WWE Raw live results: Brock Lesnar answers Cody Rhodes
Date: April 17, 2023
Location: Simmons Bank Arena, in North Little Rock, AR
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Show Recap —
The Bloodline, minus Roman Reigns, kicked off Raw. They did their usual spiel but Judgment Day interrupted just as Paul Heyman said history would unfold tonight.
Damian Priest got in Solo Sikoa’s face for dramatic effect but everything was fine because Priest shook hands with Heyman and backed off. Heyman said it was a great day to be a very bad guy. Heyman said a deal was struck and approved by Roman Reigns.
Jey Uso told Heyman he didn’t know what he was referring to. Heyman said Reigns wanted his Usos to be cut off guard by the enormity of the situation. Heyman acknowledged that even Finn Bálor wasn’t a big fan of this arrangement because he wasn’t a fan of the Bloodline but he was putting his differences aside in the name of villainy.
Rhea Ripley was staring a hole through Solo Sikoa so Heyman asked Jey to switch spots with him. He did, but Ripley also moved so she could remain face-to-face with Sikoa. Heyman asked her if everything was ok and she said, “for now.” (The crowd chanted for Ripley.)
Heyman mentioned they had all various problems with Bad Bunny, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle so he announced that Owens, Zayn and Riddle would face Judgment Day tonight for the first time ever, while Sikoa would face Rey Mysterio. Heyman apologized to Dominik that he would have to be near this despicable human.
Rey entered.
Solo Sikoa defeated Rey Mysterio (12:39)
Sikoa controlled for the first four minutes until Rey dumped them both to the outside ahead of a break. Sikoa took control again during the break but Rey eventually came back after avoiding a running hip attack. Rey used a seated senton and dropkick but Sikoa hit a Samoan Drop for two.
Rey hit a 619 and springboard splash for a nearfall. The crowd really wanted Rey to win there.
Rey set up for another 619 but stopped upon seeing the Usos march back down the ramp. The new LWO came in through the crowd to cut them off and Rey fended off Sikoa’s offence to hit another 619.
The crowd got to their feet as Rey went to the top but he missed a splash and Sikoa hit a Samoan Spike for the pinfall win.
— The Bloodline (three men) easily laid out the LWO (four men) after the match. Sikoa assisted Jimmy and Jey in giving Rey a 1D. The Bloodline posed.
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Alpha Academy and Maxxine Dupri were in the back earlier today with Adam Pearce. Chad Gable told Pearce that if one of AA got drafted, the other should automatically go with them. Dupri said this was about branding and she asked Pearce who he’d rather be the face of Raw or Smackdown — Chaz or Otìsè. Gable and Dupri shooshed each other until Pearce told them to stop.
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Bad Bunny returns to Raw in Chicago next week.
(Instead of telling us the date, Kevin Patrick said the Draft starts “one week from Friday.”)
Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defeated Dakota Kai (w/Bayley & IYO SKY) in a non-title match (9:01)
Belair was in control until Kai avoided a charge and kicked her twice into (or close to) the ring post. After a break, Patrick said this was an impressive performance so far by Kai but we hadn’t seen any of it and Belair came right back with a blockbuster, shoulder tackles, a dropkick, a vertical suplex, a delayed vertical suplex, and a standing moonsault for two. (After all that, Belair said “wow” when Kai kicked out.)
Kai came back and hit a running corner kick but Belair avoided a move off the top and hit a backbreaker. Kai twice countered the KOD and drove Belair into the middle turnbuckle. However, Belair avoided another corner kick and hit KOD for the pinfall win.
(Bayley and SKY did not even attempt to get involved.)
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Cody Rhodes walked through the back. His segment is up next.
[SECOND HOUR]
There was a Bronson Reed video package where he calls himself, “Mr. Nice Guy” (in jest).
The Judgment Day spoke in the back about Bad Bunny’s return. Priest hoped Bad Bunny had a better attitude next week but Dom told Priest he didn’t need to be his friend.
Heyman showed up and asked them what they thought about the Bloodline’s performance earlier. Bálor said, “Eh” and Heyman didn’t like that. Priest told Heyman that they would handle their business and Ripley told him to leave. He did.
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Cody Rhodes/Brock Lesnar segment
Rhodes entered to a strong reaction. Corey Graves noted that Rhodes was dressed to wrestle (instead of wearing a suit).
Rhodes was fired up and immediately called out Brock Lesnar.
Adam Pearce entered instead. Pearce basically tried to talk him out of it and told him that he wasn’t medically cleared to be there tonight (which doesn’t explain why he was advertised). The crowd chanted “we want Brock” and they booed when Pearce asked Rhodes to leave.
Rhodes said he respected Pearce, shook his hand, and agreed to leave. The crowd booed but those boos turned to cheers when Rhodes grabbed a chair and popped back into the ring. Pearce pleaded with him as five security guards ran into the ring. The crowd chanted for Cody.
Lesnar’s music hit and he entered on the stage. He wore a black cowboy hat and a black trenchcoat.
As Lesnar’s music was still playing, Pearce frantically agreed to a match between Rhodes and Lesnar at Backlash. He just didn’t want Rhodes doing anything tonight.
Lesnar was boasting on the ramp and daring Rhodes to come after him but the guards were in his way, so Rhodes laid them out. A few more guards showed up at ringside so Rhodes tossed them aside as well. Rhodes was about to run at Lesnar but about ten more guards appeared and carried him back toward the ring.
Rhodes desperately wanted to escape but Lesnar chuckled and left.
Rhodes knocked down every single guard as the crowd chanted for him.
Rhodes said he spat out plenty of platitudes about Lesnar last week but he forgot one. Lesnar dressed like a cowboy but Rhodes grew up around cowboys. Lesnar was no cowboy — he was a coward.
This was good.
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Lesnar was shown leaving the building.
Seth Rollins defeated The Miz (12:06)
Miz attacked Rollins during his entrance and attacked him until the ref backed him off and started the match. Rollins fought back and a trio of suicide dives. Miz shoved Rollins off the barricade and Rollins’ face hit the timekeeper’s table.
After a break, Rollins mounted a comeback as the crowd sang his song. (Even more curious than the crowd continuously singing Rollins’ song, a random “this is awesome” chant broke out after Rollins hit a slingblade.) Rollins climbed the turnbuckles but Miz brought him down from the middle rope with a Codebreaker. The crowd chanted “tiny balls” as Miz hit It Kicks.
Rollins went for a frog splash but Miz got his knees up and applied a small package for two. They traded counters until Miz drove his knee through Rollins’ elevated knee. Miz applied a figure four but Rollins got a rope break.
Rollins followed with consecutive forearms but Miz avoided a stomp and kicked his leg out of his leg. Miz followed with consecutive DDTs, without letting go, for a nearfall. The crowd chanted “this is awesome” again.
They battled for position on the top rope until Rollins hit a superplex into a falcon arrow and he followed with a curb stomp for the pinfall win.
Rollins deserves some sort of medal because this did wind up being quite good. The crowd is super into Rollins and they were going nuts for this.
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Owens, Zayn and Riddle had a meeting backstage. Zayn said Riddle had an idea and wanted to hear him out but Owens wanted to leave the thinking to himself and Sami. Riddle’s idea was ridiculous and Owens was annoyed but Riddle told him he was kidding. Riddle said he wasn’t an idiot and proceeded to cut a fiery promo.
Riddle said the Bloodline took his best friend, took his title and tried to take his career. It made him so happy to see Owens and Zayn win the titles. Riddle wasn’t here to joke around and be an idiot — he was going to kick ass tonight and at Backlash.
After Riddle left, Owens sheepishly murmured, “maybe you should’ve listened to him.” Zayn was happy that they were all on the same page.
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Non-title match: Bobby Lashley defeated United States Champion Austin Theory via disqualification (12:08)
[THIRD HOUR]
After a break, Lashley tried the Hurt Lock but Theory bit him and chucked him into the ring post. Things slowed to a crawl as Theory remained in control until Lashley dodged a charge and Theory went into the ring post. Lashley followed with a clothesline, spinebuster, and shoulder tackles in the corner. They countered each others’ finishers before Lashley hit a Dominator for two.
Lashley set up for a spear but Theory rolled to the apron. Theory tried a rolling dropkick but Lashley caught him and applied the Hurt Lock.
Bronson Reed jumped in and splashed Lashley in the corner for the DQ. Reed squished Lashley into the ring post and shoved him in the ring. Lashley tried the Hurt Lock but couldn’t get it locked in and Theory dropkicked him from behind.
Reed gave Lashley a Samoan Drop and laid him out with the Tsunami.
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Trish Stratus promo
Stratus said women’s wrestling was a joke when she entered WWE and she single-handedly changed everything. She brought credibility to a non-existent division and Lita had nothing to do with it. She was the women’s division, she was the trailblazer, the first woman to main event Raw, and the first woman to make the people give a crap about the women’s division.
The women’s revolution doesn’t happen without her and instead of chanting “This is awesome” during the WrestleMania match between Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair, they should have been chanting, “Thank you, Trish.”
Becky Lynch would have you believe the revolution started with her but that was a joke. Stratus was content to let Lynch enjoy her own hype but Stratus returned and Lynch never thanked her for opening the door for her. Stratus was nobody’s sidekick.
Stratus bluntly admitted that she was the one who attacked Lita. Stratus wanted her out of the picture because she wanted it crystal clear that the person to screw Lynch out of her titles was her. Stratus also insulted Lynch’s accent.
Stratus said: “I am not a nostalgia act, I am not your childhood fantasy, and I sure as hell am nobody’s sidekick. I am the greatest of all time and I am the single most important figure in the history of WWE and I’m here to ensure none of you forget it.”
Stratus dropped the mic and left.
(It seemed like they added a lot of fake booing here and there have been a few other instances on the show too.)
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Cathy Kelley asked Rhodes if he was satisfied that his match was made official against Lesnar at Backlash. Rhodes was ecstatic but he was also confused.
Rhodes wondered if he was in a mirror universe where he lost at WrestleMania and wasn’t standing there as the champion. In what universe is he the one that’s getting held back by 20 security guards instead of Lesnar? Rhodes said would apologize to Pearce and knew there would be repercussions.
Rhodes said the only way to get through this was to smash his way through and smash the beast. Rhodes said he has backed Lesnar into a corner. The only way out of the corner was for Lesnar to win, and after everything Rhodes has been through, he just can’t allow it.
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Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan watched the following match from ringside.
Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville defeated Michin & Candice LeRae (3:06)
Nikki Cross appeared in the crowd which distracted LeRae, allowing the heels to take over. Michin tagged in and eventually gave Deville a Code Red but Green broke up the cover. Green dropped LeRae on the apron before making a blind tag. Michin didn’t notice and Green gave her an Unprettier for the pinfall win. (This was effectively a clean win for the heels and this did no favours for Michin and LeRae.)
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There was a comedy segment about the draft with the Street Profits, Elias, Rick Boogs, Baron Corbin and Akira Tozawa. Tozawa called Boogs a big star and predicted Elias would be drafted last. Corbin laughed with Tozawa until Tozawa flatly told him, “nobody wants you.” The crowd laughed.
The Usos cut a quick promo saying they would win their match at Backlash.
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Six-man tag team match: Matt Riddle & Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn defeated Finn Bálor, Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio (w/Smackdown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley) (12:28)
Bálor chop-blocked Owens and, with the ref distracted, Ripley turned Owens inside out with a clothesline outside the ring. Riddle quickly tagged in and ran wild on the heels. He gave Bálor an exploder, senton and fisherman’s suplex for two. Riddle was about to wipe out Bálor and Dom with a dive but Priest chokeslammed him onto the apron.
Bálor and Priest continued to work over Riddle following a break. Dom set up for a vertical suplex but Riddle easily countered into a German suplex. Zayn made the hot tag and gave Dom clotheslines and a back body drop before dumping Bálor and Priest from the ring.
Zayn wanted to try a dive but Dom cut him off so Zayn gave him a sunset flip powerbomb. (Dom’s head practically bounced off the mat.) Zayn went up again but Ripley crotched him on the top rope. Dom hit a frog splash but Owens broke up the cover and everyone traded moves.
Zayn went for a dive but Ripley grabbed his leg so the ref tossed her out. Dom put Zayn in a schoolboy for two and Zayn followed with Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Owens tagged in and went for a senton bomb but Dom got his knees up.
Bálor tagged in and hit a shotgun dropkick but Owens dodged the Coup de Grace. Owens gave out stunners to both Bálor and Priest before Zayn gave Bálor a Helluva Kick. Zayn tagged in Riddle so he could hit Bálor with a Floating Bro for the pinfall win. This was fun.
— The Bloodline ran out to attack but they were quickly followed by the LWO. A huge brawl broke out between the heels and faces.
Santos Escobar held down Dom and Rey hit him with a 619 while Owens dropped Priest on the announce desk (and on top of a monitor).
The babyfaces stood tall as Kevin Patrick said that the deal backfired on the Bloodline.