Raw airs tonight (Apr. 20) with a live show emanating from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the first episode of Raw during the three week build to Backlash, which takes place on May 9.
Brock Lesnar can’t retire from WWE just yet
One of the biggest stories coming out of WrestleMania 42 is the apparent retirement of Brock Lesnar. The Beast was in tears after he got his ass kicked by Oba Femi. He left his boots in the ring, hugged Paul Heyman, thanked the fans, and walked off.
It sure looked like a real retirement. But I’ve watched
pro wrestling for too long not to strongly suspect this is all a work to turn Brock babyface so that GUNTHER can kill his career later this year. If that is the plan, there are a couple of ways this could play out.
Heyman now owes GUNTHER a huge favor for taking care of his Seth Rollins problem at WrestleMania 42. If GUNTHER tries to shake Heyman down over that favor tonight (or a later show), babyface Brock might just have to show up to save his longtime advocate, setting up his actual retirement match for SummerSlam Minnesota.
Alternatively, do you remember how AJ Styles returned to Raw for a special tribute to his career, weeks after losing his retirement match at Royal Rumble? If WWE gives Brock the same treatment tonight (or a later show), this time it could all be an angle for the Ring General to ambush him with a vicious assault. I can’t see the Career Killer missing out on this opportunity and just letting Brock walk off into the sunset on his own.
Then again, maybe Brock’s retirement is indeed the real deal, and we won’t see him in a WWE ring again until they panic over next year’s WrestleMania ticket sales in Saudi Arabia and ask him to host the event.
The bottom line is that right now there is something of a cliffhanger regarding Brock Lesnar’s decision to leave his boots in the ring at WrestleMania. So tune in to the Raw after WrestleMania tonight to find out more about whether Lesnar’s retirement is a shoot or a work.
Other stuff to keep an eye on
– Roman Reigns is the new world heavyweight champion after defeating CM Punk at WrestleMania. Reigns later said “y’all gonna see my ass all summer.” Does Roman’s upcoming full-time status include a title defense at Backlash in three weeks, or does that not count since it’s not the summer? Reigns is on Raw tonight, where he will celebrate his big win and perhaps shut down all of Punk’s talking points about how he can’t win on his own. Will Jey Uso be there to acknowledge his Tribal Chief?
– Will CM also appear on the Raw after WrestleMania to react to his loss and admit that being a little too old cost him at the very end, or is he already gone on vacation with his wife AJ Lee?
– Bron Breakker returned from injury to screw over Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. Are we going straight into Rollins vs. Breakker at Backlash in three weeks? Are any more changes coming to The Vision now that Bron is back?
– Speaking of The Vision, is IShowSpeed done with WWE after taking out Logan Paul with the IShowSplash at WrestleMania, or will the YouTube douchebag challenge Speed to a singles match at Backlash? If Speed is done for now, then maybe Breakker will have to send him out with another spear of the year, just for old time’s sake.
– Are Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan and former champ Stephanie Vaquer headed to a gimmick rematch at Backlash after they only got seven minutes Liv needed help from Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez to take the belt from Vaquer at WrestleMania?
– Oba Femi is the next big thing in WWE after destroying Brock Lesnar in less than five minutes at WrestleMania. The Ruler plans to dethrone Roman Reigns by the end of the year. But how do you follow up on this career-making win over Brock in the meantime? Can’t really go back to squashing low card dudes, right? Does WWE plan to return to the story where Femi is a free agent who Raw GM Adam Pearce and SmackDown GM Nick Aldis are desperate to sign? If so, shouldn’t one of these GMs get Danhausen to curse the other?
– WWE decided not to book Asuka vs. IYO SKY at WrestleMania 42. Is that because the match is being saved for Backlash, or has IYO already moved on being a regular sidekick for WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley on SmackDown?
– Justice was finally served at WrestleMania when Becky Lynch overcame Crooked Jessika Carr to defeat AJ Lee for the women’s Intercontinental championship. Will a new challenger immediately step up to confront The Man tonight on the Raw after WrestleMania?
– One of the biggest surprises at WrestleMania 42 was the return of Paige, who replaced the injured Nikki Bella to win the WWE women’s tag team championship with Brie Mode. Will WWE give Paige some mic time tonight to cut her return promo in front of her adoring fans? Do The Irresistible Forces get a rematch for these belts right away, and if so, how the hell can this makeshift team possibly beat them?
– Do Penta, Rey Mysterio, Je’Von Evans, JD McDonagh, Rusev, and Dragon Lee need a week off to recover after just about killing each other in a thrilling Intercontinental title ladder match at WrestleMania?
– Dominik Mysterio got his ass kicked in a street fight by Finn Balor’s Demon form at WrestleMania. Does Dirty Dom need to recruit a new member into The Judgment Day to help solve his Finn problem?
– How will Kofi Kingston change his approach to convince Je’Von Evans to join the New Day? Does Kofi need to kick the useless Grayson Waller to the curb first?
– It was last year on the Raw after WrestleMania when Rusev returned to WWE. What surprise return(s) does WWE have planned this year?
– There have been lots of rumors about NXT stars being called up to Raw and SmackDown after WrestleMania 42. How many will show up on Raw tonight? Will Sol Ruca and Joe Hendry be among them?
– Where the f*** is Omos?
What will you be looking for on Raw?
