5 Big Takeaways from WWE Monday Night RAW - April 10, 2023

After a shocking attack by Brock Lesnar last week, The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes and the WWE Universe were looking for answers on this edition of Monday Night RAW

After last week's episode of Monday Night RAW was critically panned by most fans and observers, WWE was looking to come back strong two weeks after WrestleMania 39. While the fall may have been exaggerated by some who were disenchanted by the return of Vince McMahon and the sale of the promotion to Endeavor.

With the Worldwide Leader in Sports Entertainment heading into a whole new era, fans rightfully have a lot of questions right now. Not only about what might happen behind the scenes but also about the way the storylines have been unfolding. Most notably, the aftereffects of Cody Rhodes' loss to Roman Reigns at the 'Mania main event.

Once again, The Bloodline is front and center in the top storylines, but the rest of the program seems to be swirling rapidly. There are whispers that the undercard angles will be completely overhauled in the coming weeks. Especially considering the upcoming draft and the fact that the promotion is expected to make some talent cuts soon.

So, this was a pivotal week for the promotion. Here's a closer look at five big moments that really stood out on this important edition of WWE RAW:

#1 - Lita Goes Down, Trish Goes Heel

With a tag team title match looming that night for the women's champions, Lita and Becky Lynch, a suspicious incident took place. The redheaded trailblazer was attacked backstage earlier in the day, but the footage didn't reveal who had struck.

At any rate, Lynch announced later that Lita would not be able to defend the belts with her, but said she took up the suggestion of a friend. That friend happened to be Trish Stratus, who volunteered to substitute for their WrestleMania teammate.

Leading up to the Show of Shows, there were already rumors of a potential heel turn for Trish, so this last-second switch surely got a lot of viewers' suspicions up. The makeshift duo faced off with challengers Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan.

The match was pretty sloppy at times, and you could often see the frustration on Lynch's face - it wasn't 'selling' as much as it was genuine irritation. It appeared all four ladies were agitated by the fact that they struggled to get on the same page.

In the end, Morgan and Rodriguez captured the belts when Morgan ducked a Chick Kick and countered into a roll-up to catch Trish for the three. As the losing team was consoling one another, Stratus finally pulled the trigger on her talk-about turn, laying out Lynch. This is surely leading to an angle between a past legend and the current face of the division, which could be promising.

#2 - A Big, Ol' Hoss Fight between Bronson Reed and Bobby Lashley

In what felt like an old-school battle for the ages, two of the biggest bulls in the woods went head to head. In what looked like it might be an easy win for The Almighty, Reed ended up faring really well. He looked great against a powerhouse and future Hall of Fame performer.

This bout was termed by Corey Graves as two guys 'slappin' meat', which was a bit unnerving, although oddly accurate. Poor wording, but an effective description nonetheless.

The brawl made its way outside of the ring, where the two men tangled long enough to lead to a double count-out. After Lashley's letdown at the biggest event of the year - bumped from a major match when Bray Wyat bowed out - this could be a nice comeback angle. At this stage in his illustrious career, he can put over the younger star and basically have nothing to lose. At the same time, it could give him a nice boost to start this new age of WWE.

Bronson Reed and Bobby Lashley will hopefully carry this angle into Summer Slam. It's a good spot for both men right now. And the fans should enjoy seeing the power turned up to an all-time high when they meet again. They were definitely into this match, and the toss-up at the end left them wanting more from these two.

#3 - Why, Brock, Why?

It would be our first opportunity to try and get down to the matter of Brock Lesnar's actions last week. For those who missed it, The Beast Incarnate tucked away his happy cowboy image and unleashed an unexpected attack on Cody Rhodes, just as the two were set to take on Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa.

Considering it was such an odd turn of events, it was an important moment when The American Nightmare made his way out about mid-way through the program to get down to the heart of the matter.

Cody reviewed the events of WrestleMania 39, and he admitted that he fell short. He said it was his fault and that he had miscalculated. However, he says he remains undaunted in his quest to achieve his destiny: the WWE Universal Championship.

Then, he turned his attention to Lesnar and asked bluntly why he would do what the did last week. Rhodes laid out a challenge for The Beast for Backlash, which fans can already be assured will take place.

Could this lead to his first loss in WWE? Or, is Brock going to be another stepping stone for The American Nightmare, as he looks to earn a re-match? Based on the fans' expectations, this better be a winning ticket for Rhodes. Otherwise, we may see his meteoric rise come crashing down quickly. Which could mean that a title run could be delayed... or possibly never even happen. It's happened to other grapplers in the past.

#4 - Assessing Damage Control

The strange saga of Bayley (both onscreen and off) continues here as she was originally supposed to be in a three-way dance with Michin and Piper Niven. However, when the other two members of Damage Control balked at the idea that a win would mean Bayley would get another title shot, things were switched up.

The Leader of Damage Control looked to do what was best for the group, and she apparently went to WWE official Adam Pearce to give her spot to stablemate Iyo Sky.

Not surprisingly, Sky got the win and secured a chance at a championship. While BAyley was supposed to be acting as the benevolent leader, she showed her true colors while looking on at ringside. This is surely heading toward some sort of breakup with this female faction. However, it's not clear if that's because the gossip that Bayley wants her WWE release is true, or if this is just a progression of the trio's story.

#5 - It was KO vs. Solo to close the show

In what was a really solid and hard-hitting main event, Kevin Owens was set to face Solo Sikoa in a continuation of the war against The Bloodline. It's become more than just Sami and Kevin now, as not only Cody Rhodes but the returning Matt Riddle have drawn a line in the sand against the group.

The story going into the bout was that KO was all alone; Sami and Riddle weren't there. So, he would be going into battle not only with the Street Champion but with his brothers also lurking outside the ring. On top of all those odds, he was still injured from being attacked last week, so the odds were heavily stacked against The Prizefighter.

Things broke down as would be expected, with Owens constantly having to thwart off a numbers game. By the end of the night, Solo and the Usos were bearing on Owens, when Riddle and Zayn showed up at the building. They cleaned house and stood tall, flanked by a recovered KO.

This should lead to more matches with Zayn-O taking on Jimmy and Jey Uso, and it might also hopefully pair off Riddle with Solo. No matter what, the unraveling of The Bloodline has now become multi-layered, and that's a great thing. It's given a large portion of the roster some important segments of the show to be a part of.

In the end, that's how stars are created and developed, and WWE has obviously used this angle to elevate so many names. Everyone involved has benefitted. There's no reason to think that's going to stop anytime soon, as this whole angle plays itself out slowly and brilliantly.

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