WWE RAW Live Updates, Results, & Reactions

Xavier Woods has just officially arrived back on WWE Raw, but his jump to the red brand has also brought along some powerful enemies. Woods ran into Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley backstage during Raw, and a match between Dom and Woods was set up through the exchange.

Though Xavier looked promising throughout, a last-second assist by Rhea Ripley and some leverage from Woods’ tights gave Dom the victory. Woods isn’t taking the loss gracefully, though. He caught up with Cathy Kelly after WWE Raw went off the air and vowed that he’s “coming for” Judgment Day.

It was not the best debut. I was on SmackDown on a two-year winning streak. I come to Raw and I immediately lose my match against Dominik Mysterio because Rhea Ripley, because The Judgment Day, who can’t find an original name if it smacked them in the face, are out there messing with me. Oh, because why? Because they’re a faction full of people and, right now, I’m by myself? Well, they’re going to find out very soon that Xavier Woods by himself is a menace. I am a force to be reckoned with!

EXCLUSIVE: @AustinCreedWins issues a warning to @DomMysterio35 and @RheaRipley_WWE. (As well as @ArcherofInfamy AND @FinnBalor!)#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/GmwEiJNtS5

— WWE (@WWE) May 9, 2023

WWE never slows down, so let’s look ahead at what has been announced so far for this Friday’s WWE SmackDown! This will be the first time we’ve seen an episode of SmackDown where the new WWE rosters are in effect, so that should add to the unpredictability about where the episode may go. Perhaps most exciting is that Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will make his return to the blue brand and address the ongoing issues with The Bloodline.

You can see the developing 5/12 episode of WWE SmackDown:

• Cameron Grimes vs. Baron Corbin
• Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Damage CTRL (Bayley & Dakota Kai) for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
• Roman Reigns returns to WWE SmackDown

THIS FRIDAY on #SmackDown

YOUR TRIBAL CHIEF @WWERomanReigns returns! (Alongside his Wiseman, @HeymanHustle!) pic.twitter.com/a0ypg5oi7x

— WWE (@WWE) May 9, 2023

On tonight’s episode of Raw, Mustafa Ali’s positivity finally paid off for him in a match against Alpha Academy’s Otis. Due to distractions from his partner, Chad Gable, and his manager, Maxxine Dupri, Ali was able to take advantage and hit his 450 splash for the victory.

After everything went down, Byron Saxton caught up with the optimistic star to talk about the victory and his ongoing free agency in WWE.

I’m not going to lie — being a free agent has been pretty sweet. I mean, am I on a win streak lately? Yeah, but I don’t want to mention it. Did I single-handedly defeat everyone in Alpha Academy? Yeah, but again, I don’t want to talk about it. I’m not that type of guy. You know what, I don’t want to focus on the outcome of matches, I want to focus on the outpour of love and support that the WWE Universe is giving me … One thing is for sure, I’m going to make sure that everyone starts thinking more positiv-Ali!

Is @AliWWE the greatest free agent of all time?#RAWTalk
▶️ @peacock pic.twitter.com/Lx52OH4Q68

— WWE (@WWE) May 9, 2023

Another Monday, another edition of Monday Night Raw! Tonight’s episode included the first rounds in the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament, with Seth Rolins emerging as the top contender from the red brand. Other memorable moments included Brock Lesnar attacking Cody Rhodes and challenging him to a “fight” at Night of Champions, as well as the return of Becky Lynch.

Next week’s WWE Raw is shaping up to be another exciting episode — we currently have a Women’s Tag Team Title match on the books, as well as a singles match between The Miz and Shinsuke Nakamura.

You can see the current card for the 5/15 edition of WWE Raw:

• Women’s Tag Team Champions: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez or Damage CTRL (c)
• The Miz vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
• Gunther makes his WWE Raw debut

Which team will @ImChelseaGreen & @SonyaDevilleWWE get to challenge for the WWE #WomensTagTitles next week on #WWERaw? pic.twitter.com/KyTx1vo8io

— WWE (@WWE) May 9, 2023

We come back to the show with Seth trying to fight off Balor from yanking on his hurt shoulder. Rollins chops away and delivers some clotheslines, followed by a superkick combination. Seth is struggling to use the arm that’s been focused on, but he’s still nailing offense like a backbreaker. He climbs up to the top rope and tries for a frog splash. Finn hits him with knees and goes for a pin; it doesn’t work so he transitions into a Fujiwara armbar! Rollins finally makes it out but eats a sling blade.

Balor runs in for a shotgun dropkick but Balor catches him with a superkick to the face! It’s still only a two count! We’re nearing the conclusion of this one. Balor strikes at Rollins’ abdomen. They start trading right until Rollins boots Balor back to the outside. Seth and Finn ram each other’s heads into the ring apron. Rollins starts gaining the advantage, sliding back in and hitting a rolling elbow and an enziguri, but Finn comes back with the pele kick.

Seth and Finn struggle to get back to their feet. They stare one another down from opposite sides of the ring. Back up, they collide, with Finn managing to hit a double stomp on the mat. Finn tries for his finisher but Seth meets him on the top rope with a superplex. He floats over for a falcon arrow, but Finn reverses and uses a reverse DDT for a close 2 count.

Finn walks over and stomps away at Seth in the corner. He hits the shotgun dropkick to the back of Seth’s head, followed by another to his chest. Finn climbs to the top rope and goes for the coup de grace. It’s avoided. Rollins uses a one-arm pedigree but it’s still only a two count! Seth rallies for one last flurry of offense. The crowd sings his theme song as Seth goes for the stomp. Finn moves out of the way, but Seth comes back and does an inverted stomp to the face, followed by the traditional stomp the the back of the head. Rollins wins it!!

WWE Raw goes off the air this week with Seth Rollins celebrating his win and walking up to the ramp to pose with the World Heavyweight Championship.

Seth Rollins enters (Woah!! Oh!! Oh!!)! The bell rings and our semi-final match in the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament is underway!

The two men stare one another down before locking up. They trade quick reversals until Seth gets in a wrist lock, which Balor breaks by clutching onto the rope. Balor then breaks a chicken wing by using the ropes. He strikes back and tosses Seth to the apron, but it leads to a basement dropkick in the face of Rollins. He’s tossed out of the ring, but when Finn meets him outside, he eats a sling blade.

Rollins chops at Finn and tosses him inside. Balor meets him at the second rope and kicks away at the chest of Rollins. He sets Rollins up on his shoulders and powerbomb him into the ring barricade (like what happened to Balor in the first Universal Championship match).

Backstage, Cathy Kelly interviews a wounded Cody Rhodes. He’s clearly devastated that he can’t be a part of the World Heavyweight Title tournament. Rhodes says it was a tournament that was all his, but it didn’t work out, and he’s sorry. What he does know is this — this is the second time that Brock has attacked him for no reason. Rhodes thinks the only reason he could care is that his grip on the main event scene is slipping away. Does Brock want to fight? Against all of his better judgment, Cody accepts the challenge for a  “fight” at Night of Champions.

Finn Balor is coming down to the ring! Our main event match is coming up next!

We return from a commercial break with an ad for Veer Mahaan and Indus Sheer threatening future destruction on WWE.

The Miz confronts Shinsuke Makamura and says there’s a reason they lost tonight and it’s because they weren’t working together like they should. He says that the crowd would love to be chanting, “Mizuke Nakamura!” Shinsuke says his idea is a bit different: Shinsuke vs. The Miz in a singles match next week!

Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville are looking for more signatures for their petition to get another tag team title match. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez show up and say they only needed to ask if they wanted the tag team title shot. After they beat Damage CTRL later this week, they’ll beat them too. Green and Deville laugh, saying they made the petition expecting to battle Damage CTRL when they get another shot at the belts.

We then go to another replay of what happened between Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar earlier tonight.

We come back with Woods in control, giving a stiff kick to Dom’s abdomen. Dom returns with a ripcord forearm and the three amigos vertical suplexes. It only gives Dom a two-count, though. Dom keeps Woods grounded with a headlock, but Xavier works his way back up to a standing position. Woods with punches and chops to Dom. He slides through Dom’s legs and hits a spinning elbow. He then follows up with an elbow and clothesline in the corners, followed by a clothesline in the middle of the ring.

Woods with a tornado DDT off the ropes for another two count. Rhea Ripley is losing her cool at ringside. Dom eats an elbow but returns with a spinning elbow that gives him a two count. Woods pulls the feet out from under Dom on the apron. Woods hits a dropkick on Dom’s back as he’s tied up in the ropes! That was sick! Still, it’s only a two-count for Woods.

Xavier dives for the coast-to-coast elbow, but Ripley pulls him out of the ring at the very last second. Dom rolls up Woods and uses the tights for the quick 3 count! Dominik wins!

Xavier Woods enters first, followed by Dominik Mysterio. The bell rings and they lock up, with Woods throwing Dom over into a headlock takeover. Dom puts him in a leg scissors to reverse, but Woods comes back by picking the ankle. Dom offers a hand but Woods is falling for it. Dom kicks him in the abdomen, following it up by slamming his head into the mat. Xavier returns with a dropkick, chops, and punches in the corner of the ring. Dom escapes by drop toe-holding him into the second turnbuckle.

Woods fights back with punches. He jumps through the ropes on Dom, following it up with a crossbody splash. Dom is beaten down in the corner, but when he runs over to Dom for a corner attack, he’s flipped over the top ropes to the outside.

We see another replay of what happened to Cody Rhodes earlier tonight when Brock Lesnar interfered in the triple-threat match. Cody is icing his ribs as Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens comfort him and ask the trainers what happens now. Xavier Woods vs. Dominik Mysterio is up next!

We come back with a replay of what happened at Backlash this weekend, with the statistics touted. Here comes Trish Stratus! Stratus has a “missing” shirt with Becky’s picture on it. She was also hanging up “missing” posters of Becky in the backstage area before we went to break. Stratus asks if people have seen her. She tells Kevin Patrick that as a fellow Irish person, he is probably worried, but they’re gonna find her.

She sarcastically says that they are using all of their tools to search for her. And once she’s back, the fans can say, “Thank you, Trish.” Lynch thinks she’s probably in the corner in Iowa somewhere, crying with her “dumb” daughter who is two. Stratus says she will eventually come back, but not to Raw, because it’s her show. It’s her spotlight and no one is going to steal the spotlight.

Becky Lynch’s music hits! But, no, it was Trish playing a joke on us all. Stratus says we’re all dumb and gullible just like Lynch was when they were a tag team together. Stratus says Lynch will never be coming back. She tells a story about her daughter wanting a doll once, and how she wanted to name it Becky Lynch. The Lynch music hits! She’s here! Surprise!!!

Trish turns around and gets a punch right to the face! Becky with an uppercut and a becksploder suplex to send Trish rolling out of the ring. Becky grabs the mic! She tells Trish that if she wants her, she’s right here. “The Man has come around to kick your a**!”

Backstage, Rhea Ripley is interviewed with Dominik Mysterio by her side. Rhea says she welcomes the pressure that comes with running the women’s division on Raw. Akira Tozawa and Xavier Woods are laughing about something backstage, which ticks of Dom. He yells that they need to respect Mami or Dom will punch them in the face. Xavier challenges him to match tonight, which Mami accepts on his behalf.

Trish Stratus returns next!

We return from the commercial with a recap of what happened between The Bloodline at Backlash this past Saturday. Roman Reigns will be back on SmackDown this Friday to address what has been going on between his family.

Nikki Cross makes her chaotic entrance first, followed by Zoey Stark. The bell rings, prompting Stark to slap Cross in the face. Starks comes back, tossing her in the second turnbuckle and stomping away at Nikki while she’s down. Starks catches her right hand and slams her down into the mat. Zoey with a spingboard corkscrew senton. Stark hits a HARD lariat that rocks Nikki.

Cross fights back, avoiding a corner attack and delivering several clotheslines. Cross with a running dropkick on Stark’s knee, followed by one to her face. She delivers a running splash in the corner. A tornado DDT leads Stark into the Z-360 finisher for a victory.

Backstage, we see “the karens” Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green talking with someone about signing a petition to “save the ocean.” They get Xia Li to sign it, as well. Candice LeRae, Johnny Gargano, and Indi Hartwell are also confronted with the petition. Dexter is with them, too! It looks The Way is coming back! Dexter Lumis rejects the petition, so they decide against signing it to the distaste of Green & Deville.

Gargano says someone is going to be “coming back soon.” Maybe Theory? Candice doesn’t believe him, though.

We return with Zayn trying to fight off Ludwig so he can tag in Kevin. He’s held back for a bit, even having Vinci try to stop him. Zayn kicks him off and finally gets to Owens. He goes to town on Kaiser, beating him down and hitting a back body drop, inverted atomic drop, and a clothesline on the Imperium member. Owens with a chop to Ludwig. He knocks Vinci off the apron and delivers a shoulder breaker to Kaiser for a two count.

Owens hits the swanton bomb on Kaiser, but Vinci breaks up the count right at the last moment. Owens eats a slap to the face. Vinci tags in and they hit a high/low on Owens for a close two count! Ludwig tags in once more, Irish whipping Kevin in to corner and nailing a clothesline and kick. He bounces off the ropes but Owens responds with a hard lariat. Vinci gets tagged in first, knocking Sami off the apron. Owens uses a big back body drop on Vinci, also hitting the stunner on Kaiser. Zayn tags in on a blind tag and hits the Helluva kick on Vinci in the corner for the victory. Owens & Zayn win it!

Imperium makes their entrance second, and we get this one started. Sami Zayn and Ludwig Kaiser start this one out, with Kaiser backing Sami up into the corner with his power. Zayn comes back with one of his signature arm drags, but Kaiser still uses his power to get the advantage. He tags in Giovanni Vinci, who runs in and attacks the back of Zayn. Uppercut by Vinci. Zayn comes back with a clothesline, then slamming Vinci’s head into the turnbuckle. Sami climbs to the top but Kaiser shoves him off, forcing him into Kaiser’s fist.

Ludwig tags back in, but he also uses a tactic to distract the referee so Vinci can hand Zayn on the second rope. Imperium with a tandem attack where Kaiser does a running uppercut and Vinci hits a running dropkick on Zayn. We go to another commercial break.

We see a thorough recap of what happened during the 2023 WWE Draft. Backstage, Byron Saxton interviews Zoey Stark. He asks her how she’ll live up to the expectations people might have for her. She says she’s confident in her abilities. She tells Byron to follow her, then confronting Nikki Cross. She says she’s a weirdo, and says people like that are the reason she’s going to succeed. Starks challenges Cross to a match, which she accepts.

Coming up next, we’ll see the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci

This one is gonna be a bit one-sided, I think. Dana Brooke hits a shotgun dropkick, but then eats a headbutt. Ripley with several mounted shots to Brooke as Dom claps at ringside. She forces Dana’s face into the mat several times. Brooke with a chop block and a facebuster, followed by a wheelbarrow bulldog. Dana tries for a crossbody but she’s caught in mid-air and hit with a backbreaker.

Ripley delivers the riptide, but she isn’t finished there! She finishes her with a prism lock for the submission. Ripley delivers another riptide and prism lock. Suddenly, Natalya comes out and comes to confront Ripley. She stares her down, unafraid. Dom whispers in Rhea’s ear and it convinces her to wait to fight another day.

We return from the break to a replay of Brock Lesnar attacking Rhodes. Cody is backstage, being helped out by WWE medical. He’s brought into the trainer’s room.

We go back to ringside where Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick say that Rhodes wasn’t finished with Brock quite yet. Instead, it will be Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins in the semi-finals tonight!

Rhea Ripley is coming out next to compete in action! Dominik Mysterio is by her side, accompanying her to the ring. Her opponent will be Dana Brooke!

Referees and medics come to the aid of Rhodes as Brock heads out of the arena. He sees the World Heavyweight Title and laughs because he knows he took the chance away from Cody again. We go to a commercial.

The action continues with Rhodes coming off the top rope with a double dropkick on his opponents. Finn makes it up, followed by The Miz. Cody punches and kicks at both men, finally using his signature uppercut. A snap powerslam to both men! Cody is crushing this! Double Cody-cutter! He’s clutching his shoulder, still wounded from last night. Finn Balor reverses the Crossrhodes, but Finn still nails the disaster kick on him for the two.

Cody avoids the double stomp, but then The Miz slides in and does his DDT on both opponents. The Miz gets hyped up as the crowd yells, “Tiny Balls!” Finn hits a sling blade on Cody, which Cody adds to by hitting him with a clothesline out of the ring. Balor hits move after move, followed by a shotgun dropkick into the corner. He misses the coup de grace! The Miz hits the skull-crushing finale on Balor, but Cody slides in at the last second and breaks it up.

Cody tosses Miz to the outside of the ring and scouts out Finn. Balor pulls him into an inside cradle, but it’s only a two-count. Crossrhodes on Finn and three on The Miz! Brock Lesnar pulls him out of the ring and gives him an F-5! Surprise! Finn Balor with the coupe de grace! Balor is advancing!

Brock goes back on the attack, F-5ing Cody through the announce table and asking for the microphone. Brock asks Cody what he wants to talk about. Brock yells in the camera, telling it to look at his busted up face! Brock asks Cody what he wants to talk about, and Lesnar keeps yelling, “Me! Me!” He says Cody got lucky. Now, he wants a fight! Cody vs. Brock Lesnar at Night of Champions in a “fight.” Who will be the coward now?

We return from the break at the tail end of Finn Balor’s entrance, followed by Cody Rhodes. The bell rings, and this one is off to the races! Finn gets punched out of the ring, so Cody hits Miz with a victory roll and a dropkick. Everyone trades pins, followed by shots. Cody, with a Russian leg sweep on The Miz and a front-facing suplex on Finn also applies damage to Miz. Cody with a suicide dive to take out both The Miz and Finn Balor as we go to the commercial.

The Miz tells the camera that he’s the first-ever grand slam champion in the history of the company. Miz vows he will shock everyone when he claims the World Heavyweight Championship because he’s “awesome.”

The Miz vs. Finn Balor vs. Cody Rhodes is next!

We return from the break with Mustafa Ali making his entrance for the match against Otis. The bell rings and Ali locks in a sleeper hold. Otis throws him off his back with ease. Ali returns with two dropkicks, but as he tries for a third, he’s shoulder tackled into oblivion. Ali escapes a press from Otis, following it up with a shoulder tackle on the apron to Otis. He comes back in the ring but gets destroyed with a clothesline that turns him inside out.

Otis hits another clothesline and starts taking off his t-shirt. Gable and Maxxine Dupri try to give him advice on what to do next as Ali recovers. Ali avoids a splash from Otis in the corner and gets a 450 splash for the win! Mustafa Ali wins!!

Rollins celebrates in the ring as the commentators talk about how the WWE draft changed the complextion of the WWE rosters. Imperium arrives backstage and says the Ring General Gunther is arriving on Raw next week. Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci interrupt a conversation between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Zayn asks them for 5 more minutes to finish the discussion they were having. Vinci says they don’t want disrespect because they’re Imperium.

Zayn says they’ll still be Imperium in 5 minutes. Impreium says they don’t appreciate the disrespect, and if they keep up the rudeness, KO and Sami might have a serious issue with Gunther. They may also lose their tag team championships. Zayn says they will deal with Imperium tonight in a tag team match.

Alpha Academy is coming out next, with Otis set for action!

We return from the break with Damian Priest and Seth Rollins trading shots. Rollins gets the advantage, hitting a kick on Priest, followed by a facebuster into the second turnbuckle on Shinsuke. He climbs to the top and splashes down both Priest and Shinsuke. He rallies and hits suicide dives on both men when they’re on opposite sides of the ring. Rollins tries for another, but Priest halts him. He hits an elbow on Rollins in the corner to ground Seth. Shinsuke and Damian reverse each other several times before Nakamura uses his running knees in the corner on Damian.

Rollins slides back in the ring and rolls up Shinsuke. He turns it into a pedigree attempt on Damian, but he’s thwarted. Damian grabs Seth and hits an elevated flatliner on Seth for another close two-count! Priest with a rolling forearm on Shinsuke. Priest and Shinsuke trade kicks at the same time, followed by Seth hitting a superkick on Priest. Shinsuke reverses Seth and does a spinning heel kick of his own, knocking down all three men at once.

They slowly climb to their feet and start trading shots between everyone. Priest starts gaining the advantage, but Nakamura kicks Priest in the thigh and Seth hits a superkick to send him out of the ring. Rollins with a discus lariat. He climbs to the top for the phoenix splash but Priest pulls his legs out from under him. Priest can’t finish the razor’s edge, so he falls to the ground and gets stomped by Seth!! Nakamura breaks it up right at the 3 count!

Seth is pissed Shinsuke took his win away. Shinsuke gives him the, “Come on!” They trade forearms. Seth avoids a punch but still gets a hard shot to the back. Nakamura hits an inverted exploder suplex and prepares for kinshasa. Priest nails him with a stiff clothesline. Shinsuke escapes the south of heaven and ties Priest into a knee bar. Rollins out of nowhere with a frog splash on Shinsuke, followed by a pedigree for the win! Seth advances!!!

We return from the commercial with Cathy Kelly interviewing Damian Priest backstage. She asks if the loss to Bad Bunny is weighing down on him, which he says it won’t because his name will live forever. It took a whole island to beat him at Backlash. Tonight he will defeat Shinsuke Nakamura and Rollins, and then it will be either Priest or Finn Balor that brings the World Title home to The Judgment Day.

Shinsuke Nakamura enters after with his dramatic entrance, and this one is getting underway! Priest throws a forearm at Shinsuke and then tackles Seth into the corner. Shots to Rollins, followed by stomps in the opposite corner on Nakamura. Shinsuke returns with an enziguri on Priest, followed by double forearms to send Damian out of the ring. Shinsuke and Rollins stare one another down, meeting in the center with a lock up. Shinsuke with a knee, and axe kick, and a floored elbow on Rollins. He seats him on the second rope and hits a sliding German suplex.

On the outside of the ring, Shinsuke hits a running knee on Damian while he’s on the apron. He follows it up with a jumping knee to the back of the head as we go to commercial

Cody grabs a microphone and says hello to Jacksonville, FL. He asks them what they want to talk about, and mentions how he made a lot of good memories with the fans when he was living there during the pandemic. Cody points to Backlash, saying that it was the most-watched and fun Backlash yet, but his focus was more on the match against Brock Lesnar.

Cody says what he discovered is what Brock is made of. Rhodes realized “The Best” could actually be defeated because he did just that. It was a fight for survival, but now that he’s finished with Brock, he’s set his sights on becoming the World Heavyweight Champion. They put up the bracket that shows the upcoming matches, and says that when it’s all said and done, the ring announcer will be naming him the new World Heavyweight Champion.

Cody Rhodes says, “Let the tournament begin!” Seth Rollins comes out for the first triple threat match, but as he walks down to the ring, he stares down Rhodes. Seth will battle Shinsuke Nakamura and Damian Priest next!

Let’s get this thing going, y’all! WWE Raw starts now! We see a brief recap of Triple H introducing the World Heavyweight Championship, followed by highlights of the men involved in the tournament. Kevin Patrick introduces to the show as Cody Rhodes theme music hits!

WWE Backlash was a premium live event to remember, due in part to the exceptional performance by International Grammy-award-winning-artist Bad Bunny. Bunny battled The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest in a San Juan street fight, ultimately coming out on top as the winner of the bout. It came with plenty of bumps, though, including one where Bunny was falcon arrowed off of some storage crates and into several tables outside the ring.

A report from WRKD Wrestling after the match notes how several WWE superstars were waiting behind the curtain to celebrate the successful night with Bunny. Fightful adds that WWE was “ecstatic” with his performance and intend to use him at WWE SummerSlam later this August.

You can read more about this story here.

WWE Raw is less than one hour away, but before we dive into the show, let’s take a look at what All Elite Wrestling has in store for us on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite. This one is being described as a “PPV-worthy card,” with major matches like Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley in a steel cage match and Orange Cassidy vs. Daniel Garcia for OC’s International Championship.

You can see the full card below:

• Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley (Steel cage match)
• Rey Fenix vs. Claudio Castagnoli (Double jeopardy match)
• International Championship match: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Daniel Garcia
• Anna JAS vs. Julia Hart (No-holds-barred match)
• World Trios Championships: The House of Black vs. Best Friends & Bandido (Open house match)

Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE from the @LCArena_Detroit THIS WEDNESDAY at 8pm ET/7pm CT on @TBSNetwork!
Join us for an unforgettable night of action! pic.twitter.com/tuWw65WeDH

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 8, 2023

Rhea Ripley is on a different level as of late. Ever since joining The Judgment Day, her character has flourished, leading her to a win over Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 39. Fellow Judgment Day member, Damian Priest, sees how much she’s progressed, too.

During his WWE After the Bell interview, Priest emphasized how great Ripley has become and even thinks she’s earned “greatest women’s wrestler of all-time.”

That’s where I’m at with Rhea. And I know everybody is like, ‘Oh, it’s a little early.’ Why? What title hasn’t she won yet? Who on this planet can stand in front of her and challenge her for the title and you guys really think that they’re just going to have their way with her? Not one person on this entire planet. It doesn’t matter who it is. Rhea Ripley is the best.

Is @RheaRipley_WWE the greatest women’s Superstar of all time? @ArcherOfInfamy thinks so! Listen to his full interview on #AfterTheBell with @WWEGraves & @kev_egan, available wherever you get podcasts and on WWE’s YouTube!

🎧: https://t.co/gRmqByju2s
▶️: https://t.co/XQkT3DSpu7 pic.twitter.com/yUUeIGlGzJ

— WWE After The Bell (@AfterTheBellWWE) May 8, 2023

While away from competing inside the ring, “The Queen” Charlotte Flair still keeps herself busy. This time around, Flair took part in American Cornhole League’s third Johnsonville SuperHole Series IV preliminary in Miami, FL. Alongside her teammate, ACL pro, Bret Guy, the duo defeated Real Housewives of Miami star Marysol Patton with ACL pro, Whitney Martinez in round 1.

They then faced Jersey Shore star Vinny Guadagnino with ACL pro, Jeremy Schermerhorn in the final round of the competition, but weren’t able to snag the title.

You can read more about this story here.

Breaking news in the past hour: WWE.com posted a video with Byron Saxton revealing how the two triple threat matches will be set up for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament.

You can see the developing WWE Raw card below:

• Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Damian Priest (Round 1 of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament)
• The Miz vs. Finn Balor vs. Cody Rhodes (Round 1 of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament)
• Trish Stratus returns

EXCLUSIVE: @ByronSaxton has some … breaking news!@WWERollins vs. @ShinsukeN vs. @ArcherofInfamy@mikethemiz vs. @FinnBalor vs. @CodyRhodes

Which two competitors will advance in the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament TONIGHT on #WWERaw? pic.twitter.com/d5YfrMnMq2

— WWE (@WWE) May 8, 2023

As the WWE Universe knows, there will be two triple-threat matches on tonight’s episode of Raw that include Shinsuke Nakamura, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Damian Priest, Finn Balor, and The Miz. The winners will then move on to a singles match at the night’s end and battle to see which man advances to Night of Champions for the World Heavyweight Championship match.

Ahead of the first rounds of the tournament, WWE.com asked fans who they foresee winning their respective matches to advance to the PLE. Let us know who you think will emerge on top of the red brand by clicking this link.

Who will advance in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament TONIGHT on WWE Raw ?

You can see some of the responses below:

pic.twitter.com/sxYE8DzNtZ

— Zamar Moguai (@zamarmoguai) May 8, 2023

pic.twitter.com/buw3jMr24h

— FabiShow (@fabien_fichaux) May 8, 2023

pic.twitter.com/TAORRo2fjk

— Jacqueline Melchor (@jacqueline51720) May 8, 2023

Wouldn't mind it being The King Of Strong Style @ShinsukeN 🏆🔥😲#WWERaw ! pic.twitter.com/4ri29iRDDg

— Courtney_🩵 (@CourtneySawicki) May 8, 2023

Jaxson Ryker, known as “Gunner” in his post-WWE career, looks to be stepping away from the squared circle. In an interview with the “Wrestling for the Faith” podcast, Ryker revealed that he will hang up the boots for good in August 2023.

Because of injuries, it’s time to pursue a different career. I have four shows booked. August 27th, which is funny, it’s two days after my 23 year anniversary of my wrestling career starting, [that date] will be my last show in Salisbury, North Carolina.

“I think it’s time to walk away, I don’t… there’s moments that I enjoy, working around with you, doing some stuff with you or certain other guys but it’s just gotten to the point where I’m ready to press on into a new career. I’m 40, almost 41, man. I’ve been blessed, I’ve had an amazing career. What else do I have left to prove? Go work some indie shows and get hurt? I just can’t do it. I got four shows booked ready to roll.”

You can read more about this story here.

Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida is bound to be an exciting one, as we will see the very first matches in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament. Raw superstars scheduled to compete in the first two triple-threat matches include Shinsuke Nakamura, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Damian Priest, Finn Balor, and The Miz. The winners of those two triple-threat matches will then go on to battle in a singles match at the end of the show.

This will also be the first episode of Raw in which the post-draft rosters will be highlighted. Stars joining the Raw roster include Shinsuke Nakamura, JD McDonagh, Braun Strowman & Ricochet, Indi Hartwell, Natalya, Kayden Carter & Katana Chance, Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler, and Imperium’s Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, and Giovani Vinci.

You can see the current card for the 5/8 WWE Raw below:

• Start of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament
• Trish Stratus returns

Ever since signing with WWE back in August 2012, Baron Corbin has portrayed several different personas: his “lone wolf” character, constable Corbin, King Corbin, sad Corbin, and Happy Corbin. And though he hasn’t seen much success in Championship wins, Corbin has proven he is undeniably flexible and can advance the stories he’s a part of.

Now that he’s created that foundation, Corbin has ideas to grow even further. He thinks combining traits from each of his gimmicks and becoming a new persona might make him even more popular.

“I would love to get back to that grittiness of ‘The Lone Wolf,’ but makes a little bit of everything in it. ‘The Lone Wolf was a little one-dimensional. It didn’t have all that mentions that I think you need to be a John Cena or a Roman Reigns. “Roman Reigns can take you from him being just a big bully to you can see the frustration or the sadness or when he feels like the table is crumbling. He can take you through all those emotions; I think that’s what you need to have a successful character.

“So when I’ve gotten these different characters through the time, they’ve all been very different. It’s been the tough guy badass if you will, then it was the ‘rule-follower.’ Nose up, ‘I’m better than everybody’ with Constable. Then ‘The King,’ it was the power. It was the grace. It was all things. Then sad Corbin was full of different emotions that people got to experience, and then into Happy Corbin. So like, I’ve given everybody every emotion now. Let’s combine them all, put them into one thing, and make some magic.”

You can read more about this story here.

Hello, everyone! This past weekend, WWE put on one hell of a show when they presented Backlash from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Matches like Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar and Damian Priest vs. Bad Bunny in a San Juan street fight had the live audience reeling and those watching at home praising what they saw on social media. But now we look ahead to a new episode of Monday Night Raw! Not only will we see which rivalries are still intact after the PLE, but we will also see what the red brand’s roster is like after the draft concluded last Monday.

The news has been flowing today, with reports addressing what was planned for Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes at Backlash and several spoilers about what’s coming up for tonight’s WWE Raw. In the realm of AEW, it’s been revealed that one of the brand’s top stars — Eddie Kingston — is undergoing surgery for a hernia and will likely be out for six weeks.