Welcome to Ringside News’ coverage of the Raw after WrestleMania!
Last night’s behemoth WrestleMania was the most fan-favourite in history, and let’s kick off our preview with Becky Lynch. The Lasskicker finally reached the summit of the mountain by toppling both Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey in the main event of WrestleMania. In doing so Lynch became the Raw and SmackDown Live Women’s Champion. There was some controversy surrounding the finish of the match as some questioned if it was a botch, but it doesn’t appear it was. So tonight we can expect a statement from Lynch, as well as a possible hint towards the future of Ronda.
In another consumer-friendly move, Seth Rollins did as he said he would and slayed The Beast. Rollins and Lesnar was the first match of the night and it only lasted 10 minutes or so – although a lot less if you don’t count the kerfuffle around the ring before the bell. So we have a new Universal Champion and he vows to be a fighting champ, and that’s exciting.
Speaking of new Champions, Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins defeated The Revival to end Hawkins’ massive losing streak and become the Raw Tag Team Champions. Also, Finn Balor defeated Bobby Lashley to become the Intercontinental Champion for a second time. Suffice to say WrestleMania was a pretty big shake-up for Monday Night Raw in particular, and tonight should see all the fallout as well as some new feuds, and a potential call-up from NXT or two.
So that’s the preview for tonight’s Raw. Let us know what you’re excited to see and be sure to download the Ringside News app and follow us on Instagram. Enjoy the show.
Monday Night Raw
Raw live from Brooklyn opens with the new WWE Universal Champion, Seth Rollins making his way to the ring.
We see some footage of Lesnar Vs. Rollins at WrestleMania, which opened the show. Rollins gets lots of cheers from the fans, including a loud “you deserve it!” Rollins corrects them and says “no, we deserve it!” He says he has waited a long time to be able to stand inside this ring and hold the title above his head, and all it took was climbing Mount Everest and beating the most dominant Champion in history. The fans chant “thank you Rollins”.
He says he has to be real; he feels terrible. He feels like he was run over by a Mack truck. He says he was rag-dolled around the ring and ringside but he got back up. And he may have taken a questionable route to gain his advantage, but he didn’t do anything that Lesnar himself wouldn’t have. The fans chant “full-time Champ”. He says he has some news: last night Paul Heyman and Lesnar took a flight to Vegas for some meetings. As far as he’s concerned, they can stay in Las Vegas, because Brock Lesnar is no longer the undisputed, reigning, defending, Universal Champion. He says he’s going to be a fighting Champion, one everybody can be proud of.
The New Day come out to a huge pop, including the WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston. The fans chant “Kofi” as they make their way down to join Seth in the ring. Kofi says Seth looks confused, to which Rollins reminds them this is Monday night. Kofi says it’s not the Superstar Shake-Up quite yet, because that’s next week, and do not let thy eyes deceive thee, because ’tis your boys, The New Day!
Xavier reminds everyone that Seth beat Lesnar, and the fans boo, then Big E and Woods remind us that Kofi beat Daniel Bryan and dance in doing so – with Big E even doing the splits and popping everyone in the arena including Seth. Kofi says that after his match he sat in the locker room with his sons and watched the main event. He saw what happened and thought the winner take all stipulation was great, so how about tonight the new Universal Champion and the new WWE Champion have a winner take all match tonight?! Kofi says The Shield aren’t a thing anymore, so how about no New Day, just the two of them, title for title. Kofi and Seth have a staredown and the fans chant “this is awesome”. Rollins accepts Kofi’s challenge.
After the break, Hawkins and Ryder face The Revival for the Raw Tag Team Championships!
*Commercial Break*
Raw Tag Team Championship Match
(C) Hawkins & Ryder Vs. The Revival
The bell rings and we start with Scott Dawson and Zack Ryder. They lock-up and Dawson forces Ryder to his corner where Wilder tags in. They lock-up and Wilder takes a headlock. Ryder shoots him off and clotheslines Wilder down.
Hawkins tags in and hits Wilder with a double-team Russian leg sweep and STO. Wilder knocks Hawkins down with a forearm and tags Dawson. After mocking Hawkins, Dawson tosses him to the corner and chops the chest. Snapmare and headlock from Dawson, but Hawkins fights up and connects with a dropkick. Hawkins attacks Dawson in the corner, causing Wilder to interfere. Ryder runs in as well and The Revival use the distraction from the referee to attack Hawkins. They hit a Hart Attack for a two count.
*Commercial Break*
We return to see Dawson get floored with a running knee from Hawkins. Wilder tags in and so does Zack Ryder. The Broski knocks Wilder down and hits Dawson off the apron. He then hits Wilder and Dawson with a back body drop before connecting with the Broski Boot to Dawson in the corner.
Hawkins tags back in and hits a flying elbow drop to Wilder for a near-fall. Hawkins feigns an injured leg before rolling-up Wilder for a near-fall. Hawkins floors Wilder with a clothesline, then tags Ryder. Dawson pulls Hawkins from the ring and hits a brainbuster on the floor.
Dawson and Wilder hit their death valley driver/flying knee tag team move but Ryder kicks out. They look to double suplex Ryder but he reverses into a double neckbreaker. Dawson rolls-up Ryder but he kicks out. Hawkins tags in but Dawson didn’t see and knocks him from the apron. They hit the Shatter Machine on Ryder and Dawson looks for the pin but Hawkins runs back in and rolls-up Dawson for the win!
Winners: Hawkins & Ryder
Still to come, The Man will be live, Seth Rollins Vs. Kofi Kingston for both WWE Championships, and Baron Corbin will be out next to celebrate his victory over Kurt Angle.
*Commercial Break*
Baron Corbin makes his way to the ring and he mocks the fans for booing him. Corbin says he’s had to listen to them whine for weeks about him facing Kurt Angle at WrestleMania, and he proved last night that Angle doesn’t deserve to be in the same ring as him.
He says despite his long list of accomplishments, he’s used to people doubting him. Last night he proved to the world that he is better than an Olympic gold medallist. And because of that, he thinks he deserves a medal of his own.
Kurt Angle then interrupts Corbin and comes to the ring. Angle says that last night Corbin was the better man. And that his career is over now but Corbin’s is just beginning. And he wishes Corbin all the luck in the world. He extends his hand and Corbin shakes it. Angle then says “back luck” and hits Corbin with an Angle slam, before applying the ankle lock. Corbin taps wildly before crawling through the ropes. Angle poses with the fans while they chant “you suck”.
Before Angle can leave the ring, he’s interrupted by the long-awaited Lars Sullivan! The giant makes his way to the ring and squares up to Angle. He then lifts Angle and hits his finisher, which I forget the name of but is essentially a mix between a chokeslam and Rock bottom. The fans boo and chant “a$$hole” at Sullivan, who then climbs the ropes and hits a diving headbutt to Kurt Angle!
*Commercial Break*
Alexa Bliss makes her way to the ring after issuing a challenge earlier today to Sasha Banks and Bayley. The hugger is the one who answers the call for a match with Bliss.
Bayley Vs. Alexa Bliss
The match begins and Bayley floors Alexa with a forearm and puts her in the corner. Bayley punches her before dropping her on the top rope. Bliss falls to the outside and pulls Bayley out with her.
She punches Bayley at ringside before sending her back inside. She applies a chin lock while the crowd starts singing for Bayley. Bayley fights up, but Bliss hits her with a mistimed clothesline. Bliss charges and slaps her in the face. Bayley soon rolls her up and grabs the ropes, but the referee sees. Not a very babyface move.
Bayley hits a sunset flip into the corner, but bad ring positioning has Bliss’ arm under the rope. Bayley is knocked out of the ring. When Bayley gets in the ring, Bliss hits her with a DDT for the win!
Winner: Alexa Bliss
Woof. That was a rough match. Bayley consistently has rough matches with women across the roster.
Becky Lynch, the Raw and SmackDown Live Women’s Champion, will be out after the break.
*Commercial Break*
The Man, Becky Lynch makes her way to the ring. We see images of Lynch’s big win over Charlotte and Ronda in the main event of WrestleMania. Returning live, the fans are singing along to Lynch’s music.
She says 9 years ago she was working in a bar not far from the Barclays Centre. Becky says her name is Becky Two Belts and holds them up. A “Becky Two Belts” chant picks up in Brooklyn. She says that, for two months, Ronnie and Ric’s Daughter talked about how great their resumes were, but at WrestleMania when all was said and done, this woman who walked in with nothing left with everything. She may not be the most athletic person in the company, but she does have a good theme song, which the crowd is singing to her. Lynch says leaving home at 15 years old to fight around the world taught her how to survive. She’ll always persist, overcome, and find a way to win at the end.
A “You’re The Man” chant fires up. Lynch asks if that little weirdo Ronnie can hear that. Whenever she’s done sulking and wants more, The Man will be waiting to slap the head off her shoulders again. As for Charlotte Flair, she’s sure The McMahon Family will hand her the Tag Team Titles to help her get over losing to Lynch again. All women in both divisions probably want a piece of her, but she’s the red head in leather ready to slap the head off them all. Lynch poses with the championships while the crowd applauds and chants her name. Lynch’s music plays, and she leaves the ring.
Lacey Evans comes down as Lynch as leaving and they come face-to-face. They stare for a moment but then Evans punches Lynch! She turns to leave but Lynch runs after her and tackles her. They start brawling on the ramp and Evans has a slight wardrobe malfunction with her dress splitting. Her and Lynch brawl and Becky tries to get her in the Dis-Arm-Her but referees separate them.
We see Seth Rollins backstage and Charly Caruso approaches him. She asks if he’s sure about facing Kofi tonight, to which Rollins says this is what he lives for. Rollins says he admires Kofi Kingston for stepping up to him, but he’s also insulted. This is his show. If you want to get up in his face, you better be ready to accept the consequences. Last night, they both had the biggest wins of their careers. Kingston is capable of an A-level performance, but he better be prepared to bring his A-game tonight. B+ won’t get the job done.
Later tonight, we’ll see Dean Ambrose’s last match against Bobby Lashley. Ricochet makes his way to the ring, followed by Aleister Black.
*Commercial Break*
Chad Gable and Bobby Roode make their way to the ring.
Gable & Roode Vs. Aleister Black & Ricochet
Aleister Black and Chad Gable start, and the latter applies a waistlock and wrenches the arm. Black takes him down, but Gable quickly fights out. They trade holds before separating in a stalemate for adulation.
Gable chops Black in the throat and takes him down. Bobby Roode tags in, and he stomps Black. Roode knocks Black down in the corner and goes for Ricochet, but Ricochet dodges him and tags in. Black knees Roode, and Ricochet follows up with a dropkick. Black hits Gable with a meteora off the apron, while Ricochet hits Roode with a moonsault off the middle rope to the floor!
Ricochet gets Roode in the ring for a near fall. Ricochet wrenches the arm and tags in Gable. Ricochet fights off Roode and Gable. Ricochet sends Gable flying with a dropkick. Ricochet hits the ropes, but Roode pulls the top rope down to sucker him out of the ring. Ricochet clutches his neck and back at ringside as we head to the break.
*Commercial Break*
We come back from the break to see Gable taking Ricochet down. Gable knocks Black off the apron before whipping Ricochet hard into the turnbuckles – a different attitude from Gable and Roode tonight. Roode tags in, and he hits Ricochet with a leaping knee. Roode follows up with a clothesline for a near fall. Gable tags back in, and he takes Ricochet down again. Ricochet kicks and elbows his way out of a submission, then takes Gable out with a dropkick.
Black and Roode are tagged in. Black hits some running elbows before taking him down with a strike combo. Black hits a springboard moonsault onto Roode and Gable for a near fall. Roode quickly powers him to the corner, but he soon eats an elbow. Black leaps over him, and Roode rolls him up for a near fall. The crowd is bored and begins doing a Mexican wave. Ricochet tags in and hits a modified suplex for a near fall.
Black pulls Gable out of the ring to regroup. Ricochet goes to the top rope, but Roode cuts him off. Gable causes a distraction, and Ricochet is knocked off the top rope. Roode hits a spinebuster for a near fall. Roode and Gable hits a neckbreaker/moonsault combo, but Black breaks it up. Roode and Black both get knocked out of the ring together. Gable tries for a rolling German Suplex, but Ricochet lands on his feet and connects with a Codebreaker for the win!
Winners: Ricochet & Aleister Black
As soon as the match is over, Roode attacks Ricochet. He and Gable leave and they’re angry.
We see Elias laying down backstage and he’s playing guitar. He sits-up angrily and says last night he was interrupted by John Cena. He says what Cena did was not music because he could do it in his sleep. But it’s OK, because tonight the McMahon’s have given him ample time to perform his rock opera. And he doesn’t care if it’s someone from Raw, SmackDown, NXT, or Vince McMahon himself, there will be hell to pay if he’s interrupted.
Dean Ambrose makes his way down to the ring. He’ll be facing Bobby Lashley in his final WWE match, next!
*Commercial Break*
We see a literal cardboard box sitting on a table in a completely dark room backstage. Child-like piano music is playing as the camera slowly zooms in. Suddenly the box springs open and a dinosaur head of sorts pops out. The head, clearly a puppet, turns around a few times before we hear some laughing. Obviously a tease for the return of Bray Wyatt, who is seemingly a puppeteer now.
Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush make their way to the ring. Rush can’t bring himself to speak on several occasions, clearly agitated. Lashley takes the mic and tells Dean not to worry, that he’ll take good care of Renee Young when he’s gone. Ambrose attacks Bobby and knocks him off the apron. They brawl at ringside and Ambrose tosses him into the time-keepers area. Dean lifts a chair and throws it into Lashley’s face. Next he tosses Bobby into the ring post. Rush sprints around the ring but Dean sidesteps him and Rush hits the barricade hard. Up on the stage, Ambrose tosses Lashley into the LED boards, followed by a DDT. Ambrose clears the announce table, then Lio Rush distracts him, allowing Lashley to hit a spear. Lashley punches Ambrose to the announce table and hits a one-handed spinebuster through it! Rush waves at Renee Young before they head to the back. Renee Young and officials check on Dean, while the fans chant “thank you Ambrose”.
Still to come, Seth Rollins Vs. Kofi Kingston in a winner take all match. Out of nowhere, we see Sami Zayn walking backstage. He’ll be live next, why not just have him come out to the pop?!
*Commercial Break*
We see another promo of Mojo Rawley yelling at himself in the mirror. Though now he has some corny facepaint on.
Sami Zayn comes out and rolls around on the ramp before dancing to the ring, while the fans sing along to his music. Renee Young isn’t on commentary right now.
Zayn says hello, and reintroduces himself. He says his schedule is wide open and he’d love a match right now, so he extends an open challenge to the back. It takes a minute but Finn Balor eventually answers the call. Once Finn gets to the ring he tells the referee that he’s putting his title on the line.
*Commercial Break*
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Sami Zayn Vs. Finn Balor
The bell rings and the now-bald Zayn locks-up with Finn – Young has also returned to the commentary desk and refuses to speak on Dean Ambrose.
Zayn and Balor have a slow, feeling-out process of lock-ups and holds. Finn catches Sami with an arm-drag, then tosses him from the ring. Finn hits the ropes, looking for a dive, but Sami slides back in and tosses Finn out. Sami then runs for a dive but springboards off the ropes and lands on his feet in the ring and dances while Finn watches on.
Zayn takes a headlock but Finn shoots him off and connects with a big dropkick on the money. Finn applies wristlock to keep Zayn grounded. Sami forces Finn to the ropes, then chops him hard. He chops Finn around the ring but Balor fires back with a rolling dropkick and a double foot stomp. Balor then connects with some stiff chops of his own. Zayn looks for a springboard armdrag but Finn dodged it. They exchanged some stiff shots before Finn connected with the Pele kick and both men go down.
*Commercial Break*
We return to see Finn knock Sami from the ring, then toss him right back inside. Finn looks for the slingblade but Zayn hits him with a blue thunder bomb for a near-fall.
Balor connected with a front dropkick in the corner, then scaled the ropes for the Coup de Grace but Sami moved. Zayn looked for a roll-up but Balor kicked out. Sami then hits an exploder suplex in the corner and looks for the Helluva Kick but Finn moves and Zayn falls. Balor then hits Coup de Grace or the win.
Winner: Finn Balor
Zayn is left in the ring after the match and he grabs a microphone. He laughs and says he thought coming out here tonight would cure what ails him. But all it did was reinforce what he’s known for the past 9 months; it genuinely seems like the fans missed him. They cheer and chant his name. He says he can honestly say he did not miss any of this or the fans. He says WWE is a super toxic environment. The fans cheer and he says don’t get it wrong; it’s not because of the McMahon’s or the locker room, it’s because of the fans and how ugly they are. He says he lives a very meaningful life but ours are devoid of meaning, that the only satisfaction they get is from criticising others. He says it’s because judging others gives them self-worth, and that none of them have the balls to look inside themselves and identify their problems. He mocks them for thinking they are the voice of reason. He says they have become the evil overlords of WWE. Sami Zayn has been about doing one thing his whole life: what is right. And doing what is right now is to come out here every week and hold the fans accountable because nobody else will. He says “see you in hell” and walks off, although he takes a minute to argue with a fan at ringside before leaving.
*Commercial Break*
Back live and Elias is in the ring. He reminds us that John Cena interrupted him last night and ruined the greatest show of all time. He says we were robbed of that by the Doctor of Thuganomics. And he’s hear to say that Cena is an untalented piece of garbage, riding his coattails. The fans sing “oh, walk with Elias”.
In the spirit of Brooklyn, he’s going to give us a rap and show how easy it is. He raps, saying he’s the WWE’s top star, that he’s holding up three fingers and the middle one is for Cena, and that the next man to interrupt him is a dead man. Welp…
The Undertaker makes his entrance to a mammoth pop in Brooklyn. Elias attempts to leave the ring but the fans chant “Undertaker”, so he stops. For what it’s worth, the Deadman seems to be in better shape than previous years. Elias takes off his jacket and turns to face ‘Taker. They come face-to-face and the fans chant “Taker’s gonna kill you”. Elias turns to leave again, then runs at Undertaker and eats a big boot. Undertaker then hits Elias with a big chokeslam before removing his jacket. He signals the end, then delivers a Tombstone to Elias and pins him while the fans count to 3.
After the break, Seth Rollins faces Kofi Kingston, winner takes all!
*Commercial Break*
New Day make their way onto the stage but Big E and Woods turn and leave Kofi to it. Rollins is out second and we get ring introductions for both men.
WWE Championship/Universal Championship
Winner Takes All
(C) Kofi Kingston Vs. (C) Seth Rollins
The bell rings and they lock-up, with Kofi taking a wristlock. Rollins rolls out and takes Kofi down with a side headlock. Kofi fights up but Rollins floors him with a shoulder tackle. Kofi fires back, and looks for the SOS but Seth avoids it. Seth looks for the ripcord knee but Kofi dodges. Kofi looks for Trouble In Paradise but Seth dodges and looks for The Stomp but Kofi rolls away. They share a staredown as we head to the commercial break.
*Commercial Break*
Back live and Seth is teeing off on Kingston. Kofi fires back with a chop to the chest and they trade them back and forth. Kingston springboards off the turnbuckles for a dive but Rollins caught him in mid-air with a dropkick.
A step-up enziguiri from Rollins earns him a two count. Seth stomps up the band. Kofi avoids The Stomp however and connects with a huge DDT for a two count. Kofi scales the ropes but Seth jumps up with him. Kingston shoves Seth off and into the barricade! Kofi readies to dive off onto Seth but out of nowhere Sheamus and Cesaro come in and attack Kofi.
No Contest
Seth runs back in and helps Kofi fend off The Bar, knocking them from the ring. Seth grabs a microphone and says he doesn’t know what’s wrong with them. He says he and Kingston can finish this another time, because right now they want to face The Bar. The fans aren’t happy, chanting “bull$hit.”
Kofi Kingston & Seth Rollins Vs. The Bar
The match gets underway and Seth hits Cesaro with a slingblade. He takes control quickly but then chases Cesaro out of the ring, where Sheamus grabs him and slams him onto the barricade.
*Commercial Break*
Back live and Rollins flips Cesaro over. Sheamus tags in and knocks Kofi from the apron. The fans have gone into business for themselves and rejected this main event, understandably. Cesaro tags back in and drapes Rollins over the middle rope and chokes him with a knee.
Sheamus legal again and the announcers are trying to say The Bar is the reason the fans are booing. Seth suckers Sheamus into spearing the ring post, while he makes a tag to Kofi. Kingston takes out Sheamus with a leaping elbow, followed by clotheslines. Kofi hits the SOS but Cesaro breaks the pin. Seth attacks Cesaro and everyone is knocked from the ring but Kofi. He takes to the top rope and leaps onto Sheamus and Cesaro but they catch him in mid-air. Seth hits all three with a suicide dive.
Sheamus is back in the ring and Kingston takes him down with a springboard for a two count. The Bar double team Kofi but Seth breaks it up. The fans could not care less, even chanting “delete”. Rollins connects with a superkick to Sheamus. Cesaro looks for the Neutraliser but Kofi reverses it and rolls-up Cesaro for a two count. Kofi kicks Cesaro and hits Trouble In Paradise, followed by The Stomp from Rollins for the win.
Winners: Kofi Kingston & Seth Rollins
We see some replays, then Seth and Kofi pose together to end the show. Wow, what a bad ending.
Let us know what you thought of the Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania. And be sure to come back tomorrow for more news and results. Until then, safe travels!
