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WWE Monday Night Raw Recap & Reaction (4/3)

by Robert Lentini

Monday Night Raw opened up with the entire crowd chanting “Undertaker!” for several minutes. The chant eventually faded into “Roman sucks!”. Roman then came out and the crowd booed him out of the building. A “delete” chant then broke out as Reigns grabbed a microphone. It was then followed up with a very loud “fu** you Roman!” chant. Next up was the very popular “you suck!” chant as Reigns smirked in the ring. The crowd then transitioned to an “a**hole” chant and booed when Reigns brought the microphone to his face. A “shut the f*** up!” chant then echoed throughout the arena. Reigns then said “this is my yard now” and the entire crowd booed.

Reaction: Raw couldn’t have started any better. I got a kick out of Saxton, Cole and Graves trying to claim that this Raw audience was comprised of “non-traditional” fans and they boo people they would normally cheer. I don’t remember a single televised show where Roman Reigns was cheered in the past calendar year. It was a good call for Reigns to only say one line. He would have been eaten alive if he actually tried to cut a promo tonight.

Raw Tag Team Championship Match: Hardy Boyz (c) vs Gallows & Anderson

Anderson and Jeff Hardy started out the match. Hardy quickly slammed Anderson to the mat and tagged in Matt Hardy. Matt planted Anderson with the Side Effect for a two count. Matt and Jeff then launched Gallows and Anderson out of the ring and Raw went to a commercial break. When Raw returned, Gallows and Anderson had Matt Hardy isolated in the corner.

The crowd chanted “fu** that owl” chant as Matt Hardy fought back and tagged in Jeff Hardy. Jeff took control of the match and Gallows rolled out of the ring to try and avoid him. Jeff leaped off the steel steps and hit Poetry In Motion on Gallows outside the ring. Back in the ring, Gallows and Anderson hit the Boot of Doom on Jeff Hardy for a two count. Matt Hardy then hit the Twist of Fate on Gallows. Jeff Hardy followed it up with a Swanton Bomb on Gallows. Matt Hardy then pinned Gallows for the victory.

Winners & Still Raw Tag Team Champions: Hardy Boyz

Reaction: This match was good but the crowd made it great. The Hardy Boyz and WWE are going to make a ton of money together.

Neville came down to the ring and boasted about defeating Austin Aries at Wrestlemania 33. Neville stated that there will be a proper celebration tomorrow night on 205 Live. Mustafa Ali interrupted and came down to the ring.

Mustafa Ali vs Neville

The match started out back and forth. Ali knocked Neville out of the ring with a spin kick. Ali then flipped onto Neville off of the second rope. Neville fought back and tossed Ali out of the ring as Raw went to another commercial break. When Raw returned, Neville was still in control of the match. Ali battled back and connected with a Dropkick. Ali leaped through the second rope and hit a rolling Neckbreaker for a two count.

Neville then hit a German Suplex and followed it up with a Clothesline for a two count. The crowd appeared to be distracted by a beach ball bouncing around in the audience. A “beach ball Mania!” chant broke out as Ali hit an impressive Spanish Fly from off the top rope. Ali then connected with a DDT for a two count as Neville got his foot on the ropes to break up the pinfall. Ali went for the inverted 450 Splash but Neville got out of the way. Neville then climbed to the top rope for the Red Arrow but elected to not perform the move to spite the crowd. Neville then applied Rings of Saturn for the submission victory.

Winner: Neville

Reaction: Ali has been impressive on 205 Live and he performed very well in this match. Neville and Austin Aries make the Cruiserweight division relevant. The division needs more performers like Ali, Gallagher, Swann, Dar, Nese or anyone else to connect with the WWE Universe.

Vince McMahon was shown getting out of a limo backstage.

After a commercial break, Vince McMahon came down to the ring. Vince thanked the WWE Universe for being the most passionate fans in the world. Vince announced that next week on Raw there will be a Superstar shakeup between both Raw or Smackdown. Vince then rolled footage of Stephanie McMahon falling through a table last night at Wrestlemania 33. Vince announced that Stephanie will be out of action for some time. The crowd cheered and Vince called them cruel.

Vince McMahon stated that the new Raw GM was just inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and Teddy Long came down to the entrance ramp. Vince yelled at Teddy to stop dancing and told him that he was not the new Raw GM. Teddy then said “my bad” and danced off the stage. Vince McMahon then announced Kurt Angle as the new Raw GM. The crowd greeted Angle with “you suck!” chants along with his entrance music. Angle said that it was great to be back on Monday Night Raw.

New Day vs The Revival 

New Day issued an open challenge and The Revival answered the call. The Revival kicked off New Day’s ice cream cart before entering the ring. Raw went to another commercial break with Revival in control of the match.

When Raw returned, Dawson was beating down Xavier Woods. Dash then entered the match and continued the beatdown. Woods fought back and hit a Dropkick off the top rope. Dawson and Big E then entered the match and planted Dawson with three Belly to Belly Suplexes in a row. Big E then Clotheslined Dash out of the ring. Woods was then tagged and Big E was thrown out of the ring. Dash and Dawson hit Shatter Machine on Woods for the victory.

After the match, Dash and Dawson attacked Kofi Kingston and targeted his knee.

Winners: The Revival

Reaction: Finally, The Revival is on the main roster. I hope that the “Superstar shakeup” that Vince McMahon referred to earlier tonight is another draft. Monday Night Raw’s roster is already stacked and it is getting even better.

Enzo and Cass had a conversation with Raw GM Kurt Angle backstage. Angle made a match between Enzo & Cass versus Sheamus & Cesaro later tonight. The winner of that match will be the #1 contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championships. Cass stated that they were going to prove that Cesaro and Sheamus were S-A-W-F-T. Angle smiled as Enzo and Cast walked away. Angle then laughed and said “that is not how you spell soft”.

Bayley, Dana Brooke & Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax, Charlotte & Emma

Dana Brooke and Charlotte started off the match. Charlotte immediately tagged in Emma and punched Dana in the back of the head. Emma kicked Dana in the face and demanded that Bayley be tagged into the match. Emma beatdown Bayley for a minute. Bayley fought back and connected with an Arm Drag. Bayley then rolled around on top of Emma. Emma wasn’t too fond of that and punched her in the face as Raw went to a commercial break.

When Raw returned, Nia Jax was beating down Bayley. Charlotte and Emma then took turns stomping on Bayley as she was hung up on the top rope. Charlotte connected with a couple of chops and slammed Bayley into the turnbuckle. Bayley launched Charlotte out of the ring and tried to tag in Sasha Banks. Charlotte pulled Sasha off the ring apron before Bayley could make the tag. Bayley was then able to tag in Sasha and she hit Double Knees off the top rope. Sasha punched Nia Jax and Emma off the ring apron. Bayley hit a Crossbody on Nia outside the ring. Charlotte went for the Natural Selection but Sasha countered it into a Bank Statement for the submission victory.

After the match, Charlotte shoved Emma and Nia Jax. Nia got pissed off and slammed Charlotte into the turnbuckle. Nia followed it up by hitting an Elbow Drop and leaving Charlotte in the ring.

Winners: Bayley, Dana Brooke & Sasha Banks

Reaction: Emma’s return got a nice reaction from the crowd. Nia also got a decent reaction after she laid out Charlotte after the match. The match itself was pretty forgettable.

Sami Zayn and Kurt Angle had a conversation backstage. Zayn was taking Angle’s ear off and he was clearly getting annoyed. Angle tried to shut Zayn up by saying that Zayn possessed the three i’s, intensity, integrity and intelligence. Jinder Mahal interrupted and was angry that Gronk cost him the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal last night. Angle made a match between Zayn and Mahal.

New Universal Champion Brock Lesnar came down to the ring with Paul Heyman. Heyman told a bedtime story that Brock and Heyman tell their children before they go to bed. The story was about Goldberg getting his ass kicked by Lesnar at Wrestlemania. Heyman then revealed that the happily ever after of the story is that you won’t be seeing Goldberg in WWE anymore. The crowd broke out in a “yes!” chant and followed it up with a “thank you Brock!” chant. Heyman stated that Lesnar was looking for a new challenger. Heyman listed off Rollins, Matt and Jeff Hardy. Heyman then mentioned Roman Reigns and the crowd booed.

A “we want Balor” chant echoed throughout the crowd. Heyman was about to say that Lesnar was challenging Roman Reigns to a match tonight but Braun Strowman interrupted and came down to the ring. Strowman stated that when he is finished with Roman Reigns, maybe Strowman will have Lesnar’s attention. Strowman then shoved Lesnar and Brock smirked. Lesnar then laid the Universal Championship on the mat and challenged Strowman to a fight. Braun backed down and retreated backstage.

Reaction: Strowman versus Lesnar sounds like a great match. It would have better if WWE didn’t build up Strowman as a monster, only to have eliminated in the first couple minutes of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. I can’t imagine that WWE would have Roman Reigns and Lesnar feud right away. I’m guessing they will build to that over time.

It was announced that Chris Jericho will get his rematch against Kevin Owens for the United States Championship at Payback in four weeks. Jericho was interviewed backstage and said that Beach Ball Mania was running wild tonight. Jericho was angry that Owens used the tip of his finger to break up a pinfall last night during their match at Wrestlemania 33. Jericho hit Owens with a Codebreaker and Owens was able to get the tip of his index finger on the bottom rope. Jericho then added the tip of Owens’ finger to the list. Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens then attacked Jericho backstage. Owens Powerbombed Jericho through a table backstage.

Reaction: Jericho is always entertaining. I like this version of Kevin Owens a hell of a lot more than the goofball that was the Universal Champion.

Kurt Angle informed Seth Rollins that Jericho was in no condition to compete tonight. Angle said that the match is still on and that he will find Rollins a partner.

#1 Contenders Match: Sheamus & Cesaro vs Enzo & Cass

Enzo and Cass controlled the beginning of the match and Raw amazingly went to another commercial break. When Raw returned, Sheamus and Cesaro were in control of the match. The crowd started singing Sheamus and Cesaro’s name. I’m guessing this will turn into the new Fandangoing. Cass planted Cesaro with a Sidewalk Slam. Sheamus leveled Cass with a Brogue Kick and Cesaro hit Enzo with an uppercut for the victory. Sheamus and Cesaro are now #1 contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championships.

Winners: Sheamus & Cesaro

Sami Zayn vs Jinder Mahal

Jinder attacked Zayn before the match started and slammed him into the steel steps. The action returned to the ring and the match officially started. Jinder controlled the first minutes of the match and applied a Chinlock in the middle of the ring. Zayn battled out of it and hit an Exploder Suplex in the corner. Zayn then hit the Helluva Kick for the victory.

Winner: Sami Zayn

Kevin Owens & Samoa Joe vs Seth Rollins & Finn Balor

Balor was revealed to be Jericho’s replacement in the match. Rollins and Owens started off the match. Rollins got the upper hand and Owens tagged in Joe. Rollins and Joe immediately started trading punches. Joe slammed Rollins into the turnbuckle and connected with a series of punches. Rollins fought back but Joe connected with a kick and knocked Rollins to the mat. Owens was tagged back in and he continued the beatdown of Rollins.

Rollins slammed Owens’ head into the middle turnbuckle and tagged in Balor. Finn hit a Dropkick to Owens and followed it up with a kick to Owens’ head on the ring apron. Owens rolled out of the ring and Balor chased him and hit a Dropkick that sent Owens into the barricade. Back in the ring, Balor tagged in Rollins and Owens once again rolled out of the ring. Rollins hit a Suicide Dive on Owens outside the ring. Rollins then flipped onto both Joe and Owens outside the ring.

Rollins landed on his injured knee and limped back in the ring. Owens kicked Rollins in the knee and then planted him with a DDT for a two count. Joe got back in the match and connected with a kick for a two count. Joe isolated Rollins in the corner and tagged Kevin Owens back into the match. Owens mocked Balor and stomped on Rollins in the corner. The crowd chanted “stupid idiot” as Owens hit a Senton for a two count.

Joe got back in the match and continued to beat the hell out of Rollins. Owens was tagged back in and Rollins was still trapped in the ring. The crowd broke out in a wave as Rollins rolled out of the way of a Senton. Joe applied the Coquina Clutch but Rollins got out of it and connected with a kick that sent Joe to the mat. Balor and Owens were then tagged in and Balor hit a Dropkick that knocked Owens to the mat. Balor kicked Joe in the face on the ring apron and climbed to the top rope.

Balor went for the Coup de Grace but Owens avoided it. Owens went for the Pop-Up Powerbomb but Balor avoided it and hit the Slingblade. Joe applied the Coquina Clutch to Balor from behind. Rollins hit Joe with a knee to the face. Balor then hit the Coup de Grace on Owens for the victory. Rollins and Balor raised their hands in victory and Raw went off the air.

Winners: Seth Rollins & Finn Balor

Reaction: It is great to see Balor back in the ring and it looks like he hasn’t missed a beat. This week’s episode of Raw started off excellent. Roman Reigns getting berated by the crowd was awesome to watch. Reigns handled it well and delivered the only line he needed to. The show hit a lull after the Lesnar and Strowman promo. The main event was solid and overall this was a good episode of Monday Night Raw. Hopefully that trend continues and Raw doesn’t revert into the same formulaic show next week.

There will apparently be some kind of “Superstar shakeup” on next week’s episode of Raw. Both Raw GM Kurt Angle and Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan will be there. I’m not sure if it will be a draft given the fact that #1 contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championships have already been established. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing another draft even though it hasn’t been that long since the brand split.

What did you think of the first episode of Monday Night Raw after Wrestlemania? Let us know in the comments below.

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