With their title match at Money in the Bank now less than two weeks away, Kofi Kingston picked up a tag team win against WWE Champion Bobby Lashley last night.
The New Day (Kingston & Xavier Woods) defeated Lashley & MVP in the main event of last night’s episode of Raw. The match was the first time MVP has wrestled since suffering a knee injury this February. Kingston pinned MVP after hitting Trouble in Paradise.
Kingston also hit Trouble in Paradise on Lashley leading into the finish. Lashley was then taken out by Woods. After the Trouble in Paradise sent Lashley out of the ring, Woods hit a dive onto him from the steel steps.
Date: July 5, 2021 Location: Yuengling Center in Tampa, FL
The Big Takeaway —
The second-to-last Raw in the ThunderDome was an uneventful one.
Show Recap —
MizTV with The Miz & John Morrison
Miz said his Money in the Bank expertise meant that the next Mr. Money in the Bank would be his best friend John Morrison. Morrison called himself “America’s moist wanted” and said he was the best equipped to win the ladder match. Miz introduced his next guest, Drew McIntyre, who he recently cashed in on to win the WWE title.
McIntyre entered and reminded Miz that Lashley was the reason that he won the title and McIntyre’s been fighting ever since to win it back. Because MITB is taking place in Texas, McIntyre told us a story about the Alamo and Davy Crockett, who he claimed to be related to. McIntyre said he would shove Morrison’s head up Miz’s ass, and just like Crockett, he would rather die in Texas than give up the briefcase.
Ricochet entered next. Miz said Ricochet risked his and Morrison’s careers last week with that diving crossbody spot. Ricochet said he was willing to do whatever it took to win the briefcase. As Morrison spoke, Riddle interrupted.
Riddle sat on the top of the ladder and Miz asked why he was sitting up there. Riddle thought they were all supposed to do that (a callback to that silly segment from a few years ago). Riddle commented on how “high” he was and began rambling until Miz stopped him. Miz wondered why Randy Orton hasn’t kicked him in the skull yet.
AJ Styles and Omos interrupted. Styles said Orton dropped out so it should’ve only been a singles match between him and McIntyre. Styles said this was all Riddle’s fault as he was the one who got pinned last week.
Riddle wanted a high five from Omos who was almost as high as he was. Omos pushed the ladder which caused Riddle to fall and land awkwardly on his bad ankle. Styles kicked him in the leg as well. Omos and Styles left the ring after McIntyre got in their faces. Omos was about to get back in the ring but McIntyre clotheslined him back out.
Morrison decked Ricochet but Ricochet eventually dropkicked him from the ring. Miz was left alone with the babyfaces but nothing happened to him (besides Ricochet breaking a drip stick.)
This segment was pretty pointless and the ending (after Omos dropped Riddle) felt awkward.
John Morrison (w/The Miz) defeated Ricochet via countout (13:00)
They aired a replay of last week’s crossbody dive earlier and a few times during this match, so they’re really playing it up.
A few minutes into the match, Ricochet tried to leap off Miz’s wheelchair but Morrison caught him and powerbombed him right into the barricade. After a break, they went back and forth until Morrison hit a standing Spanish Fly for two. Ricochet spiked Morrison moments later with a tilt-a-whirl DDT.
Miz sprayed Ricochet with the drip stick which led to Morrison using a creative cradle for a nearfall. With Morrison standing on the apron, Ricochet did a running dive to bring them both crashing to the outside. I’m not sure what they were trying to pull off exactly, but Ricochet actually seemed to take the worst of this.
Morrison won by countout after he managed to slip in the ring but Miz blocked Ricochet with his wheelchair and he wasn’t able to beat the ten count. This was a poor finish.
Jinder Mahal arrived at the building in a custom red motorcycle. Kevin Patrick was there for an interview. Patrick was impressed with the bike. Mahal said he got it after one of his title defenses and picked it up with his old friend Drew. He tried reaching out to McIntyre recently but it took him three days to respond, and when he did, he said he was too busy to hang out. Mahal thought he deserved better and wanted to prove what he’s always known, that he’s better than McIntyre.
Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler and Reginald were in the back. Reginald thought he saw Alexa Bliss behind them but when they turned around, she wasn’t there. Baszler was sick of his crap. They left. Of course, the camera panned over to show that Bliss was there.
Naomi told Nikki A.S.H. (Nikki Cross) that she loved her new look and name. Asuka said she always wanted to team with a superhero. Nikki thanked them, but she wasn’t a superhero like Black Widow, she was almost a superhero. Nikki cut a promo about giving hope and said she was ready to win MITB. Naomi and Asuka each told her that they planned on winning.
Nikki’s music hit so she went to the ring. Bliss showed up to tell Naomi and Asuka not to get their hopes up for MITB.
8-woman tag team match: Eva Marie, Doudrop, Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler (w/Reginald) defeated Nikki A.S.H., Alexa Bliss, Naomi & Asuka (11:56)
Doudrop was supposed to start but Marie tagged herself in. The moment she felt in danger, she frantically tagged out. Naomi wiped out Jax and Baszler with a dive. Asuka used a hip attack to stagger Doudrop on the outside before Nikki knocked her down with a dive. Marie was left standing in the ring but she turned around and saw Bliss who shrieked at her. Marie left the ring and they went to break two minutes into the match.
[Second hour]
Bliss and Doudrop were going at it until Nikki quickly tagged herself in. She knocked Doudrop to a knee and tagged in Asuka who used a series of kicks until Doudrop dropped her with a headbutt. Doudrop tagged in Jax and they squished Asuka by running into her at the same time. They worked over Asuka from there.
Jax became worried when she noticed that Bliss hypnotized Reginald. Baszler decided to just chuck Bliss into the barricade to stop it. Asuka fought back and Jax inadvertently knocked Baszler off the apron. Jax tagged in Marie but before Asuka could kill her, Marie tagged Baszler.
They traded submissions until Naomi tagged in and hit a springboard kick. Asuka followed with a German suplex but Baszler kicked out. (Doudrop was actually supposed to break it up but didn’t get in on time.) This led to everyone trading moves until Nikki put Baszler in a La Magistral cradle but Baszler was not the legal woman.
Jax was legal and gave Nikki a Samoan drop for the pinfall win. Marie announced herself as the winner after the match.
Patrick barged into Lashley and MVP’s dressing room. MVP was annoyed that he kept getting into their room. Lashley said he decided to take a vacation after beating both McIntyre and Xavier Woods in Hell in a Cell matches. He heard Kofi Kingston call him soft last week so now he planned on hurting him.
They announced their return to Madison Square Garden for Smackdown (by using a screencap of a New York Post article).
Mustafa Ali defeated Mansoor (2:52)
They aired a backstage clip from last week following the battle royal where Ali eliminated Mansoor. Mansoor wanted to know what Ali’s problem was. Ali said he didn’t want Mansoor to end up like him.
There was a spot where Ali got his foot trapped between the ropes so Mansoor helped him out of it and gave him a chance to regroup. Of course, this led to Ali rolling up Mansoor for the win. Mansoor seemed disappointed and Ali basically told him, “I told you so.”
Sarah Schreiber interviewed McIntyre. He had an opinion about Mahal’s text message story but didn’t give it here. He did give Mahal credit for at least wanting to fight him unlike others in the locker room. McIntyre told us another story, this time about a warrior and the Loch Ness Monster. It led to him saying he’d win MITB.
Mahal rolled out of the ring after getting suplexed by McIntyre. Veer and Shanky got in McIntyre’s way and the momentary distraction allowed Mahal to strike McIntyre in the throat before giving him a vertical suplex on the announce table, which led to break.
Mahal remained in control until McIntyre came back with a headbutt, clotheslines, overhead suplexes and a swinging neckbreaker. McIntyre did a 3MB pose before blocking a Khallas and hitting a Future Shock DDT.
McIntyre set up for a Claymore but he was attacked by Veer and Shanky for the DQ. Mahal laid him out with a Khallas. Mahal posed before quickly heading to the stage. Mahal grabbed McIntyre’s sword. Mahal said McIntyre took his opportunity away, so he was taking his family heirloom.
The New Day told Patrick that they didn’t need to adjust their strategy now that tonight’s match was a tag match given their overall tag team success. Woods said he was back despite what MVP claimed and he knew Kingston could beat Lashley at MITB.
Kingston quoted Kevin Garnett by saying “anything is possible” and was excited to face Lashley in front of real people. Kingston said Lashley and MVP can take all the vacations they want, and take their lady friends with them, because Lashley’s championship responsibilities will become his. Before they left, Woods said it would be a “breeze,” which was a shoutout to Tyler Breeze.
Lucha House Party defeated Mace & T-Bar (3:33)
T-Bar and Mace killed Lince Dorado the entire match until he was saved by Gran Metalik, who wiped out Mace with a dive. Dorado gave T-Bar a hurricanrana into a pin for the win. That’s what happened. (Dorado wore a Kane-inspired mask, which Corey Graves noted.)
Riddle checked on his foot in the back when he was approached by Damian Priest. Priest warned him to take it easy against Styles because it could hurt his chances at MITB. Riddle said he wasn’t afraid of heights, ladders or AJ Styles. He wanted to show everyone, including Orton, that the three most dangerous letters in WWE were R-K-Bro. (Priest smirked, realizing Riddle’s mistake.) The highlight of this was Riddle pointing to the sky when he mentioned Orton as if Orton was in heaven.
[Third hour]
Riddle defeated Raw Tag Team Champion AJ Styles (w/Omos) (13:00)
Styles worked over Riddle’s injured foot and Riddle sold it big. Riddle did the Karate Kid pose because it at least meant keeping weight off his injured foot. Styles thought this was ridiculous but it actually worked because Riddle managed to hit a crane kick which popped the announcers. It didn’t matter though because Riddle was in too much pain and Styles regained control. Omos also gave Riddle a cheap shot behind the referee’s back, which led to break.
Styles applied an ankle lock but Riddle rolled through and also countered a Calf Crusher into a knee strike before hitting a senton for two. Riddle blocked a Phenomenal forearm before hitting a draping DDT. Styles dodged a Floating Bro and Riddle landed awkwardly on his ankle. Styles followed with a rack bomb for a nearfall.
The Viking Raiders suddenly appeared behind the barricade which distracted both Omos and Styles. Riddle put Styles in a schoolboy for the pinfall win. (Styles kicked out immediately after the three count.) Riddle posed with the Raiders after the match. Riddle said he loved Randy and pointed to the sky.
Charlotte Flair segment
Charlotte entered with a crutch. She said it must be hard for people to see her like this. She mentioned the NBA Playoffs have been ruined by injuries to the likes of Anthony Davis and James Harden.
She admitted that she might miss MITB. She also admitted that Rhea Ripley is learning well. Ripley is acting like that because she knew who was better. Charlotte didn’t have to consider what she would do if somebody was better than her because nobody was.
Ripley entered with a crutch, mocking Charlotte as she “struggled” down the ramp. Ripley said she can play Charlotte’s game better than she can and said Charlotte was just being a drama queen. They each kicked out each other’s crutch at the same time. Of course, Charlotte’s leg was fine.
They tried attacking each other with the crutches but were basically equals. Ripley just barely got the advantage and hit Charlotte in the gut with a crutch. Before she could do worse, Charlotte left the ring.
Jaxson Ryker & R-Truth defeated Elias & Cedric Alexander (1:04)
Before the match, Akira Tozawa ran into the ring because he was being chased by the 24/7 crew. Truth tried rolling him up but he kicked out. Tozawa ran to the back and Truth decided to join the chase which left Ryker alone.
It didn’t matter though because Elias bailed on Alexander during the match. Ryker pinned Alexander quickly with a spinning side slam.
Lashley was getting ready in the back when Patrick approached for another interview. MVP stopped him, though, and told him how focused Lashley was (after Kingston accused him of not being focused enough).
Announced for Raw next week:
Ricochet vs. John Morrison falls count anywhere
Sheamus defends the US title against Humberto Carrillo
Omos vs. Erik in Omos’ first singles match
AJ Styles vs. Ivar
Announced for the show in two weeks (Raw’s return to a live crowd):
AJ Styles & Omos defend the tag title against the Viking Raiders
Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods defeated WWE Champion Bobby Lashley & MVP (14:35)
The New Day were in full control and wiped out Hurt Business with dives leading to break.
After the break, Lashley fought off Woods and clotheslined him to take over. Kingston made a hot tag and gave MVP a bulldog for two. Kingston superkicked Lashley off the apron but that allowed MVP to clothesline Kingston for two. MVP booted Kingston and tagged Lashley who hit a spinebuster but Woods broke up the cover. Lashley chucked Woods from the ring.
MVP tagged in but Kingston took out Lashley with a Trouble in Paradise. Woods knocked Lashley down outside the ring as Kingston blocked MVP’s finisher and hit Trouble in Paradise for the pinfall win.
(There was some miscommunication between Lashley and Kingston/Woods in this match, so hopefully, they get that sorted out for their match at MITB.)
WWE has announced a change to a match for Monday’s episode of Raw.
During a commercial that aired on SmackDown tonight, it was announced that The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) will face WWE Champion Bobby Lashley & MVP in a tag team match on Monday’s Raw. Lashley vs. Woods in a non-title singles match was originally set for the show.
The match will be the first time MVP has wrestled since suffering a knee injury this February.
Lashley defeated Woods in a non-title Hell in a Cell match on Raw last week. There was then a post-match angle where Lashley attacked Woods and put him in the Hurt Lock against the cage. Kingston couldn’t make the save for his partner because MVP had locked the cell door.
This Monday’s Raw featured a confrontation between Kingston and MVP. Kingston accused MVP of milking his knee injury, but MVP said he wasn’t cleared to compete. The segment ended with Kingston laying out MVP with Trouble in Paradise.
Kingston is challenging for Lashley’s WWE Championship at Money in the Bank on Sunday, July 18.
Here’s the full list of what’s been announced for Monday’s Raw:
Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods vs. Bobby Lashley & MVP
Miz TV with Raw’s men’s Money in the Bank ladder match participants (Ricochet, John Morrison, Riddle, and Drew McIntyre)
Ricochet vs. John Morrison
Charlotte Flair has requested time to provide a medical update after being chop blocked by Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley last week
WWE has made a pair of new announcements for Monday’s episode of Raw.
There will be a face-to-face segment with Kofi Kingston and MVP on Monday’s Raw. It will be part of the build to Kingston challenging for Bobby Lashley’s WWE Championship at next month’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view
Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley will team with Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke in a six-woman tag match against Charlotte Flair & WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya & Tamina on Monday’s Raw. Ripley is defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Charlotte at Money in the Bank.
This past Monday’s edition of Raw was headlined by Lashley defeating Xavier Woods in a non-title Hell in a Cell match. After the match, Lashley attacked Woods and MVP locked the Hell in a Cell cage so that Kingston wouldn’t be able to save his tag team partner. Kingston screamed for Lashley to let Woods go as Lashley had Woods in the Hurt Lock against the cage.
Lashley retained his WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre in a Hell in a Cell match at Sunday’s Hell in a Cell PPV.
Ripley and Charlotte also faced off in a title match at Hell in a Cell. Charlotte defeated Ripley by disqualification — but Ripley kept her Raw Women’s Championship. Ripley intentionally got disqualified by hitting Charlotte with the top of the announce table.
Here’s the updated lineup for Monday’s Raw:
Last chance Money in the Bank qualifying match: AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre
Kofi Kingston and MVP will go face-to-face
Rhea Ripley, Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke vs. Charlotte Flair, Natalya & Tamina
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley has his challenger for Money in the Bank.
It was announced tonight that Lashley will defend his WWE Championship against Kofi Kingston at next month’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. The PPV is taking place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday, July 18. It will be the first PPV in WWE’s return to touring.
The WWE Championship match was announced for Money in the Bank after Kingston and Xavier Woods interrupted Lashley and MVP in the opening segment of tonight’s Raw. The segment also set up Lashley facing Woods in a non-title Hell in a Cell match in the main event of tonight’s episode.
Kingston picked up a one-on-one win against Lashley on Raw last month. Drew McIntyre hit Lashley with MVP’s cane leading into the finish of that match. McIntyre defeated Kingston in a number one contender’s match on Raw two weeks later to get a title shot at Hell in a Cell.
Lashley retained the WWE Championship against McIntyre in a Hell in a Cell match at last night’s pay-per-view. Lashley has held the WWE Championship since defeating The Miz for the title this March.
Kingston previously held the WWE Championship from April 2019 to October 2019. MVP recently told Kingston in storyline that KofiMania ended because Kingston let it. MVP also said Kingston is wasting his career in tag teams with people who don’t measure up.
Here’s the updated card for Money in the Bank:
Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match (Ricochet, John Morrison, and Riddle have qualified thus far)
Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match (Asuka, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, and Nikki Cross have qualified thus far)
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley defends against Kofi Kingston
Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley defends against Charlotte Flair
A match to decide Bobby Lashley’s Hell in a Cell challenger headlined last night’s episode of Raw.
Drew McIntyre defeated Kofi Kingston last night and will challenge for Lashley’s WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell on Sunday, June 20. As Kingston was coming off the top rope near the end of last night’s main event, McIntyre connected with a Claymore and pinned him to get the win.
McIntyre and Kingston shook hands after their match. Lashley then came out to the stage and posed with the WWE Championship.
McIntyre vs. Kingston had a stipulation where Lashley would have been suspended without pay for 90 days if he or MVP interfered in the match or even came out to ringside during it. The stipulation was made after Lashley and MVP interrupted McIntyre vs. Kingston last week and caused a disqualification by simultaneously attacking them.
McIntyre also challenged for Lashley’s WWE Championship at WrestleMania 37 and WrestleMania Backlash. The latter was in a triple threat match where Lashley pinned Braun Strowman to retain.
Date: May 31, 2021 Location: Yuengling Center in Tampa, FL
The Big Takeaway —
Drew McIntyre beat Kofi Kingston and will face Bobby Lashley for the WWE title at Hell in a Cell.
Show Recap —
There was a Memorial Day video.
Corey Graves welcomed us to Raw and introduced us to Jimmy Smith on commentary. Byron Saxton is with them as well. They ran down tonight’s card.
MizTV with The Miz and John Morrison
One of the announcers acknowledged that Miz was at the Indy 500 along with Titus O’Neil. Miz was happy to be back but his tone became serious when he mentioned that he got injured for the first time in his career in his match against Damian Priest.
Miz noticed a bad smell, which was caused by John Morrison wearing garlic around his neck. Morrison also had a water gun, which he called the “Drip Stick,” to defend them against any potential attacks. Miz introduced Charlotte.
Charlotte was turned off by Morrison’s garlic smell. She said she would become a 14-time champion and send Rhea Ripley to hell.
Ripley entered. She told Charlotte that she can go to hell. Morrison asked her about garlic bread. Ripley told him that she wasn’t a vampire, she was a nightmare to everyone in the division. Charlotte wondered how Ripley could beat her if she couldn’t even beat Cross. (They aired a replay of Cross surviving the two-minute time limit.)
Cross entered. Cross said she beat the women’s champion and it would only be fair if she faced the winner of the match at Hell in a Cell. Ripley said if the clock had four minutes on it, Cross wouldn’t even be standing here. Ripley admitted that Cross earned her respect.
Charlotte dismissed Cross, so Cross said she could beat her. Charlotte said she could beat Cross in one minute, so Cross slapped her. Charlotte called her a troll and accepted the match.
2-minute time limit: Charlotte Flair vs. Nikki Cross
Cross played cat-and-mouse with Charlotte until Charlotte confronted Ripley for a moment on the outside. Cross tried escaping again but Charlotte cut her off and attacked her in the corner. Cross responded with a tornado DDT. Charlotte tried applying the Figure Four but time ran out. Cross was announced as the “winner.”
Riddle and Damian Priest had a conversation backstage. They were excited about the return of live crowds. Riddle asked him how to say a few phrases in Spanish. Riddle referenced Eddie Guerrero and the “I’m your Papi” line too.
Riddle asked Priest how to say, “Hey, Randy.” Priest said, “Hey, Randy” and Riddle was confused. Randy Orton (now sporting a goatee) was standing behind Riddle. Priest was annoyed to see him so he left.
Riddle was excited to see Orton and even said he missed him. Orton knew they’d have to be able to work together so he invited Riddle to join him at ringside. Riddle was excited but he talked too much so Orton once again made him “lock” his mouth shut and throw the “key” away. When Orton left, Riddle searched around on the ground for the imaginary key.
There was a SummerSlam commercial with a Cardi B song.
Randy Orton (w/Riddle) defeated Xavier Woods (9:00)
Orton slammed Woods into the announce desk before suplexing him onto it. This led to break a minute into the match.
Orton had a chinlock applied but Woods came back with strikes and a rolling elbow. Orton responded with a powerbomb out of the corner for two. Orton took his sweet time going for a draping DDT so Woods countered into an armbreaker. Orton came right back with the draping DDT but Woods countered an RKO into a backslide for two.
Orton caught Woods as he came off the ropes and hit a Bro Derek for the pinfall win. Riddle was pumped.
(For the record, my match times include the full commercial break, even though the wrestlers are almost certainly not wrestling the entire time.)
MVP and five ladies dressed in black welcomed Bobby Lashley to his personal locker room. He was happy to see them.
In the back, Reginald assured Nia Jax that he didn’t need her help against Shayna Baszler. He wanted her to stay in the back.
[Second hour]
Reginald defeated Shayna Baszler (4:13)
Reginald avoided Baszler’s offense until she flattened him with a shoulder tackle. Reginald used a schoolboy for two and dodged another tackle before giving Baszler a scoop slam. Reginald seemed regretful and Jax (watching in the back) was surprised.
Baszler managed to knock him down and attacked his leg. Baszler applied an ankle lock but Reginald slipped out before hitting a spinning crossbody. Reginald tried a moonsault but Baszler moved and he landed awkwardly on his leg.
Baszler applied a Kirifuda Clutch but fire pyro went off out of the nearby post which caused her to let go of the hold. Reginald rolled her up for the pinfall win. Baszler was pissed.
Reginald sprinted to the back where he was greeted by a very excited Jax. They celebrated.
Drew McIntyre told Kevin Patrick that he respected Kofi Kingston because he was a man who would do anything for his family and has earned everything he’s achieved. McIntyre, like Kingston, knew what it was like to put everyone’s needs ahead of his own. He implied that Kingston winning the world title might’ve happened sooner if he had not done that.
McIntyre stopped worrying about others to focus on winning the WWE title and it helped him reach the top. He slayed Brock Lesnar, something Kingston couldn’t do. McIntyre said he liked Kingston but he was willing to do everything that Kingston was not. McIntyre planned on rolling right over him.
They plugged Johnny Gargano vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Pete Dunn on NXT tomorrow.
Mace & T-Bar defeated Lucha House Party (2:49)
Lucha House Party got some offense but Mace and T-Bar won relatively quickly with a double chokeslam on Gran Metalik.
Alexa Bliss was on her swingset in the back and invited Reginald to her Playground to celebrate his big win.
Sheamus entered. He couldn’t wait to get back on the road and defend his title in every major city. He showed a replay of Humberto Carrillo and Ricochet trying to embarrass him last week. He said they acted like scumbags and that’s why he wouldn’t defend his title against them. He was happy to face them back to back and send them back to catering.
Ricochet defeated US Champion Sheamus in a non-title match (1:14)
Carrillo’s music hit and he ran down to ringside. The distraction allowed Ricochet to roll up Sheamus for the pinfall win. Sheamus was pissed.
Humberto Carrillo (w/Ricochet) defeated US Champion Sheamus in a non-title match
The match was underway after a break and Sheamus was in control. As Carrillo made a comeback, he elbowed Sheamus right in the nose and blood began streaming from his nose. Sheamus clotheslined Carrillo to the outside. Ricochet checked on Carrillo so Sheamus booted him in the head.
Sheamus set up for a Brogue Kick but Ricochet slid halfway into the ring. Sheamus went after him and tried pulling him into the ring. As this was happening, Carrillo used the opportunity to apply a schoolboy for the pinfall win. Sheamus was pissed again. Carrillo celebrated like this was a big win.
There was an Eva Marie video.
They plugged A&E’s Bret Hart documentary.
(The Montreal Canadiens just beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, so Raw may gain a bunch of viewers in Canada around this point in the show.)
Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke defeated Naomi & Lana (3:43)
Natalya and Tamina joined commentary. Brooke and Rose wore identical black and gold gear.
Rose and Brooke won after giving Lana a double-team neckbreaker. (Brooke scored the pin.) Rose and Brooke bragged to Natalya and Tamina who posed with their belts.
They aired a clip from HBO’s The Shop of Bad Bunny speaking about wrestling at WrestleMania. He called it the best moment of his life. (Jay-Z and Lebron James were among those in the clip.)
Cedric Alexander defeated Shelton Benjamin (0:28)
Alexander won quickly by pinfall after thumbing Benjamin in the eye and hitting a Neuralyzer. Jimmy Smith noted that Alexander won the same way last week.
In the back, Elias tried psyching up Jaxson Ryker about their tag title match. Elias thought Ryker wasn’t listening and asked him if he’s ever been in battle. Ryker shot him a look and said, “Have you ever been in battle? Because I served in Iraq.” Ryker left.
[Third hour]
Kevin Patrick interviewed Kofi Kingston. Kingston said his friends and family were not a detriment to his success, they were the reason for it. He didn’t understand why McIntyre would take cheap shots at him. He respected what McIntyre accomplished but he didn’t appreciate the cheap shot he took when comparing their matches against Brock Lesnar. Kingston admitted he lost quickly to Lesnar but he also beat Lashley when McIntyre never could. He planned on beating McIntyre tonight and beating Bob Lashley to once again become WWE champion.
They’re doing a good job making McIntyre/Kingston feel like a big match.
AJ Styles & Omos defeated Elias & Jaxson Ryker to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships (9:43)
Elias turned on Ryker.
It seemed like Ryker would start the match but Elias clobbered Styles from behind and started the match instead. Graves said Styles starting the match for his team was a questionable strategy. Two-time WWE Champion AJ Styles.
Ryker tagged himself, which caught Elias by surprise. Styles knocked them both out of the ring and knocked them both down with a dropkick. Ryker took control during the break and remained in control until Styles hit a Pelé kick.
Ryker went for a tag but Elias hopped off the apron. Styles tagged in Omos as Elias walked away. Elias watched from the stage as Omos attacked Ryker.
Omos hit a short-arm clothesline before tagging in Styles. Styles finished off Ryker with a Phenomenal forearm for the pinfall win.
Jax warned Reginald about appearing on Alexa’s Playground. Reginald didn’t think anything could go wrong and told her not to worry. Jax said she’ll get champagne ready so they can celebrate his victory later.
A worried Elias walked through the back when he was approached by Patrick. Elias claimed that Ryker was unhinged and unpredictable. Elias knew they were going back on the road, traveling from town to town, and he didn’t want to be around Ryker anymore.
This felt like it came completely out of nowhere.
Alexa’s Playground with guest Reginald
Reginald told Bliss that he felt great, except for what Baszler did to his knee. Bliss said Lilly had a question for him. Reginald didn’t respond so Bliss told him not to be rude. She realized that Reginald couldn’t hear Lilly. Apparently, Lilly wanted to know about Cirque du Soleil.
Baszler busted in and beat up Reginald before sitting down on the swing next to Bliss. Bliss said she wasn’t invited because Lilly didn’t like her. Baszler warned her and said she was becoming a problem. Baszler said they need to have a chat and added, “so I’ll see you next week.” (Why wait?) Baszler got in Lilly’s face and said, “you’re just a stupid doll.” She left.
Elsewhere, the Viking Raiders told Mansoor that he needs a chant for when they return to live crowds. Ivar yelled “raid!” and Mansoor yelled it back. They were impressed. After the Raiders left, Mustafa Ali warned Mansoor not to make friends or trust anyone. Mansoor asked why he should trust him. Ali responded, “Now you’re getting it.”
Lashley and MVP and their five lady friends were dancing but were interrupted by Patrick. MVP respected Kingston and was moved to tears when he won the title. However, MVP and Lashley didn’t consider either man serious contenders. They were happy to watch the match in the back. Lashley wasn’t worried about Hell in a Cell.
Drew McIntyre defeated Kofi Kingston (22:38)
Woods initially came out with Kingston but returned to the back.
Both men entered, the match started, they wrestled for a bit until Kingston hit a dive, and they went to break 90 seconds into the match.
Kingston hammered away until McIntyre hit a headbutt and vertical suplex for just a one count. Kingston applied a guillotine choke and blocked McIntyre’s counter before hitting a springboard splash. McIntyre came right back with consecutive overhead suplexes. Kingston countered a slam into a cradle for a one count and followed with an SOS for two.
Kingston tried another trust dive but McIntyre caught him and tossed him over the barricade, which led to break. (Kingston landed awkwardly against a video board on the other side of the barricade.)
McIntyre was in control until Kingston hit a sunset flip powerbomb out of the corner for two. Kingston followed that with a missile dropkick for two. McIntyre blocked an SOS and hit a spinning Future Shock DDT, which was great, for a nearfall. McIntyre followed with a spinebuster for two. Kingston countered a DDT attempt with a superkick for two.
McIntyre found himself upside down in the turnbuckles but yanked Kingston down from the top. McIntyre went for the Claymore Kick but Kingston caught him with Trouble in Paradise. This led to a nearfall after McIntyre grabbed the bottom rope just in time.
Kingston came off the top with a hurricanrana, hit a penalty kick on the apron, and a double foot stomp off the apron to the outside.
Kingston shoved McIntyre in the ring and jumped off the top rope but McIntyre nailed a mid-air Claymore Kick for the pinfall win. Very good match.
Kingston and McIntyre shook hands.
Lashley entered on the stage and posed with his belt.
The Mysterios’ first title defense will be a rematch against the former champions.
WWE has announced that Rey & Dominik Mysterio will defend their SmackDown Tag Team titles against Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode on tonight’s episode of SmackDown. The Mysterios defeated Ziggler & Roode to win the titles at WrestleMania Backlash earlier this month.
During the pre-show for WrestleMania Backlash, there was an angle where Ziggler and Roode attacked Dominik backstage. The Tag Team title match began as Rey facing Ziggler & Roode on his own until Dominik came out and joined the match as it was going on. The finish saw Dominik hit a frog splash and pin Roode after Rey had given Roode a 619.
Rey & Dominik are the first father-son tag team champions in WWE history.
Dominik defeated Roode in a singles match on SmackDown last week. Dominik pinned Roode after hitting a 619 and a frog splash.
Tonight’s SmackDown will also feature The Usos facing The Street Profits in a tag team match. In storyline, Jimmy Uso had the match made without telling Jey Uso about it beforehand. Jimmy has been trying to get Jey to focus on teaming together again instead of backing up Roman Reigns.
With help from Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston dealt WWE Champion Bobby Lashley a rare loss on last night’s post-WrestleMania Backlash edition of Raw.
Kingston pinned Lashley with a roll-up in a non-title match after McIntyre hit Lashley with MVP’s cane. Kingston answered Lashley’s open challenge thinking that the WWE Championship would be on the line, but MVP informed Kingston that it was a non-title match before the bell rang.
Lashley retained his WWE Championship by defeating Braun Strowman and McIntyre in a triple threat match at WrestleMania Backlash on Sunday night.
MVP announced during last night’s opening segment that Lashley would be issuing an open challenge. McIntyre, who wasn’t pinned at WrestleMania Backlash, attempted to answer the open challenge, but MVP said it was open to everyone except McIntyre and Strowman. Lashley then tried to attack McIntyre, but McIntyre avoided the attack and dropped Lashley with a punch.
Kingston also defeated Randy Orton earlier on last night’s Raw. Kingston rolled up Orton after Orton was distracted by Xavier Woods.
At WrestleMania Backlash, Rhea Ripley retained the Raw Women’s Championship by defeating Asuka and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat match. With Ripley pinning Asuka in that match, Charlotte went to authority figures Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville on Raw last night and wanted a one-on-one title match against Ripley. Deville said they would consider Charlotte’s request if she defeated Asuka. But Asuka won with a small package after Charlotte was distracted by Ripley leading into the finish.
The road to WrestleMania continues on tonight’s Fastlane fallout edition of SmackDown.
At Fastlane, Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeated Daniel Bryan to retain the title. During the match, ringside enforcer Edge took over as referee when the original ref got knocked out. Bryan then accidentally hit Edge with a chair after Jey Uso interfered.
Bryan had the title won when Reigns tapped out to the Yes Lock, but there was no referee. Edge then attacked both Bryan and Reigns with the chair and yelled that the WrestleMania 37 main event is his.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler defeated SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair at Fastlane. Banks and Belair ended up arguing, and Baszler rolled up Belair for the win.
After the match, Banks and Belair continued to argue until Banks slapped Belair in the face.
Also at Fastlane, Intercontinental Champion Big E defeated Apollo Crews to retain the title, and Seth Rollins defeated Shinsuke Nakamura.
Plus, WWE has announced that Sami Zayn will be Kevin Owens’ guest on the KO Show tonight. Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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A Fastlane recap aired focusing on Daniel Bryan tapping out Roman Reigns and Edge attacking them with a chair.
Daniel Bryan’s music hit, and he made his way to the ring carrying a chair. He discussed making Reigns tap out at Fastlane. Bryan pointed out that Reigns claimed he’d rather die than tap out.
Bryan noted in a perfect world; he’d be standing in the ring as the Universal Champion. He would know that he’s heading to the main event of WrestleMania 37, but that’s not happening. Bryan pointed out that Edge attacked him with a chair when he made Reigns tap out.
Bryan noted he earned the title and the main event at WrestleMania. He’s still determined to be the Universal Champion and is going to earn it again. Bryan doesn’t expect anyone to give him the title. Bryan then challenged Reigns to a rematch tonight.
Bryan said he’s not leaving the ring until he gets an answer. He placed the chair in the middle of the ring and took a seat.
Back from the break, Bryan was still sitting in the ring. On commentary, Corey Graves wanted to move on with the show.
After a few minutes, Adam Pearce finally walked out and said he couldn’t give Bryan a rematch. Bryan pointed out that he made Reigns tap out at Fastlane. Pearce noted the referee’s decision is final, and he can’t overturn the decision.
Pearce noted that Edge gets the next title shot at WrestleMania. Bryan then asked to get the title shot right after Edge and Reigns’ main event. Pearce claimed that it wouldn’t be fair to make somebody wrestle two matches back to back. Bryan laughed because that’s what he had to do at Elimination Chamber.
Bryan then pointed out that WrestleMania is two nights. He proposed that Edge challenges Reigns on Night 1, and he takes on the winner on Night 2. Pearce seemed to like that idea when Edge’s music hit.
Edge got in Pearce’s face and knocked the mic out of his hands. He was furious that Bryan wants another title shot. Edge said that Bryan wants the title shot on the second night to pick the bones.
Edge pointed out that every match can be his last match. He got in Bryan’s face, and they ended up brawling. Edge hit the spear on Bryan and beat him down the chair. This was a fine opening segment. Edge was a total heel during the segment as well.
In the back, Universal Champion Roman Reigns watched the recap with Paul Heyman and Jey Uso. He told Heyman to get Adam Pearce. Reigns told Uso to take care of the situation and use force.
They recapped Cesaro and Seth Rollins feud.
Seth Rollins defeated Shinsuke Nakamura
Rollins and Nakamura had a good match.
They traded shots at the ring of the bell. Nakamura took over and hit a knee to the back of Rollins’ head on the apron.
Back from the break, Rollins hit the sling blade for a near fall. Rollins sent Nakamura into the turnbuckle, but Nakamura bounced out of the corner. He rocked Rollins with a dropkick to take over.
Nakamura hit a sliding knee and a sliding German suplex for a near fall.
Rollins avoided a knee in the corner and hit a springboard knee. He followed up with the falcon arrow for another near fall.
Nakamura attempted a suplex, but Rollins landed on his feet. Nakamura recovered and hit the landslide for a near fall. Rollins avoided the Kinsasha, but Nakamura locked on an armbar.
Rollins countered with a powerbomb and hit the curb stomp for the win.
After the match, Rollins jumped Nakamura and continued to beat him down. Suddenly, Cesaro’s music hit, and he ran down for the save. He attempted to give Rollins the giant swing, but Rollins escaped.
In the back, Adam Pearce walked into Reigns’ dressing room with Jey Uso. Paul Heyman thanked Pearce for not making a wrong decision earlier tonight.
Reigns told Pearce to thank him. Reigns told him that he’s only willing to work one night and one title defense at WrestleMania. Pearce agreed with Reigns but has some decisions to make tonight.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed Seth Rollins. He was furious that Cesaro tried to give him the giant swing again. Rollins promised to make it right and challenged Cesaro to a match at WrestleMania.
Rollins promised that Cesaro would never disrespect him or give him the giant swing again. Cesaro jumped Rollins from behind and gave him the giant swing. He then accepted Rollins challenge for a match at WrestleMania.
Apollo Crews, Otis & Chad Gable defeated Big E & The Street Profits
This was a good six-man tag team match. It made sense to have Crews pin Big E since they’re continuing the feud.
Michael Cole and Corey Graves announced that Big E defends against Crews at WrestleMania on night 2.
The faces had the early advantage as The Street Profits gave Otis a double dropkick.
Otis fought back and caught Montez Ford with a power slam. The heels took over and isolated Ford.
In a cool spot, Ford was on the apron and attempted a slingshot back into the ring, but Gable countered into a northern light suplex for a near fall. Crews attempted a suplex on Ford, but he broke free.
Big E got the hot tag and ran wild. He hit a big splash on Gable and set up for the Big Ending. Gable slipped out and charged at Big E. Big E caught Gable with the uranage for a near fall, but Crews broke up the pin attempt.
Gable and Otis gave Angelo Dawkins a German suplex/clothesline combo to take him out of the match. Crews made a blind tag, and Ford wiped out Gable and Otis with a dive to the floor.
Crews then gave Big E the Olympic slam for the win.
In the back, Edge approached Adam Pearce in the hallway. He’s still upset that Bryan demanded a title shot at WrestleMania. Edge pointed out that he won the Royal Rumble and Bryan was in the match.
Pearce noted he’s going to make his decision by the end of the night, and Edge will wait to find out. Edge hopes that Pearce makes the right choice later.
The KO Show With Sami Zayn
This was a good segment that set up their WrestleMania match. Owens and Zayn were both great in their roles.
They recapped Zayn attacking Owens last week.
Owens briefly discussed Zayn attacking him. He wasted no time and introduced Zayn because he has a question for him.
Zayn came out and admitted he knows Owens’s question, and the answer is that he’s sorry. He claimed that his mental state is all over the place because of the conspiracy,
Owens told him that’s not the question. Zayn cut him off and told him he can still be in the documentary. Owens noted that’s not his question either.
Zayn revealed he has a red carpet premiere for the documentary trailer next week. He announced that Logan Paul is going to attend the red carpet event and help reveal the conspiracy.
Owens doesn’t care about the documentary or Logan Paul. He said the only reason he hasn’t attacked Zayn yet is that he still wants to ask his questions. Owens finally asked his question and challenged Zayn to a match at WrestleMania.
Zayn tried to avoid answering but finally agreed to the match.
Owens attacked Zayn and beat him down. The segment ended when Owens hit the stunner on Zayn.
In the back, Daniel Bryan approached Adam Pearce. He doesn’t want to pressure Pearce, but he hopes he makes the right choice later.
They recapped Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler beating Bianca Belair & Sasha Banks at Fastlane. It focused on Banks slapping Belair after the match.
Bianca Belair defeated Natalya (w/Tamina)
Belair and Natalya had a good match.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed Belair. She promised to prove that she’s better than Banks. Belair vowed to win the title at WrestleMania, but she has unfinished business with Natayla.
They recapped Natalya and Tamina attacking Belair and Baszler last week.
Belair hit a dropkick right at the bell. She followed up with a shoulder tackle sending Natalya to the floor. Natalya briefly fought back, but Belair regained control. Belair slammed Natalya and climbed to the top rope.
Suddenly, Sasha Banks’ music hit, and she walked to ringside. Belair became distracted and jumped down. She stood on the apron, yelling at Banks when Tamina caught her with a superkick.
Back from the break, Natalya was firmly in control. Banks joined Cole and Graves on commentary. Banks was a total heel as well.
Belair fought back and regained control. Natalya attempted the sharpshooter, but Belair used an inside cradle for a near fall.
Natalya rocked Belair with the discus lariat for a close near fall. They collided in the middle of the ring, and Belair rolled to the floor. Banks got in Belair’s face and mocked her some more.
Belair then slapped Banks so hard that she fell. The finish came when Belair hit the KOD for the win.
After the match, Banks jumped Belair from behind and hit the backstabber. Banks pointed at the WrestleMania sign as Belair lay on the mat in pain.
In the back, Edge walked into Roman Reigns’ locker room. Edge felt like it was time they talk about Bryan. He told Reigns to prove he has power and prevent Bryan from getting a title shot.
Michael Cole and Corey Graves ran down the lineups for WrestleMania night 1 and 2.
Rey Mysterio (w/Dominik Mysterio) defeated Dolph Ziggler (w/Robert Roode)
Mysterio and Ziggler had a good fast-paced match.
Earlier today, Rey noted that he’s done a lot in his career but would love to win the tag team titles with his son.
Ziggler had the early advantage and backed Mysterio in the corner. He missed a splash in the corner, and Mysterio hit an enziguri.
Ziggler fought back and attempted a powerbomb. Mysterio countered and sent Ziggler to the floor. He attempted a dive, but Ziggler caught him and powerbomb Mysterio over the barricade.
Dominik ran over to check on his father, but Ziggler rocked him with a superkick.
Back from the break, Ziggler was firmly in control. Ziggler attempted a superplex, but Mysterio pushed him off. He followed up with a senton and a kick to the face for a near fall. Ziggler fought back and planted Mysterio face-first in the mat. He followed up with the famouser for another near fall.
Mysterio avoided a superkick and set up for the 619, but Roode jumped in the ring. Dominik went after Roode, and they both ended up back on the floor. In a cool spot, Mysterio went up for a dive, but Ziggler hit the Zig Zag out of nowhere for a near fall.
Mysterio fought back and hit the 619. He followed up with a slingshot splash for the win.
Michael Cole and Corey Graves discussed The Great Khali and Kane joining the 2021 Hall Of Fame Class.
Adam Pearce’s WrestleMania Decision
Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, and Jey Uso made their way to the ring. They piped in “you tapped out” chants at Reigns.
After the break, Edge and Daniel Bryan made their way to the ring for Pearce’s decision. Pearce agrees with Reigns and Edge that they shouldn’t have to compete multiple times at WrestleMania. However, he also agrees that Bryan deserves a title shot as well.
Pearce then announced that he’s adding Bryan to the match, and they’ll compete in a triple threat at WrestleMania. Reigns and Edge didn’t like Pearce’s announcement.
Bryan and Edge started brawling, but Reigns caught Bryan with the superman punch. Reigns was about to hit Bryan with the chair, but Edge hit him with a spear instead.
Edge grabbed the chair and beat Reigns and Bryan down. Uso jumped in and distracted Edge long enough to allow Reigns to escape.
Edge continued to attack Bryan with the chair. Referees and officials ran out to stop Edge, but he hit them with the chair as well. Bryan crawled out of the ring.
Edge sat on the chair in the middle of the ring to end SmackDown.
Next Week: Sami Zayn’s Red Carpet Premiere with special guest Logan Paul.
A change has been made to the lineup for Sunday’s WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match.
Kofi Kingston has been added to the WWE title Elimination Chamber match, replacing The Miz. Drew McIntyre will defend his WWE Championship against Kingston, Sheamus, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, and Jeff Hardy at Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
The Miz, who holds the Money in the Bank briefcase, announced on tonight’s Raw that he was removing himself from the Elimination Chamber match. The Miz wanted John Morrison to take his place, but Kingston approached WWE authority figure Adam Pearce and said he hoped Pearce wasn’t taking Miz’s suggestion seriously. Pearce made a match to decide who would replace Miz.
Kingston defeated Miz to take his spot in the Elimination Chamber match. If Miz won, Morrison would have been added to the match instead.
McIntyre was the guest on a Miz TV segment earlier on tonight’s Raw. It ended with McIntyre headbutting Miz and throwing Miz’s Money in the Bank briefcase toward the stage. Miz then announced that he was removing himself from the Elimination Chamber match, saying the Money in the Bank briefcase means he isn’t under the same pressure McIntyre is. Miz said there are so many things that could go wrong for the Elimination Chamber participants, but he only needs one thing to go right.
Miz said that — whether he cashes in his briefcase at Elimination Chamber or not — he wants everyone vying for the WWE Championship or the Universal Championship to be on notice. Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, and Baron Corbin are also facing off in an Elimination Chamber match on Sunday, with the winner challenging for Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship later that night.
An Elimination Chamber match was part of Kingston’s road to winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35 in 2019. Kingston lasted until the end of that year’s WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match before being defeated by Daniel Bryan. Kingston went on to win the title from Bryan at WrestleMania.
Kingston returned to the ring on Raw last week after being out of action for more than a month due to a jaw injury.
After being out of action for more than a month due to a jaw injury, Kofi Kingston returned to the ring on this week’s episode of Raw.
Kingston & Xavier Woods defeated RETRIBUTION’s T-Bar & Slapjack on Raw tonight, with Kingston pinning Slapjack to get the win. Kingston stared down RETRIBUTION leader Ali (who was on commentary for the match) while pinning Slapjack. T-Bar and Mace then tried to attack Kingston & Woods, but Kingston & Woods got away.
Woods had been feuding with RETRIBUTION on his own while Kingston was out of action. In storyline, Ali took Kingston’s spot in the men’s Royal Rumble match due to Kingston being unable to compete. The storyline referenced how Kingston replaced Ali at Elimination Chamber 2019 and went on to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35 that year.
Prior to making his return tonight, Kingston had been out of action since the January 4 episode of Raw. Kingston did appear in a backstage segment at the Royal Rumble and accompanied Woods to the ring as Woods defeated Ali in a singles match on Raw last week. Kingston jumped off T-Bar’s shoulder to hit a dive onto Slapjack at ringside during that match.
Kingston suffered the jaw injury at December’s TLC pay-per-view but wrestled on the December 28 and January 4 episodes of Raw. He spoke about the injury on The New Day’s Feel the Power podcast last month:
So going back to when I had injured my jaw, I got kneed in the face by Cedric Alexander like three weeks ago. And a couple of my teeth chipped. It was all fine — it was cool. And the point of impact was just real sore. I thought okay it’s a bruise or whatever. The next week we actually had like a six-man match and everything was fine. A little pain but not terrible.
And then the next week when we had our match — right before we went out, it just kept feeling like it was like just loose. Like, ‘oh, this is weird.’ And as soon as we get out there to the ring, I’m moving around and now I’m feeling it kind of like come out of place and just feel like it wasn’t set in. And I feel like if the fans were there, I wouldn’t have felt that. Like throughout the whole entire match, anytime something would happen, I would get hit or whatever, I’ll grab my jaw. And I’m like, the entire match thinking about it the whole time. But, if we had fans there — I’ve been, not necessarily injured, but have been hurt in a match, and you just feel like the adrenaline of the crowd and it makes you will your way through it. So, I don’t know man, It changes the whole dynamic of just how we do what we do and the approach even. It’s just really really strange. I don’t know if it’s for the better or for the worse. I guess the best way I can describe it is just being different.
On this week’s episode of The New Day’s Feel the Power podcast, Kofi Kingston detailed when he suffered his jaw injury.
Kingston spoke about the injury while discussing the difference in adrenaline when wrestling without fans in the building:
So going back to when I had injured my jaw, I got kneed in the face by Cedric Alexander like three weeks ago. And a couple of my teeth chipped. It was all fine — it was cool. And the point of impact was just real sore. I thought okay it’s a bruise or whatever. The next week we actually had like a six-man match and everything was fine. A little pain but not terrible.
And then the next week when we had our match — right before we went out, it just kept feeling like it was like just loose. Like, ‘oh, this is weird.’ And as soon as we get out there to the ring, I’m moving around and now I’m feeling it kind of like come out of place and just feel like it wasn’t set in. And I feel like if the fans were there, I wouldn’t have felt that. Like throughout the whole entire match, anytime something would happen, I would get hit or whatever, I’ll grab my jaw. And I’m like, the entire match thinking about it the whole time. But, if we had fans there — I’ve been, not necessarily injured, but have been hurt in a match, and you just feel like the adrenaline of the crowd and it makes you will your way through it. So, I don’t know man, It changes the whole dynamic of just how we do what we do and the approach even. It’s just really really strange. I don’t know if it’s for the better or for the worse. I guess the best way I can describe it is just being different.
The New Day (Kingston & Xavier Woods) lost the Raw Tag Team titles to The Hurt Business (Alexander & Shelton Benjamin) at December’s TLC pay-per-view. Kingston tweeted after the match that he was still spitting out pieces of his teeth.
The Hurt Business (Bobby Lashley, MVP, Alexander & Benjamin) defeated Kingston, Woods, Jeff Hardy & Riddle in an eight-man tag match on the December 28 episode of Raw. Kingston & Woods then defeated The Miz & John Morrison on the Legends Night edition of Raw the following week.
It was claimed on last Monday’s Raw that Kingston wasn’t on the show due to suffering a broken jaw during a match against The Hurt Business in recent weeks. Woods lost a singles match to T-Bar on the episode after being distracted by RETRIBUTION.
Kofi Kingston appears to be dealing with a jaw injury.
On Monday night’s episode of Raw, it was said that Kingston wasn’t on the show due to suffering a broken jaw during a match against The Hurt Business in recent weeks. T-Bar defeated Kingston’s tag team partner Xavier Woods in a singles match on Monday’s Raw after Woods was distracted by RETRIBUTION.
Prior to Monday’s Raw, Kingston interviewed rugby player Tendai Mtawarira on Instagram Live and said he was dealing with a jaw injury where his mouth was only closing on one side.
Whether or not Kingston’s injury is a broken jaw hasn’t been confirmed. He was most recently in action when The New Day (Kingston & Woods) defeated The Miz & John Morrison on last week’s Legends Night edition of Raw. The Hurt Business (Bobby Lashley, MVP, Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) defeated Kingston, Woods, Jeff Hardy & Riddle in an eight-man tag match on Raw the week before that.
After Kingston & Woods lost the Raw Tag Team titles to The Hurt Business’ Benjamin & Alexander at December’s TLC pay-per-view, Kingston tweeted that he was spitting out pieces of his teeth following the match: “Hats off to @Sheltyb803 and @CedricAlexander tonight. I’m still spiting out pieces of my teeth. You’ve officially earned my respect. Good battle! I’m thoroughly looking forward to the next one…”
Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander are the new Raw Tag Team champions.
The two members of the Hurt Business won the titles tonight at WWE TLC, defeating champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods). The finish came when Benjamin had the match won following a superplex on Kingston, but Alexander tagged himself in and pinned Kingston with the lumbar check.
After the match, United States champion Bobby Lashley came out and celebrated with the rest of the Hurt Business, including MVP who was managing at ringside.
This is Cedric Alexander’s first run with the Raw Tag Team titles, and Shelton Benjamin’s third reign as champion, previously holding the titles twice with former tag team partner Charlie Haas.
The New Day had held the titles for 69 days. They were previously the SmackDown Tag Team champions, but traded titles with The Street Profits when the two teams were drafted to Raw and SmackDown respectively as part of the 2020 WWE Draft.
