4 Mistakes WWE made on RAW (April 28, 2025)
Last week's episode of RAW hit a lot of segments out of the park. Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman aligning with Bron Breakker was a smart move. Showcasing a few women from NXT off the heels of a great Stand & Deliver Premium Live Event made sense.
Rusev and Sami Zayn both returned, making various impacts. Gunther made Pat McAfee and Michael Cole pay for their biased commentary/reporting on The Road to WrestleMania 41.
While this week's episode also had some great moments, like the match between Rhea Ripley and Roxanne Perez, some things missed the mark. WWE made the next four mistakes on the latest episode of RAW.
#4. Logan Paul gets the first shot at Jey Uso?
WWE loves touting itself on social media, and few people in the company are bigger personalities on social media than Logan Paul. He's faced Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns when they were Undisputed WWE Champion.
The problem is, while he will probably (and should) lose to Jey Uso, why is he, of all people, getting the first shot at Jey Uso? He wrestles one match, which he wins, and earns a title opportunity?
It's likely a throwaway feud for one PLE, but it would have been more memorable had Sami Zayn turned on Jey on last week's RAW and earned the first shot. Sami's been stumbling the last few months and needs refreshing.
The best angles are friends turning on each other, and he even teased it last week. Paul doesn't deserve the opportunity, no matter what officials think of him.
#3. Rusev's rather quick manifesto reveal on RAW
Rusev explained why he attacked Otis on RAW after WrestleMania, claiming he was saving others in the locker room from falling into the same abyss he fell into after losing his way.
His message and tone were fine, as he said most of his words with a serious, straight-faced delivery. It just felt too soon for someone to explain their actions since he only went after Alpha Academy.
He mentioned "everyone in the locker room," so the timing would have made more sense had he attacked someone else like AJ Styles, Penta, Dragon Lee, Sheamus, or other faces on RAW.
#2. Gunther vs. Pat McAfee at Backlash
Once Pat McAfee stuck up for Michael Cole and got choked out for it by Gunther, fans knew the brash announcer would be getting back into the ring. He's competed a few times before, so it's not coming from out of nowhere.
The live crowd and casual fans love it because many of them love McAfee's goofy ramblings. The pairing is likely to give Gunther a win after tapping out rather quickly at WrestleMania 41.
Since Logan Paul is getting a title shot, it's disappointing that two celebrities are getting spots at Backlash instead of full-time stars who compete weekly. If McAfee somehow beats The Ring General, it would do irreparable damage to Gunther's mystique.
#1. Sami Zayn says Seth Rollins is jealous and a hypocrite
Whenever a heel does something out of the norm, a face usually says it's because the heel is jealous, delusional, or a hypocrite. Sami Zayn said this to Rollins after he aligned with Heyman and Breakker on the RAW after WrestleMania weekend.
It's the reasoning Cody Rhodes, Cole, Randy Orton, and others used when Kevin Owens acted out. Jealousy was also how Cole and Damian Priest interpreted why Drew McIntyre was mad at being cheated out of the WWE title several times.
Writers need a better line than "you're jealous" when a face confronts a heel. It's been used too often and feels like a lazy copout. The Visionary claimed it was for the future of the industry. Punk and Reigns don't have anyone by their side who is the future of the industry.
Zayn's reasoning makes little sense since he joined the Bloodline and betrayed his best friend (Owens) at Roman's behest. It also feels like Sami is giving Reigns a pass for the last four years while blaming Rollins for outsmarting them.