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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (April 25, 2022) from the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming WrestleMania Backlash pay-per-view (PPV) set for early next month in Providence, Rhode Island.
Advertised for tonight: Bianca Belair defends the Raw women’s championship against Sonya Deville, Becky Lynch makes her first appearance on television since losing the title at WrestleMania 38, Bobby Lashley takes on Omos in an arm wrestling contest, Randy Orton will be honored in a “20th Anniversary Celebration,” there are apparently multiple returns that could happen on this show, more from the wild and wacky 24/7 championship scene, and more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the Raw live blog will kick off once the show starts on USA Network. It will be below this line here.
WWE RAW RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR APRIL 25
Cheats always prosper, stones break bones. The weak always suffer, they will inherit the throne, but me? I’m just here to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with Matt Riddle in the ring with the roster on the floor around him.
He welcomes us to Raw and to Randy Orton’s 20th Anniversary Celebration, tossing to a video package celebrating the Viper’s storied career.
He gives Randy a big introduction and he makes his entrance.
Orton gets on the mic and talks about how cool it is to do this here in Knoxville, Tennessee, and he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. He recounts some of his great opponents over the years and has a little spotlight for Mick Foley on the way, as is only right.
He puts Riddle over for the great time he’s having now and they hug. Matt says he’s a mentor to him and ends up introducing another man who saw Randy as a mentor, Cody Rhodes.
Enter Cody Rhodes.
Before he can talk, Seth Rollins enters the ring and complains about Rhodes making it about him. He talks about Orton’s twenty years and calls him the past before saying that he’s the man who’s gonna inspire the next generation of WWE superstars.
Ezekiel pops into the ring next and shakes Randy’s hand. He says he’ll never forget watching Orton with his brother back in the day as the Legend Killer.
Enter Kevin Owens, shouting about Ezekiel being a liar.
He gets in the ring and shouts at Ezekiel apoplectic and losing his mind.
Enter the Usos.
They’re here to talk trash on RK-BRO about how they’re gonna win the unification match at WrestleMania Backlash.
Adam Pearce comes through the curtain and says he’s gonna make the biggest match he can, Rollins, Owens, and the Usos vs. Cody Rhodes, Ezekiel, and RK-BRO.
Owens punches Ezekiel, Orton hits an RKO on him and the tag champs stare each other down.
We see Bianca Belair talking to Kane in Gorilla and we go to break.
Bianca Belair (c) vs. Sonya Deville (WWE Raw Women’s Championship)
Collar and elbow, Belair with a side headlock, shot off, shoulder block and Deville rolls to the floor while Bianca poses. Back on the apron, Sonya with a leg pick, smashing her face into the apron, Belair throws her over the announce desk and rolls back inside again!
Deville selling the knee, slow to get up, and referee Eddie Orengo counts...
Bianca Belair wins by countout.
Sonya gets on the mic and says she’s not losing like that, the floor was wet and the match gets restarted!
Ramming Bianca into the apron and throwing her into the barricade, fighting out of a powerslam, but Belair whips her over the timekeeper’s barricade! Deville explodes out of the timekeeper’s area and whacks her with a chair...
Bianca Belair wins by disqualification.
Sonya again says she’s not losing like that and she was just leveling the playing field so the match is restarted as a no disqualification match! Carmella and Zelina Vega come down to help her and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Carmella is holding Belair down while Deville punches her. Bianca with a boot up, spinebuster, raining forearms down, Vega jumps her from behind and Sonya kicks her in the gut to knock her down. Shoulder block in the corner, back body drop to the apron, Bianca clears the ring and goes for the Glam Slam but Deville reverses and puts her hard into the turnbuckles!
DDT on the chair... BELAIR KICKS OUT! Zelina wedges a chair in the corner, but Bianca throws Deville into the chair! Fending Carmella off, backbreaker rack...
Bianca Belair wins by pinfall with KOD to retain the WWE Raw Women’s Championship.
She celebrates and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of Bianca Belair’s successful title defense, because Raw is three hours long. (Three hours long.)
Backstage, Zelina Vega and Carmella are bickering when Sonya Deville comes up to berate them for losing. Vega talks aback at her, Sonya slaps her and then blocks one from Carmella and slaps her to the ground!
We get a recap of Edge and Damian Priest’s attack on AJ Styles last week.
They appear in their blue room and Edge says they’re better than the fans but haven’t had a chance to prove it.
He says it’s fascinating cross-section of society, simple yokels who don’t like it when people are smarter than they are before moving on and saying that he’s got AJ’s Phenomenal Elbow scouted and he doesn’t think he can hit it with one arm. He calls out Finn Balor, and Priest tells him his judgment day has arrived.
Veer Mahaan makes his entrance to send us to break.
Sam Smothers vs. Veer Mahaan
It’s a squash!
Veer Mahaan wins by submission with the cervical clutch.
Post-match he picks Smothers up and posts him before following him to the floor and locking the submission back on! He throws Sam onto the announce table and puts it on again before referees finally swarm and pull him off.
Bobby Lashley is interviewed backstage and says he’s gotta be prepared to prove MVP wrong.
Omos makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial we get a Randy Orton hype reel.
Montel Vontavious Porter is in the ring with Omos and cuts a promo about how today we’re gonna prove once and for all that Omos is mightier than the All Mighty Bobby Lashley.
Bobby Lashley vs. Omos (Arm Wrestling Match)
They square up, grab the posts, make a clutch and struggle against one another to start. Omos started to pull ahead, Lashley struggles against him and reverses, about halfway to a win but the giant powers back up! Bob finds another level...
Bobby Lashley wins by putting Omos’ hand down to the table.
Post-match, Omos attacks and smashes Lashley’s face into the table a few times! He grabs Bob by the neck and sends him crashing to the floor with a lariat! Omos picks up the table and smashes Lashley in the chest with it a few times! He picks the table up over his head and throws it to the floor as a show of strength!
We get a recap of last week’s double wedding.
R-Truth makes his entrance wearing a referee uniform and we go to break.
Back from commercial we get footage from earlier today of this mixed tag team match getting set up and R-Truth putting his referee certification over.
Akira Tozawa & Tamina vs. Dana Brooke & Reggie (Mixed Tag Team Match)
Tozawa and Reggie to start, hip toss, upkick, hip toss, Reggie with an armbar and Brooke tags in! Tamina in, duck a lariat, off the ropes, float over a slam, front kick, whip blocked, Snuka bends her over and Akira makes the tag! Reggie evades a lariat, corkscrew forearm, out of the corner, rolling solebutt, duck a kick, 540 roundhouse kick connects!
Tozawa up top and he takes Reggie out...
Akira Tozawa & Tamina win by pinfall.
Post-match, Tozawa tries to pin Dana for the 24/7 Championship but Truth waves him off and helps her to leave, only for it to be a ruse where he tries to schoolboy her and count the pin himself but she kicks out!
Becky Lynch makes her entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Becky Lynch gets on the mic.
She says it’s been three years since she walked out without the title in her hands on Raw and she doesn’t know who she is without the title. She loses her mind rambling about how this was supposed to be her legendary comeback and she can’t stay down wallowing with the lowest on the earth.
She goes on and on about how nobody’s gonna be able to stop her when she wins the title back, nobody but nobody.
ASUKA HAS RETURNED!
She gets on the mic and says she’ll stop Becky because nobody is ready for her! Lynch goes to attack her but Asuka ducks, throws a backfist, Becky runs away and Asuka dances!
We get a recap of RK-BRO’s loss to the Street Profits last week.
Street Profits cut a promo backstage.
Finn Balor makes his entrance and we go to break.
Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor
Priest in control early, whip across, sidestep the body avalanche and Balor lights him up with punches and sends him to the floor! Brawling on the floor, Damian with a Razor’s Edge into the apron and we go to break with Edge laughing on his throne!
Back from commercial, Priest in control, whip reversed, Balor ducks a lariat and throws a flying forearm before hitting the double stomp! Chop in the corner, whip reversed, scoop lift, Finn slips out, inverted headlock elbow drop for two! Chest kicks get a Sling Blade, Balor’s fired up but runs into a goozle, reverse to a victory roll... NOPE!
Finn goes up top but gets distracted by Edge, Priest pulls him down and hits South of Heaven! Picking him up again...
Damian Priest wins by pinfall with a lifting reverse STO.
The Miz makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Miz does his usual intro for MizTV and welcomes his guest tonight, Austin Theory.
Theory takes a selfie with him and clarifies that he is just “Theory” after his mentor Mr. McMahon took his first name away. Austin talks up Miz being a two-time Grand Slam Champion and a WrestleMania main eventer and says he’s one of the best investments that Mr. McMahon ever made.
He’s gonna take the United States Championship to greater heights than ever. Miz talks him up and gets cut off—
MUSTAFA ALI IS BACK!
Austin cuts him off as he goes to start speaking and he and Miz have a good laugh about it. Ali asks why he’s out here cracking jokes and not wrestling. He says when he heard that Theory was gonna be here tonight he knew he had to come out and stake his claim to be the guy who would take the title off of him... TONIGHT!
Theory says he’ll think about it— no. Mustafa isn’t surprised that Mr. McMahon’s protege would dodge a fight and says he has no balls. He and Miz take a turn bickering and Austin says he just texted Vince right now and Miz has a match against Ali tonight! Miz thanks him through gritted teeth and gets in Mustafa’s face to jaw at him some more and pops him in the face!
The match will begin after the break.
Back from commercial we get a Make-A-Wish hype reel.
We see Randy Orton and Kane chatting backstage.
Mustafa Ali vs. the Miz
Ali with a wristlock, Miz cartwheels into a reversal, right hands, side headlock, Mustafa shoots him off and reverses, whip to the corner, up and over, Ali rolls through and ducks a lariat, off the ropes with a big boot and stomps, boot to the back of the head, cover for two!
Reverse chinlock applied, trying to grind Mustafa down, he fights out with big chops, whip reversed, big knee lift takes Ali out! The A-Lister off the ropes with a big boot, chops in the corner, Mustafa reverses but Miz whips him hard into the corner! Putting boots to him, chest kicks, Ali fires up and hits a spinning heel kick to get some separation!
Whip reversed, duck a lariat, dropkick, corner lariat, whip reversed, slide short, slip out to the apron, nearfall! Reverse a suplex, back elbow, back roll, basement DDT... ALI KICKS OUT! Setting Miz up top, climbing to join him, back down to the mat, spinning toehold reversed...
Mustafa Ali wins by pinfall with a folding press.
Post-match, Ali gets ambushed by Tommaso Ciampa on the stage!
Backstage, Rhea Ripley is about to be interviewed but the interviewer is intimidated and walks off to send us to break.
Back from commercial we get a recap of Rhea Ripley turning on Liv Morgan last week.
Rhea is actually interviewed backstage.
She says she’s finally opened her eyes and realized that Liv was holding her back etc. when Morgan attacks and they brawl!
Kevin Owens is backstage with Alpha Academy when Seth Rollins and they bicker a little before the Alphas leave.
Seth is obsessed with game planning but Kev is still hurt by last week’s insult. They bicker for a beat before the Usos roll up to chat about their match and talk about how they’re gonna win and such.
Cody Rhodes makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial we get a recap of Bobby Lashley and Omos brawling earlier.
Omos and MVP are interviewed backstage and Porter talks his giant up and books a match for WrestleMania Backlash.
Cody Rhodes, Ezekiel, & RK-BRO (Matt Riddle & Randy Orton) vs. Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, & the Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso)
Chaos at the bell, referee Chad Patton trying to regain control as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Ezekiel with a side headlock on Jimmy Uso, off the ropes, shoulder block, drop down, leapfrog, off the ropes, Zeke with a big boot, backslide... NOPE! Delayed vertical dropped into a Final Cut... NOPE! Ezekiel working a wristlock, Ricky Steamboat lift, arm wringer and a tag to Riddle!
Chest kick, quick tag to Orton, assisted senton into the Garvin Stomp! Tag to Rhodes, stomps in the corner, big suplex, whip reversed, drop down slap, sending Uso to the floor but Jey got the tag and hits a Samoan drop... NOT ENOUGH! Right hands, front chancery, right hands and punches, quick tags with Jimmy as the heat segment rolls on.
Tag to Ezekiel, sending Rollins off the ropes, big knee, spinning spinebuster... STILL NO! Military press, Seth slips out, tag to Riddle, Pele kick and the overhead exploder, fired up, high jump senton but the knees are up! Crotching Matt up top, Seth hits an inverted superplex and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Rollins sends Riddle into corner, corkscrew moonsault for some separation, tag to Jimmy and he cuts Matt off and gets a nearfall before moving into the reverse chinlock. Off the ropes, big lariat, Riddle’s in trouble again, big backbreaker connects as the Usos work quick tags.
Riddle with the boot up, the path is clear, lands on his feet off a back suplex, ripcord knee strike, Rollins pulls Orton off the apron, Uso tags Owens in, senton... NOPE! Big forearms from Deep Waters, Jey blcoks a kick, Riddle blocks one and falls into a tag to Orton!
Randy running hot with lariats, snap scoop powerslam, clearing the ring, Jey pulls him to the floor and Orton back suplexes him into the announce table! Ducking a dive, back suplex into the table for Rollins too! One for Owens, why not?! Fired up, Riddle cheering him on, hanging DDT connects!
Orton goes to that special place, Rollins blasts him from behind, the match breaks down into “everybody do something cool” territory, pop-up RKO on Jimmy closes it out! Jey off the top right into the RKO...
Cody Rhodes, Ezekiel, & RK-BRO win by pinfall with an RKO from Randy Orton on Jey Uso.
Post-match, the babyface team celebrates while we get a recap of the match.
That’s the show, folks.
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