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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (April 27, 2020) from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, with all the latest build to the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for next month.
Advertised for tonight: Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins sign the contract for their WWE title match, 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 27
Since you came from Memphis, you can look but please don’t touch. Didn’t like rock and rollers, seemed a bit much too much. ‘Cause it’s the natural thing, feelin’ the star. Natural blood starts to flow, but me, I’m just liveblogging this here pro wrestling show, folks.
The show opens with commentary hyping up tonight’s proceedings.
Montel Vontavious Porter is in the ring with microphone in hand to welcome us to the VIP Lounge.
Tonight’s guests are Raw’s representatives in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match— Rey Mysterio, Apollo Crews, and Aleister Black. MVP asks Black not to break anything and gives Crews a big intro as his pick to win the match. He asks Mysterio what it means to become Mr. Money in the Bank but yanks the mic away and says he already knows it’s a chance to cement his legacy and add to an already legendary career.
He tells Aleister that it’s a chance to vault his career to another level, and Apollo, as much as it pains him to admit it, he beat him. Montel asks him if he has what it takes and Crews stands up. He starts talking but—
Enter Andrade “Cien” Almas, Angel Garza, Austin Theory, and Zelina Vega.
Vega says nobody wants to hear what Crews has to say but the WWE Universe can’t get enough of her three boys. And furthermore these three babyfaces are gonna lose the briefcase to SmackDown, so they should just step aside and let her lads take their spots. Rey asks if she thinks they’re just gonna give up their Money in the Bank spots.
But he gets the vibe that she didn’t just come out to ask, but to pick a fight, and of course a brawl ensues and we go to break.
Aleister Black, Apollo Crews, & Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas, Angel Garza, & Austin Theory
Black and Garza to start, Angel’s in his street clothes and takes his time taking his jacket off before offering a handshake. Aleister takes it and uses his hand as a lever to draw him into some mat grappling. Targeting the leg, Black just wrestling circles around him, but eventually tags are made and we get Crews on Theory.
Delayed vertical, Apollo in control, tagging Mysterio in to continue working Austin over. Tag back to Garza, heels end up on the second but Almas tags in to cut the legend off. Dragonrana sets him up, but his boys pull him away from the 619 and Black and Crews dive on the heels to send us to break.
Back from commercial, the heels are working Black over at length, Theory alone for a long segment, quick tags. Austin proves the weak link and Mysterio tags in after a roundhouse kick takes him out. Rey and Almas going at it, back body drop to the apron, springboard seated senton, buzzsaw roundhouse kick, only one.
La casadora countered into a Face Eraser and Garza tags in. Pop up into a Frankensteiner, Mysterio running hot, crossbody but Angel pops him up for an Alarm Clock and tears his pants off! Throwing Rey to the floor, we go to break.
Back from commercial, Mysterio getting worked over, Theory does fellow WWA4 alumnus Crews’ military press drop into a standing moonsault and the assault continues. Rey staggers Almas with an enzuigiri, Andrade catches the quebrada but Mysterio reverses into a tornado DDT! Tags made, Crews in on Theory, running hot with lariats.
Thrust spinebuster connects, powerslam follows, Almas breaks it up! Theory with an elbow, the crossleg brainbuster over the knee.. NOPE! Blind tag from Andrade, low bridge sends Crews to the floor, the match breaks down into “everybody do something cool” for a moment before Almas goes and throws Apollo back in.
Sidestep the pump kick, wicked back elbow but Crews counters the hammerlock DDT...
Aleister Black, Apollo Crews, & Rey Mysterio win by pinfall with the delayed Blue Thunder Driver from Crews on Andrade “Cien” Almas.
Some Triple H 25th anniversary content sends us to break.
Back from commercial, yet more HHH content ensues and it becomes clear we’re getting a top ten countdown.
Backstage, Zelina Vega and Andrade “Cien” Almas are bickering with each other when an interview rolls up.
Almas asks Vega what happened and she says she let him down. He says his partners let him down, and none of his opponents could beat him in a title match one-on-one.
Apollo Crews rolls up laughing about those sore losers and says he could beat Andrade again and he’d be happy to show him tonight. Almas rolls back up and shoves him, saying he’ll fight him for the title whenever he wants. Crews asks how about now and slaps him across the face hard enough to echo! Zelina says if he wants a title shot so bad, he’ll get it tonight.
A video package for Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins follows.
We get another Triple H countdown video to send us to break.
Back from commercial we get another Triple H countdown deal.
Asuka gets on the mic and cuts a promo in mixed English and Japanses, talking about how she tapped out to Nia Jax two years ago.
Baszler attacks Asuka before the bell, beating her down while staring at Jax to make a point. Nia throws Shayna into the barricade, goes after Asuka but the Empress wakes up and drops her with a roundhouse kick! Baszler takes her out again and folds up a ladder, laying it sideways on the ground near the steel steps. Asuka throws her into it and then into the ring but gets freight trained by Jax!
Nia throws her in also, before throwing the ladder in the ring as well. She freight trains both other women with the ladder in hand before holding it over her head and throwing it behind her!
Jax’s music plays, no match is forthcoming.
Commentary hypes up Bobby Lashley in action for after the break.
Back from commercial, Lana is telling Bob how great he is backstage, but he interrupts to say he doesn’t want her out there distracting him with her unbelievable beauty.
Bobby Lashley vs. Denzel Dejournette
Squash match city— Dejournette makes a bold showing of grappling in the early goings but this is Lashley’s match from start to finish.
Bobby Lashley wins by pinfall with the spear.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial we get a hype reel for WWE 2K Battlegrounds.
Liv Morgan vs. Ruby Riott
Collar and elbow, Riott in control, release STO connects as she jaws at Morgan. Into the corner, putting boots to her, but Liv counters a headscissors into a facebuster! Catch the boot, hard right hand, big back elbow, Ruby catches her... MORGAN KICKS OUT OF THE RIOTT KICK! Riott stalks her, demanding she learn her place.
Dragging her to her feet, referee Darrick Moore admonishing her and the respite is enough for Liv to whip her across...
Liv Morgan wins by pinfall with the Arabian press reverse STO, which we learn is called Oblivion.
Post-match, Liv is interviewed.
She says right now she feels like a lot of people her age, trying to figure out who she is, but she’s confident she’s going to.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get another HHH top ten video.
Nia Jax is interviewed backstage.
She says nobody can do anything about her actions,
Viking Raiders cut a promo about those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it and that means that they’re gonna take the titles from the Street Profits.
We go to break on the promise that Jinder Mahal will be back after the break.
Back from commercial, we get another Triple H top ten video.
Akira Tozawa vs. Jinder Mahal
Jinder’s the returning superstar and Tozawa is a former cruiserweight who can’t buy a win, do the math.
Jinder Mahal wins by pinfall with Khallas.
Zelina Vega and Andrade “Cien” Almas are interviewed backstage.
Vega tells Charly Caruso she can’t ask Almas direct questions anymore and they walk off.
Angel Garza rolls up to complement Charly on her professional nature and then gives her a rose, asking if they could become better acquainted sometime.
Back from commercial, we get another Triple H top ten video.
Andrade “Cien” Almas (c) vs. Apollo Crews (WWE United States Championship)
Almas keeping his distance but Crews gets the collar and elbow, into the corner, breaking clean at referee Drake Wuertz’ behest. Andrade going for an arm wringer, shoulder armbreaker, into a wristlock. Apollo wrings him through for a reversal, wrenching the arm, elbows to the elbow, into a standing armbar.
Almas picks a leg, Crews goes for a bodyscissor and things end up in the ropes soon enough. Cheap shot from Andrade on the break, side headlock, block the shoot off, wrenching it in. Shot off, shoulder block comes up empty, drop down, leapfrog into a dropkick and the champion rolls to the floor! Apollo follows, trading shots, ramming him into the apron.
Back inside, Cien cuts him off with an elbow and puts boots to him! Getting him in the corner, choking him, nailing him with a big dropkick! Sidestep the knee, Almas spills over the top and to the floor hard! Crews drags himself to his feet on the apron, nobody home on the moonsault and Andrade decks him with a lariat to send us to break!
Back from commercial, Almas hits a baseball slide that sends Crews to the floor! Back inside, half-crab applied, stomping the pit of the knee, Apollo rolls away but Andrade hits a wicked knee to the head! Putting boots to him in the corner, setting him up but Crews gets to his feet and hits an Olympic Slam!
Unable to capitalize with his knee wrecked, slow to his feet, trading strikes, Apollo hits a big lariat and rams Almas into the corner! Shoulder thrusts, Stinger Splash, overhead belly-to-belly as he shrugs the pain off and fires up! Boot up on the charge, up to the second, gamengiri staggers the champ. Military press drop into the standing moonsault... NOT ENOUGH!
Suplex attempt dodged, drop toehold puts Crews in the corner and the double knees connect... NOPE! Both men down and out, to their feet, jockeying for position, trading strikes and a kick to the knee lays Crews low. Military press... COUNTERED INTO A DDT! APOLLO KICKS OUT! Front chancery, grabbing the hammerlock but Crews blocks!
Sunset flip from the champ for two and Apollo nails him with an enzuigiri! Powerslam... STILL NO! Crews heads up top, Almas cuts him off, they jockey for position, Apollo goes for a frog splash but there’s no water in the pool! Lame in his knee, rolling in agony, referee Drake Wuertz has to shove the champion away as he checks on Crews...
Andrade “Cien” Almas wins by referee stoppage to retain the WWE United States Championship.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get another Triple H top ten video.
The events of the last match are replayed for us, because Raw is three hours long. (Three hours long.)
Street Profits cut a promo on the Viking Raiders mocking them for being anachronisms but admitting that they’re right that they’ve only ever won titles when the Vikings weren’t there. So next week, if they want the smoke, they can get it.
A hype reel for a Becky Lynch documentary on the WWE Network follows and we go to break.
Cedric Alexander & Ricochet vs. Ever-Rise (Chase Parker & Matt Martel)
The erstwhile 3.0 work Ricochet over a bunch, Alexander tags in, tornado DDT into a standing shooting star press for a big nearfall. Parker with a tight nearfall off a schoolboy w/ tights, he eats a superkick, tag made...
Cedric Alexander & Ricochet win by pinfall with a double stomp-assisted hammerlock reverse STO on Chase Parker.
Post-match, MVP appears on the tron and congratulates our boys on their win. He brings out Brendan Vink and Shane Thorne and says their win last week was a fluke, so he wants to make a rematch that’ll be box-office platinum, straight-up ballin’.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial we get another Triple H top ten video.
Apollo Crews is shown limping out of a trainer’s room on crutches with his knee all iced down when he runs into an interview.
He’s too choked up to answer.
A video package for Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins follows to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Jerry “the King” Lawler is in the ring to moderate our WWE Championship contract signing.
He explains the concept of Money in the Bank before getting to the actual title match and welcoming Seth Rollins (who is wearing a suit like he thinks he’s Brodie Lee or some such) out first, followed by WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.
Drew tells Lawler that this is gonna go the way these things always do and suggests the King leave the ring, which he does. McIntyre signs immediately and passes the contract to Rollins, telling him to hurry up and sign. Seth begs off, saying he doesn’t want to do this, he has to. Yes, he started it, but he needs to get the title to where it needs to be.
This isn’t about him, or about Drew, it’s bigger than all of us, and McIntyre is going to be a great champion... some day. He’s a fighter, a warrior, an honorable man, but he’s not a leader. Rollins is a leader. Everywhere he’s gone in his career, he’s lead and people have followed, and now more than ever this industry needs someone to guide them.
He suffered for that title and he doesn’t want Drew to suffer the way he did. The title is his burden to carry, and in time Drew can come find him and show him that he’s ready. McIntyre thanks him and says that was a really passionate and enlightening speech, and things are clear to him now— Seth is completely full of shit.
He asks where exactly his followers are and points out that it never seems to be Rollins’ fault, but he’ll cut to the chase— he will not let Seth win the title under any circumstances. He asks Rollins to stop talking forever, because nobody wants to hear it. Somehow he gets his foot stuck in his mouth and his head stuck up his ass every time he opens his mouth.
Number two, he didn’t finish the job two weeks ago, but he should finish the job at Money in the Bank or Drew will finish him.
They stand up and square up, and Rollins says the big picture will become clear at Money in the Bank, and we’ll be better off for it. He finally signs the contract and McIntyre smashes his face into the table! Clearing the ring, big headbutt, taking his jacket and his t-shirt off, letting his hair down, the WWE Champion counts down...
BUT BUDDY MURPHY NAILS HIM WITH AN ENZUIGIRI BEFORE THE CLAYMORE!
Buddy beats him down and helps his guy up but Seth swats his hand away. Rollins has a moment before hugging him, and then... CLAYMORE TO MURPHY!
He says it’s fine with him if Murphy’s his sacrificial lamb, as Seth beats a retreat up the entry.
That’s the show, folks.