Match Ratings For WWE Raw 4/8/19, Podcast Notes From Sean Ross Sapp Of Fightful.com

TITLE FOR TITLE.

• Seth Rollins' music hits. He gets a mega pop and "you deserve it" chants. He said "we deserve it."
• Rollins runs down his victory and adversity, and "full time champ" chants.
• It would be outstanding if Seth Rollins walked Daniel Cormier to the cage for the Brock Lesnar fight. Cormier is a huge fan of Rollins. Rollins says
• New Day's music hits to a THUNDEROUS ovation and "Kofi" chants.
• They said they couldn't wait to come and celebrate. Big E is doing the splits
• Kofi Kingston challenges Seth Rollins to a winner-take-all match. This crowd is insane for this.
• Rollins accepts. This was an outstanding 15 minute opening segment. The place came unglued.
• New Day were funny in this as well.

WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
Edgeheads (c) defeated The Revival
6/10

• These guys are running non stop. It makes for pretty fun work.
• Revival hit a Hart Attack and we go to the second commercial of this segment.
• Ryder tags in to a nice pop. His hot tag gets a great reaction, but I can't see his offense.
• Hawkins has an outstanding flying elbow.
• Hawkins almost lands a small package win off of a feigned injury. He eats a brain buster to the floor.
• Burning Hammer knee drop gets kicked out of and PRODUCTION MISSES DAWSON'S REACTION
• Hawkins makes a great blind tag and rolls up Dash after a Shatter Machine on Ryder.
• Curt Hawkins has won two matches in a row!

LARS

• Baron Corbin makes fun of the whiners and criers and says he deserves a gold medal of his own.
• The first beach ball is caught and popped.
• Kurt Angle enters to a great reaction. He wishes Baron Corbin luck and shakes his hand.
• He wishes him bad luck. Terrible camera cut again after the Olympic Slam. He applies an Ankle Lock and Corbin is gone.
• Lars Sullivan comes out and beats down Angle with a Freak Accident and a diving headbutt. A good heel reaction for him to set the tone for his run.
• It is great to see Lars here. He's overcome a lot over the last few months.

Alexa Bliss defeated Bayley
5.75/10

• Bayley is over as hell.
• Alexa Bliss hasn't been hurt, they just didn't have a spot for her.
• She's slugging it out like she hasn't been on TV in months.
• Bayley hits a sunset flip buckle bomb that will need some refining, but was really cool looking.
• This was Alexa Bliss' first televised singles match since September.
• Bliss wins with a DDT clean. Hose me down for that finishing move.

Becky 2 Belts

• Becky Lynch is out cheery and happy and doesn't mention the botched pinfall.
• She talks about her win, and gets "you deserve it" and "Becky 2 Belts" chants.
• This really seems like a Becky Lynch "best of" promo.
• Becky Lynch says the McMahons will probably end up giving Charlotte the tag titles.
• No unification talk, so move past it.
• Lacey Evans comes out and stares Becky down and cracks her with the Women's Right.
• Lacey Evans has some good looking strikes. Becky drops Lacey with the INTOLERANT LEFT and armbars her.
• Evans is clearly tougher than Rousey. She didn't break her hand.

Ricochet & Aleister Black defeated Roode & Gable
5.75/10

• Ricochet and Aleister gotta split. They lost matches for literally every tag titles in the company in the last week. Michael Cole says they're on a roll.
• An inset promo heel turn for Roode and Gable.
• Black and Ricochet are already paint by numbers as a tag team. Ricochet moonsault, Aleister Black sitout. It's all of their TV matches before the break.
• Paint-by-numbers. Same spots, different nights and opponents.
• Black's ankle rolls underneath him as the crowd starts the wave.
• Roode catches Ricochet with a spinebuster. That and a Roodesault doesn't finish it.
• Spot of the match is Ricochet flipping out of a Chaos Theory and cracking Gable with a Codebreaker.
• Roode attacks Ricochet after the match and pulls Gable to safety

Other crappenings

• There's a buzzard puppet that comes out of a box. It's a Bray Wyatt vignette
• Dana Brooke reads off a very scripted DECLARATIVE promo about wanting to challenge Becky Lynch while still congratulating Becky.

Lashley on that BlueChew

• Lashley tells Ambrose he'll take care of his wife when he's gone.
• Ambrose beats the absolute dog shit out of Lashley.
• There's a hilarious throwing chair shot to the face.
• Ambrose disposes of Lio Rush pretty easily.
• Lashley puts Ambrose through the announcer's table. Renee tends to him.
• "Thank you Ambrose" chants.

Intercontinental Championship
Finn Balor (c) defeated Sami Zayn
6/10

• Sami Zayn is out to the ring.
• Bet it was really awkward for Zayn to run into Lashley's sisters this weekend.
• He challenges anyone to a match, and out comes Finn Balor.
• Sami Zayn's new gear is great. Balor in THE BLUE. Zayn has a buzzcut, too.
• Zayn tosses Balor outside and trolls a little bit.
• Balor cracks Zayn with a BIG dropkick.
• Commentary playing up that Zayn is out of ring shape.
• We come back to see Zayn clock Balor. Most crowds are already dead at this point, but this is Raw After Mania.
• Zayn almost got a pin on a missed Coup De Grace, but settles for an Exploder into the corner.
• Zayn misses the Helluva Kick and gets pinned after a Coup de Grace.
• A solid return for Zayn, but an odd one.
• Zayn says he thought he would cure what ails him, but it really seems like the crowd missed him. But he didn't miss anyone.
• He says WWE is toxic because of the ugliness of the audience. I think he's running a WWE style David Starr gimmick.
• Sami Zayn says the right thing to do is to hold everyone accountable because he has a meaningful life, and they just judge everyone.
• Okay, THIS was a good return.

WHAT!?

• Elias comes out and raps a few bars to John Cena, including one about his middle finger being directed right at him,
• DONG.
• It's the Undertaker. Barclays comes unglued.
• Undertaker tried to make it to WrestleMania but couldn't get an uber until tonight I guess.
• "Taker's gonna kill you" chants to Elias.
• Chokeslam. Tombstone. Ceremonial 3 count.
• When's the last time Undertaker looked that good physically?

WINNER TAKE ALL
Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Seth Rollins (c)
N/A

• Rollins says he's honored but also disrespected because this isn't Smackdown. He tells Kofi to bring his A game because B+ won't get it done.
• Dueling chants.
• Back from a break, Kofi gets caught midair with a dropkick.
• Kofi hit a nasty DDT on Rollins. Then Seth crashes from the top rope to the floor.
• The Bar run in and attack Kofi Kingston.
• THE BAR. Maaaaaaaaaaaan WWE knew that was a fart.
• You know what's happening. Tag Team Match.
• WWE really expected that to get a pop and not "bullshit" chants. Amazing.

Seth Rollins & Kofi Kingston defeated The Bar
5.5/10

• The crowd is still shitting all over this as we come back from commercial.
• There's something in the crowd distracting fans, probably beach ball.
• Kofi tags in to no reaction because they crapped on the crowd.
• Fortunately Kofi gets them back into it and hits an SOS.
• Bar catches a Trust Fall, but Rollins finishes it with a suicide dive.
• There were AEW chants in the main event of Raw After Mania.
• Rollins takes out Sheamus.
• Trouble in Paradise and Stomp on Cesaro. Pin.
• What a trash switch.
• No Strowman or Roman Reigns on this show.

Rating guide

10- Perfect, 9- MOTY Territory, 8- Excellent, 7- Great, 6- Good, 5- Average to above average, 4- Slightly below average, 3 or below: Poor

Each match starts at a 5 and slides up and down based on entertainment, execution, time, environment, reaction and stakes. The ratings are in no way an indication of a "star rating," which is a completely different system. A standard, non-offensive "TV match" lands at a 5.The gap between 5.75-6 is generally the largest, with anything reaching 6 being recommended viewing.
These are opinions, and incredibly inconsistent ones. Don't take them too seriously, and have (and share) your own!