WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from April 9

The Raw after WrestleMania has become an annual event as eagerly anticipated as The Showcase of the Immortals itself, thanks to the shocking debuts and exciting storyline developments that await the WWE Universe.

On the heels of an extravaganza that saw Roman Reigns shockingly fail to unseat universal champion Brock Lesnar in the main event, fans of Vince McMahon's wrestling empire questioned what was next for both men and whether there would be a new face inserted into the title picture.

Which NXT Superstars would see their main roster aspirations come to fruition, and which new title programs would rear themselves as the company turned its focus to the year that is to come?

Find out now with this recap of the April 9 episode of WWE Raw.

Stephanie McMahon Kicks Off Raw

Just 24 hours after feeling the fury of Ronda Rousey and tapping out to her armbar, Stephanie McMahon kicked off Monday's show with a brace on her arm. She discussed Sunday's WrestleMania and called out the former UFC star, who entered to a big ovation.

Ever the schemer, Stephanie attempted to make friends with the rowdy one, much to the dismay of the WWE Universe.

She promised to market and push Rousey as an enormous star.

Rousey appeared to buy into the nonsense, but after an embrace of The Billion Dollar Princess, she grabbed her in the same armbar that earned her a WrestleMania victory and forced the boss' daughter to scream in agony.

Rousey left to a thunderous ovation before trainers and referees concerned for McMahon's well-being escorted her out.

Grade

A

Analysis

In terms of following up Sunday night's spectacular performance by Rousey, this was a strong segment of television that allowed her to bask in the respect and adulation of fans while simultaneously establishing that management will not be able to manipulate her.

The reaction for her armbar is all the proof one needs of the fans' connection with her already.

Stephanie, as is typically the case, was fantastic here as the conniving authority figure and screaming elitist getting a taste of comeuppance.

A great start to the show that also spotlighted the biggest mainstream star the company has on its roster.

Nia Jax and Ember Moon vs. Alexa Bliss and Mickie James

Nia Jax entered the arena to a positive reaction, prepared to celebrate her Raw Women's Championship victory over Alexa Bliss at WrestleMania.

Bliss and Mickie James interrupted, attempting to ruin the new champion's moment.

Instead, Jax revealed she actually did have a partner, much to the chagrin of her rivals. That partner? The debuting Ember Moon, who arrived on the scene to a thunderous ovation by the WWE faithful ahead of a tag team match between the two duos.

Back from the break, Mickie and Bliss took turns targeting Jax's knee, a knee that was the subject of the latter's attack Sunday night.

Jax overpowered her opponents and made the hot tag to Moon, who exploded into the match.

After a brief exchange, Moon delivered an Eclipse to Bliss and scored the win for her team.

Result

Moon and Jax defeated Bliss and James

Grade

B

Analysis

It makes sense that WWE Creative would want to spotlight Moon with a big win here, but the same could be said about Jax, who should have celebrated her first post-WrestleMania night with a victory.

Perhaps that is indicative of a short-lived championship reign for Jax and a segueing into a program between Moon and Bliss.

It should be interesting to see if Moon garners the attention of WWE Creative and becomes the standout of the division or if the team adopts a formula in which Bliss is the centerpiece of the division and the babyfaces merely revolve around her.

No Way Jose vs. John Skyler

No Way Jose made his main roster debut, battling John Skyler in singles competition.

Jose delivered his Wind-Up Punch for the dominant, fast victory.

Afterward, he danced with fans around ringside.

Result

No Way Jose defeated Skyler

Grade

A

Analysis

No Way Jose is a gimmick who should work much better on the main roster than he did in NXT, thanks to his younger-skewing characteristics and the fun-loving atmosphere he creates.

This match was a quick and uncontested one that showcased Jose and gave the fans a taste of what they can expect of him.

Harmless fun, infectious energy.

Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows vs. The Revival

The rivalry between The Good Brothers and The Top Guys continued, as Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows battled The Revival in tag team action.

The sprint of a match saw Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson isolate Gallows and work over his knee before a hot tag to Anderson sparked a babyface comeback.

The smaller member of his team, Anderson delivered a big spinebuster that led to a strong near-fall.

The double-team expertise of The Revival, though, allowed it to deliver Shatter Machine and score the win.

Result

The Revival defeated Gallows and Anderson

Grade

C+

Analysis

The potential for a better match is there for these two teams, but unfortunately they are almost always victims of a time crunch.

Revival's win allows it to advance in the Tag Team Eliminator general manager Kurt Angle set up to determine who will battle The Bar for the vacant Raw Tag Team Championships.

Unfortunately, booking of Dawson and Dash has been so poor there is almost no reason to get excited or believe for a second this is the beginning of a significant push of any kind.

Seth Rollins Celebrates His Intercontinental Championship Win

Chants of "you deserve it" filled the arena as new intercontinental champion Seth Rollins made his way to the ring.

Rollins said after all of the ups and downs, he can finally say he is back. He mentioned catching up to Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns and entering the Grand Slam brotherhood.

Finn Balor interrupted the promo and congratulated Rollins, saying he deserved the win and title.

Balor correctly reminded Rollins he did not lose the match at WrestleMania and proceeded to announce he wanted to be the first Superstar to challenge for the title. The Architect shook his hand in agreement, but The Miz interrupted.

The Hollywood A-Lister guilt-tripped Rollins, revealing his victory made wife Maryse and his new baby girl cry. Worst of all, he made Miz cry, which drew a big pop.

Rollins said everyone cries watching Miz try to wrestle.

The former champion mentioned his rematch clause, to which Rollins responded by challenging him to a match on the same night. Miz said he would invoke the clause at Backlash.

A brawl between the babyfaces, Miz and his Miztourage was moments from breaking out when Jeff Hardy returned, drawing a huge ovation as he hit the ring and evened the odds.

Grade

B

Analysis

Essentially, this segment admitted to the WWE Universe that nothing was settled at WrestleMania.

Given the energy that went into telling the story of Balor, Rollins and Miz heading into the show, it is somewhat disappointing that their feud was not settled. Instead, it will stretch into another month and now features Hardy, who no longer figures to feature in the Woken Matt Hardy saga.

As we learned after the break, the match set up the obligatory Six-Man Tag Team match for later in the show.

Sasha Banks vs. Mandy Rose

Before Sasha Banks and Mandy Rose could square off in singles competition, Bayley hit the ring, apparently providing backup for her friend.

A back-and-forth match ensued, with neither woman seizing control of the bout for any extended period of time. Rose finally ended that trend and stood tall heading into the break.

Rose worked the core of her opponent with an abdominal stretch. As the action broke down, Banks ran into Bayley at ringside. As she re-entered the squared circle, Rose caught her with a knee to the face for the win.

After the match, Paige grabbed a microphone and announced she will not be able to compete in the ring anymore because of a neck injury. She thanked the locker room for helping grow the women's division, thanked her family and even Daniel Bryan, who gave her hope of an eventual return.

Paige said she would have to go find something else to do before taking one last walk up the Raw ramp.

Result

Rose defeated Banks

Grade

A

Analysis

The match itself was fine for what it was, and it furthered the story between Bayley and Banks, but this was all about Paige saying goodbye to a company she arrived in with such promise and potential.

It was heartbreaking to see her address the fans in the manner she did, but she spoke with such confidence and conviction that one cannot help but think she will be successful in whatever it is she finds herself doing now her in-ring career is officially over.

Bobby Lashley Returns, Interrupts Elias

One night after John Cena dispatched him at WrestleMania, Elias greeted the fans in New Orleans with another musical performance.

Instead, Bobby Lashley made his return, interrupting The Drifter.

Lashley's return drew a huge ovation, as did the big neckbreaker and powerslam that felled Elias.

The former ECW champion and WrestleMania 23 headliner exited the arena to another big ovation, capping off a memorable return.

Grade

B

Analysis

Arrive. Kick ass. Leave.

That is the Lashley fans want to see and the one who will succeed at the highest level in WWE.

He is not a strong talker, so why go there? Accentuate the positives, hide the negatives and reap the rewards. It will benefit everyone in the long run.

Whether this is the start of a rivalry or merely the jumping-off point for Lashley's return bears watching.

The Authors of Pain vs. Rhyno and Heath Slater

The Authors of Pain dominated NXT for the last two years, and Monday night they debuted on the main roster, battling former SmackDown tag team champions Heath Slater and Rhyno.

They continued their reign of terror, tearing through the undercard duo.

With Rhyno knocked to the arena floor, Akam and Rezar obliterated Slater with Last Rites for the win.

Result

The Authors of Pain defeated Slater and Rhyno

Grade

A

Analysis

And with that, the Raw roster was injected with a dose of dominance, as The Authors of Pain figure to tear through the tag team division in the coming weeks and months.

Akam and Rezar have gotten progressively better over the course of their careers, and it should be fun to see where this venture onto the main roster takes them.

Samoa Joe Interrupts Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns hit the ring just 24 hours after losing to Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania.

Reigns admitted everything about Sunday felt off. He revealed Lesnar had re-signed with WWE and he found out about his Steel Cage match against The Beast Incarnate via the internet. He vowed to eventually defeat Lesnar for the Universal Championship.

Samoa Joe made his return following injury, and The Samoan Submission Machine poked and prodded at Reigns' fragile ego, calling him a failure.

Joe promised to put Reigns to sleep at Backlash after he loses to Lesnar in Saudi Arabia at the Greatest Royal Rumble.

Grade

B+

Analysis

Joe targeting Reigns makes sense given their history.

He is the one Superstar against whom Reigns struggles, and the submission specialist again frustrated The Big Dog, this time in the wake of a crushing defeat. Reigns was one-upped and had his ego deflated further.

It will be fun to watch the latest chapter of their rivalry play out, even if the dark cloud of Lesnar hangs overhead.

Woken Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt vs. Titus Worldwide

The quest for gold overtook Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt as they battled Titus Worldwide in tag team competition.

Titus O'Neil and Apollo were forced to fight from underneath, merely tackling dummies for the hotter act.

Hardy and Wyatt picked up their impressive first win as a tag team when the latter sent Apollo out of Sister Abigail and into the Twist of Fate by Hardy.

Result

Hardy and Wyatt defeated Titus Worldwide

Grade

B

Analysis

Wyatt already feels fresher than he did previously, even if the overall presentation is largely the same.

Given the fact he was not doing anything else of any real importance, pairing him and Hardy up and giving them a run at tag team championship gold is far from the worst idea in the world.

As long as it does not end in a predictable betrayal by Wyatt, all is well.

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

Credit: WWE.com

After losing to Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon at WrestleMania, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn battled for a Raw roster spot.

The friends-turned-enemies-turned-friends were again at each other's throats, delivering a hotly contested match with their livelihoods at stake.

Kurt Angle watched on a monitor backstage as neither Superstar gained full control of the match for an extended period. Owens landed a frog splash; Zayn answered with a Helluva Kick.

Zayn attempted a superplex late, but Owens countered and the two fell to the mat below. Unable to answer the referee's count of 10, they were counted out and denied employment with the flagship show.

Result

Owens and Zayn fought to a count-out

Grade

A

Analysis

What will become of Owens and Zayn now they do not have jobs?

That is a question that creates intrigue. It keeps fans tuning in to see where the antagonists land and which authority figures have fun with the loudmouths as they chase steady jobs in the only business they know.

This was a fun match, as all of their matches together are, and the count-out ensures the story continues.

Jeff Hardy, Seth Rollins and Finn Balor vs. The Miz and The Miztourage

Credit: WWE.com

The product of the promo segment from earlier in the evening, a Six-Man Tag Team match pitting Seth Rollins, Finn Balor and Jeff Hardy against The Miz, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel headlined the post-WrestleMania edition of Raw.

The heels grounded and isolated Balor, cutting him off from his partner. Miz, the loudest mouth in WWE, trash-talked both Rollins and Hardy, trying to draw them into the ring and set up a distraction the heels could take advantage of.

After what felt like an eternity, Balor made the hot tag to Hardy, who exploded into the match. He took the fight to the heels before Rollins tagged in.

The new intercontinental champion surged as fans chanted "burn it down." The Architect rewarded their support, delivering the Curb Stomp to Miz for the victory.

Result

Rollins, Hardy and Balor defeated The Miz and Miztourage

Grade

B

Analysis

Rollins was treated like the star he is Monday night, in both the promo segment and the main event. His IC title win was put over strong, and his win capped off an impressive 24 hours.

WWE is in an envious position wherein the roster is so deep that the talent vying for the IC title is made up of former WWE and world heavyweight champions.

The sheer number of show-stealing matches that await the IC champion understandably has some thinking the golden era of the title may be before us.