The John Report: WWE Raw Deal 04/13/26 Review

It’s WWE Monday Night Raw featuring CM Punk-Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins-Gunther, Oba Femi-Brock Lesnar on the final Raw before WrestleMania, and more.

WrestleMania week is upon us, my friends. This is the go-home edition of WWE Monday Night Raw before WrestleMania 42 takes place in Las Vegas on April 18 & 19. Last week’s Raw saw CM Punk deliver a memorable promo while Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar got into a chaotic brawl to end the show. Roman Reigns wasn’t there last week for Punk’s, but he is there this week, so we’ll see how that goes. Later this week (I’ll try for Thursday), I’ll have a WrestleMania 42 preview with my predictions for all the matches, though I’ll also mention some throughout this review. On the last Raw before WrestleMania, there’s likely going to be a lot of talking, and it’s not always about the matches on this episode of Raw.

This is the Raw Deal for episode #1716 of Monday Night Raw, taking place at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.

Roman Reigns was featured in a video talking about how CM Punk lied, and all Punk did was expose himself as a hypocrite. They showed clips of CM Punk’s promo last week and also some of his history with Roman Reigns, going back to The Shield. There was also a clip of Punk trashing Pat McAfee and Pat’s response to Punk. Reigns spoke again, saying Punk is embarrassing. Reigns said that he likes Pat, he really does, and never in the world has a punter run their mouth to him. Reigns said that he doesn’t lie. Reigns said he’ll give “Phil” one opportunity to tell the truth or else Reigns will tell the truth in the main event. Reigns said this message was approved by your Tribal Chief.

Analysis: It’s a bit of a different start to Raw this week, which I don’t mind. It also sets us up for the Reigns-Punk segment later in the show.

There was some pre-show footage shown of CM Punk, Stephanie Vaquer, Charlotte Flair with Alexa Bliss, and Gunther.

A video package aired about the Brock Lesnar-Oba Femi contract signing from Raw last week, when things blew up and a chaotic brawl erupted.

Brock Lesnar Contract Signing

There was a black canvas in the ring as Raw GM Adam Pearce welcomed us to Raw. The boss man, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, was also in the ring with Pearce. Pearce said he has decided that Femi and Lesnar will sign this contract separately.

The WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman said it’s WrestleMania Fight Week, which means no one needs to even get close to “The Beast” Brock Lesnar. That led to Lesnar making his entrance wearing his “FAF5” shirt for “F**k Around, F5.” When Lesnar got into the ring, he signed the contract and handed it to Pearce. Heyman said that the contract may as well be a Nigerian Death Warrant with one man’s name written across it. The fans were chanting “Oba” for Femi.

Brock Lesnar said you won’t even know his name after this weekend. That’s all Lesnar said.

Heyman said this Sunday in the real main event of WrestleMania, this is a spoiler. Heyman said there’s going to be a winner and there’s going to be a loser. Heyman said that this Sunday at WrestleMania, the loser’s name is Oba Femi. Heyman said that the winner will be Brock Lesnar. That was it as Lesnar walked to the back with Heyman. Cole said that Femi will be out to sign the contract later.

Analysis: Simple enough. I think a brawl between Lesnar and Femi would have been great to see again, but logically, it makes sense for the WWE bosses to want to avoid that.

The commentary team of Michael Cole and Corey Graves were shown on camera welcoming us to the show. Alicia Taylor was the ring announcer.

Logan Paul and Austin Theory walked up to their buddy IShowSpeed for some training in a ring. Speed was hesitant to do this because he’s not a wrestler and this is his first match. Paul and Theory tried to motivate Speed, so Paul said they had his back. They showed Speed training at the WWE PC and hitting some moves to show that he was learning. They showed Speed doing stuff like suplexes, a cross body block, a Boston Crab, and things like that. Speed was confident, saying he was ready.

It was confirmed that The Usos & LA Knight vs. Logan Paul, Austin Theory & IShowSpeed will kick off WrestleMania Saturday.

Analysis:  It’s smart to show a training video like that to show that IShowSpeed is preparing for his first WWE match. Speed isn’t a tall guy, but he’s a good athlete, and I think he’ll be ready to put on a good showing. I don’t know much about Speed’s career or why he’s popular, but the dude has a big following, so it’s smart for WWE to use him. It doesn’t bother me.

Charlotte Flair made her entrance for singles action, joined by Alexa Bliss. That led to a break for some fans as the show continued.

A video aired about legendary WrestleMania moments with NBA Milwaukee Bucks great Giannis Antetokounmpo, saying a moment he’ll always remember is Brock Lesnar beating The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30.

They showed construction for WrestleMania 42 underway at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Lyra Valkyria (w/Bayley) vs. Charlotte Flair (w/Alexa Bliss)

Flair used her size advantage with a shoulder tackle. Flair did a 4-finger salute to Bayley since they are part of the Four Horsewomen. Lyra came back with a spinning heel kick for a two count. Lyra did a back flip off the turnbuckle and hit a boot. Flair came back with a jumping kick of her own. Lyra blocked a kick and did a sweep kick to knock Flair down to the floor. Lyra kicked Flair to knock her down on the floor. Lyra tried an attack over the top, Flair avoided it, and Flair kicked Lyra to knock her down. Flair was in control of Lyra over the next few minutes as the show went on a break.

The match continued with Flair going for some move off the turnbuckle, but Lyra pulled Flair down. Lyra hit a leg drop to the back of the head for two. Lyra went for a moonsault off the middle turnbuckle, but Flair got the knees up. Lyra got a cradle for two. Lyra hit an enziguri kick, and Flair came back with a boot to the face. Flair went up top and hit a moonsault onto Lyra for two. Flair was shocked that it was only two, even though she never wins with that move. Lyra countered a move into a crucifix pin for two. Flair chopped Lyra. Flair went for a kick, Lyra caught her leg and Lyra hit a Fisherman’s Buster for two. Flair got back up and sent Lyra through the ropes onto Bayley on the floor. Flair rolled up Lyra by the ropes, Bayley swept Flair’s leg on the pin attempt and Lyra bridged back on the pin cover for the pinfall win after 12 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Lyra Valkyria

Analysis: ***1/4 A very good match that was even most of the way. Flair cost Bayley against Bliss on SmackDown, so this was Bayley’s revenge, especially after Flair sent Lyra into Bayley on the floor. It advances the story a bit, since they are all babyfaces and have issues heading into their WrestleMania 4-way tag team match.

Post match, the women engaged in some light shoving because Flair was angry with Bayley about getting involved.

LA Knight and The Usos were shown talking about their WrestleMania match while mocking IShowSpeed. Solo Sikoa showed up with the MFTs (JC Mateo, Tonga Loa & Talla Tonga, but no Tama Tonga). Solo said that The Usos make the family look bad because they hang out with this goof, LA Knight. That led to Knight saying they should have a 6-man tag team match at WrestleMania and he’ll talk to Pearce to set it up.

They showed the Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer walking backstage for a segment up next.

Penta made his entrance as the Intercontinental Champion for a promo during the break. Penta said that at WrestleMania, there will be danger, chaos and pain. Penta said he knows pain and he’ll bring pain for everyone who faces him. Penta said that this isn’t just a match, this is a war. They cut off the promo because they returned from a break.

A clip aired of the “Hulk Hogan: Real American” documentary coming to Netflix. They showed a clip of Bash at the Beach 1996 when Hogan turned heel by hitting a leg drop on Randy Savage, and that led to the formation of the New World Order. A very memorable moment, for sure.

Let’s Hear from Stephanie Vaquer

The Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer made her entrance for a promo. They showed last week on Raw when she sent Liv Morgan crashing into Roxanne Perez backstage. Vaquer is against Morgan at WrestleMania Saturday.

Vaquer was in the ring for an interview with Cathy Kelley, but Liv showed up before Vaquer could say anything. Vaquer bumped into Kelley to knock her down. Liv was attacking Vaquer with punches. WWE Officials showed up to break it up. Liv said that if you want to fight, then let’s go because she’s right here. Liv said that she knew Vaquer’s mother was trash, but she didn’t know Stephanie’s mother raised a bitch. Vaquer said something in Spanish and went into the ring to fight some more. Vaquer hit a running forearm on Liv to knock her out of the ring. They also showed interviewer Cathy Kelley getting helped to the back.

Analysis: It’s WrestleMania season, so there are always going to be brawling segments like that. Liv Morgan attacking Stephanie Vaquer like that is fitting for a heel like Morgan. Cheap heat for Morgan for that. We see it all the time. I like both women, and I think the match should be intense. I’m probably going with Liv Morgan getting the win at WrestleMania.

Iyo Sky was interviewed by Jackie Redmond backstage. Sky said she lost to Jade Cargill on SmackDown, and she doesn’t regret fighting for her friend. Sky said she’s rooting for her friend Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania. Asuka walked in with Kairi Sane to talk trash to Sky. Asuka said that Ripley is not Sky’s family. Asuka said that last year, Sky was the Women’s World Champion, and now she’s just Rhea Ripley’s sidekick. Sky told Sane she didn’t have to listen to this. Asuka said Sane is loyal to her, and Sane will prove it tonight against Sky. Sane was reluctant, but she was fine with it and left with Asuka.

The Usos made their entrance to their adjusted theme song that says, “Just Us, Uce” instead of “Just Me, Uce” when it was Jey Uso’s song. The Usos entered from the back part of the arena, and they did some Yeeting with the fans. As the show went on the break, The Usos entrance continued for a few more minutes.

LA Knight was up next to a good pop. That was followed by the MFTs making their entrance as a group.

LA Knight and The Usos – Jimmy & Jey Uso vs. MFTs – Solo Sikoa, JC Mateo & Tonga Loa (w/Talla Tonga)

Jey was in control of JC early on with a clothesline out of the ring. Jey hit a dive over the top onto JC on the floor. The show went on a quick break as the action continued. Jey sent JC into the ring, Loa was distracting the referee and Talla nailed Jey with a clothesline on the floor. Loa tagged in with punches and kicks on Jey. Solo worked over his older brother Jey with punches. Solo hit a running hip attack on Jey.

Solo knocked his brother Jey down with an elbow smash and Solo punched Jimmy off the apron to the floor. Jey hit an enziguri kick that knocked Solo down. Knight tagged in against Loa with a belly to back suplex and he tossed JC out of the ring. Knight hit a reverse DDT on Loa. Knight jumped to the top and hit an elbow drop for two because JC hit a splash to break it up. Jimmy in with a superkick, Solo with a Samoan Spike to Jimmy and Jey sent Solo out of the ring. Jey hit a dive onto Solo, who caught Jey and sent Jey into the commentary table. Tama Tonga showed up to stare at Solo, who asked where Tama was. Knight spun Loa around and hit a BFT for the pinfall win after about 8 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: LA Knight and The Usos – Jimmy & Jey Uso

Analysis: **3/4 A clean and easy win for Knight and The Usos as expected against a trio that isn’t part of WrestleMania. Knight pinning Loa was a case of beating the weakest guy in the MFT group. The other story is why Tama Tonga showed up so late, and it ended up costing his team the win.

Cole said that Cathy Kelley is getting looked at by trainers and Kelley will be okay after what happened earlier.

A video aired about the Pat McAfee segment with Randy Orton against Cody Rhodes. Pat trashed Cody, who trashed Pat in return and then Orton got involved by beating up Jelly Roll. Orton also beat up Rhodes with McAfee. The segment ended with McAfee stealing the WWE Title.

Gunther made his entrance for a promo. They went on a break for some fans, so Gunther walked around the ring and helped to kill a few minutes.

A video aired about Jelly Roll talking about The Rock-Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 18 was his WrestleMania moment he’ll never forget.

Let’s Hear from Gunther…and Seth Rollins

Gunther was in the ring, looking like he was ready to talk, but Seth Rollins showed up and punched Gunther several times until Gunther retreated. Rollins said that two weeks in a row, Gunther attacked Rollins, and that was Seth’s receipt. Rollins said that in six days, he will finish the job. Rollins wanted Gunther to walk down to the ring like a man and tell Rollins why Gunther wants to fight Rollins at WrestleMania. Gunther got in the ring with Rollins.

Gunther said that he is solving Heyman’s problem with a smile on his face because Rollins is pissing Gunther off. Gunther said that Rollins acts like he’s the best in the ring, but he is not because Gunther is the best. Gunther said that Rollins became a useful idiot for Heyman. Gunther said it’s very personal for him to show that Rollins can’t lace his boots. Rollins and Gunther got into a fight. They exchanged punches. Gunther wanted a Powerbomb, Rollins got out of it and hit a boot to the head. Rollins wanted to hit The Stomp on the steel steps, but Gunther left the ringside area and went into the crowd. Rollins had a staredown with Gunther to end it.

Analysis: It’s another match at WrestleMania 42 where a brawl was booked to get us more into the match. We see those kinds of things so many times during WrestleMania season. I think Rollins and Gunther are pretty much guaranteed to have a great match at WrestleMania, so I don’t mind if it’s a weaker story. These guys are great, we know it and I’m ready to enjoy their awesome match. I’m happy Rollins is back in the ring after six months off, and I think Rollins should win.

A video package aired about Club WWE as John Cena narrated the video. Join a waitlist now to become part of the Ultimate Insider Membership Program. Good luck with that. I’ll pass.

A quick video was shown of red/dark smoke and Finn Balor’s face for “Demon” Finn Balor at WrestleMania.

Dominik Mysterio complained to Raw GM Adam Pearce. Dominik complained about his father being in the Intercontinental Title match and Finn Balor appearing as the Demon at WrestleMania. Pearce said that Rey deserves what he’s getting at WrestleMania. Pearce said that regarding Demon Finn Balor, Dominik deserves what he’s getting at WrestleMania too. Pearce left.

They showed actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen at ringside. They also showed Dylan Cardwell of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. They are one of the worst franchises in the NBA and have been for a long time. Just saying.

Iyo Sky made her entrance for singles action as the show went on a break.

Kairi Sane (w/Asuka) vs. Iyo Sky

Sane sent Sky into the turnbuckle and hit a running shoulder tackle. Sane jumped off the top with a forearm on Sky for a two count. Sane grabbed a chinlock. After Sky broke free, Sane went for a headscissors, but Sky landed on her feet. Sky tripped up Sane and hit a running dropkick to send Sane out of the ring. Sane pulled Sky off the apron. Sky hit a superkick while on the floor. Sky hit a moonsault off the barricade with Sky’s boots hitting Sane in the face. The show went on a break for some fans as the match continued. Asuka tried to motivate Sane, so Sky went over, and Asuka shoved Sane into Sky to knock her down. Sane sent Sky into the steel steps. Sane worked over Sky with a body slam and elbow drop as Sane remained in control during the break.

The match continued with Sky making a comeback with a palm thrust and a kick. Sky went to the apron and kicked Sane in the mouth. Sky went up top with a missile dropkick as the crowd came alive. Sky hit a Bullet Train attack with the running knees against the turnbuckle. Sky went up top, Sane shoved her off, and Sky hit a forearm. Sane headbutted Sky to knock her off the top rope. Sky punched Sane to put her down. Asuka went on the apron and sent Sky into the ring post while Sane was getting checked on by the referee. Rhea Ripley made her entrance and went after Asuka with a headbutt. Jade Cargill, the WWE Women’s Champion, showed up to hit Ripley with a forearm. Sky hit a suicide dive, cross-body block on Jade on the floor. Sky kicked Sane to knock her down and Sky went for Over the Moonsault, but Asuka tripped up Sky and the referee never saw it. Sane rolled up Sky in the ROLLUP OF DEATH~! for the pinfall win. It went 11 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Kairi Sane

Analysis: ***1/4 An entertaining match with a surprising result, with Sane getting the win over Sky thanks to Asuka getting involved. This should set up Sky against Asuka and I would expect Sky to win that.

A video package aired about the AJ Lee-Becky Lynch rivalry to the song “Kerosene” by The Warning. Excellent video package as usual.

Oba Femi was shown walking backstage for a promo up next during a break for some fans.

The Danhausen segment aired for the fans. Danhausen said this week will be his first-ever WrestleMania, and he’s heading into it undefeated. Danhausen shot some t-shirts into the crowd and did his, “You are cursed” line to end it.

Oba Femi Contract Signing

The WWE Chief Content Officer, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and Raw GM Adam Pearce made their entrance for the contract signing. Pearce said we got Brock’s signature, so let’s make this official.

Oba Femi made his entrance with the fans shouting “Woo” on cue for his song and there were plenty of “Oba” chants as well. When Oba Femi got into the ring, they kept playing his song and Femi signed the contract. Femi was about to speak, so Triple H pointed to the aisle where Paul Heyman was standing.

Paul Heyman said he’s been in this business his entire life, and he’s never seen somebody come across as the biggest star in the business as fast as Oba Femi. Heyman said he knows Femi is a violent man, so he’s going to stay there. Heyman said that Femi is the most violent person to come into WWE since…Brock Lesnar. Heyman said that Femi is the fastest rising star to the top in WWE since Brock Lesnar. Heyman said that Femi is the most impressive fighter and combat athlete, so the fans chanted “Oba” again. Heyman told the fans they are starting to piss him off. Heyman said that on Sunday at WrestleMania, everything that Femi has built comes crashing down. Heyman said it will come crashing down when Femi is conquered by Brock Lesnar. Heyman said there’s no shame in Femi’s loss because he’s in the real main event of WrestleMania. Heyman said when Femi needs to rebuild his career, his door will always be open to Oba Femi. The fans booed that.

Femi said it’s taking everything in him not to come down to beat Heyman from pillar to post. The fans chanted, “Beat his ass.” Femi said that if he beats Heyman up, the physical scars will heal, but the emotional wounds when Lesnar loses at WrestleMania will last forever. Femi said as far as Heyman’s door of opportunity, the only door that Femi needs open is already open – the door of WrestleMania. Femi said that Lesnar and Heyman issued an open challenge for WrestleMania and they didn’t care who answered the challenge. Femi said that Lesnar has 25 years of showing he can’t be beat. Femi said that for four weeks, he has shown he can beat Lesnar. Femi said that this time is different because Paul can feel it, Femi can feel it and the fans can feel it. The fans cheered. Femi said that Heyman has been his mouthpiece, but never an honest one. Femi said if you were honest, you should say that Lesnar is scared of Oba Femi. Femi said you are the mountain that you cannot climb and cannot conquer. Femi said that Lesnar will meet his end because Femi is the one. Femi said that he is the one, he knows it, the fans know it and at WrestleMania, you will know it too. Triple H shook Femi’s hand.

Analysis: I liked that a lot. The way that Oba Femi has been presented on the road to WrestleMania has been perfect for him. I watched and reviewed this guy during his entire NXT run. I’m so happy that the WWE fan shave bought into Femi as a huge threat to a guy like Lesnar, and I think that’s a great sign going into WrestleMania. I think Femi should win.

They showed Liv Morgan’s “Trouble” music video that premiered earlier today. I’m not going to review it. I’ll just say it’s not my type of music, but good for her, looking like she had fun, and fans of Liv are going to love this kind of thing. Cole said it’s her new theme song. I don’t love that because I like Liv’s theme song.

Je’Von Evans made his entrance for tag team action. They went on a break for some fans as the entrances took place for the tag team match.

Rusev & JD McDonagh vs. Je’Von Evans & Dragon Lee

All four guys are in the Intercontinental Title Ladder Match at WrestleMania. Rusev suplexed Lee and hit an elbow drop. JD tagged in with a belly-to-back suplex on Lee. Rusev went for a lift, so Lee hit a hurricanrana to counter. Evans tagged in with a running kick on Rusev and a suicide dive on JD on the floor. Evans hit a springboard clothesline on Rusev. Evans did a backflip to avoid JD. Rusev sent Evans into the ropes, and Evans sent Rusev out of the ring. Rusev stopped Evans with a punch. JD pulled Lee off the apron, and JD hit a springboard moonsault on Lee on the floor. Evans decked JD with a punch on the floor. Evans jumped onto Rusev, who gave Evans a fallaway slam over the commentary table. They went on a break with the heels in control for a few minutes.

The action during the break was the heels beating Evans. Rusev was on the turnbuckle, Evans headbutted him down, and Evans hit a Frog Splash across the ring. Lee tagged in against JD and hit a hurricanrana on JD on the apron. Lee hit a Snapdragon Suplex, a superkick and then JD hit a Spanish Fly for a two count because Evans broke up the pin. Evans hit the Red Dot kick on Rusev. Evans jumped over the top with a cross body block on Rusev. Lee got a rollup for two. Lee hit a Styles Clash on JD for the pinfall win after about 9 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Je’Von Evans & Dragon Lee

Analysis: ***1/4 A fun, fast-paced match that it needed to be. Evans is so exciting to watch, while Lee was terrific after the hot tag as well. Lee winning with the Styles Clash was cool since he was AJ’s tag team partner, so I think Lee should use it as a finisher sometimes.

After the match, Rusev attacked the winners with a fallaway slam on Evans and a spinning slam on Lee. Rey Mysterio went down to the ring to fight Rusev. Rey tripped up Rusev by the ropes and wanted a 619, but Rusev hit a clothesline to stop that. Penta ran down to the ring to battle Rusev. Penta went for a springboard kick, but Rusev hit a Machka Kick. Rusev caught a leaping Evans and hit a Uranage slam. Rusev hit Machka Kicks on JD, Rey, and Penta. Rusev hit another Machka Kick on Lee and applied the Accolade submission on Lee, who was tapping out. Rusev stood tall.

Analysis: That is the best that Rusev has looked since returning to WWE. That’s how you book Rusev to be a monster heel. I don’t think Rusev will win at WrestleMania, but it was a smart way to make him look like a huge threat going into the WrestleMania Ladder Match.

They showed graphics running down the two nights of WrestleMania 42 with John Cena as the host.

Saturday, April 18 Matches

• WWE Undisputed Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton
• WWE Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan
• Seth Rollins vs. Gunther
• Women’s Intercontinental Championship: AJ Lee (c) vs. Becky Lynch
• Women’s Tag Team Championships: Irresistible Forces – Nia Jax & Lash Legend (c) vs. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. The Bella Twins – Nikki & Brie Bella vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
• Unsanctioned Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu (Match Will Also Air On ESPN 2 In First Hour)
• LA Knight and The Usos – Jimmy & Jey Uso vs. The Vision – Logan Paul & Austin Theory and IShowSpeed (Match Will Also Air On ESPN 2 In First Hour)

Sunday, April 19 Matches

• WWE World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns
• WWE Women’s Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
• United States Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Trick Williams
• “Demon” Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
• Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Penta (c) vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Dragon Lee vs. Rusev vs. JD McDonagh vs. Rey Mysterio (Match Will Also Air On ESPN In First Hour)
• Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar (Match Will Also Air On ESPN In First Hour)

Raw GM Adam Pearce was in his office on the phone when Danhausen walked in, saying he wanted to see John Cena. Pearce said you can probably see him at WrestleMania. Pearce spoke on the phone, and Danhausen was gone because that’s what he does.

It was main event promo time as the “Original Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns made his entrance to a big ovation. They went on a break for some fans as Reigns continued his slow entrance.

Let’s Hear from Roman Reigns and CM Punk

Roman Reigns took his time in the ring as the fans sang his name and chanted “OTC” for him. Reigns told Sacramento to acknowledge him, so the fans cheered. Here comes the World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk, for the interruption that was expected. CM Punk was in the back part of the arena with the fans, so Punk slowly walked his way down to the ring while wearing the World Heavyweight Title around his waist.

It took a while for CM Punk to get to ringside and he stood on the commentary table. Punk said after watching the Cold Open that it was a political smear campaign put together by Reigns. Punk said he’s going to tell his truth. Punk told Reigns to tell him when he’s telling lies. Punk was on the steel steps, so Reigns said if you come into this ring, we won’t need these microphones. Punk stood on the apron.

Punk said the truth is he hates Roman Reigns because he envies Reigns. Punk said this is all he ever wanted and it’s the only dream he’s ever had since he was a kid. Punk claimed he hated that this was handed to Reigns, and Punk hated that Reigns held the WWE Title for 1316 days. Punk said that he hates how hard Reigns worked. Punk said he hated the number of times Reigns headlined WrestleMania. Punk admitted that he hated that he felt this way. Punk mentioned Roman’s father, Sika, saying he was a great man, a great wrestler, and a Hall of Famer. Punk said that he respects the old timers, and he hates that he invoked Roman’s father’s name in vain, and he sincerely apologized to Reigns.

Punk got into the ring with Reigns. Punk said that he hates that there’s more than one royal family in pro wrestling. Punk said he hates that he wasn’t born into a dynasty. Punk said that he doesn’t know what having that kind of family was like. Punk talked about how he was a misfit and he found his own family. Punk said that he found his family in Sacramento and talked about various small places he wrestled at. Punk said he conquered the indies, he went to Japan, he went to England and he went to Puerto Rico. Punk said he busted his ass and he made pro wrestling his family. Punk said that he hates that he has to share anything with Reigns, let alone his first singles main event match at WrestleMania. Punk said he’s got gold all over him and after their match at Wrestlemania, he’ll have gold around his waist. Punk said he’ll still be the World Heavyweight Champion with Las Vegas still chanting, “CM Punk.” Punk wanted Reigns to tell him when he’s telling lines.

Reigns said that was the truest stuff he’s ever heard Punk say, up until the end. Reigns said he hates Punk, and that’s true. Reigns said that he hates Punk’s relationship with the fans. Reigns said that one day, when he leaves, he hopes the fans chant his name for 10 years as they did for Punk. Reigns credited Punk for the fan support that he has. Reigns said on Sunday, it’s not “And Still” because it’s “And New.” Reigns said that this nostalgia act is done, and we will fix this mess that Punk started. Reigns said that we’ll make this place where we had it – at the very top with every single dollar. Reigns said on Sunday, he takes over and Punk and the whole world will acknowledge him. The fans cheered as Reigns and Punk had a staredown to end it. End show.

Analysis: It was a promo full of honesty from CM Punk, and I think from a character standpoint, it worked for him. What Punk said was a lot of truths, and I think the fans bought into it. That was followed up by Reigns delivering his truths and talking about how Punk’s special connection with the fans is something other wrestlers envy. The key thing was that Reigns said he hated Punk just like Punk hated him. I think it would have been good if they got into a brawl to end it, but that’s how Raw ended last week with Femi/Lesnar, so it would have been repetitive. I’m not saying it was a great promo, nor am I saying it’s bad. I think both guys delivered better promos in other weeks leading up to this match. I also think it’s easier to build a match when it’s face against heel instead of face-face. Anyway, I expect the Reigns-Punk match to be great regardless of what the promos have been. I’ll probably pick Roman Reigns to win at WrestleMania.

This week’s Raw had a runtime of 2 hours and 32 minutes on Netflix. Last week was 2:30.

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Three Stars of the Show

1. CM Punk
2. Oba Femi
3. Lyra Valkyria and Je’Von Evans/Dragon Lee

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The Scoreboard

7.5 out of 10

Last week: 7.25

2026 Average: 7.52

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Final Thoughts on WWE Raw

It felt like a good Raw to me. I’m sure people will find things to bitch about and say it wasn’t a home run show on the go-home Raw. You can only book so many “I hate you, and I’m going to beat you” promos and pull-apart brawls on these television shows. Most people watching this show are already watching WM anyway, so it’s just a matter of giving the talent time to put on great matches at WrestleMania, which they will do.

For whatever reason, a lot of fans live in this mythical world where they think past WrestleMania builds were way better when, in reality, it’s about the same thing every year. A lot of talking, brawling, and interfering in matches and interviews. As an example, four years ago, they told you Reigns and Lesnar was the biggest match ever. They went on to have a disappointing match at WM. Do I think Punk-Reigns will be disappointing? Absolutely not. It will be awesome.

I thought the match quality on this show was pretty solid, better than I expected. There was a lot of talking, but I certainly didn’t mind it. As far as the promos go, I thought CM Punk did a very good job as usual, and Oba Femi also stood out to me, while Paul Heyman did an excellent job of reacting to Femi. Femi didn’t say anything out of the ordinary, but when you are presented like a star and speak with confidence, it goes a long way. The Liv Morgan-Stephanie Vaquer fight segment was exactly what they needed, and it was only about three minutes long. Bring on WrestleMania.

The next WWE PLE is WrestleMania 42 on April 18 & April 19 in Las Vegas. Here’s the lineup:

Saturday, April 18 Matches

• WWE Undisputed Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton
• WWE Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan
• Seth Rollins vs. Gunther
• Women’s Intercontinental Championship: AJ Lee (c) vs. Becky Lynch
• Women’s Tag Team Championships: Irresistible Forces – Nia Jax & Lash Legend (c) vs. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. The Bella Twins – Nikki & Brie Bella vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
• Unsanctioned Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu (Match Will Also Air On ESPN 2 In First Hour)
• LA Knight and The Usos – Jimmy & Jey Uso vs. The Vision – Logan Paul & Austin Theory and IShowSpeed (Match Will Also Air On ESPN 2 In First Hour)

Sunday, April 19 Matches

• WWE World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns
• WWE Women’s Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
• United States Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Trick Williams
• “Demon” Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
• Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Penta (c) vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Dragon Lee vs. Rusev vs. JD McDonagh vs. Rey Mysterio (Match Will Also Air On ESPN In First Hour)
• Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar (Match Will Also Air On ESPN In First Hour)

WrestleMania 42 will STREAM LIVE Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT on ESPN in the United States and Netflix everywhere else.

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Thanks for reading. Please check out my reviews of every WWE PPV ever listed in order. Go Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Raptors. My contact info is below.

John Canton

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