We are just one day removed from WrestleMania 40, and already, we’ll get to see the aftermath of one of the greatest main events in the event’s history. The Bloodline saga is officially over, and we are witnessing the start of a new era in WWE.
There are many questions that need answering. Will Paul Heyman remain with The Bloodline now that Roman Reigns’ reign is finished? Will Damage CTRL be able to recover from their former member taking the WWE Women’s Championship? Is Judgment Day doomed now that Finn Balor and Damian Priest do not share a title? What’s the next step for Imperium with Gunther done as the Intercontinental Championship? Is Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk the next big rivalry?
There may be too many questions to answer in just one RAW. However, there are clearly many great storylines to look forward to. Here’s everything to know about tonight’s WWE RAW event at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
WWE News: WWE is officially in a new era, and it has its ‘quarterback’: Cody Rhodes
After such a large event that saw several of the biggest storylines in WWE come to an end, it made sense for the big boss, Paul Levesque, to kick off the first even after it all. There are new storylines that need to be told, new heels to create, new faces to push, and with all that in mind, there is no one else that WWE fans trust to put the best product forward more than Triple H.
Triple H started the night off by simply thanking the crowd in Philadelphia for making WrestleMania 40 incredible. After those pleasantries were done though, Triple H immediately handed the floor to the man of the hour, the new WWE Universal Champion, Cody Rhodes.
Before Rhodes could get a word in, the crowd started chanting “You deserve it” at him. And by golly, it’s hard to argue with them, given how good the belt looked on Rhodes’ person. Triple H wasn’t done there though. He had a surprise for Rhodes.
Triple H presented a video for Rhodes that probably made even the most hardened WWE fans shed a few tears. The video detailed Rhodes’ story in WWE, Rhodes’ relationship with his father and former WWE wrestler Dusty Rhodes, as well as the long, long road Cody Rhodes had to take in order to earn the Universal Championship.
No, no, no. I’m not crying. I was just washing dishes and got soap in my eye.
How to watch Monday Night RAW:
Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Where: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Stream: WWE Network
Match Card for WWE RAW, April 8:
While there will clearly be a lot going down tonight, it is in the WWE’s best interests to not promote their matches the night after WrestleMania in order to prevent people from seeing spoilers for the event. As of right now, everything we know is that Cody Rhodes will be crowned as the WWE Universal Champion, Damian Priest will be crowned as the World Heavyweight Champion, several new wrestlers will debut, and that The Awesome Truth will debut as the new RAW Tag Team champs.
Outside of those appearances, we can also expect the new Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn, to make a statement, which will likely be interrupted by Gunther claiming foul play. It is also very likely that Drew McIntyre and, thusly, CM Punk make an appearance to set up their rivalry moving forward. Seth Freakin’ Rollins would also be a likely candidate for a segment. Although he is no longer a champion, Rollins participated in three matches during WrestleMania weekend, which means his presence at RAW tonight should be nearly guaranteed.
What didn’t happen at WrestleMania 40, if we’re being honest?
All but one major title, the Women’s Tag Team Championship, was on the line during the event. Here is a quick rundown of every title match.
- Rhea Ripley retained the Women’s World Championship against Becky Lynch
- Austin Theory and Grayson Waller secured the SmackDown Tag Team Championship
- The Miz and R-Truth secured the RAW Tag Team Championship
- Sami Zayn defeated Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship
- Drew McIntyre defeated Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
- Damian Priest successfully cashes in his Money in the Bank on Drew McIntyre and secures the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
- Bayley defeated Iyo Sky for the WWE Women’s Championship
- Logan Paul defeated Kevin Owens and Randy Orton to retain the United States Championship
- Cody Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship
In an effort to build anticipation for WrestleMania 40, most of the matches and segments from RAW on April 1 were just hashing out the rivalries we saw this past weekend.
- Judgment Day defeated New Day and DIY in 8-man tag team match
- Gunther interrupts Sami Zayn’s match against Big Bronson Reed
- Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri defeated Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell
- Ricochet beat Ivar
- Damage CTRL defeated Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, and Tegan Nox
- Roman Reigns and The Rock laid the beatdown on Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes
Although it is impossible to predict exactly what will happen, there are a few things that should happen in direct response to the results from WrestleMania 40.
For one, the Judgment Day should get an opportunity to reclaim the Tag Team title. Of course, now that the title is split in two between SmackDown and RAW, they can only go after one of the titles right now. It would make sense for them to go after the RAW title, setting up a match between Judgment Day and The Awesome Truth.
It would also make sense for Gunther to go after Sami Zayn again and perhaps ask for a rematch for the Intercontinental Championship. Of course, earning a rematch won’t be able to secure a rematch so easily. He’ll likely have to beat his way to Zayn once again, but who will step between Gunther and Zayn? With Shinsuke Nakamura, Bronson Reed, and now Gunther all having grudges against Zayn, there is a chance that three of them fight it out all for a shot at the IC Championship yet again.
Outside of those two predictions though, nothing seems guaranteed. Rhodes’ next adversary is hard to pin down. While it would make sense that Rollins would be upset with Rhodes after Rollins backed Rhodes up and Rollins arguably lost his World Heavyweight Championship because of it. However, the two of them seemed to have no ill will toward one another after WrestleMania 40. Given their history though, perhaps revitalizing that feud could be the play for WWE moving forward.
WWE News: The Rock, John Cena, Undertaker bring beautiful bedlam to end of WrestleMania 40
