WWE Raw 5/4/2026
- May 5
- 11 min read
Date: May 4, 2026
Location: CHI Health Center in Omaha, NE
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Oba Femi, Chad Gable Americano and the Creed Brothers (under their new masks), Sol Ruca, Je’Von Evans and Penta were shown arriving. The live crowd seems hot so far, as basically everyone got a big reaction, as did the graphic for tonight’s contract signing.
Roman Reigns arrived and was on a mission. He quickly made his way to Gorilla position as Adam Pearce tried to tell him something. Reigns wasn’t listening, but Pearce finally stopped him to tell him that Jacob Fatu wasn’t there.
Reigns turned around to find Seth Rollins, who told Reigns that he was in his way. Rollins made his way out through the stage instead, but was attacked from behind by Bron Breakker.
Breakker press-slammed Rollins onto the edge of the barricade and was swarmed by officials to stop. Breakker shoved aside some security guards and continued his attack.
Officials briefly stopped Breakker from doing more, but he sprinted by them and speared Rollins in the ring. (This was a better-looking Bron spear than we’ve seen lately.) Fans booed, barked and chanted, “One more time,” as Breakker walked off.
Judgment Day met backstage. Liv Morgan said Stephanie Vaquer was injured, so they didn’t have to worry about her anymore. Morgan watches the show, it turns out, and she asked Roxanne Perez why Finn Bálor was in the clubhouse last week, and why she didn’t mention it.
Perez said she didn’t mention it because she was clear to Bálor when she told him to leave and not come back. Perez was loyal to Judgment Day.
Morgan said she knew that, but wanted Perez to promise that she wouldn’t keep any secrets from her. Perez did promise, but she was clearly just playing along.
Finn Bálor vs. JD McDonagh (w/ AAA Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio)
***
Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Up
Michael Cole wondered why McDonagh would align himself with Judgment Day over Bálor and questioned his loyalty. Corey Graves said loyalty doesn’t pay the bills. Indeed, it doesn’t.
McDonagh worked over Bálor’s leg, but when Bálor mounted a comeback, he was tripped by Dom while referee Jessika Carr wasn’t watching, and McDonagh regained control. Perez marched out to ringside as they went to break. Bálor began his comeback after the break as Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez made their way to ringside, too.
Bálor hit a back body drop, double foot stomp, and slingblade. Bálor knocked Dom off the apron, which allowed McDonagh to apply a cradle for two. McDonagh followed with a Spanish Fly for two. Bálor took a nasty landing on the Spanish Fly, landing high on his neck/upper back.
With Carr distracted again, Dom tripped Bálor off the apron. Carr finally tossed Dom from ringside (but not the other three Judgment Day members). McDonagh went for a moonsault, but Bálor got his knees up and applied a cradle for a nearfall.
Morgan distracted Carr next, while simultaneously tossing a hammer to Perez. With Carr still distracted, Perez nailed Bálor with the hammer (showing her loyalty to Judgment Day), and McDonagh followed with a headbutt for the pinfall win.
Match result: JD McDonagh defeated Finn Bálor (11:44)
I assumed they were having a rematch so they could outdo the six-minute match they had two weeks ago, but that was a stupid assumption. This match was all about the insane amount of interference to set up McDonagh getting a win. They’re now even at one win apiece.
Jackie Redmond found Rollins backstage and asked if he would be ok for Backlash. Rollins said the show was in five days, so he would be fine. He told Breakker last week that if he took chances, he better be able to finish the job, but he (Rollins) wasn’t dead yet.
El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) and his buddies were interviewed during commercials. El Grande said the Original doesn’t know what he signed up for because he doesn’t actually speak Spanish. In Mexico, El Grande might not be allowed to touch him, but here, he can do whatever he wants. (There’s a six-man tag match tonight.)
There was a video package of Jacob Fatu using the Tongan Death Grip on Reigns last week, and the announcers tried to put over the hold as lethal.
The Vision met backstage. There was some silly comedy with Breakker and Austin Theory, imitating Rollins by holding their noses and suggesting Rollins sounded like a duck. (I didn’t mind Breakker’s impression last week, but this was extra dumb.) Paul Heyman entered and asked if Rollins was still breathing. Breakker, somewhat sheepishly, said yes.
Logan Paul said Joe Hendry wouldn’t be breathing when he got his hands on him. Paul desperately wanted a match against Hendry to put him in the hospital permanently. Heyman said no. Heyman didn’t want Paul to end up in jail, especially after what Breakker had already done tonight. Instead, Hendry would wrestle Theory.
Intercontinental Champion Penta & Je’Von Evans vs. Rusev & Ethan Page
***
Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Up
Early in the match, Evans wiped out Rusev with a dive before Penta gave Page a Penta Driver for a nearfall. A Rusev distraction allowed the heels to take control over Penta during a break.
Penta did a springboard move to knock Rusev off the apron, but collapsed and struggled to make a tag despite doing a springboard seconds earlier (the springboard actually got him relatively close to Evans, so he had to drop back a bit to create more space). The extra time allowed Rusev to knock Evans off the apron.
Evans did wind up getting the hot tag moments later, hitting Page with a jawbreaker and German suplex before wiping out Rusev with a dive again. Evans followed with a springboard clothesline for two. Page fought back briefly, but Evans nailed a Red Dot kick. Penta tagged in and hit a tornado DDT, but Rusev broke up the cover.
Evans hit Rusev with a dive for the third time, and Rusev wound up on top of the announce table. The crowd loudly cheered as Evans went to the top, but Page shoved him off.
Penta knocked Page outside the ring, but as Penta went for a dive off the apron, Page yanked the apron skirt to trip him. Page distracted the referee while Rusev slammed Penta onto the announce table, and Page followed with a fisherman’s suplex variation for the pinfall win. (Page’s usual finisher was countered twice earlier in the match).
Rusev was happy they won, and he celebrated with Page in the ring. This might have been the first time Rusev has smiled (on camera) since returning to WWE.
Match result: Ethan Page & Rusev defeated Penta & Je’Von Evans (10:42)
A pretty good match, thanks in large part to Evans, and the crowd was into it. He felt like a breath of fresh air here. Page looked good, too, and he fits in well here.
Sol Ruca contract signing
There was a video package for Sol Ruca before Adam Pearce introduced her to the ring. He put this over as a big moment for an NXT call-up.
Ruca entered, and Pearce handed her the contract. Instead of just signing it, she said, “It is going to feel so damn good when I sign this and officially be a part of Monday Night Raw.” A bit of an odd thing to say, unless you know you’re about to be interrupted.
Becky Lynch entered. She got in Pearce’s face while completely ignoring Ruca. Lynch said this was meant to be her time in the ring. She had a monumental WrestleMania win and had to fight “Iyo Jannetty” last week in an unscheduled match. She won that match despite Pearce’s meddling.
Lynch rambled until Ruca cut her off. Ruca told Lynch that not everything was about her. Lynch thought that was funny, because “everything is about me.”
Ruca said she knew all about Lynch’s accomplishments but didn’t realize she was exactly what people said: a rude, big-headed bitch.
Lynch asked Ruca, “Who are you?” and Ruca responded, “I’m Sol Ruca, and if you ever interrupt me again, not only will I kick your ass, I’ll snatch your soul.” (That got a big pop.) Ruca signed the contract.
Lynch tried a cheap shot, but Ruca dodged it, and Lynch hit Pearce by mistake. Pearce screamed at Lynch before leaving the ring.
Lynch had her head in her hands because she couldn’t believe what she did. Because she wasn’t paying attention, it allowed Ruca to fly in and hit her with the Sol Snatcher. Unfortunately, Ruca slipped on the rope, and it took her extra time to hit the move. Ruca blew a kiss to Lynch and posed for the crowd.
(The crowd was into this, and they liked Sol Ruca, but because of the slip, they did not pop for the Sol Snatcher. In her Raw debut two weeks ago, she hit the move but failed to beat Morgan with it because Morgan rolled out of the ring. It’s not a big deal, but not a great start for her finisher.)
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Redmond asked Jimmy and Jey Uso for comment on tonight’s contract signing. Jimmy said they loved Fatu, but he needed to understand how Reigns handled business. Jey wasn’t worried about how this would affect their relationship with Fatu. Jey warned him that he’s swimming in deep water now. The line has been drawn, and Fatu would find out who he was messing with at Backlash. “Good luck, little cousin.”
Joe Hendry sang a song during a break, which bled into the live broadcast. He encouraged Pearce to fire Logan Paul again. An angry Paul marched out and said TKO couldn’t fire him because that would be bad business.
Joe Hendry vs. Austin Theory (w/ Logan Paul)
*
Thumbs Up
Theory took control thanks to a Paul distraction, Hendry made a comeback, did his pose, and Paul decked him from behind for the DQ.
Paul and Theory beat up Hendry until Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins ran out to make the save. Breakker broke up the party by taking out the Street Profits with suplexes.
Breakker set up Dawkins for a spear, but Rollins attacked Breakker from behind. Rollins fired up and set up Breakker for a curb stomp. As he did, Ford sprinted towards Rollins, leaped right over him and over the ring post to wipe out the heels with a crazy flip dive.
However, Ford’s dive distracted Rollins, and Breakker laid him out with a spear.
The crowd was really into all of this. (I laughed at Rollins getting speared because Ford flew over his head moments prior.)
Match result: Joe Hendry defeated Austin Theory via disqualification (3:17)
Redmond interviewed Judgment Day backstage. Morgan wanted them to have all the gold. Rodriguez called out the tag champions, Brie Bella and Paige, and invited them to Raw.
Bayley and Lyra Valkyria interrupted. Bayley said she saw them use the hammer earlier and told Judgment Day that she and Valkyria wouldn’t be that easy to get rid of. Morgan and Judgment Day brushed this off like nothing and left.
Oba Femi entered for the first Oba Femi open challenge. Akira Tozawa seemingly answered the call, entering with Otis and Maxxine Dupri. Tozawa, a trained professional wrestler, cowardly walked away in fear upon facing off with Femi in the ring. Tozawa called Otis into the ring instead.
Oba Femi vs. Otis (w/ Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa)
**1/2
Thumbs Up
This was awesome.
Femi and Otis traded shoulder tackles, but neither man went down or even budged. They traded tackles again before Femi hit an awesome running uppercut. Femi hoisted Otis up and chucked him across the ring.
Femi realized he may not be able to get Otis up for his powerbomb in the traditional manner, so he hoisted Otis onto the middle rope for leverage, got underneath, lifted him up and walked toward the middle of the ring to hit the Fall From Grace powerbomb for the pinfall win. The crowd ate this up.
Match result: Oba Femi defeated Otis (1:48)
Backstage, a frustrated Rollins told a referee that he didn’t need his help. Rollins bumped into the Street Profits and Hendry. Rollins sarcastically thanked Ford for getting him speared again.
Ford said nobody trusted Rollins after everything he did with the Vision. Rollins said he didn’t even trust himself sometimes, but they were in the same fight against the Vision, and sometimes those fights needed to come together. Rollins told Ford to stay out of his way, and Rollins would stay out of his.
(So, he implied they should fight together, but in his next sentence, he said the opposite.)
Ethan Page (now wearing a suit) cut a commercial break promo. He’s gunning for the IC title.
IYO SKY and Asuka sit-down segment
This was a pre-taped segment with Sky and Asuka seated across from one another.
Sky told Asuka that she’s avoided this fight for years. Asuka was her mentor. She looked up to her and loved her. Despite everything Asuka has done to her, Sky still respected her. She never wanted this fight or for it to come to this. But Asuka has changed. The Asuka she looked up to was no longer here, so now, Sky had to fight her.
Asuka said Sky was being disrespectful. Asuka wondered who Sky even was and called Sky her biggest disappointment. Asuka was done with Sky and would cut her out of her life for good.
Sky responded, “I am ready for Asuka.” Asuka didn’t like that, so she sprayed mist in Sky’s face. Pearce scrambled into the ring to check on Sky, who screamed like she had just been poisoned.
Redmond interviewed the Original Americano and Los Americanos Hermanos (the Creed Brothers), who were all booed when shown on camera (despite being babyfaces, I think). Original Americano said he sought out their help because they took after his friend, Chad Gable.
Six-man tag team match: El Grande Americano, Bravo Americano & Rayo Americano vs. The Original Americano, Bruto Creedo & Julio Creedo
**3/4
Thumbs Up
After a break, everyone traded moves, and all the masked men did all their usual spots. The Creed Brothers took out El Grande and Rayo while Gable hit Bravo with a diving headbutt for the pinfall win.
Even the announcers were having trouble keeping up with who was who, and I can’t blame them.
Match result: El Grande Americano, Bravo Americano & Rayo Americano defeated The Original Americano, Bruto Creedo & Julio Creedo (8:34)
Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu contract signing
Pearce hosted the contract signing between Reigns and Fatu. Reigns entered to a big reaction. Pearce wanted them to sign the contract. Reigns told Omaha to acknowledge him first. They did.
Reigns told Fatu that the fans’ reaction wasn’t just love, but the sound of respect. That respect wasn’t just from hanging out. While Fatu was grinding for twelve years, Reigns was in WWE for over twelve years.
Reigns held the door open for Solo Sikoa. If Sikoa brought Fatu in, then Reigns was really responsible for Fatu coming in, and he would be damned if there was not respect to be had for him.
There had to be respect, a code, an honour system among their family. There had to be a code of conduct. Fatu disrespected him with the Tongan Death Grip, something you only pull out in desperate times, like when you were at the bar at 3 am surrounded eight-to-one. You don’t do that to your own. You don’t do that to your Tribal Chief.
Fatu scoffed upon hearing Tribal Chief. Fatu admitted he was desperate. It did feel like it was him against the world, back against the wall. He had no other choice but to take out Reigns, take the title, and take everything that came with it.
Fatu was ready to put a chokehold on this game and squeeze every dollar out of it, the same way this company did to their family for decades. When he said ‘all gas, no brakes’, it meant no slowing down and no going back to where he came from. Fatu was desperate. He would do anything for his own household, even if that meant going through his own blood.
Reigns scoffed at that remark. He signed the contract before continuing. Reigns said Fatu was worried about his household, but Reigns grinded here for over a decade for multiple households. Fatu worried about his 7 kids, but Reigns worried about the 170 kids that filled this family. Fatu worried about his kids’ education, but Reigns worried about higher education for all of them.
Reigns reiterated what he said a long time ago: This was all his. This was his ring. They were the same blood in their family, but in this ring, Fatu was beneath him.
Fatu lost it and tried the Death Grip, but Reigns fought him off. Fatu went for the hold again, but Reigns countered it again. Reigns went for a Superman punch, but Fatu caught him in the grip.
Reigns no longer had a counter and held onto Pearce for leverage as Pearce desperately tried to get Fatu to stop. Fatu instead slammed Reigns onto the announce table.
Fatu signed the contract, and a portion of the crowd chanted his name. Officials checked on Reigns as Fatu left the ring.
Overall: Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Up
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