Date: April 27, 2026
Location: Sames Auto Arena in Laredo, TX
The Big Takeaway —
Roman Reigns accepted Jacob Fatu’s world title challenge for Backlash after Fatu laid him out in the main event segment. Fatu made it clear he would be seeing Reigns again next week (on the final Raw before Backlash).
Iyo Sky lost to Becky Lynch in an impromptu Women’s Intercontinental title match thanks to interference by Asuka. Sky and Asuka will wrestle at Backlash.
Kairi Sane was not mentioned by name on the show, but was written off with a few passing references. There were chants for Sane when Asuka attacked Sky after her match.
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Show Recap —
They’ve adjusted the signature video that starts every show. Brock Lesnar is now in the “Forever” portion, while Oba Femi has been added to the “Now” portion.
Roman Reigns & The Usos opening pre-taped promo
I would call this a cold open, but it was preceded by a video package of last week’s events. This was similar to a few weeks ago when Raw started with a Roman Reigns pre-taped video instead of the usual in-ring segment. (Although we still got one of those.)
Reigns sat down with Jimmy and Jey Uso. He said the past was the past, and that’s where he would leave it, because they were blood and they were the only ones he could trust. He wanted their thoughts because he wasn’t sure where Jacob Fatu was coming from.
Reigns told everyone that they had two years to climb the mountain (after he lost the title), but after all that time, it was Reigns himself who climbed the mountain and won the title—but now Fatu was trying to take it from him.
Jimmy understood where Fatu was coming from. He understood Fatu wanting to upgrade his household, but it shouldn’t come at Reigns’ expense. Jey said Fatu was dangerous. He dismantled the MFTs one by one on SmackDown. They left Fatu on his own for a reason. If Fatu beat Reigns, he would take everything. Jey said this couldn’t all be about respect—there had to be consequences.
Reigns said Jey was right. They weren’t giving out charity. Reigns said he would sit on this and address it later tonight.
The three men put their hands together, and Reigns called them the first family.
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Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker segment
Rollins entered to a strong reaction wearing an all-black suit. He said it was Bron Breakker’s fault that he was not currently the world champion and why he lost to Gunther at WrestleMania. Rollins took credit for Breakker having nine staples in the back of his head and called him out.
Breakker entered with Paul Heyman. Rollins said he gave Breakker the world on a silver platter, but Breakker repaid him by taking everything away from him. Breakker was the reason Rollins had to forfeit the title, the reason he didn’t main-event WrestleMania, and the reason he lost at the show. Rollins asked Breakker how it benefited him at all.
Breakker asked Rollins what he gave to him and Bronson Reed. It was the two of them putting out Rollins’ fires week after week and fighting his battles. Breakker and Reed had to sit in the background as Rollins started Raw every week by repeating the same thing over and over. Breakker held his nose and did a nasally impression of Rollins’ usual opening promo (which he, in fact, started this promo with). Breakker said he never needed Rollins—he only needed Heyman.
Rollins laughed at this. Rollins said he was the world champion two years ago and wanted to fight the best in the world. He called Shawn Michaels so he could fight his best in NXT, and Michaels named Breakker. Rollins was on board. Last year, Heyman asked Rollins to take Breakker under his wing. Rollins was on board with that, too, because under his tutelage, he knew Breakker could be the biggest star in the industry.
Rollins has seen athletes of all disciplines come in over the years, but Breakker was the most unique. He had everything to be the next big star in the industry. Everything except the most important thing. Rollins pointed at his head.
Rollins knew what it was like being a 28-year-old young cat coming into the company, thinking the business owed him something. He knew what it was like to bet on himself and make decisions people wouldn’t be happy with. The difference between them was that Breakker tried, while Rollins succeeded.
Rollins took chances that got him WrestleMania main events, while Breakker took chances and wound up with Austin Theory, Logan Paul, dinners on a private jet and happy endings from Heyman. Rollins told Breakker he wasn’t ready.
Breakker said he was well on his way to becoming a main eventer with or without Rollins. He said Rollins’ body and mind couldn’t handle it anymore, and his shoulder couldn’t handle the weight of the strap.
Breakker admitted he came up short in his world title match (against CM Punk), but he could sleep at night knowing he lost to the best in the world rather than to someone who self-proclaimed it. Breakker knew Rollins was a future WWE Hall of Famer. But he was also the very best in the world at being number two.
Rollins responded, “That was pretty good, baby Steiner.” Rollins wondered if Breakker came up with that on his own or if he called Big Poppa Pump for his hookup. Rollins challenged Breakker to a match at Backlash to prove he was ready. Rollins told Breakker Steiner (that’s what he called him) that he wasn’t even number two in his own family.
(The show was 21 minutes old by the time this was done. They laid out their issues well enough—after weeks of physically assaulting each other—but Rollins’ promo in particular probably could have been cut in half. I know Reigns likes to start and end the shows, hence why his promo went first, but they should spread out these long talking segments.)
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Wrestlers were shown arriving, but Stephanie Vaquer’s introduction was interrupted when she was attacked by Raquel Rodriguez. Roxanne Perez appeared on screen to a big pop (she’s from this town), but the crowd went quiet when she crushed Vaquer with an equipment box. Liv Morgan told Vaquer, “Now this is over because this is my championship.”
Intercontinental Championship: Penta (c) vs. Rusev
The opening match started 29 minutes into the show. It went seven and a half minutes, and three of those were during a break.
As Penta set up for a springboard move, Rusev was about to kick him out of the air with a Machka Kick, but Penta knew it was coming and held onto the rope a second longer to avoid it. Rusev whiffed on the kick, and Penta caught him in a schoolboy for the pinfall win.
— Rusev was annoyed, so he attacked Penta after the match. Ethan Page, who watched the match from ringside, tried to join Rusev, but Rusev wasn’t interested. After Penta fought back, Page decked him from behind. Rusev and Page put the boots to Penta until Je’Von Evans ran out to make the save.
Match result: Penta defeated Rusev to retain the Intercontinental Championship (7:31)
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There was a commercial for the Hulk Hogan Netflix documentary. This aired during the actual broadcast, not during the Netflix ad break.
El Grande Americano cut a promo about his upcoming mask vs. mask match. In order to prepare, he wanted to challenge the biggest lucha libre star around here, so he challenged Rey Mysterio to a match tonight. The crowd cheered.
During the break, they re-aired the Danhausen/Miz segment from SmackDown. (They aired more of this later.)
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Becky Lynch promo
Lynch said she finally got rid of AJ Lee and ended her horrible title reign. She put gold around the waist of somebody who deserved it and became the first person to win four different titles at WrestleMania. She’s the first three-time Women’s IC champion and has won more Mania matches than any woman in history. She claimed she was coming for Undertaker’s win record next. (This got no reaction.)
All of that was wonderful, but what happened after the match was more important. She saw a sea of over 50,000 fans at Mania with her daughter sitting in the front row. She took her daughter up the ramp and to the back. She realized she needed to show her what a real champion was. It wasn’t about the five-star hotels or private jets or fancy tour buses, even though she indulged in all of that. It wasn’t about going to the biggest cities—it was about showing up in run-down towns like Loredo and showing up for all the common folk.
She knew the fans wanted her to be a fighting champion and not just against a nostalgia act or an underdog. She knew they wanted something new, shiny and exciting, so she issued an open challenge.
Iyo Sky entered, and the crowd chanted her name. Sky accepted. Lynch laughed. She said she wanted something new, shiny and exciting, and Sky was none of those things. She thought maybe Sky was accepting on Rhea Ripley’s behalf. She wanted to fight Shawn Michaels, not Marty Jannetty. After Lynch said Sky was holding Ripley back, Sky smacked her in the face.
Lynch was about to bail, but Adam Pearce sauntered out to make the title match official.
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Women’s Intercontinental Championship match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. IYO SKY
There was a passing reference to Kairi Sane during this match, though they never said her name. Michael Cole mentioned Sky and Ripley beating the Kabuki Warriors last week, and that Asuka was still pissed about it. Corey Graves said Asuka was so upset that we wouldn’t be seeing her former pupil for a long time.
Lynch blindsided Sky before the match began. Sky fought her off and tossed her around ringside, and the match began once they reentered the ring. They actually got to wrestle for a good six minutes or so before this went to break. Lynch got some offence, but Sky got the better of her and hit a powerbomb outside the ring.
They traded submission attempts during a break until the fight spilled back outside, where Sky hit a high cross off the barricade. After the break, Lynch hit a superplex and floated over into a DDT for two. Sky countered a Man-handle, hit a great-looking superkick, and a butterfly backbreaker for two.
Sky hit a tornado DDT and went for a moonsault, but Lynch got her feet up and hit a Man-handle Slam for a nearfall. Sky followed later with an Asai moonsault.
As the ref (not Jessika Carr) checked on Lynch, Asuka ran down and tripped Sky off the rope. The ref had to play dumb and pretend she couldn’t see Asuka standing nearby with Sky suddenly down.
Lynch took advantage and hit the Man-handle Slam for the pinfall win. Lynch retains.
— Asuka attacked Sky after the match. Asuka put her in the Asuka Lock, and Sky tapped out. The crowd chanted, “We want Kairi,” as Asuka stood tall.
Match result: Becky Lynch defeated IYO SKY to retain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship (13:22)
This was a really good match until the finish. It was refreshing to see Lynch finally wrestle someone other than Maxxine Dupri or AJ Lee in a singles match (for the first time since August 2025). The crowd was really into Sky, who suffered her fourth straight singles loss.
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Chad Gable Americano approached Rey Mysterio backstage. Gable asked whether he would have to watch his back when he faced El Grande Americano in their mask vs. mask match. Mysterio said no. All he wanted was for the two of them to respect lucha libre. Mysterio said something in Spanish, and Gable pretended to understand. Mysterio shook his head.
El Grande and his two buddies showed up. El Grande spoke to Mysterio in Spanish, but Gable told him to mind his business. They yelled at each other until Mysterio cut them off and said he wasn’t choosing sides. El Grande said he’d see Mysterio in the ring, and Mysterio was ready.
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Byron Saxton tried interviewing the Usos, but they were cut off by LA Knight. He asked if they were sitting at the table again, with Reigns at the head of the table. Knight reminded Jey that he was world champion on his own. Jimmy had the potential to be the champion, too, but he couldn’t do that under Reigns.
The Usos told him this was family business. Knight told them that the power they had under the Bloodline eventually corrupts, and then it would be his business.
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Joe Hendry concert
Hendry said he had a big decision to make and wanted to explain it via song. He sang a song announcing that he signed with Raw. In the song’s final verse, he said he respected the OTC and wanted to fire Logan Paul. He got the crowd to sing along to “fire Logan Paul,” until Paul interrupted.
Paul marched out with Theory and was red-hot. He called himself unfireable. Theory and Paul bragged about being champions. Hendry said he saw their match on ESPN and called them primetime losers.
Theory shoved the microphone into Hendry’s chest, so Hendry decked him with a clothesline and tackled Paul into the corner. The Vision swarmed him, though, until Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford ran out to make the save.
After The Street Profits cleared Paul and Theory from the ring, Hendry wiped them out with a leaping dive. Hendry’s music hit, and he posed with Dawkins and Ford.
(Singing a song proclaiming your admiration for Roman Reigns and hatred of Logan Paul is definitely one way to get yourself endeared to a new audience. Maybe he can shoot the t-shirt gun next week.)
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Backstage, Grayson Waller complained to Pearce about giving everyone else opportunities. Pearce tried to warn him that Oba Femi was standing behind him, but Waller didn’t get it. Waller said Femi was overrated and only beat Lesnar at the end of his career. Waller turned around to see Femi, who told Peare to make a match. Pearce made it official. (Our third impromptu match.)
*******
The Street Profits officially welcomed Hendry to Raw. Before he left, Ford told Hendry to switch his blue shirt now that he was on Raw.
Rollins approached Dawkins and Ford. He was about to thank them for their help last week, but they cut him off. They said Rollins thought everything was about him, like he was something special, and they walked off.
(I enjoyed Ford and Dawkins telling off Rollins.)
*******
The mask match between El Grande Americano and the Original El Grande is taking place in AAA on May 30th.
Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano (w/ Bravo & Rayo Americano)
There was a funny moment on commentary when Cole said he couldn’t wait to see what this guy looked like without his mask. Graves told him to go watch some old WCW before quickly realizing he meant El Grande, not Rey. (Graves knew what he meant.)
After a break, Rey fought back and hit a tilt-a-whirl DDT. The ref was distracted as Rey tried to get rid of Bravo on one side of the ring, as Rayo tried placing the metal plate inside El Grande’s mask on the other. Rey gave Rayo a 619 for his trouble.
The plate wound up in the ring, and El Grande tried to grab it for himself, but Gable Americano showed up and took it away. Rey shoved El Grande into Gable before giving El Grande a 619 and a springboard splash for the pinfall win.
— Gable and El Grande brawled after the match until officials broke it up.
Match result: Rey Mysterio defeated El Grande Americano (8:36)
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Announced for Backlash so far:
- Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
- IYO SKY vs. Asuka
Asuka promo
Asuka said she wasn’t done with Sky yet. She was still Sky’s senpai. All she tried to do was help Sky, but she only disappointed her. Sky was ungrateful, selfish, and her biggest failure. Sky failed Asuka and failed her family.
Asuka said, “And now, we’re both alone, because I didn’t want another IYO.” (Another reference to Sane without saying her name.) Asuka said Sky killed her family, and now nothing would stop Asuka from destroying her. She would teach Sky one final lesson: that she would never be ready for Asuka.
*******
Oba Femi vs. Grayson Waller
Femi slammed Waller before hitting a running uppercut and a Fall From Grace powerbomb for the pinfall win.
— After the match, Femi said the top champions were all tied up, and the United States Champion wasn’t accepting open challenges. Instead, Femi issued an open challenge to face him. He offered everyone a chance to step up, but warned that anyone who did so would be punished by the ruler.
The crowd was into Femi as usual.
Match result: Oba Femi defeated Grayson Waller (1:04)
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Liv Morgan spoke to Roxanne Perez backstage. Morgan wanted to finish the conversation they were having before WrestleMania when Vaquer bashed their heads together. (So they had no opportunity to chat in the last three weeks outside of this show.)
Morgan knew it must have been tough for Perez to watch everything that went down with Finn Bálor, because she knew they were close. But Morgan said they were a family, and Bálor put himself before the family. Morgan would never do that, so she would be in Perez’s corner tonight.
Morgan asked Perez if she trusted her. Perez nodded her head, but told Morgan to go ahead without her.
After Morgan left, Bálor slipped into the room unnoticed somehow and warned Perez that she couldn’t trust anyone in Judgment Day. Perez wondered if she could trust Bálor. She told him to leave before he got hurt. He wished her luck and left.
Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez (w/ Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan) vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
Perez was a huge fan favourite in front of her hometown crowd, and the crowd booed whenever the babyfaces went on offence against her. Cole said she had about 30 friends and family in the crowd.
Perez and Valkyria got hot tags after a break, but it was the babyface Valkyria who ran wild to the chorus of boos. Perez fought back and gave Bayley a Russian leg sweep as Rodriguez simultaneously hit a big boot, but Valkyria broke up the cover.
Perez knocked Valkyria off the apron and set up Bayley for Pop Rox, but Bayley countered and hit Bayley-to-belly for two after Rodriguez broke up the cover. Valkyria tackled Rodriguez out of the ring.
Morgan leaped on the apron, so Bayley went after her. Bayley grabbed Morgan by the hair, but Morgan jumped down to the floor to break it up, and Bayley bounced off the rope as a result. The ref didn’t call a DQ, but this was basically Bayley’s own fault.
The distraction allowed Perez to hit a shining wizard and Pop Rox for the pinfall win to a big pop from the crowd.
Match result: Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez defeated Bayley & Lyra Valkyria (9:20)
The match itself was just ok, but it was nice to see Perez get a big ovation and a win in her hometown in her return to the ring.
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There was a quick Sol Ruca video package. She signs her Raw contract next week.
Main event segment
Roman Reigns entered to a very big reaction. He said it’s been a while since he’s been in Texas, and if you couldn’t tell by watching at home, they loved him here. Everyone cheered.
Reigns said they created this world title belt in spite of him. They made it to try to take away from his shine, but it didn’t work. There was an old saying, and it was true: the title didn’t make the man, the man made the title. That’s exactly what he did. He put the title in the main event and on night two of WrestleMania. He made the title relevant, and now, you could finally be proud of it. Now, you could finally choose to acknowledge this title. Reigns told Loredo to acknowledge him. They did.
Jacob Fatu entered. Reigns said he gave Fatu a week to think it over and hoped he had made the right choice. Reigns hoped that Fatu would choose to unite their family and not divide.
Fatu said he didn’t need a week, a day, or an hour to think about it. Fatu knew exactly what he wanted when he came out last week. He didn’t hesitate when he said he needed that title.
Fatu said Reigns must be stuck in his WWE main event bubble. Reigns didn’t grind like him. Twelve years of hard work and suffering, not knowing what the next meal was going to be. While Reigns was running the Bloodline, Fatu was broke, foaming out the mouth, grinding on the front line, trying to figure out if he would get here or not.
It wasn’t how you started, but how you finish, and it got him standing out here now in front of Reigns’ ass. When he got started in WWE, Reigns, Jimmy, and Jey didn’t call him. Solo Sikoa did. Sikoa gave him a chance.
Reigns cut him off. Reigns said Fatu was either confused or dumber than he thought. Sikoa couldn’t even get a coffee delivered to the building if he wanted to. Reigns was the one who ran the place.
Reigns admitted he got a little distracted because things did get hectic around here, but he did sign off on Fatu. But now Fatu was sounding like a confused fool. Fatu didn’t deserve it and hasn’t earned it. Allowing Fatu to compete against him was nepotism, and he couldn’t allow that.
Before Reigns could continue, Fatu aggressively grabbed him by the jaw and wouldn’t let go until Reigns bonked him with the mic. Fatu put him in the Tongan Death Grip and headbutted him until he fell to the mat. Fatu warned Reigns that he would take everything from him.
Fatu held the title before dropping it on Reigns. There was a smattering of boos for Fatu as he walked off.
Reigns, still down on the mat, grabbed the mic and said he would see Fatu at Backlash. Before the show ended, Fatu told Reigns off-mic that he’d see his punk-ass next week.
(This was another strong segment following last week’s setup. Fatu comes across as completely different from everyone else on the show and as a title challenger. It’s tricky because he’s an easy guy to root for, but going against Reigns seems to automatically make him a heel to this audience right now. He doesn’t seem to be going full-fledged heel, he’s just out of his mind with the title within his grasp, so we’ll see how they handle it.)
