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WWE Raw After WrestleMania 42 Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE Raw on April 20.
This is the show after WrestleMania, which WWE usually uses as a fresh start to signal what's next for the rest of the year.
A lot of time was spent showing what happened at 'Mania, including all of the titles that changed hands for the red brand.
Roman Reigns and Liv Morgan emerged as the new top champions, Paige made her return to win tag gold with Brie Bella, and Oba Femi defeated Brock Lesnar before he seemingly retired from WWE by leaving his gloves and shoes in the ring.
Let's take a look at how WWE addressed all of this and what else happened on the Raw after 'Mania.
The Ruler Celebrates Conquering The Beast
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As expected, Raw opened with a video recapping WrestleMania 42 this past weekend. When we went live in the arena, Oba Femi's music hit.
He stood silently with a serious look on his face as the crowd chanted his name over and over. When he tried to speak, the crowd chanted even louder, so he waited a moment to let them finish.
He simply said, "The Ruler has arrived," before dropping the mic and doing his signature pose. This was about as short and sweet as it gets, and it was kind of perfect.
Femi is over, so he doesn't need to talk for 10 minutes about why he beat Brock Lesnar. He acted like it was just another day at the office, which makes him seem that much more dangerous than some rookie who would have treated the win like some impossible feat they managed to accomplish.
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
Rhiyo vs. Kabuki Warriors
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Last time in action: Rhiyo defeated B-Fab and Michin (Raw, April 6), The Kabuki Warriors lost to Bayley and Lyra Valkyria (Raw, March 23)
Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky were out first for a tag team match against Asuka and Kairi Sane.
Sky and Sane started the action with a lockup. They spent a couple of minutes having a nice exchange before Ripley and Asuka tagged in.
They upped the intensity with a battle of strikes. The Pirate Princess took out Ripley with a huge elbow from the top rope to the floor to send us into the break.
After a weekend of matches that felt too short, it was nice to get one where it felt like they had time to work without feeling rushed. The chemistry between these four women is well-established, so they had no trouble putting on a fun show.
It felt like seeds were also being planted for Sane and Asuka's eventual breakup, which has been a long time coming. Both teams had a couple of close calls, but Sky secured her team the win with the Over The Moonsault.
Result: Rhiyo defeated Kabuki Warriors
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
Is He Stll the Best in the World?
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After a break, CM Punk made his way out with no music and no video on the tron. Some fans chanted his name, some fans booed, and some cheered.
He looked around before doing his, "It's cloberin' time," post. His music hit and he walked down to the ring without much energy in his steps.
He spoke about dealing with a lot of loss over the past six months. He mentioned losing his MMA trainer, his dog, and a handful of WWE employees he knew. The crowd cheered as he gave props to the people who make the show possible.
He said the fans have helped him get through those losses, and losing his title didn't sting as much as losing those friends. He thanked everyone for helping him process his grief.
Punk has always been known as a good talker, but there was a genuineness behind the first half of this promo that you don't get in pro wrestling much. As he was getting ready to leave, Cody Rhodes' music hit.
Punk joked about going over his promo time, but Rhodes had a serious demeanor. He said he expected a different reaction from him after losing his title. Punk said he doesn't feel like a loser, which seemed to surprise Cody.
Rhodes told Punk he had a WWE title shot waiting for him whenever he wanted it. This was a pretty solid segment, but it may have been a little longer than needed.
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
Ethan Page vs. Je'Von Evans
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Last time in action: Ethan Page lost to Tony D'Angelo (NXT, April 14), Je'Von Evans lost the Ladder match (WrestleMania)
Ethan Page made his Raw debut this week in a singles bout against Je'Von Evans that was set up during a backstage segment with Adam Pearce.
The announcers reminded us of the history between these two as they started the match. All Ego couldn't seem to get a handle on Evans at first, so he used a dirty tactic in the corner to poke him in the eye.
He slowed the pace down and started taking The Young OG apart. You could tell Evans was feeling the effects of the Ladder match on Sunday, but he still managed to hit some nice high-flying moves.
These two developed great chemistry in NXT, so they were able to tap back into that and have an enjoyable fight that highlighted both of their strengths. This wasn't their best performance, but it was a solid entry in their long-term history.
Rusev came out of nowhere and tried to take out Evans, but The Young OG beat him to the punch. The distraction allowed Page to recover and hit his finisher for the win. All Ego allowed Rusev to beat up Evans after he got the win, but Penta made the save.
Page returned and helped Rusev regain the upper hand, which led to Penta being put in the Accolade.
Result: Page defeated Evans
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
Liv Morgan vs. Sol Ruca
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Last time in action: Liv Morgan defeated Stephanie Vaquer (WrestleMania), Sol Ruca lost to Izzi Dame (NXT, April 7)
Liv Morgan came out to celebrate winning the women's world title from Stephanie Vaquer at WrestleMania. The rest of Judgment Day was by her side.
She put over Vaquer for giving her a good fight, but she also praised herself as the most talented woman in WWE. Sol Ruca from NXT came out and said Morgan has been an inspiration to her. Morgan thanked her but also told her to get out of her ring.
Pearce came out and brought a ref to make a singles match right away. They got started after a break, and Ruca took control right out of the gate.
This match was okay, but it definitely did not live up to what we know either woman is capable of, especially Ruca. There were some highlights, but overall, this wasn't as action-packed as it could have been.
Ruca hit a Sol Snatcher and a dive over the top rope that woke the crowd up and got a "Holys--t" chant going. Unfortunately, Zaria showed up and attacked her former friend while the ref was occupied.
The attack took too much out of Ruca, and Morgan was able to capitalize with her finisher for the win.
Result: Morgan defeated Ruca
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
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