A major change to the WrestleMania Backlash card was announced on last night’s SmackDown.
Despite being promoted for weeks, RK-Bro and The Usos’ Tag Team title unification match will no longer be taking place at WrestleMania Backlash. There will instead be a six-man tag match with Drew McIntyre & RK-Bro facing Roman Reigns & The Usos.
A contract signing for the Tag Team title unification match took place on SmackDown last night, but it broke down before anything was signed. After RK-Bro got the better of a brawl with The Usos, they were distracted by Reigns making his entrance. The Usos then blindsided RK-Bro as their attention was turned away.
The Usos laid out Riddle with the 1D. Reigns ripped up the contract for the title unification match and shoved it into Riddle’s mouth.
McIntyre then entered to make the save. He took out The Usos before exchanging blows with Reigns.
Following the contract signing segment, Paul Heyman approached Adam Pearce backstage and proposed changing the Tag Team title unification match to McIntyre & RK-Bro vs. Reigns & The Usos. When Pearce didn’t want to make the change, Heyman threatened to go to the WWE Board of Directors and file a complaint against Pearce for depriving the fans of a match featuring Reigns.
A match originally set to unify the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team titles at WWE WrestleMania Backlash has now been changed to a six-man tag match.
After Drew McIntyre aided RK-Bro in laying out Roman Reigns and The Usos on tonight’s SmackDown, Paul Heyman confronted official Adam Pearce backstage and asked for a six-man tag team match at WrestleMania Backlash. Pearce rejected the idea, saying there was already a tag team title unification match. Heyman threatened to go to the WWE Board of Directors if he didn’t comply. The new match was later made official.
Tonight’s show had a contract signing between The Usos and RK-Bro for WrestleMania Backlash. The two teams soon began to brawl, with Roman Reigns coming out soon after. The distraction allowed The Usos to lay out RK-Bro. Reigns entered the ring, ripped up the contract for the title unification match and stuffed it down Riddle’s throat. McIntyre then came out and took out all three members of The Bloodline.
Here is the current lineup for WrestleMania Backlash, which will take place on May 8:
Drew McIntyre & RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) vs. Roman Reigns & The Usos in a six-man tag team match
AJ Styles vs. Edge
Omos vs. Bobby Lashley
Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey in an I Quit match for the SmackDown Women’s title
After being confronted by The Usos on Raw, RK-Bro showed up on SmackDown last night to return the favor.
RK-Bro accepted The Usos’ challenge for a Tag Team title unification match, which was made official for WrestleMania Backlash. The two teams went face-to-face and held up their respective title belts until The Usos left the ring. But The Usos then delivered a sneak attack on Riddle as RK-Bro were posing on the turnbuckles.
A singles match between Riddle and Jimmy Uso was made for last night’s main event. Jey Uso got involved in the match, but Randy Orton took him out by slamming him onto the announce table. That distracted Jimmy Uso — and Riddle hit an RKO on him to get the win.
WrestleMania Backlash is taking place at Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island on Sunday, May 8.
RK-Bro and The Usos will square off at WrestleMania Backlash to unify WWE’s Tag Team titles.
The “Winners Take All Tag Team Championship Unification Match” was announced during this week’s WWE SmackDown episode after first being teased on last week’s show. Raw Tag Team Champions Randy Orton and Riddle will face SmackDown Tag Team Champions Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso at the Sunday, May 8 WrestleMania Backlash premium live event streaming on Peacock in the United States, and on WWE Network in the rest of the world.
The WWE Championship and Universal Championship were unified at WrestleMania 38 when Universal title holder Roman Reigns defeated WWE title holder Brock Lesnar.
Three matches have officially been announced for WrestleMania Backlash, which will be held in Providence, Rhode Island at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Here is the announced lineup so far:
WWE WrestleMania Backlash, Sunday, May 8 —
Tag Team Championship unification match: Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos
SmackDown Women’s Championship I Quit match: Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro are headed to tonight’s SmackDown ahead of an eventual title unification match with The Usos.
RK-Bro will confront SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos on tonight’s episode of the show in Worcester, Massachusetts. After Roman Reigns told them it was time to unify the Tag Team titles, The Usos showed up on Raw earlier this week and laid out Randy Orton.
The Usos defeated The Street Profits on Raw this Monday. They then went face-to-face with RK-Bro after the match. The show ended with The Usos blindsiding Orton with superkicks.
WWE has yet to set a date for RK-Bro and The Usos’ title unification match.
The Intercontinental title will be on the line tonight as Ricochet defends against Jinder Mahal. Plus, Drew McIntyre will face Sami Zayn.
McIntyre defeated Zayn by countout last week when Zayn fled the ring and left through the crowd as McIntyre was going for the Claymore.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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They recapped The Usos showing up on Raw, challenging RK-Bro, and defeating the Street Profits. After the match, The Usos knocked out Randy Orton with double superkicks.
RK-Bro Segment
This was a good opening segment. The fans loved RK-Bro, in particular Randy Orton. Both teams were good in their roles.
The Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro made their way to the ring to start SmackDown. The fans broke into a loud “Randy” chant. Riddle’s excited to be back on SmackDown with his best friend, Randy. Orton noted The Usos showed up in his ring last Monday, and now he’s in their ring calling them out.
The Usos’ music hit, and they came down to the ring. The Usos demanded to know RK-Bro’s answer to their challenge. They bragged about their accomplishments and demanded RK-Bro leave their ring.
Orton mocked The Usos and noted he knows their family well. He shared the locker room with their uncles and cousins. He respects their family but not them. RK-Bro accepted the challenge, and they faced off in the middle of the ring.
The Usos left the ring, and RK-Bro posed on the corners. The Usos ran back out and attacked Riddle as he posed.
In the back, Naomi & Sasha Banks laughed at the guys trying to unify the tag team titles. Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan approached the champions. Naomi and Banks mocked them.
Back from the break, Orton and Riddle approached Adam Pearce in his office. They demanded the unification match with The Usos, but Pearce said management is still trying to make a decision. Instead, Pearce announced Riddle vs. Jimmy Uso for tonight.
Ripley and Naomi had a good match that picked up towards the end.
Ripley had the early advantage with a shoulder tackle. She slowed the pace down and worked over Naomi’s arm. Ripley toyed with Naomi.
Naomi briefly fought back and sent Ripley to the floor with the head scissors. Ripley regained control and climbed to the top rope. Naomi recovered and rocked Ripley with a kick to the head sending her to ringside. Ripley avoided a sliding dropkick and destroyed Naomi with a clothesline.
Back from the break, Naomi fought back with a scissors kick and a flying cross body for a near fall. Naomi tried to slow the pace down with a full nelson. Ripley broke free and hit a Northern Lights suplex for a close near fall.
Ripley climbed to the top rope, but Naomi cut her off. Ripley fought back and attempted the riptide, but Naomi broke free. Ripley then hit a missile dropkick for another close two-count. Naomi recovered with a kick off the middle rope and a sit-out full nelson bomb for a near fall. Ripley fought back and hit the riptide for the win.
Banks and Naomi defend the tag team titles against Ripley and Morgan Monday on Raw.
In the back, Kayla Braxton tried to interview The Usos, but they ignored her and entered Roman Reigns’ locker room.
They recapped Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss splitting up last week.
In the back, Megan Morant interviewed the newly single Happy Corbin. He called Moss his gofer and lackey. At first, he was funny, but then he dragged Corbin down. He said if it wasn’t for Moss he’d still be undefeated. Corbin’s happy to get rid of Moss and expects Moss to fail on his own.
Michael Cole introduced the following interview and noted Drew Gulak is trying out for a role on the broadcast team.
In the back, Gulak interviewed Madcap Moss. Moss is happy that he can finally move on from Corbin. He told bad jokes because he only had one person to impress. He apologized for the bad jokes. He promised to defeat Humberto next.
Madcap Moss defeated Humberto (w/Angel) (2:27)
Moss and Humberto had a good short match.
Humberto jumped Moss at the bell after a distraction from Angel. Humberto was firmly in control and slowed the pace down with a chin lock. Moss broke free and hit a fall-away slam.
Moss took out Angel with a shoulder tackle. He then rocked Humberto with a shoulder tackle in the corner and hit the punch line for the win.
After the match, Angel yelled at Humberto for losing to a joke. Moss kissed the Andre the Giant trophy at ringside.
In the back, Charlotte Flair approached Adam Pearce and demanded to know who authorized her match with Ronda Rousey. Flair was furious when Drew Gulak interrupted.
Gulak wanted to know how he did in his tryout earlier. Flair was even more furious that Gulak interrupted her. She told him to interview a real star in the ring.
Charlotte Flair Segment
This was an interesting segment. Gulak’s in-ring career appears to be over as he auditioned for the broadcast team and then got beat up by Flair. This might have been his initiation to join the broadcast team, or he’ll go back to chasing the 24/7 title.
Drew Gulak introduced Charlotte Flair for the interview. McAfee was hilarious on commentary, sarcastically praising Gulak and saying he might win the Pulitzer Prize. Cole told Gulak that he needed to listen to his producer.
Gulak noted Flair vs. Ronda Rousey in an I Quit match is now official. He wondered if Flair was worried about Ronda Rousey’s submission game.
Flair mocked Rousey, but Gulak pointed out that Rousey made her tap out at WrestleMania 38. The fans broke into a “you tapped out” chant. Flair denied tapping out and claimed she was fixing her bra.
Gulak noted Rousey could be standing there as champion if the referee saw Flair tap. Flair became enraged and mocked Gulak for quitting as a competitor to join the broadcast team. She mocked the fans for being quitters as well. Flair bragged about being a winner and yelled at Gulak to leave the ring.
As Gulak walked away, Flair gave him a chop block and locked on the figure eight. Gulak screamed in pain, but she wouldn’t release the hold. Flair demanded that he say, “I quit.” Gulak eventually said, “I quit,” and she let him go.
In the back, Ludwig Kaiser praised Gunther as they showed clips of Gunther destroying people. Gunther promised that everyone would obey.
Drew McIntyre defeated Sami Zayn via countout (2:49)
McIntyre and Zayn had the same match as they did last week. The entire match was Zayn trying to get away and eventually running off for the countout.
They recapped McIntyre vs. Zayn from last week. Before the match, Zayn was furious about the video package and promised to make an example out of McIntyre.
The bell rang, and Zayn jumped out of the ring. McIntyre went after Zayn, but he rolled out of the ring again. Zayn tried to hide behind McAfee. McAfee ducked, and McIntyre rocked Zayn with a forearm. McIntyre thanked McAfee.
McIntyre threw Zayn across the ring with a belly-to-belly suplex. He followed up with the Glasgow kiss. McIntyre set up for the Claymore Kick, but Zayn jumped out of the ring again. McIntyre threw Zayn back in the ring and went for the Claymore again, but Zayn slipped out of the ring. Zayn jumped over the barricade and ran off for the countout.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed Ricochet. He noted that Mahal looks mean and opposing, but he can’t match Ricochet’s talent. He promised that the title isn’t going anywhere tonight.
Back from the break, Pearce was furious that Zayn ran out of the ring again. He announced Zayn vs. McIntyre in a lumberjack match for next week.
Ricochet and Mahal had a fine match that improved when Ricochet was on offence.
Mahal had the early advantage as he slowed the pace down with a chin lock. He backed Ricochet in the corner and beat him down. Ricochet fought back and hit a springboard flying crossbody. He followed up with a standing moonsault for a near fall.
Mahal went for the Khallas but Ricochet broke free. He hit the recoil and climbed to the top rope. Shanky pulled Mahal out of the ring. Ricochet changed direction and hit a huge flying crossbody to the floor, wiping out the heels. Ricochet then hit the shooting star press for the win.
In the back, Megan Morant interviewed Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch. Morant noted they had some problems last week. They recapped Butch fighting with Sheamus and Holland after losing to Xavier Woods. Sheamus denied them having any problems.
Holland and Sheamus pumped up Butch and said the enemy is the New Day. Butch agreed and walked off. Sheamus kept talking until Holland pointed out they had lost Butch. Sheamus and Holland were concerned.
Tonight’s classic SmackDown moment was from June 27, 2002, when John Cena debuted and accepted Kurt Angle’s challenge.
In the back, New Day were signing merchandise when Butch attacked Xavier Woods. They had a pull apart brawl until officials broke it up.
The Story of Lacey Evans Part 2
Lacey Evans continued the emotional story of her life. After her mother ran, her father eventually found them. The anger in the house grew. She was working by the time she was in middle school. Her father was an angry man that flipped over tables. They had to clean up his mess of broken tables and glass. Eventually, her father went on the run from the law. He took the family with him.
Evans learned never to give up and keep her head up. She wasn’t handed anything in life. She works hard and is comfortable at rock bottom. There’s nothing the roster can do to her. She mentioned being a daughter, a mother, a marine, and now a WWE superstar.
In the back, Natalya and Shayna Baszler watched Lacey Evans’s story on the monitor. Natalya noted they’ve all had tough lives. She complained about all the new faces.
Natalya pointed out that the new girl’s stuff was all over the locker room. Raquel Rodriquez was sitting in the background. She tried to introduce herself, but the heels walked off.
Riddle (w/Randy Orton) defeated Jimmy Uso (w/Jey Uso) (9:04)
Riddle and Jimmy had a really good match. The fans were into it and loved RK-Bro.
Riddle went for the RKO immediately, but Jimmy slipped out. Riddle chased him around ringside, but Jimmy took over when they got back in the ring.
Jimmy slowed the pace down with a chin lock. Riddle broke free and caught Jimmy with a kick. He sent Jimmy to the floor with a suplex. Jimmy recovered, grabbed Riddle’s leg, and dropped him on the apron.
Jimmy threw Riddle into the barricade. He then rocked Riddle with a superkick sending him over the barricade.
Back from the break, Riddle regained control with a forearm in the corner and a suplex. He missed a running knee but hit a senton. Riddle went for the floating Bro, but Jimmy got his knees up. Jimmy followed up with a pop-up Samoan drop for a close near fall.
Jey got in Orton’s face at ringside. Jimmy took advantage and took out Orton with a dropkick. Jimmy then rocked Riddle with a superkick and climbed to the top rope.
Jimmy went for the splash but was distracted by Orton and Jey fighting at ringside. Orton gave Jey a back suplex on the announce table. Riddle then avoided the splash from Jimmy.
In an excellent finish, Jimmy went for the pop-up Samoan drop again, but Riddle countered into the RKO in mid-air for the win. Orton jumped in the ring before the referee counted three because he couldn’t wait to celebrate.
Orton and Riddle celebrated to end SmackDown.
Next week: Drew McIntyre takes on Sami Zayn in a lumberjack match. Plus, Madcap Moss goes one-on-one with Angel of Los Lotharios.
Tonight’s SmackDown will feature an appearance by the Raw Tag Team Champions.
Ahead of the episode, Riddle posted a video announcing that RK-Bro are coming to tonight’s SmackDown. Riddle warned SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos to be ready for them.
On SmackDown last week, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns told The Usos that it was time to unify the Tag Team titles. The Usos then showed up on Raw this Monday and confronted Orton & Riddle.
The Usos defeated The Street Profits in the main event of this week’s Raw. Following the match, The Usos blindsided Orton with superkicks.
WWE hasn’t announced when the RK-Bro vs. Usos title unification match will be taking place.
The London and Paris events are part of WWE’s next European house show tour. The London house show is being held at The O2 on Friday April 29, while the Paris house show is scheduled for Accor Arena on Saturday, April 30. The following matches have been announced for both events:
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Drew McIntyre
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defends against Ronda Rousey
Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos
The tour also includes stops in Newcastle, England on Thursday, April 28 and Leipzig, Germany on Sunday, May 1. Reigns and Rousey have only been announced for the London and Paris shows.
WWE.com wrote:
With additional appearances by Bobby Lashley, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Naomi, Intercontinental Champion Ricochet, Gunther and so many more, do not miss out on the last opportunity to see WWE Superstars perform live in Europe before the premium live event at Principality Stadium in Cardiff this September, and stay tuned for more details on the events coming to Newcastle, U.K., on April 28, and Leipzig, Germany, on May 1.
After the European tour, Charlotte is set to defend the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Rousey in an “I Quit” match at WrestleMania Backlash on Sunday, May 8.
The Usos challenged RK-Bro to a tag team title unification match on tonight’s Raw.
After RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) defeated Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis), The Usos arrived in the arena and went to confront RK-Bro. They officially challenged RK-Bro to a title unification match. Before RK-Bro could give a definitive answer, The Street Profits came out and said the Usos were trying to jump the line. Randy Orton interrupted the arguing between the two teams, saying he would rather like to see them fight than talk. A match between The Usos and the Street Profits then took place, with The Usos scoring the win.
Following the match, the two teams posed with their titles. The Usos exited, and as RK-Bro watched them go up the ramp, The Street Profits attacked RK-Bro. The distraction allowed The Usos to come back into the ring and superkick RK-Bro, the show closing with them holding both sets of titles.
On Friday’s SmackDown, Roman Reigns told The Usos that he wanted them to be on Raw this coming Monday to challenge RK-Bro. He said that the next goal would be to unify both sets to titles to create the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.
WWE ended tonight’s SmackDown teasing that the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team titles could end up being unified.
At the end of tonight’s show, Roman Reigns and The Usos came out. Roman said that he has taken over Raw and SmackDown now that he has the WWE Championship, and next on the list was The Usos having both sets of tag team titles. He ordered The Usos to go to Raw and unify the SmackDown titles with the Raw titles, which are currently held by RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle).
Shinsuke Nakamura then came out and confronted Reigns. Reigns told Nakamura that he understood how Nakamura was upset that his tag team partner Rick Boogz was out injured, as he lost Jimmy Uso to a knee injury for more than a year. Reigns offered, then gave Nakamura a hug. Amid the confusion, The Usos came in and superkicked Nakamura, leaving him lying on the floor as the show closed.
Announced for this Monday’s Raw:
Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz
AJ Styles vs. Damian Priest
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Naomi defend against Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan
A match between the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Champions has been announced for Monday.
During tonight’s SmackDown, it was announced that SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos will meet Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro on a special edition of Raw titled ‘WrestleMania Raw’. This will be the second time the teams met, as they originally faced off in a three-way tag match that also featured The New Day back on the December 10 edition of SmackDown.
Already announced for Raw is a confrontation between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar prior to their match at WrestleMania 38 on April 3.
Here is what is currently announced for this Monday’s Raw, which takes place at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:
Brock Lesnar & Roman Reigns appear
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro
The Miz (w/Logan Paul) vs. Rey Mysterio (w/Dominik Mysterio)
Queen Zelina, Carmella, Shayna Baszler & Natalya vs. Sasha Banks, Naomi, Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan
The Raw Tag Team titles will officially be on the line in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 38.
WWE has confirmed that RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) will defend their Raw Tag Team titles against The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) and Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis) at WrestleMania. The match will be part of the card for WrestleMania 38 night two on Sunday, April 3.
Two weeks ago, RK-Bro regained the Raw Tag Team titles by defeating Alpha Academy and Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens in a triple threat match. Alpha Academy were champions going into that match after winning the titles from RK-Bro in January.
The Street Profits confronted RK-Bro on Raw last week and challenged them to a title match at WrestleMania. Dawkins & Ford brought up that they had defeated Orton & Riddle in a tag match before RK-Bro won the titles.
Alpha Academy then inserted themselves into the title picture for WrestleMania by interrupting a singles match between Riddle and Ford on Raw last week.
On tonight’s Raw, RK-Bro will take on Alpha Academy in a non-title match.
WrestleMania 38 is being held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Here’s the updated lineup for the event:
Night one (Saturday, April 2) —
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defends against Ronda Rousey
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bianca Belair
The KO Show with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. The Miz & Logan Paul
Drew McIntyre vs. Happy Corbin
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defend against Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs
Night two (Sunday, April 3) —
Winner-take-all championship unification match: WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Universal Champion Roman Reigns
Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory
Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville
AJ Styles vs. Edge
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Queen Zelina & Carmella defend against Sasha Banks & Naomi, Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan, and Natalya & Shayna Baszler in a fatal four-way match
Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro defend against The Street Profits and Alpha Academy in a triple threat match
WWE has announced three new additions to the lineup for tonight’s Raw.
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch will appear on Raw tonight and address her attack on Bianca Belair from last week. Two non-title matches involving champions have also been added to the show. Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) will take on Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis), while United States Champion Finn Balor will face Austin Theory.
Over the weekend, WWE issued a storyline injury update claiming that Belair suffered a “fractured hyoid bone” when she was attacked by Lynch last Monday. Lynch got payback on Belair by wrapping a steel chair around Belair’s head and sending her throat-first into the ring post.
Lynch is defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Belair at WrestleMania 38 night one on Saturday, April 2.
RK-Bro accepted a WrestleMania challenge from The Street Profits on Raw last week. Gable and Otis then inserted themselves into the picture by interrupting a singles match between Riddle and Montez Ford.
Due to a distraction by Theory, Balor lost a non-title match to Damian Priest last week. Theory then laid out Balor after the match.
Theory is facing Pat McAfee at WrestleMania 38 night two.
Tonight’s Raw is taking place at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The updated lineup for the show is listed below:
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch will address her attack on Bianca Belair from last week
AJ Styles returns to Raw for the first time since being given two con-chair-tos by Edge three weeks ago
Non-title match: Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis)
Non-title match: United States Champion Finn Balor vs. Austin Theory
RK-Bro agreed to a Raw Tag Team title match against The Street Profits at WrestleMania 38 tonight on Raw.
During the show, RK-Bro held a celebration in honor of them winning the Raw Tag Team titles on last week’s Raw, defeating former champions Alpha Academy and the team of Kevin Owens & Seth Rollins in a three-way match. During the celebration, The Street Profits came out and challenged RK-Bro to a title match at WrestleMania. Orton declined the match initally, but Riddle agreed, saying they needed to face someone at WrestleMania.
An altercation between Montez Ford and Riddle turned into a match. However, the match ended when Alpha Academy came in and took out both teams. WWE has yet to officially confirm the match for WrestleMania.
Here are the current lineups for both WrestleMania cards:
Night one (Saturday, April 2) —
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defends against Ronda Rousey
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bianca Belair
The KO Show with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. The Miz & Logan Paul
Drew McIntyre vs. Happy Corbin
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defend against Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs
Night two (Sunday, April 3) —
Winner-take-all championship unification match: WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Universal Champion Roman Reigns
Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory
Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville
AJ Styles vs. Edge
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Queen Zelina & Carmella defend against Sasha Banks & Naomi and Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan in a triple threat match
Date: March 14, 2022 Location: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL
The Big Takeaway —
RIP Scott Hall.
Show Recap —
WWE announced on social media just as Raw started that Scott Hall (1958 – 2022) has passed away.
Condolences to the family and friends of Scott Hall.
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Raw started with a recap of Kevin Owens’ promo last week and the video of Steve Austin accepting his invite to WrestleMania.
Owens entered to start the show. Owens began his promo with, “Hey yo,” and was delighted to announce that he was going to WrestleMania. Not only was he going to WrestleMania, but he would also be in the main event on Saturday because his guest on the KO Show was the greatest of all-time, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Owens said he used his large Canadian brain to come up with the idea of challenging the embodiment of Texas and he planned on smearing Austin all over Texas. The crowd chanted “USA.” Owens said we wouldn’t see a can of whoop-ass, we’d get a nice can of Canadian beer.
Owens admitted he doesn’t even like beer but would be glad to crack one open after he beats the hell out of Austin. “And that’s the bottom line because KO said so!” Owens stunned the cameraman who was in the ring.
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As the below match was about to start, Austin Theory entered and they aired a long recap of the angle between him and Pat McAfee. Theory joined commentary.
Damian Priest defeated United States Champion Finn Bálor in a non-title match (7:30)
Priest gave Bálor a Razor’s Edge onto the announce table which led to break 90 seconds into the match. Bálor fought back after the break and went up for Coup de Grace but stopped upon seeing Theory jumping on (and leaving) the apron.
Bálor gave Theory a shotgun dropkick into his leather chair but Priest gave Bálor a Reckoning for the pinfall win.
Once again, Theory gave Bálor an ATL before taking a selfie.
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Kevin Patrick approached Seth Rollins and asked him about WrestleMania. Rollins just stared him down. There were chants of “Cody” in the background.
Omos gave Azeez a suplex before hitting a tree slam for the pinfall win. Omos also chokeslammed Crews after the match.
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An excited Owens approached Rollins and encouraged him to come up with his own idea for WrestleMania. He was a visionary after all. Owens mentioned all of the exciting things Rollins has done at Mania, including losing to him. Owens said maybe he could help Rollins come up with something. Rollins perked up and smiled before walking off. (Owens used another Scott Hall line here.)
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Earlier today, Queen Zelina told Carmella to focus on their title defense or else.
Liv Morgan (w/Rhea Ripley) defeated Tag Team Champion Queen Zelina (w/Carmella) (2:55)
Morgan took a swipe at Carmella who leaped on the apron and that allowed Zelina to bring her down from the ropes with a powerbomb. Ripley chased away Carmella who leaped into the lap of Corey Graves on commentary.
Morgan gave Zelina the Oblivian for the pinfall win. Zelina gave Carmella a look after the match.
Seth Rollins pranced out to his music as soon as this was over.
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They plugged the 3/16 release date of Austin’s newest lager.
There was a Brock Lesnar/Roman Reigns video.
[SECOND HOUR]
Seth Rollins segment
Rollins was pumped up and said he had a plan for WrestleMania. He invited Owens to join him in the ring and Owens entered.
Rollins said Owens had a talk show and maybe Rollins should have his own show too at Mania. Rollins could even have Steve Austin on as his guest. Owens said that was silly and suggested they go to the back.
Rollins agreed it was silly to have two different talk shows so he suggested they have a match tonight and the winner would get Austin on their show. Owens said no.
Sonya Deville entered. She liked the idea and booked them in a match for the main event. If Rollins wins, he does indeed replace Owens. Owens was pissed.
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In the back, Owens explained to Deville why her idea didn’t make any sense. He rambled at her until they cut away.
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Miz and Logan Paul entered to join commentary.
Rey & Dominik Mysterio defeated Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander (3:24)
The Mysterios gave Alexander a double 619 before Rey took out Benjamin with a Thesz press off the apron. Dominik gave Alexander a frog splash for the pinfall win.
Miz and Paul attacked the Mysterios post-match. Rey got rid of Miz which left Paul surrounded by the Mysterios. They dropped him on the middle rope and set up for the 619 but Miz yanked him from the ring.
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They announced the Hall of Fame induction of “Queen Sharmell.”
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Edge segment
Edge entered to new music: ‘The Other Side’ by Alter Bridge.
Edge called himself the benchmark of WWE. He insulted the intelligence of the fans and called himself better than everyone in this industry, but he hasn’t shown that aptitude since coming back. He tried to satisfy the fans and that made him weak.
He realized that the fans don’t matter to him. It was their fault that Randy Orton injured him, that Rollins got the best of him, that the Aquaman cosplayer Roman Reigns stacked-pinned him at WrestleMania. If that Edge faced AJ Styles at WrestleMania, that Edge would lose.
Edge wouldn’t allow himself to be judged by Styles or anyone else in the locker room. The crowd chanted “you suck.” Edge said he would pass the verdicts around here from now on. Edge warned Styles that if he did make it to Mania, “you will be judged.”
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Sarah Schreiber interviewed Bianca Belair and Belair offered the same explanation about using her hair as she did last week. Belair said Raw has been nice and peaceful since she cracked Becky Lynch in the throat. Belair planned on shutting her up for good at Mania.
Veer Mahaan is coming.
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Bianca Belair defeated Doudrop (8:00)
I believe this was the 9th time these two have had a match of some form in the past four months.
They took each other out two minutes into the match which led to a break. Belair kicked out a Michinoku driver and followed with a spinebuster and KOD for the pinfall win. The crowd once again popped big for Belair giving Doudrop the KOD.
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After the match, Becky Lynch yanked Belair out of the ring by her braid and tossed her around ringside. Lynch wrapped a steel chair around Belair’s head/neck and yanked her by the braid into the ring post. This was good.
(I believe Lynch threatened to take Belair’s hair next week.)
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Randy Orton and Riddle entered for their championship celebration.
[THIRD HOUR]
RK-Bro Championship Celebration
Orton noted that this would be his 18th appearance at WrestleMania and it would be the sweetest one because he would be going into the show as tag champ for the first time. He thanked Riddle for always having his back. Orton said Riddle threw them a party last time they won the titles so Orton figured it was his turn. Orton admitted that he wasn’t great at throwing parties.
Riddle said this was the greatest moment of his life. He noticed there were birthday balloons and figured it was because Orton knew his birthday was two months ago. Riddle also appreciated that he got him popcorn, which was his favourite. Orton admitted he just grabbed that from the concession stands. There was one more gift in a tiny bag but they didn’t specifically reveal what was inside.
The Street Profits entered and Riddle was excited that Orton invited them to the party. Montez Ford said they weren’t here for a party, they were here on business. Ford mentioned their win over RK-Bro a few weeks ago and he challenged them to a title match at Mania. Orton noted how much they had to go through just to get the titles back and declined their challenge.
Ford said they were done asking for opportunities around here, they were telling them that they were facing them at Mania. Orton informed them that no one has ever told them what to do in the ring during his entire career, not Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, or even Vince McMahon. Orton told Ford that he and his “homie” should leave the ring.
Riddle admitted that the Street Profits beat them and they do need opponents at WrestleMania. Riddle calmed Orton down. Orton told the Street Profits that they should be grateful for Riddle. Orton accepted the challenge and Ford was happy to hear it. He said the next time they were in Jacksonville, they’d throw them a party that wasn’t ass.
Riddle was offended that he insulted Orton’s party and challenged him to a match. Angelo Dawkins accepted on Ford’s behalf.
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AJ Styles returns to Raw next week.
Tag Team Champion Riddle (w/Randy Orton) defeated Montez Ford (w/Angelo Dawkins) via DQ (9:00)
Riddle tried an overhead suplex outside the ring but Ford landed on his feet and hit a clothesline off the steel steps which led to break. Ford remained on offense after the break until Riddle came back with an Orton-inspired powerslam and draping DDT. Ford countered an RKO with an enziguri but Riddle came right back with the RKO.
Before Riddle could make a cover, Otis laid out Orton outside the ring while Chad Gable took out Dawkins. Riddle went after Otis but Otis knocked him down for the DQ.
Gable and Otis gave Dawkins a combo German suplex/discus clothesline. Otis then gave Ford a Vader bomb before Gable hit a moonsault.
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The announcers spoke about Razor Ramon / Scott Hall.
There was a terrific tribute video for Scott Hall.
The crowd gave the video a standing ovation and followed with a “Razor” chant.
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Owens entered for the main event around 10:30pm. After a break, they plugged Austin’s beer again and Owens yelled at someone off-camera that he would start his own brand of milk. There was a long video package that included the promo we saw 90 minutes ago between Rollins and Owens. Rollins told Patrick how excited he was. Rollins entered and they went to break.
After the break, they told us that Belair was taken to hospital after Lynch’s attack.
The main event bell rang at 10:43pm.
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Kevin Owens defeated Seth Rollins (16:16)
They went to break after Owens countered a dive and hit a senton. Owens used a tornado DDT before spiking Rollins with another DDT for two. Rollins fought back and hit a slingblade and springboard knee before hitting consecutive suicide dives — the second sending Owens over the announce table.
Owens barely beat the ten count but ran into a thrust kick. Rollins followed with a frog splash for a nearfall. They battled on the buckle which led to Owens hitting an avalanche fisherman suplex for a nearfall. He tried a senton but Rollins got his knees up. The crowd chanted “this is awesome.”
Owens fired back with a clothesline but Rollins countered a stunner into a schoolboy for two. This could’ve been a three but the referee was out of position because Owens almost collided with him.
Rollins pled with the referee before Owens hit him with a stunner for the pinfall win.
Owens retains his position at WrestleMania. Rollins, once again, is without a spot at WrestleMania.
Two segments for Monday’s WWE Raw were announced during Friday’s SmackDown.
After “Stone Cold” Steve Austin answered his call to appear on the KO Show at WrestleMania 38, Kevin Owens will respond to Austin on Monday night. Austin vowed to “open one last can of whoop ass” on Owens at WrestleMania. The KO Show with Austin will take place on night one of WrestleMania on Saturday, April 2.
Also announced for Raw, Randy Orton and Riddle will have an RK-Bro Championship Celebration. Orton and Riddle captured the Raw Tag Team Championship on this past Monday’s Raw in a triple threat match that also featured Alpha Academy’s Chad Gable and Otis, plus Owens and Seth “Freakin” Rollins. RK-Bro are now in the midst of their second reign with the Raw Tag Team titles.
Raw airs live Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern time from Jacksonville, Florida at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
