WWE Monday Night Raw 4/28/2025
Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/04/wwe-monday-night-raw-4212025.html
Next week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/05/wwe-monday-night-raw-552025.html
We are in Kansas City, MO. Pat McAfee and Michael Cole are on commentary.
We see various wrestlers arrive. Gunther has been fined and suspended indefinitely.
We see clips from last week's Raw.
Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker and Paul Heyman come out. Bron is wearing a suit and looks silly in it. Seth has stupid sunglasses with eyes on them. Seth does his usual lines and says we are looking at the winner of Wrestlemania. He says we are looking at the future of our industry runs through Bron and him.
Sami Zayn comes out. Seth asks if he saw Mania and Sami says very good. Sami says his new group is a load of crap. Sami asks how he's any different than Roman? Seth says how can this not be different? Sami said he thought Seth had this deep hatred for Punk but says maybe he's just jealous. Seth says this is the vision for the future.
Sami says it's hypocritical. He says Seth talked about Bloodline and Sami says this is like The Bloodline. He says Bron is Seth's little dog and says he will get his face kciked in if he keeps looking at him like that. Seth says this is the vision for the future and you are either with them or become a target. Seth says this thing is bigger than them.
Seth says they can pull strings and get Sami moved off of Raw. Seth says Sami won't buy in so maybe they can cash him out. Seth says it's not a threat but an offer and a favor. Seth tells him to think about it but they will need an answer by the end of the night.
Seth goes to leave and Bron stares down Sami.
Rhea Ripley vs Roxanne Perez
I guess RP is done with NXT now? RP has new pink dye in her hair. RP rolls out of a lock-up and goes out. RP comes back in and does it again. RP then throws Rhea's gear at her and clips her. RP boots her. Rhea is knocked into the buckles. Rhea boots her out of the corner. RP rolls up Rhea and hits kicks to the leg.
RP dropkicks her out. RR catches RP's tope and slams her into the rails. RP is dropped throat first on the rails. RR knocks RP off the apron. RP bangs RR's leg off the post. RR blocks a russian legsweep then lariats her. RP boots her out of the corner.
RR catches RP's crossbody then suplexes her. RR hits a nice dropkick and RP goes out. We go break and return. RP does an indian deathlock variation. RR boots her away and upkicks her from the apron. RR hits short arm clotheslines and hits a razor's edge. RR sliding dropkicks her for 2.
RR clubs on her and Giulia comes down. RP cradles her and does a spike hurricanrana. RP does Meiko Satomura's cartwheel double knee drop on RR's neck. RR knees her in the face. RR headbutts her. Giulia clips Rhea and causes the DQ.
Thoughts: We had a "work the limb" match but it ended via DQ and made a lot of that go to waste. What we got was fine but it would have been nice to get a clean finish.
Giulia and RP beat up on Rhea after. Iyo Sky comes down for the save. She rolls Giulia into a double stomp. Iyo goes to springboard and Giulia trips her up.
The Judgment Day talk in the back. Finn says JD didn't tell him he was returning and he isn't cool with it. Liv asks why they aren't getting ready for their match. Finn asks what match? JD says they have a match with The War Raiders. Finn asks if they can please keep him in the loop around here. Carlito says it looks like everyone will be a champ.
Logan Paul is in the ring. He says the fans don't know greatness when it stands in front of them. He says the people are so stupid. He brings up Jey Uso and said he did everything but win a world title. He tells Jey to consider his days numbered.
Jey Uso comes out. He calls Logan a punk @ss youtuber. He says Gunther beating up Jimmy lit a fire in him that won't go out. Jey tells him that if he wants the title, come and take it. He then says "yeet". Logan says he sounds stupid and said he did more in 4 years than Jey did in 15. He says he will take his title and says Jey will do what he does best - crash out, screw up and lose the title in less time than he held the IC Title. He tells him to enjoy it while he still can and gets superkicked.
The War Raiders (Erik and Ivar) vs The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and JD McDonaugh)
The New Day are on commentary. Ivar knocks over JD. JD hits Ivar from behind then boots him in the corner. Finn pounds on Ivar in the corner. Ivar hits a nice back body drop on JD. Erik overhead throws Finn then dropkicks JD. Erik knees JD in the chest and throws him out.
The Raiders do stereo slams on the heels. Ivar slams JD then Erik slams Ivar onto JD. Ivar misses a crossbody against the side of the ring and goes into it. We go to break and return.
JD hits corner punches on Erik. Erik hits a big forearm. Ivar comes in and shoulders over then sideslams Finn. Ivar splashes Finn. Ivar butt drops Finn in the corner then spinning heel kicks JD.
Ivar does a bronco buster in the corner. Ivar misses a top rope moonsault. Ivar is pulled over the top. JD asai moonsaults The Raiders outside. JD top rope moonsaults Ivar for 2. Ivar does a handspring double back elbow. Finn and JD are darted into each other outside. The New Day talk trash at commentary. Ivar throws Finn into them and splashes them.
Carlito gets involved and JD jawbreakers Erik. JD goes up top and Penta pushes JD off the top. JD takes a war machine and is pinned.
Thoughts: I liked it. The small guys bumped and the big guys did their big guy stuff. They also got Penta and New Day involved here to build up those feuds.
Penta struts on the commentary table after.
Otis, Sami Zayn and Paul Heyman are in the back. Paul asks Otis to leave. Paul says he thought about what Sami said. Paul says him and Sami are OG Bloodline. Sami said Paul blew up whatever was left of it. Paul says he respected Sami's reason for breaking away from Bloodline and said maybe someday Sami will respect him doing what he had to do. Paul says Bron is demanding a match with Sami and Seth and him can't say no to it. Paul says Bron is the key to their plans.
Paul says Seth offers Sami a pass if he accepts being traded to Smackdown. Paul says Sami can face the winner of Cena/Orton if he goes to SD. Paul tells him to think of the future. He says Sami can live in the future or die with the past. Paul then looks at Bron at the door.
Becky Lynch heads to the ring. We go to break and return. Becky enters the ring. BL says Bayley was taken out of her Mania match and says she did it. She says Bay has attacked her since 2019 and never apologized. She says Bay forgot what this business is. She says Bay complains about not being a bigger star and Becky says she got to see what was one like when she walked down the ramp at Mania. She says an enemy of an enemy is a friend but says the reverse is true.
BL says she had high hopes for Lyra but she was hanging with Bayley. She said she tried to get Bayley to ditch her. She says it's too late and Lyra is already a loser.
Lyra Valkyria comes out. Lyra asks if she knows how many women warned her about Becky. She says Bayley was one of the first. She says she was too caught up in the dream of Irish tag champs at Mania and said she had high hopes for her. She says she knows what Becky is. She says she's about to make her pay. Becky slides out. Lyra asks if she's thinking about the last time she fought when she beat her and took the NXT Title. Becky says she only fights when it matters and that's not in Kansas City.
Lyra challenges her for Backlash and says it can be for the title. She says she will make the title matter like she did Lyra. Lyra says she doesn't want to be the next Becky Lynch. She says she will be a better person than her and says she's a better wrestler than her. Becky yells at her and is dropkicked through the ropes. Lyra hits mounted shots one her. Becky then runs.
Lyra poses on the stage and Becky hits her from behind.
Thoughts: It was the most personality Lyra has gotten to show on the main roster, so this was a win.
Nick Aldis and Penta talk in the back. Nick says he won't fine Penta tonight and says he is making JD McDonaugh vs Penta next week.
Chad Gable and Ivy Nile comes in. Chad says look at Penta now - losing at Mania. He says it's not zero meido but zero comebacks. He said his favorite moment of Mania was watching his brother Rey Fenix lose at Mania. Penta then kicks him and talks in mix of English and Spanish.
We get a Rusev video. He said he had it all - the gold, the fame and a tank at Mania. He said he lost himself in the abyss. He said he healed himself in the abyss. He said he realized he won't fight for a flag that wasn't his or a flag that that never was. He says he's finally free to crush people. He says the lack of suffering ends now. He says she hunt and fix like he fixed himself. He says there will be no hardship and loss.
Stephanie Vaquer vs Ivy Nile
Ivy takes her down for 2 then rides her on the front facelock. SV takes her down and bridges her. Ivy side headlocks her then shoulders her over. SV shoulders her over. Ivy flying headscissors her then headscissors her into a pin attempt for 2.
SV suplexes her. Ivy pulls SV's arms back. SV flips out of it and bangs her head off the mat with a headscissors. We go to break and return. SV bangs Ivy's head off the mat with a headscissors again. SV corner meteora's her for 2. Chad puts Ivy's foot on the ropes during the pin attempt. SV goes out after Chad. Ivy then germans her on the floor.
Ivy flying kicks her in the corner then germans her for 2. Ivy goes up top and is hit. They go up top. SV hits headbutts. SV superplexes her for 2. They trade shots on their knees then get up. SV kicks her in the gut then Ivy does a pendulum side slam for 2.
Ivy is put on the 2nd rope. SV kicks her in the gut and does a hard dragon screw down. SV hits an SVB and pins her.
Thoughts: It wasn't anything special. I thought this match showed well what SV is - a girl who is an average worker without a ton of logic to her or big skills as a face/heel. Ivy didn't impress but she sadly never really does. The crowd did like SV though.
Aldis talks to AJ in the back. He says if anyone knows how to make a comeback, it's AJ. He says he has a lot of opponents for him. Liv, Dom and Raquel come in. Liv says she needs time off as she's filming a movie. Aldis agrees. Dom says he needs time off because he's champ and can do what he wants. Aldis says when you are champ, your workload doubles. Dom asks if Aldis will talk to AJ about a retirement home. He asks if AJ broke a hip and AJ says he's thinking of breaking something else. AJ says Aldis talked about opportunities and he has an idea.
Thoughts: This was a dumb segment. Liv gets time off for being champ yet says Dom's workload doubles.
Sami Zayn and Karrion Kross talk in the back. Kross says hopefully Sami makes the right decision tonight.
Cole apologizes for getting Pat in trouble with Gunther last week. He says he has earned the opportunity to give opinions. We then see Gunther attack Pat last week. Pat gets on the commentary table. He says he forgot who he was but is still the dog. He says his dad was a truck driver that went paycheck to paycheck. He says he went from an irrelevant bum to someone who is known by everyone. He says he hopes people say he was a hard worker when he is dead. He brags about donating money and says he hopes people say he was loyal. He says you are with him or against him. He says he will be loyal to Cole and says if someone wants something with Cole, he will protect him.
He said he had no choice but to protect Cole last week. He said his family told him he shouldn't do that to Gunther. He says something that is bleeped out and says if he dies, he dies. He says if you have a problem with Cole, you have a problem with him.
He asks "Smackdown's version of Adam Pearce" to come out. Aldis comes out. He says he's in charge tonight. He asks Pat to keep it professional. He says he wants to fight Gunther asap. Aldis says Pat can fight Gunther 1v1 at Backlash. Pat agrees.
We get a video on Cena and Orton's rivalry.
Sami Zayn talks to Jey Uso in the back. Jey says Sami has big decisions to make. Jey says do what's best for him and says he loves him.
Logan Paul then drops Jey with a shot from the side. Logan says that's karma uce and does a yeet.
Seth Rollins comes out and calls Sami Zayn out. Seth says Sami is putting him in a tough spot. Seth says he doesn't want to see anything bad happen to Sami. Seth says he may not like Bron or Paul, but this is Seth and him. Seth says his new crew is the way forward. Seth says it hurts that Sami doesn't believe in him.
Seth says Sami is one of his true friends and says Sami was one of the first people he called when his daughter was born. He said Sami gave him great advice. Seth asks if he can give Sami advice that will save his life. Seth tells him to take the path and way out. He says bad things will happen to him if he doesn't.
Sami says he thinks Seth is playing and he's good at it. Sami says Seth knows the cards to play as he confided in him. He says the title has always been his goal. Sami asks if Seth has ever known him to run away. He says he won't run while his friend threatens him. He says Seth is threatening him.
Sami says he has been a target 1,000 times before and can't live with being extorted, blackmailed and threatened. Sami says he will become a world champ. He says when he does, it will be because he did it his way - the right way. He says he's telling him as a friend to go to hell.
Bron Breakker then comes out with Paul Heyman.
Thoughts: As usual, Sami's acting was good here.
Bron Breakker vs Sami Zayn
Bron drives him into the corner and hits corner spears. Bron overhead belly to belly suplexes him. Sami back elbows him then 2nd rope double axe handles him. Sami bangs Bron's head off the buckles. Sami is caught off the 2nd rope with an exploder.
Sami hits chops. Sami jumps up and is spinebustered down for 2. Bron hits knees to the gut. Sami blind springboards over him and lariats him. Bron is thrown over the top. Sami's head is banged off the commentary table. Bron jumps up to the apron then flying lariats him off the commentary table.
We go to break and return. Sami sunset bombs him off the buckles for 2. Sami walks up the buckles and tornado ddt's Bron down for 2. Sami sits on the top and Bron walks up the buckles for a frankensteiner on him. Bron goes for the spear and takes a boot. Bron is explodered into the buckles. Sami runs at him and is speared. Bron hits a flying spear.
Seth tells Sami it doesn't have to be this way and tells him to take the deal. Seth says Sami can still get out. Sami tells him to go to hell. Bron then hits another big spear. Sami rolls out and is checked on by officials. Bron runs around the ring and hits a big spear. The ref then calls this off.
Thoughts: Well, I didn't expect that ending. It was a decent match as expected with Bron hitting a bunch of good looking spears here. No one lost and a Backlash rematch seems likely.
Seth talks to Bron in the ring. The officials try to help Sami up. Seth says Sami made his bed. Sami then curbstomps Sami into the mat. Seth, Paul and Bron then stand tall to close the show.
Overall thoughts: It was pretty much the Seth and Sami show here with them getting many segments. They made sense and the story works so I didn't have a problem with it. Elsewhere, Giulia and Perez seem to be main roster members now. Lyra showed some personality for a change. Vaquer/Nile got a lot of time but wasn't that good and Logan vs Jey is the next title program. It was a good episode of Raw and I'd give it a 6 out of 10 overall.
