8 Ups & 10 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Apr 22)

In which Bray Wyatt - yes, BRAY WYATT - inadvertently steals the show from Rollins & Styles.

Seth Rollins AJ Styles
WWE.com

A strong sense of expectation hung over last night's WWE Raw.

As messy as the Superstar Shake-Up's execution was, Vince McMahon's annual roster reshuffle left both mainline brands feeling suitably refreshed. For Raw, the changes were much-needed, and while Monday nights lost key players like Roman Reigns and Finn Balor, the promise of new things is often enough to transcend such concerns - at least for a few weeks.

For the most part, these expectations weren't met throughout three hours of chaotic, scatter-brained television that did more to frustrate than delight, though things like Seth Rollins learning his first Universal Title opponent, a couple of low-key in-ring bangers, and Bray Wyatt's overdue reinvention hit the right notes.

Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio, Baron Corbin, AJ Styles, Drew McIntyre, and The Miz battled for number one contendership, while Lacey Evans' quest to "educate" double-champion Becky Lynch continued. Elsewhere, we got new versions of Bobby Roode and The Viking Experience, another smarmy Sami Zayn segment, Cesaro and Cedric Alexander's Raw debuts, and the latest non-title loss for The IIconics, who might as well melt those Women's Tag Team Titles down at this stage.

Let's get to the bottom of this weird, weird wrestling show...

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.