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WWE RAW TV REPORT
APRIL 29, 2024
KANSAS CITY, KS. IN T-MOBILE CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA
BY MAURICIO POMAREZ, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
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]
– The show opened with Logan Paul arriving at the arena and being welcomed by Judgment Day. Damian Priest told Logan that he was impressed with him while Logan told Priest that he would beat Jey Uso.
– Michael Cole and Pat McAfee stood at ringside to recap the Draft picks from SmackDown and hype tonight’s available roster.
– Becky Lynch made her way to the ring to talk about this being the city where The Man was born. Lynch talked about the new division being formed and how it took her two years to get back to the title. Lynch said that titles were made to be defended and that she wanted to find a number one contender. Liv Morgan interrupted to introduce herself as a possible first challenger. Liv told Lynch that she owed her a title opportunity because she was the one to take Rhea Ripley. She claimed that this was still the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour and she wouldn’t stop until she got everything she wanted.
– Lynch pointed out how she was the one holding the belt after what she did to Liv. Nia Jax interrupted to claim that she should be the champion, but Liv and Lynch joined forces to take her out. Jax claimed that she was drafted to the superior show before pointing out how this was her last night on Raw. Jax said that if she was going to leave, she would take one of them with her. Liv knocked Jax off the apron with a dropkick and accepted whatever challenge Jax had for her.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A decent opening segment to establish Becky Lynch as the top of the division and Liv Morgan as a major threat. Liv could definitely use a major win over Nia Jax to rise up as a top contender, but it would be slightly odd to set Jax as a possible challenger to Bayley’s belt, only to immediately beat her.)
[Commercial Break]
– Stephanie showed up on the podium on-stage to list the first round of picks of the draft. Gunther & Ludwig Kaiser of Imperium were drafted to Raw while Jade Cargill was drafted to SmackDown. The entirety of Damage CTRL was drafted to Raw and Kevin Owens was drafted to SmackDown.
Back from break, Gunther dropped Woods with a bodyslam and a chop to the chest. Gunther pummeled Woods with a load of chops and knocked him off his feet with a lariat. Woods caught Gunther with a jawbreaker and a few chops, followed by a thrust kick. Gunther caught Woods with a chop to the chest on the apron, only for Woods to knock him off the top turnbuckle and blast him with a shotgun dropkick. Gunther hit Woods with another chop to the chest before receiving a boot to the face. Woods’ leg got caught up on the ropes, allowing Gunther to stomp it down, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Gunther planted Woods with a bodyslam, making his hurt leg crash into the ropes. Gunther targeted Woods’ knee with a series of chops and a big boot. Gunther maintained control over Woods with another chop, only for Woods to block a diving splash with his knees. Woods went for a thrust kick, but Gunther immediately shut him down with a half Boston Crab. Gunther pulled Woods’ body to the middle of the ring while Kofi picked up a towel. Woods begged Kofi to not throw the towel, so he tossed away to ringside. Woods nearly broke the hold, only for Gunther to transition into an STF for the submission win.
WINNER: Gunther at 16:33
(Pomares’s Analysis: Yet another top-notch encounter from Gunther who played the role of monster excellently here. I was surprised they booked this match so early on, but it made Woods look like a resilient underdog ahead of King of the Ring. After that loss, I don’t know if Woods has a spot in the tournament, but at least it was a strong way to take him out of the way if that’s the case.)
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Jey Uso about being the number one pick for Raw. Jey talked about feeling the pressure of being the first pick before saying that he would beat Damian Priest and taking a shot at Logan Paul.
[Commercial Break]
– Logan Paul and iShowSpeed made their way to the podium for the next round of picks. They announced that CM Punk was drafted to Raw while The Pride was drafted to SmackDown. A returning Braun Strowman was drafted to Raw and Tiffany Stratton was drafted to SmackDown.
2024 WWE DRAFT SECOND ROUND
- 1. RAW – CM PUNK
- 2. SMACKDOWN – THE PRIDE (BOBBY LASHLEY & MONTEZ FORD & ANGELO DAWKINS & B-FAB)
- 3. RAW – BRAUN STROWMAN
- 4. SMACKDOWN – TIFFANY STRATTON
(Pomares’s Analysis: Aside from confirming that Braun Strowman would be back imminently, this round felt like a very lackluster round with everyone staying on the same brand.)
– Logan Paul walked down the ramp and claimed that Damian Priest would beat Jey Uso. Logan said that Jey made a mistake by leaving the Bloodline and that Jey didn’t have what it took to become a champion on his own. Jey Uso interrupted to ask the fans if they thought he could beat Priest. Logan told Jey that he was alone again as Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh showed up. Jey attacked Finn and JD, but was quickly overpowered and pummeled down. Logan put on Patrick Mahomes’ Superbowl rings, but accidentally punched JD with them. Logan and Finn beat Jey down, until Braun Strowman showed up to make the save. Strowman dropped Finn with a chokeslam and chased Logan away.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Bit of an odd segment to build up the title match, despite the complete absence of Damian Priest. Logan Paul felt out of place here with no connections to anyone involved here and Braun Strowman’s return felt somewhat random. I’m assuming having Strowman’s return here, sets him up as a viable challenger to Priest in the near future.)
– Backstage, Chad Gable made a deal with R-Truth. The Miz showed up to question Truth about him booking them in a title match. Miz had to remind Truth that they were in the WWE Draft and not the NFL Draft. As they walked away, Sami Zayn knocked Gable out with a big boot out-of-nowhere.
[Commercial Break]
2024 WWE DRAFT FIRST ROUND – MONDAY EDITION
- 1. RAW – IMPERIUM (GUNTHER & LUDWIG KAISER)
- 2. SMACKDOWN – JADE CARGILL
- 3. RAW – DAMAGE CTRL (IYO SKY & ASUKA & KAIRI SANE & DAKOTA KAI)
- 4. SMACKDOWN – KEVIN OWENS
(Pomares’s Analysis: Not a lot to see here, but moving Damage CTRL to Raw is a genuine great choice to move into a brand that badly needs established heels after Rhea Ripley’s injury.)
(1) XAVIER WOODS (w/Kofi Kingston) vs. GUNTHER (w/Ludwig Kaiser)
Woods avoided Gunther’s chops and put him in a headlock before catching him with a discus elbow strike. Woods low-bridged Gunther, but Gunther shut him down with a chop to the chest, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Booker T about the recent draft picks. Booker put over the likes of Jade Cargill and CM Punk before Drew McIntyre showed up to confront him. Drew complained about being drafted after Punk and Booker changing his mind about him.
(2) SAMI ZAYN vs. BRONSON REED – WWE Intercontinental Championship
Reed withstood Sami’s chops and knocked him off his feet with a shoulder tackle. Sami tossed Reed out of the ring and crushed him with an Arabian moonsault. Reed caught a high crossbody and flattened Sami with a powerslam, followed by a senton, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Sami knocked Reed off his feet with a lariat and caught him with a back elbow. Reed countered a diving axe handle with a uranage for a two count. Reed dropped Sami with a Buckle Bomb, followed by a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. At ringside, Reed nailed Sami with a diving shoulder tackle before putting him back in the ring. Sami surprised Reed with a Helluva Kick, but Chad Gable hit him with a German suplex, ending the match suddenly.
WINNER: Sami Zayn at 7:51 via DQ (Still WWE Intercontinental Champion)
– After the match, Chad Gable put Sami Zayn in an Ankle Lock, setting him up for a Tsunami from Reed. Gable posed with the belt, only for Reed to lay him out and stand tall.
(Pomares’s Analysis: It was decent while it lasted, but it was clearly just set up. By having Bronson Reed still involved, it seemingly sets up a possible triple threat where Gable can lose while Reed is the one that takes the fall. That way they could save Sami vs. Gable for down the line while still giving him a title match directly after his heel turn.)
– A recap of Kiana James being drafted from NXT to Raw was shown.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Chad Gable belittled Maxxine Dupri for celebrating two eliminations last week and demanded Otis and Tozawa to win gold tonight.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Sheamus interrupted a Bron Breakker interview and told him that he was a huge fan. Sheamus told Breakker that he reminds him of a young Sheamus before getting distracted by seeing Drew McIntyre walk by.
(3) CANDICE LERAE (w/Indi Hartwell) vs. MAXXINE DUPRI (w/Ivy Nile)
Dupri immediately beat LeRae down and clocked her with a leg lariat. Dupri dropped LeRae with a fisherman suplex, followed by a bulldog and an inverted Caterpillar. LeRae missed an enzuigiri, allowing Dupri to put her in an Ankle Lock. Hartwell drove Nile into the ring post to distract Dupri. LeRae broke the hold and cracked Dupri with a thrust kick, setting her up for a Curb Stomp and the win.
WINNER: Candice LeRae at 1:46
(Pomares’s Analysis: It was fine, but it really annoyed me how they portrayed Candice LeRae as someone that needed cheating to beat Maxxine Dupri. Aside from that, once again they have barely any time to do anything meaningful.)
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed the LWO about being drafted to Raw and what happened with Carlito. Rey said that he didn’t know why Carlito did what he did, so they had unfinished business. Dominik Mysterio showed up to tell them that Judgment Day ran Raw, only for Rey to point out that they haven’t been drafted yet.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Drew McIntyre looked for CM Punk around the arena, but only found a signed photo of him on the skybox. Punk made his way to the ring while Drew watched from the skybox. Punk said that he didn’t want to waste people’s time and asked to be timed to Drew’s title reign. He talked about hurting Drew on purpose and that being the reason he was drafted before him. Punk claimed that he was the best in the world and said that losers were the ones that hoped for things to happen.
(Pomares’s Analysis: I liked the set up for this promo, but it felt like a very by the numbers CM Punk promo. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything we haven’t seen from him before.)
– Teddy Long and Alundra Blayze showed up on-stage to announce the next round of picks. They announced that Judgment Day was drafted to Raw while Naomi was drafted to SmackDown. Ilja Dragunov from NXT was officially drafted to Raw and Chelsea Green & Piper Niven were drafted to SmackDown.
2024 WWE DRAFT FOURTH ROUND
- 1. RAW – JUDGMENT DAY (FINN BÁLOR & DOMINIK MYSTERIO & JD MCDONAGH)
- 2. SMACKDOWN – NAOMI
- 3. RAW – ILJA DRAGUNOV
- 4. SMACKDOWN – CHELSEA GREEN & PIPER NIVEN
(Pomares’s Analysis: It was expected, but it’s still cool to see Ilja Dragunov finally move to the main roster.)
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
– A recap of Nia Jax attacking Naomi and Bayley on SmackDown was shown.
(4) NIA JAX vs. LIV MORGAN
Jax took control of Liv with clotheslines and shoulder tackles before smashing her knee on the mat. Liv caught Jax with a jawbreaker and an enzuigiri, followed by a pair of dropkicks. Jax knocked Liv off her feet with a clothesline, only for Liv to trip her out of the ring. Jax dropped Liv face-first on the announce table and Tiffany Stratton was shown watching from the crowd, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Jax put Liv in a headlock, only for Liv to trip her into the ring post. Liv crushed Jax’s head into the ring post with a dropkick and smashed it numerous times into the post. Jax swept Liv off the turnbuckle and dropped her with a Samoan drop for a two count. Liv drove Jax’s head into the turnbuckle, setting her up for a double stomp to the back for a two count.
Jax flattened Liv with a spinebuster before climbing the top turnbuckle. Liv surprised Jax with a powerbomb, but she managed to kick out at two. Naomi showed up to attack Stratton in the crowd and throw her into ringside. Naomi smashed Stratton’s head into the announce table and apron, setting her up for a Penalty kick. Jax knocked Naomi off the apron, only for Liv to knock her out with a Codebreaker and Oblivion.
WINNER: Liv Morgan at 10:31
(Pomares’s Analysis: Solid match to finally give Liv Morgan a meaningful win on TV. Not the biggest fan of all the staff surrounding the finish, but at least it led to the right result.)
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Booker T about the NXT drafts. Booker teased the possibility of Trick Williams and Roxanne Perez being called up. Cathy moved on to interview Adam Pearce who was walking by. Pearce was happy that Chelsea Green was drafted to SmackDown before leaving with the envelope for the next round of picks.
[Commercial Break]
– The Dudley Boyz showed up with a table on-stage to announce the next round of picks. They announced that the New Day were drafted to Raw while Pretty Deadly were drafted to SmackDown. Lyra Valkyria from NXT was drafted to Raw and Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell were drafted to SmackDown.
2024 WWE DRAFT FIFTH ROUND
- 1. RAW – NEW DAY (KOFI KINGSTON & XAVIER WOODS)
- 2. SMACKDOWN – PRETTY DEADLY (ELTON PRINCE & KIT WILSON)
- 3. RAW – LYRA VALKYRIA
- 4. SMACKDOWN – CANDICE LERAE & INDI HARTWELL
(Pomares’s Analysis: Not much to this round, but calling Lyra Valkyria up was another great choice. After losing her title at Stand & Deliver and the rematch last week, Lyra had nothing else to really do on NXT.)
– The Awesome Truth made their way to the ring, ahead of their match against Alpha Academy.
[Commercial Break]
(5) AWESOME TRUTH (R-Truth & The Miz) vs. ALPHA ACADEMY (Otis & Akira Tozawa) – World Tag Team Championship
Back from break, Miz pummeled Otis with a series of kicks to the chest and knocked Tozawa off the apron with a big boot. Miz pulled Otis’ head into the ring post, but he was able to counter a springboard move with a powerslam. Otis crushed Miz with the Caterpillar, but Miz blocked Tozawa’s diving senton. Tozawa took Miz down with an arm drag, but Awesome Truth immediately shut him down with the tag team Skull Crushing Finale.
WINNERS: Awesome Truth at 2:03 (Still World Tag Team Champions)
(Pomares’s Analysis: Just a quick match to give Alpha Academy another loss after Gable’s heel turn. Hope Awesome Truth drops the belts soon because this did nothing for me.)
– Backstage, Damian Priest told the rest of Judgment Day that he didn’t need their help to beat Jey Uso. JD McDonagh revealed that he had a huge bruise on his face from the punch earlier tonight.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Becky Lynch congratulated Liv Morgan and officially gave her a title match. Damage CTRL passed by to tell Lynch that they would be seeing her.
– Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis stood on-stage to announce the final round of picks. They announced that the Final Testament was drafted to Raw while DIY were drafted to SmackDown. Bronson Reed was drafted to Raw and Blair Davenport from NXT was drafted to SmackDown.
2024 WWE DRAFT SIXTH ROUND
- 1. RAW – THE FINAL TESTAMENT (KARRION KROSS & AKAM & REZAR & SCARLETT & PAUL ELLERING)
- 2. SMACKDOWN – DIY (JOHNNY GARGANO & TOMMASO CIAMPA)
- 3. RAW – BRONSON REED
- 4. SMACKDOWN – BLAIR DAVENPORT
(Pomares’s Analysis: Decent final round with a few brand switches and yet another call-up. Blair Davenport wasn’t on my radar, but her moving up seemed evident after coming up short against Sol Ruca. Not sure what her ceiling is, but she is a strong worker that could make for a short-program for Bayley.)
– Jey Uso made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Judgment Day.
[Commercial Break]
(6) JUDGMENT DAY (Damian Priest & Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh w/Dominik Mysterio) vs. JEY USO & ANDRADE & RICOCHET
Finn beat Andrade down with chops to the chest before taking him down with a headlock takeover. Andrade launched JD on top of Finn before he and Ricochet clotheslined Priest out of the ring. Andrade and Ricochet blasted Finn and JD with stereo suicide dives. Jey nailed Priest with a suicide dive of his own, as WWE Raw went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Priest hit Ricochet with a Bell Clap and a Falcon Arrow for a two count. JD and Finn attacked Ricochet with cheap shots, setting him up for a corner splash from Priest. JD crushed Ricochet with a moonsault, followed by a backbreaker and leg drop from Finn and Priest. Priest rammed Andrade into the ring post while Ricochet cracked JD with the Recoil. Jey got the hot tag to knock Priest off the apron and pummel Finn down with right hands. Jey cracked Finn with an enzuigiri and knocked Priest off the apron with a palm strike.
Finn sent Jey to the apron,only for Jey to shut him down with an enzuigiri and an Uso Splash. JD broke the pinfall before receiving the Fake-Out Back elbow from Andrade. Priest took care of Andrade and Ricochet with a cyclone kick and a flatliner. Priest put Jey down with a lariat, but couldn’t follow up with the Razor’s Edge. Jey dropped Priest with a Samoan Drop before being grabbed by the throat by him. JD shoved Jey off the top turnbuckle, making Priest let him go of his grasp. Jey took care of Priest and JD with thrust kicks before finishing Finn with a Spear and an Uso Splash.
WINNERS: Jey Uso & Andrade & Ricochet at 10:42
(Pomares’s Analysis: A fun main event to end the show and give Jey the momentum ahead of his title match at Backlash. Don’t think they have built this match anywhere near enough for it to feel like a world title program, but at least the crowd will be hot for Jey in France.)
– The card for Backlash France was run down one final time.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
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