WWE Raw on April 20 featured a showdown between Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu, along with surprise call-ups and returns. CM Punk teased a title program against Cody Rhodes following his WrestleMania loss.
Key points
WWE Raw took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Roman Reigns faced Jacob Fatu.
Ethan Page, Sol Ruca, and Joe Hendry were called up.
Street Profits returned and attacked tag champs.
CM Punk teased a title program against Cody Rhodes.
WWE RawKabuki WarriorsOba FemiBron Breakker
WWE Raw on April 20 took place T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and featured a showdown between Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu.
The Raw after Mania brought a few surprises with the call-ups of Ethan Page, Sol Ruca, and Joe Hendry (who appears next week). The Street Profits also made a return, attacking tag champs Austin Theory and Logan Paul during a segment that featured Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins. We saw Oba Femi open the show with a one-line mic drop, Finn BƔlor pinned JD McDonagh, and RHIYO scored a win over the Kabuki Warriors.
Hereās the top takeaways from this weekās show:
CM Punk teases title program vs. Cody Rhodes
It seems CM Punkās new entrance thing is silence until he yells, "Itās Clobberinā Time!" It works, as long as we get "Cult of Personality" at some point. Punk took the mic to show that he wasnāt feeling down on himself after losing to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.
Punk said he dealt with a lot of losses recently, including his dog Larry, personal friends and WWE family behind the scenes. However, he said showing up every week helped him heal. Keeping his head held high, Punk said heās just going to stay ready for the next opportunity, because you never know when one will "fall out of the sky."
Enter Cody Rhodes, who revealed severe damage to his left eye.
Rhodes entered the ring, and although he beat Randy Orton at Mania and still has the title, felt like he lost. Rhodes was a little caught off guard, because he thought Punk would crash out after losing to Reigns. Instead, Punk once again confirmed heās in a good place, and as he stared at Rhodesā title, once again said heās going to stay ready "because you never know when a championship opportunity is gonna fall out of the sky."
"Hey Punk, just say when," Rhodes replied.
"Just say when."
ANYTHING can happen in the future for @CMPunk and ... š
Q&A
What happened during WWE Raw on April 20, 2023?
WWE Raw featured a match between Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu, surprise call-ups, and the return of the Street Profits.
Who are the new wrestlers called up to WWE Raw after WrestleMania?
Ethan Page, Sol Ruca, and Joe Hendry were called up, with Joe Hendry set to appear next week.
What did CM Punk say about his future after losing at WrestleMania?
CM Punk teased a title program against Cody Rhodes and expressed confidence despite his WrestleMania loss to Roman Reigns.
What notable events occurred during the Raw after WrestleMania?
The show included the Street Profits attacking tag champs Austin Theory and Logan Paul, and Finn BƔlor pinning JD McDonagh.
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Man. Rhodes has shown up on WWE television with parts of his body mangled more than anyone else in history. This was a fantastic tease for Punk and Rhodesā future. Although, given how WWE and TKO ruined the build between Rhodes and Orton with forced celebrity involvement, one canāt help but wonder how Jelly Roll will be a part of the story.
Ethan Page wins Raw debut
In a backstage segment with Penta and JeāVon Evans, Ethan Page appeared to make it known heās not only on Raw now, but heās going to be in the menās Intercontinental Championship scene. A tense interaction between Evans and Page led to Adam Pearce creating a match.
Fast forward a little, and the match goes down. Evans was favoring his ribs, selling damage from the fantastic ladder match at Mania. The match unfolded nicely, but out of nowhere, Rusev appeared to cause a distraction. Page hit his finisher a moment later to win his first match on Raw.
After the match, a brawl with Rusev, Evans and Penta took place. Page clapped for Rusev after handling both.
This was a good showing for Page in his Raw debut. WWE put him in the right spot for the IC title, because that scene needs a strong mic worker right now.
Liv Morgan spoils Sol Rucaās Raw debut
After gloating about her title win over Stephanie Vaquer at Mania, Sol Rucaās music hit. Ruca and Morgan exchanged a few words before Adam Pearce interjected and called for a match to begin immediately.
Ruca did what she does best: flew all over the place with her unique offense, wowing the Las Vegas crowd. Ruca pulled off a slick counter to Morganās finisher to hit a Sol Snatcher a moment after, but Morgan rolled out of the ring to prevent the pin. Ruca gave chase, but was attacked from behind by her former partner Zaria. After barely beating the 10-count, Morgan hit Oblivion this time to get the win.
During Morganās exit, Vaquer met her at the entrance for a staredown.
Ruca received quite the warm welcome from the Vegas crowd, and she capitalized with a solid match against the champ. It was a solid introduction to the main roster, but it appears a sustained program with Morgan will come at a later time, given the Vaquerās appearance after the match. Regardless, Ruca is a solid call-up to the Raw brand.
Jacob Fatu "needs" Roman Reignsā title
In the final segment of the show, Roman Reigns strolled to the ring with The Usos. Reigns got on the mic and said he wanted to discuss some family business. He said he doesnāt want Jimmy and Jey to serve him, but be alongside him, because when theyāre tight, they run the business.
Just when they all were throwing their 1s to the sky, Jacob Fatuās music hit.
Fatu came to the ring looking intense as ever. Reigns said thereās only two reasons he could be out here, and Fatu made it clear that he intends to come for Reignsā title ā not because he wants it, because he needs it, and everything that comes along with it: the money, the bigger house, and better schools for his kids. Fatu said at Backlash, heās going to level up his family by taking that title.
Reigns calmly warned Fatu that he might not be ready for the weight of the title. He said heās not sure if Fatu can handle winning the title, or losing and having to acknowledge him. Ultimately, he said he will give him a week to really think about it.
So this was an interesting way to close the show. It felt like the beginning of the next chapter in The Bloodline saga with Reigns and The Usos back together, and yet, theyāre facing a challenge from another family member. Itās a good move to put Fatu in the title picture after his win over McIntyre at Night 1 of Mania, even though many were buzzing over Oba Femiās call out of Reigns during the Mania post-show on Sunday. Thatās a program that should come, but that feels more like a SummerSlam main event.
