Fresh off the seismic events of WrestleMania weekend, tonight’s episode of Raw promises to reset the landscape of sports entertainment. Streaming live from Las Vegas, the episode of Raw after WrestleMania is historically epic — must-see television featuring shocking returns and the first sparks of rivalries heading toward Backlash 2026.
Tonight will feature the new World Heavyweight Champion, Roman Reigns, as well as Brock Lesnar, who appeared to have retired after his loss to Oba Femi, who is also scheduled to appear. Also scheduled are CM Punk, Rhea Ripley, Penta, Logan Paul, and Stephanie Vaquer. While those are the big-name players announced, you can rest assured that there will be plenty of swerves and surprises on WWE’s most unpredictable night of the year.
Today, at Netflix Presents: The Raw Brunch in Las Vegas, several WWE Superstars emphasized the importance of tonight’s episode. “Raw after Mania is when everything changes,” Trick Williams, the new US Champion, told Tudum. He added, “You never know what’s going to happen. We’re going to go crazy tonight — I say ‘we,’ I don't know if I'm going to be there, but who knows?”
Fans may behoping to see Williams, and Smackdown Superstar Jade Cargill shares that sentiment. “Raw after Mania is the biggest Raw of the year and the opening for a new season featuring all our brand-new stars, like Trick Williams and Oba Femi,” she told us. “It’s going to be a stacked card tonight.”
Cargill’s rival and fellow Smackdown Superstar Tiffany Stratton called Raw after Mania “iconic,” and described what makes it extra special. “We might have some people debuting from NXT. We might have Superstars coming back from different generations. Anything could happen on this Raw. You have to be there. This is probably more important than WrestleMania. It’s the start of a new season and it’s all going to be super exciting.”
As for WWE Raw’s Rusev, he’s particularly familiar with the importance of tonight’s episode. “I debuted twice on Raw after WrestleMania,” he said. “My original debut [in 2014] and last year [in a long-awaited return]. Tonight is going to be no different. I’m sure there’s going to be surprises. People are going to love it, people are going to hate it, but people are going to talk about it.”
As Smackdown’s Kit Wilson told Tudum, he “grew up the biggest wrestling fan,” and was always most excited about the post-WrestleMania episode of Raw. “This is the biggest show of the year, followed by a Raw where anything can happen. So much changed last night. News storylines have started. Big stories have only gotten bigger. We get debuts, surprises, and returns. In WWE, we always say anything can happen, but that’s never as true as the Raw after WrestleMania.”
Click here for additional information on tonight’s Raw and be sure to stream tonight’s episode live on Netflix at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.
