The Post-Mania Hangover

Pull up a stool and grab a pint of something strong. We need to talk about Monday Night Raw.

It's May 2nd, 2026. We are exactly one week away from WWE Backlash. The dust has barely settled from WrestleMania 41 in Vegas, and somehow, the creative team is already booking themselves into a corner. We are staring down the barrel of the go-home Raw, and honestly? It looks like a slow-motion car crash.

And I can't look away.

Look, WrestleMania 41 was a cinematic masterpiece. John Cena said his goodbyes, CM Punk finally got his major main event moment, and Cody Rhodes walked out of Allegiant Stadium with the WWE Championship still firmly wrapped around his waist. It was the kind of weekend that makes you remember why you sit through three hours of television every Monday.

But now reality sets in. The post-Mania honeymoon phase is officially over.

This upcoming Raw is the final stop before Backlash on May 9th. The card for France is half-baked at best. WWE relies heavily on these international crowds to cover up thin booking, and this year is no exception. The fans in Lyon will sing for ten minutes straight and make a random midcard tag match look like the main event of the Tokyo Dome.

That doesn't excuse the sloppy storytelling getting us there. We need answers this Monday, and I have zero faith we're actually going to get them.

Cody Rhodes and the Stagnant Throne

Let's start with the guy holding the big belt. Cody Rhodes is your WWE Champion.

He defended the title successfully on Night 2 of WrestleMania. He finished the story, bought the paperback, and watched the movie adaptation. But what happens when the credits roll? You get a sequel nobody asked for.

The current setup for Backlash feels entirely like filler. We are getting a rematch that nobody is clamoring to see. Cody is out here cutting the same impassioned promo every single week. He wears the suit, he cries about his dad, he mentions the fans, and he promises to be a fighting champion. It was magical in 2024. It was great in 2025. In 2026, it is starting to grate on my nerves.

There is a real lack of a genuine heel threat on Raw right now. Gunther is busy destroying people in his own orbit. Drew McIntyre is supposedly dealing with a nagging triceps issue, though he denies it on Twitter every other day. Seth Rollins is still finding his footing after the latest time off.

So who steps up to Cody? The rumor mill suggests a thrown-together contender tournament to kill time until SummerSlam. If Monday's Raw features another twenty-minute monologue from Cody interrupted by a midcard act looking for a rub, I might throw my remote through the television. They need to inject some actual danger into his title reign, immediately.

The CM Punk Problem

Then we have the CM Punk situation. Punk finally got his massive WrestleMania match on Night 1.

It was loud, it was violent, and it was everything we wanted it to be. But Punk operating in the current WWE environment is fascinating because he clearly wants to do business his way. The dirt sheets have been buzzing all week about his status for Backlash. Will he wrestle? Will he just cut a promo? Will he sit at commentary and insult everyone for two hours?

I'm betting on the latter. And frankly, that highlights a massive booking flaw. You cannot have a guy who moves the needle this much just floating around without a concrete program.

Punk needs an enemy who can go toe-to-toe with him on the microphone. Monday night has to deliver a confrontation. If they just give him a live microphone and let him shoot the breeze with the crowd for a quarter-hour, it's a wasted segment. They need to pull the trigger on a feud with someone like Finn Balor or a returning heel who can take the verbal abuse and dish it back.

Instead, we are probably going to get a vague promo teasing a match that won't happen until August. It is lazy television.

The Bloodline's Lingering Shadow

We also cannot ignore the elephant in the room. The Bloodline.

Yes, Roman Reigns and his family drama heavily anchor SmackDown. But the draft rules are practically nonexistent right now, and the fallout from WrestleMania 41 Night 2 is bleeding all over the company. The Bloodline is splintered. Solo Sikoa is acting like he runs the place, and Jimmy Uso is nowhere to be found.

WWE loves having Bloodline members randomly show up on Raw to pop a rating or crash a main event. I fully expect some sort of crossover nonsense this Monday to set up a multi-man match for Backlash.

It's a crutch. Whenever creative hits a wall, they just throw a Samoan Spike into the mix and call it a day.

Don't get me wrong, I love the drama. But relying on the Bloodline to salvage a weak Raw script is becoming a bad habit. Let the Raw roster stand on its own two feet. Give me Chad Gable snapping ankles. Give me Bronson Reed flattening cruiserweights. Give me something that doesn't involve Roman's family tree.

What Actually Needs to Happen

If Triple H and the creative team want this go-home show to actually sell Backlash, they need to stop stalling. They have exactly three hours of television left.

First, give the Women's World Championship some actual focus. The division has been treading water since Vegas. We need a clear, definitive top contender. Stop with the convoluted multi-woman number one contender matches that end in disqualifications. Just book a straight-up fight.

Second, stop treating the World Tag Team Championships like props. Awesome Truth had their nostalgic run, but it's 2026. We need killer tag teams having killer matches. The division has depth, but it is currently buried under comedy sketches and backstage catering segments.

Third, give us a reason to pay for the premium live event. Backlash feels like a glorified house show right now. The crowd in France will be incredible, absolutely. They will sing every theme song and chant for the referee. But a hot crowd does not fix a cold card.

Monday night is the last chance to turn up the heat. If they phone it in, we are looking at one of the most skippable pay-per-views of the year.

The Final Verdict

I will be watching. You will be watching. We are all gluttons for punishment.

But let's not pretend this build has been good. It has been sloppy, unfocused, and entirely dependent on the afterglow of WrestleMania 41. Cody Rhodes deserves better challengers. CM Punk needs a real target. The entire Raw brand needs a shot of adrenaline.

Here is hoping Monday delivers something unexpected. Maybe someone turns heel. Maybe a surprise return blows the roof off the arena. Maybe, just maybe, the writers remember how to book a compelling wrestling show outside of WrestleMania season.

Grab your drink. It's going to be a long three hours.