WWE Raw ResultsApril 8, 2024Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Wells Fargo Arena)Commentary: Michael Cole and Pat McAfeeResults by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com
“Then. Now. Forever. Together.” The WWE video leads us into the show.
WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque makes his way to the ring to a big ovation. Michael Cole says, “The Paul Levesque Era is officially here.” This is the 17th consecutive televised sellout. The stage tonight is smaller to accommodate more fans. Levesque gets in the ring and poses to loud applause. A loud “Triple H” chant thunders over the sound of Motörhead’s “The Game.”
Levesque stands in the center of the ring, and a massive “Thank you, Hunter” chant picks up. Levesque says, “Here’s the thing. I came out here to thank you!” Less than 24 hours ago, they all made something very special happen. He can now really tell them that was the greatest WrestleMania of all time! By every single metric and standard there is, as well as everything they said, it was the biggest WrestleMania ever. Levesque is out here to simply say, “Thank you.”
On Saturday, he had the privilege of standing in the ring and welcoming everyone to WrestleMania. Now, he has the privilege of welcoming everyone to Monday Night Raw. On Saturday, he also welcomed us to a new time and era. Levesque wants everyone to welcome the man who will lead them into that new era. Levesque introduces the brand new Undisputed WWE Champion, “The American Nightmare,” Cody Rhodes.
“Wrestling has more than one royal family.”
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes makes his way to the ring to a massive reception. The crowd loudly sings his song and begins chanting, “Cody.” Rhodes poses on the turnbuckles and motions to the crowd. There is a section holding up signs with Rhodes’ logo on it. Rhodes gets in the ring and shakes hands with Levesque. Levesque looks beyond proud of Rhodes and holds his arm up.
The music stops, and the entire crowd chants, “Cody.” The crowd then begins chanting, “You deserve it.” Rhodes looks beyond moved. Levesque says, “Before I leave, I just wanted to say, ‘Congratulations.’” Levesque congratulates Rhodes on bringing to an end one of the most incredible title runs of all time in Roman Reigns, for headlining the biggest WrestleMania of all time, and for being part of the biggest gate in Monday Night Raw history. Last night after the show, he got a call from two guys in production that Rhodes has known for a long time. They made something for Rhodes and asked Levesque to share it with him. Levesque watched it and wanted to share it with the world. Because they set the largest gate, they had to shrink everything to get more fans here to see Rhodes, so they have TV monitors at ringside to do this. Triple H says, “This is for you.”
Video: A beautiful video showcases Cody Rhodes’ journey from the start to the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. An emotional Rhodes is shown watching the video.
Another loud “Cody” chant fires up. Rhodes embraces Levesque, and the crowd roars in approval. Another loud “You deserve it” chant picks up. Levesque leaves the champion in the ring by himself. Rhodes lays the championship belt on the mat, kneels, and kisses it. Rising from his knees, Rhodes says, “So… Raw after WrestleMania… Philadelphia… whattaya wanna talk about?” Another “Cody” chant fires up. Rhodes thought he knew what he wanted to talk about. Rhodes calls attention to Samantha Irvin, the Raw ring announcer who announced both nights of WrestleMania. The crowd chants, “Samantha.” Rhodes says he’s sure she knows what he’s going to ask of her. Irvin says, “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the new Undisputed WWE Champion, ‘The American Nightmare’ Cody Rhodes!” Rhodes loves it.
Two years ago, on the Raw after WrestleMania, he came out here and laid out his goals. Last night at WrestleMania 40, that dream became a reality. He has been told the altitude in Philadelphia is 39 feet above sea level. The air feels thin because they’re standing on top of the mountain. The champion previously on top of the mountain was “The Tribal Chief,” “The Head of the Table,” Roman Reigns. The crowd boos his name. 1,316 days as champion… we don’t have to like him, but Rhodes certainly acknowledges what he’s done. Perhaps Reigns is the most important star of their generation. A “Thank you, Roman” chant picks up. Rhodes says Reigns may be the most important superstar of his generation, and Rhodes was the man destined to defeat him.
A big question people ask when you get into wrestling and sports entertainment is why you do this. They have a unique setup with this wonderfully huge house, and Rhodes wants to show one of his main whys.
Video: Cody Rhodes’ young daughter is shown saying, “Papa, finish the story!”
Rhodes wants his daughter Libby to know that when Papa goes to work, he goes to work in the main event. When Papa is fighting, he is no longer fighting as a challenger but instead as a champion. This is a unique predicament for him. He’s always stood in line. Now, the line is for him. Rhodes says, “Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Cody Rhodes; once undesirable, become undeniable, and now Undisputed Universal WWE Champion!” The crowd roars in approval.
“IF YA SMELL WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKIN’!”
“The Final Boss” The Rock, carrying his People’s Championship, given to him by Muhammad Ali’s widow Lonnie this past Friday at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, makes his way to the ring. The crowd is stunned. The Rock pinned Cody Rhodes in the Main Event of WrestleMania Saturday. The Rock gets in the ring and poses on the turnbuckles.
The Rock stands in the ring and stares at Cody Rhodes. There is a “Rocky” chant before transitioning into a loud “Undertaker” chant. The Undertaker appeared in the main event of last night’s WrestleMania and gave The Rock a Chokeslam. The Rock continues to stare at Rhodes. He slowly lifts the microphone, but he puts it down when the crowd begins to boo him. A “Rocky sucks” chant fires up. The Rock tries again but then puts the microphone down to loud boos. The Rock starts to speak, but the crowd boos him down. The so-called People’s Champion looks at the crowd as they chant, “Shut the f–k up!”
The Rock waits and shouts, “Now The Rock says… The Rock is a lot of things, Philadelphia, but ‘sucks’ isn’t one of them.” The crowd chants, “It doesn’t matter,” before going into “a–hole.” The Rock says, “Before we begin, The Rock came out here to deliver flowers to Cody Rhodes and also say that Philadelphia broke another record for the largest gathering of trailer park trash!” The crowd erupts in laughter and starts to cheer. Michael Cole and Pat McAfee are rolling on commentary. The Rock shouts some curses at the crowd. The crowd is absolutely buzzing. The crowd curses back at him until Rhodes holds the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship up to HUGE cheers. The Rock holds his People’s Championship up to loud boos.
The Rock says he’s out here with no fireworks or blood being spilled. The Rock wants to give Rhodes his flowers. They can chant what they want, but this is between them. Rhodes completed the story, beat all the odds, and defeated Roman Reigns in the middle of the ring 1-2-3. All the stuff Rhodes had to overcome: The Rock made him bleed, ripped his clothes, and split his skin. The Rock even made a special belt and whooped him like a belt. He even put a special name on the belt, “Mama Rhodes.” Mama Rhodes was so happy and had a big smile on her face. She was proud of her boy. Rhodes’ daddy in heaven had a big smile on his face as well. A “Dusty” chant fires up. The Rock says many people know “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes was his dream. His father, “Soulman” Rocky Johnson, was friends with Dusty. The Rock’s father may not have been too proud of him for all the bad things he did to Cody, but The Rock doesn’t care. Rhodes did it and finished his story. Rhodes has a brand-new belt with a new nameplate.
The Rock says his People’s Championship is not fake. Years ago, when he was in the Nation of Domination, Muhammad Ali permitted him to call himself The People’s Champion. His widow, Lonnie, gave it to him. The Rock is proud of his title but wants to know if he can hold Rhodes’ title. Rhodes and the crowd are confused. The Rock has held many titles throughout his career, but he’s never held that one. Rhodes asks if he really wants to hold this one. The Rock says, “I do.” Rhodes says The Rock can hold it for a moment as long as he can hold The Rock’s. The Rock says, “Sure, of course, absolutely. I’d be honored for you to hold the People’s Champ title. Yes.”
The Rock holds out the People’s Championship, and Rhodes cautiously takes it. Rhodes then hands his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship to The Rock. The Rock looks at the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, and the crowd chants, “This is awkward.” The Rock says wearing this title feels right. The Rock thanks Rhodes and hands the title back. Rhodes hands back the People’s Championship. The Rock says that meant a lot. As Rhodes and many others know, The Rock has got to go away for a little while now. The crowd is mixed. The Rock says he loves professional wrestling and made it cool again, as did Rhodes. The crowd starts to sing, “Kiss Him Goodbye.” The Rock laughs and nods.
The Rock says he’ll go away, but when he comes back, whether Rhodes is champion or not, he’s coming back for him. Rhodes says, “I’m looking forward to it.” The Rock says he’s looking forward to it, as is the world. The Rock says that yesterday, at the biggest WrestleMania of all time, he beat Roman Reigns in the middle of the ring. However, less than 24 hours before that, The Rock beat Rhodes in the middle of the ring 1-2-3. Rhodes’ story with Roman Reigns is over. He did it. Their story… has just begun. The crowd roars in approval. Rhodes says, “I believe that because you’re the boss, right? You are the Final Boss, but you’re also on the board with TKO. You’re my literal boss, right?” The Rock concurs. Rhodes says he doesn’t dispute that, but he doesn’t think The Rock will dispute this. Rhodes says, “I am the champion. I am their champion. And, Boss, that means I’m your champion.” Rhodes stares right into The Rock’s eyes, and The Rock stares right back. A loud “Cody” chant picks up.
The Rock says, “You are their champion. You are the World’s Champion. You are my champion. Cody Rhodes, there’s one last thing before the Final Boss rides off into the sunset. I have something to give you. No fireworks.” The Rock reaches into his pocket and appears to pull something out. The Rock puts something in Rhodes’ hand. The Rock says Rhodes doesn’t need to open his hand to know what this is. The Rock says, “Don’t you ever break my heart again. If you smell what the Final Boss is cookin’.” Rhodes stares at The Rock as his music plays and leaves the ring.
Wow… so much going on in that 45 minute segment to kick off the show. First, Cody Rhodes is absolutely red hot, without question as hot or even hotter than Daniel Bryan was 10 years ago. The endorsing by Paul Levesque and the video was highly emotional. #WWERaw— Wrestleview.com (@wrestleview) April 9, 2024
Next, this stuff with Cody Rhodes and The Rock is going to be unbelievably epic. That was a hell of a confrontation with them. I’m sure he put his grandfather’s Hall of Fame ring in Rhodes’ hand to let him know how personal it is. Top to bottom, it was just amazing. #WWERaw— Wrestleview.com (@wrestleview) April 9, 2024
The Judgment Day with new World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest, Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley, Finn Bálor, JD McDonagh, and “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio are shown entering the arena earlier today. New Raw Tag Team Champions Awesome Truth are also shown arriving at the arena. New WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn is also shown arriving with his family.
Michael Cole and Pat McAfee break down what just happened with The Rock and Cody Rhodes. The Spanish announce team is also at ringside.
Non-Title MatchShinsuke Nakamura vs. NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov
Before the match starts, Michael Cole announces that the 2024 Draft will be held on April 26 on SmackDown and will conclude on the April 29 Raw.
The bell rings, and Nakamura quickly kicks Dragunov down. They brawl in the center of the ring before Nakamura takes him down. An “NXT” chant fires up. Nakamura knees Dragunov in the head before standing him up and kicking him in the chest. Nakamura knees him in the head, but Dragunov quickly kicks him back. Dragunov takes Nakamura down and comes off the second rope with a flying knee. Dragunov applies a waistlock and hits a snap German Suplex. Dragunov keeps the grip applied and hits a second German Suplex. Nakamura fights out of a third and sends him into the ropes. Dragunov rebounds off the ropes and hits the Constantine Special, a stiff lariat. Dragunov heads to the top rope for a flying senton splash, but Nakamura rolls out of the way. Dragunov is up in the corner and tries to boot a charging Nakamura back, but Nakamura blocks it and swings him onto the ropes. Nakamura slides under the ropes and hits a snap German Suplex. Nakamura comes off the second rope with a flying knee to the chest for a two-count.
Nakamura sets up for a Kinshasa, but Dragunov sidesteps it and hits a German Suplex. Nakamura quickly pops up and knees him in the back of the head for a near fall. Nakamura applies a chin lock. The crowd chants for Dragunov. Dragunov fights out and chops the chest. Dragunov sets Nakamura up for what looks like a powerbomb, but Nakamura counters with a back body drop. Nakamura knees him in the face and charges, but Dragunov responds with a big boot. Dragunov grabs Nakamura and delivers a vicious powerbomb. Dragunov follows up with an H-Bomb, a falling forearm to the face. Dragunov connects with a running head-butt called Torpedo Moscow for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov
A really good showcase match for #WWENXT Champion Ilja Dragunov. The big news is that the #WWEDraft is happening at the end of the month, starting on #SmackDown on April 26 and ending on #WWERaw on April 29.— Wrestleview.com (@wrestleview) April 9, 2024
Video: Last night at WrestleMania Sunday, Drew McIntyre defeated Seth “Freakin” Rollins to win the World Heavyweight Championship. McIntyre would taunt CM Punk, who was on commentary, prompting Punk to attack him. Damian Priest then ran down, cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, and beat McIntyre to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
A very unhappy Drew McIntyre is shown entering the arena earlier today. Later tonight, McIntyre will compete in a #1 Contender’s Fatal 4-Way along with “Main Event” Jey Uso, Ricochet, and “Big” Bronson Reed.
World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest is walking backstage with the Judgment Day. We’ll hear from them next.
-Commercial Break-
Video: WrestleMania 40 broke all kinds of records for WWE.
The Judgment Day celebrates their WrestleMania successes
Finn Bálor, “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, and JD McDonagh of the Judgment Day are standing in the ring. The crowd is loudly booing them. Bálor says to all the haters, doubters, the people who thought Rhea couldn’t beat Becky Lynch, and the people who thought Damian Priest would never cash in Money in the Bank and become Señor World Heavyweight Champion, they were all wrong. Bálor laughs at the crowd. “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio grabs the microphone to LOUD boos. Mysterio shouts, “And STILL Women’s World Champion, my Mami, Rhea Ripley!”
Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley makes her way to the ring. Ripley gets in the ring and embraces her Judgment Day stablemates. A loud “Mami” chant fires up. Ripley says WrestleMania was almost perfect. They have a few new problems they need to deal with, but two things came out of this weekend. One is that Mami is always on top. The other one is that this is a new era for the Judgment Day. Bálor presents the new World Heavyweight Champion, Damian Priest.
“ALL RISE!”
World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest makes his way to the ring. As Priest gets in, a “You deserve it” chant picks up. Priest says, “You’re damn right I do.” Priest refers to himself and Ripley as “The Terror Twins.” They always rise to the occasion. The world needs to follow suit and rise for the Judgment Day.
All of a sudden, R-Truth stands between Priest and Ripley with his Raw Tag Team Championship! The crowd roars. Priest says they’re not doing this again. R-Truth says he brought the Raw Tag Team Championship back to the Judgment Day. R-Truth wants to change subjects. They’re a little picky about picking people for the group. R-Truth is only one half of the Raw Tag Team Champs.
Raw Tag Team Champion The Miz makes his way to the ring. The Miz says he doesn’t want to be in Judgment Day. R-Truth doesn’t want to be either. Priest shouts that R-Truth isn’t in the Judgment Day, but R-Truth shouts that he is. The Miz gets in the ring and pulls R-Truth to his side. The crowd chants, “Yes, he is.” Miz says since they’re introducing new champions, he wants to introduce to Judgment Day and Philadelphia the new Raw Tag Team Champions Awesome Truth.
Bálor says it’s funny that Awesome Truth will have the shortest Tag Title reigns. Since they spoiled their celebration, they can put their Raw Tag Team Titles on the line right here and now. R-Truth says they can’t because there are only three of them. Bálor is confused. The Miz asks if R-Truth is talking about a real person and not Little Jimmy. R-Truth says they can have a 6-man Tag Team Match against him, The Miz, and the guy you can’t see. The crowd roars. McDonagh wants to get this right. The two of them and an invisible man against the Judgment Day… McDonagh agrees to the match.
The Miz says he wants to physically see their partner. R-Truth starts to introduce this person, but Judgment Day attacks Miz and R-Truth. R-Truth and Miz are sent out of the ring. The Judgment Day stands tall in the ring.
-Commercial Break-
3-on-2 Handicap MatchThe Judgment Day (Finn Bálor, “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, and JD McDonagh) vs. Raw Tag Team Champions Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth)
We join this match in progress. Mysterio is hitting R-Truth with the Three Amigos, but R-Truth fights out of the third. Mysterio cuts him off and tags in JD McDonagh. McDonagh stomps R-Truth down until the referee backs him up. The Miz runs into the ring to help, but the referee holds him back. McDonagh chokes R-Truth on the middle rope before applying a rear chin lock. R-Truth fights up, but McDonagh pulls him down by the hair. Mysterio quickly tags in and stomps away at R-Truth for a two-count. Mysterio whips R-Truth to the corner and charges, but R-Truth sidesteps him.
The Miz tags in and hits Mysterio with a springboard cross-body block. Miz knocks McDonagh off the apron and attacks Mysterio in the corner. Miz connects with his trademark corner clothesline. Bálor tries to attack, but Miz boots him down. Miz his Mysterio with a kneeling DDT while giving McDonagh a regular DDT. Miz covers Mysterio for a two-count. Miz goes for a Skull Crushing Finale on Mysterio, but he gets out. Miz elbows Mysterio back, but he’s quickly taken down by Bálor. The referee didn’t see that. Bálor pulls Miz out of the ring and double-teams him with McDonagh. They whip Miz into the LED apron.
-Commercial Break-
Picture-in-Picture Commercial Break: They get Miz in the ring. Bálor tags in and punches away at Miz. Miz tries to fight back, but he’s quickly cut off. McDonagh tags in and takes it to the Miz. Mysterio tags in and hits a slingshot senton. Bálor quickly tags in and attacks Miz. Bálor elbows Miz in the head and chokes him on the middle rope. The referee backs Bálor up, so Mysterio gets some cheap shots in. Bálor goes to suplex Miz into the ring, but Miz fights it. Miz goes for a sunset flip, but Bálor rolls through and hits a basement dropkick for a two-count. Bálor puts Miz in the corner and tags Mysterio in. Mysterio starts the Three Amigos and successfully completes it for a two-count. Bálor tags in and applies a chin lock.
Back from the break, Miz fights out of a chin lock and punches Bálor back. Bálor stops him from making a tag and knees Miz. They then take each other with a double clothesline. McDonagh quickly tags in and stops Miz from making a tag. Miz kicks him away and goes to tag R-Truth, but Mysterio pulls R-Truth off the apron. Bálor and Mysterio double-team R-Truth at ringside. McDonagh mounts Miz and punches away at him. McDonagh gets up and flexes his muscles.
JOHN CENA’S MUSIC HITS!! HE IS THE MAN YOU CANNOT SEE!!
John Cena runs down and gets on the apron. Cena grabs the tag rope, and Miz makes the hot tag. Cena ducks a clothesline and hits McDonagh with a pair of shoulder tackles, followed by a back suplex powerbomb. Bálor runs in, and R-Truth hits a back suplex powerbomb. Mysterio runs in, and Miz catches him with a back suplex powerbomb. This is a childhood dream for R-Truth to team up with his hero, even though he’s older than Cena. They hit a triple 5 Knuckle Shuffle, which Michael Cole calls a 15 Knuckle Shuffle. They then hit a trio of Attitude Adjustments on the Judgment Day for the win!
Winners by Pinfall: Raw Tag Team Champions The Miz and R-Truth, and John Cena
John Cena celebrates with Raw Tag Team Champions The Miz and R-Truth.
Phenomenal surprise with John Cena teaming with The Miz and R-Truth to defeat the Judgment Day. Great surprise, exactly what you would expect on the #WWERaw after #WrestleMania. It’s been a while since we’ve had a really great #RawAfterMania. This show is FLYING by.— Wrestleview.com (@wrestleview) April 9, 2024
Video: “Big” Bronson Reed won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal this past Friday on SmackDown.
Backstage Segment
“Big” Bronson Reed says Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, and “Main Event” Jey Uso will find out who the real World Heavyweight Champion should be.
-Commercial Break-
WrestleMania weekend had a total of five events with 201,924 people combined attending.
Backstage Segment
Women’s World Cha …
Read full post on WWE News, WWE Results, AEW News, AEW Results