WWE needed to bounce back from a polarizing WrestleMania 41 — and Raw After Mania delivered. From John Cena and Randy Orton’s heated showdown to Gunther’s shocking attack on Pat McAfee, we break down every major segment. Plus, Rusev's surprise return, a wild women’s tag match, and the rise of Iyo Sky vs Stephanie Vaquer. A full breakdown of WWE’s chaotic, compelling Raw.
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SportsTranscript
00:00the WWE is now off of the road to Wrestlemania and now getting ready for the backlash and there
00:12was quite a lot of backlash on Sunday night into Monday about the Wrestlemania that we all had to
00:19sit through and everything like that and then when the time came Monday Night Raw delivered
00:25we were talking about how we needed something big from this show and I think we got something big
00:31from this show I really enjoyed this Monday Night Raw it doesn't make up for what was a
00:38lackluster Wrestlemania it doesn't make me think oh you know what the creative direction with the
00:42John Cena thing was the right thing none of that it was it was good though it was good and like you
00:49think back to where we were a year ago at the Raw after Wrestlemania and it's Cody and he's just
00:54finished the story and The Rock comes out and he says well we'll meet soon and he whispers
00:59something in Cody's ear and Cody is a little taken aback and a little surprised and uh what
01:04apparently what The Rock was whispering was we're not gonna pay this off this was it not I'm gonna
01:10tease that we're gonna pay this off but we're not actually gonna pay this off that apparently that's
01:14what it was which uh took a lot to say that whispered but it is frustrating when you think
01:19back to where we were at the Raw after Wrestlemania last year and now where it is at now and to think
01:24of all the potential that you could have had and everything that we were all excited for um
01:31I am I am still a little annoyed by by all of it and it is still quite frustrating that everything
01:38has kind of happened in the way that it has happened but still putting that aside it was a
01:44good Monday Night Raw um I think when you look at like what we are getting now out of the Cena thing
01:49and Cena was great like he he plays off of the live audience so incredibly well and he really does
01:55do a great job of just like reading and reacting when he is out there on the mic it was phenomenal
02:04work that he did and when like the crowd was funny when they were doing the the we are sorry
02:08and then Cena's like they're saying we're not sorry uh perfect excellent 10 out of 10 no notes
02:14brilliant love that he did that um I thought that was really really funny when he was able to to kind
02:20of go on the fly and switch that up and still turn the crowd on him and then when the crowd starts
02:25booing Cody a little bit um he he calls everyone a bunch of like sorry bastards or something like that
02:30for not being behind Cody Rhodes and everything so I thought the promo was great I thought like him
02:38counting down the days and he's like that's dates that's not matches you say I can't wrestle I don't need
02:43to wrestle oh I was all very good from from John Cena so some excellent work there from Cena and then
02:49you get the the tight shot that we got with Joe Hendry and out comes Randy Orton and ba-bam and we are
02:55getting the feud that we were hoping for with Cena versus Orton one more time um backlash is going to
03:01be in St. Louis that uh just so happens to be the uh home of one Randy Orton so it makes a whole lot
03:09of sense to go in that direction and I think a build up with those two guys on different ends now
03:14of the baby face heel dynamic is going to be spectacular I think it is going to be just a whole
03:20lot of fun to see those guys really start to ramp things up and I'm I'm very excited for that feud we
03:26still don't get any explanation of the rock thing I think at this point I'm not saying we should just
03:31forget it and move on because it is so incredibly frustrating that we just have to forget it and just
03:36move on but that there is that there is at least a lot that is there now with John Cena and Randy
03:43Orton that we can at least push forward and still have that little thing in the yeah but but still
03:49fun so uh we're gonna be all right that way um going forward uh after that we have um the the
03:55women's tag team titles on the line Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria defend against Liv Morgan and Raquel
03:59Rodriguez I thought this match was awesome I thought that the crowd was really getting into it
04:03there was a lot of um a lot of great spots between all of them like Lyra the the character hasn't
04:10really connected yet but hot damn is she good as a wrestler and Liv Morgan is great as always um and
04:15I mean the reasons that I thought that they were going to retain when I thought it was going to be
04:19Bailey kind of play out here I like having um I like having Liv just be in charge of the tag team
04:25division for a little while and having her be the one who is like she just gets to kind of mold it in
04:31her own way and be the star of this division while the women's title picture kind of works itself out
04:36the big moment here obviously after the match is done Becky wallops Lyra and the again the the sorry
04:44bastards that were this crowd chanting the one more time when Becky comes out and uh starts beating
04:49down Lyra Valkyria setting up a Lyra heel turn when she is going for a 17th world championship 20 years
04:56from now but I thought like I do think that this makes sense um you you do have to take a couple
05:04uh logistical leaps uh with this one a little bit with Becky getting the opportunity to come back
05:09with Bailey being attacked so did Becky attack Bailey knowing that she was then going to be
05:14disappointed by Lyra was this just a spur of the moment thing like I almost I almost want there to
05:19be like a Becky kind of apology thing next week like I was in the moment I overreacted I'm sorry
05:23we're we're still a team whatever and and let's try to push through it this way and then there's
05:28another attack and something like that like this was so in the moment that like there is almost no
05:34possible way Becky could have planned this out or anything like that so I I almost want this to be
05:40just explained as this was spur of the moment I'm sorry let's go back and and let's do it and then
05:44they lose again and it's ah and fuck your face and just starts beating her up again that's that's
05:49kind of where I want um the the direction for for this one to go but um overall like I I think it's
05:55a great storyline for Lyra I I think that this is probably will be good for the intercontinental title
06:01division as well to have Becky Lynch in there for a little bit uh continuing on with our raw after
06:09mania recap but a reminder we're on twitch right now I'm not the only time we're gonna be on twitch
06:13today gonna be back up there at uh three o'clock mountain time going to be doing a hockey stream
06:18on there today as we continue our flames rebuild and I'm in the mode to talk a little bit more
06:23hockey so we'll get into that but continuing on with the uh raw after mania here uh new day comes
06:28out they say they are the best tag team champions of all time and no team um living or dead are as
06:34good as they are and I was like sometimes when you get those things it's well out comes someone to
06:39prove them wrong I'm like well they can't bring a dead tag team back that literally doesn't work
06:43um so what are we gonna do and admittedly Alpha Academy was not uh top of my priority list for
06:49that uh Maxine Dupree comes out and kind of proves that uh in-ring ability isn't the only thing she
06:54needs to work on but she's trying at least and I I kind of I I said before um in we're briefly in
07:02the build to Wrestlemania I I would like it if this act could be taken seriously a little bit and I know
07:10like I I feel like I'm doing that with every comedy thing like oh well if we could take it seriously
07:13that'd be great and you do still need comedy entertainment on your programming but these two
07:18guys can actually go a little bit and so it'd be nice if they were a bit of a more serious act but
07:24they come out um there's a one minute man joke because these guys beat the new day in a minute
07:28a match that everyone remembers and uh we're about to get it lights go out Rusev is here
07:34and my guy he has spent every waking moment not on television in a gym he is like get out the
07:44duct tape this guy is ripped oh my word Rusev yoked comes out and just kicks the shit out of everyone
07:52and uh we have a beat down and off we go um I I do think like I I I had kind of thrown out a couple
08:00of options for new day getting some muscle I think Rusev would work a new Rusev day could be
08:06here I I I wouldn't mind if Rusev and new day kind of join forces a little bit and start to push
08:13forward so I think that there could be something there with um with Rusev and um and the new day I
08:21think that's a great pairing and I mean uh deeds in the chat here braun and biggie man if you want to
08:26get braun in and and have him going up against uh Rusev and biggie like biggie forms a group now
08:33with braun and a couple other honestly fuck it biggie is in charge of alpha academy and he brings
08:39in braun breaker or sorry braun stroman to to help them out and uh we get that kind of a clash let's
08:44let's set that one up I mean look I I don't know how much um braun fits with the academy part of the
08:51alpha academy name but my guy I when you look up alpha in the dictionary his he pops up so it we
08:57could make that work I think that would be fun I'm loving the suggestion there from uh deeds in the
09:02the chat over on uh twitch.tv slash primetime pk um so no I I think there are possibilities with this
09:09one anyway and I think it could be a pretty fun way to go with a few different directions then Eos guy
09:15comes out um and says she is the best cuts a promo in uh super not her native language but uh still
09:22get the crowd behind her a little bit and then Stephanie Vicar's music plays and says that she
09:27wants to go up against the best you say you're the best so let's do this and we get a match and this
09:32crowd was here for it um it was interesting because there were moments where I was like man this crowd
09:38is kind of dead a little bit and then out of nowhere I was like this is awesome it's like oh okay I guess
09:43they're I guess they're enjoying it great sweet awesome cool um so it was it was very interesting
09:49that they did that and like Cole is really building this up as kind of a dream match and McAfee is doing
09:54a great job on that as well not their best work of the night we'll talk about that in a second here
09:58but um did they built this up well though the match was great the crowd gets into um the what was
10:03the devil's kiss and you love like the Booker Chi chant after and the crowd just doing the ah ah ah
10:09love that so much fun and uh Stephanie Vicar in on the joke as well but this match was great and
10:14then Roxy comes in and uh attacks EO and on the one hand you can kind of explain away that Roxy is
10:23just like doesn't want Vicar to get this big moment or anything like that like she is ruining her raw
10:29debut and so you can get that on the other hand if I'm Roxy I'm I might wait till after the match
10:35uh or if if there's absolutely going to be a win I will I will get in there for sure but I
10:40I maybe want Stephanie to get beat up a little bit if I got an NXT championship match coming up on
10:45Tuesday I think I want her to to eat a moonsault or two as this match progresses so I don't know if
10:51I would run in at that exact moment but she comes in and then Julia runs down there's a bit of a look
10:57between Roxy and Julia and they start going so my initial thought is that this is a main roster call
11:04up for Julia it is kind of a solidifying of Roxy as a main roster competitor and this is a tag team
11:11now we've said the women's tag team division needs some depth I would suggest that it needs it on the
11:16babyface side more than the heel side but they just need depth and they have it here with these two so
11:22uh two phenomenal performers two of the best in the world and you get some stare downs with Julia
11:26and Rhea Ripley who comes out and makes the save so you tie in a few different pieces here and
11:32building it up but this this to me felt like a call-up for for for Julia and putting her in a
11:37tag team with Roxy so I I would be excited about that they're two performers that are main roster
11:42ready we did the NXT call-ups video yesterday this is this she was on there and so I I think that there
11:50is a real value in in having Julia there and I think that this could be a very big moment for her
11:56and a a very big boost to the women's division because this is genuinely one of the best performers
12:03in the world and then we get what was probably the segment of the day and um well kind of building
12:10into it the the story of the day I guess because first we get Jay coming out and he he does the
12:15yeet entrance and all that and then we get the one more time he cuts an impassioned promo it's it's
12:20cool it's just it's a celebration and then Sammy comes out and they they hug they embrace it's a
12:26great promo Sammy's saying how much he it killed him not to be at Wrestlemania and all of those
12:31things um and then they celebrate and then the crowd sees it Sammy is standing and staring at Jay
12:39and it's like oh my god we're doing another turn here today I my heart cannot and they're just
12:44just staring and staring and staring and then Jay comes off and oh we're celebrating again and then
12:50Jimmy Uso comes out and then we have this big long thing it's a big wide shot they are teasing the shit
12:57out of this being some kind of a heel turn it's an we walk all the way to the back and there's no turn
13:03but they just they put it in your minds that hey you knew you you you thought and maybe there might be
13:11like they just had you eating out of the palm of their hand the whole time with that I thought they
13:16did that oh so very effectively I thought it was awesome um but it was topped because uh we come
13:22back from a commercial break and Gunther is just staring daggers into Michael Cole and and Pat McAfee
13:29and um you kind of could hear like um Cole was saying like oh man it's great to have a champion that
13:35actually smiles and has fun um like what like it was basically like we have been saved from the
13:40wicked witch of the west as Gunther is no longer our champion and um so Gunther little pissed about
13:48that comes out and starts beaking at Michael Cole pushes Pat McAfee aside grabs Cole goes to put him
13:54in a choke McAfee comes in Superman punch so Gunther chokes out McAfee um the the the the the production
14:01team or whatever it may be the the Boston Connor and all those guys from McAfee show we're sitting
14:06front row they come running up to try to get involved and there is a part of that it's like no do
14:10it please like by all means like let like I I am not not a McAfee show fan I think like a lot of
14:16the stuff they do is entertain there's some stuff that you wish they wouldn't do but a lot of the
14:20stuff is entertaining but it also would have been funny to just see the mustachioed mullet guy get
14:25power bombed to hell in Las Vegas and the guy who does a really funny Mel Kuyper thing um him getting
14:31just like choked out as well so like there would be I think a lot of entertainment in that but um this
14:37segment was great like they did an awesome job with it like McAfee getting choked out the choke
14:41it goes from okay this is too long to oh shit like is he going to try to are they killing Pat McAfee
14:46on Netflix and then they pull him off um and McAfee sells his ass off he is choking he is coughing
14:56it feels like he's gonna vomit he's spitting up like it was just it was he did such an unbelievable job
15:02with this and I think like a a bit of a feud with a McAfee and a a Gunther actually works if you want
15:09to take Gunther away from the Jey Uso side of it because I don't think you want to beat Gunther again
15:14but I don't think you want to lose Jey Uso as the champion and have him lose right away um I think this
15:20is a good kind of pivot point to that have this go for a month or whatever it may be and you get a
15:26match out of it McAfee has shown that for a match or two he can definitely shine and Gunther will just
15:32chop the bejesus out of him and and that'll be that and then we'll move on um but I I think this
15:37was great I thought that like all the little details after it like Michael Cole he gets the uh
15:42Michael Michael Cole song after which was I thought awesome um and you know it it's nice to see the
15:48announcer you know as a broadcaster it's nice to see the announcers get their their flowers every now
15:52and then but you get like it's the little details like Cole is coughing on commentary and like comes back
15:58and says he's not going to let a bully ruin the night after Wrestlemania so he's going to go back
16:02out there but he's coughing and he is off mic like he's definitely doing that hey can we check on Pat
16:06please and and those sorts of things like it's just those little touches that wouldn't have been done
16:12Joe Tessitore coming out and he is like he he's barely in a dress shirt it's sleeves rolled up he has
16:19his suit jacket with him and he is bringing it out to the ring and I I just thought they called this
16:24like it was something that had actually just happened you know and it like it it legitimately
16:28was a thing that just happened um but I just they called it in such an effective way and just added
16:34those little details and those little nuances all along that made this feel so much more believable
16:39and so great the one thing it did take away from a pretty fun match of Dominic Mysterio and Penta
16:43uh but we get the return of JD McDonough obviously there's some trouble in the the judgment day
16:48with Finn Balor feeling a little bit on the outs right now and feeling some kind of way
16:52about um a championship for once a championship for all right so there's there's obviously more
16:58to to that storyline Finn really does need a bit of a reset uh there's the talk of the the zero aura
17:04wrestlers right now and he does kind of feel in that which is crazy because when he gets called up
17:08when he was in Bullet Club um he had all of it right like he just had this swagger about him
17:13that was almost comical um how how much swagger there was for a guy who like if you saw him on the
17:19street you would not use that word as a descriptor for him so interested to see where that goes and
17:23then we have our main event segment Seth Rollins Paul Heyman um they come out you figured we weren't
17:30going to get much of an explanation here CM Punk comes down he's wrapping his hands up the one line
17:34that I wish they would have included like um they were saying like he's wrapping his hands looking for
17:39a fight a couple weeks ago Punk hadn't used the line like my hands aren't wrapped so I can hold a
17:44microphone I think they would if he would have called back to that it would have been great but
17:48that's just a little nitpick um we get the brawl down uh brawl out was what it was Punk uh or uh
17:54Rollins gets the advantage because of a Heyman distraction and then Roman Reigns comes down and
17:59it's it feels like Paul is about to get speared because Roman gets the advantage there and then
18:04out of nowhere Braun Breaker comes in and spears the hell out of him and then Seth is standing in
18:09the middle of the ring and they shot this so well Braun is going looking like he's about to spear him
18:14but it's because Punk has stood up behind Rollins and he spears him Rollins doesn't even move and
18:20he starts laughing and he claps and he's like my boy so we get a the Rollins faction we were talking
18:25about I said that this was a group that needed some muscle and uh they got it with uh with Braun
18:31Breaker I thought this would be a good intro for Jeff Cobb but this was a great spot to to bring
18:36Braun Breaker in and then he spears Roman Reigns through the barricade um just phenomenal stuff that
18:42this is great it is the setting up of a new faction with Paul Heyman kind of at the center of it I think
18:47that's awesome a lot of people talking about like an evolution sort of a thing if you want to bring
18:51one more person into it absolutely we talked the other day about how I am faction faction faction
18:55right now so I thought this was great so again it does not erase the disappointment that we got
19:02coming out of um Wrestlemania but it does set up a lot of intrigue now going forward uh heading into
19:09towards Backlash so it doesn't erase the the bad memories but it does does keep you invested and
19:16does get you excited now going forward