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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (April 8, 2019) from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, featuring the fallout show from the WrestleMania 35 pay-per-view (PPV) that went down just last night in New Jersey.
Advertised for tonight: It’s the Raw after WrestleMania, so we’re in store for plenty of surprises, and fun with the live crowd!
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 8
I know it, I can’t feel it. Well, I know it enough to believe it. And I know it, I can’t see it, but I know it enough to believe it. To better you, to better me, my bitter half has bitten me. It’s better than you, it’s better than me, sleeping with my enemy. Myself, liveblogging this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with newly-minted WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins making his entrance.
We get a recap of his match and a thunderous “You deserve it!” chant, to which Rollins says no, we all deserve it. He’s been waiting a long time to hold this title above his head, and all it took was climbing Everest and beating the most dominant champion in the history of WWE. But he wants to be real for a minute, he feels terrible today, like he just got run over by a Mack truck.
He took German suplexes, an F-5 on the floor, but he got back up. He took everything Brock Lesnar had to dish out, and he got back up! He may have engaged in questionable tactics for the advantage, but truth be told he didn’t do anything to Brock that he wouldn’t have done to him. And last he heard Brock and Paul Heyman were headed to Las Vegas, and as far as he is concerned, they can stay in Vegas.
Seth says he’s champion and he’ll do us one better, he’s a FIGHTING champion, and...
Big E does the deal and the New Day are here with brand new WWE Champion Kofi Kingston! He says by the look on Seth’s face he looks real confused, to which Rollins points out what day of the week it is. Kofi says this ain’t the Superstar Shake-Up, that’s next week, and E explains-- they’re here because last night was cause for celebration and they just couldn’t wait for SmackDown.
Xavier Woods says last night, Rollins won his title, and E talks up Kingston’s title win real big, as he well deserves. Kofi talks about the women’s match last night and how winner take all was a great idea for them, so... what he’s saying is how about Universal Champion vs. WWE Champion, no Shield, no New Day, just one-on-one, title for title! ROLLINS ACCEPTS!
Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder make their entrance, and they’ll be defending their WWE Raw Tag Team Championship after the break.
Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder (c) vs. the Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson) (WWE Raw Tag Team Championship)
Dawson and Ryder to start, collar and elbow, Scott backs him into the corner and makes the tag as they all four square off. Collar and elbow, Dash with a side headlock, shot off but Wilder blocks the first try. Second workds, shoulder block, drop down, back body drop scouted by Zack gets a lariat and the tag! Hawkins in, Side Effect / Russian legsweep combination, Wilder with a short-arm forearm to take control.
Chop, tag, Dawson with a front kick, uppercut, side headlock and into the takeover. Curt to his feet, shot off, shoulder block, drop down, leapfrog, drop down, dropkick and Hawkins is fired up! Charging in corner forearm, primal scream, right hands, Wilder makes the save and eats a gamengiri! Whip reversed, Dash with knees to the back, Scott with an uppercut and the tag... HART ATTACK FOR TWO!
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Hawkins gets a knee in, tags made! Ryder in hot, clear the apron, knees in the corner, missile dropkick, flapjack, back body drop, fired up! Zack lines him up, Broski Boot, tag to Hawkins, one for Wilder as well as Curt comes off the top with an elbow drop... NOPE! Hawkins’ leg bugging him but he manages to get a small package for two!
Falling lariat, tag to Ryder, double whip, Dawson pulls Curt out and Dash uses the ropes for leverage in a folding press for two! Scott with a brainbuster on the floor, Dash gets Zack in a backbreaker rack, tag made, diving knee across Ryder’s throat... NOT ENOUGH! Jockeying for position on a suplex over the ropes, Wilder in to help, Zack reverses to a neckbreaker!
O’Connor roll, blind tag, Shatter Machine on Zack, Curt in...
Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder win by pinfall with a schoolboy pin from Hawkins on Dash Wilder to retain the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship.
Commentary hypes up the rest of tonight’s festivities and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Mike Rome introduces Baron Corbin.
He gets on the mic and mocks the crowd for expressing their displeasure with him and “whining and crying” about Kurt Angle deserving a better opponent, but Angle chose him and he showed all of us that Kurt doesn’t deserve to be in the same ring as him. A “Shut the fuck up!” chant goes up and Corbin derides it for his vulgarity before continuing, saying that he proves people wrong and last night he proved that he’s better than an Olympic gold medalist.
And after that he feels like he deserves a gold medal of his own--
Enter Kurt Angle! He thanks the crowd and says last night Baron was the better man and his career is officially over. Corbin’s is just getting started and he wishes him all the luck in the world and offers a handshake, which the Lone Wolf takes but Kurt doesn’t let go and amends the statement-- HE WISHES HIM BAD LUCK! ANGLE SLAM! ANKLE LOCK!
Oh hey, it’s Lars Sullivan. He gets in the ring and Angle steps right up to him... FREAK ACCIDENT! DIVING HEADBUTT!
He salivates on the stage and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of what we just saw, because Raw is three hours long. (Three hours long.)
Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley
Bayley in hot, hammering strikes in the corner, flapjack into the turnbuckles, throw her to the apron but Bliss yanks her to the floor and cracks a forearm across her jaw! Back inside, reverse chinlock applied, slap across the face when the Hugger breaks free, disdainful kicks but Bayley gets her in the corner. Charging in, right hand again, Alexa goes for the Yoshi Tonic, blocked, no cover because she’s too close to the ropes!
Sunset flip powerbomb into the turnbuckles... NOPE! Alexa presses the attack...
Alexa Bliss wins by pinfall with the DDT.
Commentary hypes up an appearance from Becky Lynch for later and we go to break.
Back from commercial we get a media roundup of reactions to WrestleMania 35.
Becky Lynch makes her entrance.
She gets on the mic and says nine years ago she worked in a bar not too far from here before cackling about the idea of being Becky Two Belts. Of course the crowd oblige by chanting that for her and she continues, saying for months Ronnie and Ric’s Daughter went hoarse saying their records were too strong, but at WrestleMania when all was said and done, this woman who walked in with nothing left with everything!
She knows she’s not the strongest, fastest, or most athletic, but she does have a good theme song, as the crowd are singing. And leaving home at fifteen taught her to be a master of one thing, survival, so she’ll always persist, overcome, and find a way to win in the end. So whenever Ronnie’s done sulking, The Man’ll be here to slap her head off. And for Charlotte, she’s sure the McMahons will hand her the tag titles or whatever soon enough.
Becky says she respects the roster coming for her, but remember she’s the redhead in leather with two shiny titles ready to slap the taste off ‘em all! She goes to leave--
Enter Lacey Evans. She squares up with The Man and turns... THE WOMAN’S RIGHT! BECKY’S STILL STANDING AND CHASES HER DOWN! THEY’RE BRAWLING IN THE RAMP! DIS-ARM-HER ON THE STAGE BUT REFEREES PULL HER OFF BEFORE SHE CAN GET IT ALL THE WAY ON.
Commentary hypes up Dean Ambrose’s last match in WWE, against Bobby Lashley.
Seth Rollins is interviewed backstage and says he respects Kofi but he’s also a little insulted that he got right up in his face on his show. He knows what Kingston is capable of, he’s an A player, but he better bring it, because B+ isn’t going to get the job done.
Aleister Black and Ricochet make their entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial in time for entrances and a picture-in-picture promo from Roode and Gable talking about how they’re sick of doing things the right way and getting back on top by any means necessary.
Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. Bobby Roode & Chad Gable
Black and Gable to start, Chad with an arm wringer, reversed, reversed, Gable with a pin, nope! Pick the leg, thinking half-crab, Aleister won’t roll over, stalemate into a staredown! Throat thrust, German suplex, bodyscissors with crossface strikes and a tag to Roode. Putting boots to Black, chops and stomps in the corner until referee Dan Engler warns him off.
Aleister with right hands, tag to Ricochet, drop down, leapfrog, big knee, dropkick, roundhouse to Chad, Meteora follows, the One and Only hits a kickflip moonsault on Bobby! Back inside, only two, Ricochet trying to pick the arm apart but Roo knees him in the midsection and tags back out. Back elbows, Ricochet catches a kick, lands a boot, Chad to the floor, off the ropes but Roode with a cheap shot and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Gable in control on Ricochet but the King of Flight lands on his feet off a back suplex, right hand, off the ropes, belly-to-belly suplex catches him and Chad clears Black off the apron! Whip into the corner, tag made, whip, punches to the gut, knee lift, a lariat, cover only gets two. Tag back to Gable, drawing the One and Only up, whip into the corner, boot up, back elbow, double boot, rolling thunder dropkick!
Tags made, Aleister in hot, off the ropes with an elbow, another elbow, strike rush, off the ropes with a basement Sick Kick and the kip-up! Double quebrada... NOPE! Drawing Roode up, he gets rammed into the corner, elbow, to the second, up and over, Bobby with a sunset flip for two! Knees, back elbow, leg kick, knee strike, cover... SO CLOSE!
Waistlock, blocked, Ricochet tags back in, Black with a kick, the One and Only with a lifting corkscrew neckbreaker, Gable and Aleister fighting on the floor while the King of Flight gets Bobby into position. Climb to meet him, jockeying for position, Gable cuts Ricochet off, spinning spinebuster from Roode... NOPE! In position, neckbreaker / moonsault combination... BLACK BREAKS IT UP!
Aleister and Roode end up on the floor, Gable with Chaos Theory... RICOCHET LANDS ON HIS FEET! Thinking fast...
Aleister Black & Ricochet win by pinfall with a Codebreaker from Ricochet on Chad Gable.
Post-match Roode attacks Ricochet and lays him out!
Commentary recaps Elias’ segment last night before we go backstage with him playing guitar.
He says last night he had the greatest performance planned and it was ruined by John Cena and his rap music, if you can even call that music. But it’s okay, because tonight the McMahons have given him plenty of time to perform his rock opera, and he’ll show no mercy to any poor soul that interrupts him, no matter who it is. If anyone interrupts him tonight, there’ll be hell to pay.
Dean Ambrose makes his entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, smoke is coming out of a cardboard box.
A rubber buzzard head pops out of it and starts laughing.
Lio Rush goes to get on the mic but he’s got no words.
Bobby Lashley gets on the mic and tells Dean not to worry because he’ll take care of his wife while he’s gone! Ambrose attacks, brawling on the floor, shoving him into the barricades, dumping chairs on him, front chancery with punches, hard into the post and he passes Lio into the barricade as well! Dean chases after Bob, more rights, fighting to the stage and throwing Lashley into the LED board before DDTing him on the stage!
Clearing the announce table, Dean goes back over to get Lashley... SPEAR! Rush directing traffic, Bob taking him over to the table... CHOKESLAM THROUGH THE TABLE!
Renee Young and several referees check on Ambrose.
Commentary hypes up our title for title match.
SAMI ZAYN IS BACKSTAGE TO SEND US TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, Mojo Rawley is yelling in a mirror again, only now it’s cracked and he’s got facepaint.
Sami Zayn makes his entrance!
He gets on the mic and introduces himself and says if you miss WrestleMania you might as well come back the night after and it might be hard to believe, but his schedule is wide open and he could really go for a match about now, so any superstars in the back that want a match with ol’ Sami Zayn...
FINN BALOR ANSWERS THE CALL! IT’S A TITLE MATCH! IT’S NOT HAPPENING UNTIL AFTER THE BREAK!
Finn Balor (c) vs. Sami Zayn (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
Circling, collar and elbow, Balor pushes him into the ropes and breaks cocky. Back to circling, the lockup again, into the corner but Zayn turns it around and also breaks cocky. Finn with an armbar, to a wristlock, reversed, wrenching it in, reversed to an arm drag, headscissors, stalemate! Back to the armbar, shift to a waistlock, standing switch, again, judo throw, arm drag, Balor passes him to the floor!
Back inside, he throws Finn outside in turn, fired up, off the ropes... ARABIAN PRESS FAKEOUT! Back inside, Zayn goes behind, side headlock, shot off, slide low to block, off the ropes, leapfrog, dropkick connects, cover for two and into an armbar! Sami gets to his feet and forces him to the ropes for the break! Chops and clubbing blows, more chops in the corner, right hands, off the ropes, sunset flip, Finn rolls through into a basement dropkick!
Double leg to the double stomp, chops in the corner, hard whip across, knuckle lock, Sami steps up for the lucha arm drag but Balor shrugs him off. They slug it out, Pele kick from Finn to send us to break!
Back from commercial, Balor throws Zayn back inside, jockeying for position, Sami gets the Blue Thunder Driver... NOPE! Finn up top, nobody home on the Coup de Grace, Sami with a schoolboy... NOPE! Exploder into the turnbuckles, Zayn lines him up... NOBODY HOME ON THE HELLUVA KICK EITHER! COUP DE GRACE CONNECTS!
Finn Balor wins by pinfall with Coup de Grace to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Finn leaves triumphant while Sami contemplates his loss in the ring and gets back on the mic.
He says he really thought coming out here tonight would cure what ails him, but all it did was reinforce what he’s realized over the past nine months-- it genuinely seems like we miss him. He can honestly say, from the bottom of his heart, that he didn’t miss any of this or any one of us. It turns out WWE is a super toxic environment and not because of the McMahons or the other WWE superstars, it’s because of this audience and our ugliness.
He lives a very meaningful and fulfilled life, but our lives seem so empty and devoid of meaning that we only get joy and satisfaction out of being critics. He continues to run us down as would-be voices of reason, saying overnight we’ve become the evil overlords of WWE and all he cares about is doing what’s right, and that’s not to come back and save WWE or take it over, the right thing to do is come out here every week and hold each and every one of us accountable because no one else will.
He tells us he’ll see us in hell and leaves to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of the Lynch/Evans brawl from earlier, because Raw is three hours long. (Three hours long.)
Dana Brooke is interviewed backstage, and she wants to congratulate Becky Lynch on being a double champion and notes that there’s a line forming to challenge her. She can’t say she’s in the front of that line, but she’s not in the back anymore. And if there’s an opportunity for her in the title picture, she’s going to seize that moment.
Elias is in the ring to sing us a song.
He complains about being interrupted yesterday again and says John Cena isn’t an artist or musician but rather a selfish, insecure, fake-humble piece of garbage. But in the spirit of Brooklyn he’s going to show everyone just how easy it is to rap. He doesn’t need his guitar, even, and he spits a few bars in a very “white guy thinks rapping is easy” kind of way and finishing up by saying the next one to interrupt him is a dead man.
(DONG.)
OR A DEADMAN!
The Undertaker makes his entrance.
Elias slowly goes to leave before deciding he’d rather stand his ground against the Deadman. Long beat, he turns away before charging into attack and Taker hits him with a big boot! Chokeslam! Scoop him up... TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER AND ELIAS RESTS IN PEACE!
And we go to break.
Back from commercial in time for entrances.
Kofi Kingston (WWE) vs. Seth Rollins (Universal) (WWE Championship / WWE Universal Championship)
Circling, Kingston with an armbar, arm wringer, wristlock, roll-through reversal to a side headlock takeover from Rollins! To his feet, shot off, shoulder block, drop down, leapfrog, leapfrog, corkscrew uppercut into SOS but Seth dodges! Ripcord knee dodged, Trouble in Paradise dodged, Blackout dodged and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Kofi in control with an armbar and Seth breaks free with right hands. Chop for chop, whip into the corner, boots up, double jump crossbody countered with a dropkick and both men are down and out! Charging in, boot up, up and over, duck a lariat, enzuigiri from Rollins for two! Tuning up the band, waiting for Kingston but he sidesteps, schoolboy, so close!
Duck a roundhouse, Kofi absolutely SPIKES him with a DDT for two! Up top, Seth charges in, jockeying for position and Kingston knocks him to the floor before perching... AND THE BAR RUN IN TO BREAK IT UP!
Kofi Kingston wins by disqualification, presumably.
Cesaro and Sheamus put boots to Kofi and then also beat Rollins down when he runs in! Kofi gets back into it and the babyfaces run the heel tag team off! Rollins says he doesn’t know what’s wrong with them and asks Kingston if he’s down to pick a bone with the Bar right now!
Kofi Kingston & Seth Rollins vs. the Bar (Cesaro & Sheamus)
Rollins and Cesaro to start, duck a lariat, off the ropes, Sling Blade! Lariat sends the Swiss Superman to the floor, Seth with a plancha, he gets caught and slammed into the apron! Kingston makes the save and the Celtic Warrior slams him into the barricade to send us to break!
Back from commercial, Cesaro is in control and blocking Rollins from making the tag! Sheamus tags in, Seth ducks a lariat, nobody there for the tag and the Bar hit a tandem backbreaker for a tight two! Choking the Universal Champion over the middle rope, still just two! Rollins fighting, he puts Sheamus into the post, Kofi’s up and hot for the tag... AND HE GETS IT!
Diving lariat, double chops, a dropkick, duck a lariat, leaping lariat connects! Off the ropes, Boom Drop! Trouble in Paradise ducked but he gets the SOS... CESARO WITH THE SAVE! He dumps Seth, Kofi dumps him, Kingston climbs... TRUST FALL SENTON BUT THE BAR CATCH HIM AND ROLLINS HAS TO SAVE HIM WITH A DIVE! Back inside, Kofi heads up top, diving crossbody for two!
The match breaks down, Sheamus with a two count off a knee, Rollins breaks up a double-team nearfall that I don’t quite catch! Celtic Warrior eats a superkick on the floor and gets thrown into the post, Cesaro going for the Neutralizer, countered and recountered into the swing and then a small package for two! Trouble in Paradise, a tag was made, Seth in...
Kofi Kingston & Seth Rollins win by pinfall with Blackout from Rollins on Cesaro.
Post-match, Kofi offers a fist bump and Seth takes it!
That’s the show, folks.