WWE Raw preview (Apr. 3, 2023): A lot of fans are upset about Cody Rhodes losing at WrestleMania

Raw airs tonight (Apr. 3) with a live show from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. This is the first episode of Raw during the five week build towards Backlash, which takes on May 6 in Puerto Rico.

A lot of WWE fans are very upset about Cody Rhodes losing at WrestleMania

Cody Rhodes talked a big game for months but ultimately failed to finish the story at WrestleMania 39. Rhodes came up short against WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in the main event thanks to interference from Solo Sikoa, whose presence at the end of the match didn’t seem to bother the referee despite the ref’s decision to eject Solo from ringside earlier in the bout.

Cody will now have to grab a mic and address the WWE fans to explain what’s going through his mind. The is the first time Cody has tasted defeat since he returned to WWE one year ago. Will the part-time Tribal Chief be on hand to continue their feud, or will Cody instead have to deal with other Bloodline members like Sikoa and Paul Heyman?

Going into WrestleMania, Cody was better positioned than anybody in years to finally take down Roman. But instead of cementing a new top babyface by giving him the biggest win possible, WWE decided to continue going all-in on their top heel. I guess this is what happens when you decide to destroy Triple H’s throne with a sledgehammer in a different wrestling promotion and then return to WWE under his creative direction; the ex-AEW guy was never going to beat WWE’s top star in the main event of WrestleMania.

A lot of fans are very upset that Roman Reigns won yet again and now looks like a very strong bet to make it to 1000 days (and well beyond) as the Head of the Table. The Raw after WrestleMania live audience is known for being rambunctious and perhaps chanting things WWE would prefer not to hear. Will they speak up tonight to let WWE know how they feel about the finish of WrestleMania 39?

The rest of the title scene

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens won the WWE tag team titles from The Usos in the main event of WrestleMania 39 night one. Will we hear from all four men tonight and find out if WWE plans to book an immediate rematch for Backlash (or sooner)? Are Jimmy and Jey in trouble with the Tribal Chief for letting the family down?

Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair was able to avoid the blue mist and retain her gold against Asuka at WrestleMania. Now that Asuka is the latest notch on Bianca’s belt, is there anybody else who can stop the EST of WWE, who is going one year strong as the unbeatable champion?

Rhea Ripley won the SmackDown women’s championship from Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania. Does this mean Rhea and The Judgment Day are moving over to the blue brand, or will Rhea come and go wherever the hell she pleases?

United States Champion Austin Theory will be more insufferable than ever now that he has a win over John Cena at WrestleMania.

Are Becky Lynch and Lita ready to find new challengers for the WWE women’s tag team titles after defeating Damage CTRL in a six-woman tag team match at WrestleMania?

Other stuff to keep an eye on

- Bad Bunny helped Rey Mysterio pick up a win over that little shithead son of his at WrestleMania. Bunny is going to play a key role at Backlash in Puerto Rico, so there could be a tag team match booked very soon.

- The Miz was defeated by both Pat McAfee and Snoop Dogg at WrestleMania. Will the A-Lister pivot away from those embarrassing defeats by instead pointing out that he may have ended the in-ring career of the prodigal son, Shane McMahon?

- Bobby Lashley really was left off the WrestleMania card, aside from a quick cameo to show off the trophy he won from the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Will he join forces with LA Knight to stand up against WWE’s inability to find something meaningful for them to do in Hollywood at the biggest pro wrestling show of the year?

- Edge and Brock Lesnar both picked up wins at WrestleMania. Is this the part where these part-timers disappear for a while?

- Will Seth Rollins have his sights set on a bigger prize now that he vanquished YouTube douchebag Logan Paul at WrestleMania?

- Finn Balor suffered a gnarly gash on his head at WrestleMania and probably won’t be wrestling tonight.

- Is Bronson Reed ready to graduate from beating up on lower card wrestlers and instead take on a higher level of competition?

- With WrestleMania now in the rearview mirror, will Alexa Bliss finally return to WWE television tonight? Will she do so in a story that doesn’t involve Uncle Howdy?

- The Raw after WrestleMania typically features some NXT call-ups or surprise returns. Could this include folks like Bron Breakker, Roxanne Perez, Matt Riddle, or Shinsuke Nakamura? Will we learn if WWE plans to shake up all the rosters with a draft sometime soon?

- It sounds like WWE might announce a sale to Endeavor today. If that’s true, will this news impact anything that happens on tonight’s episode of Raw? Will Vince McMahon’s creepy new mustache and jet black hair be sitting in an important chair behind the scenes tonight?

What will you be looking for on Raw?