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 Valkyriaâs IC title at Backlash. Pat McAfee has himself a match at Backlash against Gunther, and Logan Paul is next in line for Jey Uso.
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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 youâd expect, but Vaquer also got a pretty good reaction.
Michael Cole informed us that Pearce suspended Gunther indefinitely. Pat McAfee couldnât wait to address Gunther later tonight.
There was a recap of last weekâs closing angle.
Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Paul Heyman segment
Rollinsâ music hit, and the crowd popped. They cheered as all three men hit the ring. They sang Rollinsâ 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 wasnât 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 theyâve 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 heâd 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 wasnât meant to be a threat, but if he stood in their way, he was a target. Rollins didnât want that for Zayn. He offered to have Heyman pull some strings and get Zayn moved off of Raw so he didnât 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.
(Theyâre a heel group, but the crowd certainly didnât treat them like that. The only heelish thing about Rollins so far is that he doesnât like two babyfaces, Punk and Reigns, but we already knew that.)
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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 Ripleyâs 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, âThis is awesome,â 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 Razorâs 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 BĂĄlor excitedly welcomed JD McDonagh back (and acted like they hadnât 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 werenât getting ready for their match.
BĂĄlor 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 wasnât sure BĂĄlor would like hearing that since it wasnât a title match. BĂĄlor was happy to have the match, but wanted them to keep him in the loop next time.
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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 didnât 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 heâs done everything there is to do in the industry except win a world title.
Jey Uso interrupted. Jey said he wasnât 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. âThis title is not given, itâs earnedâand itâs mine.â 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.
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New Day joined commentary for the next match. Cole liked Xavier Woodsâ 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 BĂĄlor & JD McDonagh (w/Carlito)
Woods said we were only impressed by Ivarâs offence because he was âfat.â Kingston tried to say he was big-boned, but Woods made sure to call him fat repeatedly. Woods said BĂĄlor had a lot of abs, while Ivar was ab-sent. Cole said he shouldâve 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 BĂĄlor 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 BĂĄlor and chucked him into New Day at ringside as they continued to talk trash. Woods actually caught BĂĄlor, 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 BĂĄlor (10:34)
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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 couldnât 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 Rollinsâ 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.)
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Jeff Passan and Ryan Blaney were in the crowd.
There was a video package of Becky Lynchâs 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 wouldnât be any murder mystery or weeks-long who did it. She examined the footage and found the culprit â âIt was me! I did it!â
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 elseâs shirts and danced to their songs. Bayley wondered why she wasnât 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 sheâs 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 didnât 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 wasâand 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 didnât matter. Valkyria wasnât surprised, so she suggested Backlash. Valkyria also put her title on the line because she knew Lynch wouldnât 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.
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Aldis met with Penta backstage. Aldis didnât appreciate Penta getting involved in the match earlier. Aldis let him off with a warning because he didnât want to fine him. Aldis let him know he would be wrestling McDonagh next week. (Why werenât 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 FĂ©nix lose to El Grande Americano. Penta dropped him with a kick and told him not to mess with the Lucha Bros.
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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 Womenâs Champion Stephanie Vaquer vs. Ivy Nile (w/Chad Gable)
Vaquer hit Devilâs Kiss to the delight of the crowd. Nile blocked it earlier, which the crowd didnât appreciate. After a break, Vaquer did it again. Vaquer hit a Meteora in the corner, but Gable put Nileâs 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, âThis is awesome.â
Nile countered Vaquerâs 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)
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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.
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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.)
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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. Heâs 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 wasnât 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 motherfâker. (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 âSmackDownâs version of Adam Pearce.â
Aldis entered. Aldis said Pearce might like chaos to reign supreme, but he wasnât in charge tonight. Aldis told him to be professional. McAfee wanted Aldis to lift Guntherâs 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 thatâs what McAfee was asking for in the first place.) Aldis proposed a singles match at Backlash. McAfee accepted and threw down the mic.
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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.
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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
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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 didnât believe in him. The business tore friendships apart. Theyâve both experienced that. He wondered how many true friends they could still count on. Zayn was one of Rollinsâ 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 didnât believe in him, bad things would happen, and Rollins didnât 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 wouldnât just stand there while his friend threatened him. He didnât care if he was a target because heâs been a target many times before. But Zayn wouldnât 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, âSo buddy, as a friend, I respect you. I love you. But this is me telling you to go to hell.â
Rollins hung his head as Bronâs music hit. Bron entered in his gear, and I guess weâre 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, âOne more time.â)
â 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 itâll 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)
