3 Things We Hated & 3 Things We Loved

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.’s weekly review of “WWE Raw,” and our annual review of the “Raw” after WrestleMania! As we have come to expect through the years, it was an episode filled with surprises — Ethan Page and Sol Ruca were each called up from “WWE NXT,” the Street Profits returned after a protracted hiatus, and Jacob Fatu emerged as the following potential challenger for Roman Reigns’ World Heavyweight Championship. Are going to speak about all that and more here within the column this week? You bet we’re!

As all the time, in case you missed the show, you may catch up via our “Raw” results page, which may offer you entirely factual and completely objective information. This column will not be the place for objectivity — that is where the WINC staff gives our opinions on the things that stood out to us essentially the most, be they positive or negative. So if you wish to know what we thought of Monday night’s festivities, listed below are three things we hated and three things we loved concerning the 4/20/26 episode of “WWE Raw!”

While I’m so glad Ethan Page is finally on the predominant roster, I’d have handled his debut on “Raw” a bit in a different way tonight, especially after quite a lot of fans were hoping Je’Von Evans was going to walk out of WrestleMania 42 as Intercontinental Champion. Sure, Page and Evans have history; that they had a series of matches on “WWE NXT” that involved “All Ego” breaking the “Young OG’s” jaw at one point, but I do not know in case you needed to have them face one another within the ring tonight, as there wasn’t really winner out of either of them.

The backstage segment with Adam Pearce introducing Page as the latest signee to the red brand while he was speaking with Evans would have been superb, but Pearce could have said Page’s match on Monday was against Dragon Lee, who was also involved within the ‘Mania ladder match. Even Evans’ line about no one coming for his spot when it got here to the IC title, especially Page, would still make sense, as he’d still be gunning for the gold against the likes of Lee.

Page has to win his debut on the predominant roster, and sorry to Dragon Lee, nevertheless it might have been achieved with a “W” over him. Rusev could have still gotten involved within the match, it will be easy to say he blamed everyone involved for him not winning the IC title within the ladder match. That might have brought out Je’Von Evans alongside Penta to assist out Lee after the match, to scare off the heels, as they’d have the person advantage.

I suppose Evans is so over that him taking a loss to Page is not the worst thing on the earth, but I just thought this might have been booked a bit cleaner. Hopefully, the arrival of Page doesn’t stunt Evans’ momentum an excessive amount of, but I suppose Page winning the gold from Penta, for Evans to win it from him, would make rather a lot more sense.

Written by Daisy Ruth

As one in all the cynics around here who thought Brock Lesnar was going to win on Sunday, I used to be about as completely happy because it was possible to be when Oba Femi shrugged off Lesnar’s finisher and pinned him in under five minutes. When Oba got here out to open the “Raw” after WrestleMania, I used to be ready for a top quality Oba promo, which we all know by now he can absolutely deliver. As an alternative, we got something even higher: Femi strutted to the ring, declared “Your ruler has arrived,” and dropped the mic without saying one other word.

It was perfect. What else does Femi have to say, anyway? He just functionally retired one in all WWE’s biggest monsters and did so in dominant fashion, after a WrestleMania construct that had already made him a superstar. He got here out, answered Lesnar’s open challenge, overcame Lesnar at mainly every opportunity, after which pinned him clean as a sheet within the ring. The actions have already spoken; words proved largely unnecessary.

I’m also sure the brevity of this promo was designed to mirror Roman Reigns’ promo on the “Raw” after WrestleMania 33, which is a reasonably sensible callback. For individuals who remember, that was the night after Reigns defeated the Undertaker and functionally retired him, and all he said was “It’s my yard now.” Granted, Reigns was getting furiously booed while Femi was getting raucously cheered, however the parallels are there, they usually make sense — Femi is now officially the elephant within the room, the shadow hanging over Reigns’ title reign, and each men have already acknowledged their inevitable confrontation. Having Femi cut that promo sends a transparent message: WWE knows who will eventually take the World Heavyweight Championship from Reigns, and so do you. He’s our ruler, and he has arrived.

Written by Miles Schneiderman

So, GUNTHER beat Seth Rollins at WrestleMania with the assistance of Bron Breakker. No, Paul Heyman said, no that doesn’t mean the “Ring General” is a component of the Vision. As an alternative, he’s getting the grandest prize in all of sports entertainment: a favor from Heyman. 

What that favor is, well, surely we were going to seek out out on “Raw.” We didn’t — that is a spoiler and never a prediction. Despite the fact that Heyman was on the show, GUNTHER was on the show, and each did a bit spot of talking for his or her part, they didn’t interact in any respect. As an alternative Heyman included GUNTHER in his thanks and got on with introducing Bron Breakker in order that they could proceed what they’ve going with Seth Rollins. GUNTHER later kept quiet about what the favor can be but said we needs to be getting used to the thought of him holding the world title again. 

Sure, I suppose this is just the supposedly biggest TV show of the yr, following straight on from the “Grandest Stage of Them All.” Why would you wish to provide any further context as to what is happening with GUNTHER? It is not as if each champions were on the show at the identical time or anything. Obviously, there will likely be the entire “Duh, it’s being left until next week, or the week after that, it’s called long-term storytelling” crowd. However the pacing of all of it, the way in which it’s being slowly fed to the purpose of nausea, makes a saline drip appear like it runs on the pace of Niagara Falls. 

Look, all in all taking the whole lot to account, “Raw” itself was pretty good. There have been call-ups and significant movement with Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu, Rhea Ripley leaving IYO SKY to go to “WWE SmackDown,” and Finn Balor beating the crud out of JD McDonagh. Things were good. Nevertheless it’s just irksome for what really needs to be and can inevitably be billed as “one in all the most important storylines of the yr” to be treated as something the corporate wish to allude to while also divulging nothing about it until the inevitable cold-water swerve.

Written by Max Everett

As an enormous lover of “WWE NXT,” I’m in fact going to like the entire developmental brand’s biggest stars finally getting their shots on the predominant roster. Despite not loving the way in which it was booked, Ethan Page was well-beyond able to be up, Joe Hendry is arriving next week, and Sol Ruca has been rumored for months, ever since her victory over Bayley at Saturday Night’s Predominant Event: John Cena’s retirement edition.

I really like that the primary person she stepped as much as was latest Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan. Sure, Morgan’s feud with Stephanie Vaquer appears to be continuing, likely through Backlash, but Ruca even just having the gall to get up to Morgan was pretty cool. She was definitely a bit nervous, but even when she called the Royal Rumble “the battle royal” (not too terribly fallacious, and the Rumble doesn’t exist in “NXT”) she didn’t let the slip-up throw her completely off her promo game. Morgan is a troublesome person to go up on the microphone against because it is.

Their match was solid, and Ruca got to indicate off quite a lot of what she could do for the “Raw” crowd, but what I actually loved was the indisputable fact that Zaria appeared to take her out. The pair have a Last Woman Standing match tomorrow on “NXT,” one where Zaria presumably wins to finish their feud for good along with her former friend now officially on the predominant roster. I liked the very fact WWE kept things consistent here, bringing that storyline, as near the tip because it is, as much as “Raw” to assist see it the whole way through.

I do not think Ruca is destined for the Women’s World title anytime soon, but she’ll surely be going after Becky Lynch and the Women’s Intercontinental Championship, which will likely be fun to see. Her making her debut by squaring as much as Morgan, nevertheless, was no less than an impactful solution to bring her up.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Don’t take this the fallacious way — I really like the Street Profits and I’m very completely happy to see them finally back on TV. It has been way too long and I can not possibly fathom the explanation they have been gone since … what, October? It has been six months? The last time we saw the Profits on TV, the Wyatt Sicks vs. MFT feud was just starting, if that tells you ways long it has been. Way too long, and I’m so glad they’re back. I just don’t understand their actual return, like, in any respect.

To begin with, they’re either directly aligned with Seth Rollins or they don’t seem to be, and either way is confusing. They didn’t come out until Rollins was being attacked by The Vision, in order that makes it look like they’re aligned with him. But in addition they didn’t stop him from ultimately losing his fight with Bron Breakker, so it looks as if they’re focused on the tag titles and possibly not aligned with Rollins? In the event that they are aligned with him, it’s an odd pairing, it should be said; they have no real history with each other that I can recall. If not, which means they’re just the following tag title challengers, which seems weird considering that again, they have been gone for six months. Throughout the fiction, surely they do not just get to waltz back in and claim a title shot simply for being there. So perhaps they’re aligned with Rollins in spite of everything. You see what I’m saying about this being confusing?

If I needed to guess, I’d say Rollins and the Profits should not aligned with each other, and the Profits’ return was just form of shoe-horned into the stuff with Rollins and Breakker because The Vision occur to carry the tag straps. If I’m fallacious, I sit up for Rollins explaining why he and the Profits are working together. If I’m right, it’s just form of lazy booking, and I feel the Profits’ return deserved higher than to be sandwiched between a Paul Heyman promo and a Breakker spear.

Written by Miles Schneiderman

Tonight’s predominant event as promised saw the start of the seventh reign of the “Original Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns, having beaten CM Punk for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship before declaring he can be sticking around for everything of the summer on Sunday. His first time holding gold because the Bloodline was a dynasty, relatively than being best related to the valiant pursuit of a lantern. And to be honest, gold is a color that Reigns rocks well.

He was joined by the Usos, because no latest regime is sort of complete without its cabinet. And within the ring he and them made the pact to reunite as they once were, because together they’re stronger and all of the trimmings.

But then enter the “Samoan Werewolf,”Jacob Fatu, whose music hitting shocked the group and people watching at home to precede the “SmackDown” star confronting his cousins. Reigns immediately pulled out the “Acknowledge Me” card before Fatu played the Reverse “Nah that ain’t it” card and directed his attention on the world title.

He said he doesn’t want the title. He needs it. He doesn’t wish to be the Tribal Chief. But he must have all of the things that include the mantle. He wants the shoe deals and the vehicles and the watches and yeah you do probably get the purpose.

And Reigns — Reigns was shook. But he had an out. One which comes with being the so-called “Head of the Table.” He simply reminded his cousin, like he had with Jey Uso, that he may not be cut out for the world title and all its burdens. Worse still, he may not be cut out for the burden of acknowledging Reigns if he happens to lose. It’s in fact value emphasizing the purpose that Reigns had said Fatu could beat him. That is pretty significant.

When all was said and … said, Reigns gave Fatu until next week to verify that is what he wanted, leaving him with a “little cousin” jibe. After which spent the rest of the printed telling Jimmy Uso to speak some sense into Fatu. Because he doesn’t want anything to do with that smoke. Loved it. Great solution to start the following title reign from the “Island of Relevancy.”

Written by Max Everett