Tag: Oba Femi

WWE Raw notes: Jacob Fatu & Roman Reigns, Sol Ruca, Oba Femi’s open challenge

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Notes from Monday’s Raw.

The Oba Femi open challenge began on Monday, with Akira Tozawa seemingly coming out to challenge The Ruler. However, it quickly became apparent that it was in fact Otis challenging Femi. Despite the bigger challenge, Femi quickly dispatched Otis, finishing off the former Tag Team Champion with the fall from grace in minutes, winning his first open challenge match.

There were also two contract signings on Raw. First was Sol Ruca, who came out and was about to sign her contract when she was interrupted by Becky Lynch, who ignored Ruca and complained to Adam Pearce. Ruca cut her off and the two exchanged words. Lynch eventually went for a cheap shot but smacked Pearce instead. As Pearce left, Ruca laid out a distracted Lynch with a sol snatcher, setting up a future program between the two.

Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu met in the main event. The two exchanged words before Reigns made it simple for Fatu: this was all his, this was his ring. They are the same blood, but Fatu is beneath him. That got Fatu upset, who immediately went on the attack with the Tongan death grip. Reigns fought him off and went for the Superman punch but Fatu latched it on again, eventually sending Reigns through the table in the ring.

Raw ended with officials checking on Reigns as Fatu left the ring.

WWE Raw live results: Backlash go-home show

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: May 4, 2026
Location: CHI Health Center in Omaha, NE 

The Big Takeaway —

Jacob Fatu laid out Roman Reigns again ahead of their world title match on Saturday. 

Oba Femi beat Otis, Ethan Page pinned Penta, and Sol Ruca is headed for a feud with Becky Lynch. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Oba Femi, Chad Gable Americano and the Creed Brothers (under their new masks), Sol Ruca, Je’Von Evans and Penta were shown arriving. The live crowd seems hot so far, as basically everyone got a big reaction, as did the graphic for tonight’s contract signing. 

Roman Reigns arrived and was on a mission. He quickly made his way to Gorilla position as Adam Pearce tried to tell him something. Reigns wasn’t listening, but Pearce finally stopped him to tell him that Jacob Fatu wasn’t there. 

Reigns turned around to find Seth Rollins, who told Reigns that he was in his way. Rollins made his way out through the stage instead, but was attacked from behind by Bron Breakker. 

Breakker press-slammed Rollins onto the edge of the barricade and was swarmed by officials to stop. Breakker shoved aside some security guards and continued his attack. 

Officials briefly stopped Breakker from doing more, but he sprinted by them and speared Rollins in the ring. (This was a better-looking Bron spear than we’ve seen lately.) Fans booed, barked and chanted, “One more time,” as Breakker walked off. 

********

Judgment Day met backstage. Liv Morgan said Stephanie Vaquer was injured, so they didn’t have to worry about her anymore. Morgan watches the show, it turns out, and she asked Roxanne Perez why Finn Bálor was in the clubhouse last week, and why she didn’t mention it. 

Perez said she didn’t mention it because she was clear to Bálor when she told him to leave and not come back. Perez was loyal to Judgment Day. 

Morgan said she knew that, but wanted Perez to promise that she wouldn’t keep any secrets from her. Perez did promise, but she was clearly just playing along. 

Finn Bálor vs. JD McDonagh (w/ AAA Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio)

Michael Cole wondered why McDonagh would align himself with Judgment Day over Bálor and questioned his loyalty. Corey Graves said loyalty doesn’t pay the bills. Indeed, it doesn’t. 

McDonagh worked over Bálor’s leg, but when Bálor mounted a comeback, he was tripped by Dom while referee Jessika Carr wasn’t watching, and McDonagh regained control. Perez marched out to ringside as they went to break. Bálor began his comeback after the break as Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez made their way to ringside, too. 

Bálor hit a back body drop, double foot stomp, and slingblade. Bálor knocked Dom off the apron, which allowed McDonagh to apply a cradle for two. McDonagh followed with a Spanish Fly for two. Bálor took a nasty landing on the Spanish Fly, landing high on his neck/upper back. 

With Carr distracted again, Dom tripped Bálor off the apron. Carr finally tossed Dom from ringside (but not the other three Judgment Day members). McDonagh went for a moonsault, but Bálor got his knees up and applied a cradle for a nearfall. 

Morgan distracted Carr next, while simultaneously tossing a hammer to Perez. With Carr still distracted, Perez nailed Bálor with the hammer (showing her loyalty to Judgment Day), and McDonagh followed with a headbutt for the pinfall win. 

Match result: JD McDonagh defeated Finn Bálor (11:44) 

I assumed they were having a rematch so they could outdo the six-minute match they had two weeks ago, but that was a stupid assumption. This match was all about the insane amount of interference to set up McDonagh getting a win. They’re now even at one win apiece. 

********

Jackie Redmond found Rollins backstage and asked if he would be ok for Backlash. Rollins said the show was in five days, so he would be fine. He told Breakker last week that if he took chances, he better be able to finish the job, but he (Rollins) wasn’t dead yet. 

El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) and his buddies were interviewed during commercials. El Grande said the Original doesn’t know what he signed up for because he doesn’t actually speak Spanish. In Mexico, El Grande might not be allowed to touch him, but here, he can do whatever he wants. (There’s a six-man tag match tonight.) 

There was a video package of Jacob Fatu using the Tongan Death Grip on Reigns last week, and the announcers tried to put over the hold as lethal. 

********

The Vision met backstage. There was some silly comedy with Breakker and Austin Theory, imitating Rollins by holding their noses and suggesting Rollins sounded like a duck. (I didn’t mind Breakker’s impression last week, but this was extra dumb.) Paul Heyman entered and asked if Rollins was still breathing. Breakker, somewhat sheepishly, said yes. 

Logan Paul said Joe Hendry wouldn’t be breathing when he got his hands on him. Paul desperately wanted a match against Hendry to put him in the hospital permanently. Heyman said no. Heyman didn’t want Paul to end up in jail, especially after what Breakker had already done tonight. Instead, Hendry would wrestle Theory. 

Intercontinental Champion Penta & Je’Von Evans vs. Rusev & Ethan Page

Early in the match, Evans wiped out Rusev with a dive before Penta gave Page a Penta Driver for a nearfall. A Rusev distraction allowed the heels to take control over Penta during a break. 

Penta did a springboard move to knock Rusev off the apron, but collapsed and struggled to make a tag despite doing a springboard seconds earlier (the springboard actually got him relatively close to Evans, so he had to drop back a bit to create more space). The extra time allowed Rusev to knock Evans off the apron. 

Evans did wind up getting the hot tag moments later, hitting Page with a jawbreaker and German suplex before wiping out Rusev with a dive again. Evans followed with a springboard clothesline for two. Page fought back briefly, but Evans nailed a Red Dot kick. Penta tagged in and hit a tornado DDT, but Rusev broke up the cover. 

Evans hit Rusev with a dive for the third time, and Rusev wound up on top of the announce table. The crowd loudly cheered as Evans went to the top, but Page shoved him off. 

Penta knocked Page outside the ring, but as Penta went for a dive off the apron, Page yanked the apron skirt to trip him. Page distracted the referee while Rusev slammed Penta onto the announce table, and Page followed with a fisherman’s suplex variation for the pinfall win. (Page’s usual finisher was countered twice earlier in the match). 

— Rusev was happy they won, and he celebrated with Page in the ring. This might have been the first time Rusev has smiled (on camera) since returning to WWE. 

Match result: Ethan Page & Rusev defeated Penta & Je’Von Evans (10:42)

A pretty good match, thanks in large part to Evans, and the crowd was into it. He felt like a breath of fresh air here. Page looked good, too, and he fits in well here. 

******* 

Sol Ruca contract signing

There was a video package for Sol Ruca before Adam Pearce introduced her to the ring. He put this over as a big moment for an NXT call-up. 

Ruca entered, and Pearce handed her the contract. Instead of just signing it, she said, “It is going to feel so damn good when I sign this and officially be a part of Monday Night Raw.” A bit of an odd thing to say, unless you know you’re about to be interrupted. 

Becky Lynch entered. She got in Pearce’s face while completely ignoring Ruca. Lynch said this was meant to be her time in the ring. She had a monumental WrestleMania win and had to fight “Iyo Jannetty” last week in an unscheduled match. She won that match despite Pearce’s meddling. 

Lynch rambled until Ruca cut her off. Ruca told Lynch that not everything was about her. Lynch thought that was funny, because “everything is about me.” 

Ruca said she knew all about Lynch’s accomplishments but didn’t realize she was exactly what people said: a rude, big-headed bitch. 

Lynch asked Ruca, “Who are you?” and Ruca responded, “I’m Sol Ruca, and if you ever interrupt me again, not only will I kick your ass, I’ll snatch your soul.” (That got a big pop.) Ruca signed the contract. 

Lynch tried a cheap shot, but Ruca dodged it, and Lynch hit Pearce by mistake. Pearce screamed at Lynch before leaving the ring. 

Lynch had her head in her hands because she couldn’t believe what she did. Because she wasn’t paying attention, it allowed Ruca to fly in and hit her with the Sol Snatcher. Unfortunately, Ruca slipped on the rope, and it took her extra time to hit the move. Ruca blew a kiss to Lynch and posed for the crowd.

(The crowd was into this, and they liked Sol Ruca, but because of the slip, they did not pop for the Sol Snatcher. In her Raw debut two weeks ago, she hit the move but failed to beat Morgan with it because Morgan rolled out of the ring. It’s not a big deal, but not a great start for her finisher.) 

*******

Redmond asked Jimmy and Jey Uso for comment on tonight’s contract signing. Jimmy said they loved Fatu, but he needed to understand how Reigns handled business. Jey wasn’t worried about how this would affect their relationship with Fatu. Jey warned him that he’s swimming in deep water now. The line has been drawn, and Fatu would find out who he was messing with at Backlash. “Good luck, little cousin.” 

********

Joe Hendry sang a song during a break, which bled into the live broadcast. He encouraged Pearce to fire Logan Paul again. An angry Paul marched out and said TKO couldn’t fire him because that would be bad business.

Joe Hendry vs. Austin Theory (w/ Logan Paul)

Theory took control thanks to a Paul distraction, Hendry made a comeback, did his pose, and Paul decked him from behind for the DQ. 

— Paul and Theory beat up Hendry until Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins ran out to make the save. Breakker broke up the party by taking out the Street Profits with suplexes. 

Breakker set up Dawkins for a spear, but Rollins attacked Breakker from behind. Rollins fired up and set up Breakker for a curb stomp. As he did, Ford sprinted towards Rollins, leaped right over him and over the ring post to wipe out the heels with a crazy flip dive. 

However, Ford’s dive distracted Rollins, and Breakker laid him out with a spear. 

The crowd was really into all of this. (I laughed at Rollins getting speared because Ford flew over his head moments prior.) 

Match result: Joe Hendry defeated Austin Theory via disqualification (3:17) 

********

Redmond interviewed Judgment Day backstage. Morgan wanted them to have all the gold. Rodriguez called out the tag champions, Brie Bella and Paige, and invited them to Raw. 

Bayley and Lyra Valkyria interrupted. Bayley said she saw them use the hammer earlier and told Judgment Day that she and Valkyria wouldn’t be that easy to get rid of. Morgan and Judgment Day brushed this off like nothing and left. 

*******

Oba Femi entered for the first Oba Femi open challenge. Akira Tozawa seemingly answered the call, entering with Otis and Maxxine Dupri. Tozawa, a trained professional wrestler, cowardly walked away in fear upon facing off with Femi in the ring. Tozawa called Otis into the ring instead. 

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

This was awesome. 

Femi and Otis traded shoulder tackles, but neither man went down or even budged. They traded tackles again before Femi hit an awesome running uppercut. Femi hoisted Otis up and chucked him across the ring. 

Femi realized he may not be able to get Otis up for his powerbomb in the traditional manner, so he hoisted Otis onto the middle rope for leverage, got underneath, lifted him up and walked toward the middle of the ring to hit the Fall From Grace powerbomb for the pinfall win. The crowd ate this up.

Match result: Oba Femi defeated Otis (1:48) 

******* 

Backstage, a frustrated Rollins told a referee that he didn’t need his help. Rollins bumped into the Street Profits and Hendry. Rollins sarcastically thanked Ford for getting him speared again. 

Ford said nobody trusted Rollins after everything he did with the Vision. Rollins said he didn’t even trust himself sometimes, but they were in the same fight against the Vision, and sometimes those fights needed to come together. Rollins told Ford to stay out of his way, and Rollins would stay out of his. 

(So, he implied they should fight together, but in his next sentence, he said the opposite.) 

********

Ethan Page (now wearing a suit) cut a commercial break promo. He’s gunning for the IC title. 

IYO SKY and Asuka sit-down segment 

This was a pre-taped segment with Sky and Asuka seated across from one another. 

Sky told Asuka that she’s avoided this fight for years. Asuka was her mentor. She looked up to her and loved her. Despite everything Asuka has done to her, Sky still respected her. She never wanted this fight or for it to come to this. But Asuka has changed. The Asuka she looked up to was no longer here, so now, Sky had to fight her. 

Asuka said Sky was being disrespectful. Asuka wondered who Sky even was and called Sky her biggest disappointment. Asuka was done with Sky and would cut her out of her life for good. 

Sky responded, “I am ready for Asuka.” Asuka didn’t like that, so she sprayed mist in Sky’s face. Pearce scrambled into the ring to check on Sky, who screamed like she had just been poisoned. 

********

Redmond interviewed the Original Americano and Los Americanos Hermanos (the Creed Brothers), who were all booed when shown on camera (despite being babyfaces, I think). Original Americano said he sought out their help because they took after his friend, Chad Gable. 

Six-man tag team match: El Grande Americano, Bravo Americano & Rayo Americano vs. The Original Americano, Bruto Creedo & Julio Creedo 

After a break, everyone traded moves, and all the masked men did all their usual spots. The Creed Brothers took out El Grande and Rayo while Gable hit Bravo with a diving headbutt for the pinfall win. 

Even the announcers were having trouble keeping up with who was who, and I can’t blame them. 

Match result: El Grande Americano, Bravo Americano & Rayo Americano defeated The Original Americano, Bruto Creedo & Julio Creedo (8:34) 

********

Backlash card: 

  • John Cena appears with “history-making news” 
  • Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker 
  • Trick Williams (c) vs. Sami Zayn for the United States Championship 
  • The Miz & Kit Wilson vs. Danhausen & a mystery partner 
  • IYO SKY vs. Asuka 
  • Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu for the World Heavyweight Championship 

********

Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu contract signing 

Pearce hosted the contract signing between Reigns and Fatu. Reigns entered to a big reaction. Pearce wanted them to sign the contract. Reigns told Omaha to acknowledge him first. They did. 

Reigns told Fatu that the fans’ reaction wasn’t just love, but the sound of respect. That respect wasn’t just from hanging out. While Fatu was grinding for twelve years, Reigns was in WWE for over twelve years. 

Reigns held the door open for Solo Sikoa. If Sikoa brought Fatu in, then Reigns was really responsible for Fatu coming in, and he would be damned if there was not respect to be had for him. 

There had to be respect, a code, an honour system among their family. There had to be a code of conduct. Fatu disrespected him with the Tongan Death Grip, something you only pull out in desperate times, like when you were at the bar at 3 am surrounded eight-to-one. You don’t do that to your own. You don’t do that to your Tribal Chief. 

Fatu scoffed upon hearing Tribal Chief. Fatu admitted he was desperate. It did feel like it was him against the world, back against the wall. He had no other choice but to take out Reigns, take the title, and take everything that came with it. 

Fatu was ready to put a chokehold on this game and squeeze every dollar out of it, the same way this company did to their family for decades. When he said ‘all gas, no brakes’, it meant no slowing down and no going back to where he came from. Fatu was desperate. He would do anything for his own household, even if that meant going through his own blood. 

Reigns scoffed at that remark. He signed the contract before continuing. Reigns said Fatu was worried about his household, but Reigns grinded here for over a decade for multiple households. Fatu worried about his 7 kids, but Reigns worried about the 170 kids that filled this family. Fatu worried about his kids’ education, but Reigns worried about higher education for all of them. 

Reigns reiterated what he said a long time ago: This was all his. This was his ring. They were the same blood in their family, but in this ring, Fatu was beneath him. 

Fatu lost it and tried the Death Grip, but Reigns fought him off. Fatu went for the hold again, but Reigns countered it again. Reigns went for a Superman punch, but Fatu caught him in the grip. 

Reigns no longer had a counter and held onto Pearce for leverage as Pearce desperately tried to get Fatu to stop. Fatu instead slammed Reigns onto the announce table. 

Fatu signed the contract, and a portion of the crowd chanted his name. Officials checked on Reigns as Fatu left the ring.

Oba Femi Open Challenge, contract signing, more set for WWE Raw

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE Raw General Manager Adam Pearce announced the lineup for Monday’s show.

Pearce revealed there will be a contract signing for the Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu match at Backlash.

“I will get the contract signed for the World Heavyweight Championship match pitting your Heavyweight Champion of the World, Roman Reigns, one-on-one with the Samoan Werewolf, Jacob Fatu. And I’m sure that signing will go down just perfectly fine,” he said.

Pearce confirmed that the Oba Femi Open Challenge will continue, saying: “And do not forget, the Oba Femi Open Challenge is just that. Who in Omaha will step up, face the challenge of The Ruler? Find out on the flagship.”

Je’Von Evans and Penta teaming against Rusev and Ethan Page is also now scheduled for Monday.

A rematch between JD McDonagh and Finn Balor was also announced. Balor defeated McDonagh on last week’s show.

Pearce also said that he will get Asuka and IYO SKY to “sit down and lay it all on the line” on Monday’s show.

“And I’m going to try and get IYO SKY and Asuka to sit down and lay it all on the line less than a week before their matchup at Backlash,” Pearce said.

Previously announced for the show is Sol Ruca officially signing with the Raw brand.

Monday’s show is set for the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska. The updated lineup is below.

WWE Raw lineup for Monday, May 4, 2026:

  • Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu contract signing for WWE Backlash
  • The Oba Femi Open Challenge continues
  • Je’Von Evans & Penta vs. Rusev & Ethan Page
  • JD McDonagh vs. Finn Balor
  • Asuka and IYO SKY will “sit down” ahead of their match at WWE Backlash
  • Sol Ruca signs with Raw

WWE Raw notes: Kairi Sane chants, Oba Femi, Joe Hendry

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Notes from Monday’s Raw.

The IYO SKY and Asuka storyline continued on Raw, with Asuka costing SKY the Women’s Intercontinental title after a distraction. After Becky Lynch retained the title, Asuka entered the ring and latched on the Asuka lock to further hammer her point home. Loud chants of ‘We Want Kairi’ could be heard as Asuka ended the segment stood tall.

Kairi Sane ended up being one of the more shocking releases on Friday, which saw cuts across both WWE and NXT. Over the weekend, ‘We Want Kairi’ trended on social media with fans hoping WWE would reverse their decision, similar to when R-Truth was released and later brought back last year.

After Grayson Waller complained about everyone else getting opportunities, he started to complain about Oba Femi, saying he was overrated and only beat Brock Lesnar at the end of his career. Femi was right behind him and told Adam Pearce to make the match. After the quick victory, Femi said that with all the top champions tied up, he would officially start his own open challenge, offering anyone back in the locker room a chance to stand up.

On the same show, Joe Hendry appeared and held a concert with a new song making it clear that he had signed with Raw. Austin Theory and Logan Paul came out and heckled Hendry, who ended up calling them losers. They got into a brawl until the Street Profits came out for the save.

Later, the Profits welcomed Hendry to Raw and suggested he change his blue shirt to a red one.

Wrestling Weekly: WrestleMania fallout, Oba Femi’s immediate future, tremendous AEW title match

Posted on by Victor Sosa

With WWE WrestleMania 42 in the books, the Wrestling Weekly team of Les Thatcher and Vic Sosa look at some of the highlights but with an emphasis on the future of Oba Femi.

In addition, we got one of the best AEW World title matches that has aired on Dynamite, and a match that…well, wasn’t the best.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Jim Ross backs Oba Femi to headline WWE WrestleMania 43 over Bron Breakker

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Bron Breakker was perceived as a WWE WrestleMania headliner after his official transition to Raw in 2024. This year, Oba Femi changed the dynamics with his main roster debut which quickly escalated into a feud with Brock Lesnar at his first WrestleMania. 

On the latest edition of Grilling JR Podcast, Jim Ross discussed Femi being a part of the World Championship picture at WrestleMania 43. He highlighted that his current positioning is impressive and if done right he could also headline the event. Out of Logan Paul, Breakker and Femi, Ross selected the latter to capture the title first. 

“He’s (Oba Femi) got a better shot at it than anybody you and I can probably name right now, because he beat the monster. And he’s unique. His look is unique. He’s very impressive in that regard. Oba Femi being the champion at next year’s WrestleMania is going to be dependent upon how fast the company can build total confidence in his ability. He’s got to stay reliable. He’s got to work on his game. He ain’t ready. But you got to run with a guy if you’re making that kind of commitment. And the first commitment they’ve made with him is him beating Brock Lesnar. It’s very possible. I can’t name you anyone currently on the roster that has an extremely better chance of being the champion at WrestleMania next year than Oba right now. He’d be my slight favorite in the horse race.”

Ross cited Paul to be the ‘best worker’ out of the group, and remarked on how wrestling is in Breakker’s DNA, automatically making him a powerful contender. 

“The best worker of the group is the Paul kid. He’s the best talent bell to bell. Putting a match together. He’s still going to be perceived as somewhat one dimensional, because the son of a b*tch looks like a Greek god and people draw their assumptions on his physique rather than his fundamental soundness. Breakker is a, I love his game because he’s a legitimate tough athlete that has the pro wrestling DNA flowing through his veins. If I had to make a pick, Oba is going to be one, and maybe Breakker will be one A. But you damn sure don’t want to pass over on Steiner’s kid.”

Femi and Breakker competed on NXT before making their main roster moves. Meanwhile, Paul’s path differed, he was involved in a couple of feuds with Sami Zayn and The Miz before officially transitioning to a full-time WWE star. 

At WrestleMania 42, Femi defeated Brock Lesnar, strengthening his stance as ‘the next big thing’ in WWE. Following their match, Lesnar removed his gloves and boots signifying retirement. 

Breakker returned at the Premium Live Event after nearly two and a half months away to recover from hernia surgery. He speared Seth Rollins and cost him his match against Gunther at the PLE.

Roman Reigns has plenty of challengers post-WWE WrestleMania 42  | Opinion

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Roman Reigns did what he set out to do at WWE WrestleMania 42 Sunday — to both beat CM Punk in his first ever Mania main event and take away his World Heavyweight Championship in the process.

Following the win, there is plenty of talk on who could be next for Reigns including WWE’s interest in pitting him against Gunther after his big win on Saturday over Seth Rollins.

Two years after a dominant 1316-day reign as Universal Champion, the WWE roster has undergone an shakeup with new names and new challengers since that run.

While Jacob Fatu appears to be up first, here’s a few other contenders who could challenge Reigns for the title this year.

Oba Femi

In the WrestleMania post-show, Femi called out the new champion fresh off his own win over former Reigns rival Brock Lesnar. When Reigns made his appearance on the panel later, fans started chanting for Femi and ‘Oba’s gonna kill you’ (in addition to an anti-TKO chant). Reigns acknowledged them, claiming that Femi did a big thing at WrestleMania 42 with his performance but he had already accomplished that multiple times. 

After checking Lesnar off from his list of dominated opponents, it seems inevitable that he will challenge Reigns for the title at some point. However, WWE needs to let the feud develop gradually as a rushed match between the two, especially a premature title match, could do more harm than good.

Seth Rollins

When The Vision turned on Rollins in October, he was forced to relinquish the very title Reigns just won. Since Rollins never actually lost the title in a match, it’s a natural that he gets his shot back at some point. But, that opportunity might take a while especially after Bron Breakker’s return at WrestleMania where he cost Rollins his match against Gunther. 

Even if Rollins challenges Reigns for the title later in the year, their long and complex history ensures plenty of unfinished business. The last time they stood opposite each other in the ring in a singles match was at the Royal Rumble in 2022 and at WrestleMania 40, Rollins sided with Cody Rhodes to take on Reigns and The Rock. 

A key takeaway from their last singles match is that Rollins defeated Reigns via DQ. Rollins’ mind games – making his entrance to The Shield’s theme song, wearing the disbanded group’s signature gear and taunting their gesture of bumping fists during the bout led to Reigns snapping.

LA Knight

Knight was one of the many stars who stood up to Reigns in 2023 and challenged him for the then-Universal Title, squaring off at Crown Jewel that year.

In the buildup of their feud, Knight was unfazed by Reigns’ status with one memorable instance being Knight interrupting Reigns’ entrance for their contract signing. 

Since then, Knight has received mixed reactions from the WWE fans. While some still root for him to get his main event spotlight, a few remain hesitant on whether he should be there.

The possibility of Knight facing off against Reigns again this year carries major implications. He made it clear to Gunther on Monday’s Raw that is where he is looking.

Bron Breakker

In the aftermath of WrestleMania last year, Rollins’ new alliance with Paul Heyman led to The Vision’s origin. They were joined by Bron Breakker and a couple of months later, Bronson Reed joined the fold. 

By July 2025, during the budding rivalry between Jey Uso and Reigns against Rollins, Breakker and Reed, Reigns warned them about confiding in Rollins which Breakker took issue with and called him the “old dog” in the yard, mocking his relevancy dating back five years ago. At SummerSlam last year, Uso and Reigns defeated The Vision.

Breakker has already announced his thirst for winning a World title. Challenging Reigns for the title would capitalize on his momentum and give him a chance to prove himself against an established, dominant competitor. Win or lose, Breakker squaring off against Reigns would signal him as a top tier talent on the WWE roster. He just needs to get past Rollins first.

Roman Reigns responds to Oba Femi’s challenge following WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

At WWE WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nevada, both Oba Femi and Roman Reigns emerged victorious in their respective matches.

Shortly after, at the post-show, Femi, oozing confidence after defeating Brock Lesnar, called out the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Roman Reigns. “I think tomorrow is a celebration. I think in the coming weeks is the establishment of a new main event player. And I think at the end of the year, the OTC [Roman Reigns] can get some!”

Later during Reigns’ appearance at the post-show, the crowd behind started chanting Femi’s name as well as the chant, “Oba’s gonna kill you!” Reigns took notice of it and responded to Femi.

“Oba [Femi] had a big night. Oba, you gonna kill me? You still seem a little fresh in this business. You did a big thing tonight, but I’ve done that many times. I did that with the title on the line. Let’s see how you do in the Summer, then we’ll see if you can step to the Greatest of All Time.”

Femi recently made his way to the main roster a few months ago. Despite his dominating win over Lesnar at WrestleMania 42, he still has a long way to go before challenging Reigns for the World title.

Brock Lesnar teases apparent retirement following WWE WrestleMania 42 loss

Posted on by Bryan Rose

WrestleMania 42 appeared to be it for Brock Lesnar.

The former WWE and UFC Champion lost in under five minutes to Oba Femi on Sunday, falling to Femi’s pop-up powerbomb. After Femi left, an emotional Lesnar recovered and took his gloves off in the ring, then took off his boots. Heyman entered the ring and the two hugged. After some posing, Lesnar exited the ring and walked to the back with Heyman, all but saying his in-ring career was over.

Femi started off the match strong, dominating Lesnar in the early part of the match. Lesnar took control briefly, throwing him into the steps and planted Femi with the F5. But Femi quickly recovered, grabbed Lesnar for a chokeslam, then followed with the pop-up powerbomb for the win.

A NCAA standout, Lesnar was signed in the early 2000s by WWE and by 2002 was given a huge push on the main roster, defeating The Rock for his first world title at that year’s SummerSlam. He exited WWE in 2004 and eventually found himself in the UFC, winning their heavyweight title. Lesnar returned to WWE in 2012 and has been a pivotal part in big shows ever since.

Oba Femi defeats Brock Lesnar in WWE WrestleMania debut

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The opening match of WWE WrestleMania 42 night two was a showcase for Oba Femi.

Further establishing him as one of WWE’s top stars for both the present and future, Femi made his WrestleMania debut on Sunday night by defeating Brock Lesnar. It was a passing-of-the-torch moment with Lesnar leaving his gloves and boots in the ring after the match, all but announcing his retirement.

The commentary teamed hyped up Femi vs. Lesnar as being one of the most anticipated matches in WrestleMania history. When he took Lesnar off his feet near the start, Femi received a big pop from the crowd. Lesnar then mostly had the advantage until Femi was able to pop up after an F5. Femi followed with a chokeslam and Fall From Grace on Lesnar for the win.

Femi vs. Lesnar aired during the ESPN TV simulcast portion of tonight’s broadcast, with WWE positioning this as a star-making night for Femi. He’s built significant momentum with the audience since being called up from NXT at the start of 2026 and received praise from the likes of Roman Reigns and Paul “Triple H” Levesque during WrestleMania week.

After joining WWE as part of the company’s NIL program for college athletes, Femi was a two-time NXT Champion. He made his official main roster debut in the Royal Rumble this year, where he and Lesnar had their first confrontation.

It was expected that Lesnar would be retiring from WWE soon, though most rumors had him continuing until SummerSlam 2026. He left his gear in the ring after losing to Femi, embraced Paul Heyman, and was visibly emotional as he took in cheers from the fans after what looks to have been his final match.

Roman Reigns wants to face rising WWE star Oba Femi

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Roman Reigns already has a dream opponent in sight from the WrestleMania 42 match card. 

Speaking on ESPN First Take, Reigns instantly responded with Oba Femi when asked about which talent he would like to face from the stacked WrestleMania 42 match card.

“Oba Femi, no doubt.”

Reigns commended the main roster additions specifically Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans and Carmelo Hayes’ performances. 

“There’s a lot of great young talent. I really like what I’m seeing from Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans, Carmelo Anthony, no, Carmelo Hayes, sorry, excuse me. And he’s been up for a little while. He’s had a different route than the other guys. So, I’ve really liked the resiliency that he’s shown and he’s torn it up on Smackdown for a while now. So I’m looking for big things from him, too.”

Even Triple H had all but praise for Femi during his appearance on the show. He was asked about the new, up and coming talents on the WrestleMania match card. Triple H said the first reaction to Femi is that he is a performer with limited versatility when in reality it’s the other way around. 

“Oba is one of those guys that when you see him, you think one-trick pony. You think big dude. He’s going to be a powerhouse but he’s going to be limited in all the other things he does because he’s going to lean on that so heavily. Paul Heyman goes in there with him, starts to run his mouth. Oba Femi just hangs with him toe-to-toe on the microphone. I’m telling you, this kid is something special. Never seen anything like that.”

Femi kicked off the year with his debut at the Royal Rumble. He accepted Brock Lesnar’s open challenge for WrestleMania in February and in the weeks that followed, showcased why he is a worthy contender.

Femi and Lesnar will open Night Two of WrestleMania 42 in a singles collision. On the other hand, Reigns looks to defeat CM Punk and win the World Heavyweight Championship. 

Oba Femi calls WWE NXT his version of the ‘indies’

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Oba Femi has opened up and reflected on his time growing as a wrestler in WWE NXT.

Scheduled to face Brock Lesnar at WWE WrestleMania 42, Femi made his main roster debut earlier this year in 2026. After a lengthy spell in NXT from 2021 to 2026, Femi made his way to RAW and SmackDown.

Speaking to Cameron Hawkins of Uncrowned, Femi reflected on his time in NXT and expressed gratitude for what he learned during his time there.

“(It) was time. You know when you’ve done everything you can do for a company, you know when you’ve done everything you can do for a brand, a relationship, a friendship. You know when you’ve done everything, and you’ve tried your best, and you’ve put your all, and it’s time for you to move on to the next thing, and that’s just where I found myself when I had the NXT Championship,” he said.

Calling NXT his version of the “indies,” Femi claimed, “I’d done everything there was to do. I’m grateful for my time in NXT, of course. That was my indies. I appreciate everything I went through there.”

Since his arrival on the main roster, Femi has yet to lose a singles match. During his NXT run, Femi achieved multiple accolades, including two NXT Championship reigns, one NXT North American Championship reign, the 2023 NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament, and the 2024 Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge.

WWE Raw live results: WrestleMania 42 go-home show

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: April 13, 2026
Location: Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA 

The Big Takeaway —

WrestleMania 42 is this weekend. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Raw kicked off immediately with a pre-taped Roman Reigns promo. Reigns said that when he won the Royal Rumble, he told CM Punk to enjoy his time as the World Champion, but instead, he lied and exposed himself as a hypocrite. 

The video cut to clips of Punk’s hypocritical statements. Punk claimed he brought in the Shield, even though when the angle first happened, he claimed he had nothing to do with it. Punk claimed the company treated him like garbage, even though he was champion for 400+ days. Punk claimed he didn’t surround himself with a wiseman or yes-men, even though he previously had Paul Heyman or the Straight Edge Society by his side. 

They also showed Pat McAfee’s comments about Punk taking the money to go to Saudi Arabia. Reigns said he liked McAfee, but never has a punter run his mouth to him. Nobody believed in Punk anymore because it wasn’t 2012. Reigns didn’t lie. That’s why people liked him and trusted him. Either Punk would tell the truth tonight, or Reigns would. 

(This was well done, and a good idea to start the show with this as a hook for their segment later tonight.) 

********

Wrestlers were shown arriving at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, and a video package for Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi aired. 

Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman segment 

Adam Pearce and Paul “Triple H” Lesvesque stood in the ring together. Pearce wanted to ensure the Lesnar-Femi match actually happened, so he decided they would sign their match contract separately. 

Heyman marched out and agreed with Pearce’s sentiment. We were close to WrestleMania, and nobody should get close to Lesnar. 

Lesnar entered and signed the contract. Heyman said it might as well be a Nigerian death warrant. Lesnar ripped the microphone away from Heyman and said we wouldn’t even know Femi’s name after Sunday. Heyman gave us a spoiler for the real WrestleMania main event—Lesnar would win, and Femi would lose. 

********

After all the talking to kick off the show, we were treated to a video involving the Vision. IShowSpeed was having doubts about his upcoming match. Logan Paul and Austin Theory tried to psych him up and did some in-ring training with him. Speed was full of confidence following this short training session. 

During a break, Michael Cole said WrestleMania was all about the moments, and they aired a clip of Giannis Antetokounmpo saying his favourite Mania moment was Lesnar ending Undertaker’s streak. 

There was footage of the Mania stage being built at the stadium in Las Vegas. 

Charlotte Flair (w/ Alexa Bliss) vs. Lyra Valkyria (w/ Bayley)

Flair had control throughout a break after hitting a big boot, but Valkyria came back with a middle rope leg drop onto a hunched-over Flair for two. Flair responded with a moonsault for a nearfall before Valkyria hit a fisherman’s suplex for two. 

Flair chucked Valkyria outside the ring, knocking over Bayley in the process. Back in the ring, Flair rolled up Valkyria, but Bayley tripped up Flair, and Valkyria managed to fall backward into a cover for the pinfall win. 

Flair was pissed, and the two teams got into a shoving match until the referees backed them off. 

Match result: Lyra Valkyria defeated Charlotte Flair (10:25) 

********

Cole let us know there were still tickets available for the SmackDown and Raw surrounding WrestleMania. (Both shows are also in Vegas.) 

The MFTs confronted LA Knight and the Usos backstage. Solo Sikoa couldn’t believe Jimmy and Jey were hanging out with Knight every week. Knight challenged three of them to a six-man tag match tonight so he could smack them back to factory settings. 

Penta cut a commercial break promo plugging the Intercontinental title ladder match at Mania. He planned on bringing pain, and the match would be a war. 

They plugged the Hulk Hogan Netflix documentary. (The new one, not the one from 2017.) There was only a split-second crowd reaction to this because the video was followed by Stephanie Vaquer’s entrance, but it sounded like people were booing the Hogan plug. We’ll see what the live reports indicate. 

********

Stephanie Vaquer and Liv Morgan segment 

Vaquer entered the ring for an interview with Cathy Kelley, but she was immediately attacked from behind by Liv Morgan. (Morgan still has a knot on her forehead.) Vaquer collided with Kelley, who was knocked down (perhaps Kelley’s first ever bump). 

This led to our latest pull-apart brawl, as the two women brawled until officials broke things up. With Vaquer out of the ring, Morgan grabbed a mic and said, “I knew your mother was trash, but I didn’t know she raised a little bitch.” (Enlightening stuff.) 

Vaquer stormed back into the ring to brawl again until officials broke it up again. 

(Kelley was helped to the back, and later in the show, Cole said she was checked on by trainers and would be fine.)

********

Jackie Redmond interviewed Iyo Sky backstage. Sky said she may have lost to Jade Cargill on SmackDown, but she did not regret fighting for her friend, Rhea Ripley. Sky would be rooting for Ripley at WrestleMania. 

Asuka and Kairi Sane interrupted. Asuka said Sky went into Mania as the world champion last year, but this year, she was just Ripley’s sidekick. 

Sky said she had enough of Asuka and told Sane she didn’t have to put up with this. Asuka put Sane in a match against Sky tonight (presumably because Pearce didn’t make any matches himself). 

********

Six-man tag team match: LA Knight, Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso vs. Solo Sikoa, JC Mateo & Tanga Loa (w/ Talla Tonga)

This was a short match with a commercial break, so not much happened. 

Jey went for a suicide dive, but Sikoa caught him and drove him into the announce desk. Tama Tonga showed up behind the barricade and was confronted by Sikoa and Tonga. This distracted Loa, so Knight hit him with a BFT for the pinfall win. 

Match result: KA Knight & The Usos defeated Tanga Loa, JC Mateo & Solo Sikoa (6:45) 

********

Jelly Roll’s favourite WrestleMania was The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8 in Toronto. There was one more of these segments later on, with a bunch of fans choosing Cody Rhodes’ win over Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 as their favourite.

Gunther and Seth Rollins segment 

Gunther entered for a promo, but like the earlier segment with Vaquer and Morgan, he was immediately attacked from behind by Seth Rollins. Gunther bailed. 

Rollins said Gunther jumped him two weeks in a row, so tonight was his receipt, and Rollins would finish the job at Mania. Rollins said if this really was personal for Gunther, like he claimed—and not just him seeking a favour from Heyman—he should return to the ring and tell him why he wanted this match at Mania. 

Gunther grabbed a mic and got back into the ring and into Rollins’ face. Gunther said he was indeed solving Heyman’s problem, but he was also doing it with a smile on his face, because Rollins was pissing him off. Rollins strutted around like he was the best in the ring, but he wasn’t—Gunther was, and Rollins never wanted to find that out. 

When he was the world champion, Rollins didn’t seek him out. Instead, Rollins became a useful idiot for Heyman. WrestleMania was personal for him because he wanted to expose that Rollins could not lace his boots. 

They butted heads before exchanging blows. Rollins got the better of this brawl and tried to curb-stomp Gunther’s head onto the ring steps, but Gunther escaped through the crowd. 

******** 

Dominik Mysterio confronted Pearce backstage. Dom didn’t like that Rey Mysterio was getting an IC title shot, while he had to face the Demon Finn Bálor. Dom said Bálor told him the demon was dead. He also signed a contract to fight Bálor, not the demon, and wanted the match cancelled. Pearce said Rey was a Hall of Famer and was getting the IC title match he deserved—and Dom would get what he deserved, too. 

Actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Sacramento Kings player Dylan Cardwell were in the crowd. 

IYO SKY vs. Kairi Sane (w/ Asuka)

During a break, Asuka and Sky played tug-of-war with Sane until Asuka forcefully let go, and Sane collided with Sky as a result. Sane took over in the match, and Asuka took some cheap shots on Sky while the referee was distracted. Sky made her come back following the break with a missile dropkick and running corner meteora. 

Sane distracted the referee after being knocked off the top rope, allowing Asuka to shove Sky into the ring post. This made a loud thud, but Jessika Carr had to play dumb like she didn’t hear anything, even though she turned around and Sky was dead. 

Ripley ran out to her music and hit Asuka with a headbutt (which actually missed by a mile), but was attacked from behind by Jade Cargill. Sky wiped out Cargill in response. 

Sky went to the top rope, but with the referee distracted for at least the third time in the match, Asuka tripped her off, and Sane applied a small package for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Kairi Sane defeated IYO SKY (9:56)

That’s three straight singles losses for Sky, who does not have a singles win in 2026. 

This match probably would’ve been pretty good without all the outside stuff, but the outside stuff is what we’re paying for. 

*******

There was a video package for AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch. 

Triple H and Pearce entered to Triple H’s music during a break for the next segment. 

Oba Femi segment 

Pearce called out Femi to sign the WrestleMania contract. Femi entered to a strong reaction, and he quickly signed the contract. Triple H alerted Femi to Heyman, who was suddenly standing on the stage. The crowd chanted for Femi. 

Heyman said he’s never seen someone come across as the biggest star in the industry as fast as Femi. Heyman knew when he was safe and knew when he was not, and knew Femi was a violent man. That was also the thing Heyman liked most about Femi. He was the most violent man to come to WWE since Lesnar. He was the fastest rising star since Lesnar. He was the most impressive athlete, fighter, and combat athlete— 

Heyman’s sentence was cut off by the crowd, who continued to chant loudly for Femi. Heyman informed them that it would all come to an end on WrestleMania Sunday. It would all come crashing down in Suplex City with an F5 by Lesnar. Heyman said Femi would have to rebuild his career after WrestleMania and that his door would be open. 

Femi said it was taking everything in his being not to beat Heyman pillar to post. The crowd chanted, “Beat his ass.” Femi wasn’t interested because Heyman’s physical scars would heal, but the emotional scars from his beast losing would last forever. Femi told Heyman to close his door, because the only door Femi needed was the door to WrestleMania. 

Femi said Heyman thought no one could beat Lesnar because of the past 25 years, but over the past four weeks, Femi showed that he absolutely can be beaten. It wasn’t personal for Femi, it was business. But it wasn’t business as usual because this was different. He could feel it, Heyman could feel it, and the fans could feel it. This was the end for Lesnar. 

Femi said Heyman has always been there with Lesnar as his mouthpiece, but he has never been an honest one. If Heyman were honest, he would have come out there and announced that his client was scared of him. He was the mountain that Lesnar could not climb, and he would win at WrestleMania. Femi was the one and always was. Everyone knew it, and at WrestleMania, Heyman would know it, too. 

(This was a good final segment for this match. Femi had to fight through some overwritten dialogue, but he was really good here, particularly when he got more and more fired up.) 

********

They aired Liv Morgan’s Terrible Trouble music video. 

Je’Von Evans & Dragon Lee vs. Rusev & JD McDonagh

There was an impressive spot during a break where Evans hit a frog splash with Rusev positioned more than halfway across the ring. The impressive spots continued when Dragon Lee made a hot tag. Lee leaped over the top rope and used a hurricanrana to yank McDonagh off the apron and into Rusev. 

Lee hit a snap German suplex, but McDonagh responded with a Spanish fly. Evans broke up the cover and wiped out Rusev with a dive. Lee followed moments later with a Styles Clash on McDonagh for the pinfall win. 

— Rusev attacked Lee and Evans after the match. Rey ran out to attack Rusev and went for a 619, but Rusev cut him off with a clothesline. Penta ran out next, but Rusev cut him off with a Machka Kick. Rusev laid out everyone (minus McDonagh) and put Lee in the Accolade. Rusev stood tall. 

Match result: Dragon Lee & Je’Von Evans defeated JD McDonagh & Rusev (8:13) 

Every Raw match is ten minutes or less with a commercial break in the middle, but at least the last 90 seconds of this was fun. And nobody interfered.

********

Danhausen accosted Pearce backstage. Danhausen assumed Pearce was on the phone with John Cena and wanted to talk to him. Pearce said no. The comedy here was Danhausen saying, “You can’t see me,” while Pearce was on the phone, then disappearing when Pearce turned back around. 

(Danhausen also came out in front of the live crowd during break earlier to do his usual bit.) 

Somebody in the crowd had a “We want Naomi” sign. You know why she’s out of action, right? 

******** 

Roman Reigns and CM Punk — WrestleMania 42 go-home segment

Roman Reigns entered. He told Sacramento to acknowledge him. They did. 

CM Punk’s music hit and entered through the crowd. He slapped hands with fans and really, really took his time to get to ringside. Punk stood atop the announce table and addressed Reigns’ cold-open promo. 

It sounded like a political smear campaign to Punk, and he assumed Reigns put it together himself. Punk wanted to tell his truth. The fans could be witnesses, and Reigns could be the judge. Punk wanted Reigns to tell him when he was telling lies. 

Punk made his way up the steps and started his promo while standing on the apron. Punk said he hated Reigns because he envied him. This was all he ever wanted. This was the only dream he wanted since he was a kid. He envied that it was handed to Reigns. He hated that Reigns was champion for 1,316 days because, after some self-reflection, Punk knew how hard he worked to be that great. 

In the history books, when they talk about legacy, they wouldn’t ask how, they would ask how many. Punk hated the number 1,316. He hated how many times Reigns main-evented WrestleMania. He hated that he felt this way. 

Sika was a great man, a great wrestler, a champion, and a Hall of Famer. Punk loved and respected the old-timers. He hated the fact that he invoked Reigns’ father’s name in vain, “and I sincerely apologize to you.” (Punk entered the ring and cut the rest of his promo face-to-face with Reigns.) 

Punk said there was more than one royal family in professional wrestling. He hated that he envied that he wasn’t born into a dynasty. He didn’t know what it was like having that kind of family. 

Punk was born in the backyard and back alleyways of Chicago. He was a misfit who had to find his own family. He found his own family in the streets of Sacramento. He found his family in the locker rooms of every VFW hall, dilapidated Midwest barns, bowling alleys, and abandoned churches. 

Punk found his family on the indies, then he conquered Japan. He went to England and Puerto Rico. He went around the world twice. He wasn’t born on third base with a silver spoon. He busted his ass and made pro wrestling his home, and made them his family. 

Punk hated that he felt this way, or that he had to share anything with Reigns, including his first singles match headlining WrestleMania. Just like he had gold on his shoes and around his waist tonight, on April 19th, there would be gold above his head with his blood-caked face when their match was over, and Las Vegas chanting his name. 

Reigns responded. He said that was probably the truest stuff he’s heard Punk say—until the last part. Reigns wanted to say something true, too. He hated Punk. He hated him for a long time. But the main reason was his relationship with the fans. 

Reigns hoped that when he left, the fans would miss him as much as they missed Punk for ten years. That was the truest thing Punk had, the relationship with their fanbase. No one could take that from him. On Sunday, that was Punk’s truth, but not the reality. 

The reality was that Punk’s time was up. He had months to be relevant (as the world champion), but did nothing with it. This nostalgia experiment would be done, and we would fix the mess that Punk started. They would make this place where they had it (before Punk returned)—at the very top worth every single dollar. 

On Sunday, the Tribal Chief would take over, and Punk, although with the rest of the world, would acknowledge him. 

They stared down as the show ended.

WWE Raw live results: CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, Oba Femi appear

Posted on by Marc Quill

WWE Raw on Monday April 6, 2026 is set for the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Seven matches/segments are advertised for the show, including WrestleMania 42 opponents Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi being “in the same building.”

After he was attacked by Gunther last week, Seth Rollins will kick off this week’s Raw. Their match for WrestleMania has been made official as well.

CM Punk is also booked to appear, plus four matches are scheduled: Finn Balor vs. JD McDonagh, Austin Theory vs. LA Knight, Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY vs. B-Fab & Michin, and Penta, Dragon Lee & Je’Von Evans vs. El Grande Americano, Rayo Americano & Bravo Americano.

The full lineup for the show is as follows:

  • Seth Rollins to kick off the episode
  • We will hear from CM Punk
  • Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar will be in the same building
  • Finn Balor vs. JD McDonagh
  • Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY vs. B-Fab & Michin (w/ Jade Cargill)
  • Austin Theory (w/ Logan Paul) vs. LA Knight
  • Penta, Dragon Lee & Je’Von Evans vs. El Grande Americano, Rayo Americano & Bravo Americano

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern.

**********

CM Punk opens Raw

The show opened with CM Punk addressing the crowd, as he put over Houston’s wrestling heritage. Punk pointed out that Roman Reigns was not in the building tonight, stating that he got some payback from being put through a table two weeks ago as he gave Reigns the same treatment last week in Madison Square Garden.

Punk said he hated Roman Reigns because he viewed him as a “store-bought and plastic” star manufactured by corporate. He pointed out that this wasn’t “cinema”, it was pro wrestling and that Reigns and his bloodline don’t run the place anymore. Punk took a shot at Reignsf or being a nepo baby who ate dog food for “a weird old man” (Vince McMahon), the same one who treated Punk like a dog, but he had dignity and left when he had the FU money.

Punk then turned his attention to Pat McAfee for his remarks on SmackDown last Friday. Punk challenged McAfee to call his ‘agent” to lower ticket prices and that he’s also got a receipt coming. He wrapped up by saying that the prices should be lowered so that families can see him step on Reigns’ neck at WrestleMania, as he stated that he approved this message.

Effective opening salvo from Punk, but as I noted on the SmackDown recap, I’m really not a fan of the Pat McAfee stuff being brought up. Punk also bringing up Vince McMahon but not alluding to him by name also didn’t sit right with me.

**********

– After a recap of LA Knight’s invasion of IShowSpeed’s stream, we got Speed himself running into Danhausen. He asked Danhausen to lift the curse that was put on him, but Danhausen only agreed to do it if he got a mention on his streams. Speed didn’t agree as Danhausen vanished.

The Vision’s Austin Theory and Logan Paul grabbed Speed and said that they were safe with him.

LA Knight vs. Austin Theory

We started off with some chain wrestling, but Knight pushed back and tossed Theory across the ring. As Theory rolled out of the ring, he re-entered and instantly got met with a Knight clothesline. After being deposited out of the ring, Knight dropped him with a dropkick to the outside. We took a break as Knight had the upper hand on Theory at the timekeeper’s area.

Our opener returned from the break as Knight went for a neckbreaker, but Theory rcountered with the Blockbuster for a close near-fall. The action spilled outside as Knight bashed Theory’s head across the commentary table. Logan Paul tried to get involved, but got taken out by Knight for his troubles.

IShowSpeed found himself caught in the fray as Logan pushed him into Knight’s path. Speed ran as fast as he could up the ramp until The Usos’ music played. As Speed was caught between a rock and a hard place, he leapt over Knight in a great show of agility and paced back into the ring. Knight gave chase, but this allowed Theory to pick up a tainted win with a roll-up pin.

Austin Theory def. LA Knight via pinfall

After the match, IShowSpeed tried to beg the Usos and Knight for forgiveness. Before the Usos could do anything to Speed, Logan Paul pulled him out of the ring.

This led to Knight asking for a six-man tag between him and the Usos against Theory, Paul, and IShowSpeed to be made for WrestleMania, as Adam Pierce made it official soon after.

I’m not too hot on this match being made, and it’s easy to see why, given the sorry state of The Vision, which was once heralded as a dangerous heel stable on Raw.

**********

– A recap of Pat McAfee’s aligning with Randy Orton from SmackDown aired.

– Finn Balor tried to make his way for a match, but he was ambushed from behind by “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio. Balor did try to fight back, but Dom and JD McDonagh used the Judgment Day numbers game to their advantage to leave Balor laying.

– AJ Lee’s interview with Michael Cole was rudely interrupted by Becky Lynch. The challenger to Lee’s Women’s Intercontinental Title dissed the champion’s last WrestleMania appearance and how she quit the day after. Lynch put over her WrestleMania acumen stating that it was “her home”.

Lee fired back by saying that people kept underestimating her and that the fans never forgot who she was even after all the years away from WWE. She closed off by telling Lynch that she should ask who Roux Lynch’s favorite wrestler his when she Becky tucked her daughter to bed, because it was AJ Lee.

**********

Bayley vs. Lash Legend

The match opned with Legend at the advantage early, but Bayley attempted to fight back. Big boot by Legend took us to the commercial break.

We returned as Legend hit Bayley with a backbreaker for a near-fall. Bayley tried to fight back as she avoided a pump-kick. The elbow drop from the heavens missed its target. In the end, Lyra Valkyria held down Legend’s leg as Bayley got the pin with a diving crossbody after countering a superplex.

Bayley def. Lash Legend via pinfall

**********

Seth Rollins addresses GUNTHER

Seth Rollins made his way down to the ring, with the Houston crowd loudly singing his song. He was addressed as “Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins” in his entrance

As Rollins took the mic, he showed excitement and gratefulness to the Houston crowd for singing his entrance them as he had been waiting for it after six long months away from the ring.

Rollins took in the crowd singing before he declared that he was back. He talked about how in less than two weeks at WrestleMania, he was going one on one against GUNTHER. He was trying to figure out how we all got here, mainly because he and GUNTHER had no personal issues with one another. Rollins suggested that GUNTHER had a business relationship with Paul Heyman.

Rollins stated that he had two missions: to take the World Heavyweight Title he never loss, and to kill The Vision. He talked about how Logan Paul and Austin Theory had issues with The Usos, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed were on the shelf, and that Brock Lesnar was put on a silver platter by Rollins for Oba Femi.

As Rollins addressed GUNTHER, the Ring General tried to ambush him, but Rollins got ahead of it and avoided a sleeper. The brawl spilled to the outside, as Adam Pearce and officials tried to break things up.

This Rollins/GUNTHER feud is somehow the one feud that hasn’t been a total wash in terms of the Road to WrestleMania. I’m surprised at how much I’m enjoying it.

**********

Penta, Je’von Evans, Dragon Lee vs. El Grande Americano & Los Americanos

El Grande dropped Evans with a knee as he and Los Americanos did a dance in the middle the ring. Evans headed to the top and took everyone out. The action spilled to the outside as Lee, Evans, and Penta took out everyone with massive dives as we took a commercial break.

The match resumed from the break as Penta and Rayo Americano were the legal men. Penta connected with an amazing rolling double DDT on Los Americanos. Meanwhole in the ring, Lee hit Rayo with a basement dropkick. Lee attempted a Styles Clash, but Bravo pulled at his leg, which allowed Dragon to be hit with repeated headbutts by El Grande and Los Americanos. Evans entered and tried for the Springboard Cutter, but got hit with a forearm.

Things hit a quickening pace as Dragon Lee connected with the Styles Clash. El Grande broke up the pin as all six men were now in the ring. Dragon Lee dropped El Grande with a hurricanrana from the apron, while Penta hit the Mexican Destroyer on Rayo on the apron. Evans finished things off with the O.G. Cutter on Bravo to pick up the pin and win.

After the match Rey Mysterio showed uip to a huge ovation from the Houston crowd as he embraced Evans, Dragon, and Penta.

– Rey Mysterio talked about how cool it was for Penta’s journey to take off with him becoming the Intercontinental Champion. Mysterio said that he missed WrestleMania last year due to injury, but as for this year, he spoke with Adam Pearce. Mysterio said it was missing him . Penta agreed and seemed to welcome Rey into the Intercontinental Championship ladder match.

Je’von Evans, Dragon Lee, & Penta def. El Grande Americano & Los Americanos viua pinfall.

A heck of a tag match. I might be generally down on WWE as a whole, especially as far as the Road to WrestleMania goes. But, I find myself enjoying Je’von Evans and Penta. Seeing these two succeeding as they are always puts a smile to my face.

**********

– Cody Rhodes’ response to Pat McAfee’s actions from SmackDown last Friday later that evening was shown.

– A recap of Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi’s Madison Square Garden showdown was shown.

RHIYO (Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY) vs. B-Fab & Michin (w/ Jade Cargill)

Ripley slammed B-Fab down and punched away at her. She then took her out with a fierce clothesline. Ripley threw Michin into the ring and laid her out with a kick before tossing her to the ringside area. B-Fab took advantage and hit Ripley with a strike before she worked her over in the coner. B-Fab than hit a DDT on RIpley for a two-count.

B-Fab locked in a chinlock on Ripley for a good while before it was broken up with a snapmare. Ripley tagged in SKY while Michin entered for her team. Double stomp to Michin by SKY, who dropped B-Fab by the neck across the ropes. This left B-Fab and Michin at the mercy of a double dropkick from SKY. B-Fab and Michin were then rattled by a suicide dive by SKY as we took a break in the action.

Raw returned from commercial with SKY at the mercy of a two-on-one attack from B-Fab and Michin as they took control during the break. While the referee was distracted, Jade Cargill tripped up Ripley at the apron to prevent her from tagging SKY. Back in the ring, SKY rolled up B-Fab with a flash pin for the win.

After the match, Cargill laid out SKY, as Michin grabbed a kendo stick, looking to do damage, Ripley entered the ring and tried to even the odds, but a pump kick from Cargill put her out for the count. With Ripley held against the ropes by B-Fab and Michin, Cargill took the kendo stick and turned her attention to SKY. Cargill then finished her off with Jaded.

RHIYO def. B-Fab & Michin via pinfall

I can’t tell you how this feud is leaving me cold. Cargill is just not a good heel, and the inexplicable alliance between her, B-Fab, and Michin does not interest me as a heel faction.

**********

– Finn Balor addressed Dominik Mysterio and stated that a side he had buried a long time ago as he said that it was coming back at WrestleMania, hinting that he was bringing The Demon back to deal with Dom.

– Stephanie Vaquer attacked Liv Morgan in the Judgment Day clubhouse, throwing her right into the TV.

Oba Femi/Brock Lesnar WrestleMania contract signing

During the commercial break, Paul “Triple H” Levesque was shown entering the ring and confiding with Adam Pearce as they’ll oversee the Femi/Lesnar contract signing.

Pearce addressed the crowd, and stated that over the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen the birth of a true clash of heavyweight titans at WrestleMania between Oba Femi & Brock Lesnar. Before Pearce could continue, Paul Heyman butted in as only he could. Heyman talked about this match being the most anticipated match in WrestleMania history and how Oba Femi couldn’t measure up to Brock Lesnar.

At that moment, Lesnar made his entrance. Soon after, Pearce introduced Femi, as “The Ruler” made his way down to the ring to a loud ovation.

As Femi entered, Lesnar went on the attack before Femi fought back as security ran down post-haste to break everyone up… or at least try to. Even with everyone attempting to separate Femi and Lesnar, the brawl continued on. Lesnar and Femi tossed a chair at one another as the show ended rather abruptly.

**********

As with most overused Triple H booking tropes, the pull apart brawl is one that’s gotten a bit too much use over the past couple of weeks, between Femi/Lesnar, Punk/Reigns, and Rhodes/Orton. This final segment didn’t exactly feel that exciting and enticing me to watch WrestleMania for the Femi vs. Lesnar match. The rather abrupt ending before anything truly could break down didn’t help matters either.

All in all, this was kind of an okay Raw. Maybe my lack of excitement for WrestleMania season kind of colored how I reacted to the show tonight, but nothing really grabbed my interest. That said, the six-man tag match was a highlight and the actual matches themselves tend to be enjoyable. It’s just the overall storytelling in WWE that’s been failing for the most part.

WOR: WrestleMania card, Cena returns, non-Mania big matches, RAW report, more!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the WrestleMania card filling up, what should headline night one, John Cena added to boost ticket sales, new Mania weekend non-WWE matches, Arena Mexico, Best of the Super Juniors, the RAW report, ratings and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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