Rhea Ripley Gets Emotional As She Vacates Her Title On RAW

Her ceiling had cross-over potential, but now she must sit back and watch. Liv Morgan, the kayfabe reason for her injury, came out, and the two tussled with security. Rhea took out one of the security guys, specifically the one that reminded her of the permanent damage that could be done on her shoulder if she was at all physical. She gave a goodbye to the Judgement Day cronies, saying a final “Te amo” to Dominik Mysterio.

Sami Zayn Remains IC Champ, And God To The Underdogs

Sami came out to defend his title through his hometown crowd. The camera work was excellent as it scaled from Sami’s back away from the shot. He mixed it up with exciting fans, whom he called “the best wrestling city in the world.” The crowd was electric. The match was amazing. The ending was as heartbreaking as it was incredible storytelling.

Both men went back and forth, and it played well on the continuity of a story where Gable was helping Sami get passed his mental issues of doubt to overcome Gunther at Mania. Gable helped Sami achieve victory despite how much the title meant to him. After Sami successfully defended his title, Gable attacked him after the match in a great heel turn that had been building for weeks. While most assumed this was coming, it was executed very well and hopefully begins a new era for the Gable persona.

Cody Rhodes’ Promo

Cody’s segment hit all the right notes, and it didn’t feel as old as it should be that he reflected on all of the WrestleMania happenings (but we could skip ahead at this point). He mentioned The Rock and used verbiage that keeps the door open to a singles feud/match with “The Final Boss” down the line.

Cody Rhodes then acknowledged the newly anointed Bloodline member, Tama Tonga, and who exactly ordered the ‘hit’ on Jimmy Uso, considering Roman Reigns was nowhere in sight. There is some connection between Cody and Tama within the lore of The Bullet Club, but Cody is very familiar with how talented Tama is.

Jey Uso came out at Cody’s request, and Cody reminded everyone that Jey is the #1 contender for Seth’s heavyweight title. Cody offered his hand in friendship as he vies for Seth’s title, but Jey said he has to do it himself. Cody Rhodes left with a final dad joke for the road, “Jey until we ‘yeet’ again.”

Jey Uso vs Finn Balor

Jey stayed in the ring for his match with Finn Balor, but it was very quick work. Jey escaped Finn’s top rope maneuver to hit his Splash for the win.

Sheamus’ Robust Return

Sheamus returned to WWE TV after being on the shelf since August with neck issues, but you’d almost not recognize him if it weren’t for his very recognizable red “IT” colored clown hair and his nearly-as-white aesthetic. It was clearly Sheamus, but he was a bit softer looking in his match against Ivar in the opening match for TV. Sheamus was carrying at least an extra 15-25 pounds since the last time his Hershey-sectioned abdominals were seen on screen. He was facing Ivar, who has been on an impressive run lately, though not always on the winning side.

Ivar, coincidentally, was competing in the same arena where he debuted as the tag team “Viking Experience” 5 years ago to the date. Sheamus picked up the victory in his “welcome back” match, but his physic will take time to return to shape. In the meantime, it looks like he will stick to longer tights to hide the legs.

While some might say a superstar’s shape is off limits to criticism upon return, if the female side of the roster receives this kind of scrutiny (except worse), then men should be held to the same standards in a world of presentation.

Same Game, New Era

As WWE continues to cram the idea down our throats that we are in a new era, some things just don’t change—being overwhelmed with excitement after hearing Triple H’s intro music is one of them. Trips made it to the ring with an awaiting RAW General Manager, Adam Pearce, already standing center ring. After a few words about said ‘new era,’ Trips brought out RAW’s tag team champs Awesome-Truth.

The pair won the RAW version of the tag titles at Mania in a ladder match designed to split the tag team titles to each respective brand—SmackDown’s champs are A-Town Down under. So, tonight, they received a pair of tag titles with a new look. The current tag titles have long been considered one of the worst designs in WWE title history, so it would’ve been difficult to design a worse-looking title. The new belt design is in the same style as Seth Rollins’ current world heavyweight title design. Not bad.

For the rest of the segment, the guys just let R-Truth do what he does best—entertain. He was convinced Triple H was simultaneously Tommaso Ciampa and a magician. Eventually, Trips had enough of Awesome-Truth’s terrific, honest-to-God comedy act. I do not share Trip’s frustration as I want R-Truth on my screen as often as possible.

Tag Team Challengers New Era Edition: DIY def New Day & Creed Bros (triple threat tag)

After Pearce verbally condemned R-Truth for making Triple H leave, thus unable to kiss his boss’ butt, he then announced that we would determine the tag champ’s next contenders tonight. DIY picked up the pinfall victory after a very entertaining sequence that nearly led to an Xavier Woods victory over Julius Creed, but after both Ciampa and Gargano hit Woods with a super kick and then the 1-2-3. The match was very entertaining, and DIY certainly has a knack for triple-threat matches, but they also have a knack for coming up short in title matches.

In-Ring Action

• Andrade beat Dom Mysterio by pinfall following his twisting hammerlock-DDT, but he was on the verge of being jumped by the heels before Ricochet made the save. It is not what fans had hoped for when Ricochet made his way into the win column and on TV, but maybe a turn could be on the verge for either guy.