Tag: becky lynch

WWE Raw live results: Backlash go-home show

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: May 5th, 2025
Location: CHI Health Center in Omaha, NE

The Big Takeaway —

Jey Uso had an impromptu world title defence against Seth Rollins. Both men got close nearfalls, and Rollins finally seemed to have it won thanks to Bron Breakker, but they were foiled by CM Punk.

**********

Show Recap — 

Following a recap of last week’s show-long storyline, Iyo Sky, Roxanne Perez, Alpha Academy, Rusev, and Gunther were shown arriving at the arena in Omaha. 

Jey Uso and Paul Heyman segment 

Jey Uso entered through the crowd to kick off Raw. Pat McAfee got on the table to Yeet, and Cole told him that’s what got them in trouble with Gunther in the first place. 

Cole spoke about Jey, who told him that he’s busier than he’s ever been but is loving every moment. After Jey hit the ring, the crowd wanted an encore, so as is the new pattern, Jey started his music again and Yeeted some more. 

Jey immediately called out Logan Paul, but he got Paul Heyman instead. Heyman said he wasn’t there to disrespect Jey Uso, but he dragged himself to Omaha because he had something to say to the world champion. 

Jey told him he had a lot of balls to come out here after doing what he just did to his family. Jey said he warned Roman Reigns and CM Punk about Heyman. Heyman said somebody should’ve warned him about Punk. Nobody lived through what Heyman has lived through. (The crowd loudly chanted for Punk.) 

Heyman said Punk put him in a position guaranteed to sabotage his relationship with Reigns. (The crowd chanted, “OTC” next.) Heyman knew Punk way back when Reigns was still playing football, but Reigns should have known he wouldn’t tell Punk any of his secrets. Heyman stood by Reigns’ side for years, even after he got beat by Cody Rhodes after getting distracted by Seth Rollins. 

Reigns disappeared to lick his wounds and left him alone with the new Bloodline, who put him through a table. Reigns only returned to get his Ula Fala, not to avenge him. All Heyman wanted to do was help his friend main event WrestleMania. Heyman went on a crazy rant, saying people always blamed him, but he was right. The crowd called Heyman an asshole. 

Jey quipped, “Are you ok?” and the crowd laughed. Jey wanted to know what any of this had to do with him. 

Heyman said Jey won the title, and the title was all about power and control. Jey didn’t know how to yield that power and control. The title wasn’t about putting on his best performance every night. While Jey might want to be champion, Rollins had to be champion. Rollins had to have the power and control. Bron Breakker was stage one of their plan, and stage two was the title. 

Heyman wanted to allow Jey to sign his own death warrant and pick the night he lost the title because Rollins was officially challenging him to a title match. Rollins deserved to be the number one contender after beating Punk and Reigns. Rollins could beat Jey any time, any place. 

Jey fired up and made the match for tonight as the crowd popped.

******** 

Heyman approached Rollins and Breakker in the back. Heyman said Jey fell for it. (Heyman acted frightened in the ring when Jey made the match, but he was delighted here.) Rollins was happy and said, “I told you so.” 

After Rollins left, Heyman asked Breakker if he understood the significance of tonight’s match, to which he responded, “I think so.” Heyman explained it to the meathead. 

Heyman put over how dangerous Jey was when he was prepared. He made Gunther tap out, but was now focused on Logan Paul. Rollins was a sniper who had Jey in his sights. The keys would be in their kingdom when the referee handed the world title belt to Rollins. 

The match was made official for tonight: Jey defends the world title against Rollins. (The first men’s world title match on Raw in seven months.) 

******** 

Penta vs. JD McDonagh (w/Finn Bálor & Carlito)

Penta won despite tons of interference. 

They went to break after McDonagh gave Penta a DVD onto the ring apron. Penta fought back after the break and hit a slingblade for two, and a backbreaker for two. 

Bálor distracted the referee while Carlito tried to interfere, but Penta shoved him off and sent McDonagh to the outside before wiping out both men with a diving crossbody. Bálor attacked Penta himself, but the ref saw it and tossed him and Carlito from ringside. Bálor tried to apologize, to no avail. 

Chad Gable interfered next while the referee was still distracted, but Penta wiped him out with a flip dive. McDonagh used the distraction to hit a jawbreaker, but Penta avoided a moonsault and hit a Canadian Destroyer for the pinfall win. (I’m glad he won with the Destroyer.) The crowd popped for the win. 

Match result: Penta defeated JD McDonagh (10:55) 

********

Last week, Grayson Waller was excited to announce he was requesting a singles match this week. However, he complained to Adam Pearce backstage after learning who his opponent was. 

Austin Theory showed up, and Waller acted like he never wanted a singles match in the first place. Waller told Pearce that Theory should do the match instead. Theory was happy to do it, so Pearce accepted. Theory asked Waller who his opponent was, but Waller said it was a surprise. 

******** 

Cathy Kelley interviewed Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) during a break. There wasn’t much to it. Kross got a decent reaction and made a reference to his “killer” nickname. 

Anthony Smith was shown ringside. 

Sheamus vs. Austin Theory (w/Grayson Waller)

Theory was not happy with Waller after learning his opponent was the returning Sheamus. The crowd was happy to see him. 

Sheamus was in control until Theory took over during the break after hitting a draping neckbreaker off the apron. Theory avoided ten beats of the Bodhrán and slingshotted back into the ring, but right into a Sheamus knee strike. 

Theory hit a rolling blockbuster, but Sheamus responded with an avalanche White Noise. Sheamus hit ten fourteen beats of the Bodhrán as the crowd loudly chanted along, followed by a Brogue Kick for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Sheamus defeated Austin Theory (9:39) 

********

A new match was announced for Backlash: Dominik Mysterio defends the Intercontinental Championship against Penta. 

McDonagh approached Judgment Day backstage. He was pissed and wondered why Gable got involved earlier. 

AJ Styles, who just lost to Logan Paul, entered and said he was coming for the Intercontinental title after Backlash. (Styles misspoke when trying to say, “Intercontinental,” so he had to redo the line.) Styles left. 

Dom wasn’t happy with this and asked Bálor to talk to Styles since they had a history. Bálor acted annoyed that he had to clean up Dom’s mess again, but he was just screwing with Dom. Bálor smiled and said he would take care of it. 

********

The New Day approached Gable backstage. Kofi Kingston said it was awful what just happened to Gable. Xavier Woods said American Made should start seeing more opportunities (instead of the War Raiders). They were all on the same page. 

Becky Lynch barged through them and made her way to the stage. 

Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria segment 

Lynch entered. She was confused over why the fans treated her like the bad guy, because she was the victim. When she returned at WrestleMania, everyone lost their minds. A woman in the crowd cried tears of joy. Nobody cared where Bayley was because she was garbage. 

Lynch took out the garbage, and now everyone was mad that she did. That’s not how you react when someone takes out the garbage; you thank them for it. She also took out the recycling (referring to Lyra Valkyria). Valkyria was less offensive than regular garbage, but she was still garbage. What was garbage about Valkyria was her attitude. She didn’t have a dream or a title if not for Lynch. She wouldn’t even have her fiancé if not for her. 

Valkyria interrupted. She called Lynch the queen of recycling because she’s been recycling the same moves and tired old act for years. Valkyria didn’t care about that. She had a problem with Lynch claiming any credit for her success. 

Valkyria said Lynch went on holiday, and everyone else got better. Valkyria made history. Not only that, she’s already defended the belt more times than Lynch has shown up for work this year. Valkyria said Lynch had no intention of taking anyone else to the top with her. 

Lynch said Valkyria was right that everyone had the best year of their career while she was gone, but that was because she wasn’t around to compare themselves to. It wasn’t Lynch’s job to help anybody. It was her job to beat everybody, and she was the greatest to ever do it. That wasn’t just her talking—Sports Illustrated called her the best to ever do it. 

Valkyria said Lynch must hate it that she was the first-ever Women’s Intercontinental Champion. Valkyria said Lynch better enjoy second place. 

Lynch tried a cheap shot, but Valkyria saw it coming and tackled her. They brawled until officials pulled Valkyria away, but she broke through and laid out Lynch with Nightwing. 

(Lynch was good here, and this was a decent enough exchange. However, Valkyria’s promo sounded like something that could have been written for anybody to say.) 

********

Perez cut a very generic heel promo during a break. 

Non-title match: Women’s World Champion IYO SKY vs. Roxanne Perez

Sky went for a dive, but Perez slipped back into the ring and kicked her leg out of her leg. Perez followed with a dive of her own. Perez took too much time looking around, so Sky wiped her out with a suicide dive. Sky set up for a springboard move, but Perez knocked her down and targeted her leg again. 

Perez targeted Sky’s leg through a break, but Sky hit an arm drag off the second rope as they returned from break. Sky fired up the crowd after hitting a missile dropkick, but she couldn’t follow up because of her knee. Perez tried to take advantage, but Sky hit a double foot stomp. Sky hit a German suplex and rolled through for another, but Perez countered with a back suplex. Sky responded with a backbreaker. 

Perez avoided a moonsault, and Sky sold her injured leg upon landing. Perez followed with a double knee drop for two. They traded cradles for a series of two counts until Sky captured her in one final cradle for the pinfall win. 

— Perez shook Sky’s hand after the match, but it was a swerve. Giulia decked Sky from behind, and Perez joined the assault. They double-teamed her as the crowd chanted for Rhea Ripley, but as the announcers noted, Ripley is in Australia. Giulia and Perez stood tall. 

Match result: IYO SKY defeated Roxanne Perez (10:08) 

********

Pearce met with the War Raiders backstage during a break, which led to an argument involving the Raiders, Gable and The New Day. Pearce put the War Raiders in a match with the Creed Brothers, with the winner getting the next shot at New Day. 

Everyone left, and as Gable was about to leave, Pearce said, “Hey, Americano.” Gable turned around to acknowledge him, but immediately realized his mistake. They both chuckled. Pearce wished Gable a happy Cinco de Mayo, and Gable said, “Gracious.”

The crowd got a kick out of this. It’s too bad this was during a break. 

******** 

Rusev vs. Otis (w/Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa) 

Rusev hit a spinning heel kick ahead of an early break. Otis had some offence during the break, but Rusev sent him out of the ring with a dropkick as they returned. Rusev went after Otis, but Otis easily suplexed him over the announce desk. 

Rusev ducked a strike by Otis, causing Otis to slam his arm against the ring post. Otis ducked a kick, causing Rusev to kick the ring post. They found their way back in the ring, and Otis went for a corner charge, but Rusev hit a superkick. Rusev responded with an Accolade, and Otis tapped out. 

— Rusev wouldn’t let go of the hold after the match, but did once Tozawa hit the ring. Tozawa challenged him to a fight right now, but Rusev couldn’t be bothered, so he left. Of course, as Tozawa checked on Otis, Rusev ran back down to attack them. 

Rusev powerbombed Tozawa onto Otis before putting Otis in the Accolade again until officials broke it up. (Natalya ran down to check on Dupri.) 

Rusev looked good in the post-match.

Match result: Rusev defeated Otis (6:27) 

********

Pat McAfee and Gunther segment 

Pearce called McAfee and Gunther to the ring and told them to keep it professional until Saturday. 

Gunther informed McAfee he wouldn’t do anything to him tonight because he didn’t want to spoil Saturday. And, unlike McAfee and Cole, he was a professional. The crowd chanted, “You tapped out,” so Gunther told them to shut up. 

McAfee called Cole a GOAT. People cheered and chanted for Cole. (This is still so weird to me.) McAfee said Cole has dedicated his time to this company for 28 years straight, minus just three days. Cole earned the right to have an opinion, yet it bothered Gunher so much that it caused him to attack a 60-year-old man. 

McAfee said it was appropriate that they were in Omaha, Nebraska. Being in Nebraska made him think of the Cornhuskers. It made him think of steak, because nobody beats this town’s meat. It made him think of the annual College Baseball World Series held in this town. This city was a symbol of dreams coming true. 

McAfee thought he and Gunther had things in common, despite being from different places. They grew up with the same dream, wanting to be in this industry. They spent hours watching wrestling in front of the television, knowing this was what they were meant to do. 

Gunther has been in the business for 20 years. He was a champion for 80% of his time here. But he’s become jaded. It was just a job to him now. But McAfee was jacked up every time he stepped into an arena. McAfee thought about 11-year-old him, dreaming about getting in the ring to let assholes like Gunther know that he doesn’t like what they’re about. 

McAfee thought about Gunther at this current stage, as opposed to his Waltering around stage, and he’s become too comfortable. He didn’t want it anymore. It happened with Sami Zayn and with Jey Uso. McAfee would show everyone that Gunther has gone soft. 

Gunther asked if McAfee enjoyed his daughter’s 2nd birthday last week. It must have been special. Saturday was a special day for Gunther, and McAfee just got him in the mood for it. 

It was Gunther’s first match since Mania, and he would show up sharper and more focused than ever. Gunther would beat him up and maul him. He would drive McAfee’s head into the mat and choke him out. Only the grace of God would be able to lift his arms off McAfee’s throat. 

Gunther threw down the mic and marched to the back. 

******** 

There was a video for John Cena vs. Randy Orton. They let us know that their last singles match was back in 2017. 

Next week on Raw: 

  • Finn Bálor vs. AJ Styles 
  • The War Raiders vs. The Creed Brothers 
  • IYO SKY & Rhea Ripley vs. Roxanne Perez & Giulia

********

World Heavyweight Championship: Jey Uso vs. Seth Rollins (w/Paul Heyman & Bron Breakker)

Jey wrestled in black pants and white sneakers. He switched to black after Gunther attacked Jimmy, but I think he’s safe to go back to more colourful attire. Black is more serious, but also looks too generic. 

Jey hit with a suicide dive early on. Rollins fell over the announce table and came up bleeding from the back of his head. Jey was in control during a break until Rollins dropped him face-first into the middle turnbuckle. 

They knocked each other down with a duel crossbody attempts, before Jey fired back with strikes, a Samoan Drop, and a running hip attack for two. Rollins followed with a suicide dive, but Jey caught him with a mid-air superkick moments later for a nearfall. Both guys were down, so the crowd chanted, “This is awesome.” 

Rollins hit a buckle bomb but missed a frog splash. Jey went for a spear, but Rollins countered that into a Pedigree for two. (A clever spot, since we know Rollins has done this to Reigns before.) Jey avoided a stomp and applied a sleeper. (The crowd was into the sleeper since that’s how he beat Gunther.) Rollins slipped out of it, but Jey hit a spear for a very close nearfall. 

Jey knocked Rollins off the top, and Rollins accidentally-on-purpose bumped into the referee. Breakker tried to interfere with the ref distracted, but Jey kicked him off. With Jey recuperating, Rollins hit a superplex into a falcon arrow, followed by a curb stomp for a nearfall. 

As Rollins spoke with Breakker, Sami Zayn entered to his music to take out Breakker. 

Jey superkicked Rollins, hit a spear and an Uso splash. Everyone thought that was it, but Rollins kicked out. 

Zayn rallied the crowd and fired up Jey, but Breakker speared Zayn. As Jey checked on Zayn, Breakker speared him too (Heyman distracted the ref). 

Rollins hit a curb stomp and seemed to have the title won, but CM Punk entered to his music, and the crowd exploded. Punk attacked Breakker and Rollins with a chair. (The referee didn’t officially call an end to the match. He just waved his arms in frustration and left the ring, like in WWF Raw the video game.) 

— Punk attacked Rollins repeatedly with the chair until he escaped. The show ended with Punk standing tall as Zayn checked on Jey. 

(This was a fun match and the final moments were really well laid out, with some convincing nearfalls on both sides. Jey’s two best singles matches have now been against Seth Rollins. The other was back at the end of 2023 when Rollins was world champion.) 

Match result: Jey Uso vs. Seth Rollins ended in a no contest or disqualification (approx. 19:20)

Fight Game: When does MJF get a thumbs up from Bobby Lashley?

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

John LaRocca and I, Garrett Gonzales, are back to talk about the major topics in the world of wrestling on this week’s Fight Game Podcast.

We kicked off this show by giving out our Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down winners and losers of the week like normal, but on this show, we changed up the format and eliminated the Top Five. Let us know if you liked the switch up.

Here are some of the things we talked about:

  • Sami Zayn’s role in the current Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Paul Heyman story
  • Becky Lynch’s role as a heel now and what it might be in the future
  • Finals are set for The Owen Cup
  • The non-serious spots in the All-Star 8-man tag taking the match down a notch on AEW Dynamite
  • Dark Side of the Ring on Eddie Gilbert

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

Women’s IC title match official for WWE Backlash, Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul teased

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The Women’s Intercontinental title will be on the line at WWE Backlash, and the World Heavyweight title appears likely to be as well.

In a match made official during Monday’s WWE Raw, Becky Lynch will challenge Lyra Valkyria for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship at Backlash in St. Louis on Saturday, May 10.

Lynch made her return to WWE at WrestleMania 41 after a hiatus of nearly a year to win the Women’s Tag Team titles with Valkyria. Valkyria had been scheduled to team with Bayley at the show, but Bayley was taken out of the match with a mystery attacker angle on the SmackDown prior.

The next night on Raw, Lynch and Valkyria lost the titles back to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez in a WrestleMania rematch, then Lynch turned on Valkyria. On this week’s Raw, Lynch stated that there would be no drawn out whodunit, and that she had attacked Bayley.

Valkyria entered on Monday’s Raw and challenged Lynch to a fight, but Lynch begged off. Valkyria then challenged Lynch for Backlash with the title on the line, and Lynch accepted. As Valkyria exited, Lynch sneak attacked her.

Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul teased–

Another title bout may take place in St. Louis as well, with Jey Uso apparently set to defend against Logan Paul.

Paul appeared for an in-ring promo on Monday’s Raw and boasted about beating AJ Styles at WrestleMania, and said that the only thing that had eluded him in WWE was a World title. Uso entered and after a back-and-forth on the mic, laid out Paul with a superkick.

Later on Raw in a backstage segment, Paul hit Uso with a knockout punch and stood tall over the World Heavyweight Champion. The title match has yet to be made official for the May 10 show.

The updated WWE Backlash lineup following Monday’s Raw episode is below. This week’s Raw report is available here.

WWE Backlash, Saturday, May 10 —

  • Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena defends against Randy Orton
  • Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria defends against Becky Lynch
  • Pat McAfee vs. Gunther

WWE Raw live results: Seth Rollins, Paul Heyman & Bron Breakker appear

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: April 28, 2025
Location: T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO 

The Big Takeaway —

Another talk-heavy Raw was built around Seth Rollins making an offer to Sami Zayn. You can guess how that turned out. 

Plus, Becky Lynch explained herself, and will get a shot at Lyra Valkyria’s IC title at Backlash. Pat McAfee has himself a match at Backlash against Gunther, and Logan Paul is next in line for Jey Uso. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Nick Aldis, Rhea Ripley, Roxanne Perez, American Made, Stephanie Vaquer, and Logan Paul arrived at the arena. Aldis is filling in tonight for his rival GM, Adam Pearce, which is allowed for some reason. Ripley got a big reaction as you’d expect, but Vaquer also got a pretty good reaction. 

Michael Cole informed us that Pearce suspended Gunther indefinitely. Pat McAfee couldn’t wait to address Gunther later tonight. 

There was a recap of last week’s closing angle. 

Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Paul Heyman segment

Rollins’ music hit, and the crowd popped. They cheered as all three men hit the ring. They sang Rollins’ song and sang along with his catchphrase. 

He said he knew there were people who still wanted to cheer for CM Punk. That actually brought a lot of booing until a small number of people chanted for Punk. That seemed to catch them a bit off guard. Rollins mentioned Roman Reigns next, and he was cheered. 

Rollins said the fans were looking at the future of the industry. The future wasn’t Punk, Reigns, John Cena, Jey Uso, or Cody Rhodes. The future, alongside Heyman and Breakker, ran through Seth Rollins. (There was also a lot of barking for Breakker.) 

Sami Zayn interrupted. Zayn said they’ve been friends a long time and wanted to tell him to his face that this was a lot of crap. Rollins had talked all that trash about Punk and Reigns for years, while noting that the only thing they had in common was Heyman. Zayn wondered how Rollins was any different. 

Zayn used to think Rollins really did hate those two men, but maybe he was just jealous. Maybe he just wanted to be in the position they were in. Zayn called it hypocritical for Rollins to think he had to be at the centre of the industry and compared it to the Bloodline. 

Rollins said this was nothing like the Bloodline, but Zayn said it was just like the Bloodline, because Rollins had his wise man on one side and his little dog on the other. Zayn warned Breakker to stop looking at him, or else he’d get his head kicked in. They got face-to-face until Rollins calmed things down. 

Rollins said this was the future, and Zayn could be with them or against them. That wasn’t meant to be a threat, but if he stood in their way, he was a target. Rollins didn’t want that for Zayn. He offered to have Heyman pull some strings and get Zayn moved off of Raw so he didn’t get caught in the crossfire. Rollins earnestly told him to think about it because they would need an answer by the end of the night.

(They’re a heel group, but the crowd certainly didn’t treat them like that. The only heelish thing about Rollins so far is that he doesn’t like two babyfaces, Punk and Reigns, but we already knew that.) 

******** 

Ripley entered ahead of break, Perez entered during the break. 

Rhea Ripley vs. Roxanne Perez

This was their second match ever, with the first happening in NXT in 2022. 

They played cat and mouse early until Perez chucked her ring jacket at Ripley’s face and chop-blocked her. Perez maintained control by working the leg, but Ripley caught her flying crossbody attempt and hit a fallaway slam. Some children chanted, “This is awesome,” a couple of minutes into the match after not much happened. 

Perez regained control during a break and kept targeting the leg. Ripley fought back while selling her leg and hit a Razor’s Edge and a sliding knee for two. 

Giulia walked out to distract Ripley while Perez cradled her for two. Perez followed with a double knee drop for two. Ripley went after Giulia, who was just standing there, and Perez tried to use the distraction, but Ripley fought her off. 

Ripley went for Rip-tide, but Guilia chop-blocked her from behind for the DQ. Cole wondered what they were trying to accomplish. 

Iyo Sky ran out to a big reaction to make the save, repaying the favour from last week. The heels outnumbered Sky, but Ripley came back in to chase them off. 

Match result: Rhea Ripley defeated Roxanne Perez via disqualification (11:49) 

*******

Judgment Day segment 

Finn Bálor excitedly welcomed JD McDonagh back (and acted like they hadn’t seen each other since the moment their segment ended last week). As they caught up, Liv Morgan interrupted to ask if everything was cool and wondered why they weren’t getting ready for their match. 

Bálor was surprised to learn he had a match tonight. McDonagh thought Morgan had already told him that they had a match against the War Raiders. Morgan wasn’t sure Bálor would like hearing that since it wasn’t a title match. Bálor was happy to have the match, but wanted them to keep him in the loop next time. 

********

Jackie Redmond interviewed A-Town Down Under during the break. Austin Theory put over the Kansas City Chiefs, while Grayson Waller congratulated the Philadelphia Eagles on beating the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Waller informed them that he had a singles match next week. Theory was surprised and upset to learn this. 

Logan Paul / Jey Uso segment 

Paul wondered why he was getting booed after beating AJ Styles at WrestleMania. He called the fans victims of circumstance because they were from Kansas City. They didn’t know what greatness looked like. They were so stupid to think a true legend would look like their current world champion, Jey Uso. Paul said he’s done everything there is to do in the industry except win a world title. 

Jey Uso interrupted. Jey said he wasn’t about to hand over the world title he worked 15 years to get to some punk-ass YouTuber. Watching Gunther beat his brother to a bloody pulp lit a fire under him that was never going out. “This title is not given, it’s earned—and it’s mine.” If Paul wanted it, Jey invited him to take it. 

Paul mocked his Yeeting and said he sounded stupid. Paul planned on taking the title, while Jey would crash out, screw up and lose it faster than he lost the Intercontinental Championship. 

Jey laid him out with a superkick, and the crowd popped. 

Jey was good here, and he got a superstar reaction. 

********

New Day joined commentary for the next match. Cole liked Xavier Woods’ haircut because it was the same as Alicia Taylor’s. Woods said he had the hairstyle way before she did. 

The War Raiders vs. Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh (w/Carlito) 

Woods said we were only impressed by Ivar’s offence because he was “fat.” Kingston tried to say he was big-boned, but Woods made sure to call him fat repeatedly. Woods said Bálor had a lot of abs, while Ivar was ab-sent. Cole said he should’ve been in the roast. (The last bit happened during a break.) 

Ivar made a comeback after a break, as Woods continued to make cracks about his weight. Woods was impressed by his moonsault, though. Ivar went for the moonsault but took too long while looking over at New Day, so Bálor moved out of the way. 

McDonagh tagged in and wiped out the Raiders with an Asai moonsault. McDonagh followed with a moonsault in the ring, but Erik broke up the cover. Ivar hit a double handspring elbow as Woods continued to mock him. Kingston said he can easily do that move. 

Ivar grabbed Bálor and chucked him into New Day at ringside as they continued to talk trash. Woods actually caught Bálor, so Ivar tackled them all to the ground. 

Carlito tried to distract the referee to help his team, but Penta suddenly appeared and dropped McDonagh off the top rope (as payback for last week). Erik and Ivar followed with War Machine for the pinfall win. 

Match result: The War Raiders defeated JD McDonagh & Finn Bálor (10:34) 

********

Otis met with Zayn backstage, but left after Heyman entered. Heyman said he and Zayn were OG Bloodline. Zayn said that might be true, but Heyman blew that all up after what he did. 

Heyman said Rollins viewed himself as the vanguard of the industry’s future, and Breakker was his dog at the gate. Breakker was demanding a match with Zayn, and they couldn’t say no to that because Bron was the key to their plans. However, Rollins held Zayn in such reverence that if he accepted a trade to SmackDown, he would get a pass. 

Heyman already spoke to Aldis. If Zayn accepted Rollins’ offer, he would face the winner of John Cena vs. Randy Orton for the title. Heyman urged him to think about his future and his family. He said Zayn could live in the future or die with the past. (Zayn seemed to be taking this under consideration.) 

********

Jeff Passan and Ryan Blaney were in the crowd. 

There was a video package of Becky Lynch’s turn last week. They added a ton of fake booing that did not happen.  

Becky Lynch / Lyra Valkyria segment 

Lynch entered to a mixed reaction. She said Bayley was tragically taken out of her WrestleMania match, but there wouldn’t be any murder mystery or weeks-long who did it. She examined the footage and found the culprit — “It was me! I did it!” 

Lynch was amused with herself until people booed. She told them not to act like she was the bad guy. Bayley has attacked her nonstop since 2019. Bayley never apologized to her. 

Lynch said Bayley forgot what this industry was all about. She begged for people to like her while she wore everyone else’s shirts and danced to their songs. Bayley wondered why she wasn’t a bigger star, but she saw a bigger star when Lynch walked out at WrestleMania. 

Lynch moved on to Lyra Valkyria. She said the friend of her enemy was her enemy. Valkyria would not be in this business if not for her. Lynch had high hopes for Valkyria, but Lynch watched at home while she cozied up to the woman she’s been fighting for six years. Lynch called her a loser for tagging with Bayley. 

Valkyria interrupted. She said many women in the back warned her about Lynch. Bayley was the first. Valkyria didn’t want to believe them. She was caught up in the fairytale dream of winning the tag titles with Lynch at Mania. 

It took Valkyria too long to realize it, but after three consecutive Man-handle slams last week, she realized who Lynch was—and now she would pay for it. Valkyria entered the ring, but Lynch bailed. (Some fans were giving Valkyria the What treatment, but she got them on her side by asking if they wanted to see a fight.) 

Valkyria tried to egg on Lynch by reminding her that she beat her the last time they wrestled. Lynch said she would only wrestle when it mattered, and Kansas City didn’t matter. Valkyria wasn’t surprised, so she suggested Backlash. Valkyria also put her title on the line because she knew Lynch wouldn’t accept otherwise. 

Lynch said she would make the title matter, just like she made Valkyria matter. Valkyria told her to shut up. Valkyria made herself matter. She would be a better person than Lynch, and she was already a better wrestler. 

Lynch started ranting, so Valkyria attacked her, but Lynch bailed through the crowd. It seemed like the segment was wrapping up with Valkyria posing on the stage, but Lynch dropped her from behind. 

********

Aldis met with Penta backstage. Aldis didn’t appreciate Penta getting involved in the match earlier. Aldis let him off with a warning because he didn’t want to fine him. Aldis let him know he would be wrestling McDonagh next week. (Why weren’t the heels admonished for interfering last week?) 

Chad Gable (with Ivy Nile) mocked Penta for dropping the ball at Mania. Gable said his favourite part was watching his useless brother Fénix lose to El Grande Americano. Penta dropped him with a kick and told him not to mess with the Lucha Bros. 

********

There was a Rusev video package. He left WWE and fell into the abyss. He fixed himself while he was there. He realized he should no longer fight for a woman for a flag. He was free to crush people, not because he was told to, but because he wanted to. 

Non-title match: NXT Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer vs. Ivy Nile (w/Chad Gable) 

Vaquer hit Devil’s Kiss to the delight of the crowd. Nile blocked it earlier, which the crowd didn’t appreciate. After a break, Vaquer did it again. Vaquer hit a Meteora in the corner, but Gable put Nile’s feet on the rope. 

Vaquer confronted Gable, but Nile dropped her with a German suplex outside the ring. Nile hit another one in the ring for two. Nile went to the top, but Vaquer hit her with headbutts before hitting a superplex for a nearfall. The crowd chanted, “This is awesome.” 

Nile countered Vaquer’s finisher with a uranage for two. Vaquer trapped Nile in the ropes and hit a superkick. Vaquer followed with a dragon screw and SVB for the pinfall win. 

This was a pretty good TV match. The crowd liked Vaquer. 

Match result: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Ivy Nile (9:33)

******** 

Aldis met with AJ Styles until they were interrupted by Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, and Dominik Mysterio. Morgan apologized in advance for tanking the ratings because she needed time off to film a big Hollywood movie. Aldis granted her the time off and said it was already taken care of. 

Dom wanted time off, too. Aldis wondered why, and Dom said he was the IC champ and he could do what he wanted. Aldis said no. Being the champion meant working more often. 

Dom suggested he find a retirement home for Styles and wondered if he broke his hip, like his deadbeat dad did. Styles said no, but offered to break something else. Judgment Day left, while Dom held up his belt so Styles could see it. Styles had an idea, and Aldis already knew what it was. 

******** 

Karrion Kross met with Zayn. Kross said Zayn had a big decision to make and hoped he made the right one. (Kross wore his hair like Zayn. He did not get the big reaction he got last week.)

********

Pat McAfee promo 

McAfee cut a promo while standing on the announce table. McAfee said a lot of people have forgotten who the hell he was. He’s had such a successful career on the microphone that even he has forgotten who he is. He looked in the mirror and realized he was still that dog that was born in the East Hills of Pittsburgh to a truck driver who lived paycheck to paycheck to paycheck. 

He was not handed a lot in this life, but he was blessed to have a lot of friends. He went from being a bum to being someone known in every city in the country. He wasn’t better-looking than most folks, but he had things he hoped people remembered him by. 

When he was six feet under, he hoped people would speak about how hard he worked. He received a lot and gave back a lot. He gave millions of dollars back to his community. To children’s hospitals across the country, military foundations, homeless shelters, and LGBTQ communities. 

He wanted people to say he left the world better than when he entered it. Most of all, he wanted people to say he was a loyal motherf—ker. (This was censored.) 

There was one man who was with him from the beginning, the greatest of all time, Michael Cole. People chanted for Cole. McAfee had no other option than to protect his boy when that Austrian asshole attacked him. McAfee dropped an f-bomb again when addressing Gunther. He called out “SmackDown’s version of Adam Pearce.” 

Aldis entered. Aldis said Pearce might like chaos to reign supreme, but he wasn’t in charge tonight. Aldis told him to be professional. McAfee wanted Aldis to lift Gunther’s ban so he could fight him ASAP. Aldis said no. The two of them were too valuable as assets to the company. 

Aldis had a proposal: a sanctioned contest inside the ring. (I assume that’s what McAfee was asking for in the first place.) Aldis proposed a singles match at Backlash. McAfee accepted and threw down the mic. 

********

Jey Uso met with Zayn. Jey knew he would make the best decision for himself. Zayn thanked him and they hugged. 

The camera stayed on Jey for a while until Logan Paul punched him out. 

******** 

There was a quick segment with Sky and Ripley. Ripley wanted Sky to know she didn’t need her help, and Sky quipped, “Looked like you did.” (Sky will be on tomorrow’s NXT.)

Next week on Raw: 

  • Rusev vs. Otis 
  • Penta vs. JD McDonagh 

********

Seth Rollins / Sami Zayn segment 

Rollins entered alone and called out Zayn. Rollins tried to reason with him. Zayn may not like Heyman and Breakker, but Rollins and Zayn were friends. Zayn celebrated with Jey last week because they were friends. 

Rollins said nobody was better suited to lead them into the future than him. It hurt that Zayn didn’t believe in him. The business tore friendships apart. They’ve both experienced that. He wondered how many true friends they could still count on. Zayn was one of Rollins’ true friends. Rollins turned to Zayn for advice when his baby girl was born. 

Rollins wanted to return the favour by giving Zayn advice that would save his life: Take the way out. Take whatever Heyman offered him. If Zayn didn’t believe in him, bad things would happen, and Rollins didn’t want that. 

Zayn said he was sorry if he had hurt him as a friend. Everything he said about them was true. They were real friends outside of the business, as were their kids. However, Zayn knew Rollins was playing games with what he said in the ring. 

Zayn admitted that Rollins was better than he was at doing that. Rollins knew what card to play because Zayn confided in him over the years about the one thing that nagged at him. The one thing he wanted was the WWE Championship, and now Rollins was dangling that in front of him. Zayn was never one to run away. 

Zayn said Rollins talked about hurt feelings, but Zayn wouldn’t just stand there while his friend threatened him. He didn’t care if he was a target because he’s been a target many times before. But Zayn wouldn’t dare be blackmailed or threatened. 

Zayn fired up and insisted that he would become a world champion one day, but it would not be due to a favour; it would be because he did it the right way. Zayn said, “So buddy, as a friend, I respect you. I love you. But this is me telling you to go to hell.” 

Rollins hung his head as Bron’s music hit. Bron entered in his gear, and I guess we’re having a match. 

Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker (w/Seth Rollins & Paul Heyman)

Zayn wrestled in jeans. They went to break after Bron hit a leaping clothesline off the apron and over the announce table. Zayn fought back just in time as they returned from break and hit a sunset flip powerbomb off the ropes for two. Zayn followed with a tornado DDT for two. 

Bron came back with a Frankensteiner, but Zayn blocked a spear and hit an exploder in the corner. The crowd cheered as Zayn set up for a Helluva kick, but Bron cut him off with a spear. 

Rollins watched stoically from ringside the entire match. Rollins nodded at Bron, who hit Zayn with another spear. Rollins told Zayn to take the deal, but Zayn told him to go to hell. Zayn pulled himself to his feet but ate a third spear. 

Zayn fell out of the ring, and the referee called for EMTs. As they checked on Zayn, Bron ran around the ring and killed him with a fourth spear. Jamie Noble tried to plead with Bron, but Bron told him to back off. 

Bron tossed Zayn back in the ring, but the ref covered Zayn and called off the match. (Fans kept chanting, “One more time.”) 

— Rollins told Bron that tonight was his first lesson. Zayn made his bed, and now he had to sleep in it. Rollins stomped Zayn. Rollins, Heyman, and Breakker stood tall as the show ended.

This was meant to push Rollins more as a heel, but of course, the fans sang his song. The crowd did cheer for Zayn during the match, but it looks like it’ll take a lot more to turn them completely against Rollins and his group. They might want to start by changing his music. 

Match result: Bron Breakker defeated Sami Zayn via referee stoppage (12:33)

Becky Lynch turns on Lyra Valkyria, Tag Team titles change hands on WWE Raw

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The newly-formed tag team of Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria has already split.

One day after Lynch and Valkyria won the Women’s Tag Team titles, they dropped them right back to former champs Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, with Lynch turning on Valkyria in the post-match.

Valkyria was pinned in the Tag title rematch on Monday’s Raw in Las Vegas, with Morgan hitting Oblivion for the finish. Lynch was repeatedly neutralized as she attempted to help her partner during the bout.

After the match, Lynch hugged Valkyria before dropping her with multiple clotheslines. Lynch left the ring, then returned to hit three Manhandle Slams on Valkyria to cement the heel turn.

Lynch returned at WrestleMania 41 after a hiatus of nearly 11 months, replacing Bayley as Valkyria’s partner. Bayley was laid out backstage in an angle on the night one of WrestleMania pre-show on Saturday, with her attacker yet to be revealed.

It was announced on Monday’s Raw that Bayley had suffered a partial shoulder dislocation in storyline, and would be on the shelf for an indeterminate amount of time.

Our live play-by-play coverage of the Raw after WrestleMania is ongoing here.

WOR: WrestleMania 41 night two review

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Image: WWE

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including full coverage of night TWO of WrestleMania, the John Cena title win, the return of Becky Lynch, DIRTY DOM, and more, plus the latest on WWE acquiring AAA!

A fun show as always so check it out~!

Click Here to Listen or watch on YouTube with a premium sub

WWE WrestleMania 41 Sunday media scrum notes: Becky Lynch says she’s back full time

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Becky Lynch is back full time.

Triple H, Lynch, Lyra Valkyria, Logan Paul, and others took questions from the media following WrestleMania 41 Sunday. Here’s the highlights:

Logan Paul

  • When asked about his part-time status, He said when Triple H calls him, he answers the call. He said he put on “five star matches” every time he’s out there and whoever Triple H wants him to go out there against, he’ll rise to the challenge.

Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria

  • Lynch was joined by her daughter, Roux.
  • She said that taking a break from WWE for the last year was amazing. It was good to get into activities and school for her daughter, a routine schedule.
  • The most important thing in her life is her family, and wrestling is next. To be back and be at Lyra’s side is amazing. She told Lyra that she was the biggest hope for the future and she wanted to be a contributing factor in walking out of WrestleMania as champions.
  • She confirmed that she was back full time, said that she’ll go hard until she could no more, or at least take another break.

John Cena took questions from the media, but mostly regarded all questions as click bait then demanded people to watch Raw to see what the “Last Real Champion” does to ruin wrestling.

Triple H

  • Triple H first took time to praise the staff and talent involved in setting up WrestleMania.
  • Offical numbers will be out later in the week but in terms of sponsorship, merchandise, and social media, all records have been broken. Vegas delivered in the labiggest way possible for fans all over the world. He called it an incredible weekend.
  • Great to have Becky Lynch back. Bayley is a pro and will be alright.
  • Said Joe Hendry was the perfect opportunity to do a scenario that no one thought of, saying it was the right moment in the right spot. Hendry has a bright future and was happy we could put him in this spot, and it won’t be his last WrestleMania, and tonight was his easiest.
  • Regarding Chyna going into the Hall of Fame, he wasn’t sure about next year’s ceremony but it would definitely happen. 
  • On thanking Vince McMahon during his Hall of Fame speech, Triple H said that none of us would be here without him, so it was pretty hard not to mention him.
  • He praised Travis Scott, calling him “incredibly passionate.” Triple H said that Scott could get injured in situations like this so what he is doing is out of respect and he’s glad he is here to help. He said you’d have to tune in tomorrow to see if he’ll show up on Raw, and you’ll have to tune in and see if he’ll ever have a match.

Becky Lynch returns at WWE WrestleMania 41

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Becky Lynch’s nearly year-long WWE hiatus has come to an end.

In her surprise return to the ring, Lynch teamed with Lyra Valkyria to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles from Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez at WrestleMania 41 night two. The match was originally announced with Bayley as Valkyria’s partner, but WWE ran an angle where Bayley was taken out in a backstage attack. Valkyria was given 24 hours to find a new partner — and Lynch was heavily rumored to be the selection.

The finish of the match was Lynch getting revenge on Morgan by pinning her after a Manhandle Slam. When we last saw Lynch on WWE programming, she lost a steel cage match to Morgan on Raw in May 2024 after Dominik Mysterio interfered.

During her hiatus from WWE, Lynch focused on acting work, including picking up a role in the upcoming Paramount+ series “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.”

The new Women’s Tag Team Champions are both from Ireland, and Lynch has been a mentor to Valkyria in her career. She put Valkyria over in 2023 by dropping the NXT Women’s Championship to her.

Valkyria is now a double champion, holding the Women’s Intercontinental Championship in addition to the Women’s Tag Team titles.

The identity of Bayley’s attacker has not been confirmed by WWE. Morgan & Rodriguez claimed that they were not responsible.

WWE WrestleMania 41 night two live results: Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: April 20, 2025
Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV 

**********

Show Recap — 

COUNTDOWN SHOW 

The 3-hour pre-show began with a lengthy video recap of night one. Cody Rhodes and his glasses, Iyo Sky, Bianca Belair, and Rhea Ripley arrived.

The panel began once again with Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, Big E, and Wade Barrett. They spoke about Jey Uso’s win and Paul Heyman aligning with Seth Rollins. Cole and McAfee admitted they should have seen the latter coming. 

John Cena will be on McAfee’s show tomorrow. That sort of feels like a spoiler. 

The Women’s World title triple threat match will open tonight’s show.

There was a feature on the Razor Ramon/Shawn Michaels ladder match from WrestleMania 10, and they showed the final few minutes of Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair from last night. 

There was a video package for Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena. Six different talking heads spoke about tonight’s main event. Cole promised us that he would call it down the middle. That seems unlikely. 

There was a Randy Orton video package. 

Belair did a sit-down interview with Byron Saxton. They’re putting a bit more emphasis on Belair being undefeated (minus a battle royal) at Mania.

Jackie Redmond ran down tonight’s card, and there was a Hall of Fame video. 

Two hours to go.

They aired more of Triple H’s interview with Peter Rosenberg. 

The panel is now Redmond, Big E, and Rosenberg. More wrestlers arrived, and Penta was shown taking a ride on the Goodyear blimp. 

Travis Scott, Jey Uso, and Tyler Breeze were nearby opening cards and signing them for fans. Jey had his newly won World title belt with updated side plates. The announcers wondered if he’d slept yet.

Video packages played for Rhodes and for Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest. 

Cathy Kelley interviewed Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Morgan went on a rant because she was upset that Kelly would think they took out Bayley. Kelley wasn’t accusing them of that — she just wanted to know their thoughts on Lyra Valkyria and her mystery partner. Morgan and Rodriguez weren’t too worried about it. Morgan called Kelley a dummy, and Rodriguez tussled her hair. The panellists talked about the match, and Big E not-so-subtly hinted at Becky Lynch.

We’re at the point in the pre-show where delirious fans in the heat chanted for Byron Saxton. 87 minutes to go. 

They aired the final few moments of last night’s main event. They focused next on AJ Styles and Logan Paul. 

One hour to go. 

There was a video for the IC title four-way. 

Tony Hinchcliffe spoke to Tessitore and Roberts. He was booed.

Kelley had a sit-down interview with Rhea Ripley. She tried to tell a sob story about how she can no longer trust anyone. That makes sense as it pertains to Judgment Day, but she also felt betrayed by Belair and Sky, and I have no idea why. They didn’t really do anything to her. Sky beat her clean for the title, and Belair won the Chamber. 

They aired the final moments of Jacob Fatu vs. LA Knight. 

Thirty-four minutes before WrestleMania, we watched Big E and Rosenberg play the Fatal Fury video game.

Cole sat down with Rhodes. Among the things he said, Rhodes said Cena is struggling with the fact that WWE has moved on without him while he’s kissing James Gunn’s ass. 

There was a video of Rosenberg playing poker with Big E, Jey Uso, and Killer Mike.

They aired Jey beating Gunther for the title. 

The panellists gave their final thoughts on tonight’s card, and they aired the Las Vegas video from last night, narrated by Dana White.

Ava Max sang the American national anthem. They made sure to let us know that she has over “50 billion streams worldwide.” 

WRESTLEMANIA 41 – NIGHT TWO

Cody Rhodes and his glasses, Judgment Day, Penta, Bron Breakker, and Randy Orton, accompanied by his wife, were shown arriving. This portion of the show was brought to us by a sponsor. Rhodes seemed to get a mixed reaction. 

Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, and Bianca Belair were shown getting ready. Belair was definitely booed. 

After the intro, Stephanie McMahon was in the ring. She said she was 16 years old the last time WrestleMania was in Las Vegas, and now her middle daughter was 16. WWE was a family, and she welcomed us home and to WrestleMania. Fireworks went off. 

Michael Cole, Wade Barrett, and Pat McAfee are tonight’s announcers again. 

******** 

Iyo Sky, the champion, entered first. (Yesterday, Tiffany Stratton was the only champion to enter first.) She received a good ovation during in-ring introductions. 

Belair entered second, and her entrance included a few young girls skipping with long braids. Among them was her step-daughter. Belair was booed when her music hit, and Cole tried to get ahead of it by saying it was due to her involvement as referee in the title match between Ripley and Sky. 

Ripley entered last to a big reaction.

Triple Threat Match: IYO SKY defeated Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley to retain the Women’s World Championship (14:28)

Sky took the fight to her opponents but was dropkicked out of the ring by Ripley. That led to an exchange between Ripley and Belair, which Belair got the better of. Sky got back in and knocked down both opponents with some sort of move off the top and a double dropkick. 

Belair gave Sky three consecutive vertical suplexes, including a delayed suplex at the end. The fans couldn’t help but applaud that. Ripley gave Sky a Razor’s Edge right into Belair, which looked awesome, for a two count. 

As Ripley put Sky in a Prism lock, Belair tried to catch Ripley in a KOD, but they wound up planting each other down with facebusters. All three women brought each other down with a triple suplex off the ropes moments later. 

Ripley booted Belair, and Sky hit Ripley with a springboard dropkick. As Sky posed for the fans, Belair pounced her (which drew more boos). Belair gave Sky a 450 splash before Ripley hit Belair with a Rip-tide for a nearfall. 

Sky went for a Meteora, but Ripley kicked her in the head. Sky countered an avalanche Rip-tide and went for a moonsault, but Ripley got her feet up. Sky stumbled into a Belair KOD, but Ripley broke up the cover. The crowd was going nuts. 

Belair started shoving Ripley’s face while taunting her. Ripley shoved her off the top rope moments later. Sky tried an avalanche poison-rana, but Ripely yanked her around and posted her. 

Belair and Ripley had an exchange until Belair slipped out of a Rip-tide and smacked Ripley with her braid. Belair had Ripley pinned, but Sky hit a moonsault to break up the pin and covered Belair for the win. 

The crowd was super into this, and they popped big for Sky’s win. This was a fun, fast-paced, chaotic match that was probably better than anything on yesterday’s show. 

Match result: IYO SKY defeated Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley 

******** 

Flava Flav, Merab Dvalishvili, and Rich the Kid were in the crowd.  

McIntyre had a Doom-inspired entrance. Kerry King of Slayer played Priest to the ring. 

Sin City Street Fight: Drew McIntyre defeated Damian Priest (13:56) 

They fought around ringside, and McItnyre got the better of it after repeatedly hitting Priest with the steel steps. Someone (McIntyre’s brother, apparently) handed McIntyre a cellphone, and he took a selfie over Priest’s prone body. 

McIntyre cut off Priest’s comeback attempt and hit a flip dive. McIntyre went for a Claymore, but Priest chucked a chair at his face. It didn’t hit him with much force, so McIntyre came back anyway with a standing Claymore (instead of a running one) for two. 

McIntyre wrapped a chair around Priest’s head and went for a Claymore, but Priest managed to grab him with one arm, and he hit a chokeslam (with the chair still around his head). Priest hit McIntyre with a chair until McIntyre hit a spinebuster. 

Priest avoided an avalanche White Noise, and hit McIntyre with a Razor’s Edge through a table for a nearfall. McIntyre followed with a Future Shock DDT on the steel steps for two. Priest got the better of a strike exchange after dropping McIntyre with a clothesline. 

Priest tried the Undertaker’s rope walk spot, but McIntyre shoved him off the ropes and to the outside, through tables that were set up earlier. 

McIntyre placed Priest’s head against a chair that was wedged between the ropes. McIntyre Claymore’d Priest’s face into the chair for the pinfall win. 

This was pretty good. Priest got plenty of offence, but in the end, it felt like a decisive win for McIntyre. 

Match result: Drew McIntyre defeated Damian Priest

******** 

Jahmyr Gibbs, Daniel Cormier, and Tony Hinchcliffe were in the crowd.  

Like the previous matches, this one also had a sponsor. (On my Netflix feed in Canada, they mute the announcers when they read the ad. This happens on Raw, as well.) 

In years past, on packed shows, they would sometimes cut entrances short to make sure they got everything else in. They’re doing the opposite on this two-night Mania show. The entrances feel longer than usual, and not just because the ramp is longer.

Fatal 4-Way Match: Dominik Mysterio defeated Finn Bálor, Penta and Bron Breakker to win the Intercontinental Championship (10:31) 

Dom and Bálor chucked Bron out of the ring early on, before Penta wiped them out with a dive. Bron knocked over Penta with a leaping tackle. Bron slammed Penta, gave Bálor a military press slam, and speared Dom, but Bálor broke up the cover. 

Bálor gave Bron a slingblade before Penta gave Bálor a slingblade. Penta used a drop toe hold to drop Bálor face-first into Dom’s crotch. Penta snapped Bálor’s arm and set up for his finisher, but Bron hit them with a double German suplex. 

Penta avoided a spear and went shoulder-first into the ring post. Dom hit Penta with a slingshot senton before kicking Bron out of the ring. Dom hit Penta with consecutive suplexes. Penta avoided a third, but Bálor joined in to help Dom hit another. 

They tried to give Bron a double suplex, but he gave them a double suplex instead. (Carlito has appeared at ringside.) Bron handed out overhead suplexes and gave Bálor a Frankensteiner for two. 

Everyone traded moves until Dom noticed Bálor was near the ropes. Dom dropkicked Bálor into the middle rope and went for the 619 as the crowd popped. However, Bálor blocked Dom’s 619 attempt and stomped away at him as the crowd booed. 

Penta hit Bálor with a Penta driver, but Bron broke up the cover. Bron and Penta had an exchange that seemed to be leading to a super spear, but Carlito dropped the rope, and Bron fell out of the ring. Dom tried a schoolboy on Penta for two. Penta came back with a Canadian Destroyer and seemed to have it won, but Carlito yanked him out of the ring. 

Carlito set up Penta on the announce table, but Bron ran off the other table and speared Carlito through the table. Bron speared Penta, but Dom hit Bron with a 619. Dom went for a frog splash, but Bálor crotched him, and the crowd booed again. 

Bálor hit Bron with a slingblade, a dropkick, and a Coup de Grâce, but Dom broke up the cover with a frog splash on Bálor. Dom then pinned Bálor for the pinfall win. The crowd popped huge for Dom. 

Dom celebrated on the ramp with the IC title belt, but after they showed replays, he ran back down and posed in the ring as the crowd cheered. 

This was another good match, and the finish was clever—except that it was identical to the finish in the opening match. 

Match result: Dominik Mysterio defeated Finn Bálor, Penta and Bron Breakker

******** 

Colby Covington (who was booed), Metro Boomin, and Dean Norris were in the crowd. 

Randy Orton wore blue and yellow trunks, a nod to his original attire from 2002. 

Orton said this was his 20th WrestleMania. Whoever his opponent was, they would get their WrestleMania courtesy an RKO. 

Randy Orton defeated TNA World Champion Joe Hendry in a non-title match (3:09)  

Hendy entered wearing his TNA World Title to a pretty big pop. Fans waved their arms in the air as his music played. The announcers acknowledged him as the TNA champion. (McAfee thought the title would be in the line until Cole wised him up.) 

Orton went for an RKO right away, but Hendry fought him off and hit a neckbreaker. Hendry stomped the mat and grabbed Orton by the neck, but Orton just looked confused before poking him in the eye. Orton hit a draping DDT and set up for an RKO, but Hendry blocked it again and hit a fallaway slam. 

Hendry turned and did his pose, but Orton flew in with an RKO for the quick pinfall win. 

— Orton helped Hendry to his feet and raised his arm to the crowd before dropping him with another RKO. Orton mockingly turned to do Hendry’s pose, but did his own pose instead.

This felt like a total waste of time, but also funny if you only care about WWE. I think it took Orton longer to walk to the ring than it did to beat Hendry. 

Match result: Randy Orton defeated Joe Hendry 

******** 

Every time they talk about Penta, they call him the man who has taken WWE by storm. That line is so ingrained in Cole’s brain that he said the same thing about Paul here. 

Logan Paul defeated AJ Styles (17:44) 

Paul tried a slingshot dive with Styles at ringside, but Styles caught him in the ring skirt and hammered away at him. Styles also drove him into the barricade, right by Nick Khan. 

Paul gained the advantage by shoving Styles into the ring post and hitting a slingshot dive. Paul sent a drone into the air to film him as he choked Styles with the ring skirt. They kept the drone shot on Paul as he hit Styles with a frog splash for two. Paul hit an overbomb, but Styles got a rope break. Paul hit a moonsault onto a standing Styles for two. 

Styles was pissed and he hit Paul with a clothesline, strikes, a fireman’s carry neckbreaker, a sliding forearm, and a brainbuster for two. Styles set up for the Phenomenal forearm, but Paul grabbed him off the ropes, hit a rolling fireman’s carry and Lionsault for two. 

Paul avoided a Styles Clash and hit a Buckshot lariat for two. (McAfee called it a Buckshot lariat, too.) Styles ducked a right hand and hit a rack bomb for two. Styles went for a springboard 450, but Paul got his knees up and hit a Styles Clash. Styles rolled through and hit a Styles Clash. 

Paul’s crony, “Jeff,” tried getting brass knuckles for Paul, but Karrion Kross appeared and took them away. Styles chucked the guy aside. Kross pleaded with Styles to use the knux, but Styles threw them aside and punched Kross. 

Paul ducked the Phenomenal forearm and hit a big punch. Paul followed with Paulverizer for the pinfall win. 

This was a very normal match that was somehow longer than every match so far on both nights, aside from the night one main event. 

Match result: Logan Paul defeated AJ Styles

******** 

Vanessa Hudgens, Rana Daggubati, Terrence Crawford, and Quavo were in the crowd. 

Becky Lynch entered last as the big surprise partner for Valkyria. Morgan and Rodriguez played this up like she was the last person they wanted to see. 

Becky Lynch & Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria  defeated Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez to win the Women’s Tag Team Championships (8:43) 

The heels quickly took control when Morgan shoved Valkyria off the top into a big boot by Rodriguez. Valkyria almost made a hot tag, but Morgan yanked Lynch off the apron. Lynch ran after Morgan, but ran right into a boot by Rodriguez. 

Lynch did make a hot tag moments later, and she hit Morgan with clotheslines before hitting both opponents with running forearms. Lynch gave Rodriguez a Molly-go-round before hitting Morgan with a fallaway slam. Lynch put Morgan in a Disarmer, but Rodriguez broke it up. Morgan hit Lynch with Oblivion, but Valkyria broke up the cover.  

After Valkyria took out Rodrigeuz outside the ring with a tornado DDT, Lynch hit Morgan with a Man-handle Slam for the pinfall win. 

Valkyria and Lynch celebrated together, and now Valkyria is a double champion. 

The match itself was just ok, but it was good to see Becky Lynch again. The crowd was less enthused for all of this than you’d expect, but perhaps they’re just ready for the main event. 

Match result: Lyra Valkyria & Becky Lynch defeated Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez 

********

Stone Cold Steve Austin entered. 

He drove out around ringside in his ATV. He crashed into the barricade by mistake, and he laughed it off — but a woman in the front row was not happy at all. (She fell back into her seat when he collided with the barricade.) He checked on her, but she still did not look happy. 

Austin announced a sold-out crowd of 63,226. He wasn’t sure that number was right, so he started counting out individual fans but gave up around 18. He also announced a two-night attendance of 124,693. 

As Austin drank some beers, Nick Khan could be seen checking on the fan in the front row. Austin left the ring, checked on the fan again, and left. 

********

The main event is up next. The crowd popped big for the graphic. 

John Cena entered to his usual music wearing jorts. However, the screen and ramp were all black with his name in a simple, white font. His t-shirt, shoes, and accessories were all black as well, although his actual logo is colourful. 

Some people on dirt bikes rode onto the stage as part of Rhodes’ entrance. I’m not really sure what the connection is. Rhodes also wore his skull mask, which had some sort of mechanism that lifted automatically to reveal his face. 

They cut to another sponsor’s mascot before showing Rhodes embracing his family at ringside. 

(Compared to previous years, the entrances were nothing special this year.)

John Cena defeated Cody Rhodes to win the Undisputed WWE Championship (25:05) 

They stalled a lot for the first few minutes, with Rhodes getting the upper hand each time they did go at it. Rhodes hit a suicide dive, but when they hit the ring, Cena just punched him. 

Cena stomped away at Rhodes as some people cheered. (There’s a portion of the audience definitely here to boo Rhodes, but it’s not the majority.) Heel Cena stomping a downed opponent looked super weird. 

Cena hit a clothesline and made the match’s first cover for just a one count. Cena followed with a side slam for one, and consecutive axe handles. Cena went for another one, but Rhodes kicked him. Rhodes fired up until Cena poked him in the eye. Cena hit a tornado DDT for two. 

Cena hit consecutive shoulder tackles, but did it at a much slower and deliberate pace than when he usually does it. Cena slammed Rhodes and went to do the five knuckle shuffle, but Rhodes punched him, hit a powerslam and a Disaster kick. (The boos are louder now for Rhodes’ offence.) Rhodes hit a Cody cutter for two. 

They traded counters until Cena hit an AA for a nearfall. Cena chuckled. Cena hit the five knuckle shuffle, but Rhodes applied a cradle for two. 

Cena hit a super AA off the middle rope for another nearfall. Cena tried a diving leg drop, but Rhodes countered into a powerbomb for two. Rhodes came off the top with a super Cody cutter for two. 

Cena hit a third AA and applied an STF. Rhodes got close to the ropes, but Cena pulled him back to the middle. Rhodes did fight out of it and kicked Cena away, but Cena knocked down the referee. Rhodes hit Cross Rhodes, but the ref was dead. 

Cena exposed the turnbuckle and sent Rhodes into it repeatedly. Cena hit a fourth AA for a nearfall. (Cole exclaimed, “What a match!”) 

Travis Scott entered (to his music), and Cena laughed. Scott took his time getting to the ring, and he embraced Cena. They tried to double-team Rhodes, but Rhodes chased Scott off the apron, and he hit Cena with a Cross Rhodes. Scott yanked the referee out of the ring before he could count the fall. 

Rhodes called Scott into the ring, so he obliged. Scott leaped over the top rope and faced off with Rhodes. Scott tried to slap Rhodes, but Rhodes ducked and gave him a Cross Rhodes. 

Cena tried using the title belt as a weapon, but Rhodes yanked it away from him. Rhodes threatened to use it as Cena begged off. Rhodes fell for it because Cena kicked him in the balls. 

Cena clocked Rhodes with the title belt. The ref rolled back in the ring and Cena pinned Rhodes for the win. That was it. Cena is a 17-time world champion. 

Cole tried to tell us that Cena was the greatest of all time and there was no debate. Barrett, normally the heel, called Cena a piece of garbage. 

— Fireworks went off as Cena posed, and they posted a big number 17 on the screen. Rhodes stumbled on the ramp and watched. Cena posed with Scott as the show ended.

This was a massive letdown. A match laid out for children. 

Match result: John Cena defeated Cody Rhodes 

Major Becky Lynch WWE WrestleMania 41 Rumor

Posted on by Jake Skudder

​Becky Lynch is reportedly poised to make a significant return to WWE at WrestleMania 41 this weekend, following an 11-month hiatus. According to PWInsider Elite, multiple sources confirm that Lynch will be “physically involved£ during the event and is expected to reappear on WWE programming shortly thereafter, emerging from what is described as a major WrestleMania moment.

Read More – WWE WrestleMania 41: Date, Match Card, Tickets, Main Events and more

Becky Lynch WWE Return Rumors

Lynch’s absence began after her contract expired in June 2024. She officially re-signed with WWE in early January 2025, though her return to television was delayed as both parties awaited the right creative direction for “The Man.” During her time away from the ring, Lynch remained connected to WWE, participating in promotional activities for Raw’s transition to Netflix earlier this year.​

Speculation about Lynch’s return intensified after she was spotted alongside her husband, Seth Rollins, at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in Las Vegas on Friday night. Her potential involvement at WrestleMania 41 could significantly impact the women’s division, particularly if she engages with ongoing storylines involving champions like Tiffany Stratton, Charlotte Flair, or Bianca Belair.

Read More – Donald Trump WrestleMania Rumors: Latest update

“PWInsiderElite.com has been told by multiple sources that Becky Lynch will be involved physically this weekend at Wrestlemania 41 and after this weekend, she will be back on WWE programming “coming out of a big Mania moment.”

PWInsider

Becky Lynch on potential WWE return: ‘Maybe one day but not right now’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Becky Lynch doesn’t sound like she’s heading back to WWE anytime soon.

Lynch performed as part of The Ultimate Improv Show on Friday, April 11, at the Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles, California. During the show, she referenced WrestleMania season before reiterating to the crowd that she is not currently an active wrestler.

“It’s WrestleMania season, isn’t it? Look, I’m not wrestling anymore,” she said, prompting some groans from the audience.

“Maybe one day, but not right now,” she added. “But my husband is!”

She joined comedians Dan Black, SNL alum Bobby Moynihan, Paul Scheer, Neil Casey, Brandon Scott Jones, Lisa Gilroy, and musical act Bunny Lowe on stage for the show.

Lynch has significant acting roles lined up, including a part in the upcoming Paramount+ series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which wrapped filming in February. Her character is believed to be a member of the bridge crew. The show follows Mary Wiseman reprising her role as Sylvia Tilly from Star Trek: Discovery, now leading a group of new Starfleet recruits.

PWInsider also reported earlier this year that Lynch filmed scenes for the upcoming Happy Gilmore sequel.

Triple H: ‘If women are in the main event, it’s because they earned it’

Posted on by Josh Nason

Women being featured as main eventers is a frequent discussion point among both wrestling fans and those that run companies with AEW head Tony Khan addressing a question about that during a Thursday media call.

WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Netflix chief content officer Bela Bejaria were part of the annual Sloan Sports Analytics Conference and Levesque was asked about featuring women more and why men are getting into characters like Rhea Ripley as much as any male star.

He said 40% of the WWE audience is female and he’s always felt that if you give the women the same opportunity as the men and train them the same way, “they will knock it out of the park and they have.”

He said there’s a lot of banter about who will be given the main event at big shows and what he tells talent is that it’s about what stories and performances are resonating the best.

“I put no thought into ‘it’s women or it’s men.’ I don’t give them the main event because ‘Well, they’re women and it would look good for us if we give them the main event.’ That never even enters my mind. Talent are talent and it’s whoever is resonating the most,” he said. “If they’re in the main event, it’s because they earned it. If they’re not, it’s because someone else was slightly ahead of them.”

He said one day, he feels Ripley, Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and others will be seen in the same way that Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, The Rock and Steve Austin are but that it will take time to get there.

He later added that at the Performance Center, the women pick up wrestling faster than the men do.

A few other notes:

  • Levesque said 60% of their fans bring members of another generation to shows.
  • Bejaria said that while they have 300 million worldwide subscribers, their content actually touches 700 million viewers (people watching with other people).
  • Levesque said that someone asked Linda McMahon about the John Cena heel turn after she was leaving Tuesday’s State of the Union address.

Becky Lynch responds to CM Punk WWE Raw callout

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The Man has responded to The Best in the World.

CM Punk name-checked Becky Lynch on Monday’s WWE Raw, imploring “The Man” to “come get her man” Seth Rollins in his show-opening promo. Lynch responded on social media in a since-deleted post on X.

Lynch wrote: “Catching up on Raw….. I don’t think I’m the one who needs to come get MY man”, reposting an image from another account showing Punk and Roxanne Perez wearing gear with the same color scheme at Saturday’s Elimination Chamber PLE.

Rollins and Lynch are married in real life, while Punk is married to the former AJ Lee. Punk is a professional mentor to Perez, with the two often appearing together in social media photos.

Lynch has been on hiatus from WWE programming since dropping the Women’s World title to Liv Morgan inside a steel cage match last May.

Punk and Rollins will go one-on-one on next week’s WWE Raw from Madison Square Garden in a steel cage match of their own, a rematch from the January 6 Raw where Punk defeated Rollins.

Former Tegan Nox reflects on working with Becky Lynch: ‘She’s such a nice person’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Nixon Newell (the former Tegan Nox) will always be grateful that she and Becky Lynch got to work together in WWE.

The two had their only one-on-one match in 2023 during Lynch’s run as NXT Women’s Champion. In a new interview with The Metro, Newell reflected on that experience and said it’s something that she’ll always treasure. Though Newell thinks her own performance could have been “so much better” in their match, she learned so much from sharing the ring with Lynch.

Newell confirmed to The Metro that Lynch asked to work with her, noting that both Lynch and Bayley are people who pitch their opponents. Newell said Lynch fought “tooth and nail” to give her this opportunity.

“She’s such a nice person,” Newell said about Lynch. “She asked for all the people that she wanted to work with, which is wild, for her to even go, ‘I want to work with Nixon.'”

Lynch was NXT Women’s Champion for just over a month from September-October 2023, facing off against Tiffany Stratton, Natalya, Newell, Indi Hartwell, and Lyra Valkyria in title matches.

Newell got her title shot on the October 9, 2023 episode of Raw. She told The Metro that nerves got the better of her against Lynch and it led to a subpar performance, even though the match made some fans realize that she can wrestle and is capable of more.

“I think it could have gone a lot better on my end. That wasn’t my best performance, and I know it wasn’t. I was so incredibly nervous,” Newell said. “I think that’s one of the few times that my nerves got the better than me in a match. So, I would have loved to have been able to run that back.

“I think even though it wasn’t my best performance, it made people go, ‘Oh, she can actually wrestle.’ I’m like, ‘Yes, and I can do better than that, if you give me the chance.’ Unfortunately, I never got the chance to show that. But that entire situation with Becky was just mind blowing, and something that I will hold very dear to me, not just the rest of my career, but for the rest of my life.”

Newell was released from her WWE contract in November 2024 and is now a free agent. She will compete for Attack Pro Wrestling in her home country of Wales on May 18 against Dani Luna.

As for Lynch, she’s been away from WWE programming since May 2024 while focusing on acting projects but is expected to return at some point.