SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE RAW TV REPORT
APRIL 29, 2024
KANSAS CITY, MO. AT T-MOBILE CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
Attendance: WrestleTix reported earlier today that 9,100 tickets were distributed so far; arena is set up for 9,909.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
[HOUR ONE]
-After “Then, Now, Forever, Together,” they cut to the parking lot where Logan Paul stepped out of his car with his product-placement energy drink moment. He was then greeted by Patrick Mahomes, the star quarterback of the beloved local NFL team, the Kansas City Chiefs. It got a mixed reaction from the crowd that he was hanging with Logan. Damian Priest walked up Mahomes and congratulated him on his success. Mahomes said he appreciated it. He told Logan the U.S. Title looks good on him. Logan said Nick Aldis invited him. He said The Judgment Day have been crushing it lately and he said Priest would handle Jey Uso at Backlash on Saturday.
-They went to Michael Cole and Pat McAfee at ringside. Cole said they’re about to shake things up. McAfee said that Paul Heyman informed everyone on Friday that Roman Reigns was withdrawing his name from the draft. Cole recapped the happenings on Friday’s first phase of the WWE Draft. He noted that Bianca Belair was the first black woman to be drafted no. 1 overall. He said the champions are brand-protected and cannot be drafted. They showed the draft rooms. Adam Pearce had JBL with him again. Adis had Teddy Long with him again. They showed a scene of NXT wrestlers gathered at the Performance Center cheering wildly as Cole noted they are eligible for the draft.
-Samantha Irvin introduced Becky Lynch who made her full entrance. A clip aired of her winning the Women’s World Title last week. Cole noted it was her seventh time winning. Cole said because of her win, she is staying on Raw. McAfee said, “Thank god!” Becky said The Man has come back to Kansas City. She talked about their history. She said a lot of people say that is where The Man was born. She said she let everyone know this is her show now. “And here I stand your new World Women’s Champion nearly six years later, and I’m still saying the same damn thing,” she said. A “Becky!” chant rang out. She thanked the fans and said, “I love you guys.”
She said now that she has the title, she just wants to hold on tight to it, but titles aren’t meant for holding, they’re meant for defending. She said she wants to face the best and it’s time to find a new no. 1 contender. Liv Morgan’s music played and she made her way out. Liv sauntered out and half-heartedly slapped some fans’ hands. She said if Becky is looking for a new number one contender, “here I am.” She laughed. Cole said she is the cause of Rhea Ripley’s injury.
Liv said she doesn’t want to be handed a title opportunity, but she said she felt Becky owed her one. She said the truth is that the only reason Becky has that title is because she did what Becky couldn’t do at WrestleMania, which is take out Ripley. She said this is the Liv Morgan revenge tour. She said she won’t stop until she has everything she wants.
Becky said she wouldn’t be holding the title if it weren’t for what she did to Ripley. She said Liv would be holding it, though, if it weren’t for what she did to her. Nia Jax then interrupted. Cole said the Draft doesn’t take effect until a week from tonight, so she’s still eligible to be on Raw tonight. Jax said, “Rude, rude.” She said she dominated both of them last week and she should be champion, and the only reason she’s not is those two teamed up on her to be sure she wouldn’t be. She said lucky for them, she got drafted to the “superior show, Smackdown.” McAfee muttered, “That’s not true.” She said that’s why she was wearing blue and called fans “dumb idiots.” She said she will soon beat Bayley and become champion on Smackdown. She said tonight is her last night on Raw. Fans cheered. Liv cheered, then laughed. Jax said she’s taking on one of them tonight. Liv knocked her off the ring apron with a running dropkick. Cole said Pearce is busy in the draft room, but he needs to make that match official.
(Keller’s Analysis: Becky seems to be doing okay at this point in terms of crowd response after her mixed results at best with Rhea Ripley. Having Liv, who is leaning heavily heel now, face Jax is a little puzzling, though.)
-They showed Jey Uso arriving in the parking area earlier. Cole said he’ll be part of the “huge six-man tag team match-up later tonight on Raw.”
-They showed Stephanie McMahon backstage with a draft envelope. Cole said the draft is next. [c]
-They showed Sami Zayn arriving in the parking area earlier. He said he’ll defend his title tonight against Bronson Reed. They showed Reed with his rolling bag backstage.
WWE DRAFT – SEGMENT 1
-Stephanie McMahon came out onto the stage and stood at the draft podium. She announced all the picks for each brand.
- Raw Pick #1: Imperium’s Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser
- Smackdown Pick #1: Jade Cargill
- Raw Pick #2: Damage CTRL (Iyo Sky, Asuka, Kairi Sane, Dakota Kai)
- Smackdown Pick #2: Kevin Owens
(1) GUNTHER (w/Ludwig Kaiser) vs. XAVIER WOODS (w/Kofi Kingston)
Cole said the King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring tournament matches would start next week and that the finals would take place at the PLE in Saudi Arabia. The bell rang 25 minutes into the hour. They cut to a break a minute in when Gunther sidestepped Xavier at ringside and chopped him hard in the chest. [c]
Gunther worked over Xavier’s knee for several minutes. They cut to another break. [c]
After the break, Gunther had Xavier in a half crab. Xavier crawled to grab the bottom rope. Gunther pulled him away from the rope and then applied an STF. Woods tapped out.
WINNER: Gunther in 16:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: I know there were two commercial breaks that led to barely over half of the match airing, but even though it was one-sided, that was a long time for Xavier to even last against him.)
-Cathy Kelley interviewed Jey Uso backstage and asked if he’s feeling any pressure being Raw’s no. 1 draft pick. He said he’s feeling no pressure and he’ll take the belt from Priest who will catch a “yeet down.” Kelly brought up Logan Paul. Jey said he is glad they signed a Paul brother, but he wishes it was the one with a winning record. [c]
-Cole and McAfee talked about the Kansas City Chiefs winning the Super Bowl, and then discussed the mass shooting at the Super Bowl Parade. They showed a young boy who took shelter in the Kansas City Chief’s bus who is a WWE fan. They showed footage from earlier of some Chiefs players and some fans including the boy welcoming fans to Raw right before Raw started. They showed some Chiefs players and the young fan Joey at ringside. Joey was smiling wide. McAfee said the two players were the ones who tackled the gunman as he ran by. “Heroes everywhere in the building tonight,” McAfee said.
WWE DRAFT – SEGMENT 2
-Logan Paul and his hanger-on, iShowSpeed, who Randy Orton beat up at WrestleMania, walked out. Logan said hi to Patrick Mahomes in the crowd. Mahomes received a nice ovation live. Logan and iShowSteve read the next draft picks.
- Raw Pick #3: C.M. Punk (iShowSpeed badly overmodulated by screaming his name into the mic.)
- Smackdown Pick #3: The Pride’s Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits
- Raw Pick #4: Braun Strowman (Cole said, “Braun Strowman is back and he’s coming to Raw!”)
- Smackdown Pick #4: Tiffany Stratton (Cole said this isn’t a traditional draft because sometimes you have to keep who’s already on your roster to keep them from going to the other brand.)
Cole noted that Drew McIntyre is already on the board. He said he can’t be happy Punk was drafted before him. (Will Punk be glad Damage CTRL, KO, Jade, and Gunther were picked before him?)
Logan and iShowSpeed walked to the ring. Logan said Jey made a mistake leaving the Bloodline because he’s incapable of becoming a champion alone. As he began to talk about Backlash, Jey’s music interrupted. Jey said Logan has predictions for Backlash, but he wanted to hear if Kansas City thinks he can beat Priest. Fans yelled “Yeet!” He asked if they think he can knock the yeet out of Logan. They yelled “Yeet!” Logan said he’s been yeeting since 2017. “Little brother Jey trying to roast me?” he said. He said he got kicked out of The Bloodline, but that’s the difference between them. “Me and my bloodline, we tight,” Logan said.
J.D. McDonagh and Finn Balor walked out. Logan said Jey’s vocabulary consists of just “yeet” and “uce.” Balor and McDonagh then attacked Jey. As they stomped away at him, Logan rolled to ringside. Mahomes then gave Logan his Super Bowl rings. Logan then put on Mahomes’s Super Bowl rings on his right hand. Mahomes shrugged his shoulder as if to indicate he was doing it but not gleefully or without some guilt. Logan entered and swung at Jey, but Jey ducked and instead he hit McDonagh.
[HOUR TWO]
Braun Strowman walked to the ring. He chokeslammed Balor. Cole said Braun looks bigger than ever. Braun turned to Mahomes. Two of his Chiefs teammates stood up next to Mahomes. Jey talked Braun into just walking away.
(Keller’s Analysis: I get the idea that Logan wants to be associated with Mahomes, but why would Mahomes position himself in his hometown to be associated with Logan who was opposite WWE fan favorite Jey? Still, a good “get” to have Mahomes and other Chiefs in attendance at Raw. At least Mahomes seemed somewhat apologetic when he gave Logan the rings to use, but still…)
-In a conversation joined in progress, Chad Gable told R-Truth he drives a hard bargain and he won’t regret it. Miz walked in and asked if he heard right that Truth just agreed to a World Tag Team Titles defense tonight. Truth said Gable told them they do one now, then they get two later, “like the candy.” Miz said, “What?” Truth said he thinks they could be drafted into the NFL and play for the Chiefs. Miz told Truth it’s the WWE Draft, not the NFL Draft. “My bad,” said Truth. Miz brought up Mahomes. Truth said, “Oh, the insurance guy? I can get a bundle on my house.” Truth walked away. Gable told Miz he’s got quite the negotiator there. Someone then punched Gable. The camera panned back and it was Sami. Cole said Sami learned “get ’em before they get you.”
-Kelley interviewed Booker T backstage. She asked for his analysis of the draft so far. He said Jade Cargill is a game-cahnger, as is Damien staying at Raw. He said it’s a big break for Raw that they also got Punk. “That’s big, that’s huge,” he said. An irked-looking Drew walked up and asked Booker if he just said that about Punk. He said it’s not 2010. He said he got hurt after one match, whereas he won the World Title at WrestleMania. Booker asked if he’s referring to the title he doesn’t have. Drew said Booker knows what happened and how he feels about Punk. He said he’s a changed man.
-Cole said Punk will be doing commentary with Vic Joseph on NXT Spring Break night two tomorrow night.
(2) SAMI ZAYN vs. BRONSON REED – Intercontinental Title match
Cole noted that if Bronson won this match, he’d stay on Raw and Sami would move to the draft pool for tonight. The bell rang 12 minutes into the hour. Cole said Reed called Sami a master-manipulator who changes stories to suit himself. Reed landed a leaping senton and then they cut to a break at 3:00. [c]
Sami teased a comeback, but Reed took over again and scored a near fall with a sitout powerbomb. Reed leaped off the ring apron and checked Sami hard to the mat. He then stared at the WWE Intercontinetal Title belt briefly. Sami caught Reed with a sudden Helluva kick. As he went for the cover, Gable attacked him.
WINNER: No content or Sami DQ win (WWE didn’t say) in 8:00 so Sami retained the IC Title.
-Gable put Sami in an anklelock. Two referees intervened. Reed then landed a Tsunami on Sami as Gable watched. Reed them gave Gable a Death Valley Driver. Cole said he was upset that Gable cost him any chance he had to win the IC Title tonight. [c]
-Cole plugged that Clash at the Castle takes place on June 15 in Scotland along with Smackdown the night before. He said tickets are on sale now.
WWE DRAFT – SEGMENT 3
JBL and Ron Simmons came out to the APA entrance theme. JBL read the Raw picks, Simmons the Smackdown picks.
- Raw Pick #4: LWO (Cole noted Carlito is drafted with this group despite it not being clear where he stands with the others.)
- Smackdown Pick #4: Legado del Fantasma
- Raw Pick #5: Drew McIntyre (Cole again noted Punk was drafted before Drew. McAfee said he can’t believe it took this long to draft him.)
- Smackdown #5: Shinsuke Nakamura (Cole called it a loss for Raw but a great gain for Smackdown.)
-Drew walked out and ranted about being picked so late. He said Punk isn’t anti-establishment anymore and he’s now a corporate ass-kisser. He said he’s active and earning his paycheck while Punk had one match and now he’s kicking his feet up and collecting his paychecks. “I’m actually a real man,” he said. Punk’s music played and Drew looked around frantically for him. He said Punk is playing mind games. Punk then appeared in a luxury suite with a spotlight on him. “I’m not sitting at home,” he said. “I’m right here, you little bitch.” Drew went looking for him as fans chanted, “C.M. Punk!” Simmons wound up and then said, “Damn!”
-Backstage, Gable walked up to Akira Tozawa, Otis, and Maxxine Durpri. Maxxine was proud of having two eliminations last week. She said she finally has momentum. He asked to see the belt she won. She looked sad that she didn’t have a belt. He asked if she wants him to celebrate mediocrity and he called her pathetic. He warned Tozawa not to do that dance and told them to go out and win a championship. Ivy Nile walked in and used a comforting voice as she led Maxxine out of the room to warm up. [c]
-Kelley interviewed Bron Breakker backstage about being drafted to Raw. He said Adam Pearce knows he is the best possible pick for Raw because he’s there to take over. Sheamus walked in and told him to save his breath for his porridge. He said he’s a big fan and he’ll be having banger after banger.
(4) CANDICE LERAE (w/Indi Hartwell) vs. MAXXINE DUPRI (w/Ivy Nile)
LeRae was in the ring already with Hartwell. Dupri’s ring entrance aired. The bell rang 42 minutes into the hour. LeRae taunted her before the bell. Maxxine grew frustrated and slammed her head against the mat and then hit her with a slo-mo spinning wheel kick and then a fisherman’s suplex with a kip up. She followed with a bulldog and then a reverse Caterpillar followed by an elbow drop. LeRae went for an enzuigiri, but Maxxine ducked and then put LeRae in an anklelock. McAfee said it was karma. Hartwell ran over and threw Ivy into the ringpost. That distraction gave LeRae an opening to take over. She kicked Maxxine and then finished her with the Wicked Stepmother stomp for the win. Cole said she used to use that in NXT.
WINNER: LeRae in 2:00.
-They went to Cole and McAfee at ringside who commented on the draft so far. They recapped the reveal of Carlito last week on Smackdown as the one who attacked Dragon Lee at WrestleMania.
-Kelley interviewed Rey Mysterio with the rest of the LWO minus Carlito. She asked about the betrayal. Rey said he has a lot of mixed emotions, but they’re happy to be on Raw. He said he doesn’t know why Carlito did what he did, so they have unfinished business. Dominik Mysterio walked in and called Rey a geezer. He said the Judgment Day run Raw. Rey looked at Dom and asked what’s on his lip and called him “Dirty Sanchez.” Dom snarled and said Rey is lucky he’s not cleared. [c]
-They showed Drew barging into luxury suites looking for Punk. When he was pointed toward the right one, Punk was gone, but he left a signed autographed photo.
-Punk’s music then played and he made his ring entrance. Drew got wide-eyed and angry as he watched Punk. Punk said he doesn’t want to waste their time, so he’s going to speak less than the length of time Drew was champion, so he is limiting himself to less than 5 minutes, 46 seconds. “Pat, time me!” he told McAfee.
Punk sat mid-ring and said he’d normally ask if he has his attention now, but he can see he has had his attention for quite some time. “You’re like an ex-girlfriend I can’t quite get rid of,” he said. He said Drew prayed he’d get injured, but he cost Drew his title. He said Drew is only good for tweeting, which is why he was drafted before him. He said he’s not mad because Drew has given him purpose. Fans chanted, “C.M. Punk!” He said he was drafted before him is simple economics because he’s the best in the world in the ring and on commentary. He said no offense to Cole and McAfee. McAfee interjected a time update. Punk said he’d make Drew’s life a living hell when he’s cleared. Punk looked to McAfefe as his music played. McAfee said he clocked in at 2:37.
WWE DRAFT – SEGMENT 4
Teddy Long danced out with Alundra Blaze for the next pics. Punk hugged Teddy and kissed Alundra on her cheek.
- Raw Pick #6: Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, J.D. McDonagh
- Smackdown Pick #6: Naomi
- Raw Pick #7: Ilja Dragonov (They cut to the Performance Center where he teared up while hugging Shawn Michaels. Michaels gave him a red Raw hat and Dragonuv yelled in excitement.)
- Smackdown Pick #7: Chelsea Green & Piper Niven (The graphic said they have a great upside, but conflicts with management have been an ongoing issue for them)
[HOUR THREE]
(5) LIV MORGAN vs. NIA JAX
Liv came out first followed by Jax. The bell rang 1 minute into the hour. Jax tossed Liv around early. Liv fired back with kicks. A couple dropkicks knocked Jax down. Jax fired back with a clothesline. Liv went limp. Jax dragged her to the corner. Liv popped up magically and knocked Jax off the top rope and stomped on her. Jax rolled to ringside. Liv went for a slidekick, but Jax grabbed her legs and swung her into the announce desk. They showed Tiffany Stratton sitting at ringside. She blew a kiss to the camera, apparently auditioning to be a round card holder holder for UFC. They cut to a break at 2:00. [c]
Jax gave Liv a Samoan Drop. Liv countered Jax head-first into the middle turnbuckle. Liv stomped Jax in the spine and scored a two count at 8:00. Jax came back with a spinebuster. She set up an Annihilator, but Liv stood up and powerbombed her to the mat for a two count. They cut to Stratton reacting. Naomi attacked Stratton at ringside and tossed her into the ringside area. Jax attacked a distracted Liv in the ring and Naomi threw Stratton into the announce desk and then landed a running punt kick from the ring apron. Jax knocked Naomi off the ring apron. Liv then gave a distracted Jax a springboard Code Breaker and then Oblivion for the win.
WINNER: Liv in 10:30.
(Keller’s Analysis: Liv needed this win one way or another, but it’s obviously less meaningful given the distractions at ringside.)
-Backstage, Kelly asked Booker for his latest thoughts. He wondered who was next. He wondered if it’d be Trick Williams or Roxanne Perez. He congratulated Dragonov. She thanked Booker and then turned to Pearce for his thoughts. Pearce said they have a good foundation with additional wrinkles. He said he’s celebrating that Smackdown picked Chelsea Green. [c]
-The commentators recapped the Logan, Mahomes, Jey, McDonagh angle earlier.
WWE DRAFT – SEGMENT 5
Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley made their way onto the stage to announce the next picks. They did some catch phrases to modest crowd reactions.
- Raw Pick #8: Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods
- Smackdown Pick #8: Pretty Deadly
- Raw Pick #9: Lyra Valkyria (They cut to Valkyria reacting with tears. Michaels hugged her and gave her a Raw hat.)
- Smackdown Pick #9: Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
-Miz and R-Truth began their ring entrance. [c]
(6) AWESOME TRUTH (Miz & R-Truth) vs. OTIS & AKIRA TOZAWA – World Tag Team Title match
The match was joined in progress. Cole said Gable talked Truth into giving his team a title match and they’d give him two titles matches down the road. Miz kicked a charging Tozawa off the ring apron and Tozawa took a flip bump to the floor. Otis got control of Miz and delivered her Caterpillar into an elbow drop. He tagged in Tozawa who leaped off the top rope with a senton, but Miz lifted his knees. Miz followed with a Skull Crushing Finale attempt, but Otis countered. Truth tagged in. Truth and Miz put Tozawa away with the Truth Crushing Finale. Cole said Gable will not be happy.
WINNERS: Miz & Truth in around 4:00 to retain the World Tag Team Titles.
-Backstage, Dominik told the rest of The Judgment Day he can’t believe they fell to the last round. Priest said they kept trying to help him and failed because they didn’t talk to him first. He said he doesn’t need their help to beat Jey. McDonagh’s forehead was covered in blood and he asked if the lights were too bright, indicating he had a concussion. [c]
-Backstage, Becky congratulated Liv for her win. Damage CTRL surrounded Becky and said they’d be seeing her on Mondays now.
WWE DRAFT – SEGMENT 5
Nick Aldis and Pearce read the final round of picks
- Raw Pick #10: The Final Testament
- Smackdown Pick #10: Johnny Gargano & Tomasso Ciampa
- Raw Pick #11: Bronson Reed
- Smackdown Pick #11: Blair Davenport (Michaels hugged her as she sobbed with emotions. Cole called her a dark horse pick and a solid pick for Smackdown.)
-Jey Uso made his ring entrance. [c]
(7) DAMIEN PRIEST & FINN BALOR & J.D. MCDONAGH vs. JEY USO & RICOCHET & ANDRADE
Ricochet and Andrade made their ring entrances. The Judgement Day then came out. The bell rang 49 minutes into the hour. McDonagh still hadn’t washed the dried blood off his face. Andrade backdropped a charging McDonagh onto Balor at ringside. Ricochet and Andrade dove through the ropes and tackled Balor and McDonagh. Priest, meanwhile, got knocked over the announce desk by a diving Jey. They cut to a break at 2:00 as the babyface trio celebrated mid-ring. [c]
Cole talked about this being a chance for Jey to build momentum. Priest tagged in at 9:00 and clobbered Jey with a clothesline. He followed with a Razor’s Edge attempt, but Jey slipped free and landed quick Samoan Drop. He climbed to the top rope. Priest got up and with help from McDonagh shoved Jey down. Priest yelled at McDonagh that he didn’t need his help. Jey superkicked Priest into Balor who was on the ring apron. Jey superkicked McDonagh and then speared Balor. Jey then leaped off the top rope with an Uso Splash onto Balor for the win.
WINNERS: Jey & Andrade & Ricochet in 11:00.
-Cole snuck in a quick plug for the Backlash line-up as the show ended.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.