julio, and Bruto. The sound was terrible with an annoying echo. Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio interrupted. Americano said they were talking with Pearce. Morgan didn’t back down. Dom said Americano isn’t even a real luchador. Americano took offense. Pearce booked Dom vs. Americano for the AAA Mega Championship.
Angel and Berto were waiting for Pearce, who wrapped up with the others. They said they were looking for an opportunity, and Pearce invited them to chat in his office…
Intercontinental Champion Penta made his entrance… [C] Penta delivered an in-ring promo. He said he’s a fighting champion and told Ethan Page to come out and say it to his face if he felt otherwise. Page made his entrance dressed in non-wrestling attire and joined Penta inside the ring. Page said he’d love to say it to Penta’s face, but he painted his face for 30 minutes to hide his identity. Page said he’s not wearing a mask and boasted that he’s from Canada, which he labeled the greatest country on Earth.
Page recalled pinning Penta in a tag team match last week. He said that should make him the number one contender to the Intercontinental Championship, but he wondered if Penta was afraid he would lose to him again. Penta indicated he was ready to fight. Page said he was not. Page challenged Penta to a title match on the May 23 Saturday Night’s Main Event. Penta said he would face Page any time, anywhere.
Rusev made his entrance before Penta could wrap up his catchphrase. Rusev spoke as he walked to the ring. He said Page amuses him, but he wasn’t happy about Page getting the title shot before him. Rusev recalled doing the grunt work that led to Page pinning Penta. Page claimed he told Adam Pearce that Rusev deserved the title shot, but Je’Von Evans burst into the room and badmouthed Rusev.
Je’Von Evans made his entrance while obnoxiously saying “whoa” over and over again as he walked to the ring. Evans entered the ring and disputed Page’s claim, but he did indicate that he thought he could beat Rusev, who spun him around. Page shoved Evans into Rusev. Penta cleared Page from the ring. Evans ended up hitting Rusev with a suicide dive. Evans returned to the ring and strutted with Penta… [C]
2. Rusev vs. Je’Von Evans. The match was joined in progress. Cole said it was the first time that Rusev and Evans had faced one another in a singles match. After some back-and-forth action, Rusev performed a fallaway slam on the floor that launched Evans onto the broadcast table. [C]
Rusev put Evans down with a uranage slam. When Evans stood up, Rusev dropped him with a Machka Kick. Evans came back with a kick that sent Rusev to the floor. Evans performed a dive over the top rope onto Rusev before tossing him back inside the ring. Evans hit the OG Cutter. Evans clutched his back before covering Rusev, yet still got the three count…
Je’Von Evans beat Rusev in roughly 12:00 of TV time.
Powell’s POV: The live crowd didn’t respond to Je’Von’s annoying “whoa” bit before the match, but he won them over with his ring work.
Members of the Tennessee Volunteers college football team were shown in the crowd holding a University of Tennessee replica title belt…
A video package touted the AAA Mega Championship. The narrator said that only 14 wrestlers have held the title since it was created in 2007. Some of the past champions were listed…
Graves hyped Dom vs. Original El Grande Americano for the AAA Mega Championship for later in the show…
Powell’s POV: The AAA Mega Championship being defended on Raw doesn’t excite me, simply because there are too many title belts on WWE and NXT television. But I applaud them for trying to make the title feel important and for doing a brief history piece on the title before having it defended later in the show.
Iyo Sky was shown walking backstage. She encountered Asuka. They looked tense and then smiled and hugged. Asuka said she’d been looking for someone to take over her position. Asuka said Sky finally became that person. Asuka said she’s so happy it was Sky. Asuka told Sky that she is proud of her. Sky said that even though they fight, they will always be family. Sky said goodbye to Asuka, and they hugged again. Asuka wheeled her suitcase out of the building…
Cole said they would tell viewers what they know about the Asuka situation later in the show. Cole hyped Iyo Sky vs. Sol Ruca for later in the show…
Brie Bella’s entrance theme played, and then she walked onto the stage. Paige made her entrance. Ring announcer Alicia Taylor introduced the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions as they headed to the ring. Cole said Brie and Page have people coming at them from everywhere… [C]
Brie Bella and Paige stood in the ring. Brie said they were ready for a fight. Paige asked about the Judgment Day. Brie said they called out the champions and should come out and let them know what they have to say.
Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez entered via the stage. Rodriguez welcomed the champions to “our show.” Perez said she used to love watching Brie and Paige on TV, back when they were still young and relevant. Perez asked Brie if she remembered meeting her. She recalled Brie saying she would carry on the Bella legacy someday. Perez took issue with Brie setting the bar so low for her.
Brie insulted Perez by saying she’s a disappointment to her mother. Rodriguez said they could save time by handing over the tag team titles. Brie and Paige teased doing so, then fought the heel duo. The champions got the better of the fight until Liv Morgan showed up and put Paige down with a Codebreaker. The Judgment Day trio roughed up the champions and stood tall…
Roman Reigns spoke with Jimmy Uso inside his dressing room. Jimmy said Reigns beat Jacob Fatu on Saturday and said he should just move on. Reigns said Fatu made a deal and signed the contract. He said that if Fatu can’t have the respect of his own family, there will never be respect on the outside. Reigns said that Fatu has to acknowledge him. Jimmy said he understood, but he had a funny feeling that he couldn’t trust Fatu. Reigns said that Fatu would be out of here if he didn’t acknowledge him…
The broadcast team hyped the AAA Mega Championship match, and then a Dominik Mysterio video package aired. Dom spoke about winning the title and defending it against some of the best luchadores over the last eight months. He said Original El Grande Americano will never be a real luchador and will never get his hands on the title…
Iyo Sky made her entrance for her match against Sol Ruca… [C] Rhea Ripley’s NXT Origins video aired… Sol Ruca made her entrance…
3. Iyo Sky vs. Sol Ruca. Cole said Ruca could be ripe for the picking due to being so emotional over Asuka’s situation. Cole said Asuka’s future is up in the air after she appeared to say goodbye. “Only time will tell,” Graves added. Ruca performed a springboard corkscrew dive onto Sky on the floor. [C]
Sky performed a top rope Spanish Fly. A short time later, Ruca put Sky down with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. Sky rallied with a missile dropkick. Sky played to the crowd while Ruca was down in the corner. Ruca avoided the Bullet Train Attack. Ruca hit Sky with double knees. Sky countered a Ruca move and hit a standing double stomp to her abdomen before covering her for a two count.
A short time later, Ruca caught Sky with a kick while seated on the ropes. Ruca performed a cartwheel on the top rope and hit a DDT on the way down for a near fall. A “this is awesome” chant broke out. Sky came back and hit the Bullet Train Attack. Sky sold leg pain and took more time than usual while going up top for her finisher. Sky went for Over The Moonsault, but Ruca put her knees up. Moments later, Ruca went for her Sol Snacher finisher, but Sky avoided it and hooked her into a crucifix pin for the three count.
Iyo Sky beat Sol Ruca in 12:30.
After the match, Sky pointed at herself and then applauded Ruca. Sky helped Ruca to her feet and pointed at her…
Powell’s POV: A fun match. There’s no shame in Ruca’s character losing to Sky, but I’m also not sure what purpose it served beyond filling some television time with an entertaining match.
Footage aired from Backlash of Jacob Fatu attacking Roman Reigns after their World Heavyweight Championship match…
Jey Uso was pacing when Jimmy Uso approached him. Jimmy said he thought Roman Reigns was being a little delusional. Jimmy and Jey agreed that Fatu would not acknowledge Reigns…
Cole said the Clash in Italy event would take place two weeks from Sunday…
Footage aired of John Cena announcing the John Cena Classic at Backlash…
Cole and Graves hyped Penta vs. Ethan Page for the Intercontinental Championship, and Logan Paul and Austin Theory vs. “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins for the World Tag Team Titles for Saturday Night’s Main Event…
Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed the Street Profits about their tag team title match. Seth Rollins interrupted. Rollins told Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins that they should talk if they were serious about taking the tag team titles from The Vision. Ford lashed out at Rollins, and then he and Dawkins walked away…
Oba Femi was shown walking backstage while Cole wondered who would accept the latest open challenge… [C]
Sol Ruca was standing backstage when Iyo Sky approached her. Sky said Ruca is the future, and they will fight again someday. Ruca shook Sky’s hand and said she’s looking forward to it. Becky Lynch showed up after Sky left. Lynch laughed at Ruca. Lynch said the lights were too bright for Ruca..
Oba Femi made his entrance. Once in the ring, he said it was time for his open challenge. Adam Pearce came out and said no one accepted the challenge, so it was cancelled for the night. Oba got pissed and stormed to the backstage area while complaining that nobody wants it, and they are cowards. Oba found Angel and Berto dressed in non-wrestling attire. Oba put Berto over his shoulder and dragged Angel to the ring.
4. Oba Femi vs. Angel and Berto in a handicap match. A referee entered the ring, so the match was official. Oba destroyed both men. Oba hit the Fall From Grace on Berto and then pinned him…
Oba Femi beat Angel and Berto in 0:45 in a handicap match.
Powell’s POV: This is just like the time that no team had the balls to face my glorious beer league softball team. We had to start a bar fight and drag some drunks to the field. We only lost by seven runs that night.
Original El Grande Americano was featured in a promo video. He spoke of becoming the new AAA Mega Champion…
Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh were walking backstage together. Finn Balor showed up and attacked McDonagh. Balor ran McDonagh into a production crate and left him lying. Balor asked Dom if he had a match tonight. Dom said he had gold to defend and then made his entrance…
Graves hyped AAA Triplemania… Original El Grande Americano was in the ring…
5. Dominik Mysterio vs. Original El Grade Americano for the AAA Mega Championship. The masked Gable put Dom in an ankle lock during the opening minute, but Dom kicked his way free. Dom and Americano fought on the apron. Dom used his feet to launch Americano into the ring post casing.
[Hour Three] [C] Americano performed an Angle Slam and a top rope moonsault for a near fall. Americano continued to dominate the match by performing a dragon suplex for a near fall. Americano went up top, but he was distracted.
Rayo and Bravo came out and distracted the referee, while the other El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) hit the Original (Chad Gable) with a cheap shot that led to a near fall for Dom. Julio and Bruto came out and fought with Bravo and Rayo. Original Americano was in the ring when he reached the ropes and tried to remove the other Americano’s mask. Dom took advantage of the distraction by hitting a 619. Dom followed up with a frog splash and got the three count…
Dominik Mysterio defeated Original El Grade Americano in 9:05 to retain the AAA Mega Championship.
Powell’s POV: I’ll always remember where I was when the first AAA Mega Championship match in Raw history concluded with the same interference and distractions we’ve come to expect from most WWE championship matches.
The following matches were announced for next week’s Raw in Greensboro: Paige and Brie Bella vs. Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles, and Oba Femi’s open challenge…
Backstage, Jackie Redmond spoke with World Tag Team Champions Logan Paul and Austin Theory. Logan said he would “Vincent Van Gogh myself” if he had to listen to Joe Hendry’s song again. Theory tried to calm him down and had Logan get in their car. Redmond asked Theory about preparing for the Street Profits. He asked her if she wanted a ride before he got in the vehicle and left…
World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns made his entrance with Jimmy Uso. Cole questioned whether Jacob Fatu would acknowledge Reigns after the break… [C]
Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso stood in the ring. Reigns told the Knoxville fans to acknowledge him. Jacob Fatu was shown on the big screen while Jey Uso tried to talk him down. Jey said Fatu would cause a bunch of problems for himself and his family if he went to the ring.
Jey stopped Fatu at the Gorilla Position. Jey pleaded with Fatu to listen to him. Fatu headbutted Jey and left him lying. Fatu said “hell no” to acknowledging Reigns. He said Reigns would have to beat the acknowledgement out of him. Fatu made his entrnace and left Jimmy lying in the entrance aisle.
Fatu stood on the apron and glared at Reigns while the fans chanted “OTC.” Fatu entered the ring. Reigns threw punches at Fatu, who quickly bounced back and cleared Reigns from the ring with a clothesline. Fatu went for a suicide dive, but Reigns hit him with a Superman Punch from the floor.
Reigns returned to the ring with a chair, which he slammed over Fatu’s back several times. Once Fatu was down, Reigns jabbed the chair into Fatu’s chest several times and then hit him with one more big shot before tossing the chair to the floor. Reigns went to a corner and let out a war cry. Reigns went for a spear, but Fatu superkicked him.
Fatu applied the Tongan Death Grip. Reigns ended up on the floor. Fatu hit him with a suicide dive. Fatu ran Reigns into the ring post. Fatu yelled at Reigns about leaving him, and his family broke. Fatu kicked Reigns in the head and ran him into the ring steps. The fans actually chanted for tables. Fatu obliged by clearing the broadcast table.
Reigns hit Fatu with a Superman Punch. He went for another, but Fatu reapplied the Tongan Death Grip. Fatu released the hold and powerbombed Reigns through the broadcast table. Adam Pearce and a group of producers ran out. Cole cautioned them to stay away from Fatu while pointing out that he had a crazy look in his eyes.
Pearce barked “enough” at Fatu, who jumped on Reigns, who was down on the floor. Fatu returned to the ring and grabbed the World Heavyweight Championship belt. Fatu licked the belt as the executive producer credits were shown. Fatu held up the title belt and then tossed it down before exiting the ring. Fatu looked into a camera and said he keeps telling everyone that he’s different. Fatu turned back and got a running start before hitting Reigns and both Usos with a hip attack that sent them crashing through the barricade into the timekeepers’ area. Fatu held up his arms and yelled, and a lot of fans cheered before the show concluded…
Powell’s POV: A good beatdown angle that made Fatu look strong. It also put to rest any suspicions that Fatu and the Usos were in cahoots. I suppose they could gravitate toward Fatu if they feel like he’s the rightful Tribal Chief at some point, but that’s not the story at this juncture.
Overall, this was a decent follow-up to Backlash. They have Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash in Italy coming up soon, so they turned the page quickly while still making Backlash feel important. I’m curious to see which show will have the Reigns vs. Fatu rematch. I will be back shortly with my weekly same-night audio review of Raw for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of the show by grading it below.
What are the odds of an appearance by the Big Red Mayor?
When Ethan Page was on the stick talking to Rusev nobody in the audience behind them was even paying attention…
I agree. I love both Page and Saints but neither really seem to be getting over with the main roster audiences. I hope they can change that because they’re both great talents.
This is just like the time that no team had the balls to face my glorious beer league softball team. We had to start a bar fight and drag some drunks to the field. We only lost by seven runs that night.
LOL-That was great, I think I’ve been in a few of those, like the time we decided to go across the street to the bar in between games …and who knew the next team we faced would roster a lineup where every guy could take one over the fence…and pretty much did…um ouch!
Thanks. Fortunately, our league has a four HR limit. The guys who want to play home run derby typically play in doubleheaders. I love playing softball on Thursday. I hate softball on Friday… and even sometimes on Saturday. “I’m too old for this shit.” – Detective Roger Murtaugh.
Asuka deserved better.
I have a feeling this is not the end of that particular story.