Raw airs tonight (Apr. 27) with a live show emanating from Sames Auto Arena in Laredo, Texas. This is the second episode of Raw during the three week build to Backlash, which takes place on May 9.
More WrestleMania main events are coming soon in WWE
WrestleMania may be in the rearview mirror, but WWE is heavily teasing two matches soon that could potentially headline that event in a different year.
First up is WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk. They met up in the ring last week for a friendly chat about looking like losers and how Punk can challenge
for the belt any time he wants. It would be foolish to rush into this match for Backlash, and Cody’s eye injury probably means he won’t be able to wrestle on that show anyway. However, this could very well be the main event of SummerSlam in August. Thanks for going home, Pat McAfee!
The major match that’s much more likely to go down at Backlash is World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu. The Samoan Werewolf issued the challenge last week after Roman reunited The Bloodline with Jimmy and Jey Uso. The Usos tried to convince Jacob to join them and go after Rhodes’ belt instead, but Fatu would not budge from his stubborn position in targeting the OTC.
The full-time champ will appear on Raw tonight to give his official answer to Jacob’s challenge. It should be an easy “yes,” as I’m sure Roman sees this as an opportunity to beat Fatu to eventually fall in line, acknowledge him, and make The Bloodline just as unstoppable as they were from 2021 through 2024.
What answer will Roman give to Jacob tonight, and will Fatu get extremely violent with The Bloodline afterwards? Tune into Raw to find out.
The rest of the card
Joe Hendry has been called up from NXT and will perform a live concert tonight on Raw. Which heel(s) does he plan to ridicule and mock during his Raw debut?
Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez is scheduled for tonight. The babyfaces already had their shot at the WWE women’s tag team championship and failed at WrestleMania 42, so it might be time for the Judgment Day to rise up the ranks to eventually earn a title match against Paige and Brie Bella.
Intercontinental Champion Penta vs. Rusev is also happening tonight, after both stars got involved in the post-match angle for Ethan Page’s win over Je’Von Evans last week. Will this bout inevitably turn into a tag match featuring all four wrestlers?
Seth Rollins has something to get off his chest when he kicks off tonight’s episode of Raw. Last week’s show was a mixed bag for Seth, as he managed to bust Bron Breakker open with a chair but was ultimately left laying with a spear. Does Rollins have a deal with the Street Profits to help fight off World Tag Team Champions Logan Paul and Austin Theory so that Seth has Bron and Paul Heyman all to himself at Backlash?
Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch will return to Raw tonight, fresh off her vindicating win over AJ Lee at WrestleMania 42. After The Man is done gloating about how great she is and her big victory over AJ, which babyface will emerge as her first contender for the belt? Could it possibly be referee Jessika Carr?
Other stuff to keep an eye on
– Oba Femi kicked off last week’s Raw by declaring The Ruler has arrived. Which heel will be dumb enough to get in his way first after Femi dominated Brock Lesnar and sent him into retirement at WrestleMania?
– Logan Paul is sick of outsiders like IShowSpeed getting involved in pro wrestling. Is the YouTube douchebag about to find himself going one-on-one with a celebrity or influencer fairly soon?
– With Backlash taking place only three weeks after WrestleMania, there is bound to be at least one rematch that takes place on the card. It looks like Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan vs. Stephanie Vaquer may be the one, after they had a staredown last week on Raw.
– Sol Ruca lost her Raw debut and then got at least eight staples in her head after a nasty bump the next night on NXT. Does Ruca need a week away from the ring to recover before she can try to score her first win on Raw?
– WWE released Kairi Sane during last Friday’s big wave of roster cuts, which means there now needs to be a kayfabe explanation for why Kairi is suddenly missing from the story between Asuka and IYO SKY. What a stupid show.
– If CM Punk vs. WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is taking place later in the summer, then CM needs other people to punch in the face in the meantime. Who will the old man get his hands on first following his loss in the WrestleMania main event?
– GUNTHER and LA Knight both want to win the world heavyweight championship. Do they need to fight each other over who gets to stand in the front of the line?
– Finn Balor proved to be a better wrestler than JD McDonagh last week, but his feud with Dirty Dom is not over. Are they headed to a Demon-less rematch at Backlash?
– Where the f*** is Maxxine Dupri?
What will you be looking for on Raw?
