After The Greatest Royal Rumble. WWE Raw looks towards building up Backlash. Hometown heroes receive a huge welcome. Will there be an explanation to the Brock vs Roman end or the Titus Worldwide Slide? Will the women of Raw return with full force? Let’s get this started!

 

The controversial ending of the Brock vs Roman addressed. HUGE welcoming for the hometown heroes! Walking in the WWE.

The show kicks off with Roman Reigns walking out to address the controversial ending at The Greatest Royal Rumble. WWE is using referee Chad Patton as a scape goat. Roman goes to explain that he is the true Universal Champion. The crowd disagrees. Samoa Joe interrupts via a video on the Titantron. Afterwards, Jinder Mahal arrives for an opportunity.

Then the roof explodes! Hometown hero Sami Zayn! Arriving to a huge pop. Sami makes his case in having a match vs Roman. Just when you think the crowd was exhausted. Enter Kevin Owens, another hometown hero. The crowd is ecstatic. Roman is attacked, Bobby Lashley comes in for the save. It is not enough. Enter the Monster, Braun Strowman. This all leads up to a 6-man tag match later on.

The Drifter is welcomed from the crowd. Elias gives the welcoming audience a new song. A song about Bobby Roode. The Glorious One interrupts and begins the match. This seemed like Elias’s coming out match. He was in control for most of the match. Roode strung a few moves together. However Elias targeted Roode’s throat. After Bobby Roode seemed poised to take over the match. Elias rams Roode in to the turnbuckle outside. Looking like the move further damaged his throat. The Match is called off. Elias announces that he is the winner.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1PYrdPmt2c&w=640&h=360]

 

Seth Rollins is a fighting champion. AOP continues a path of destruction. A boss vs Boss match. The Woken duo continue their path in history.

Seth Rollins comes out to a huge pop. The crowd was so welcoming that it took Rollins by surprised. Seth had to take a couple of minutes before even starting his promo. Before he could finish announcing that he will be a fighting champion, Finn Balor enters. Balor wants a championship match. The Miztourage enters to a skit and beat down. An Intercontinental Championship match is booked between Finn and Seth.

AOP continue their dominance over competitors that are not heard of. A quick squash match. Which led in to AOP in cutting a promo. Not too bad, but not great at all.

Sasha Banks Vs Ruby Riott with the Riott Squad.

This match was pretty much dominated by Ruby Riott. Ruby took control from the start. The Riott Squad leader landed big moves left and right. However, The Boss seemed to find a way out. This led to frustrate Riott. Leaving her open to a few counters. The Riott Squad, consisting of Liv Morgan and Sarah Morgan seized the opportunity to get involed in the match. Sasha quickly takes them out. Only to leave herself open to a Riott Kick. Ruby gets the pinfall.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ag1sSqAaxo&w=640&h=360]

 

Woken Matt Hardy provides us with a Woken history tour. It was enlightening. I never knew that Matt and Bray was always a part of history.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp8t8AweRH0&w=640&h=360]

 

The Six-Man tag match. A Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler warning. The Intercontinental Championship match!

The muscle vs the hometown heroes. Yes, Jinder Mahal is from Canada. This was one the rare occasions that the faces are either booed or the crowd didn’t care. With the heels taking over the pops in the crowd. Roman Starts off the match with a course of boos. Quickly the native heroes of Sami and Owens take control.

This was a the theme of the match. Every time the good guys gained control. Sami and Owens turned it in their favor with great teamwork. Up next Bobby Lashley. He too succumbs to the KO/Sami teamwork. The match goes on just like this until Braun Strowman gets the hot tag. The Monster Among Men goes supernova. Running laps outside to take out Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.

Braun misses Jinder with a shoulder tackle. In which leads to Sami trying to capitalize. Lashley intercepts. Jinder Mahal and Kevin Owens go super kick crazy! Owens hits a Super Kick on Braun in the turnbuckle. KO goes for a Cannonball only to have Braun pop up and deliver a power slam for the win.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RTMvAhKtAc&w=640&h=360]

In between we get a No Way Jose vs Baron Corbin match. Jose wins from a Titus World Wide interruption. A Mickie James Alexa Bliss in her corner with vs Natalya with Ronda Rousey in hers, match. A quick for Nat with Ronda chasing Alexa outside and Nia Jax arriving for the highlights.

Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler puts Raw’s tag team division on notice. I loved every second of it.

Intercontinental Championship Match.

The challenger Finn Balor vs The Champion Seth Rollins.

What is there to say? When these two face off against each other, it is great match. The two furiously counter each others moves. Whenever either competitor seem to get an advantage. The other brings them down. This match so many “what if” scenarios that I can give highlights.

After a back and forth, Seth hits a Revolutionary Knee. The action takes to the top rope. Both men trading blows. Finn knocks Seth off the top rope. However, Seth runs up the top turnbuckles like a cat! Rollins starts his Superplex to Falcon Arrow combo. But Finn counters mid way and delivers his own Flacon Arrow! After two countered Curb Stomps. Finn goes for a Slingblade. Which Seth hits a Superkick and a Curb Stomp for the win!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCQrAuIenMI&w=640&h=360]

 

Afterthoughts.

This Raw was in a hard spot. Being the follow-up show to a glorified house show PPV in Saudi Arabia. This show had to answer questions from it. While not derailing the story they had set for the main cannon. Overall, it was a decent show. The pop for Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens was insane! I can not recall those two receiving such a pop. Same goes for Seth Rollins. There was a point where he just let the crowd go. As in build up and action goes. Seth vs Finn is ALWAYS a sure bet. What surprised me was Elias getting some in-ring time to showcase his moves. The guy is really strong and agile. Now let’s the ladies involved again!