RAW after Backlash Preview: 2 Major Champions at risk of losing their titles, Gunther faces WWE legend for the first time in 19 months (May 6th)

The King & Queen of the Ring tournament begins tonight!
The King & Queen of the Ring tournament begins tonight!

Welcome to this week's edition of the RAW after Backlash 2024 Preview. Backlash: France was an incredible and historic premium live event, with the crowd in Lyon cementing themselves as one of the best live audiences in WWE history.

With the incredible yet short PLE now in the books, it should be noted that there was only one match from the red brand, as the show was predominantly that of SmackDown feuds.

Either way, RAW this week is going to be stacked beyond belief as eight matches have been announced for the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments respectively.

And that tournament will culminate in the King & Queen of the Ring Premium Live Event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. There is less than 3 weeks before the show takes place.

We're not sure if all eight matches will happen tonight, but there are some huge ones to look forward to in both the men's and women's tournaments. Apart from just that, major Championship feuds will take shape, and this is what you have to look forward to tonight:


#5. Liv Morgan is in pursuit of the Women's World Championship

Morgan defeated Nia Jax to send her off to SmackDown
Morgan defeated Nia Jax to send her off to SmackDown

Liv Morgan is the clear-cut number-one contender for the WWE Women's World Championship. Not only that, but she is the sentimental favorite as many fans believe that it's her and not Becky Lynch who should be the one with the title.

Last week, she made her stance clear, and Nia Jax looked to play the spoilsport before being sent off to SmackDown. In a big match, Liv Morgan managed to defeat the imposing Nia Jax to cement herself in the driver's seat.

Although the match isn't official, Becky Lynch's reign as WWE Women's World Champion is already in major jeopardy of ending in a short time.


#4. Will Chad Gable continue to impose his will on Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn?

The leader of the Alpha Academy has taken his attitude to a new level
The leader of the Alpha Academy has taken his attitude to a new level

Chad Gable has taken his attitude change seriously and is demanding the same from his fellow Alpha Academy members. While Otis and Akira Tozawa lost a Tag Team Title match while Maxxine Dupri was defeated by Candice LeRae, Gable made sure that his impact was felt as he launched an assault on Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn during his bout against "Big" Bronson Reed.

With the direction clear, Sami Zayn's Intercontinental Title run may just end before it has time to get off the ground. Chad Gable looks more dangerous than ever and we could see a continuation of that on RAW.


#3. The King of the Ring tournament begins with some huge matches

An incredibly stacked first round of the King of the Ring tournament has been announced for RAW.

Only four superstars can advance as WWE announced four major first-round matches:

Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor

Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio

Ricochet vs. Ilja Dragunov

Gunther vs. Sheamus.

This is going to be interesting for a variety of reasons. For one, Drew McIntyre will be looking to regain momentum following last week when CM Punk completely trolled him and got the mental advantage in their rivalry.

For Gunther, it's his next major career step and he takes on Sheamus for the first time in 19 months. That one is guaranteed to be a banger. Meanwhile, former NXT Champion and newcomer to RAW Ilja Dragunov takes on the impressive Ricochet in a huge match.

Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio, meanwhile, will duke it out in a battle of veterans.


#2. The Queen of the Ring tournament begins as well on RAW

Just like on the Men's side, the Women's side looks stacked with the first-round matches.

Iyo Sky vs. Natalya

Lyra Valkyria vs. Asuka

Zoey Stark vs. Ivy Nile

Shayna Baszler vs. Zelina Vega

Zelina Vega, as you know, is the first woman to ever be crowned 'Queen of the Ring,' previously known as the Queen's Crown tournament, and will be looking to be the only woman with that accomplishment. The post-draft RAW roster has made some exciting match-ups, and it's going to be interesting to see who advances.


#1. What's next for Damian Priest after his title defense against Jey Uso?

The Archer of Infamy was furious with his fellow Judgment Day stars
The Archer of Infamy was furious with his fellow Judgment Day stars

Damian Priest is still your World Heavyweight Champion. However, despite the successful title defense, he won't be walking into RAW a happy man. Despite specifically instructing his Judgment Day members not to interfere as he didn't need any help, they did so anyway and had a definitive impact on the World Title match.

'Main Event' Jey Uso, one of the biggest stars in Lyon this past weekend, fell short in another big World Title opportunity. What will be next for him?

More importantly, what will be the fallout on RAW as tensions between Damian Priest and Finn Balor continue to rise?

Quick Links

Edited by Rahul Madurawe
sk promotional banner
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications