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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (May 1, 2023) from the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Backlash Premium Live Event scheduled for this coming Saturday night in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Advertised for tonight: It’s the second and final night of the 2023 WWE Draft, with the remaining eligible names including the likes of Brock Lesnar (who is also back on this show), Charlotte Flair, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn, The Usos, Austin Theory, Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins, Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler, the LWO, The New Day, and a whole lot more!
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the Raw live blog will kick off once the show starts on USA Network. It will be below this line here. Reminder: GIFs and pics allowed, but no links to illegal streams, please.
WWE RAW RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR MAY 1
Two more hapless citizens of the new post-traumatic stress worldwide disorder. A Stockholm syndrome fifth estate, desperate to batten down the mounting horrors and liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you folks.
The show opens with a recap of Friday’s draft picks.
Triple H makes his entrance and gets on the mic at a podium on the stage.
He welcomes us to tonight’s show and reminds us of the basic rules of this year’s draft, as well as the baseline fact that a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion will be crowned out of the new Raw roster. He tells us that Brock Lesnar has renegotiated his status as a free agent and will be able to appear on either show.
Raw picks Rhea Ripley first tonight, so we’ll be swapping the women’s titles again. SmackDown picks Austin Theory, and then Raw picks Seth Rollins. SmackDown picks Charlotte Flair to close out tonight’s first round of picks, and Triple H introduces Paul Heyman.
Hunter shows off the brand new World Heavyweight Championship to Paul E and he oohs and ahs over the title appropriately before making his way to the ring.
Heyman gets on the mic and does his schtick, telling us the Tribal Chief has asked him to address some business items for us. Item number one, the draft, with Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa drafted to SmackDown, which means tonight the fate of the Usos will be determined.
The Usos, who did NOT win the tag titles back on SmackDown but who will be fighting alongside Solo at Backlash. One week from this Friday on SmackDown, live, as long as it’s not in Texas, your Tribal Chief will take care of all your business items, one of which is that hunk of gold up on the podium right now.
Wouldn’t it look relevant around Roman’s waist? But of course, Roman cannot compete for that title because he won’t be on Raw, and you know what the worst part about that is? Now all the children in the locker room who think that they’re men are running around slapping gums about Reigns.
People who should know better, men who need to start acting like men, men who are freakin’ chokers and jokes and clowns, still living off of—
Enter Seth Rollins, wearing the sweetest little sheer white lacy pussy bow blouse.
He sidles up next to Paul E and listens to the crowd sing his song for a few bars before laughing and asking why the long face. Today’s gotta be like Christmas for everyone, Roman still off on SmackDown while he’s here on Monday Night Rollins, which means Roman doesn’t have to run from him anymore.
And Heyman doesn’t need to pull strings to deny Seth his title shot anymore, so he can focus on making sure the Bloodline doesn’t go *poof* right in his face. Rollins has a spoiler for Paul, that he’s going to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions and show the world what a real champion looks like.
Paul calls someone on his phone and Rollins gets the crowd singing again to mess with him. Heyman turns around and throws a fit about not being able to hear Roman Reigns before stepping over to Seth to tell him that he’s pissing his Tribal Chief off. Rollins is mock surprised and says Roman really isn’t gonna like this one.
He asks how long it’d take to get Heyman flat on the mat so he can stomp his big bald head down into it? Five seconds? Four seconds? Three seconds? Two seconds?
Enter Solo Sikoa, to save the Wise Man.
Paul Heyman holds the Enforcer back and makes a match between him and Rollins for later, and Seth accepts, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we see Cody Rhodes arriving at the arena earlier and Adam Pearce begging him not to start anything with Brock Lesnar tonight.
Damage CTRL (Bayley & Dakota Kail) vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
Kai and Morgan to start, back and forth, duck an enzuigiri, victory roll, only two! Liv with a dropkick, tag to Bayley, scoop and a slam, Morgan rolls away from an elbow drop and tag Rodriguez in! Slugging it out, into the corner, shoulder thrusts and quick tags from the babyfaces.
Damage CTRL cut some corners to get Liv on the floor and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Damage CTRL still running hot, kicks in the corner to keep Morgan isolated. Liv clears a path and makes the tag! Rodriguez running hot with lariats on Kai, fallaway slam follows, Stinger splash and another fallaway slam! Corkscrew Vader Bomb connects... NOPE!
Bayley runs interference, ramming Raquel into the apron after a tag, Dakota with flipping lungblower... RODRIGUEZ BREAKS IT UP! Damage CTRL blast her to the floor, turning to Liv, inverted Codebreaker connects! Blind tag from Bayley, Kai eats Oblivion and Bayley slides in...
Damage CTRL win by pinfall with a folding press from Bayley on Liv Morgan.
We see Booker T and Sharmell holding our next round of draft picks and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we see Brock Lesnar arriving at the arena earlier today and getting the same treatment Cody got from Adam Pearce.
Brock, of course, laughs him off.
We get a recap of the last Rhodes/Lesnar brawl.
Booker T and Sharmell make their entrance to announce our next round of draft picks.
Booker announces Raw is picking Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, and Sharmell announces the Usos to SmackDown. Raw gets the men of Judgment Day with their next pick. SmackDown finishes the round with the Latino World Order, including Rey Mysterio.
Braun Strowman and Ricochet make their entrance and we go to break.
Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis Dozovic) vs. Braun Strowman & Ricochet
Gable and Ricochet to start, working a wristlock, reversals, leg picks, Chad with a big chop! Whip across, roll over, under a lariat, tijeras into the corner, big dropkick! German suplex, Rick rolls through, gamengiri from the apron, springboard, nobody home, lands on his feet, Gable hits the Chaos Theory!
Tags made, big men squaring up to slap meat, Otis with body blows into the corner, corner body avalanche follows but Braun has his own right after! Running through a lariat, big crossbody and he tears his shirt off! Scoop and a slam on the Dozer! Tag to Ricochet, holding the One and Only on his shoulders...
Braun Strowman & Ricochet win by pinfall with a senton atomico from Ricochet off of Braun’s shoulders and onto Otis Dozovic.
We see “Heartbreak Man” Shawn Michaels and Adam Pearce holding our next set of draft picks and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a video package for Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest.
“Heartbreak Man” Shawn Michaels and Adam Pearce make their entrance to announce our next round of draft picks.
HBM announces—
Enter Brock Lesnar!
He marches to the ring as Pearce tries to talk him down but the Beast isn’t having it!
Lesnar gets in the ring and on the mic and asks the crowd how it feels to be looking at the only real cowboy in the state. Pearce comes down with security by the dozen, Brock tells him it’ll take a hell of a lot more men than that, and Adam waves and a hell of a lot more men come down to ringside.
Enter Cody Rhodes... from behind! He takes Brock out but security swarms him and manage to keep them apart as 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.)
“Heartbreak Man” Shawn Michaels has a second try at announcing our next round of picks. Raw gets Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, SmackDown gets Asuka, Raw gets the New Day (specifically Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston), and lastly, SmackDown gets the Brawling Brutes.
Matt Riddle chats with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn about all being on Raw now and their next week of excitement.
Riddle makes his entrance with Owens and Zayn.
Jimmy Uso vs. Matt Riddle
Back and forth early, punctuated by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn doing an Eddy Guerrero to get Jey Uso ejected from ringside as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Uso in control, trading punches, front kick sets up a Pele kick, kip-up, Riddle is rolling! Corner forearms, exploder suplex, big senton but the knees are up! Jimmy knocks Matt to the floor, back inside, he goes for the ripcord, Uso cracks an enzuigiri across his neck, superkick... NOPE!
Basement superkick, another nearfall! Jimmy undoes a turnbuckle, Owens smashes his face into it, Riddle with a knee, off the top...
Matt Riddle wins by pinfall with the corkscrew moonsault.
We get a hype reel for IYO SKY.
Eric Bischoff and Rob Van Dam are show carrying our next set of draft picks to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Paul Heyman is giving Solo Sikoa a pep talk while he tapes his thumb.
Jimmy Uso rolls up with a question, why his brother wasn’t at ringside tonight. Heyman tells him Solo is a little pent-up tonight and we’re gonna keep him concentrated on his assignment from the Tribal Chief. He and Solo leave Jimmy the room while Uso looks confused.
Eric Bischoff and Rob Van Dam make their entrances to announce our next round of picks.
Eric starts us with Trish Stratus to Raw, RVD has Karrion Kross and Scarlett to SmackDown, Raw gets Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey, and SmackDown finishes the round with LA Knight.
The Miz is in the ring to host MizTV.
He talks up Raw’s picks during the draft and introduces Shinsuke Nakamura. Miz welcomes him to Raw and talks up his accomplishments over the years and asks if Nakamura thinks he has a chance at winning the new World Heavyweight Championship. Shinsuke offers a simple “hai” and Miz makes like he doesn’t understand and says clearly he’s the guy to win the title himself.
The A-Lister pitches a little “you help me I help you” and Shinsuke thanks him and they do a whole bit where Nakamura tells him he has tiny balls in Japanese and gets Miz to chant it with the crowd before admitting what it means.
Miz tries to jump him, Nakamura lays him out and takes him out with Kinshasa!
We see Omos, a free agent, and Montel Vontavious Porter walking backstage to send us to break.
Anthony Alanis vs. Omos
You may recognize Mr. Alanis better as Adrian Alanis from his time as part of AR Fox’s Skulk in Evolve and elsewhere.
Alas, this match is not going to go his way...
Omos wins by pinfall with the chokebomb.
We get a recap of the announcement of the new World Heavyweight Championship.
Molly Holly and “Road Dogg” Jesse James leave with our next set of draft picks and we go to break.
Back from commercial, James and Molly Holly announce our next round of picks—
Braun Strowman & Ricochet to Raw, Shotzi Blackheart to SmackDown, Bronson Reed to Raw, and Pretty Deadly from NXT to SmackDown.
Judgment Day make their entrance and get on the mic.
Damian Priest starts off asking everyone to rise for them staying together on Monday Night Raw and for Rhea Ripley being tonight’s number one draft pick. Rhea talks up her match at Backlash, Finn Balor has some bad news for Bad Bunny, in that his man Damian is gonna tear him apart and leave little fluffy pieces all over Puerto Rico.
Priest wants Bunny to listen to his words very carefully because they are chosen carefully, and unloads on him in Spanish, something to the extent that in the world of music he’s a megastar, but in the world of wrestling, not so much, and in Puerto Rico he’s gonna receive his punishment.
Dominik Mysterio goes to speak and gets drowned out by boos, saying he can’t wait until Rhea and Damian dominate at Backlash. Also tonight is the last night he gets to embarrass his dad and his loser friends in the LWO before they go and hide on Friday nights.
Enter Latino World Order.
Rey Mysterio says he can’t wait to see Zelina Vega leave Puerto Rico with the title around her waist and to see Bad Bunny kick Priest’s ass.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a hype reel for Imperium coming to Raw.
Judgment Day (Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, & Rhea Ripley) vs. Latino World Order (Rey Mysterio, Santos Escobar, & Zelina Vega) (Mixed Tag Team Match)
Rhea Ripley taunts Rey Mysterio, piefacing him, but he throws Vega at her into a tijeras! Ripley boots her down after the initial shock, Riptide reversed to a front chancery, Rhea reverses, Zelina floats out, jawbreaker, Priest tags in and Escobar meets him!
Whip across, duck a lariat, flying shoulder block, chops and forearms, whip reversed, Santos with a kick to the bicep but he runs right into an elbow! Priest with an elbow to clear Rey off the apron, Santos cuts him off with a knee and lands a backbreaker on Dominik!
Tag to Rey, seated senton off the apron and we go to break with the LWO posing in the ring.
Back from commercial, Escobar takes Priest out with a desperate dropkick, opening the path, the Mysterios tag in! Rey lights Dom up with strikes, tijeras, mounted punches in the corner! The match breaks down, Rhea gets Rey up in a military press but Vega makes the save!
Low bridge sends Ripley to the floor, Mysterio the Younger with a dropkick and a tag to Damian! Charging in, sidestep, Priest hits the post hard, Rey with a shotgun dropkick... 619 denied when Dom trips his dad up! Escobar clears Dominik out with a dive, Rhea dropkicks him in turn, Meteora from Zelina!
Damian with a side kick to Rey, up for the Razor’s Edge but he reverses, drop toehold, Balor takes the 619 for his pal! Priest hosses the legend up...
Judgment Day win by pinfall with South of Heaven from Damian Priest on Rey Mysterio.
We get another recap of the Cody/Brock brawl.
Cody Rhodes is interviewed backstage.
He admits that Lesnar is in his head and says Brock gets what he wants, but not on Saturday, not at Backlash. He’s the most decorated combat sports athlete of all time, but tonight we found out Doomsday bleeds, Brock Lesnar is human, and he doesn’t even need to win the match.
Cody has to win, because if he doesn’t, the whole idea of finishing the story ceases to exist and he moves to the back of the line, and he refuses to go to the back of the line, not now, not ever.
We see John “Bradshaw” Layfield and Teddy Long walking backstage with another round of draft picks to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Bianca Belair is interviewed backstage.
She says her first thought on being drafted is it doesn’t matter what brand she’s on as long as she defends her title and proves her spot as the EST of the roster.
Damage CTRL roll up to laugh at her and ask Byron Saxton why he’s not interviewing them. Bianca tells Bayley it makes her sad she’s always been impressed with IYO SKY and she was excited to see what she’d do but then she got involved with two women who have done nothing but hold her back.
She hopes Saturday gives IYO a taste of what it means to step out on her own and shine... after she beats her. SKY yells at her in Japanese and Bianca backs Dakota off on the translation, saying she and IYO understand each other.
John “Bradshaw” Layfield and Teddy Long come down for our final round of picks tonight.
JBL announces American Alpha to Raw first, Teddy Long announces “Meat Mountain” Rick Boogs to SmackDown, then Raw picks Katana Chance and Kayden Carter from NXT, and last but not least, Cameron Grimes goes to SmackDown.
Xavier Woods cuts a promo about New Day getting drafted to Raw and tells us to get ready, because New Day rocks.
Solo Sikoa makes his entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, commentary promises us the draft leftovers on Raw Talk before hyping up the Backlash card.
Seth Rollins vs. Solo Sikoa
Circling, Rollins sidesteps the lockup as the crowd sings his song. Collar and elbow, into the corner, back to the lockup, side headlock, shot off, drop down, leapfrog, Seth bails to the floor and poses for the crowd! Sikoa out, Rollins back in, Solo has it scouted and ducks Blackout!
Low bridge sends Solo to the floor, dropkick through the ropes, Seth fired up, off the ropes, Sikoa takes him out with a heel kick and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Sikoa in control, Rollins crawls up the ropes and sidesteps him face-first into the turnbuckles! Chops and punches, Seth unloading on him in the ropes, whip reversed, reversed again, short-arm lariats connect! Elbows and kicks, falling lariat puts Solo on the floor!
Suicide dives connect in triplicate, back inside, springboard, nobody home, roll through, Sikoa hits the Samoan Drop... NOPE! Schoolboy, superkick, rolling elbow reversed, Spinning Solo... ROLLINS KICKS OUT! Big slap, Seth taunts him, asking if he’s just Roman’s little bitch, another Spinning Solo connects!
Mounted punches, referee Chad Patton warns Solo and Seth bails to the floor! Solo out after him, smashing him into the announce desk, scoops him up, Rollins floats over and posts him! Back inside, superkick connects, rolling elbow, looking for Death Blow but the Usos are here with the beatdown...
Seth Rollins wins by disqualification.
Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Matt Riddle make the save and brawl with the Bloodline!
That’s the show, folks.
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