WWE RAW Results: Huge reunion; new champion crowned; top star attacks tag partner
We got another great episode of WWE RAW as we head for Backlash Premium Live Event. We got a brand new Women's World Champion tonight on RAW while the return of The King and Queen of the Ring tournaments was announced.
- Awesome Truth def. DIY to retain the WWE World Tag Team Title
- The New Day def. Imperium
- Sheamus def. Shinsuke Nakamura
- Ricochet & Andrade def. JD McDonagh & Santos Escobar
- Becky Lynch won the Battle Royal and became the new WWE Women's World Champion
Jey Uso kicked off RAW and said he needed to beat Damian Priest at Backlash to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. Damian came out and said that Jey's new image suits him and brought up the time when Uso earned his respect.
Priest said that he was proud to standing across from Jey but then turned it on him, adding that the title shows why Damian is the future of WWE.
Uso got back on the mic and said that Damian was only the leader of Judgment Day because Rhea Ripley got hurt. Jey said he was next in line to be the champ and took shots at Priest before JD McDonagh tried to attack him from behind. Jey dodged the attack and superkicked Priest in the face before running off.
WWE RAW Results (April 22, 2024): Awesome Truth (c) vs. DIY - World Tag Team Title match
Johnny Gargano and R-Truth kicked off the match, and the champs isolated DIY early on before they were sent outside. Gargano hit a big diving crossbody on The Miz to the outside before we headed for a break.
Back on RAW, Truth got a big slam but took a knee to the face before DIY got their combined knee strike finisher on him. Miz dragged Truth out of the ring before DIY could get the pin. Back in the ring, the champs hit the Truth Crushing Finale for the win.
Result: Awesome Truth def. DIY to retain the WWE World Tag Team Titles
Grade: B
Backstage, Damian Priest was mad at JD McDonagh for interfering without being told to. JD said that Jey was insulting the group, and he had to do something about it before Dominik Mysterio showed up with his arm in a sling.
Dom said that he was injured and that Santos Escobar would be taking his place in the tag match tonight. Priest was annoyed and told them to handle their business before walking off.
We learned that there will be an NXT and UFC collaboration in Las Vegas - NXT Battleground will be held at the UFC Apex on June 9.
Gunther and Imperium were out next, and the former champ said that his 666-day run as Intercontinental Champion would put him in the history books. He said that he was living under the weight of everyone's expectations and thanked Sami Zayn for liberating him.
The former IC champ announced his entry into the King of the Ring tournament before The New Day came out. Xavier Woods said that as the defending King of the Ring, he was looking forward to winning the tournament once more.
Gunther said that Woods won by accident before the duo made fun of him for losing the IC title. The former champ sent Imperium after The New Day and we headed for a match shortly after.
The New Day vs. Imperium on WWE RAW
Kofi Kingston started off strong but was overpowered and isolated in the ring by Imperium who hit a clothesline-chop block combo. Xavier Woods took a big kick as well on the apron before he was able to tag in.
Woods came in and got some kicks and a suplex before taking Giovanni Vinci out with a DDT. The New Day took control of the match and managed to hit the Midnight Hour before picking up the win.
Result: The New Day def. Imperium on RAW
Gunther was annoyed with the loss as he tossed his chair at ringside and stared daggers into Ludwig Kaiser at ringside before storming off.
Kaiser went back to the ring, seemingly to help Vinci back to his feet, but then attacked him, tossing him around at ringside and setting him up on the steel steps.
Officials came and dragged him away, but Ludwig broke free and dropkicked Vinci in the head against the steel.
Grade: B
Drew McIntyre was out next. The crowd chanted CM Punk, which made him very angry. Drew recounted how he won and lost the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania before saying he was now aiming to win the King of the Ring tournament.
Sheamus came out and said that Drew was refusing to take responsibility for his own mistakes. The Celtic Warrior said that Drew needed to face facts and that "a one-armed CM Punk kicked his a**".
Drew called Sheamus out for being out of shape before the latter said that he could lose the weight, but McIntyre can't lose being stupid. Drew told Sheamus that they were still friends and that he would be 'watching his back', meaning that the two stars have once again reunited.
Sheamus vs. Shinsuke Nakamura on WWE RAW
Shinsuke Nakamura was in control early on, and Drew McIntyre was defending Sheamus and even stole the mic from the commentators for a bit. Sheamus came back with a clothesline in the ring and hit the Beats of the Bodhran before getting the knee strike on the apron, sending Nakamura outside.
Shinsuke got out of a fireman's carry and hit a big kick before getting a jumping knee off the barricades to the back of the Irishman's neck. Back in the ring, the two traded kicks and near falls before Sheamus got the Brogue Kick out of nowhere and picked up the win.
Result: Sheamus def. Shinsuke Nakamura on RAW
Grade: B+
Bronson Reed attacked Sami Zayn during a backstage interview on RAW, and officials had to step in and drag Reed away.
Chad Gable was out next with Alpha Academy on RAW and said what he did to Sami Zayn last week was justified. He added that Sami taunted him after the match by posing with the championship belt.
He said that he was wasting his time training losers and making fun of his own teammates before individually insulting Akira Tozawa, Maxxine Dupri, and Otis. He called them losers and disappointments before saying that from now on, they would focus on Gable.
Gable tried to get them to swear their allegiance to him, and Otis obliged before Chad tossed his mic and walked off.
Backstage on RAW, we saw Dominik and Ricochet argue about who would win the tag match tonight. Ricochet walked off, and Liv Morgan showed up and got in Dominik's face before we headed for a break.
Ricochet & Andrade vs. JD McDonagh & Santos Escobar on WWE RAW
Santos Escobar was in trouble early on as Ricochet got some big moves but a distraction from Dom allowed JD McDonagh to step in and clear the ring. Ricochet was sent outside before Santos took him out with a hurricanrana from the apron.
Andrade got some big moves, and Ricochet took Santos out with a big knee strike before Andrade and JD got into a slugfest. Santos and JD teamed against Andrade before Ricochet tried for a dive but took a knee strike instead.
Andrade came back with his finisher, The Message (formerly known as La Sombra or The Shadow) on JD and picked up the win.
Result: Ricochet & Andrade def. JD McDonagh & Santos Escobar on RAW
Damian Priest came out of the crowd and attacked Ricochet and Andrade, getting the Razor's Edge and South of Heaven chokeslam on them, respectively.
Priest then walked up to Dominik and JD and told them that he didn't need 'Mami' or anyone else, they needed the Heavyweight Champion.
Grade: B+
We saw Nia Jax and Liv Morgan get into a fight backstage before Becky Lynch showed up and had some words of encouragement for Maxxine Dupri for her first-ever title match before heading out for the main event.
WWE Women's World Championship Battle Royal on RAW
Nia Jax was dominating off the bat and almost took out Natalya but Maxxine Dupri and Ivy Nile eliminated Candice LeRae and then Indi Hartwell as well! Katana Chance and Kayen Carter teamed up against Maxxine and Ivy, but Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler came in and eliminated Chance and Carter.
Nia Jax eliminated Ivy Nile before Maxxine went to defend her friend and got some kicks before being tossed outside as well. Becky Lynch eliminated Piper Niven before the latter dragged Becky out and sent her into the steel steps for a cannonball.
Piper set Becky on the announce desk and dragged Nia outside as well before Jax hit a chokeslam and then a Samoan Drop on Becky on the table! Chelsea Green got eliminated but the refs missed it as Green headed back in and resumed the match as if nothing happened.
During a break, Becky was powerbombed through the table as well by Nia but neither woman was eliminated. Green was eliminated a second time followed by Natalya as Baszler and Stark took control.
Nia eliminated Stark before doing the same to Baszler, leaving Becky and Liv Morgan as her remaining opponents.
Nia was in control in the ring and tried to get the final eliminations after a double suplex on Becky and Liv. Nia headed up to the top rope, but Becky and Liv dropped her and eliminated her, leaving only two women in the match.
Becky took a codebreaker on the apron but dodged the Oblivion before getting the win with the Manhandle slam!
Result: Becky Lynch won the match and became the new WWE Women's World Champion on RAW
Grade: A