WWE Monday Night Raw Review - April 19
Drew McIntyre In-Ring Segment
Drew McIntyre is headed to the ring, and after last week’s assault from T-Bar and Mace, he wants answers.
And officially announced for WrestleMania: Backlash, Bobby Lashley will defend his WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre.
Drew believes that MVP is behind the attack, and is prepared to take them all out himself.
MVP comes out to address these “ridiculous allegations.”
MVP says that they had nothing to do with the attack, and have no interest in recruiting new talent for The Hurt Business.
MVP emphatically denies McIntyre’s claims.
As McIntyre exits the ring, he is once again a victim of an attack by Mace and T-Bar. MVP looks on, indifferent to the carnage.
Rating: 2/5
I think MVP is telling the truth here, logically it makes no sense for the two former members of Retribution to, all of a sudden, look for a new leader to follow. Then again, why are these two coming after McIntyre at all, instead of Mustafa Ali?
Backstage with Mace and T-Bar
Mace and T-Bar start listing some extinct animals and say that’s what they’re gonna do to McIntyre.
Rating: n/a
Too short to get a grade, but I hated this.
Backstage with Drew McIntyre
McIntyre storms around backstage until he finds Adam Pearce. He tells Pearce he wants both Mace and T-Bar in a match and doesn’t want a tag team partner.
Pearce tells him he needs a tag team partner, but McIntyre storms off.
Rating: n/a
This is entirely illogical, Drew should find a friend.
Viking Raiders vs. Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander
Some early amateur wrestling between Erik and Benjamin, before Cedric and Shelton quickly start cutting off the ring.
Erik hit a huge elbow to create space for a tag, but Alexander and Benjamin quickly got the upper hand on Ivar.
The Raiders hit the Viking Express for the W.
Rating: 2.5/5
More. This wrestling show needs more wrestling matches. This one was about five minutes, and that’s just not good.
Backstage with Randy Orton
Orton believes that McIntyre got lucky when he picked up the victory last week, but he claims that he got next.
Matt Riddle arrives on his scooter and starts mouthing off, telling Orton he wants to form a tag team called “RK-Bro.”
Orton just shakes his head and walks away.
Rating: 3/5
The more Riddle, the better.
Randy Orton Backstage
Orton goes to Adam Pearce and tells him he doesn’t know the name of the guy on the scooter, but he wants to beat up the scooter guy.
Rating: n/a
Charlotte Flair In-Ring Segment
Charlotte says that her Mania match was taken from her, and she’d be glad to beat both Rhea Ripley and Asuka. Even at the same time if she has to.
She will face Asuka tonight and prove why she is The Queen.
Asuka comes down to the ring, but before she’s able to speak, Rhea Ripley is on her way to the ring as well.
Charlotte offers Rhea the opportunity to watch her beat Asuka firsthand.
Rhea says that she knows Asuka is gonna beat her.
Charlotte starts talking, not allowing Asuka to get a word in until Asuka shouts at Charlotte; “I’m going to beat you, bitch!”
Rating: 3/5
Charlotte is excellent, she always is. Her logic is valid, as she’s beaten both Asuka and Rhea at WrestleMania’s past. Rhea and Asuka got their licks in as well.
We’re 45 minutes into the show, and finally getting our second match of the night.
Matt Riddle vs. Randy Orton
Slow pace to start the match, Orton looking to wear down the up-and-coming superstar in the early going.
Riddle is able to put Orton in trouble early with a deep sleeper-hold, but Orton used Riddle’s long hair to get out of the hold.
Riddle re-applies, Orton escapes. Riddle locks it in again, this time on the ground, but Orton rolls out of the ring to break the hold.
Highlight: Orton hits a big back suplex on Matt Riddle, bouncing him off the announce table.
Orton came up a little funky after hitting his signature power slam, letting the official know that something was wrong.
The match went on but Orton is visibly not right.
Riddle mounted some offense with some unforgiving chops and a series of kicks to the head and chest.
Orton hits a superplex but is unable to make a quick cover due to the shoulder.
Orton looks for the RKO, but Matt Riddle hooks Orton up for a crucifix pin for the victory.
Rating: 3/5
You can tell when Randy Orton wants to have a good match, it seems to be more frequently with new talent. Unfortunately, his shoulder may have paid the price.
With that being said, I’m happy that Orton wrestled Riddle, and not Braun Strowman (which was previously advertised.)
Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax vs. Naomi and Lana
My girlfriend is about as happy as I am to see Shayna and Nia on tv every week, so that’s not a good start.
Bell rings, right away sloppy from Lana and Nia. They don’t look to be on the same page.
The foolishness of any woman on the roster, who tries to suplex Nia Jax, is just astounding.
Shayna tags in and starts the joint manipulation on Lana, but then Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke make their way to the ring.
DURING THE MATCH…
Mandy gestures to the titantron, to show clips from last week's shenanigans.
Mind you, the match is still currently happening.
Nia is so angry that she leaves the match, which allows Naomi and Lana to team up on Shayna and pick up the win.
Nia looks on stunned as if she didn’t realize abandoning her partner would be a bad idea…
Rating: 0/5
I’m just tired of all of this.
MizTV with The Miz and Maryse
Without John Morrison, The Miz and Maryse are in the ring for their talk show, hyping up their reality show’s season premiere.
They’re being all obnoxious and in love…gross.
Damian Priest comes down to the ring to settle a score.
He tells The Miz that he stole his victory last night, and should be ashamed of himself.
Maryse challenges Priest to fight The Miz again tonight, which Priest accepts.
The Miz throws champagne in Priest’s face, then scurries off.
Rating: 2.5/5
I love the idea of Maryse getting The Miz into matches he doesn’t actually want, just too bad that it’s the same match he’s been having since mid-March.
Kofi Kingston vs. Elias
Elias in the ring with Jaxson Ryker beside him.
As he starts to play, he keeps hearing a bass guitar instead of his acoustic.
Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston appear at the top of the stage. Xavier Woods is playing the bass guitar as they make their way to the ring.
Bell rings, Elias attacks with a huge knee and almost takes Kofi out right away.
Highlight: Xavier Woods starts playing Stone Cold Steve Austin’s theme on the bass, just in time for Kingston to hit a Lou Thesz Press and start stomping a muddle into Elias.
Kofi hits SOS, after some trouble setting it up, but Elias kicks out.
Kofi misses a top-rope hurricanrana, and Elias picks up the victory with an elbow off the top rope.
Rating: 2/5
If not for Kofi and Woods, this segment would have been even more boring. Elias just doesn’t do it for me.
Alexa’s Playground
Alexa has a new doll named Lilly, who looks creepy as hell.
Apparently, Lilly tells Alexa what to do, including a childhood story of hurting a girl on the swings.
According to Bliss, Lilly doesn’t like anyone in the women’s division, nor did she like The Fiend.
Rating: 1.5/5
Exposition for a brand new “character” which seems to now guide the already existing character of Creepy Alexa Bliss.
I really just can’t get on board with this.
Backstage with Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose
They say that Nia and Shayna are bullies, and they’re just getting back at the champs.
Nia Jax approaches, they run. Shayna tells Nia that she’s losing her head, and she better get her head together “or else.”
Angel Garza appears, randomly, asking Nia what she sees in Reginald, who has not been on tv since Mania, then disappears.
Rating: 1/5
Please let this lead to Nia and Shayna breaking up. Also, Angel Garza deserves so much better.
Drew McIntyre vs. Mace and T-Bar - Two-on-One Handicap Match
Ding, ding.
McIntyre starts right on T-Bar, doing what he can to keep him as far away from Mace as possible.
Mace and T-Bar use dirty tactics to gain control, as MVP looks on from backstage.
As I said earlier, McIntyre wanting this match is entirely illogical.
After taking plenty of damage, McIntyre hits a Glasgow kiss headbutt on T-Bar. Mace interferes, which allows the two of them to get in the ring and jump McIntyre.
Drew McIntyre wins via DQ
Braun Strowman comes to the aid of McIntyre, forcing T-Bar and Mace to exit and regroup.
Rating: 2/5
I’m not saying anything new here when I say that T-Bar was way better when he was on NXT, then wrestling as Dominick Dijakovic. I don’t know why any of this T-Bar stuff is still happening, post-Retribution.
Mace and T-Bar vs. Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman
It seems McIntyre has found a friend, whether he was looking for one or not.
Braun goes to town on Mace, having very little difficulty.
He does the same to T-Bar, reminding the roster that he is The Monster Among Men.
A chop block takes the monster down for a short while, but not before Braun muscles up T-Bar for a big back-body drop.
The Scottish Psychopath comes in like a ball of fire, throwing Mace around as if he were half of his actual size.
McIntyre then takes Mace’s mask off, revealing Dio Maddin underneath.
Mace smacks in the face, so Drew attacks Mace with mask in hand, causing the DQ.
Braun unmasks and uppercuts T-Bar, revealing Dijakovic.
Dijakovic and Maddin leave the ring with their hands raised, while Strowman and McIntyre stew in the ring.
Rating: 2/5
This match definitely wasn’t the best on the show, but it was definitely the tallest. I hope that these unmaskings will be permanent.
The Miz (w/ Maryse) vs. Damian Priest
The match begins with The Miz slapping Priest in the face, then sliding out of the ring to kiss his wife. Priest forces Miz back in the ring and shows his unique combination of size and agility.
Maryse grabs at Priest’s ankle, giving The Miz an opening to take advantage.
The Miz gets in some of his signature offense, and Maryse even helped him get a rollup, but Priest kicked out.
Priest delivers on Hit The Lights and picks up the win.
Rating: 2/5
The same match as last week, except for Morrison’s absence. I am not pleased.
Sheamus Open Challenge
Adam Pearce forced Sheamus to run a US Open Challenge, just like John Cena used to, but Sheamus says he won’t be defending his title in tonight’s match.
Humberto Carrillo answers the challenge, but Sheamus dumps him out before the bell could ring, and proceeds to assault him all over the ringside area.
Sheamus hits the Brogue Kick, then shoves the US Championship in the face of Carrillo.
No match.
Rating: 3/5
Although I was very excited to see the underutilized Humberto Carrillo on my TV, of course, Sheamus had to ruin it. With that being said, he did make it very clear that he wouldn’t be defending the US Title tonight. No lies were told.
Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair
Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley is ringside for this main event matchup.
Right away the pace is high between these two, as an early double-down is caused by a neck breaker on the apron.
Asuka with some nasty offense, German duplexes and head kicks almost put Charlotte away. Charlotte hit a spear that almost sealed the win.
Charlotte locks in the figure four, but Rhea interferes without being seen by the official.
Charlotte is distracted, Asuka rolls her up for the win.
Charlotte snaps, attacking the official with throws and blows, and some heavy 12-6 elbows.
Charlotte is enraged, she comes back in the ring for some extra kicks to the midsection.
Fade to black.
Rating: 3.5/5
Overall
What a strange show. Mostly boring, very boring. But oh my god what a finish. Charlotte losing, and then going after the referee? Absolutely wild. Also, the unmaskings are appreciated. Everything else…yikes.
Rating: 2.2/5