WWE Raw preview (Apr. 24, 2023): Becky Lynch needs to do something about this

Raw airs tonight (Apr. 24) with a live show from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. This is the fourth episode of Raw during the five week build towards Backlash, which takes on May 6 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Becky Lynch needs to do something about this

Last Monday, several hours before Raw was set to go on the air, Becky Lynch went dark on Twitter and announced that she wasn’t coming to Raw. Lynch hasn’t said much since then.

Becky’s absence paved the way for Trish Stratus to have the floor all to herself on Raw, where she explained why she turned on Lynch. Trish took credit for single-handedly turning around women’s wrestling in WWE and making fans care about it. She resented how Becky dismissed her importance and tried to make it seem like it was the Four Horsewomen who saved women’s wrestling. Trish went as far as to call herself the most important figure in WWE history.

Now that Trish has gone full delusional heel and admitted that she is the one who attacked Lita, Becky Lynch needs to return to Raw and break her silence. This story has quickly become personal in a way that Becky’s war with Damage CTRL never really did over the last six months. Becky now has a chance to fully embrace being The Man and ripping Trish apart on the mic and in the ring, like only Becky can.

There was a period in 2018 and 2019 where Becky Lynch was the number one star in WWE. Maybe Trish’s heel turn and an extended summer feud with a legend is the catalyst that Becky needs to get back to reclaiming that spot.

The title scene

United States Champion Austin Theory will defend his belt against both Bobby Lashley and Bronson Reed in a three way match at Backlash. Will the champ complain about being booked against two large meaty men in one match?

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is a part-timer who has rarely been on TV since WrestleMania. He has nothing brewing for Backlash and isn’t expected to be on the show tonight.

Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair has an upcoming title defense against IYO SKY. Belair beat Dakota Kai last week in something of a tuneup match. Will Bayley be the next Damage CTRL member who falls to the champ before Belair gets in the ring with SKY?

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez retained the gold last week on SmackDown against Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville. Will Chelsea find Adam Pearce backstage tonight and try to argue that she deserves another title shot?

WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have partnered up with Matt Riddle to help out in their ongoing war with The Bloodline, but it hasn’t done much to slow down Solo Sikoa. Jimmy and Jey Uso are getting a rematch for the belts later this week. Which team will gain the upperhand tonight on the eve of the big fight?

Other stuff to keep an eye on

- In case you didn’t hear about it by now, Bad Bunny will make his return to Raw tonight. Rey Mysterio vs. Damian Priest is booked on the show, and that’s the obvious spot for Bad to make a big impact. Priest put Bunny through a table the last time they crossed paths, and has been talking all kinds of trash about the him since then. If Bad Bunny plans to wrestle at Backlash, this is the best time to officially announce the match.

- Seth Rollins is tasked with working a match against Omos at Backlash. Good luck with that one. This match was booked out of the blue, so the two men will presumably have some kind of interaction tonight to build interest in the fight. Perhaps WWE has a plan for the winner to move on to challenge Reigns in Saudi Arabia later in May.

- Cody Rhodes might have something special planned for his return to Chicago. Brock Lesnar isn’t advertised for the show tonight, so Cody will have to beat up some other heels until part-timer Brock returns to Raw.

- Otis is a hot commodity these days. Does Chad Gable understand the urgency with which he should act in order to prevent his number one student from ditching him for Maximum Male Models?

- Has the storyline between Dolph Ziggler and Mustafa Ali been dropped?

- This is the final episode of Raw before the WWE Draft. Baron Corbin, Elias, Rick Boogs, and the Street Profits all seem pretty excited about the upcoming changes. Will we learn any new details about the format or rules of this game-changing draft?

- Asuka went back to Japan after WrestleMania, but she should be back soon given the roster shakeups that are about to happen.

What will you be looking for on Raw?