The April 9th, 2018 edition of WWE RAW was the first episode after WrestleMania 34, and it aired live from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA. <s
– Stephanie McMahon comes down to the ring to open up the show. Stephanie gets in the ring and on the microphone, and she admonishes the crowd for taunting her for tapping out last night. Stephanie says this was all her master plan, to challenge Ronda Rousey and bring out the best in Ronda like no one else can. Stephanie says she's proud of what she accomplished in bringing out the best in Ronda, then introduces "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey. Ronda comes down to the ring and high-fives fans on the way. Ronda gets in the ring, and Stephanie congratulates her on the win last night. Stephanie reminds Ronda she is under contract to her, and Stephanie says she can put the WWE machine behind Ronda to make Ronda a bigger star. Stephanie says Ronda needs Stephanie in her corner to succeed and get respect from the fans. The fans chant "bullsh*t" and "shut the f**k" up at Stephanie as she talks. Stephanie and Ronda shake hands, then hug, but then Ronda puts her in the arm bar again out of nowhere. Stephanie screams about her arm, then Ronda lets go and heads to the back as medics check on Stephanie. Ronda high-fives fans on the way to the back as Stephanie is assisted to the back. Stephanie cries about her arm as the fans chant "you deserve it." Jojo gets on the microphone off-screen and asks the fans to give some respect to Stephanie McMahon.
– We go to the broadcast table where Cole, Graves and Coach talk about the "non-traditional" crowd for the night after WrestleMania, and they promote segments coming up with Roman Reigns and Nia Jax.
– Nia Jax comes down to the ring with her new RAW Women's Title belt on her shoulder. Alexa Bliss and Mickey James come out next, and Alexa gets on the mic and calls both Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax bullies. Alexa says Nia throws her weight around, and it's a lot of weight, and she beat up Mickie for no reason last night. Alexa says she only lost because she was distraught by seeing Mickie attacked. Nia tells Alexa to shut up a couple times, and says she loved beating up Mickie and Alexa last night. Nia introduces her new partner, Ember Moon.
– Nia Jax & Ember Moon vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Mickie James: It’s all Nia in the opening moments as she grabs Mickie and tosses her across the ring. Nia drops Alexa next, then goes back to work on Mickie and tags in Ember. Ember gets the tag and cleans house. She hits a springboard moonsault on Bliss, then trips her up and goes back up top for the Eclipse. Ember pins for the three count after a very short matchc.
Winners: Nia Jax & Ember Moon
– Braun Strowman approaches Kurt Angle backstage, and he’s got his partner Nicholas with him. Kurt congratulates him on the win, but Braun informs him they have to relinquish the tag titles, because Nicholas has a scheduling conflict as he’s still in 4th grade. Braun says as soon as he graduates, they’re coming back to give these hands to the tag division.
– We see a video package promoting No Way Jose’s debut on RAW coming up.
– No Way Jose makes his way down to the ring with a group of dancing people in Mardi Gras masks.
– No Way Jose vs. John Skyler: Jose strikes first off the opening bell and hits the wind-up knockout punch for the quick win after a squash match.
Winner: No Way Jose
– Jose dances to the back with the conga line.
– Sheamus and Cesaro approach Kurt Angle in the back and say they heard Braun forfeited the tag titles. Kurt says they’ll have to recapture them to become 5-time Tag Champs, and Sheamus and Cesaro say they like the sound of 5-time champs.
– The Revival vs. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows: Gallows starts off in control, but The Revival uses frequent tags to double team Gallows and start working over his leg. Anderson finally gets the tag and he starts laying into Dawson with punches and chops. Anderson cleans house and hits a shot off the top on Dawson. Dawson rolls up Anderson from behind with a fist full of tights, but Anderson kicks out. Gallows misses a shot at ringside, which leads to Wilder getting a blind tag. Anderson briefly fights them off, but The Revival double teams him and hits the Shatter Machine for the three count.
Winners: The Revival
– New WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins comes out to the ring next. He gets on the mic and talks about his ups and downs over the last couple years. He thanks the fans for the loud ovation, and says he’s officially back now. Finn Balor comes out to interrupt, and he points out that he didn’t get pinned last night. Balon and Rollins seem to agree on having a singles match, and then The Miz and The Miztourage interrupt. They come down to the ring and Miz gets on the mic, and complains about his loss last night. The Miz seems to indicate that he can’t win without The Miztourage, which Rollins and Balor point out. The Miz teases that he’ll invoke his rematch clause, but he says not now, he’ll do it at Backlash. Miz adds that he and The Miztourage could easily take Balor and Rollins, and Balor and Rollins seem fine with that idea. Jeff Hardy’s music hits and Jeff comes out to interrupt. Jeff joins Balor and Rollins to even the odds, and Miz and The Miztourage retreat and leave the ring.
– Still to come: Mandy Rose vs. Sasha Banks, and Roman Reigns is in the house.
– Sasha Banks vs. Mandy Rose: Absolution is at ringside in Rose’s corner, and Bayley is at ringside apparently in Sasha’s corner. Sasha starts off strong and hits a superplex early on. Mandy and Sasha go back and forth with shots in the corner, and Mandy takes control when she slams Sasha’s neck on the top rope. Sasha fires up with some dropkicks and takes control of the match. The fight spills outside where some distraction from both Absolution and Bayley, and Bayley accidentally hits Sasha. This leads to Rose hitting a knee to the face of Sasha out of nowhere. Rose rolls up Banks immediately after for the three count. Bayley looks disappointing in her involvement, and Sasha looks angry.
Winner: Mandy Rose
– Paige gets on the mic after the match and says while some people might already know this, her days as an in-ring competitor are over. Paige gets emotional and says the ring is her home. She thanks the women’s division and Daniel Bryan, because Bryan showed it’s possible to come back from a career ending injury. She thanks Edge for showing her that there is life after wrestling. She thanks WWE for letting her perform and entertain the fans. She says she debut here in New Orleans four years ago, and this is where she wants to announce her retirement tonight. Paige thanks everyone again and heads backstage to an ovation from the crowd.
– We see some replays of John Cena, Elias, and The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34 last night.
– Elias comes down to the ring now for a song. Elias has some fun with the fans who repeatedly chant at him. Elias gets interrupted by the returning Bobby Lashley! Lashley hits the ring and drops Elias with a neckbreaker. Lashley picks up Elias for a vertical suplex and he holds him up one-handed for a while then slams him. Lashley heads to the back and high-fives the fans on the aisle.
– Kurt Angle is in the back on the phone talking about how excited he is to have Lashley and No Way Jose here. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn walk in, who explain that they had a falling out with management. Kurt interrupts and asks if they came here looking for a job, which they answer yes. Kurt says that’s rough, because they got fired for attacking their GM and commissioner. Kurt says his tag division is full, but he “heard TNA is hiring.” The crowd gets loud for that line, and Owens and Zayn plead for a job. Kurt says he’ll offer them an opportunity, but Owens and Zayn have to fight each other to earn it. Owens and Zayn walk off, and Kurt says this is going to get interesting.
– We see a promo for the upcoming Superstar Shake-up on the RAW and SmackDown rosters.
– Heath Slater and Rhyno come to the ring and they remind everyone that they were the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions, and then they issue an open challenge to any tag team who wants a piece of them. The Authors of Pain answer the challenge and the Authors come down to the ring with Paul Ellering.
– Authors of Pain vs. Slater & Rhyno: Slater hits a superkick early on, but Rezar no-sells it and takes down Slater. Rezar pummels on Slater, then Akam tags in and they clean house. They double team Slater with the Last Chapter for the three count after a short match.
Winners: Authors of Pain
– After the match, The Authors seem to tell Ellering to stay at ringside and leave them alone. It appears The Authors have fired their manager Ellering.
– Roman Reigns comes down to the ring next. Reigns gets on the mic and says he’s here tonight and Brock Lesnar isn’t. Reigns says to be honest he still doesn’t really know what happened yesterday, and people looked at him weird, and Vince McMahon couldn’t even look him in the eye and “smarten me up.” Reigns says Lesnar is a hell of a business man. Reigns says he only found out on the internet that Brock is signed to a new deal and has a new match with Reigns in a steel cage. Reigns says he doesn’t know what the plans are, but if they keep putting him in matches with Lesnar, he’ll be the new Universal Champion. Samoa Joe comes out to interrupt. Joe gets on the mic and says let’s break out the tin foil hats, because Roman thinks there’s a conspiracy. Joe says he’s going to bring Reigns back to reality – Lesnar exposed Reigns last night, and the crowd pops. Joe tells Reigns he’s a failure and a liar. Joe continues to taunt Reigns about being repeatedly beaten by Lesnar, and then making excuses for it. Joe says after Lesnar is done beating Reigns in their next match, Joe will be waiting for Reigns at Backlash to put him to sleep.
– Apollo Crews & Titus are in the ring awaiting their opponents. Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt appear on the big screen with the Andre Battle Royal statue. They come out to the ring, and we have a match.
– Titus & Apollo Crews vs. Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt: Matt and Titus start off dueling “worldwide” and “delete” chants, before locking up. Wyatt tags in early and they double team Titus. Crews tags in and does a back flip to avoid an attack. Hardy and Wyatt agree that Crews’ back flip was wonderful. Sheamus and Cesaro are shown in the back watching on a monitor. Wyatt drops Crews and starts pummeling on him with elbows. Matt asks for a tag and Bray tags him in. Matt now pummels on Crews, then slams him into the turnbuckles repeatedly. Wyatt now tags in and slams Crews in the turnbuckle repeatedly. Matt tags back in and Bray hits a splash in the corner, then Matt hits a Side Effect. Titus breaks up the pin, then Wyatt tags in. Crews connects with a kick to the head of Wyatt, then he goes off top. Wyatt catches crews and hits a side suplex. Matt tags in, and Wyatt throws Crews to Matt for a Twist of Fate. Matt pins for the three count while Wyatt blocks Titus.
Winners: Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
– Matt and Bray pose after the match, and Matt leads the crowd in a Delete chant.
– We go to some photos of Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 34, and some of the headlines about her debut. Cole then introduces a replay of Ronda’s assault on Stephanie earlier in the night.
– Still to come: Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
– We see some more still photos from WrestleMania 34 last night.
– Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn: The winner of this one will apparently get a spot on the RAW roster. They go back and forth in the opening moments and Kevin takes control with an elbow to the face and a kick. Sami ends up dumping Kevin out to ringside and then hits a suicide dive. Kurt Angle is shown backstage watching. Sami slingshots Kevin in to the ring post, then rolls him back in the ring. Back in the ring, Sami puts the boots to Owens, then Sami looks for a spingboard off the ropes, but Owens crotches him on the top rope. Owens takes control of the match now and tries to keep Sami grounded. They fight up to the turnbuckle and Sai turns it around and drops Owens. Sami hits the Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count. Owens starts firing up with some shots in the corner, but Sami answers with a big boot, and both men are down. They fight up to the corner again, and Owens hits a brainbuster off the middle rope. Both men are too slow to get to their feet, and the ref counts to 10.
Winner: Double count out
– Jojo announces that neither men won, so neither men will get the spot on RAW.
– Jeff Hardy, Finn Balor and Seth Rollins are backstage, and they run in to Matt Hardy. Matt and Jeff briefly exchange words. Jeff says he left Matt a voice mail but never heard back. They talk about Matt winning the Andre Battle Royal. Matt then introduces Wyatt, who welcomes Brother Nero and hugs him. Matt and Wyatt walk off, and the camera pans out to show a very confused Finn Balor and Seth Rollins watching.
– The Miz and The Miztourage are out to the ring next.
– We see another promotion for the Superstar Shake-up next week with Kurt Angle and Daniel Bryan.
– Next Week: Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy take on The Revival in tag action; and Bayley vs. Sasha Banks in singles action.
– The Miz & The Miztourage vs. Finn Balor, Jeff Hardy, & Seth Rollins: The Miz starts off, but immediately tags in Axel before doing anything. Rollins and Axel go at it now, and Axel gets a shot on him and tags in Dallas. Rollins fights them off and hits a leg drop on Dallas. Jeff Hardy tags in now and hits the Poetry In Motion on both Axel and Dallas. Dallas beats on Rollins until Balor gets the tag, and Balor cleans house. Balor hits a double foot stomp on Axel, then lays into him with chops in the corner. Dallas gets a shot on Balor then Miz tags in. Miz takes control of the match now and hits a neckbreaker on Balor. Axel comes in now and continues the offense on Balor. Axel and Dallas now take turns working over Finn. Balor comes back with a back suplex on Axel, but Miz gets the tag and drops Balor. Balor wants the tag but Miz holds him back. Balor hits a dropkick and finally gets the hot tag to Jeff Hardy. Jeff comes in and cleans house. The crowd chants “Brother Nero” as Axel and Dallas start firing up and double teaming Hardy. Hardy hits the Whipser In The Wind off the top on both Dallas and Axel, and all three men are down. Miz and Rollins get the tags, and Rollins hits a springboard shot on Miz. Rollins follows up with a bockbuster on Miz, then a suicide dive on Axel at ringside. Rollins clotheslines Miz outside and then hits a suicide dive on the whole Miztourage on the floor. Back in the ring, Rollins hits a superplex and Falcon Arrow on Miz. Balor drops Dallas and Axel and sends them outside, then hits a suicide dive on them. Miz and Rollins go at it in the ring, and after a series of roll-up pin attempts, Rollins hits a curb stomp on Miz for the three count.
Winners: Seth Rollins, Jeff Hardy & Finn Balor
– After the match, Jeff hits the Twist of Fate on Dallas, then Balor hits the Coup De Grace on him. Jeff then goes up top and hits the Swanton Bomb on Dallas for good measure. Rollins then hits a curb stomp on Dallas, then they turn their attention to Axel. Miz kicks Axel down, then Balor hits the Coup De Grace, and Jeff hits the Swanton on Axel. Rollins then hits the curb stomp on Axel, and he holds up his IC Title in the ring with Jeff and Finn.
– Back to the broadcast table, Cole talks about the Superstar Shake-up next week, and they speculate about who might switch brands. Cole thanks everyone for watching and RAW goes off the air.
