WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from April 17
One week after her shocking betrayal of Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus returned to WWE Raw at the Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas, with an explanation for her actions.
The WWE Hall of Famer's address to the fans headlined a broadcast that also saw Bobby Lashley challenge United States champion Austin Theory, Seth Rollins return to in-ring action, and Brock Lesnar make his first appearance since his attack on Cody Rhodes two weeks ago.
Match Card
1 of 10Matches pre-announced for Monday's show:
- United States Championship: Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory (c)
- Seth Rollins vs. The Miz
- The return of Brock Lesnar
- Trish Stratus' explanation
The Bloodline Kick Off Raw
2 of 10
It is best to keep friends close and potential enemies closer, or so Roman Reigns likely figured when the absent undisputed WWE universal champion forged a business partnership with The Judgment Day at the top of Monday's Raw.
Revealed by Paul Heyman during the opening promo, it ensured Finn Balor, Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio would take care of Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Matt Riddle in the night's main event. In return, the seemingly unstoppable Solo Sikoa would solve the Rey Mysterio problem the opposing heel faction has had.
This was really well done.
Jey Uso taking exception to the fact that he and his brother, Jimmy, were not in the know of the partnership further teases The Tribal Chief's displeasure with the twins. Rhea Ripley fearlessly following Sikoa around the ring to chants of "Rhea!" was great stuff, too, and continued to put her over as one of the biggest badasses in WWE.
The partnership makes sense and sets up two matches but, perhaps more importantly, plants the seeds for a program that can dominate WWE television in the future.
Fans have a history of eating up battles for dominance between established factions, which Reigns was apart of as one-third of The Shield in their war with The Wyatt Family a decade ago.
As WWE bides time for Rhodes vs. Reigns II, there are worse options available to Triple H and the creative team than The Bloodline vs. The Judgment Day.
Grade
A
Top Moments
- The Usos are getting that megastar pop, proof that The Bloodline story has been beneficial for Jimmy and Jey.
- Heyman teased history unfolding Monday night before The Judgment Day interrupted him.
- "It's a very good day to be a very bad guy," Heyman said. "If there's a heaven, none of us are getting into it," he continued before stating the idea of a partnership between the two factions was conceived by Roman Reigns.
- Heyman announced The Judgment Day vs. Matt Riddle, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens for later in the night and added that Sikoa will battle Mysterio to kick off the show.
Rey Mysterio vs. Solo Sikoa
3 of 10
Not even a WWE Hall of Famer could halt Solo Sikoa's momentum Monday night.
Despite a spirited comeback, the LWO stopping interference from The Usos and two 619s, Sikoa still dropped Rey Mysterio with the Samoan Spike and scored the decisive pinfall victory in the opening contest.
In doing so, he ensured The Bloodline upheld their end of the deal with The Judgment Day. A post-match beatdown that left the entire LWO lying only helped matters and put pressure on Finn Bálor, Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio to reign in the main event.
This was another quality victory for Sikoa, who continues to look like an unstoppable force and the guy who may well pose the greatest threat to Roman Reigns before all is said and done.
As we have seen before with Triple H and Batista during the days of Evolution, the overconfident faction leader who takes the silent assassin-type for granted typically does not fare well.
Overall, this was a second strong segment early in the show.
Result
Sikoa defeated Mysterio
Grade
A
Top Moments
- Mysterio rallied heading to the commercial break, taking Sikoa to the floor and creating some separation after a suffocating start to the match by the Bloodline's enforcer.
- Sikoa has been built up as such a dominant competitor that even the slightest bit of offense against him wakes the crowd up, as was the case with Mysterio's momentary comeback.
- The One Problem kicked out of a 619-splash combo, to the dismay of the fans.
- The Usos appeared, distracting Mysterio until LWO's Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro and Santos Escobar jumped the guardrail and wiped them out.
- Backstage, Chad Gable and Maxxine Dupri continued to fight for Otis' attention.
Bianca Belair vs. Dakota Kai
4 of 10
Dakota Kai sought the same success that her tag team partner, Iyo Sky, enjoyed a week ago when she became No. 1 contender to Bianca Belair's Raw Women's Championship.
Despite a tough battle that included several clever counters, Kai fell victim to the Kiss of Death finisher that has felled so many challengers to The EST of WWE's crown atop the women's division.
This was Kai's best one-on-one showing since she returned to WWE in July, not to mention one of the few. She was presented as someone who could offer Belair a challenge, thanks to her quick thinking and ability to escape signature moves.
At ringside, Bayley paced and appeared to be frustrated that Kai could not put away the champion. Or, perhaps more pertinently, that she knew she could have.
Her not-so-subtle displeasure with her underlings seeking their own acclaim continues to suggest Damage CTRL will be no more before too long, which will freshen things up and could provide Kai and Sky opportunities they otherwise may not have enjoyed as part of the group.
It also proves a heelish obliviousness to the fact that Bayley herself has repeatedly failed the group, too. Her lashing out at Sky and Kai will be delightfully hypocritical and should reignite a fire under her that has been missing in recent months, through little fault of her own.
Result
Belair defeated Kai
Grade
B
Top Moments
- Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick put over the desire of Sky and Kai to have the individual spotlight on them after months of tag team success, spelling out the story and telling the audience why it should care.
- Bayley looked annoyed as Kai found herself on the receiving end of Belair's offense, further proof of her mounting frustration with her Damage CTRL teammates and their quest for individual success.
- Kai utilized Belair's braid to escape the KOD.
Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar Promo
5 of 10
Cody Rhodes will square off with Brock Lesnar on May 6 at Backlash, as revealed by Adam Pearce Monday night.
What The American Nightmare was unable to do was get his hands on The Beast Incarnate as the WWE official summoned security to prevent a physical altercation, citing Rhodes being medically uncleared to be in North Little Rock.
It did not stop the popular babyface from trying, though, as he unloaded on security and launched himself at his PPV opponent, coming up just short of getting his hands on the man who assaulted him two weeks earlier.
The fire shown by Rhodes kept the crowd behind him, even as Lesnar walked onto the stage.
The booking here was super-effective.
The excuse for not touching was Pearce's precautions and the presence of security. It was not put on Rhodes, who was ready and willing to throw hands but was prevented by security. The fans sympathize and want to see him avenge Lesnar's beatdown, and they will be behind him when he finally gets his hands on The Beast Incarnate.
That Lesnar played the role of cerebral antagonist, standing by and watching with a smile as Rhodes desperately tried to get to him, only helps make him the clear villain at Backlash.
Another strong segment in a string of them on Monday's show, a departure of sorts for Raw, which can be a bit all over the place.
Grade
A
Top Moments
- "Do 'eh' to Matt Riddle, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn so you don't fall into debt with The Tribal Chief," Paul Heyman warned The Judgment Day in a backstage vignette.
- "I know exactly what I want to talk about and who I want to talk to, so go ahead and bring yourself out here, Brock Lesnar!" Rhodes said.
- Pearce informed The American Nightmare that he could not fight Lesnar because he was not medically cleared for Monday night.
- The WWE official urged Rhodes not to fight and offered him a match on May 6 at Backlash. He responded by unleashing on the security guards with a steel chair.
- Rhodes attempted to leap over security to get to a taunting Lesnar but was caught and held back to end the segment.
- "You are not a cowboy. You...are a coward!" Rhodes put an exclamation point on the segment.
Seth Rollins vs. The Miz
6 of 10
There has to be something motivating about being one of the most over guys in WWE but not being involved in anything of real meaning currently.
Such is the position Seth Rollins found himself in Monday when he battled The Miz, who is also in danger of becoming an afterthought. Together, the two Grand Slam champions in WWE history delivered an outstanding contest that saw The A-Lister presented as strongly as he has been in years and Rollins show out as he typically does.
The Visionary ultimately pulled off the win but not before he and Miz had the fans on the edge of their seats, hanging on every spot and near-fall en route to the Stomp that earned Rollins the victory.
The only thing that hurt this is the lack of story behind it. Both men are clearly in holding patterns until the WWE draft, which begins April 28, but that did not stop them from daring any other Superstar on this broadcast to try to top them.
Great stuff on a Raw that is clearly cooking at this point.
Result
Rollins defeated The Miz
Grade
A
Top Moments
- Miz attacked Rollins prior to the bell, unleashing a more intense side of himself as the commentary played the "disrespect" card, something we have seen applied to The A-Lister with varying degrees of success over the years.
- The heel utilized a Codebreaker on Rollins, who was propped up in the corner, in a fresh spot.
- Miz scored a dramatic near-fall after getting his knees up during a frog splash and rolling him up for two.
- Rollins found himself trapped in a Figure Four leg lock as The A-Lister attempted to capitalize on a knee injury he had just caused.
United States Championship: Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory
7 of 10
United States champion Austin Theory and Bobby Lashley rekindled their rivalry Monday night in a competitive match that the challenger appeared poised to win before Bronson Reed attacked.
After earlier revealing he had been called "Mr. Nice Guy" growing up, Reed sent a message to Lashley and intensified their rivalry with a beating that left The All Mighty lying to close out the segment.
This is the best Lashley we have ever seen, and Reed is a talented heavyweight with experience competing around the world. Pairing them up and letting them beat the life out of each other is something that fans should be here for.
Best of all, it keeps Lashley busy with something meaningful and helps elevate Reed by association. Working Theory into the mix, where he could take on Reed as an associate or bodyguard, only adds another layer to what appeared to be a "just because" match a week ago.
This was another hit.
Result
No-contest
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- Kevin Patrick recalled the rivalry between Lashley and Theory, then revealed that the former said this might be the last time he gets his hands on the U.S. champion before the draft. Little details like that add to a match like this that is not necessarily fresh.
- Graves effectively put over the cerebral, prepared gameplan of Theory as he outwrestled The All Mighty.
- Theory narrowly kicked out of a modified Dominator, preserving his reign for the time being.
- Reed came from out of nowhere to splash both champion and challenger in the corner before focusing his attack on the latter.
- Theory broke up a Hurt Lock on Reed with a dropkick before slithering away. Reed delivered the Tsunami to Lashley, ending his beatdown of the former world champion.
Trish Stratus Addresses the WWE Universe
8 of 10
Trish Stratus knows her place in WWE history, something she was not shy about stating as she explained her actions toward Becky Lynch a week ago on Raw.
Citing what she perceived as a lack of respect from her peers and the WWE Universe, she reminded the wrestling world of her place as a pioneer and revolutionary. She then scolded Lynch for not thanking her for all that she had done for women's wrestling.
Worse yet was the perception that she had become a sidekick.
Stratus was fantastic here, hitting the right tone and showing off the attitude that helped make her one of the best heels in all of WWE nearly two decades ago.
It would have been nice for the company not to pipe in audibly fake boos to help drown out the tired "What?" chants, but that does not take away from what was a superb performance on the mic by one of the more underrated talkers in WWE history.
The best heels are those who believe their actions to be justified. WWE has always given Stratus her flowers, so this feels like it is a personal vendetta she has with The Man and that typically makes for the best stories.
More of this from Stratus and the production team will not have to utilize the awful canned boos.
Grade
A+
Top Moments
- "When I first started in WWE, the women's division was a joke," Stratus said.
- "I was the first woman to make you people give a crap about the women's division. Without me, there would be no women's revolution and certainly no women in the main event of WrestleMania."
- "I took out Lita. The reason I needed Lita out of the picture is because I needed it to be crystal clear that the person who screwed Becky Lynch out of her titles was me."
- "I'm not a nostalgia act. I'm not your childhood fantasy and I damn sure am nobody's sidekick. I am the most important figure in the history of WWE and I am here to make sure none of you forget it."
- In a brief backstage promo with Cathy Kelley, Cody Rhodes questioned why there were bodyguards holding him back, but not Brock Lesnar.
Mia Yim, Candice LeRae vs. Chelsea Green, Sonya Deville
9 of 10
Friday night on SmackDown, WWE women's tag team champions Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez will defend against Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville, who prepared for their title opportunity by defeating Mia Yim and Candice LeRae.
The match featured some perfectly acceptable wrestling that was offset by the silence of a crowd that had no real reason to care about anything going on in the ring, mostly because the creative forces have repeatedly failed to properly highlight the women's tag division.
Green has a character who will get over with time, while Deville has repeatedly proved capable of infuriating fans as one of the great heels in recent memory during her time as a WWE official. As a team, though, the fans have no reason to buy them.
Ditto LeRae and Michin, who are on television seemingly every week but are really just...there.
Even the slightest bit of investment on the part of the creative team with regard to the tag division would do wonders for a crop of talent deserving of much better than they have had since the titles were introduced.
Result
Green and Deville defeated Yim and LeRae
Grade
C
Top Moments
- Morgan and Rodriguez watched the match from ringside, getting an up-close look at their top contenders, Deville and Green.
- There was too much talent involved in this segment to be met with indifference from the WWE Universe. That is an indictment on the creative team and its booking of the women's tag team division.
Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Matt Riddle vs. The Judgment Day
10 of 10
Chaos reigned both during and after Raw's main event.
Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Matt Riddle managed to overcome interference from Rhea Ripley to knock off The Judgment Day's Dominik Mysterio, Damian Priest and Finn Bálor in an action-packed six-man tag.
After the bell, The Bloodline and LWO joined the fray, resulting in a show-closing brawl that again played up the idea of warring factions in WWE.
The intensity here was off the charts and the babyfaces stood tall, all while questions involving the future of the Superstars at play emerged.
When and how will Roman Reigns seek revenge for The Judgment Day failing to uphold their end of the deal with The Bloodline to take care of Owens, Zayn and Riddle?
Clearly, the LWO have put themselves in the path of The Tribal Chief and his family, setting up a secondary program between the factions in the coming weeks.
How will Bálor, Priest and Dominik rebound from the loss, and what will it mean for the victorious babyfaces?
It's been a long time since WWE Creative has managed to intertwine ongoing feuds at the top of the card as effectively as it has with this one and manage to create a sense of excitement and intrigue along the way.
Who knows if it can be sustained as the company nears the draft, but Triple H and Co. have managed to lift not only Zayn and Owens by way of their association with The Bloodline, but also Riddle, The Judgment Day and LWO all at the same time.
That benefits those stars, the show as a whole and fans who demand fresh faces in top spots.
This was the perfect way to wrap up what felt like the best episode of Raw from start to finish in months.
Result
Zayn, Owens and Riddle defeated The Judgment Day
Grade
A
Top Moments
- Backstage, The Street Profits, Elias, Rick Boogs and Baron Corbin hyped the WWE draft. Akira Tozawa interrupted, called Elias the last pick and said no one wants Corbin.
- "The WWE Universe doesn't realize how lucky it is that we have world-class security, guardrails and Mami to protect them from Dom!" Corey Graves exclaimed in a fun line on commentary.
- Ripley wiped out Owens at ringside, and Priest chokeslammed Riddle on the ring apron as the show headed to the commercial break.
- The action broke down, leading to the spot-heavy finishing stretch.
- Ripley tripped up Zayn, cutting off an attempted dive over the top rope. She was immediately ejected from ringside.
- Owens delivered a stunner, Zayn added a Helluva Kick, and Riddle finished Bálor with a Floating Bro.
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