“I’m Better Than You, And You Know It”

"Every Man Has A Price For The Million Dollar Man"

"The Best There Is, The Best There Was, And The Best There Ever Will Be"

"Whatcha Gonna Do, When Hulkamania Runs Wild On You"

"And That's The Bottom Line Because Stone Cold Said So"

<h3><strong>Brocktagon</strong></h3>
<p>So finally, Brock Lesnar and his advocate Paul Heyman returned to Monday Night RAW, and expectedly, Paul rubbed his client’s ‘Mania victory into everyone’s faces. It was a nice, typical Heyman promo, but we especially liked how he weaved into it the Saudi Arabia match this upcoming Friday. This was a necessary move, since besides some graphics, the match had received no promotion at all on television. The segment as a whole also served to establish the two competitors’ positions: Lesnar is still riding high on top of the big WrestleMania win, while Reigns will enter the cage this weekend in Saudi Arabia a little more cautious than usual.</p>
<div class="youtube-embed" data-video_id="MhZ7Zepw3Gg"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar meet before the Greatest Royal Rumble event: Raw, April 23, 2018" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MhZ7Zepw3Gg?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<h3><strong>A Surprising Win for Elias</strong></h3>
<p>It took us aback when Elias defeated Bobby Roode pretty cleanly. Sure, Elias needed the win, but was it him or a newly-transferred Bobby Roode that needed the win more? It was only his second night on the red show, so The Glorious One needed some decisive victories to re-establish himself in his new home. And quite frankly, he needed it – he had spent waaaay too long playing the third wheel in the United States Championship picture. Bobby Roode has a lot of charisma (evident during his NXT stint), but for some reason, he has not been properly utilised since fighting on the main roster. Even with the recent Shake-up, his booknig still has not improved, and the signs are looking bad, just like Elias’ scarf tonight.</p>
<div class="youtube-embed" data-video_id="DlX5_cfpJRQ"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Bobby Roode vs. Elias: Raw, April 23, 2018" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DlX5_cfpJRQ?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<h3><strong>Deleter of Worlds</strong></h3>
<p>So Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy finally got themselves a team name, and it was sooooo unexpected. Never saw that one coming.</p>
<p>But anyways, it was good they had a unit name. It showed that WWE at least had some plan for the pair for the foreseeable future. And their quick dispatch of The Ascension was a step in the right direction for the pair, which further enhanced their legitimacy for their upcoming tag title match at Saudi Arabia. But wait, have The Bar not already been transferred to Smackdown Live? Hey, don’t see that as a spoiler from us, people.</p>
<div class="youtube-embed" data-video_id="haTMyy5QiBM"><iframe loading="lazy" title="&quot;Woken&quot; Matt Hardy &amp; Bray Wyatt vs. The Ascension: Raw, April 23, 2018" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/haTMyy5QiBM?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<h3><strong>Sami and Kevin Got It from Kurt</strong></h3>
<p>The former Smackdown Live rascals organized a pretty entertaining talk show tonight, complete with Zayn jabs, troll paintings, and a lawn chair for their new boss. We liked this segment, since it added another element to Kevin and Sami’s character. It reminded the audience that the duo was not all about putting Shane McMahon’s head through a chair into the ring post, but they could also lead a crowd to a “You Suck” chant. Kurt Angle also showed that he got balls when he gave The Prizefighter and The Underdog from the Underground Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley tonight.</p>
<p>That was for making Kurt Angle sit on a lawn chair.</p>
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<h3><strong>Dominant Win for Diesel and HBK</strong></h3>
<p>Titus Worldwide finally got a chance to settle the score with Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler, and unsurprisingly, they failed. A quick win for the new heel team in the block. Good decision, but nothing fancy.</p>
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<h3><strong>RAW’s Midcard Forming</strong></h3>
<p>Chad Gable came over from Smackdown Live, and looks like he would be finding his place in the midcard. This, in itself, is not bad – hey, he even got a win over Jinder Mahal. Welp. Can’t believe we just considered a win over The Modern-day Maharaja an actual worthwhile achievement. But, all trolling aside, it is just sad to see Chad Gable flopping around in what seemed to be another lackluster feud. Imagine the heights he could have soared as one half of American Alpha. What a shame.</p>
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<h3><strong>Comeuppance</strong></h3>
<p>Kevin and Sami got what they deserved – a thorough beatdown from two of the strongest men on the roster (and perhaps the entire wrestling world right now), even though the match between the four was very, very entertaining. Another victory to establish Bobby Lashley in his second stint in WWE. Really nothing much to talk about booknig decisions during these post-‘Mania foundational times. The only slightly disconcerting thing about this is that Bobby Lashley, so far, has been going about in tag matches without being deeply involved in any particular field.</p>
<p>Bobby Lashley vs Brock Lesnar anyone?</p>
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<h3><strong>The Lone Wolf vs The Fiesta</strong></h3>
<p>Hell, even No Way Jose had a clearer direction than Bobby.</p>
<p>Corbin vs Jose might be a really high-quality feud with some interesting stories to tell. They are two polar opposites – one darkness, one joy; one never likes partnership, one never seen without his friends. Even their outfits are of opposing colors, black and white. WWE might be onto something here; and let us hope Triple H can have a say on this.</p>
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<h3><strong>PA</strong></h3>
<p>An ingenious act of shamelessness from Alexa Bliss, speaking out against bullies only 2 weeks after her match against Nia Jax on the basis of Alexa fat-shaming Nia. Just an excellent and creative piece of heel work.</p>
<p><strong>*Insert Effort Here*</strong></p>
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<p>So you know our general impression when seeing 10-women matches being booked – LAMEEEEEEE. And the one that transpired tonight was no exception. There were some underlying feuds, for sure, but we feel like the Riott Squad was being thrown into the mix for the sake of a main event slot. The vast majority of the interactions were inconsequential – not something we wanted to see in the last segment of the night, and we felt the entire match was built towards Ronda Rousey coming to Natalya’s aid. Not that shining the spotlight on Ronda a bad thing or anything, but the way WWE did it tonight took the attention away from pretty much everything else. Next time, the writers should really put more effort into the most important segment of the night.</p>
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<h3><strong>Other stuff that happened but did not deserve their own entries:</strong></h3>
<p>The Greatest Royal Rumble promo from Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt was pretty cool.</p>
<p>Finn Balor and Seth Rollins def. Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel: Why would anyone of us be surprised?</p>
<div class="youtube-embed" data-video_id="v0Rwzvm-O70"><iframe loading="lazy" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v0Rwzvm-O70?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>Although, we could not but feel pity for Miztourage’s efforts to find a new leader. <strong>#WeWantMiz</strong></p>
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<h3><strong>Overall Review:</strong></h3>
<p>A foundational show, where most of the new wrestlers on RAW got the expected legitimacy-building win. Also, the marquee matches of The Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia were promoted in actual in-ring segments. There was not much else to talk about, so take care everyone. Peace out.</p>

WWE Monday Night RAW Results & Review: April 23rd 2018

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