WWE RAW
Episode 1351
#RAW
Original Air Date: April 15, 2019
Event Date: April 15, 2019
(aired live)
City: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Venue: Bell Centre
Commentary: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Ring Area
Stephanie McMahon heads to the ring. Once inside the ring, Steph introduces Shane McMahon who heads to the ring. Shane and Steph hug, then Shane has Mike Rome introduce him again. Shane wants Rome to introduce him in French, but Rome doesn’t know how to speak French. Shane does his own introduction, saying that he was speaking in the “dirty” dialect that they speak here in Montreal.
Steph and Shane then talk about tonight’s Superstar Shakeup. Steph wants to introduce the first new RAW superstar, but Shane wants to show some images of himself on the big screen first. So he does. Steph then begins to introduce a new RAW superstar, but she is interrupted by The Miz’s music.
Shane prepares for The Miz to come down the ramp, but Miz attacks Shane from behind. Miz and Shane brawl out to the floor where Miz grabs a chair. Miz hit Shane a few times with the chair before Shane escapes up the ramp.
Video
Clips of Seth Rollins beating Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at Wrestlemania.
Match 1
Ricochet & Aleister Black & Curt Hawkins (RAW Tag Champ) & Zack Ryder (RAW Tag Champ) vs The Revival & The Viking Experience
(referee: John Cone)
Result: Ivar pins Zack Ryder after Fallout
Time: 9:45 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was fun, but the ridiculous new name for the War Raiders kept me distracted.
Video
Cedric Alexander is coming to RAW.
Match 2
Finn Balor (IC Champ) vs Andrade w/ Zelina Vega
(referee: Dan Engler)
Result: Andrade wins via pinfall after a hammerlock DDT
Time: 7:09 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Andrade looked great, and he even broke out at least one new (or at least rarely used) move. Balor looked great as usual as well. This match had a lot of great sequences and more than a few very hard strikes. There was a lot of energy to it. I liked it very much.
Ring Area
In the ring, Elias talks about how powerful his music is. It is powerful enough to bring back the doctor of thuganomics, and it got the dead man to rise from his grave. Tonight, he has a special song, and if anyone interrupts him then Elias will deal with them in a way that will make them never want to show their face again.
Elias begins to play, and Rey Mysterio interrupts. Elias tries to meet Rey on the ramp, but Rey dodges and brings the fight into the ring. Rey dominates Elias and sends him out of the ring.
As Rey celebrates his arrival on RAW, Lars SUllivan comes out and heads to the ring. Rey stands his ground and waits for Lars to enter the ring. Rey dodges and attacks Sullivan, but Lars catches Rey and slams him to the mat. Sullivan picks Rey up and hits him with a running sit-out powerbomb.
Lars leaves the ring, laughing.
Ring Area
Chad Gable and Bobby Roode are in the ring (though on-screen graphic says they’re The Usos). Roode says he and Gable can beat any team in the WWE. Gable says they are on their game tonight, and he issues an open challenge to any team from any brand. The Usos (unsurprisingly) answer the challenge.
Match 3
Chad Gable & Bobby Roode vs The Usos
(referee: Shawn Bennett)
Result: Jimmy Uso pins Chad Gable after tandem splashes from opposite corners
Time: 5:23
Match Thoughts
Despite the production guys ruining the surprise of The Usos’ debut, this was still a lot of fun. The match wasn’t very long, and the pace was extremely fast. Roode and Gable got a lot more offense than I expected, and that helped build up for a big comeback by The Usos in the end.
Video
Clips of Roman Reigns defeating Drew McIntyre at Wrestlemania.
Ring Area
Alexa Bliss comes out to the stage for A Moment of Bliss. Alexa’s guest, Sami Zayn, comes out and joins her. Sami absorbs the adulation of the crowd for a long time before finally taking a seat.
Alexa tells Sami it’s great to have him back on RAW. Sami says he loves the city of Montreal, but he can’t stand the people. Honestly, he doesn’t even want to be here tonight. The cheers he’s receiving tonight actually make him a bit sick. Addressing the crowd, Sami says he realized that the fans project their own issues onto him, and it’s disgusting. They’re not even fans. They’re too busy playing critic to be fans.
Alexa says something about Sami’s people, so Sami says he might have been born here, but these are not his people. He doesn’t even live in Montreal anymore. He chose to leave the city, just like he’s choosing to leave right now.
Match 4
The IIconics (Women’s Tag Champs) vs Bayley & Naomi
(referee: Darrick Moore)
Result: Naomi pins Billie Kay after a split legged moonsault
Time: 1:59
Match Thoughts
This was okay. There wasn’t anything really wrong with it, but it was way too short and unsurprising. The IIconics really should have won. It shouldn’t be a given that the new people on RAW should win every match they’re in tonight.
Video
Clips of the triple threat main event women’s title match from Wrestlemania (I think it’s funny that the screen went black when they were replaying the actual pinfall).
Video
A laughing puppet comes out of a smoking cardboard box…
Ring Area
EC3 heads to the ring for a match. After a commercial break, Braun Strowman also heads to the ring. Strowman beats up EC3 in the ring and up the ramp. On the stage, Strowman chokeslams EC3 through a breakaway part of the stage.
As Strowman celebrates, Becky Lynch walks past him on her way to the ring.
Match 5
Becky Lynch (RAW & SD Women’s Champ) vs Ruby Riott w/ Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan
(referee: Dan Engler)
Result: Becky Lynch wins via submission with Disarm Her
Time: 4:27
Match Thoughts
Good match. It was kind of short and, unfortunately, unsurprising, but it was a nice exhibition for the new champ.
Backstage
Charly Caruso welcomes Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin, Lio Rush, and Bobby Lashley. McIntyre says he doesn’t care who is jumping over from SmackDown in their match tonight. Drew just wants to get his hands on Reigns. Corbin also doesn’t care who they face. Rush wonders who would be stupid enough to face McIntyre, Corbin, and Lashley. Lashley doesn’t speak.
Ring Area
With Becky Lynch still in the ring, Natalya comes out and joins her. Natalya congratulates Lynch on her recent wins. Natalya says she has dreamed about main-eventing Wrestlemania, and Becky has made dreams come true. Natalya lists some of Becky’s accomplishments, then she tells Becky that she is coming for the RAW Women’s Title.
Becky says she knew she would be a target when she won her titles. She has traveled the world with Natalya, and begins to say it would be a pleasure to face Natalya, but Lacey Evans interrupts and comes out to the stage.
Lacey admires Natalya’s determination, but a “classless has-been” like her shouldn’t hold the title. A “lady” knows how to curry favor and get what she wants, and what Lacey wants is the RAW Women’s Title. Per the McMahons, Natalya will face Evans for a title shot.
Match 6
RAW Women’s Title Number One Contender Match
Natalya vs Lacey Evans
(referee: John Cone; watching in the back: Becky Lynch)
Result: Lacey Evans wins via pinfall after a double jump moonsault
Time: 5:04 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
This was okay. Lacey spent a lot of time on the mat with Natalya, and it wasn’t super exciting. It was fine, it just wasn’t great. I didn’t like Lacey spending so much time in the sharpshooter without giving up (I would rather have seen Natalya fail to apply the move at all), and I saw the Woman’s Right coming from a mile away. I liked Lacey’s finisher, though Natalya didn’t seem to have a good time with it.
Backstage
Charly Caruso asks Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns who their teammate is going to be tonight. Reigns and Rollins tells Charly she’s just going to have to wait like everyone else. Life is good for Rollins, but life won’t be so good for their opponents tonight.
Video
A doll in a rocking chair laughs in a smoking room.
Match 7
Drew McIntyre & Baron Corbin & Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush vs Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins (Universal Champ) & AJ Styles
(referee: Shawn Bennett)
Result: AJ Styles pins Bobby Lashley after the Phenomenal Forearm
Time: 9:18 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
This was a fun main event. Just like every other match tonight, the action wasn’t very surprising. Regardless, I enjoyed it fine.
Show Impressions
This show was okay. It’s always kind of neat seeing new faces on the show. I like a lot of the people that came over to RAW, I just hope they use them in good ways. RAW has not instilled a great sense of hope in me over the past year, so I think I’ll just wait and see what happens before making too many judgments.
Match of the Night
Finn Balor vs Andrade
I don’t know exactly where Andrade is going to fit on RAW, but I’m excited to see what happens.
Official Results: https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2019-04-15