WrestleMania Backlash is four weeks away, but it does beg the question; why do we need to label this as WrestleMania Backlash? It’s the first pay per view after Mania. It’s called Backlash. We can all figure out that it is referring to WrestleMania. It’s not like fans are thinking is this the Backlash to SummerSlam? The WWE title match is already set between Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley, but MVP seems to be recruiting new members for the Hurt Business. Time to enter the ThunderDome.
The number one contender to the WWE title, Drew McIntyre, kicks off the show talking about opportunity. Last week it feel in his lap, when he beat Braun Strowman and Randy Orton in a triple threat match. Drew knows that MVP was behind Mace and T-Bar attacking him last week and now he wants retribution.
MVP walks out on stage to address the allegation. The Hurt Business has been downsized, but he did not hire Mace and T-Bar. He does congratulate McIntyre on winning the triple threat match. Lashley is looking forward to putting him to sleep again. Why would they hire anyone to attack Drew when Lashley has all ready beaten him. MVP emphatically states that Mace and T-Bar have zero business with them.
On cue, Mace and T-Bar attack Drew from behind, choke slamming him in the middle of the ring.
Backstage, Mace and T-Bar give a rambling answer when asked about the attack. They do say they will finish off McIntyre, though.
After the break, McIntyre tracks down Adam Pearce, demanding he gets Mace and T-Bar. Pearce tells him he needs a tag team partner. Drew doesn’t want a partner; he wants a match.
Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin vs. The Viking Raiders
It’s good to have the Viking Raiders back, but with how WWE treats tag teams how long will it be until WWE splits them up? Ivar takes out Benjamin with a flying cross body on the floor. Erik blocks the handspring elbow from Alexander. Ivar tags in to team up with Erik and hit Cedric with the Viking Experience. Ivar covers to get the win.
Winners via pinfall: The Viking Raiders
Kevin Patrick asks Randy Orton if the Fiend is no more. Orton assures us that as long as he is around we will not see or hear from the Fiend. Orton will now wait to see who wins at WrestleMania Backlash so he can get his hands on the WWE title; the only thing he wants. Riddle crashes the interview on his scooter and annoys Orton; wanting to form a tag team. Orton wants nothing to do with a team of RK-Bro.
After the break, Orton wants Adam Pearce to make a match with the blonde goofball. Randy doesn’t know and doesn’t care to know his name.
Charlotte Flair stands in the ring ready to talk. Last week she returned and all she wanted, well demanded, was respect from the locker room. She was just expressing how show felt as the biggest star in the division. Flair claims her WrestleMania was taken from her and she is not impressed that Rhea beat Asuka. She will show Ripley why she is the face of the division. She will also remind Asuka how much she doesn’t like her.
Asuka walks out to the ring, but is quickly followed by Rhea Ripley, the RAW Women’s Champion. Ripley stays on the stage. Flair wants Ripley to watch her beat Asuka. The champ takes her up on the offer, but knows that Asuka will win. Flair reminds Asuka that she ended her streak and beat her a WrestleMania. Asuka screams that she will beat her.
Riddle zooms by Orton back stage.
Riddle vs. Randy Orton
Riddle locks a sleeper hold. Orton breaks the hold by yanking Riddle down by his hair. Riddle is undeterred, locking it in again. Orton drops on his back to break the hold, only to lock it in again. Orton rolls to the bottom rope and out of the ring to escape. Riddle leaps to the apron, but Orton blocks the PK kick. He slams Riddle over the announce table and we go to commercial.
After the break, Orton stomps on the bare feet of Riddle. Orton with a power slam as Riddle comes off the ropes and follows with a vertical suplex. Orton chops away at Riddle in the corner. Riddle answers back with chops, pummeling Orton into the opposite corner. Orton reverses an Irish Whip, bouncing Riddle off the turnbuckle. Orton charges Riddle in the corner, but comes up with only ring post. Riddle with flying elbows in the corner. He sweeps Orton to the mat and hits the Bro-ton. Orton catches Riddle on the turnbuckle and hits him with a superplex.
Riddle catches Orton on the ropes with a triangle, but has to break the hold. Orton hits Riddle on the apron and follows with a draping DDT. Orton stalks his prey. Riddle counters the RKO with a crucifix and is able to hold on for the three count.
Winner via pinfall: Riddle
Everyone is hitting up Adam Pearce tonight, but Sheamus was summoned to the office. Pearce just wanted to congratulate Sheamus on his United States title win. Pearce want Sheamus to think about the legacy of the title, suggesting he hold on open challenge. Sheamus isn’t really down with that idea. He’ll do it, but not for the title.
Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax vs. Naomi and Lana – Non-Title Match
Jax overpowers Lana, but a quick tag to Naomi allows her to take down Jax with a sliding kick. The two team up, but Jax blocks the suplex and counters with one of her own. Baszler tags in, knocking Naomi off the apron. She sets up Lana for the elbow stomp and connects. Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke walk out with something for Nia. They run the video of Jax getting slapped and then beat up by Rose and Brooke. The then show Jax slipping on the ring apron.
Baszler wants a tag, but Nia takes off after Rose and Brooke. Naomi gets the tag and hits a face buster on Baszler with help from Lana. She covers and gets the win.
Winner via pinfall: Naomi and Lana
Jax is stunned that they lost as she looks on from the stage.
Bad Bunny called his WrestleMania experience a dream come true and called it an honor to work with Damien Priest.
Miz TV
Miz is joined by his wife, Maryse. He is very pleased with how thigs went last week. He takes credit for Bad Bunny’s sold out tour. The two heap praise and compliments on each other, but Damien Priest breaks up the love fest.
He calls Miz delusional. Priest rolls the footage of last week’s match, where Miz won off the distraction from Maryse. Priest wants a match and Maryse accepts for her husband.
Riddle rolls up on the New Day. I’m just going to leave it at that.
Elias wants to play for the WWE Universe, but once again the New Day crashes the concert. This time Xavier has a bass guitar instead of his trombone.
Elias w/ Jaxson Ryker vs. Kofi Kingston w/Xavier Woods
Elias hits a flying elbow at the bell, nearly scoring a pin. Woods distracts Elias with a bass riff, allowing Kofi to hit a Thesz Press. He stomps a mudhole in Elias in the corner, channeling Stone Cold Steve Austin. Elias catches Kofi coming off the ropes and hangs him up on the top rope. He follows with a delayed vertical suplex. Kofi catches Elias with a kick and nearly gets a pin with a splash off the top rope. Kofi rolls though on a sunset flip and hits an SOS. Elias kicks out of the pin. Kofi decks Elias on the top turnbuckle. Elias blocks a hurricanrana. He drops the elbow from up high and covers Kofi to get the three count.
Winner via pinfall: Kofi Kingston
Alexa’s Playground
Last week, Alexa introduced us to her new friend Lilly, a puppet. She has been in Alexa’s life for a long time. Anything bad Alexa did, she blamed Lilly for making her to do it. She issues a warning for the RAW roster; Lilly didn’t like him and she doesn’t like any of them.
Sarah Schreiber asks Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke if they think what they are doing is appropriate. Rose calls Nia and Shayna the bullies. Jax chases them off, but Shayna wants Nia to focus or else. Angel Garza walks in and asks her about Reginald.
Drew McIntyre vs. Mace and T-Bar – 2 on 1 Handicap Match
MVP watches the match in the back. Mace and T-Bar team up to suplex McIntyre in the middle of the ring. They kick Drew in the corner. T-Bar applies a chin lock. Mace with a belly to back suplex, but can’t get the pin. McIntyre hits a spine buster on T-Bar. He then headbutts T-Bar coming off the top rope. Drew sets up for the Claymore, but has to duck a cheap shot from Mace. T-Bar forces Drew into the corner and Mace jumps in. The ref makes the five count and calls for the bell.
Winner via disqualification: Drew McIntyre
Braun Strowman runs down to makes the save and I smell a tag team match.
Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman vs. Mace and T-Bar
Strowman dominates Mace, beating him on the mat. McIntyre tags in, only to have Mace strike him in the throat. T-Bar takes down Strowman with a chop block. A double clothesline from Mace and T-Bar can’t keep Braun down, though. T-bar with a big boot, but Braun kicks out. Strowman with a back body drop to T-Bar and is able to get the tag to McIntyre. Drew takes down Mace with a clothesline and then an over head suplex out of the corner. He follows with a neck breaker and kips up. McIntyre rips off Mace’s mask and slaps him with it. He beats Mace into the corner and the ref calls for the bell.
Winners via disqualification: Mace and T-Bar
T-Bar suplex Drew to make the save. Strowman runs in, ripping the mask off of T-Bar. It’s Dominic Dijakovic and Dio Maddin.
The Miz w/Maryse vs. Damien Priest
The bell rings, so Miz rolls out to the floor for a good luck kiss from Maryse. Priest immediately suplexes Miz in the middle of the ring. Maryse grabs Priest to stop him from finishing off her husband. Miz kicks him out of the ring and then slams Damien into the security barrier. Miz hits a double axe handle off the top rope. Priest takes a neck breaker and Miz unleashes the It kicks. Damien blocks the last kick with an elbow to the shin. Priest hits the elbow in the corner. Miz blocks a suplex, but Priest springboards off the ropes hitting a modified cannon ball. Miz tries to escape the ring, but gets caught. Maryse jumps the apron, but Miz can’t get the pin. Priest hits the bell ringer and follows with Hit the Lights. He covers to get the win.
Winner via pinfall: Damien Priest
United States champion, Sheamus, is in the ring. He says he will be a fighting champion and will issue an open challenge every week or when ever he wants. Humberto Carrillo answers the call. Carrillo looks different, but Sheamus attacks him. The bell never rings so this is not a match. Sheamus slams Carrillo into the security barriers before hitting him with a Brogue Kick in the ring. Sheamus tells Carrillo that he is not in his league.
Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka
Rhea Ripley takes Charlotte up on her offer and comes to ringside to watch. Asuka and Flair go back and forth, until Asuka kicks Flair in the stomach. Charlotte dodges a hip attack and kicks Asuka, who get hung up in the ropes. Both women go down after hitting each other with neck breakers on the apron.
After a commercial break, Asuka fights her way out of the corner, hitting a dropkick off the second rope. She hits the hip attack in the corner and follows with a German suplex and a sliding kick. Flair answers with a slap, but Asuka looks for an arm bar. Charlotte fights out. Asuka tries to hit the double knees and both women hit the mat. The two trade strikes. Charlotte with a spear, but only gets a two count. Asuka fights off the Figure Four. Asuka tries to attack Flair on the apron, but Charlotte puts in her in a knee bar over the ropes. In the ring, Asuka locks in the Asuka lock. Flair has to rolls to the ropes to break the hold. Charlotte with a chop block and locks in the Figure Four. She bridges into the Figure Eight, only to have Ripley yanks her arms out from under her. Flair grabs Ripley through the ropes, trying to drag her in. Asuka kicks Flair and stacks her up. She is able to hold on to the cover for the three count.
Winner via pinfall: Asuka
After the match, Charlotte beats down the referee. Two more refs show up, pleading with her to stop and ordering her out of the ring. She goes to leave, but returns to kick the ref in the ribs. See you next week in the ThunderDome.
Monday Night RAW 4/19/2021
The ThunderDome at Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
There is nothing must see on RAW tonight, except for T-Bar and Mace getting unmasked. The commentators didn’t try to identify them, even if we know they are Dio Maddin and Dominic Dijakovic. I guess they don’t watch NXT. Is it too much to ask to have RAW start with some in ring action? Why do we need a talking segment every week?