By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw Hits
Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu: The go-home angle didn’t cover much in the way of new ground or do anything to make viewers question whether the Usos are loyal to their Tribal Chief. Reigns put over the Tongan Death Grip as a move that should only be used as a last resort. While it’s not the most exciting hold, I applaud the effort to establish it as dangerous. It’s proof that fans will view most basic holds or moves as finishers if companies put the work in to establish and protect them. That’s why it’s so frustrating to see wrestlers fail to protect legitimately dangerous moves by running them into the ground until they are no longer special, but I digress. More than anything, I hope we have a better understanding of the babyface/heel dynamic between Reigns and Fatu coming out of Backlash.
Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins: Breakker continued to get the better of Rollins, and hopefully that is extended to Backlash. There’s a shortage of legitimate main event heels on Raw now that Brock Lesnar is listed as retired, and with Gunther chasing Cody Rhodes on Smackdown. With that in mind, I wish the creative forces would work harder to put heat on Breakker. The fans chanting “one more time” after he speared Rollins should be viewed internally as a sign they need to do more to generate heat for Breakker, not that any reaction from the fans is good.
Ethan Page and Rusev vs. Penta and Je’Von Evans: Page picked up a pinfall victory over the Intercontinental Champion, which should set the table for a title match with Penta. I’m getting a kick out of the dynamic between Page and Rusev, and it’s good to see Rusev involved in an actual storyline as opposed to just having random television matches.
Oba Femi vs. Otis: Another dominant win for Oba, who is among the most over wrestlers in the company. With that in mind, I’m surprised they didn’t announce that Oba will hold another open challenge at Backlash. He was the star of the WrestleMania 42 pre-show matches that aired on ESPN and ESPN2. You’d think the company would follow that up by having him in a Backlash pre-show match or use him as a hook for the portion of Backlash that won’t be available on ESPN2.
Iyo Sky and Asuka: The sit-down segment further established Asuka’s heel talking points of being disappointed in her former pupil. The segment was pretty good until the end, when Sky was easily duped into being sprayed with mist, which most fans likely saw coming a mile away.
JD McDonagh vs. Finn Balor: A soft Hit. It was a good move to give McDonagh his win back after Balor beat him clean two weeks earlier. Balor already beat the two male members of the Judgment Day, so it was either move or find a way to extend the feud. Liv Morgan’s lack of trust in Roxane Perez has quickly become one of the better storylines on Raw. The only negative about Judgment Day at the moment is that Dominik Mysterio has been underutilized since he lost the Intercontinental Title.
WWE Raw Misses
Logan Paul: The booking of Paul since he signed a full-time contract has been poor. It should have given the company another full-time wrestler who could be in the main event mix. Rather, Paul was paired with Austin Theory, and he’s never meant less despite holding the World Tag Team Titles. It’s not that Theory was the kiss of death, as some will probably suggest. Rather, it’s that the creative team stopped producing quality material for Paul, who has felt more like a henchman than a star since joining The Vision.
Joe Hendry vs. Austin Theory: A brief match with angry Logan Paul attacking Hendry for the throwaway DQ finish. Perhaps the idea is that Hendry will find a partner to challenge Theory and Paul for the World Tag Team Titles, but it currently seems like creative cares so little about those titles that they are booking Paul in a singles feud against Hendry. By the way, we get it, Theory and Maxxine Dupri talk backstage. It’s been happening for nearly two months, and it’s time to move that story forward.
Original El Grande Americano, Bruto, and Julio vs. El Grande Americano, Bravo, and Rayo: If I had my way, the mask vs. mask match on May 30 would end in a double pin, requiring both El Grand Americanos to unmask. But the popularity of Ludwig Kaiser’s version of the character in Mexico means that he’s likely to remain masked, and that means Bravo and Rayo will probably be sticking around.
Sol Ruca’s debut: A minor Miss. It went really well until Ruca slipped on the ropes while going for the Sol Snatcher. She recovered quickly, but it was just enough to bring the crowd down. Ruca is the blue-chip athlete that Adam Pearce described during her introduction. This was just a bump in the road, and Ruca will probably end up laughing about it once she becomes a legitimate star on the main roster.
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
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