WWE Raw results, April 22, 2019: AJ Styles to challenge Seth Rollins for the Universal Title at WWE Money in the Bank

Naomi brings the Glow to Raw, taking on one-half of the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions.

Last week, Naomi defeated The IIconics with Bayley at her side in tag team action. Bayley’s on SmackDown LIVE now, but a two-on-one advantage didn’t give the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions any kind of a leg up in a one-on-one match between Naomi and Billie Kay. The former SmackDown Women’s Champion was more than prepared for shenanigans from Peyton Royce and summarily knocked her off the apron when she threatened to get involved. Naomi followed up with a sunset flip to Billie, securing an impressively quick pinfall that left The IIconics steaming — though they should probably count themselves lucky: If Naomi still had a partner, they might have themselves a pair of challengers.

Sami Zayn was happy traveling the globe, but the toxic environment of WWE has soured his mood.

Is Sami Zayn bitter? No, why do you ask? Sure, he’s been a little rough on the audience since he returned a few weeks ago, but he’s actually the happiest he’s ever been — thanks, entirely, to the spiritually rejuvenating 10 months he spent away from the WWE Universe, reconnecting with nature, immersing himself in history, and just plain lounging on beaches. As if to prove his point, the former NXT Champion cued up a series of Instagram posts where he’s sporting ear-to-ear smiles in various exotic locales … feelings he admitted evaporated the second he found out he was coming back to WWE.

Unsure what about returning to WWE was messing with his good vibes, Sami eventually landed on the audience as the guilty party, claiming that their active role in the WWE environment took away his smile. Unimpressed with the “mob mentality” the WWE Universe exerted over WWE, Zayn suggested the fans take a page out of his own book in order to improve themselves and, by extension, WWE as a whole: They could take a trip. To hell.

One person who wasn’t impressed with Sami’s attitude was Cedric Alexander, who crossed paths with a disgusted Zayn on the entrance ramp and flashed a million dollar smile of his own on the way to the ring. So the good news is that Zayn’s toxic attitude hasn’t exactly spread. The bad news is that, if this week is any indication, his crusade is just getting started.

New Raw Superstar Cesaro answers Cedric Alexander's open challenge.

There are fewer tougher trials by fire out there than a match with Cesaro, so one can argue that all Cedric Alexander had to do in his first match as a full-blown Raw Superstar was put on a good showing. In that case, the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion certainly succeeded, giving the former SmackDown Tag Team Champion a fight worthy of his reputation. But faced with a motivated Swiss Cyborg (the status of his partnership with Sheamus went unaddressed, but he didn’t seem to mind flying solo), Alexander simply couldn’t get over the hump.

That isn’t to say The King of Swing made quick work of the purple brand’s former franchise player. Alexander’s combo of power and speed gave Cesaro a fair amount of fits as he tried to box in his opponent. But his skills proved a double-edged sword, as Cesaro shifted to a defensive strategy and let Alexander come to him, and “The Soul of 205 Live” was forced to once again start from scratch. This time, Alexander found success by going high-risk with a top-rope plancha, and yet again, a defensive strategy proved key for Cesaro: When Alexander went big with a springboard, The Swiss Superman planted his feet and administered a jaw-jacking European uppercut that grounded his opponent for three.

Both Superstars are, to a degree, starting from scratch, so the match is hardly make-or-break for either. And some history should provide comfort here: Alexander’s former rival Ali lost in his SmackDown LIVE debut a few months back and ended up just fine. But it was hard to begrudge Alexander’s visible disappointment that he couldn’t make a statement — or clear the bar.

Erik & Ivar spoil Lucha House Party's fun before their match can begin.

Here’s where the Raw Tag Team division stands: The Usos and The Revival are sniping at each other backstage, The Viking Raiders are demolishing everyone in their sights, and reigning champions Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins might be on borrowed time.

The big-ticket item there, at least Monday night, was the exploits of Erik & Ivar, who feasted on The Lucha House Party in what was billed as a match but ended up a mauling. The bearded pillagers made quick work of the three masked men, and the severity of the beating did not go unnoticed by Ryder & Hawkins, who were interviewed after the match and seemed to be sweating — at least in Hawkins’ case — over the prospect of facing the Raiders down the line. The Ultimate Broski restored his partner’s confidence with a well-timed pep talk, though one would hope he looked closer at what had just transpired: The Lucha House Party are pretty peppy themselves, and it didn’t do much for them.

Ricochet squares off against The Glorious One, who is sporting a new name and a new attitude in an intensely competitive match.

No, it didn’t just get more formal around here: Having lost his tag team partner to SmackDown LIVE in the Superstar Shake-up — or, if you ask him, having dropped 150 pounds of dead weight — the man formerly known as Bobby Roode has undergone a self-imposed reboot, which is why he’s now demanding to be referred to as Robert Roode and sporting a rather ravishing mustache.

Lest you think the reinvention was confined to surface trappings, however, there’s a certain intangible something that has changed about The Glorious One; Robert Roode was rougher, tougher and more underhanded against Ricochet than Bobby Roode ever was, down to the way he claimed the win against the former NXT North American Champion. Right as Ricochet began to deploy his various, video-game caliber aerial attacks, Roode evaded the 630, ruthlessly chucked Ricochet head-first into the middle turnbuckle and administered the Glorious DDT for the win. Robert Roode will certainly have more to say as time goes on, but the last word on his re-debut might actually belong to Corey Graves: Maybe Roode didn’t change who he was so much as remember it.