WWE Raw live results: Punk, Reigns, Lesnar appear at Madison Square Garden

Date: March 30, 2026
Location: Madison Square Garden in New York City 

The Big Takeaway —

If you thought WWE would put together a big Madison Square Garden show with WrestleMania around the corner, you’d be wrong. This was a weak show that concluded with a Punk-Reigns angle for the fifth straight week, and it was not worth the wait. 

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Show Recap — 

CM Punk, Oba Femi, Nia Jax and Lash Legend arrived at Madison Square Garden. 

Cody Rhodes kicks off Monday Night Raw in MSG

Rhodes entered and was almost universally cheered. He said MSG was the home of the WWE Championship and the WWE Champion would always be present at the world’s most famous arena. He asked what they wanted to talk about. 

Stephanie McMahon interrupted. Rhodes was surprised to see her. She wasn’t sure why, because her last name was “McMahon,” and this was the place her grandfather built. He asked her what she wanted to talk about. 

Stephanie said she wanted to talk about him, Randy Orton and WrestleMania—but Rhodes wouldn’t like what she had to say. She said the three of them were multigenerational talents and knew what it was like to be at the top. 

They all took different paths to get to where they were. Rhodes took the golden path, and that was wonderful. He was true to himself, and he believed he could bring out the best in his opponents. But he couldn’t do that this time against this version of Orton. 

This Orton was diabolical. Rhodes didn’t have to be diabolical, but he had to be able to think like Orton. Dusty Rhodes knew that. Dusty could get down and dirty, but Cody was not his father. This Cody could not beat this Orton. 

Rhodes said the last thing he wanted to do was be rude to Stephanie. He knew all about Orton. He knew Orton punted people’s heads off—his father included. Orton did stuff so vile they couldn’t show it today, including things he did to Stephanie. 

Fans wanted the student-teacher dynamic from them, but he ceased to be the student a long time ago. He wasn’t the student when he was Orton’s babysitter, making sure Orton was still breathing in the car they rode together. 

Rhodes was not the student, and he was not afraid. Rhodes said he was not his father and added, “You wanna bring up fathers? I’m not mine, you’re right. Stephanie McMahon, with all due respect, you’re not yours either.” 

The crowd popped, and Stephanie smacked him in the face. Stephanie said she was out there because she cared about him. She was there because no one else was giving him guidance. Rhodes didn’t understand what Orton was capable of. Orton wasn’t just listening to the voices in his head—he beckoned them. And it appeared he was listening to someone else as well. Unless Rhodes learned to think like Orton, he would lose the title. 

Stephanie was about to leave, but Rhodes grabbed her by the arm and turned her around. Rhodes said he had two words for her: “Thank you.” He left. 

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IShowSpeed and Adam Pearce were interrupted by Danhausen. Speed told Danhausen he’s had a terrible week and wanted to be uncursed, but Danhausen had a list of crazy demands to make that happen. Pearce tried to cheer up Speed by telling him he had front row seats for the men’s tag team title match. LA Knight, guest announcer for the match, appeared and left with Speed. 

Street Fight for the World Tag Team Championships: Jimmy & Jey Uso (c) vs. Logan Paul & Austin Theory

They can go 17 minutes uninterrupted for a talking segment, but this supposedly important tag team title match couldn’t go 50 seconds without going to commercial break. 

The Usos hit a dive ahead of a break, but it didn’t matter because the Vision took control with weapons immediately after. The Usos came back with ugly-looking superkicks and weapon shots. They placed a trash can over Paul and obliterated it with kendo stick shots. They also gave Theory a double superplex off the middle rope through a table. 

Paul approached his mother in the front row, and she handed him brass knuckles while IShowSpeed tried reasoning with him. Knight left the announce table and went after Paul. Paul grabbed onto Speed for leverage to save himself, but he pulled Speed over the barricade in the process.

Knight chucked Paul into the ring post as Speed put the knux on. Speed felt something behind him, turned around and knocked down Knight with the knux before realizing who it was. Speed was filled with regret. 

Paul tried to use the knux on Jimmy, but he ducked, and the Usos handed out superkicks to both Vision members. Jey speared Theory and went to the top as Jimmy went for a dive, but Paul decked Jimmy with the knux. Jey went after Paul, but Theory rolled over onto the unconscious Jimmy for the pinfall win. That’s how they changed the tag titles. 

— Paul and Theory celebrated with IShowSpeed as fireworks went off, although Speed wasn’t sure how to react. 

Match result: Austin Theory & Logan Paul defeated Jimmy & Jey Uso to win the World Tag Team Championships (8:48) 

This was not a particularly entertaining street fight. The stip was an excuse to do all the outside nonsense, and the finish sucked. 

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Jeff Ross and Lin-Manuel Miranda were in the crowd. 

Liv Morgan and Stephanie Vaquer segment 

Morgan entered. She told Stephanie Vaquer, “You’re done for, bitch.” She said it was one thing to attack her, but it was another thing to attack her family, Daddy Dom. She wasn’t surprised because Vaquer didn’t have any family there. Vaquer claimed Morgan hid behind her family, but Vaquer sneak-attacked her anytime she got. 

Morgan wondered if Vaquer was scared to confront her face-to-face. Morgan’s mother taught her not to let anyone get the better of her, but as for Vaquer’s mother: “tu madre es basure, puta.” 

Vaquer stormed out (to her music) and dropped Morgan with a thrust kick. Vaquer grabbed a steel chair, but it was a trap, because the returning Roxanne Perez decked her from behind. The two heels hammered away on Vaquer until Morgan laid her out with Oblivion. 

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Theory and Paul celebrated with the tag titles backstage. IShowSpeed wanted to make it clear that he didn’t want to get involved earlier. Paul wasn’t hearing it. He laughed and said Speed had enemies now. Speed tried pleading with them until Paul Heyman interjected. 

Heyman said Speed was in good hands. He told the Vision to take Speed with them to dinner so they could celebrate. After they left, Heyman bluntly said, “The Usos are going to kill him.” The crowd laughed. 

Pearce approached Heyman and asked if he had checked his email. Heyman brushed this off as nonsense and left. (This was weird. Heyman was oddly dismissive of the idea that he would correspond via email. I’m also not sure why Pearce didn’t just explain it to him here.) 

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Michael Cole said this was the first time since 1987 that women’s tag team titles were defended in MSG. That match was between The Glamour Girls and The Jumping Bomb Angels. 

Women’s Tag Team Championship match: Nia Jax & Lash Legend (c) vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria

They got a full three minutes before the babyfaces wiped out the heels with dives ahead of a break. Like the previous match, it didn’t matter because the heels took control as soon as they were in commercials. 

Back from break, Valkyria planted Legend with a DDT and made the hot tag to Bayley, who landed a diving elbow drop for two. Legend cut her off with a big boot, and Jax followed with a leg drop for two. Jax set up for the Annihilator, but Bayley got underneath, walked with Jax toward the middle of the ring and hit a powerbomb. The crowd cheered the impressive spot. 

They all traded moves when Nikki and Brie Bella marched to ringside. They were quickly joined by Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. Valkyria left the ring to talk to them for some reason, so Jax attacked her from behind. 

Some other stuff happened before Flair entered the ring and chop-blocked Jax for the DQ. Fans groaned. 

Jax and Legend were attacked by everyone else and knocked out of the ring as the energy evaporated from the crowd. 

Match result: Nia Jax & Lash Legend defeated Bayley & Lyra Valkyria via disqualification (10:44) 

Another subpar match with an even worse finish. 

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Danhausen announced during a break that Saturday Night’s Main Event would return to MSG on July 18th. He did some goofy comedy before scampering backstage. 

Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi segment 

Brock Lesnar, wearing his gear, entered with Heyman. Heyman repeated what he said about what happened two weeks ago, that Lesnar was distracted and caught off guard by Oba Femi. Last week, Lesnar was not there for a fight—he simply wanted a conversation with Femi. This week, however, Lesnar was dressed to fight. 

Heyman has seen this before in WWE and UFC. When a man locks eyes with Lesnar, they piss themselves and leave a puddle of piss in the ring. They might as well wipe up Femi along with the puddle of piss. 

Lesnar was tired of hearing about piss (interesting) and grabbed the mic from Heyman. He angrily called out Femi. 

Pearce entered with security guards because he wanted to preserve one of his WrestleMania main events. (I don’t think this is actually the main event of either night, that’s just how big they see the match.) 

Oba Femi entered anyway. Security ran after Femi, but he easily chucked them all aside—killing one guy in particular by launching him way up in the air and dropping him on the floor. Pearce got in Femi’s face, but Femi shoved him aside into the barricade. 

The crowd chanted for Femi as he sauntered around the ring. Femi entered the ring and faced off with Lesnar as the crowd chanted, “Holy shit.” Triple H slipped in the ring to get between them, and people booed. 

The crowd chanted for a fight, but Lesnar smirked and backed out of the ring. Triple H told them it would happen at WrestleMania. Before he left, Lesnar grabbed a security guard and gave him an F5 onto the floor. 

(This was well done. They can probably hold off on any further interaction because the crowd is begging for them to go at it now.) 

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Finn Bálor pre-taped promo 

Bálor said Judgment Day were a family, and they ran Raw for four years. Bálor did things he wasn’t proud of during that time. Perhaps the worst decision he made was thinking he could make a man out of Dominik Mysterio. 

Bálor gave credit to Dom for running his playbook against him. But Dom should remember that when he turned on his father and felt lost, it was Bálor he turned to. Bálor stepped in and stepped up for him. 

Dom didn’t lose the Intercontinental Championship because of him—he lost because he was a self-entitled jackass. Bálor was guilty of creating that jackass. He was responsible for creating Dom, so he would be responsible for destroying him at Mania. 

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Cole gave Carmelo Hayes a shout-out for his United States title reign and his run of open challenges, which came to an end against Sami Zayn on Friday. 

Intercontinental Championship match: Penta vs. Kofi Kingston (w/ Grayson Waller)

Kingston took control after giving Penta a back body drop onto the apron. Waller was about to go after Penta, but Kingston stopped him because he wanted to do this on his own. Following a boring heat segment during a break, Penta mounted a brief comeback until Kingston cut him off with an SOS for two, followed by a Fameasser for two. 

With Penta outside the ring, Waller was about to chuck him over the announce table, but thought better of it and placed him on the apron. Kingston called Waller a dummy and told him to leave it alone. Kingston tried a leaping backward dive, but Penta caught him and suplexed him onto the announce table. Waller told Kingston that maybe he did need him. Penta flew in at that moment and laid out Waller with a Canadian Destroyer. 

Back in the ring, Penta came off the top, but Kingston met him mid-air with a Trouble in Paradise for a nearfall. Kingston set up for a superplex, but Penta dropped him and spiked him with a Canadian Destroyer for the pinfall win. 

— Jackie Redmond interviewed Penta and asked him about his plans for WrestleMania. Penta said he spoke to Pearce, and the IC title would be defended in a ladder match. He issued a warning to anyone in the match and warned them that it wasn’t just the title hanging about the ring, it was his kingdom. 

Match result: Penta defeated Kofi Kingston to retain the Intercontinental Championship (9:57) 

This was ok. I feel like Kingston only got this IC title match because of that one big spot he did in MSG with Randy Orton many, many years ago. 

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Pearce approached Heyman backstage and asked where Lesnar was. Heyman assured him that Lesnar had left the arena. Pearce again asked if Heyman checked his emails. Heyman was again dismissive of this. Heyman instead wanted Pearce to hear what he had to say in the ring. 

******* 

Dom entered during a break and cut a basic promo saying he would beat Bálor at Mania.

Paul Heyman segment, WrestleMania angle 

Heyman entered. He gave Howard Finkel a mention before announcing that the Vision were the new world tag team champions. He said he tried to give the fans Lesnar vs. Femi tonight, but that wannabe mid-level suck-up middle-management pseudo-general manager Pearce got in the way. 

Pearce interrupted. He asked again if Heyman checked his emails. Heyman said there was nothing Pearce could tell him that he didn’t already know. Pearce informed him that the Boston police department dropped all charges against Seth Rollins. 

Heyman claimed he knew that already. Heyman continued by putting himself over as the last remaining manager from the 1980s and the last promoter standing from the 1990s. Some fans chanted for ECW. 

Pearce said if Heyman checked his email, he’d also know that Seth Rollins was medically cleared to compete. Heyman was shocked as Rollins’ music hit. 

The babyface Rollins attacked Heyman from behind with a steel chair. Rollins set up for a curb stomp but was suddenly yanked out of the ring by Gunther. 

Gunther put Rollins in a sleeper hold and put him to sleep. He grabbed Rollins by the head, pointed at the sign, and told him WrestleMania was in their future. 

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IYO SKY vs. Raquel Rodriguez 

For the third time tonight, the babyface hit a dive ahead of a break, only for the heel to take control immediately during commercials. In this case, Sky hit an Asai moonsault. Penta was somehow the only babyface to not follow suit. 

Sky made her comeback when they returned, but Rodriguez got her feet up on a moonsault attempt. Sky responded with a hurricanrana and double foot stomp for two. 

Asuka and Kairi Sane ran out as Asuka urged Sane to get involved. Sane leaped on the apron, and Sky confronted her. Rodriguez tried to take advantage with a big boot, but Sky moved out of the way, and Rodriguez booted Sane off the apron. 

Sky hit Rodriguez with a running meteora before turning her attention to the outside as Asuka was yelling at Sane. 

A frustrated Sky decided to wipe out Asuka with a suicide dive, but she slipped as she went through the ropes and landed right on her head. Sky popped up, fortunately, and seemed ok. 

Sky said something to Sane before making her way back into the ring, but Rodriguez simply grabbed her and hit a Tejana Bomb for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Raquel Rodriguez defeated IYO SKY (10:26) 

Yet another match that felt secondary to all the other stuff happening around it. Not good. 

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Cole spoke about Penta’s IC title ladder match at WrestleMania. He claimed Pearce already set the field because qualifying matches had been happening on WWE Main Event, which airs on YouTube. Joining Penta in the ladder match will be Dragon Lee, Je’Von Evans, Rusev, and JD McDonagh. 

(This is absurd. Rusev, for example, last wrestled on Main Event nearly two months ago, while McDonagh last wrestled on the show in January.) 

They ran down a few other matches before showing John Cena’s announcement on social media that he would be hosting WrestleMania. (I believe this was the only time this was mentioned on the show.)

Backstage, Redmond asked Pearce for an update on Rollins. Pearce said Rollins would be looking for a receipt at Mania and made the match official for the show: Rollins vs. Gunther. 

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CM Punk and Roman Reigns main event segment 

Reigns entered first and asked New York to acknowledge him. After they did, Punk marched out to his music, and he immediately attacked Reigns. They brawled back and forth as officials tried breaking things up. Reigns tossed one guy aside before spearing Petey Williams. 

Reigns was about to powerbomb Punk through the announce table, but Punk slipped out and gave him a GTS. Punk acted like he was done, but he grabbed Reigns and powerbombed him through the table. Punk screamed, “Who’s f—cking old now?!”

Punk sat down next to Reigns and punched him in the head a few more times before being pulled off by Pearce. Punk posed atop the barricade as officials checked on Reigns, and the show ended.