10 Things We Learned From WWE Raw (April 17)

Strowman's Land.

Sasha Banks Alexa Bliss
WWE.com

Last week's 'Superstar Shake-up' may have fallen somewhat short of expectations, but Raw was rocked to the core by Braun Strowman's lengthy beatdown of Roman Reigns as well as the 'A Show' arrival of The Miz, Maryse, Dean Ambrose, Alexa Bliss and others.

The reimagined roster kicked off WWE's new calendar year following the post-WrestleMania comedown in Orlando, and all eyes immediately pointed towards a Payback pay-per-view card designated as the first Raw-only event of the new annum.

Additional Smackdown Live refugee Bray Wyatt confirmed his 'House of Horrors' mystery match against Randy Orton would also take place there, either promising to take the blue brand's top title to Monday nights or completely telegraphing the outcome, depending on your outlook.

His latest rambling soliloquy was to delivered to a concussed Finn Balor, as reports explained later in the week when medically reviewing his condition after an errant Jinder Mahal strike.

Confirmation of Balor's welfare along with Strowman's continued path of destruction set the table for another huge edition of the flagship broadcast, as more pieces fell into place for the Payback card in less than two weeks.

Reviewing all the latest 'A-show' shenanigans, here are 10 things we learned from the April 17 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw.

10. Bye-2J

Sasha Banks Alexa Bliss
WWE.com

Chris Jericho's 2016 return may prove to be his best ever spell with WWE.

Though a series with AJ Styles was mildly disappointing and his follow-up programme with Dean Ambrose was totally useless, a pairing with Kevin Owens became the standout storyline of the year and deserved higher billing than it received at WrestleMania.

Their 'Festival of Friendship' divorce already seems old news, but time will be kind to the electric segment that permanently fractured the kinship between 'Y2J' and 'KO'.

WWE doubled down on their final battle at Payback, announcing that the US Title will remain a permanent fixture on Tuesday nights regardless of the outcome of the match.

This would of course force Chris Jericho to switch brands. It's already been made clear he'll actually be briefly switching careers as he prepares to return to work with his band Fozzy and take time away from the squared circle.

A game loss to Samoa Joe did much for the 'Samoan Submission Machine' as 'Y2J' remained typically selfless in his efforts to elevate on his way out.

With 'The List of Jericho', his brand new catchphrases and even a light-up scarf, Jericho has refined his act exquisitely, and will be a huge loss when he soon departs.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett