WWE Raw Predictions are here for May 4, 2026. WWE is coming fresh off a historic WrestleMania PLE and is now on the road to SummerSlam in August. On SmackDown, Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley are running the show as world champions after defeating Randy Orton and Jade Cargill, respectively, at WrestleMania.
While Fatal Influence is feuding with Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss in a faction warfare, Gunther attacked Cody Rhodes on SmackDown after having a confrontation with LA Knight on the Raw after WrestleMania, due to the favor Paul Heyman promised him. Here, on Raw, Roman Reigns is the new World Champion after dethroning CM Punk, and Liv Morgan is the new World Champion after dethroning Stephanie Vaquer at ‘Mania 42.
In the past two weeks of Raw after WrestleMania, WWE kicked off their build to WWE Backlash 2026, where Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu for the World Title, IYO SKY vs. Asuka, and Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker are scheduled to take place. WWE recently added Trick Williams (c) vs. Sami Zayn for the U.S. Title and Danhausen & Mystery Tag Partner vs. The Miz & Kit Wilson to the PLE card.
It will be interesting to see if they add a women’s tag title match to that card. Paige & Brie Bella will show up on this go-home show, and they could be in a tense scuffle with Judgment Day, who got right back in the title picture after defeating Bayley and Lyra Valkyria last week. Even a men’s tag title match between Vision and Street Profits could be added after their pure first brawls in the past two weeks.
In other news, Oba Femi announced that he will officially have an open challenge every week. Will that open challenge only take place on Raw, or will it be extended to PLEs, like Backlash? Only time will tell. While many expect these open challenges to be squash matches for Oba Femi, WWE should actually use these open challenges to test Femi’s limits and tell a story for the new Beast in WWE.
Sheamus recently updated the fans on his recovery from his shoulder injury, and he would be a great choice to answer Oba Femi’s open challenge this week. It would be underwhelming if WWE started this open challenge with a superstar who will inevitably lose in less than five minutes. As a hard-hitting veteran, Sheamus would at least give Femi a run for his money and a fight worth anticipating.
This week on Raw, a contract signing is scheduled between Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu and one match is scheduled: Penta & Je’Von Evans vs. Rusev & Ethan Page. This match is taking place after Ethan Page defeated Je’Von Evans on the Raw after Mania, and Penta defeated Rusev the following week.
Speaking of NXT call-ups like Ethan Page, more are expected. While Joe Hendry continues to be a wannabe Elijah from TNA, Sol Ruca will officially sign to Raw after making a huge statement by confronting and battling Liv Morgan in the main event scene two weeks ago.
Her presence on Raw should elicit fresh feuds that the fans can get excited about, such as an InterContinental Title match against Becky Lynch. With that being said, it is now time for this week’s Raw Predictions.
WWE Raw Predictions Highlight: Penta & Je’Von Evans vs. Rusev & Ethan Page
At first, it felt like Teddy Long was booking this show because this seemed like a tag team match he would book. However, it was actually another bald general manager named Adam Pearce, who booked this match as a way to build towards a potential Fatal Four-Way Intercontinental Title Match.
After Penta made history at Mania by being the first ever Intercontinental Champion to walk into and out of a multi-contestant Ladder Match still the champion, he still had his hands full with Je’Von Evans, who felt he was very close to winning that title at ‘Mania. Meanwhile, Ethan Page, who has had plenty of historic rivalries with Je’Von in NXT, just got called up to Raw, and he let Je’Von know that he will take his spot in line for that title, as he does not need second chances to get the job done.
On the other hand, Rusev has actually been feuding with Penta ever since Dirty Dominik Mysterio was Intercontinental Champion. It is long overdue for him to get his comeuppance on Penta, be the heel to dethrone him, and solidify his return to the WWE.
Due to his lackluster booking as of late, Rusev had the slimmest chances of winning that Ladder Match at ‘Mania, but he was very impressive in that match as the powerhouse and deserves a push. In his prior run, Rusev only won the U.S. Title thrice but has never become Intercontinental Champion.
A big win here by either pinning Je’Von Evans or pinning the champ himself would help him regain momentum towards earning another championship around his waist. This would be a great title match to add to the Backlash card.
Prediction: Rusev & Ethan Page
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