The April 15 episode of WWE RAW aired live from Montreal’s Bell Center in Quebec, Canada. Hometown hero Sami Zayn defended his Intercontinental Championship against Chad Gable in the main event.
We also saw a brand new reveal as well as several high-octane matches on this week’s edition of the red brand. So, without further ado, let’s deep dive into the biggest hits and misses from WWE RAW this week.
Miss – Rhea Ripley vacates her title
Word about Rhea Ripley’s injury had reached the internet prior to the show this week. Mami reportedly injured her shoulder during a backstage brawl with Liv Morgan last week on RAW. She kicked off this week’s episode to deliver the unfortunate announcement.
Rhea walked to the ring with an arm sling. She recapped her Women’s World Championship run before calling out Liv Morgan for putting her on the shelf. The Nightmare then placed the title on the canvas before she was interrupted by Liv Morgan.
Rhea, without a doubt, had a historic world title reign. She used the title run to establish herself as the most dominant female athlete on WWE RAW. WWE has announced they will crown a new world champion next Monday on RAW.
Hit – Sheamus makes his in-ring return
Sheamus made his in-ring return following a lengthy hiatus on WWE RAW. The Celtic Warrior had not wrestled since the August 18, 2023, episode of SmackDown. Sheamus took on Ivar of The Viking Raiders this week.
Both men delivered some hard-hitting action. Ivar caught a running knee from Sheamus mid-air. The Celtic Warrior sealed the win with a brogue kick. This was a great start to what could be a solid run for the former multi-time world champion.
Miss – New tag team title design
Awesome Truth won the RAW Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania XL. R-Truth and The Miz appeared on WWE RAW this week for a special announcement. The pair received the new tag team title belts from WWE CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
The Miz and Truth have played their part in revitalizing the tag team division. They deserve to be the first teams to be called the World Tag Team Champions. With that being said, WWE could’ve introduced a much better design for the tag team titles.
The new golden belts look too similar to the World Heavyweight Championship. Speaking of the world title, it seems Lyon, France, is set to host the scheduled bout between Damian Priest and Jey Uso at Backlash 2024.
Hit – Continuous single camera shot on WWE RAW
WWE RAW this week gave us one of the coolest camera shots since Triple H took full creative control of the company. Fans watching at home watched WWE cameras take them on a single shot transition from Jey Uso to Sami Zayn.
This shows the level of creative freedom WWE’s production team has been enjoying of late under Triple H. Sami had a little moment of nostalgia before he made his epic entrance from the crowd all the way to the ring for the main event.
Hit – Chad Gable’s heel turn
Chad Gable collided with Sami Zayn in the main event of WWE RAW this week. Both men entertained the Montreal crowd with some amazing sequences. Master Gable came short of beating his friend for the Intercontinental Championship.
Gable would shock the WWE Universe by engaging in a post-match assault on the champion. He snatched Sami from his wife, Khadija, and proceeded to deliver a vicious beat down on the hometown hero.
We’re about to witness an epic run from Chad Gable and I’m all here for it!
Also read: 5 Worthy Challengers For Damian Priest’s WWE World Championship
