WWE Raw Results (May 4): Jacob Fatu Smashes Roman Reigns, Oba Femi Destroys Otis in Omaha
Let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate: if you tuned into WWE Raw in Omaha, Nebraska, expecting a quaint, polite contract signing ahead of Backlash, you haven’t been paying attention. Monday night’s go-home show threw diplomacy out the window, traded the pens for tables, and reminded us why the road to a premium live event is paved with absolute chaos.
From Jacob Fatu proving that the “Samoan Werewolf” moniker isn’t just a marketing gimmick to Oba Femi nearly knocking Otis into another zip code, this week’s red brand offering gave us plenty to chew on. Let’s break down the tape, grade the highlights, and look at exactly what went down inside the CHI Health Center.
The Contract Signing: Roman Reigns Brings a Pen to a Tongan Death Grip Fight
We all knew how this was going to end. General Manager Adam Pearce brought out Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu to put ink to paper for their World Heavyweight Championship clash at WWE Backlash. Pearce just wanted a clean signing. Spoiler alert: he didn’t get it.
Reigns, dripping with that trademark arrogance, tried to big-brother his challenger. He patronized Fatu, claiming he held the door open for Solo Sikoa, which in turn paved the way for Fatu to even be in WWE. The Tribal Chief tried to lay down a “system of conduct,” explicitly banning the Tongan Death Grip as a classless, bar-fight move that disrespects the family tree.
Well, if you tell Jacob Fatu that he is beneath you, you’re basically begging for a disaster. Fatu fired back with raw, visceral emotion. He didn’t care about systems or safety nets. For him, it’s survival. Fatu snapped, locking in the forbidden Tongan Death Grip not once, but repeatedly. Reigns tried to fight out of the corner, but the sheer willpower of the challenger was too much. Fatu essentially choke-slammed the champion completely over the table, signed the contract over the wreckage, and left Omaha screaming his name.
If you weren’t hyped for Backlash before, check your pulse. Fatu looks like an unstoppable monster, and the unpredictability of Saturday’s title match is off the charts.
Oba Femi vs. Otis: A Certified Meat-Slapper
Look, I love a technical masterpiece as much as the next wrestling nerd, but sometimes you just want to see two absolute units collide in the center of the ring. That’s exactly what we got when Oba Femi answered an open challenge that initially teased Akira Tozawa before thankfully pivoting to Otis.
This was two hosses trading heavy artillery. They started with shoulder blocks that would rattle a Mack truck, but the highlight of the night—and maybe the year—was Femi unleashing a diving uppercut that legitimately looked like it separated Otis’s soul from his body. I genuinely thought we were going to need medical intervention.
Femi followed up that decapitation with a massive back suplex and an elevated Fall From Grace in the corner to seal the deal. It was a glorified squash match, but man, it was a beautiful one. Femi is a made man, a physical phenom who can do no wrong right now.
Sol Ruca Steps Up to “The Man”
In the women’s division, we got a highly anticipated contract signing for Sol Ruca to officially join the Raw roster. Naturally, Becky Lynch—leaning hard into her current over-the-top, slightly unhinged persona—had to come out and steal the spotlight.
Instead of shrinking, Ruca stepped right up to the plate. She cut Lynch off, basically told her the universe doesn’t revolve around the Intercontinental Champion, and dropped a verbal nuke that brought the crowd to its feet. Ruca threatened to kick Lynch’s teeth in and take her title.
Was the physical altercation that followed a little sloppy? Yeah, it was. A botched dodge led to Lynch accidentally clocking Adam Pearce, and the closing “Sol Snatcher” finisher didn’t connect as cleanly as you’d hope for a highlight reel. But the psychology was spot on. Ruca showed she belongs in the deep end of the pool, and this feud has massive box-office potential.
Ethan Page and Rusev Make a Statement
We can’t ignore the tag team showcase of the night. After a sluggish first hour of the broadcast, Ethan Page and Rusev woke the crowd up against Penta and Je’Von Evans. This match was a beautiful clash of styles—Evans flying around the arena like his boots were on fire, and Rusev actively trying to snap people in half.
The finish was a perfectly executed booking. After Rusev neutralized the high-flyers on the outside—including burying Penta into the announce desk—Ethan Page capitalized inside the ropes. Page hit a crisp Fisherman’s Suplex to pin the champion clean in the middle of the ring. No outside interference, no goofy roll-ups. Just a decisive victory that instantly elevates Page into the title conversation.
The Best of the Rest: Brawls, Dorks, and Lucha Chaos
The rest of the card was a mixed bag of wild brawls and confusing creative choices. Joe Hendry’s Raw debut against Austin Theory ended in a messy disqualification when Logan Paul interfered, which just triggered a massive melee involving the Street Profits, Seth Rollins, and Bron Breakker. Honestly, Breakker looks like an absolute killer right now, which is why it’s so frustrating to see WWE pair him backstage with the goofy, dorky antics of Paul Heyman, Austin Theory, and Logan Paul. Let the man be a lone wolf!
And finally, we had a six-man tag match featuring Los Americanos Hermanos taking on El Grande Americano and his crew. Six masked guys flying around the ring at 100 miles per hour. It was fun, chaotic, and incredibly hard to keep track of who was who, but Julius and Brutus Creed managed to secure the win in a hard-hitting finale.
All in all, Monday Night Raw didn’t feature a ton of wrestling clinic classics, but the storytelling and emotional high spots did exactly what they were supposed to do: sell us the pay-per-view. Bring on Backlash.
