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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (April 15, 2019) from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, featuring night one of the yearly Superstar Shake-up special.
Advertised for tonight: Wrestlers switching brands, Seth Rollins needs a new challenger for the Universal championship, 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.)
WWE RAW RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR APRIL 15
There’s nothing new for you to learn? Okay, sit back, relax and watch it all burn! The colossal waste of energy: talent upon the talented, freedom upon the free, this whole damn beautiful life wasted on you and me. God are you there? It’s me, in the denim jacket, liveblogging this here pro wrestling show for these folks.
The show opens with Stephanie McMahon making her entrance.
She welcomes us to the show and to the Superstar Shake-Up before introducing her brother Shane McMahon, who calls Mike Rome over to give him the same treatment he gives Greg Hamilton on Tuesday nights, tonight demanding an announcement in French as well because Quebec, only to be faced with the fact that Rome doesn’t speak French, so Shane does it himself.
He turns it into an excuse to dump on Quebecois French before they continue, and Steph introduces the concept of the Superstar Shake-Up. She goes to introduce the first Shake-Up... MIZ IS HERE AND BEATING THE HOLY HELL OUT OF SHANE MCMAHON!
Shane rams him into the post and tees off with punches against the barricade before clotheslining him into the crowd. The A-Lister gets a chair and nails McMahon with it, hammering him back into the ring and dispatching him.
We get a video package covering Seth Rollins’ defeat of Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania and an announcement that he and Roman Reigns will have a mystery partner from SmackDown later tonight.
Ricochet makes his entrance and we’re informed he’s officially on Raw now, as is his partner Aleister Black. They’ll be in atomicos action after the break.
Back from commercial, War Raiders complete our atomicos, billed as Ivar and Erik, the Viking Experience, but for my own convenience tonight I’m going to continue using NXT/indie names.
Aleister Black, Curt Hawkins, Ricochet, & Zack Ryder vs. The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson) & War Raiders (Hanson & Ray Rowe)
Hawkins and Dawson to start, Curt with an arm drag into an armbar, arm wringer, tag to Ryder, double-team for one. Arm wringer, Ricochet tags in, arm wringer, wrenching away, tag to Black, Wilder tags in and the Dutchman has arm drags for everybody until Dash catches him with a right hand! Tag to Hanson/Ivar, clubbing away, stomping, falling forearm, tag to Dawson and he tears at Black’s mouth.
Handful of hair, tag to Wilder, Ricochet’s back in, dropkick, front chancery, tag to Aleister again, I lose track of the action for a moment and it breaks down with all eight men in the ring. Back body drops for the Revival, fending War Raiders off as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Rowe is in control on Hawkins, tag to Hanson, whip into a knee, cover for two. Ray legal again, kneeling over-the-shoulder armbar, Curt to his feet and clearing house with punches but Rowe blasts him with a lariat! Tag to Warbeard, wristlock, arm wringer, short-arm shoulder block, tag to Wilder. In with stomps, tag to Dawson, wrenching at Hawkins’ head, tag to Wilder, double-team for a nearfall.
Back to the neck crank, tag back to Dawson but Curt tags Ryder in! Hot with forearms, whip reversed, knees up in the corner and a flapjack! Leaping forearm, repeated forearms, Black and Ricochet clear War Raiders out and Zack dropkicks both Revivals to the floor. Dawson tags Rowe in, Ryder doesn’t miss a beat, Rough Ryder... DASH MAKES THE SAVE!
Into the “everybody do something cool” section of the match, Ricochet Frankensteiners Dawson to the floor over the ropes, kickflip moonsault, Warbeard with a cartwheel lariat that takes Hawkins down! War Raiders biel Curt to the floor, Rowe with a judo throw into a hard knee strike, tag made...
The Revival & War Raiders win by pinfall with Fallout from War Raiders on Zack Ryder.
We get a video package informing us that Cedric Alexander has been drafted to Raw.
Finn Balor makes his entrance. He’ll be in action against an opponent making his Raw debut who was hand-picked by the McMahons, after the break.
Back from commercial in time for Finn’s opponent to make himself known... Andrade “Cien” Almas is on Raw, baby!
Zelina Vega introduces herself and her business associate and mockingly puts Finn over before talking Almas and his talents up as Balor’s equal and opposite. She talks about how they don’t speak English as a first language here in Montreal, and passes the mic to Andrade for a promo in Spanish. A long promo in Spanish.
Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Finn Balor
Collar and elbow, Balor with a go-behind, back elbow counters, stomp in passing, draw him up, whip to the corner, running knee, Finn is down and seated for the running knees! Almas following after, back elbow, knee to the midsection, whip reversed, dropkick on the button from Balor! Andrade catches him on the charge, Finn reverses to a DDT and hits a dropkick through the ropes!
To the apron, Cien pulls Vega in the way of a Penalty Kick and takes Balor off the apron as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Almas passes Balor into the corner and puts boots to him until referee Dan Engler warns him off. Charging in, nobody home on the double knees, Finn sets back up and hits a hesitation dropkick! To his feet, clutching the left knee in agony, whip reversed, up and over and Andrade clocks him with a front kick. To the second, enzuigiri, catch the injured foot, inverted tornado DDT blocked and countered into the inverted headlock elbow drop!
Sling Blade connects, Cien with a handspring Pele kick to cut him off! Up top, moonsault, nobody home, land on his feet, hit the standing moonsault... KNEES UP! Shotgun dropkick, Finn climbs but Andrade cuts him off by attacking the bad leg! Tree of Woe, nobody home on the double stomp, gamengiri out of the corner and Balor climbs back up top... NOBODY HOME ON COUP DE GRACE!
Hard back elbow, hammerlock, reversed to a small package.... NOPE! Finn clotheslines Almas to the floor, fired up, but Zelina Vega pops up on the apron, off the ropes... TOPE CON GIRO OVER VEGA! Back inside... BUT ZELINA SNAPS A FRANKENSTEINER OFF ON THE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION! Back inside, Cien draws him up...
Andrade “Cien” Almas wins by pinfall with the hammerlock DDT.
We get a recap of last week’s segment with Elias and the Undertaker.
Elias is in the ring to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Elias is here to sing us a song.
He plays a few bars of the Undertaker’s theme before talking about how his music is so powerful that it brought both the Doctor of Thuganomics and the Deadman back. And why do these legends interrupt his legend? It could be jealousy but it runs deeper than that, he says, it’s because WWE stands for “walk with Elias.” He’s got a real special song tonight, and anybody that interrupts won’t ever be able to show their face again--
Enter Rey Mysterio, back on Raw!
Ducking and dodging, laying strikes in on the Drifter, to the apon, shoulder thrust, springboard slips but he manages to get something and dropkicks Elias to the floor! 619 as a feint as the Drifter runs away!
Enter Lars Sullivan, who gets in the ring and tries to beat Rey up but the greatest of all time puts his foot down on the gas and keeps getting away from him. Off the ropes and Lars finally gets him with the Freak Accident! Up for a powerbomb... AND DOWN!
Commentary hypes up the earlier-announced six-man and Becky Lynch vs. Ruby Riott for later as Mysterio gets himself back together in the ring to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Bobby Roode & Chad Gable are in the ring to cut a promo.
Roode says there’s been a lot of changes tonight but the one thing that will not change is the fact that when Gable and he are on their game they can beat any tag team here in WWE. Chad shushes the crowd and says they’re on their game tonight, and if anybody doubts that, the invitation is open and they’re right here. Who wants some? THE USOS WANT SOME!
Bobby Roode & Chad Gable vs. the Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso)
Jimmy and Gable to start, Chad with a big waistlock takedown, another one, grouned waistlock, shift to an armbar, into the corner, whip reversed and then blocked, enzuigiri takes him out! Into the corner, tag to Jey, right hands, whip reversed, lariat takes Roode out. Flying elbow, off the ropes but Bobby trips him up! Gable back in with a knee strike to send Uso to the floor, Roo takes him out and tags in.
Following out after, putting Jey into the barricade and back inside for the cover, only two. Putting boots to Uso, grounded punches, tag to Gable. Looking for a crossface chickenwing, blocked, arm picked, throw Jey into the corner and make the tag. Bobby with a snapmare, knee to the back, reverse chinlock applied to grind him down. Out, whip, catch the boot, the enzuigiri follows through and both men are down and out!
Tags made, Jimmy in hot with lariats, kick to the midsection, big slicing right, Samoan drop follows it up! Calling for it, charging in, running hip attack for two! Charging into an uppercut, Gable follows with the cross armbar in the ropes and a tag to Roode. Blockbuster / German suplex combination... NOPE! Bobby clears the apron, tag to Chad, up top, Jimmy with a back body drop, superkick countered to a small package for two!
Gable thinking Chaos Theory, blind tag to Jey, superkicks for everybody... SUPERKICK PARTY! Tag to Jimmy, both brothers up top on opposite corners...
The Usos win by pinfall with the tandem diving splashes on Chad Gable.
A recap of Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre from WrestleMania follows.
Alexa Bliss makes her entrance, Sami Zayn will be on A Moment of Bliss, after the break.
Back from commercial, Alexa Bliss welcomes us to her show.
She says this may be her last nigth on Monday Night Raw but if that’s the case she’d love nothing more than to give us a proper goodbye in French, and her guest tonight is perfect to help out with that, Sami Zayn!
He takes his time dancing to his entrance theme to the delight of his hometown crowd, and when he finally stops...
...it starts right back up again and he goes back to dancing and soaking in the love from Montreal. He then addresses the crowd in French briefly before starting up his “OLE OLE OLE OLE OLE OLE!” chant and finally sitting down to start the interview for real. Alexa says it’s fantastic to see him back on Raw, to which Zayn says he’s been in the city all week and it’s been great seeing his friends and family.
The city’s great! But the people... god. The low point of his week is probably right now, just being in this room with all these people. It’s hard to explain, it’s just so... Quebec. Being honest he doesn’t really want to be here tonight, but it’s funny. Nine months ago he’d have been looking forward to this kind of response, but now the cheers make him a bit sick.
See, the crowd projects all their issues onto Sami and he’s not accepting it. He thinks it’s disgusting and they should all be ashamed of themselves. Bliss asks if he really thinks that and goes to bat for the people on Montreal, to which Zayn says he was born here but these are not his people, and he doesn’t even live here anymore. He chose to leave before, just like he’s choosing to leave right now, and he knows where he’s going.
The crowd chants a bit of Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye, to which Sami says he’ll see them in hell and we go to break.
Back from commercial, the Iconic Duo are in the ring.
We get a replay of a WWE.com video from earlier of them talking to Bayley and trying to console her over her inability to get ahold of Sasha Banks right now. Bayley promises them a fight with another tag partner tonight as it ends.
Her partner... NAOMI!
Bayley & Naomi vs. Iconic Duo (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce)
Bayley and Kay to start, the Hugger hammering away with strikes, into the corner, tag to Naomi, smashing Billie’s face into the turnbuckles and laying right hands in until referee Darrick Moore backs her away. Kay gets a boot in, tag to Royce, kicks in the corner, clubbing blow, arm wringer into a short-arm forearm and overhead elbows. Reverse chinlock applied, Naomi almost immediately to her feet, jawbreaker connects!
Tag to Kay, mat slam, assisted facebreaker denied and Bayley comes in for the Bayley-to-Belly to keep Royce afield, Naomi up top...
Bayley & Naomi win by pinfall with the split-legged moonsault from Naomi on Billie Kay.
We get a recap of the main event of WrestleMania.
EC3 makes his entrance, and he’ll be in action after the break.
Back from commercial, we get another one of the video packages with Bray Wyatt’s shiny new buzzard puppet.
Braun Strowman is EC3’s opponent!
Strowman blasts EC3 before the bell, biel across the ring and another one! Stinger splash, tossing him to the floor and running him down after, right hands, fighting all around the stage... CHOKESLAM THROUGH THE STAGE! They, uh... they won’t be having a match.
Becky Lynch makes her entrance, she’ll be in action after the break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of Miz jumping Shane McMahon at the top of the show, because Raw is three hours long. (Three hours long.)
Plus commentary recaps all the talent moves from tonight, including Eric Young, who did not appear on TV.
Becky Lynch vs. Ruby Riott
Circling, takedown into mounted punches, short catapult, Lynch takes Riott into the corner and puts boots to her. Pass to the next corner, Ruby blocks, Becky blocks, judo throw into a dropkick and Riott heads to the floor. Lynch with a baseball slide, diving punch, but back inside Ruby hits the STO for a nearfall and follows it up with repeated punches to the head!
Into the corner, putting boots to The Man, headbutt, forearms, snapmare into a cravate, Becky gets away, gets a jawbreaker, kick, lariats, off the ropes, flying forearm! Exploder suplex to follow, back body drop puts Lynch on the apron, up top, Riott cuts her off and takes her down with a back heel trip off the turnbuckles! Up after her, diving imploding senton... NOPE!
Roll-through, Becky catches her in the Dis-Arm-Her but the Riott Squad make the save! Lynch out after, taking Sarah Logan out with a crossbody, back inside, block the STO, back into the armbar...
Becky Lynch wins by submission with Dis-Arm-Her.
A forearm for Liv Morgan, exploder suplex for Logan, a pumphandle exploder for Liv and The Man cleans house!
We go backstage for an interview with our heel trio of Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre. Lio Rush is also there. Corbin asks Charly Caruso if she’s been traded but she asks the questions here, pal. McIntyre doesn’t care who their mystery opponent is, and the only thing he cares about is getting his hands on Roman Reigns. Baron says Seth and Roman are riding high, but he’s the guy that ran Kurt Angle out of WWE and tonight they’re going to run Rollins and Reigns off of Raw.
Rush says the question you have to ask is who’s stupid enough to team against Lashley, and that closes the interview out.
Becky’s still in the ring as Natalya makes her entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get the dang boat video that hypes up WrestleMania 36.
Natalya congratulates Becky on her historic win and says she’s dreamed her entire life of main eventing WrestleMania and turned her dream into reality. AND she was the first woman to pin Ronda Rousey, as well as the first to win both current women’s titles on the same night. And last week she talked about needing to sleep with one eye open, so Nattie wants her to know that she’s the best there is, best there was, and the entirety of Uncle Bret’s catchphrase.
Lynch says okay, she’s spent years in the trenches with underappreciated women like Neidhart, and the second she held the two titles up she knew those overlooked women would hunt her down just like she did Ronda and Charlotte Flair, but that’s the nature of this business. She says they traveled the world as teenagers just trying to get a foot in the door and look at them now!
And since Nattie built the revolution from the ground up, it’d be a pleasure--
Enter Lacey Evans, in her ring gear for once. She says these “nasties” need to stop discussing a title match amongst themselves, because a lady knows how to curry favor and get exactly what she wants, and now that she’s officially on Monday Night Raw, what she wants is the Raw Women’s Championship. And, per the McMahons, she has the authority to tell Nattie they’ll be wrestling in a #1 contender’s match for that title... tonight!
And hey, maybe a lady can teach The Man a thing or two?
Lacey Evans vs. Natalya (WWE Raw Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match)
Natalya with a go-behind, Evans escapes, pass into the corner, charging forearm, Neidhart with the slingshot Atomic Drop, running stomp, basement dropkick, discus lariat! Nattie dumps her to the floor and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Evans is in control, jawing and slapping at Natalya with disdain. Neidhart with the double leg, kicked off before the Sharpshooter and Lacey bails to the floor. Baseball slide cuts her off, right hand, back inside, Evans passes her face-first into the turnbuckle and puts boots to her. Smashing the back of her head into the turnbuckles as referee John Cone counts and warns her to back off.
Short catapult out of the corner, cobra clutch applied, again jawing at her, dragging her to her feet, front chancery reversed to a small package for two! Overhead elbows, back into the cobra clutch, out of it, discus lariat, Sharpshooter applied in the middle of the ring! Lacey crawls and makes the bottom rope for the break but Nattie is immediately on her with hammering blows!
To the floor, ramming her into the barricade, back inside, pulling her around but Evans is ready... WOMAN’S RIGHT! Up to the second...
Lacey Evans wins by pinfall with a turning double jump moonsault to become #1 contender to the WWE Raw Women’s Championship.
Backstage, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns are interviewed about their mystery partner. Rollins plays like he’s gonna give it away and Roman says everybody’s gotta wait. Seth admits this is the honeymoon phase and life’s good-- he’s champion and his brother is back and better than ever... but for their opponents tonight, life isn’t going to be so good. They’re not going to forget about how Dean Ambrose was treated by Bobby Lashley last week.
Regardless of whether this is their last week on Raw, Reigns says, they’re gonna tear it down in Montreal.
Drew McIntyre makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial we get footage of a creepy dollhouse with flickering lights and a rocking horse rocking with no one on it. Pan past some dolls and stuffed animals, and a ventriloquist dummy in a black dress rocks in a rocking chair before stopping suddenly and laughing.
We get a recap of Braun Strowman slamming EC3 through the stage, because Raw is three hours long. (Three hours long.)
Entrances continue, and the Shield’s mystery partner is... AJ STYLES!
We go to break before the match can actually start.
AJ Styles & the Shield (Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins) vs. Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, & Drew McIntyre
Lashley and Rollins to start, Bob backs him into the corner and hammers him with punches. Off the ropes, Seth cuts him off with a kick and tags Reigns in. Double whip, double shoulder block, wishbone the legs, big slicing right, back in the corner, tag to Styles. Right hands, Lashley double legs him into the corner and Corbin tags in but AJ gets away.
Duck a punch, strikes of his own, Baron charges, leapfrog, drop down, dropkick and Styles is fired up! McIntyre tags in, as does Roman and the Big Dog is in hot with rights! Drew fires back, gets decked with a big one and then into the corner for the repeated lariats! Off the ropes, McIntyre with the big belly-to-belly suplex and the headbutt for two!
Mounted punches, Reigns rolls out, tag to Corbin, the Lone Wolf sets on him and rams him into the barricades repeatedly! Back inside, Roman with a headbutt, right hands, but he gets caught by the chokebreaker for two as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Baron Corbin’s in control on Rollins, Deep Six comes up empty, into the turnbuckles, jockeying for position and Seth hits the blockbuster! Tags made, Lashley and Styles, AJ with the strike rush, clear the apron, flying forearm in the corner but Bob slips out of the Ushigoroshi attempt. Boot up on the charge, Lashley slings him aside but takes the Pele kick!
A Pele for Corbin as well, thinking Styles Clash but here’s McIntyre with the Claymore! Superman Punch attempted, Drew catches him and belly-to-belly suplexes the Big Dog! Brawling on the floor, Roman hits the Drive-By and Rollins follows with a dive to take Corbin out! AJ with a forearm, he shrugs Lio off, springboard, Bob catches him into the Yokosuka Cutter but Seth hits Blackout to break the pin up!
The Big Dog howls... SPEAR! Styles in position on the apron...
AJ Styles & the Shield win by pinfall with the Phenomenal Forearm from Styles on Bobby Lashley.
Our babyface trio stand victorious together.
That’s the show, folks.