Tag: Mojo Rawley

Mojo Rawley on his talent agency, whether he’s retired

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In his post-wrestling life, Dean Muhtadi (former WWE wrestler Mojo Rawley) is working to help others who are still active in the business.

Muhtadi and his business partner Steven Kaye launched Paragon Talent Group in 2021. The talent agency represents wrestlers and helps them negotiate contracts and land advertisement deals. Along with that, Muhtadi told The Takedown on SI that they’ve helped to secure visas for clients. That’s an issue international wrestlers often run into when they’re released from a major promotion that had sponsored their visa.

“We do visas for the international talent, which we’re very proud of as well,” Muhtadi said. “When people get that call from the bigs and they’re now fired, they not are only losing their employment, but they also have to leave the country and go back to where they came from. Some of these people have spouses or significant others, I should say lives that have been established here. And to lose everything simultaneously is tough. So, you know, we’ve worked really hard to pivot based off of what our talent need.”

Muhtadi added that, with his wrestling background, he is able to help relate to clients and help them with what they’re going through.

Some of what we do isn’t just negotiating the contract, but it’s coming up with creative and being that sounding board. Sometimes it’s getting in the ring and training with these guys or girls before big upcoming shows.

“Sometimes it is venting. Sometimes it might be assistance with financial advice. Making sure talent know that this isn’t going to last forever and you’re making this money, but you got to be smart with it,” he said. “You got to invest it from the start and that’s how you end up having more money when you’re done than the people that were making multiples of your salary while you were still in the game.”

Paragon is working with TJPW, CMLL, House of Glory, Stardom, and Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling to stage Slam Fest in Las Vegas during WrestleMania 42 weekend. As for his own in-ring status, Muhtadi said he’s retired as a full-time wrestler but would consider another match if the right opportunity came up.

“I think I’m done with an in-ring career full-time,” he told The Takedown on SI. “Never say never. If we have one really good opportunity, and I’ll be straight up, it’s likely going to be an event that Paragon puts on. That would warrant a comeback for one night, but I think at this point, a full-time return to an in-ring career is just not possible.”

Mojo Rawley announces free meet & greet following WES cancelation

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Mojo Rawley announced on social media a free meet & greet for those who bought a ticket for the now canceled Wrestling Entertainment Series event.

On social media, Rawley, now going under his given name Dean Muhtadi, wrote that those who had a ticket to the show will get in for free. For those who did not buy a ticket, that money will go to the local UK talent who, according to Rawley, have not been paid.

“Unfortunate to see the cancelation of WES,” he wrote. I was very excited to step back in the ring, and HYPED to battle with Damo. I really feel for all the fans who had interest in the talent on this show. To anyone that bought a ticket, I will be doing a free meet and greet this Sunday so we can all have a great time regardless and STAY HYPED. For those that didn’t buy a ticket to WES and come to the M&G, 100% of that money will go to pay the UK local talent that were supposed to be on the show as I have learned they have not yet been paid. More info to come on that. Until then, I guess a week long vacation in England with my beautiful fiancee isn’t the worst thing ever!”

WES canceled their show set for the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham this Saturday on social media today, citing that “with so many talent not showing up” they were forced to cancel the event. They also said that they would be back “in the near future”.

Mojo Rawley returning to pro wrestling after scary battle with COVID-19

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Dean Muhtadi (formerly known as Mojo Rawley in WWE) is making his return to professional wrestling.

Muhtadi posted an Instagram video on Monday revealing that, after a scary battle with COVID-19, he’s feeling good enough to announce that he’s coming back to pro wrestling. When and where Muhtadi will be making his return hasn’t been announced.

In the Instagram video, Muhtadi spoke about almost dying while battling an extremely bad case of COVID about 19 months ago. He couldn’t have any extra pressure on his lungs in the beginning or it would suffocate him, and he couldn’t speak for days on end because he couldn’t get enough air in to talk. Muhtadi said he isn’t quite 100 percent yet, but he’s feeling good enough to announce his return.

Muhtadi’s full comments are available below:

I’ve been asked a ton about when I’m coming back to wrestling or if I’m officially retired, so let me go ahead and answer that now. About 19 months ago, I got COVID extremely badly. I had to go to the hospital, I almost died, and my lungs were just in really bad shape — so much so that in the beginning I couldn’t have any extra pressure on my lungs or else it would suffocate me. I couldn’t even speak for days on end because I couldn’t get enough air in to talk. Maybe the scariest part of the whole thing was the fact that the doctors had no idea what to say because it was so new. But fast forward 19 months later, and I’m not quite 100 percent, but I’m getting pretty close. My training has been kicked up and I’m feeling good enough to announce officially that I’m coming back to wrestling, baby. COVID thought it got me, but it must have forgot — I stay hyped!

Muhtadi hasn’t wrestled since June 2020. He was released by WWE during the company’s April 2021 roster cuts.

Muhtadi joined TMZ Sports as a co-host last October. He’s also founded a talent management company named Paragon Talent Group.

24/7 title changes hands at WWE WrestleMania 36 night one

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Mojo Rawley is the WWE 24/7 Champion heading into WrestleMania 36 night two.

Rawley pinned R-Truth on tonight’s WrestleMania night one broadcast to win the 24/7 title. Rawley’s friend Rob Gronkowski tried to pin R-Truth first, but Rawley pulled Gronkowski off and won the title instead.

Rawley appeared alongside Gronkowski as the former NFL star hosted the first night of WrestleMania. During the 24/7 title segment, R-Truth appeared on the perch at the Performance Center, introduced himself to Gronkowski, and said holding the 24/7 title is bittersweet because he has to keep his head on a swivel at all times.

R-Truth asked Gronkowski and Rawley to keep him hidden on the perch for a little bit, but Gronkowski struck Truth and went to pin him before being pulled off by Rawley.

WWE had posted a video on March 22 where R-Truth pinned Riddick Moss to regain the 24/7 title.

Gronkowski will also be the host of WrestleMania 36 night two. The pre-show begins at 6 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, with the main card starting an hour later.

Video of tonight’s 24/7 title change is available to watch below:

NXT’s Riddick Moss makes WWE Raw debut

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The post-Royal Rumble edition of Raw saw NXT’s Riddick Moss make his main roster debut.

Moss was paired with fellow former football player Mojo Rawley. During Rawley’s ring entrance, Moss was referred to as his offensive lineman. Rawley also cut a promo introducing Moss, saying that every franchise quarterback knows that they need a strong offensive lineman to watch their blindside.

Rawley then retained his 24/7 Championship in a squash match against No Way Jose. R-Truth was dressed as a member of No Way Jose’s conga line, snuck up on Rawley after the match, and pinned him to win the 24/7 title. Moss stopped Truth from leaving the ring and Rawley slammed Truth to win the title back.

Before appearing on Raw, Moss was also in action on tonight’s WWE Main Event tapings. He defeated Cedric Alexander in a singles match.

Moss teamed with Dorian Mak as The Outliers in NXT, with them being managed by Robert Stone. Moss & Mak also appeared on two episodes of NXT UK television that were taped in November. They lost matches against The Hunt (Wild Boar & Primate) and Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith.

Moss also formerly teamed with Tino Sabbatelli in NXT.

Moss’ real name is Mike Rallis. He played college football as a linebacker and defensive back at the University of Minnesota.

VIDEO: Two WWE 24/7 title changes on FOX’s New Year’s Eve

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In addition to Roman Reigns vs. Dolph Ziggler airing, there were a couple of 24/7 title changes on FOX’s New Year’s Eve special.

R-Truth, Mojo Rawley, and Elias appeared in Times Square for “FOX’s New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey.” The segment saw Rawley initially pin R-Truth to win the 24/7 title. Rawley insulted Elias for his musical performance, Elias hit him with a guitar, and R-Truth pinned Elias to win the title back.

Maria Menounos, who was the co-host of the New Year’s Eve special, counted the pins for the title changes.

Video of the segment is available to watch below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IjDC-RmXuA

The Reigns vs. Ziggler match that aired last night was taped after last Friday’s SmackDown at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Menounos also appeared as the special guest ring announcer.

Reigns pinned Ziggler after hitting a spear. He then closed out 2019 by wishing the fans a happy new year and thanking them for all of the support and blessings they’ve given him:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGP3WdGzt-Ahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQnQKbJ-_gAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x-X29a2750

WWE Main Event results: Rawley vs. Alexander, Natalya vs. Logan

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: After submitting Sarah Logan on last week’s show, Natalya pinned her here after a good contest. Mojo Rawley picked up an unlikely win against Cedric Alexander, pinning him in under three minutes.

Byron Saxton and Mickie James were the commentary team this week, with no explanation as to where James has been for the last month or why Vic Joseph was not there.

*********

Natalya defeated Sarah Logan (5:02)

Just like last week, they worked really closely together through this one. There was a ton of mat work between them as they exchanged holds early on and midway through, but Logan played the heel well here and they put on another good match.

They did a spot where Logan was on the apron and hit Natalya with a high knee as she charged at her, but Logan sold it like she was hurt. She went up to the ramp to walk it off. Natalya gave chase, but it was a ruse.

The back and forth was really intricate at times here and it really could have gone either way. Natalya tried to lock in the Sharpshooter that had seen off Logan last week, but she kicked her off. In the end, it was a small package that got Natalya the win.

More of this each week would be welcomed. Logan is clearly learning a lot from working with Natalya, so there has been significant improvement with her in-ring work. She now needs to form a more rounded character.

Mojo Rawley defeated Cedric Alexander (2:36)

Rawley was in rare form here. He was surly and walked around looking like he didn’t want to be there. On the bell he no-sold chops and shouted at Alexander. He continually spread his arms wide and shouted at the fans.

In the time that this went, Rawley caught Alexander in most of his high spots and, despite it going through a commercial break, it was all over very quickly.

Alexander got in some brief offense, trying to roll Rawley up several times and taking him out with an enzuigiri.

When Alexander tried to come off the top rope with a springboard, Rawley caught him on his shoulders and nailed him with the Alabama slam for the win.

This wasn’t a squash, but it might as well have been. You have to wonder where they’re going with Rawley. Some weeks he can lose to No Way Jose, and then here he defeats someone as talented as Cedric Alexander.

WWE Main Event results: Lacey Evans vs. Dana Brooke

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: Lacey Evans saw off Dana Brooke in the opener for her third win in a row against Brooke. The team of Titus O’Neil & Heath Slater then defeated Mojo Rawley & Eric Young, leaving Rawley without any kind of a win since May.

**********

Lacey Evans defeated Dana Brooke (6:00)

Evans and Brooke have had a good little program on Main Event through July and August, with Evans going 3-0 against Brooke. Both Evans and Brooke are certainly improving, but both would benefit from working with stronger opponents.

Of the two, Evans is getting the more even hand. She has been able to work with Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Natalya over the last few weeks, while Brooke has been left to take on Sarah Logan, Nikki Cross, and Ruby Riott.

The match was pretty good, with lots of back and forth, but they did quite a neat finish that let Evans heel her way to the win.

Brooke was looking to lock in a submission hold and dragged her by the leg across the ring. Evans clung on to the apron, which the referee had to pay attention to. While his back was turned, Evans gouged Brooke’s eyes and then landed The Women’s Right for the win. Brooke was left looking completely bereft.

Titus O’Neil & Heath Slater defeated Mojo Rawley & Eric Young (3:28)

Rawley’s WWE career continues to stutter. He debuted a new look back in April, sporting face paint and new ring gear after a series of vignettes were aired on Raw. From there he had a run of matches on Main Event. His last televised appearance was at Super ShowDown back in June.

Here, Rawley was wearing more of the blue-lined face paint and looked a little heavier than in previous months. He didn’t work much in the match and only tagged in for O’Neil’s heat segment, which culminated in him taking a clothesline over the top rope.

Eric Young looked very good, doing a flip over the top turnbuckle and a baseball slide under the ropes in quick succession just before the end. Young took the Clash of the Titus from O’Neil at the end for the pinfall. 

Ultimately, this was pretty much what you’d expect from this match with these kind of time constraints.

WWE Main Event results: The B-Team & Ryder win again

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: After his strange pairing with The Ascension on the show last week, it was business as usual for Tyler Breeze, who beat Curt Hawkins in the opener.

Taking Breeze’s place in a repeat of last week’s main event, Mojo Rawley teamed up with The Ascension. They lost in a ridiculously short six-man tag match against Zack Ryder & The B-Team.

**********

After his absence last week, Percy Watson returned from assignment to make up the three-man announce booth alongside Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness.

Tyler Breeze defeated Curt Hawkins (5:55)

Fresh off his Mixed Match Challenge debut with Ember Moon, where he replaced the injured Braun Strowman this past week, Hawkins returned to singles action. Breeze had played a pawn in last week’s six-man tag match here on Main Event, when he teamed with The Ascension, and so this was a return to the normal run of things for both men.

Hawkins looked like he was going to finally snatch a win, as Breeze very much played the heel. After both men had put each other in the tree of woe and both had kicked out of near falls, Hawkins nailed Breeze with a running lariat. But much to Hawkins’ chagrin, Breeze kicked out at two and a half.

With the referee trying to break Hawkins off at the ropes, while Breeze grabbed a rest, Hawkins was ushered away and Breeze was able to nail him with a superkick and then the Unprettier for the win.

The loss for Hawkins took him to 0-238 as of this match. He is winless since November 2016.

The B-Team & Zack Ryder defeated The Ascension & Mojo Rawley (2:26)

When the entrances run longer than the match itself, it’s rarely a good sign — and this was no different. As the time suggests, this wasn’t much to write home about and, inexplicably, it even ran through a commercial break.

Curtis Axel was the star of the show. After Rawley had played his usual bull in a china shop role, the ring filled and they all started to go at it. Ryder gave the Rough Ryder to Rawley and Viktor sent Bo Dallas outside. With the match running at 100 mph, Axel had to take control.

Viktor tried to roll Axel through and use the ropes for leverage, but the ref saw it and called it, stopping the count. Axel seized the opportunity to roll Viktor back through and snatched the three count before celebrating wildly with his team mates.

This trio are now 2-0 and are certainly fun to watch.

WWE Main Event results: Tyler Breeze teams with The Ascension

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: Titus O’Neil beat Mojo Rawley in a battle of the big men. Tyler Breeze teamed up with The Ascension in what became a fun six-man tag main event against Zack Ryder and The B-Team.

**********

With Percy Watson absent from the commentary booth this week, Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness felt like a much more cohesive unit.

Titus O’Neil defeated Mojo Rawley (4:48)

Joseph noted that this would be a “strength vs. strength” match from the outset and, given who the “strength” were, that’s about as big a turn off as you can get. But to give them their dues, this was okay and the crowd got into it late on.

Rawley took the main body of the match, taunting O’Neil and posturing to the crowd, while O’Neil played babyface in peril. But when O’Neil got the heat and some revenge for the trash talk, it was fun to watch.

They went to the finish after a few near falls. O’Neil Irish whipped Rawley and went for a back body drop, but Rawley stopped to kick O’Neil. Rawley then charged at O’Neil, but he managed to grab Rawley and turn it into the Clash of the Titus for the win.

The B-Team (Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas) & Zack Ryder defeated The Ascension (Konnor & Viktor) & Tyler Breeze (6:39)

The story of this one was that Breeze was the odd man out, a babyface trapped on the heel side. They bullied him throughout the match. The Ascension blind tagged him and would use him in assisting their power moves. Breeze played the part well with B-Team pinning him in the end.

It was nice to see The Ascension get to do something a little more creative than their usual outings on Main Event. For most of the match, they cut the ring in half, beating on Ryder and using Breeze aggressively for their own means — tagging him and out at their leisure.

When Ryder eventually got the hot tag to Axel, he cleaned house so that Viktor and Konnor were left unable to make the save on the outside. He and Dallas teamed up on Breeze to deliver a belly-to-back neckbreaker combination on him for the win. This was way more interesting than the normal tag matches on Main Event.

WWE Main Event results: The Revival vs. Roode & Gable

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: With Main Event being filmed in Manchester, UK last week, there was a significant improvement in the feel and the quality of the show.

Tyler Breeze snatched a win over Mojo Rawley and The Revival beat Bobby Roode & Chad Gable in a fabulous main event.

**********

Tyler Breeze defeated Mojo Rawley

I was in attendance in Manchester to watch these two matches live. It was interesting to see how Breeze received the kind of reaction that he did. British wrestling fans don’t have short memories and they remember his work in NXT and know what he’s capable of.

Breeze essentially played babyface in peril for most of this relatively short match. The fans were on Rawley’s back throughout and Rawley certainly gave it back, shouting abuse back to the cat calls in the front row.

Breeze eventually got some separation and went up to the second rope to hit the crossbody and then put on the Boston crab. Rawley got to the ropes and — after some brief back and forth — Breeze came off the ropes again and managed to roll through to pin Rawley with an inside cradle. 

On the bell, the crowd erupted and Breeze made out of there like a bandit. A nothing match made all the more interesting by the hot crowd.

The Revival defeated Bobby Roode & Chad Gable

This was probably the best match of the entire night. Raw was tepid at best and this match bested anything that Raw had to offer in terms of work rate. Go out of your way to find this if you have the time.

It was interesting here to see how Roode was received by the casual fans. A guy next to me wasn’t aware of Roode particularly, and asked who he was because he felt he looked like an absolute star. 

They went 100 miles per hour here with Gable being the star of the match. The Revival are such a smooth tag team and the British fans were hugely into them, especially after their cult status on the NXT roster. 

The finish was pure chaos, but fantastic to watch. After Roode had looked to be cleaning house, Gable came in with a top rope moonsault. Dash Wilder then nailed Roode to the outside and Gable chased him around the outside. When he got back in the ring he ran into Scott Dawson and they teamed up to nail Gable with the Shatter Machine for the win.

WWE Main Event results: Crews vs. Rawley, Ryder vs. Kanellis

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: Mike Kanellis lost again, this time to Zack Ryder in a solid opener. Kanellis is still without a singles win since July 2017. Apollo Crews then defeated Mojo Rawley in a decent bout at the end of the show.

**********

Zack Ryder defeated Mike Kanellis (5:10)

While Zack Ryder spends his free time making podcasts with Curt Hawkins about wrestling figures of old, you have to admire the physical shape both he and Mike Kanellis present themselves in. Both don’t appear to have an ounce of fat on them — with Kanellis looking especially lean here.

This was a solid, entertaining match. Mainly because they looked to be setting up for a quick win for Ryder — with him even hitting the Rough Ryder early on — but Kanellis got his foot on the rope to save the match. Things then switched and went completely in Kanellis’ favor.

Kanellis hit a Samoan driver on Ryder, got a near fall, and teased hitting a Broski Boot of his own. His wicked smile as he mimicked Ryder’s “woos” was great. But Ryder moved out of the way and sprung up to hit the Rough Ryder for the win.

Apollo Crews defeated Mojo Rawley (7:26)

Mojo Rawley has had a good run of late. Over the last few months, he has picked up wins against the likes of Tyler Breeze, No Way Jose, and even Chad Gable. However, it seems that whenever he comes up against Apollo Crews, he comes up short. And that’s just what happened here.

These two took their time and on the opening bell made it look like it had a big-match feel as they squared off in the middle. In another promotion maybe it would be, but Rawley has never had a character that has properly connected with the fans and, despite his talent, Crews has been given a character that just feels lacking in any depth.

Crews got a near fall on Rawley, then connected with an elbow and went for a crossbody, but Rawley caught him. Rawley hoisted him up onto his shoulders and nailed him with a flapjack. After Crews kicked out at two, Rawley taunted and trash-talked him, kicking him in the head and screaming at him.

Crews rolled out of the way and then sprung up and nailed Rawley with an enzuigiri. Rawley sold it like he was knocked out and Crews hit the frog splash for the win.

WWE Main Event results: Mojo Rawley vs. Rhyno

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: No Way Jose got another win against Mike Kanellis, who is still without a singles win since July 2017. Mojo Rawley also dispensed with Rhyno in fairly quick fashion.

**********

No Way Jose defeated Mike Kanellis (5:14)

Both Jose and Kanellis are Raw main roster talents who are being underused at present. Jose made his Monday Night Raw debut the night after WrestleMania 34 with a quick victory over an enhancement wrestler, but he has failed to make an impact since. Kanellis seems to have suffered from a lack of a creative direction too.

These two were fine together, but you have to think that Kanellis has much more to offer than he is being allowed to show right now. There were glimpses of that here in a match that otherwise dragged a little in the middle.

The finish saw Kanellis, who looked like he was on course for the victory, take too much time setting up on the top rope with Jose prone. Jose popped up and nailed Kanellis with his knockout punch for the win.

Mojo Rawley defeated Rhyno (w/ Heath Slater) (3:23)

Nigel McGuinness and Percy Watson claimed that Rawley was still reeling from his defeat at the hands of Bobby Roode two weeks back on Raw.

The anger made sense with this going as short as it did. Rhyno didn’t get much of his stuff in at all. They did lots of tests of strength early on. They went through a commercial break and came back to Rhyno getting the hope, culminating in a near fall.

Rawley then fired up and nailed Rhyno with a running forearm smash and pinned him in the middle of the ring with an impressive Alabama slam. Slater seemed very muted on the sidelines, and it felt a little like they were trying something new with Rawley here.

WWE Main Event results: Mojo Rawley vs. Chad Gable

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: Titus Worldwide picked up a relatively easy victory against The Ascension. Mojo Rawley then made it two wins in as many weeks in a strong match against Chad Gable.

**********

Titus Worldwide defeated The Ascension (5:42)

There was a period back in 2016 when The Ascension were on Superstars every other week and writing about them got stale as they lost to anyone who was anyone. Unfortunately, not much has changed — bar their face paint.

But much of this is hardly their fault. Look at Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, for example. When they first arrived from Japan there was a hope that they would bring killer heat and use that Bullet Club dominance at every turn. It has hardly worked out that way. Konnor is huge; Viktor is a good worker. In another company, these two could probably do pretty well.

The match was as you would expect. The finish saw Konnor break up the cover of O’Neil on Viktor. Crews sent Konnor outside and then hit a beautiful standing moonsault off the apron, with Konnor just barely catching him. O’Neil then nailed Viktor with the Clash of the Titus for the win.

Mojo Rawley defeated Chad Gable (7:31)

This was easily Rawley’s best match on Main Event since he switched brands during the Superstar Shakeup in April. But then Gable has been the best opponent Rawley has had in recent months. They had a pretty even contest and put together a very strong closing segment to the match.

Gable came off the apron with a cannonball senton and rolled Rawley back in the ring, but he got caught coming off the top rope with a crossbody. Rawley went for the Hyper Drive before Gable fought his way out. Gable tried to pin Rawley with a German suplex into a bridge but didn’t have enough.

Rawley hit the Hyper Drive, but Gable kicked out at two, so he set up and hit Gable with a running forearm smash for the win. The combination of Rawley’s timing, the camera cut just as he hit the move, and Gable’s selling all made the move look fairly devastating. This was a good win for Rawley.

WWE Main Event results: Mojo Rawley attacks Titus Worldwide

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: A run-of-the-mill show this week saw Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher get a win in the all-cruiserweight opener and a furious Mojo Rawley attack both Apollo Crews and Titus O’Neil after he lost in the main event.

**********

Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher defeated Kalisto & Lince Dorado (w/ Gran Metalik) (4:46)

These two teams have been trading wins across WWE programming over the last few weeks, with the Lucha House Party subbing out Metalik for Dorado here. It was interesting to hear Rey Mysterio’s comments regarding the strong Latino talent in WWE right now with his longterm status still in the balance.

There wasn’t much to this one in the end. And after last week’s tapings in London, this was inevitably going to feel a little tame, but you can see that the teams have worked together a lot as there was a smoothness to their routines here.

Dorado helped Kalisto springboard into a senton on Kendrick to the outside. Dorado rolled Kendrick up, with Kendrick not being the legal man. Gallagher then headbutted Dorado and covered him for the win.

Apollo Crews (w/ Titus O’Neil and Dana Brooke) defeated Mojo Rawley (6:01)

Rawley was fired up when he came out here and, although the match was nothing special, the newsworthy note was his attack on both Crews and his manager, Titus O’Neil, after the match.

Crews got the better of Rawley and overcame a fight back to get the win. He hit Rawley with an enzuigiri and followed it up with a clothesline. After fighting off Rawley’s attempts to get back into the match, he hit his standing moonsault for the win.

Normally on Main Event they cut away from the celebrations and go straight to recapping Raw, often without a replay of the finish, so here it was clear something was going to happen. Rawley attacked O’Neil with several double axe handles to the shoulders, taking him to the mat, before sending him shoulder-first into the post.

He then leapt on Crews, hitting aggressive clubbing forearms to the back of the head. Rawley made it look incredibly intense as he screamed at both men the whole time. The angle easily garnered the most heat of anything on the show.