WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (April 11, 2016) from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Payback pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for early next month in Rosemont, Illinois.
Advertised for tonight: Dr. Phil guest stars, Shane McMahon might be running the show still but no one knows, and more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the Raw live blog kicks off once the show starts on USA. It will be below this line here. (REMINDER: NO GIFS OR PICS ARE ALLOWED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. OFFENDERS WILL BE BANNED.)
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WWE RAW RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR APRIL 11
What's up, folks? Thanks for following along with us for Raw tonight. In years past, the Raw after the Raw after Mania has been a bit of a let down so let's hope that's not the case tonight.
Then. Now. Forever.
Shane McMahon/Kevin Owens segment
"Here Comes the Money!"
Show starts with Shane McMahon, who's healed up enough to get his entry dance on this week. Cole reads a tweet form the WWE twitter saying Shane's in charge tonight because of overwhelming social medial support last week. Shane credits the fans because their support is why he is here tonight.
He wants to continue with what he did last week, such as new stars and new match ups. Shane says Charlotte will face Natalya tonight. There will be a tag team tournament where the winner faces the New Day (that should be really fun!). He also congratulates AJ Styles who gets to face Roman Reigns. When Shane mentions Roman, LA boos.
Shane also says Sami Zayn is getting another opportunity tonight. He will face AJ Styles and if Sami wins it will be a triple threat match at Payback for the WWE title.
I'm going to repeat that: frickin' Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles tonight!!!
That was enough to get Kevin Owens to head on out. Dude looks naked without a title. KO thinks Shane knocked a few screws loose jumping of the Hell in a Cell if he thinks Sami Zayn deserves that opportunity. Meanwhile, KO thinks he's being screwed over. Shane tells KO that he's had his opportunity and lost on Raw and WrestleMania. Owens demands his rematch for the IC belt tonight.
Shane says that's not how things are done when he's in charge. The Prizefighter needs to earn the IC belt and he can do so tonight by beating Cesaro in a fight! And it's going to happen now! It's on!
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Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens to become #1 contender for the Intercontinental title
Cesaro is rocking his BOSS rip away suit!. And he undoes the cuffs before ripping it to reveal a new awesome Cesaro Section shirt!
Cesaro has control early so KO takes a powder on the outside. Backstage, IC champ Miz is watching the match alongside Maryse. KO gets back in the ring the men go back and forth for awhile. Cesaro puts on a headlock clinic, which upsets KO and he rolls out again.
Owens gets back in and goes at Cesaro but the Swiss still maintains the advantage. However, Owens starts working the left shoulder of Cesaro, which gains him the upper hand. KO works the shoulder for awhile. However, when he tried a corner uppercut to mock Cesaro, the Swiss Superman takes control and shows KO what the meaning of "corner uppercuts" really is. He follows it up with a drop kick for a near fall.
Cesaro's offense was short lived when KO tosses him shoulder first into the corner and then into the still pole as Raw goes to break.
When Raw returns, both men are down. This is because during the break, Cesaro gut wrenched suplexed Owens from the top rope. Oh no biggie. Cesaro goes into Uppercut mode, goes for the swing but Owens kicks him out. No bother, because Cesaro just stomps Kevin for a near fall.
Cesaro goes for a crossbody but Owens rolls through and applies a Crossface to Cesaro, trying his bad shoulder! The Swiss goes for the ropes but KO rolls him back into the middle of the ring. Cesaro rolls KO up for a nearfall. KO kicks out but Cesaro already has the Sharpshooter locked in! Owens makes it to the ropes for the break.
KO hits a superkick and climbs to the top rope...FROG SPLASH! 1-2... kick out!
KO tosses Cesaro for the pop up Powerbomb. He leap frogs him and then hits a beautiful springboard uppercut. And then... the SWING! But his shoulder gives out after a rotation. As he his holding his shoulder, KO goes for the Pop Up Powerbomb but Cesaro hurricanrana and rolls KO through into...GOTCH NEUTRALIZER!!! CESARO WINS!
Cesaro defeats Kevin Owens to become #1 Contender for the IC title.
What a frickin' match! This was better than their SummerSlam match last summer.
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Backstage, Charlotte is whining to Ric Flair that she is a victim and that she shouldn't have to defend her title against Nattie tonight. Ric said that if the Authority were running the show, they'd be on vacation now. Uh oh, here's Dr. Phil (fans boos.) Phil tells Charlotte that Ric is holding Charlotte back. He's corrupting her. Dr. Phil says she shouldn't need to use the dirty tactics Ric taught her.
Charlotte threatens to chop Dr. Phil's "Hillbilly ass" all the way back to where he's from. I'd pay to see that.
KO is yelling at Shane backstage about how he's been screwed. He tells Shane that whatever happens to Sami Zayn tonight is on Shane's silver haired head. Shane retaliated by kicking KO out of the arena.
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The New Day come out. Xavier says like NBA Jam, the tag division is on fire. They talk about the upcoming tag tournament.... brought to you by Booty-O's. Now it's time to start the tournament.
Lucha Dragons vs. the Dudley Boyz
Raw goes to break but when they come back, Kaliso is on the ground from getting tossed on the outside over the rope and clotheslined by Devon. In the ring, the Dudleyz work over Sin Cara. This goes on as a doctor continues to attend to Kalisto outside.
Sin Cara finds some life against D-Von. However, Bubba blind tags in, a 3D is botched so they just hit another for the win.
The Dudleyz defeat the Lucha Dragons to advance in the Tag Team Tournament.
As they celebrate in the ring... here come the Realest Guys Enzo and Cass!
Enzo does his shtick and the crowd is right there with him. (You can't teach that.) Enzo delivers his "How You Doin'?" and Bubba tells him "We're doing just fine" and then tells them and the crowd to shut up. Bubba tells Enzo and Cass that they paved the way for guys like them. D-Von says the only reason they exist is because they came first.
Enzo tells Devin (he legit called him Devin!) the reason he's here is because his mom and dad got it on. Cass delivers his "SAWFT" line.
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Backstage, KO is escorted out of the building by security.
Roman Reigns/League of Nations/Wyatt Family segment
Roman's music hits and LA boos (not as hard as last week of course.) The Big Dog comes down to the ring, picks up a mic, and crowd continues to boo him. He delivers his "good guy, bad guy, the guy line" from last week. He says that he respects both AJ and Sami. They've won a lot of championships but they've never won the championship.
He's interrupted by the League of Nations. Sheamus ask Roman how confident Roman would be if he had to face one of them. Sheamus reminds us that they're stronger because they've kicked out the weakest link. Rusev says that Roman may be the the guy but he's a man. He's bigger, stronger, and better looking than Roman. Rusev says he should be the face of WWE. Roman tells Rusev he's the ass of WWE.
Roman invites them into the ring for a fight and they all charge the ring. As they run down, the Wyatt's appear in the ring and those two teams brawl as Roman watches. With the League disposed, the Wyatts turn to Reigns. Before anything can happen Shane O'Mac comes down. He makes a tag match with two members of the LoN against Roman and Bray tonight.
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They play the Epico and Primo Puerto Rico package.
Dr. Phil comes down and sits at commentary to watch the Women's Title match.
Charlotte vs. Natalya for the Women's Title
The match is even to start, with Nattie holding a slight advantage. Charlotte rolls out to take a break but when she rolls in Nattie has complete control. This leads to the champ taking another breather on the outside. Charlotte rolls back in and takes control of the match.
Raw goes to break and comes back to find Charlotte still in control, working Nattie over with the Figure Four headlock. They battle on the mat and Charlotte ends with the Figure Four locked in. Nattie reverses it and Charlotte gets the ropes. To humiliate her, Charlotte locks the Sharpshooter in on Nattie! The challenger is able to fight out of it, but Charlotte maintains control.
Finally, Nattie is able to fight back. She hits the discuss clothesline and then goes for the Sharpshooter herself. Thumb to the eye by the champ and a roll up but Nattie kicks out at 2. A big boot from Charlotte for another near fall. Charlotte has control, steps over Nattie and goes for a moonsault... but Natty rolls out of the way! She locks in the Sharpshooter on the champ!
Charlotte taps!... but Ric Flair pulls the ref out first!
The ref calls for the bell but it's a DQ victory for Nattie.
Natalya defeats Charlotte via DQ. (Charlotte retains the title.)
Damn that Ric Flair. Hopefully this leads to a women's cage match that keeps Flair on the outside.
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Renee Young interviews Sami Zayn backstage. She asks if he's ready after last week's attack. Sami says he's been ready for this shot his entire life. AJ Styles rolls into the conversation. Styles says he plans to be the only #1 Contender.
Usos vs. #SocialOutcasts (Curtis Axel and Heath Slater)
Usos control early but the Outcasts actually get the advantage at one point. In fact, they control Jey Uso for awhile. The Outcasts take a break to celebrate with a Bo Train. During that time, Jey Uso tags in his brother, who rolls up Slater for the win.
The hubris of the Outcasts cost them this one.
The Usos defeat the Social Outcasts via...
ANDERSON AND GALLOWS RUN IN AND ATTACKS THE USOS! THEY COMPLETELY LAY WASTE THEM! THE BULLET CLUB IS HERE, FOLKS!
They announcers put them over as a big Japanese tag team as the crowd chants "Bullet Club!"
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Video of the Cesaro/Kevin Owens match earlier
As Miz is relaxing with some Cucumbers on his eye, Maryse is berating a PA because he has a bowl of M&Ms that happen to have blue ones, which Miz hates (even though they taste the same) and the fact that he has domestic water. JoJo then comes in to ask him about the "controversy" surrounding his IC win and Cesaro as the next challenger. Maryse is upset, but Miz decides to answer the question, calling himself the kryptonite to the Swiss Superman.
Cesaro interrupts wearing a suit (a tear off?). He says he'll roll out the red carpet version of his uppercuts at Payback. Miz is so distracted, he takes a drink of the water. Maryse slaps the bottle out of his hand shouting "Domestic!" and he spits it out. Awesome.
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AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn (if Sami wins, he's added to the Payback main event)
The match starts with a test of strength lock up in the middle of the ring and turns into some chain wrestling. Quick and even action early on. Sami Zayn takes some control working on the left arm of AJ. The crowd gets an Ole chant going as Sami continues control with some arm drags. The men separate and circle each other before they lock up some more.
This match continues to be an even bout until a lethal drop kick from Styles knocks down Sami. AJ follows up with some chops and forearms. He hits a snap suplex for a near fall. Sami rolls out and AJ goes for a spring board. Sami moves so AJ lands on the apron and hits a nasty knee to Sami's face.
Back in the ring, Styles runs at Zayn but Zayn is able to run at the rope and pull it down to send AJ on the outside. Then he jumps the ropes onto the floor to take down AJ! Great match thus far as Raw goes to commercial.
Raw returns and AJ has control of the match. A pump handle into a knee to the gut gets AJ a near fall. A fireman's carry into a knee to the shoulder does the same. AJ sets up for the Styles Clash but Sami fights it. Styles goes for it again but Zayn converts it into a roll up for a near fall! Cross body from the top from Sami onto AJ gets Zayn another near fall! A DDT onto AJ after springing off the top rope... another near fall for Sami Zayn!
Sami has control but a Pele from AJ leaves both men on the mat. AJ misses the Phenomenal Forearm and Sami hits the Blue Thunder Bomb! Kick out at 2.9!
AJ gets the Calf Crusher in the middle of the ring! Sami is excruciating pain! He crawls to the ropes... and grabs it! Both men are down again. AJ gets up first and goes to the top rope but Sami is up to meet him. He climbs to the top too and goes for a superplex. Styles hits a sunset flip but Sami lands on his feet! He sets up for the Helluva.... but Sytles gets his boots up. He roles out and hits the Phenomenal Forearm for the 1-2-3.
AJ Styles defeats Sami Zayn via pinfall. Sami Zayn is not added to the WWE title match.
What a frickin' match.
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Backstage, AJ and Zayn are talking to each other. Shane comes and tells them how awesome the match was and leaves really quickly. He may be on coke. Afterwards AJ and Zayn shake hands.
Jericho Highlight Reel/Dean Ambrose interruption
Jericho comes down for the Highlight Reel wearing a light up jacket, scarf, but no shirt. He starts by telling the crowd to shut their mouths. He says he has the biggest star in WWE history... a multi-time world champ who main evented multiple Manias as his guest tonight. And his guest is... Chris Jericho. Oh this jerk.
He then interviews himself. No seriously. He credits himself for all his success and then gives the crowd the gift of Jericho and tells the crowd to drink it in. He continues to put himself over, reminding the crowd that he beat the Rock and Stone Cold in the same night. He also reminds us that he beat AJ at Mania.
I can't wait someone to come out and shut him up.
He continues talking about how no one can touch him and... Thank God here comes Dean Ambrose.
Ambrose comes down with a potted plant of his own. When Y2J asks him what he's doing, Ambrose said said that this is his show now. He says he has a memo from Shane, but hands Jericho a California speeding ticket instead. Then he finds the real memo, which has a hole in it. Jericho reads that the Highlight Reel has been canceled and will be replaced by the Ambrose Asylum.
Dean introduces everyone to his guess Jericho. He asks what is up with that scarf, which Jericho informs him cost 750 dollars. Jericho tells Ambrose that he's reached legendary status in WWE. He can do what he wants and say what he wants. He says Ambrose better watch himself or Jericho will bury him. When Ambrose asks him about the scarf again, Jericho slaps the mic out of Dean's hand and gets a Dirty Deeds because of it.
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Goldust seeks out Truth backstage saying that on SmackDown, Truth promised him an audition. And instead, he finds them in the tag tournament. When he asks whose right idea that was, Dr. Phil walks over, opens his mouth, figures they are too weird for even him, and walks away.
Apollo Crews vs. Adam Rose
Apollo hits his high octane offense, but Rose is able to ground him for a bit. He even hits a nice running kick on on Crews. Apollo gets control again and despite a distraction from Bo Dallas, hits his spinning powerbomb for the win.
Apollo Crews defeats Adam Rose via pinfall
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A different Epico and Primo Puerto Rico promo is played.
A Baron Corbin video package is played.
A backstage Bray Wyatt promo plays. He tells Roman that they have a bond that can't be broken. Bray tells Reigns he can trust him. "Los Angeles. We're here."
Bray Wyatt & Roman Reigns vs. Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio
Bray sits on the ropes to tell Roman to get out so he can start the match.
Bray goes after Sheamus. Roman tags himself in and both double team Sheamus in the corner. Wyatt tags himself in and the partners stare each other down. Sheamus is able to get some control and tags in Del Rio. He runs and knocks Reigns off the apron and goes to work on Wyatt. The League has control.
Bray finally gets free and tags an outstretched Roman Reigns, who lays waste to Sheamus. The crowd is booing him as he goes to work on the League. Cocks his fist but Sheamus rolls out. Roman follows him but too much of the League ends with Sheamus pushing Roman into the steel ring post.
Now Roman is in peril and the League goes to work on him. He takes the Ten Beats and then a sick enziguri from ADR for a near fall. ADR goes for the stomp in the corner but Roman sits up and tosses Alberto from the top. Now it's Roman crawling to Bray but Sheamus cuts him off. The Irishman hits a high knee on Roman but coming back for another hit, Roman delivers the Samoan Drop.
Roman crawls to an outstretched Bray. Bray brings his hand in and thinks about it but then reaches out and tags in. The New Face of Fear is on fire. He tries for Sister Abigail on ADR but ADR escapes... and Bray hits a flying body block for a pin that Sheamus needs to break up.
Outside, Reigns goes for a Superman Punch on Sheamus but he gets tossed into the ring steps. Rusev hits Bray when the ref is distracted and ADR hits a backstabber! Near fall!
The lights go out and come back and Strowman and Rowan are attacking Rusev. Back in the ring, ADR goes for the cross armbar but Bray hits Sister Abigail. He goes for the pin... Sheamus runs in to break it up but gets speared! Roman and Bray win!
Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatts defeat the League of Nations via pinfall
At the end of the match, both Bray and Roman stare each other down as Raw goes off the air.
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Well, that's Raw, folks. It was a really fun show and I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching with us! G'night!
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