WWE RAW
Episode 1301
#RAW
Original Air Date: April 30, 2018
Event Date: April 30, 2018 (aired live)
City: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Venue: Bell Centre
Commentary: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Jonathan Coachman
Ring Announcer: Jojo
Video
Clips from the Greatest Royal Rumble.
Ring Area
Roman Reigns heads to the ring. The commentators talk about the cage match from the Greatest Royal Rumble and the controversial finish. Reigns begins to talk, saying he is the real Universal Champ. The crowd thinks Roman sucks. Reigns waits for the crowd to quiet a bit, then he says that he should be the champ, but he won’t make excuses. He then complains (again) about Lesnar not being here tonight.
Samoa Joe appears on the tron. Joe says he’s going to put Reigns’ downward spiraling career to sleep at Backlash.
Jinder Mahal and Sunil Singh come out to the stage. Jinder can’t stand people who make excuses for their shortcomings (Jeff cheated at the GRR and that’s why Mahal lost). Reigns lost at the GRR, he’ll lose at Backlash, and he’ll lose tonight against Jinder Mahal.
Sami Zayn comes out to the stage to a roaring ovation. As he heads to the ring, he says he will be the one to take on Roman Reigns tonight. Kevin Owens comes out next, and his ovation is similar to Zayn’s. Owens says that he knows Zayn can beat Reigns, but he thinks the crowd wants to see Owens versus Reigns. So now they have a situation. Who will fight Reigns? Owens suggests a popularity contest. Zayn gets a good reaction. Mahal does not. Owens probably gets the best reaction. Owens also gets a punch from Reigns.
All the men in the ring brawl, but the brawl ends up being a four on one beating of Reigns. Bobby Lashley runs down to the ring, but he quickly gets ganged up on. After a few seconds, Braun Strowman heads to the ring. Strowman buys enough time for Lashley and Reigns to get back into the fight. Reigns throws Sunil Singh out of the ring onto Owens, Zayn, and Mahal who are now on the floor.
Ring Area
In the ring, Elias works hard to get the crowd to boo him. It doesn’t work too well. He then starts singing a song about Bobby Roode, but Roode’s music interrupts him partway through.
Match 1
Elias vs Bobby Roode
(referee: Shawn Bennett)
Result: the match ends in a No Contest when the referee stops the match after Roode is smashed into the exposed turnbuckle
Time: 8:02 (joined in progress, 1 break)
Match Thoughts
Good match. It didn’t have a definitive ending (the bell never even rang), but it did very well to quickly build some tension between Roode and Elias. Elias looked good in this one, withstanding Roode’s attacks and using some dirty tactics and power to hurt Roode progressively throughout the match. This could turn into a nice feud.
Backstage
Charly Caruso asks Jean Paul and Francoise why they requested a match against the Authors of Pain. They say they are proud French Canadians, and the never back down from a challenge.
Match 2
Authors of Pain vs Jean Paul & Francoise
(referee: John Cone)
Result: Rezar pins Jean Paul after The Last Chapter
Time: 1:05
Match Thoughts
Squash.
Ring Area
Akam and Rezar says The Book of Pain remains open, and there will be a chapter written for every tag team on RAW.
Ring Area
Seth Rollins heads to the ring. Rollins talks about his wild month. He’s been all over the world defending his title, and now he’s in Montreal. He stops talking and listens to the crowd for a while, thanking them in French for their loud support. Rollins has been thinking about what kind of champ he wants to be, and what champ he doesn’t want to be. Rollins doesn’t want to be a champ like Lesnar. He wants to be a fighting champ. Finn Balor interrupts and heads to the ring.
Balor congratulates Rollins on his victory at the GRR, but he also says that he came very close to winning himself. He also says that they’re currently tied in singles matches. Balor suggest that Rollins, as a fighting champ, put his title on the line against Balor tonight. Rollins says he has The Miz this weekend for the title, but he’s going to leave it up to the crowd. They seem to want the match, so Rollins agrees to it.
Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel come out to the stage. They say Balor and Rollins shouldn’t be fighting each other, they should be fighting together. They should all be fighting together. The Miztourage reveal that they are wearing shirts with all four of their faces taped to them. They suggest that they all team up and form the Four Horsemen of the WWE. Rollins and Balor refuse the offer. Axel and Dallas attempt and attack, but Rollins and Balor easily fight them off. Balor uses the action to hit Rollins with an inverted DDT. Balor smiles and leaves the ring.
Backstage
Charly Caruso welcomes Sasha Banks. Banks says that Bayley will not be in her corner tonight. Banks doesn’t know what’s going on with Bayley, but Banks isn’t okay with The Riott Squad attempting to take over RAW.
Match 3
Ruby Riott w/ Live Morgan, Sarah Logan vs Sasha Banks
(referee: Dan Engler; watching in the back: Bayley)
Result: Ruby Riott wins via pinfall after a Riott Kick
Time: 9:30 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This built up very nicely to a final segment that had some very good-looking moves from both women. There were some inevitable shenanigans from Logan and Morgan, and it worked in the context of the match. Both Riott and Banks got pretty physical in this match. I’d like to see them wrestle more.
Video
Alexa Bliss has another PSA about bullying, saying that Nia Jax made fun of her height at Disney World.
Backstage
Renee Young welcomes Titus O’Neil. She shows the video of Titus sliding under the ring at the Greatest Royal Rumble. O’Neil says he fell, but when you fall, you get back up. Baron Corbin walks up and laughs at O’Neil. O’Neil takes it in stride.
Backstage
Matt Hardy reads The Light and the Darkness. He then tells the story of the vessels known at Bray Wyatt and Matthew Hardy throughout time. Bray Wyatt shows up, and the lights turn down. The Deleters of Worlds are here. Run.
Match 4
Jinder Mahal w/ Sunil Singh & Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens vs Braun Strowman & Bobby Lashley & Roman Reigns
(referee: Rod Zapata)
Result: Braun Strowman pins Kevin Owens after a running powerslam
Time: 14:52 (2 breaks)
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. I liked the beginning when Owens and Zayn kept tagging and having fun with the crowd and there were some fine moments throughout, but overall I think this was a pretty standard six man match. It went along fine, then it broke down at the end and everyone hit a big move.
Video
Clips from the Greatest Royal Rumble.
Ring Area
Baron Corbin comes out to the stage. Corbin quotes someone who said that being funny doesn’t make money. He doesn’t like Titus O’Neil, and he doesn’t like No Way Jose. Corbin makes money by beating people up. Tonight, he’ll put an end to the nonsense.
Match 5
Baron Corbin vs No Way Jose
(referee: Shawn Bennett)
Result: No Way Jose wins via pinfall with a schoolboy
Time: 2:40
Match Thoughts
This was pretty fun. The match was okay, then Titus (along with Apollo Crews and Dana Brooke) came down to the ring and did a comedy bit. That was easily the best part of the match.
Match 6
Mickie James w/ Alexa Bliss vs Natalya w/ Ronda Rousey
(referee: John Cone)
Result: Natalya wins via pinfall with an inside cradle
Time: 3:05
Match Thoughts
This match was more about watching Rousey and Bliss at ringside than watching the wrestlers in the ring.
Ring Area
Alexa Bliss heads up the ramp after the match, but Nia Jax comes out and chases Alexa out through the crowd. Nia then enters the ring and holds up Ronda and Natalya’s hands.
Video
Drew McIntyre says he and Dolph Ziggler deserve to be here. Ziggler says everyone else on RAW shoud be afraid. He and McIntyre are here to take RAW.
Match 7
Intercontinental Title Match
Finn Balor vs Seth Rollins (IC Champ)
(referee: Dan Engler)
Result: Seth Rollins wins via pinfall after a curb stomp
Time: 11:18 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Great match. These two guys always put on great matches against each other. I didn’t really think Rollins was going to lose the title tonight, but this match had me buying into it and pulling for Balor. Great action, great counters and reversals, great match.
Show Impressions
I liked this show. The Reigns stuff is getting excruciating, the Corbin stuff is getting there too, and I don’t care much about the Authors of Pain yet, but everything else was fun. I liked seeing Owens and Zayn get such a good reaction, Elias and Roode is a promising feud, I really enjoyed the match between Banks and Riott, and the main event was great.
Match of the Night
Intercontinental Title Match
This was undeniably the best match of the night, but I’d like to give a runner-up to the Banks/Riott match. On any other week, that match probably would have been my pick for the night.
Official Results: http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2018-04-30