WWE RAW
Episode 1352
#RAW
Original Air Date: April 22, 2019
Event Date: April 22, 2019
(aired live)
City: Des Moines, IA
Venue: Wells Fargo Arena
Commentary: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Ring Area
Triple H heads to the ring. After entering the ring but before Triple H speaks, Seth Rollins also heads to the ring.
Triple H and Rollins shake hands. Rollins says it’s surreal to be standing here in his home state as champion with Triple H next to him. Rollins did what he said he would do. He slayed the Beast and brought the title home. Triple H says Rollins entered Wrestlemania a Kingslayer and left a Beastslayer.
Triple H says that the landscape of RAW has changed, and everyone is gunning for Rollins. Rollins knows Money in the Bank is around the corner, but if anyone knows about the Money in the Bank contract, it’s Rollins. Triple H tells Rollins before he worries about who will get the contract, he needs to worry about who will get a Universal Title match at the show. So tonight, there will be two triple threat matches, the winners of which will compete in tonight’s main event for a Universal Title match.
Samoa Joe heads to the ring. Joe reminds everyone that he does what he wants, when he wants, and he has arrived on RAW. Joe might have one title already, but his shoulders are plenty wide enough to carry another.
Rey Mysterio heads to the ring. Rey says Joe isn’t the only former SmackDown superstar wanting to make a name for themselves on RAW. After tonight, Rey sees himself facing Rollins.
Drew McIntyre heads to the ring. McIntyre doesn’t give a damn about what Joe and Rey think they deserve. Drew spent a year cleaning up RAW and has gotten zero title opportunities. It’s now McIntyre’s time.
The Miz heads to the ring. Miz says he’s back on RAW, and once again Rollins has something Miz wants. Miz isn’t the same man Rollins might remember. Miz says he has proved that he is worthy of the Universal Championship, and he can’t think of a main event more must-see than Rollins versus Miz.
Baron Corbin heads to the ring. Corbin says he deserves a title shot because he beat a legend at Wrestlemania.
AJ Styles heads to the ring. Styles wonders if Corbin ever shuts up. He also wonders if everyone in the ring forgot that Styles is now on RAW. Styles says he’s going to win his matches tonight and show everyone why SmackDown is the house that AJ Styles built.
Seth Rollins stands in the middle of everyone and says he is ready. It doesn’t matter who he faces. He’s Seth freakin’ Rollins, and he’s going to burn it down.
Match 1
Triple Threat Match
Samoa Joe (US Champ) vs Rey Mysterio vs AJ Styles
(referee: John Cone; stipulation: the winner will face the winner of another triple threat match in a Universal Title number one contender match)
Result: AJ Styles pins Samoa Joe after powerbombing Rey onto Joe and hitting a Styles Clash onto Rey on top of Joe
Time: 10:42 (2 breaks)
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This was a fun and inventive triple threat match. At times it was basically one on one, but it made sense why that was the case. Then, towards the end of the match, we saw some fun multi-person situations as well as a bit of using people as weapons. I tend to always enjoy that.
Video
Clips of John Cena guest hosting Ellen.
Match 2
Naomi vs Billie Kay w/ Peyton Royce (Women’s Tag Champs)
(referee: Rod Zapata)
Result: Naomi wins via pinfall with a sunset flip
Time: 1:09
Match Thoughts
This was okay. It was very short and dominated by Naomi. Not a great look for the tag champs, though WWE has a habit of making tag champs look like this.
Video
We see a doll house and a doll in a rocking chair. The doll laughs.
Match 3
Triple Threat Match
The Miz vs Baron Corbin vs Drew McIntyre
(referee: Chad Patton; stipulation: the winner will face the winner of tonight’s earlier triple threat in a Universal Title number one contender match)
Result: Baron Corbin pins The Miz after Drew McIntyre hits Miz with the Claymore
Time: 11:28 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. I still don’t but Miz as a powerful good guy, but besides that, this was done well. I’m not too thrilled with the finish either, but again, it wasn’t poorly done.
Backstage
Charly Caruso asks AJ Styles how he’s going to deal with Corbin tonight. Styles doesn’t see their size difference as a problem. Styles lists the accolades that Corbin likes to talk about, and he lists some of his own. He says this isn’t about accolades though. It’s about picking the biggest bully in the yard and beating them up.
Ring Area
Sami Zayn danes(?) as he heads to the ring. Zayn says he has been doing something over the past few weeks that no one else has had the courage to do. Zayn has been telling everyone the truth about themselves. People’s reactions to the truth have been expected. One of their reactions has been to say that Sami Zayn is bitter. However, Zayn is the opposite of bitter. He is jubilant.
The months he spent away from WWE and the fans were the happiest months of his life. Zayn shows some pictures of himself enjoying his time away by traveling around the world. In the weeks before his return, Zayn began to feel sick. Why? The problem is each and every fan. It’s the toxic culture that the fans have created and perpetuate on everyone except themselves.
Zayn is holding every fan accountable for what they are doing. The fans might think they’re safe in their anonymity, but they are not safe from Sami Zayn. If they don’t like that they should all take a nice trip. A trip to Hell. Zayn drops the mic, smiles, and leaves the ring. As Zayn leaves, Cedric Alexander heads to the ring for a match.
Video
A look at Cedric Alexander.
Match 4
Cedric Alexander vs Cesaro
(referee: Darrick Moore)
Result: Cesaro wins via pinfall after Alexander springboards into a European uppercut from Cesaro
Time: 6:23
Match Thoughts
Good match. I liked how they did this. Cedric Alexander looked very good, but it really seemed like both men needed this win. The finish was kind of unexpected, although I suppose both men had a fairly good shot at winning since they were both coming to RAW from a different show.
Backstage
Charly Caruso welcomes The Usos. Jimmy and Jey talk about all the tag teams they’re going to beat on RAW. As they speak, The Revival walks up and says The Usos are the greatest team in the history of SmackDown, but this is RAW. The Usos pretend to fall asleep, then they welcome The Revival to the Uso penitentiary.
Ring Area
The newly renamed Viking Raiders head to the ring for a match. After a commercial break, the Lucha House Party heads to the ring. Before the match can start, Erik and Ivar attack the luchadors. They beat the crap out of the Lucha House Party, finishing by hitting Lince Dorado with the Viking Experience (their assisted pop-up powerslam).
Backstage
Sarah Schreiber asks Hawkins and Ryder if they are concerned about the new tag teams on RAW. Ryder says they’ve been her for over a decade, and there’s a reason why they’re still here. Hawkins says they earned the RAW tag titles. Neither seem too concerned about their potential challengers.
Ring Area
Becky Lynch heads to the ring. She talks about her first challenger, Lacey Evans. Becky doesn’t mind being sucker-punched in general, but she does mind the woman behind the punch. Becky has made a career of slapping down bleach blondes who “curry favor” in the back.
Lacey Evans comes out. Lacey attempts to educate Becky. She will teach “The Man” to respect a lady. Becky tells Lacey that shes getting on her nerves. Do not confuse Becky’s recent happiness with contentment. It’s about time for The Man to go back to collecting her debts. Alicia Fox comes out for a match, and Lacey Evans walks away.
Match 5
Becky Lynch (RAW & SD Women’s Champ) vs Alicia Fox
(referee: John Cone)
Result: Becky Lynch wins via submission with Disarm Her
Time: 5:01 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. It was a short, mostly one-sided affair, but that’s what was expected. It was good to see Alicia Fox back on RAW, and it was a fine exhibition for the champ.
Ring Area
Immediately after the bell to end the match, Lacey Evans enters the ring and punches Becky Lynch. Becky starts to get up, so Lacey punches her again.
Backstage
Charly Caruso asks baron Corbin about defying the odds, but Corbin wonders whose odds Caruso is talking about. Corbin is looking right past Styles and toward Seth Rollins.
Match 6
Ricochet vs Robert Roode
(referee: Darrick Moore)
Result: Robert Roode wins via pinfall after the Glorious DDT
Time: 7:53 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Good match. I liked seeing Roode finally go back to his aggressive and mean ways. Ricochet looked good as always, but Roode seems like he might finally shine on the main roster like he always should have.
Video
Bray Wyatt hosts an episode of Firefly Fun House. He introduces Mercy the Buzzard and Abby the Witch. Wyatt says he used to be a very bad man, but he will never turn into that slob again. Wyatt uses a chainsaw to cut the head off of a cardboard cutout of himself dressed in his old gear.
Match 7
Universal Title Number One Contender Match
AJ Styles vs Baron Corbin
(referee: Chad Patton)
Result: AJ Styles wins via pinfall after the Phenomenal Forearm
Time: 9:36 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Good match. Styles kept things interesting, and I was happy with the result.
Ring Area
After the match, Seth Rollins heads to the ring. Rollins holds out his hand to the winner of the match, and both men shake hands.
Show Impressions
This was a mostly good show. After two weeks of promising a new beginning with the night after Wrestlemania and then the Superstar Shakeup, tonight actually felt like a true new beginning. I think we started to see the start of feuds that will carry on through the summer. Now that everyone is settled on their new shows, it felt like they actually tried to start telling some stories rather than just giving us one-off matches that don’t mean much.
Match of the Night
Styles vs Joe vs Mysterio
This was the most fun to watch tonight. And that’s saying something considering we also saw Cedric Alexander versus Cesaro and Ricochet versus Roode. The matches were mostly good tonight.
Official Results: https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2019-04-22