WWE Raw Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights from April 28

One week after an explosive Raw After WrestleMania, WWE rolled into the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, with a show featuring Seth Rollins, Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker, plus a showdown between Rhea Ripley and Roxanne Perez.

What went down, how did each match and segment grade out, and what did it mean for the Superstars involved?

Find out with this recap of the April 28 edition of WWE Raw on Netflix.

Announced in advance of Monday's show:

* Rhea Ripley vs. Roxanne Perez

* The latest from Seth Rollins, Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker

* Appearances by Becky Lynch and Logan Paul

The future of pro wrestling in WWE runs through Seth Rollins, the winner of the WrestleMania 41 Night 1 main event informed fans at the top of the show.

The Visionary was interrupted by Sami Zayn, though.

The Underdog from the Underground criticized Rollins by claiming the collection of supporters he is insulating himself with is no different than what Roman Reigns did with The Bloodline, and he suggested the heel was jealous of CM Punk.

Denouncing Zayn's claims, Rollins told the former intercontinental champion that he had until the end of the night to decide whether he is buying into what the group are selling or if he needs to leave for SmackDown.

This was a solid enough segment, setting up a storyline for the rest of the show and putting Zayn, one of the great sympathetic babyfaces in WWE history, in a position where he had to make a decision that could change his career.

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

* "The future of this industry runs through Seth 'Freakin' Rollins!" The Visionary said.

* "Maybe you just wanted to be in the position that they were in," Zayn told Rollins, claiming jealousy drove his hatred of Reigns and CM Punk.

* "You're clearly not buying into what we're selling so maybe we can cash you out. It's not a threat. It's an offer," Rollins said, setting up a show-long dilemma for Zayn.

In a dream match between two of the best in the world today, Rhea Ripley squared off with former NXT women's champion Roxanne Perez.

The Prodigy targeted the knee of the Australian, looking to take out her base while Mami utilized her strength advantage to overpower Perez and toss her around the squared circle.

Perez held her own against the former women's world champion, but Ripley rolled late on until Giulia interfered and drew a disqualification.

The NXT exports beat down The Eradicator until Iyo Sky hit the ring to make the save. The heels got the better of her before Ripley chased them off, with the Raw stars standing tall to close out the segment.

This was a strong match between two immensely talented performers. And while it may not have had a suitable finish, it did further a blossoming rivalry involving standard-bearers for excellence across the company's three women's divisions.

More importantly, it creates intrigue surrounding Ripley and Sky's ability to get along when the former is chasing the latter's Women's World Championship.

Result

Ripley defeated Perez via disqualification

Top Moments and Takeaways

* Ripley hurled Perez into the guardrail twice, overpowering her to counter The Prodigy's attack on her lower body.

* We did not have Giulia and Perez as a new duo on Monday nights on the bingo card, but how can anyone complain about having two of the best women's wrestlers on the planet on Raw?

* The inevitable tag team or four-way match is going to be straight fire.

On the heels of a victory over AJ Styles at WrestleMania 41, Logan Paul took to the ring to make his future intentions clear: He wants a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship.

Jey Uso interrupted and said he was not going to hand over the title after years of hard work to an entitled YouTuber.

Paul claimed the champion would lose the world title quicker than the Intercontinental Championship, and Uso answered with a superkick that left the social media star lying to close out the segment.

Paul is the perfect first opponent for Uso because he is no threat to the champion's popularity and can lose a match without losing heat. He is a consummate heel who will always enrage fans and be an effective villain as a result.

Uso beating him at a premium live event allows him to build momentum early in his title run and move on to the feuds that will ultimately define his reign.

It also keeps him away from Seth Rollins, who would seem to be the endgame for Uso at some point this summer.

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

* Uso showed great fire and intensity here. More importantly, he made it clear the new side of himself is not going away just because he beat Gunther.

* Whereas last week he looked nervous, Uso appeared much more at home in his role as the top dog on Monday's Raw.

JD McDonagh made a mistake by costing Penta the Intercontinental Championship a week ago on Raw, and the masked Superstar returned the favor by interfering in his and Finn Bálor's match with The War Raiders Monday night.

What was an otherwise action-packed showdown came to a screeching halt when Penta shoved McDonagh off the top rope, setting him up to endure War Machine and leaving Erik and Ivar to remain top contenders for the World Tag Team Championship.

A solid match, including the latest in Penta's budding rivalry with The Judgment Day, made this a worthwhile addition to the show.

Bonus points for The New Day's excellence on commentary, where Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston had some killer lines.

Backstage, Paul Heyman told Sami Zayn that if he agrees to a trade to SmackDown, he will face the winner of Randy Orton vs. John Cena at Backlas, for the Undisputed WWE Championship. "That's how much Seth Rollins thinks of you," he told him.

Result

The War Raiders defeated The Judgment Day

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

* Kingston was excellent on commentary, giving props to Erik, Ivar and McDonagh for all returning from career-threatening injuries while sniping at Big E without saying his name. "It's admirable, right?"

* Kingston and Woods asked Michael Cole and Pat McAfee if they wanted to see The Judgment Day as champions again "just so they can not defend them for 70 days?"

* Penta is clearly en route to a rivalry with The Judgment Day, but could it result in a reunion with brother Rey Fenix and a showdown with Bálor and McDonagh?

On the heels of her shocking actions toward women's Intercontinental champion Lyra Valkyria, Becky Lynch spoke to the WWE Universe Monday night.

She admitted it was she who attacked Bayley, leaving her unable to compete at WrestleMania. She blamed The Role Model for attacking her for years, since 2019, and claimed she tried to convince Valkyria to drop her, but she would not listen.

This drew out The Valkyrie, who refused to admire Lynch and issued a challenge for a match at Backlash with her title on the line.

This was the right direction to head with The Man. She held Bayley accountable for her previous actions, while also being an insufferable heel who propped herself up as a bigger star and seemed to take great pride in her attack.

Valkyria shined here in a rare opportunity for her to cut a lengthy, meaningful promo on an opponent. She weathered the "What?" chants nicely and had the fans on her side by the end of it, a huge test she passed with flying colors.

The match between her and Lynch at Backlash in St. Louis on May 10 should be extraordinary if they are given time to tell their story.

Grade

A+

Top Moments and Takeaways

* "There won't be any murder mystery, whodunnit," Lynch said before admitting her guilt in the attack on Bayley.

* "I know exactly what you are: The illusion of Becky Lynch is dead," Valkyria said.

* "The Man only wrestles when it matters and it does not matter here in Kansas City," Lynch said.

* "I'm not longer interested in being the next Becky Lynch. I am Lyra Valkyria and I'm going to be a better person than you. And I already know that I'm a better wrestler than you."

Before the match, a video package featuring Rusev laid out the motivation for his return: to fix the arrogant like he fixed himself during his exile from WWE.

Back in the arena, NXT women's champion Stephanie Vaquer continued her incredible run of late, battling Ivy Nile in singles competition. La Primera weathered the onslaught thrown at her by her opponent, an interference from Chad Gable, to best Nile and pin her following the SVB.

This did not appear to be the beginning of a rivalry of any kind but, rather, an excuse to keep Vaquer on television and in front of the WWE audience. She is a star of the immediate future so it makes sense that the creative team would want her on as many of the company's TV properties as possible.

Based on the reaction for her in Kansas City, it is working.

Expect the NXT women's champion to be a member of the main roster sooner rather than later.

Result

Vaquer defeated Nile

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

* Vaquer is a star now. In an age where the word 'aura' is thrown around haphazardly, she has it in spades and it translates no matter which audience (developmental or main roster) she performs for.

* Gable saved the match more than once for Nile, providing a distraction for his protege and helping her to evade defeat.

* This is, arguably, the best Nile looked in months. She hung in there with an elite opponent and never looked out of place against Vaquer.

Following the events of last week's show, which saw him choked out by Gunther, Pat McAfee climbed atop the announce table and cut an impassioned promo about his life, loyalty and desire to battle The Ring General.

He requested Nick Aldis, filling in for Adam Pearce Monday night, lift Gunther's ban so he could get back at him. Instead, the stand-in Raw GM booked the match for Backlash.

Between Paul getting a world title shot against Jey Uso and McAfee squaring off with Gunther, this May 10 PLE is shaping up to the be...something.

McAfee has impressed between the ropes more times than not, and if there is anyone who can get the best out of him in the ring, it's Gunther.

Love him or loathe him, McAfee is a great talker when focused and his work here avoided moving into the absurd. This worked better than it had any right to.

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

* Justified "Michael Cole" chants.

* "To Michael Cole, I will be loyal until I'm in the soil," McAfee said.

* "I want you to lift Gunther's ban and I want to fight Gunther ASAP!" McAfee said.

Backstage, Uso told Zayn he believed he would make the right decision. As the latter walked off, Uso turned into a knockout punch from Paul, who got the last laugh of Monday night.

Despite an impassioned plea from Rollins to Zayn to take the pass and go to SmackDown, the latter turned it down and found himself placed in a match with the man who defeated him for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 2024: Bron Breakker.

The consequences of Zayn's decision manifested themselves rather quickly as Breakker punished him physically, overpowering him throughout the main event of the show.

Zayn showed off the resiliency that has been a trademark of his character for years, but it was not enough as Breakker steamrolled the defiant babyface with three Spears before adding a final Super Spear on the arena floor.

Rollins, frustrated and angry that his friend refused him, delivered a Stomp to leave Zayn lying as the show went off the air.

This was an effective way to highlight the new heel faction, against a guy in Zayn who is as beloved by the WWE Universe as anyone in wrestling today.

It will be interesting to see if this is leading to Zayn vs. Rollins at Backlash or if someone else will emerge to defend Zayn against The Visionary.

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

* "The fact that you don't believe in me? That hurts," Rollins said.

* "If you stay on Raw and you don't believe in me, bad things are going to happen to you. And I love you and I don't want that to happen."

* "For as long as you have known me...have you ever known me to run away?" Zayn asked The Visionary.

* "As a friend, I respect you. I love you, but this is me telling you to go to hell."

This was an interesting episode of Raw that was clearly designed to fast-track the rivalries that will lead to Backlash on May 10.

We had two matches officially announced for the PLE (Valkyria vs. Lynch, and McAfee vs. Gunther) and other prospective rivalries presenting themselves elsewhere on the show.

Some worked more than others, but there was a clear creative direction, which was missing amid card shuffling leading into WrestleMania.

That is good enough for this week's broadcast to receive a passing grade as Triple H and Co. get back to the consistent creative that defined this regime early on.

Grade: B