WWE RAW Live Results April 17, 2023, Updates, Highlights
Welcome to the live results blog for WWE RAW April 17, 2023, with the build-up for Backlash 2023 taking speed with the return of Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar is returning to North Little Rock as he will answer to Cody Rhodes’ challenge for a match at Backlash 2023. Will we see the match being set up or Lesnar has something else on his mind? What does Cody has to offer to entice Lesnar for a match?
Two matches are announced in advance with Bobby Lashley taking on United States Champion Austin Theory while Seth Rollins will face the Miz in singles matches. Also announced is a segment featuring Trish Stratus, where she will explain her turn on Becky Lynch last week.
Will Judgment Day be active on the show this week? What do Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle have in mind for The Bloodline next? How will RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair respond to Iyo Sky becoming #1 contender for her title?
Find out as we post results live from WWE Monday Night RAW episode of April 17, 2023, with live updates, winners, highlights and complete action.
RESULTS
- Solo Sikoa defeated Rey Mysterio in a singles match via pinfall.
- Bianca Belair defeated Dakota Kai in a singles match via pinfall.
- Seth Rollins defeated The Miz in a singles match via pinfall.
- Austin Theory vs Bobby Lashley ended in No-Contest.
- Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville defeated Candice LeRae & Mia Yim in a tag team match via pinfall.
- Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn & Matt Riddle defeated Judgment Day(Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio & Damian Priest) in a tag team match via pinfall.
LIVE UPDATES
The Bloodline & Judgment Day
The Usos and Solo Sikoa make their entrance with Paul Heyman. Heyman takes the mic and promises history will unfold tonight. The Judgment Day make their entrance and stand square to the Bloodline. Damian Priest squares off to Solo, but Heyman takes the mic and says its a very good day to be a bad guy and if there’s a heaven, none of them are getting into it.
Heyman then reveals that there is a short-term deal engineered and approved of by The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns between the two sides. Jey says he does not know about it. Paul explains that Roman didn’t want anyone except for Solo to know ahead of time. Balor is also not happy about the deal because he has issues with the Bloodline, but he is going to put that aside for now.
Paul Heyman says Judgment Day has a Bad Bunny concern and Solo can take care of it. Judgment Day has to solve Kevin Owens problem, a Sami Zayn problem, and a Riddle. So tonight, Judgment Day will wrestle KO, Sami & Riddle. And tonight, Bloodline will take care of Rey Mysterio who will face Solo Sikoa. Rey makes his entrance and we cut to a break.
Rey Mysterio vs Solo Sikoa
Mysterio is getting in and out of Solo’s range quickly and keeps hitting leg kicks and punches. Solo cuts his run off the ropes with a lariat. Solo hits a bodyslam before putting on a trapezius claw. Solo picks up Rey but he fights back and a hurricanrana sends them both to the floor. We cut to a break.
Solo drops Rey once again as we return from the break. He keeps Rey on the mat and keeps on trapezius claw. Rey gets to his feet and stomps on Solo’s naked feet. Solo hits a big shot and sets up Rey into the corner. Rey dodges a hip attack in the corner. Rey hits an enzuigiri from the apron and goes for a sunset flip but Solo holds on. Solo jumps on Rey but Rey dodges it again. Rey hits a crossbody and a low dropkick to get a two-count. Solo picks him up and hits a Samoan Drop.
Rey manages to set up Solo on the ropes and hits him with 619. He follows up with a splash but Solo kicks out of the pin. Rey sets up 619 once again but The Usos come out to the ringside. LWO members also run out and drop The Usos on the floor. Solo catches Rey as he was going for 619. Rey fights off a Samoan Drop and hits 619. Rey goes for the final splash but Solo gets out of the way. Solo picks up Rey and hits him with Samoan Spike to get the pinfall.
Winner – Solo Sikoa
LWO gets into the ring to check on Rey Mysterio. But, The Usos attack them from behind while Solo also joins the attack. The Bloodline stands tall to close the segment.
Earlier today, Chad Gable is telling Adam Pearce to make sure Alpha Academy stays on the same brand. Maxxine Dupri argues otherwise. Pearce says he will take it all into consideration but he’s got a lot going on with the Bloodline and Judgment Day joining forces and Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes in the same building.
We see how Bayley gave up her spot in #1 contender match for RAW Women’s Championship last week and Iyo Sky won the match after taking the spot.
Bianca Belair vs Dakota Kai
They lock up and Bianca goes for a body slam, only for Dakota to counter and hit a clothesline. Bianca comes back with a moonsault in the corner. Bianca mocks Dakota as she avoids more attacks from her. She hits a dropkick and a handspring moonsault. Dakota grabs her braid on the apron and gets her on the second rope to kick him against the ring post. Bianca drops to the floor. Dakota kicks her against the steel steps. We cut to a break.
Bianca rolls up to get a two-count as we return. Bianca goes for a suplex but Dakota counters with an inside cradle for a two-count. Bianca hits a running blockbuster. She hits a clothesline before a couple of suplexes. Bianca hits a handspring moonsault to get another two-count. Dakota goes for a scorpion kick, but Bianca blocks it.
Kai manages to hit a sunset flip to get a two-count. Dakota hits a running kick in the corner. Bianca avoids a double stomp from the top and hits a gutbuster. Dakota catches her braid when Bianca goes for KOD. Dakota counters the Glam Slam and sends Bianca into the turnbuckle with a sunset flip. Bianca avoids a running boot and hits KOD to get the pinfall.
Winner – Bianca Belair
We get a vignette for Bronson Reed. He says people ask him whay is his problem, but he has lots of them. But, he is actually a nice as his mom use to say.
Damian Priest tells Judgment Day that he does not need to be Bad Bunny’s friend when he returns next week. Dominik tells Priest does not need to be friends with Bad Bunny just as he does not need his real family. Paul Heyman comes in and asks them if they are satisfied watching Solo taking down Rey. Balor replies with a comic “ayee.”
Heyman says he will manage with it for now and tells Judgment Day to return the gesture by taking down their opponents tonight otherwise, they will be in debt to Roman Reigns. Priest tells Heyman that business is between Roman and The Usos and Judgment Day has nothing to do with it. Rhea tells Paul to leave.
Cody Wants Brock
Cody Rhodes makes his entrance. He hypes the crowd before calling out Brock Lesnar to come out. Adam Pearce comes out instead and says he gets what he is trying to do and they respect them. Pearce says Cody cannot do it as he is not medically cleared for tonight. Pearce once again says they all respect him but asks him to leave the ring. Cody says he gets it and leaves the ring. He stops at ringside and thinks. He takes a chair from underneath the ring and returns to the ring.
Pearce tries to clam him down and has to bring out security to ask them escort Cody. Cody is surrounded by security now. Brock Lesnar’s music hits and Cody gets enraged as he comes out to the stage. Pearce tells Cody that he can not do this and if he wants a match against Brock. Brock taunts Cody now. Cody attacks the security as he tries to make his way towards Brock. He gets to the ramp fighting the security but they pin him back finally.
Brock taunts Cody some more before going back. Cody fights out and gets into the ring. He throws some security guys out of the ring when they get into the ring. Cody picks up the mic and says he praised Brock a lot last week, and he can come out wearing a cowboy hat anytime. Cody says he grew up surrounded by cowboys and can definitely say that Brock is no cowboy but a coward.
The Miz vs Seth Rollins
The Miz comes out first. Miz attacks Seth Rollins on the floor while he was making his entrance. Miz beats up Seth around the ring and slams his face into the announce table a few times while also sending him into the barricade. He takes Rollins to the ring to get the bell ringing. Rollins gets him down with a double leg. He tries to rake Miz’s eyes. Miz takes him to the corner and tackles him.
The referee separates them. Rollins hits a flying clothesline as Miz charges at him. He hits another clothesline to send Miz to the floor and follows up with a trio of suicide dives. Rollins soaks in as the crowd continues to sing his theme. Miz sends Rollins to the timekeeper’s area with a back body drop. Rollins lands on his feet but Miz pushes him off the barricade. We cut to a break as Rollins is down in timekeeper’s area.
Rollins counters with a sunset flip and hits an enzuigiri. He hits a series of punches and kicks before hitting a clothesline to drop Miz. He hits a running forearm in the corner before countering Miz with a slingblade to get a two-count. Rollins gets to the top now. Miz meets him there. Rollins attempts a powerbomb but Miz escapes. Miz brings Rollins down with double knees from the second rope to get a two-count.
Miz hits It Kicks before Rollins catches his leg and hits a buckle bomb. Miz gets his knees up on a frog splash from the top and rolls up Rollins for a two-count. Miz gets ready for a Skull Crushing Finale but Rollins rolls him up with a sunset flip. Rollins hits a superkick. Miz blocks the second superkick and hits a knee drop on Rollins’ knee. Miz quickly puts on figure four on the injured knee. Rollins gets hyped as the crowd sings his theme.
Rollins reaches the ropes and gets Miz in an inside cradle to get a two-count. Rollins hits a forearm before Miz avoids the stomp and hits Rollins with a couple of DDTs to get a near fall. “This is Awesome” chants from the crowd. Miz goes for a Skull Crushing Finale from the top. Rollins hits him with a superplex and falcon arrow combo before hitting The Stomp to get the pinfall.
Winner – Seth Rollins
Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle are backstage. Sami wants everyone to be on the same page. He tells KO that Riddle had some ideas. Owens screams at Riddle and tells him to leave thinking to them. Sami says they talked about it and Riddle deserves to have a voice. Matt says he should wrap up big toe like Solo Sikoa wraps his thumb and kick people in the throat, calling it the Toe Bro.
KO gets mad at Riddle and also at Sami for encouraging it. Riddle says he was being serious and he is not an idiot, and says he lost tag team titles, his partner and so much time due what the Bloodline did to him. Riddle then says he was watching them fight the Usos at home and that’s why he wants to join then. He is not here to waste time but to kick some a##.
We see a recap of Trish Stratus attacking Becky Lynch last week.
We get a recap of double count-count between Bobby Lashley and Bronson Reed last week.
Austin Theory vs Bobby Lashley
Theory ducks the lock up but Lashley gets him to the corner. The referee separate them. Lashley hits a shoulder tackle after Theory pushes him to the ropes. Lashley puts on a front face lock and Theory has to get to the ropes quickly. Theory gets a cheap shot but Lashley counters a suplex. He hits a corner splash before throwing him to the floor. Theory drops his face on the ropes. Back to the ring, Lashley tosses Theory away.
Theory comes back with a few shots in the corner. Lashley fires back with his shots and forces Theory to the floor once again. Theory rushes him on the floor but Lashley sends him into the apron. Lashley drives Theory in to the ring post to take us to a break.
Theory bites Lashley’s hand to block The Hurt Lock. He sends Lashley into the ring post and unloads with quick shots. He works Lashley against the ropes. He stomps on Lashley a few times after a snapmare takedown. He puts on a chinlock. Lashley gets to his feet slowly. Theory takes him back to the mat in a chin lock. Lashley gets up and Theory hits him with a chop block to keep the control going. He stomps on Lashley few more times.
Theory misses a corner tackle. Lashley hits a tackle before a spinebuster. Lashley hits a corner splash before a running tackle and a clothesline. He misses a spear when Theory jumps over him. Lashley blocks A-Town Down and hits Razor’s Edge to get a two-count. Lashley gets ready for the spear but Theory rolls to the apron. Lashley catches him with the Hurt Lock when he rolls in for a dropkick. Theory back Lashley to the corner but Bronson Reed attacks them with a corner splash to cause a DQ.
Result – No Contest
After the bell, Reed hits Lashley with a senton off the apron before a splash against the ring post. Lashley goes for the Hurt Lock but Theory hits them with a dropkick. Reed drops Lashley on the mat before hitting Tsunami.
Trish Speaks!
Trish Stratus makes her entrance. She starts with a little history lesson, and talks about giving credibility to the women’s division when everyone thought of it as a joke and she single-handedly changed everything. She says some of us will say “it was Trish and Lita” but it was all her. Without her there would be no women’s revolution and certainly no women in the main event of WrestleMania.
Trish says fans should have chanted “thank you Trish” during the main event of WrestleMania 35 when Ronda, Becky and Charlotte were fighting. She takes a shot at Becky thinking that the Four Horseladies broke the boundaries and made you care again, but it is a joke just like Becky. Trish says she sat back for a long time and letting it slide, because she gets selling yourself and bragging about your accomplishments.
But, Trish popped up after a while. Trish credits Becky for being very convincing as she even convinced Lita who was dancing down the aisle as Becky’s sidekick. But Trish Stratus is nobody’s sidekick. Trish says she had to take Lita out of the picture to save her the embarrassment. Trish reveals that she screwed Becky out of her titles. She also reveals that Becky consoled her saying that they will get Liv and Raquel the next time, but there will be no next time.
Trish says she is not a nostalgia act and not a sidekick. She is the greatest of all time and the most important figure in the history of WWE and she will make sure nobody forget it.
Cody Rhodes is interviewed backstage and says he is satisfied that Brock has accepted his challenge for Backlash, but he is also confused about tonight’s events as he had to be the one held back by twenty security guards and not Brock Lesnar. He apologizes to Adam Pearce for losing his temper. Cody adds that he has backed the Beast into a corner and his only way out is to win, but Cody would not allow that.
Candice LeRae & Mia Yim vs Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez are on the commentary table for this match. Mia and Chelsea start. Mia decks Chelsea and takes her to their corner. Candice comes in and double teams on Chelsea. Chelsea pulls Candice to the mat. Sonya comes in for a double suplex but Candice counters it into a double suplex herself. She goes to the top but gets distracted by Nikki Cross. Sonya brings her down from the top.
Sonya hits a running knee to get a two-count. Chelsea comes in for a double suplex. Green misses an elbow drop and Candice tags in Mia. Mia fires lefts and rights on both opponents. The match breaks down in chaos. Mia hits Code Blue(Red) on Sonya but Chelsea breaks the pin. Deville hits a folding press and tries to get the pin using the ropes but the referee catches her. Chelsea takes a blind tag and hits a Killswitch on Mia to get the pinfall.
Winners – Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville
The Street Profits are with Elias and Rick Boogs. Boogs is worried the draft. The Street Profits hype the draft. Baron Corbin comes in and tells them that tag teams could also split in the draft. The Profits say, “nah” and walk away with Corbin following them. Elias assures Boogs that he will put in a good word for him when he gets drafted.
Akira Tozawa comes in and says Boogs is a star and will easily get drafted but Elias is going to be the last pick. Elias cannnot believe him and walks out. Tozawa is laughing at Elias when Corbin come back. Tozawa says Corbin is not even going to be picked as he sucks. Tozawa leaves and Corbin is left frustrated.
The Usos cut a promo while Solo Sikoa is standing behind them. The talk about the LWO stepping USO and getting beaten down. They says the same thing will happen to Sami, KO and Riddle at Backlash.
Judgment Day(Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio & Damian Priest) vs Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn & Matt Riddle
Balor starts with a side head lock on Sami. Sami hits tackles off the ropes and Balor is forced to tag to Dominik. Dominik teases coming in but tags in Damian Priest. Sami tags in KO who hits a kick to midsection. Priest no-sells shoulder tackles from KO before KO hits a dropkick and a senton. Priest hits an uppercut. KO punches Balor after he tags in. KO hits a backbreaker before Balor hits a chop block. Balor stomps on him a few times. Rhea runs over Owens with a clothesline when he gets to the floor.
KO hits back with a superkick when he returns to the ring. He tags in Riddle who runs riot with kicks on Balor. He hits a Pele kick on Priest and knocks off Dominik with running elbows. Exploder suplex and broton on Balor to get a two-count. Balor takes Riddle’s face and tags in Dominik. Riddle throws Dominik and Balor to the floor. Priest grabs Riddle and drops him on the apron with a chokeslam. We cut to a break.
Riddle and Priest are trading high kicks as we return. Priest nails a big uppercut to drop Riddle. Dominik tags in and Riddle is able to counter him. Sami takes a hot tag against Dominik and hits him with clotheslines and back body drop. Sami throws Balor and Priest to the floor when they get into the ring. Sami goes to the top and hits Dominik with a sunset flip bomb to get a two-count. Sami goes to the top again but Rhea pushes her this time around. Dominik hits a frog splash but KO breaks the pin.
Balor hits a dropkick on KO to start a sequence of everyone getting involved. Sami was looking for a suicide dive when Rhea pulls her leg. The referee catches her and boots her from ringside. Dominik comes in and Sami hits him with Blue Thunderbomb for a two-count. KO tags in. Dominik gets his knees up on a Swanton Bomb. Balor tags in but KO avoids Coupe de Grace. KO hits a stunner on Balor. Sami tags in. KO hits a stunner on Priest as well. Sami his Helluva kick on Balor. Riddle hits a floating bro on Balor to get the pinfall.
Winners – Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn & Matt Riddle
The Usos attack Sami, KO and Sami after the match. LWO run in and attack The Bloodline. Judgment Day also get invovled to turn it into a 12-man brawl. LWO, Riddle, Sami and KO take the control of the brawl slowly. Rey brings in Dominik and hits him with 619. KO drops Priest on the announce table with a side slam. They stand tall in the ring to close the show.
