Intercontinental champion Sami Zayn made his first defense Monday night in his hometown of Montreal against the man who prepared him to face Gunther at WrestleMania 40: Chad Gable.

That high-stakes contest between two of the most skilled in-ring performers in WWE headlined a card that continued the build to Backlash on May 4 in Lyon, France.

Was Zayn able to retain his title, and which storyline twists and turns captivated fans?

Find out with this recap of the April 15 broadcast.

Match Card

Announced in advance for Monday's show:

• Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Chad Gable
• Jey Uso vs. Finn Bálor
• Kayden Carter and Katana Chance vs. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven
• Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri vs. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell
  
• Andrade vs. Dominik Mysterio
• The latest in the rivalry between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley
  
• The return of Sheamus
• The latest from Cody Rhodes

Rhea Ripley Kicks Off Raw

Women's world champion Rhea Ripley kicked off Raw with a disappointing announcement: She will be out of action for the foreseeable future and must vacate her title due to a right shoulder injury.

However, the Australian vowed to come back for her title and anyone in her path before suggesting she would end up in Montreal prison if Liv Morgan crossed her path.

Morgan did, but security separated the Superstars to end the segment.

This is hugely disappointing news for the women's division, which Ripley has reigned over for a year.

Someone will step up in her absence, but Ripley was a legitimate star who proved her ability to carry an entire premium live event's promotion on her shoulders in February.

The ready-made feud with Morgan will be fun, but rekindling the momentum Mami had will be a tall task.

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Ripley acknowledged that the fans knew what was going on with her injury, something we would never have seen before. It is one element of the Triple H era that has been a welcome change: Treating fans with respect and not like they are unknowledgeable.
• "I'm coming back for blood," Ripley said.
• Backstage, Damian Priest promised to keep The Judgment Day strong...and an eye on Dominik Mysterio for Mami.

Sheamus vs. Ivar

Sheamus returned to the squared circle for the first time since August 18.

The Celtic Warrior battled fellow big man Ivar of the Viking Raiders in singles competition Monday night.

The Irishman matched Ivar's physicality, proving he has not lost a step as far as that goes.

A game Ivar looked great as he continued his preparations to challenge Oba Femi for the NXT North American title, but ultimately found himself on the receiving end of the Knee Cap for the win as Sheamus got back to his winning ways.

The Celtic Warrior should be in the mix for the Intercontinental Championship in a picture that is suddenly brimming with talent.

Result

Sheamus defeated Ivar

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Sheamus returned with the "Written In My Face" theme that accompanied his debut in WWE in 2009. As great as his other theme is, this just felt right.
• Commentator Michael Cole pointed out that the intercontinental title is the one belt Sheamus has yet to win in WWE, perhaps setting the stage for his motivation. 

Tag Team Championship Presentation; Title Contender's Match

Triple H and Adam Pearce introduced R-Truth and The Miz as the world tag team champions and presented them with brand-new belts.

It was the latest opportunity to drive home the idea of a new era in WWE while also doing away with the eyesores that were the former tag title belts.

The segment segued into a Triple Threat match between The Creed Brothers, The New Day and DIY.

As one may imagine with a pool of Superstars that include Julius and Brutus Creed, Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, this was an incredibly fun match.

The action was nonstop, the spots were fun and creative, and the right team went over as DIY earned a championship opportunity against Awesome Truth.

Result

DIY defeated The New Day and The Creed Brothers to earn the title shot

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Truth confused Triple H with Ciampa in a funny bit.
• Kingston kicked out at two after Project Ciampa in a great near-fall. 
• Triple H needs to get Julius Creed in the ring with top guys so he can continue to learn and evolve because he continuously shows flashes 

Maxxine Dupri and Ivy Nile vs. Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae

Indi Hartwell has embraced the dark side, as evidenced by her performance Monday as she teamed with Candice LeRae to defeated Maxxine Dupri and Ivy Nile.

The Australian did what she has resisted the urge to do to this point by underhandedly scoring the win on Dupri.

The former NXT women's champion had been ridiculed by LeRae previously for not doing what was necessary to score the win, but she cheated just enough here to win. And judging by the look on her face, she liked that feeling.

It will be interesting to see how much this changes Hartwell moving forward, but there is room for her and LeRae to go on a run as top-tier contenders, if not actual champions.

Result

Hartwell and LeRae defeated Nile and Dupri

Grade

C

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Pat McAfee complemented Michael Cole on finding his true self on commentary in this new era, a nice nod to the superb work the voice of WWE has done under the new regime.
• Seeing Hartwell on television is a reminder: Where is Dexter Lumis? 

Andrade vs. Dominik Mysterio

Andrade partnered Rey Mysterio to defeat Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 40.

Monday night, El Idolo battled Dirty Dom one-on-one.

Mysterio took advantage ahead of the commercial break thanks to interference from JD McDonagh. The resilient Andrade fought back, though, thwarting further attempts at interference and scoring the win with a twisting, hammerlock DDT.

A post-match beatdown concluded with Ricochet hitting the ring and chasing the heels off.

There are worse uses of Ricochet and Andrade as loose allies against The Judgment Day, especially with the WWE draft on the horizon. If that keeps them busy and on TV until Triple H and Co. figure out where they want them to do in the coming months, so be it.

Their matches should at least be a ton of fun.

Result

Andrade defeated Mysterio

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• "This country destroyer on the apron," McAfee said as Mysterio hit Andrade with the flipping piledriver made famous by the great Canadian wrestler Petey Williams.
• Ricochet making the save for Andrade after his recent issues with The Judgment Day makes sense and is exactly the thing this creative regime loves to do. It meshes stories and keeps everyone involved.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance vs. Piper Niven and Chelsea Green

Chelsea Green won on her return to her native Canada this week as she partnered with Piper Niven to defeat Kayden Carter and Katana Chance.

It was the first victory for Green in what felt like an eternity, but it was made possible because of her more powerful partner.

The match was fine for what it was, a showcase of the tag team division, specifically Green and Niven.

With The Kabuki Warriors holding the titles, it may appear two heel teams going over Monday night is a questionable decision, but it's only a matter of time before Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair take the belts. And building challengers for them should be a priority.

Result

Green and Niven defeated Chance and Carter

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Niven caught Chance mid-flight and downed her, while Green scored the pinfall on Carter for the win.
• This is the first episode of WWE TV in some time that gave hope that some effort was being put into building the women's tag team division.

Cody Rhodes Addresses the WWE Universe

Undisputed WWE universal champion Cody Rhodes entered the Bell Centre to a deafening ovation and wasted little time thanking Seth Rollins before turning his attention to The Rock and The Bloodline.

He said he believed The Final Boss has more than one match left in him, continuing to tease the idea of the two of them battling in the future. He questioned who really called for Tama Tonga to attack Jimmy Uso on SmackDown when Roman Reigns was not around to do it.

The American Nightmare called out Jey Uso and thanked him for helping him at WrestleMania. He asked to return the favor, but Uso said he needs to do it himself.

This was not a newsworthy promo, but it was another opportunity for the top champion to get in front of the fans and begin planting of seeds for top stars involving The Bloodline.

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• The reaction for Rhodes was otherworldly.
• "I don't think The Rock has one more match in him. I think he has several," Rhodes said.
• "I just Yeet-ed myself. A nice Canadian Yeet job. Especially in this building," McAfee said as Uso made his entrance.
• "Until we Yeet again." Rhodes finished his night with a dad joke.

Jey Uso vs. Finn Bálor

In preparation for his showdown with Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash, Jey Uso battled Finn Bálor in singles competition Monday.

The Irishman jumped Uso before the bell, but the babyface fought back. He stuck around long enough to mount a consistent comeback, avoiding the Coup de Grace and finishing his opponent with the Uso Splash.

A post-match beatdown ensued before Uso fought free and took Priest, Bálor, Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh down before standing tall.

This was a solid match out of Uso and Bálor that concluded with the challenger getting one over on the champion and his cronies.

Incredibly popular and able to withstand a defeat from a credibility standpoint, Uso is the best option to challenge Priest for his title to this point.

Result

Uso defeated Bálor

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Few could have imagined Uso would remain as popular as he is without the presence of Roman Reigns.
• Is Bálor approaching the "underrated" realm? He is so talented and effective that the inaugural universal champion might just be overlooked in terms of his in-ring work.

Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable

Sami Zayn retained the Intercontinental Championship in the main event of Raw, a red-hot match-up with Chad Gable that continued the unforgettable year The Underdog from the Underground finds himself in.

The ultra-competitive contest saw Zayn outlast his determined opponent, who repaid the champion for granting him a title match by attacking the victor during a post-match embrace with his wife.

The heel turn was something most felt was coming and will give us something we have not seen in a long time: A serious and driven Gable with a clear motivation and by-any-means-possible approach.

That the beatdown took place in Zayn's hometown made it even better.

Result

Zayn defeated Gable to retain the IC title

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• The hype surrounding the match made for a big-fight atmosphere before either man dealt a blow.
• Zayn has developed into a legitimate main event talent in WWE and, thanks in large part to his ability to tell a story between the ropes, has low-key entered his name into the GOAT conversation.

Overall Grade

Monday's show continued the implementation of a new era in WWE.

We saw new titles introduced, the return of Sheamus and the continuation of key storylines, while the unfortunate news from Rhea Ripley added further gravity to the show.

Add to that a renewed emphasis on the women's tag team titles and the tease of what is to come in the storyline between Cody Rhodes and The Bloodline, and you have a show that was a fun watch and had a great main event.

Grade: B+