When it comes to the rumors of both Bobby Lashley and MVP heading out of WWE, Paul “Triple H” Levesque doesn’t have any updates to give.
Talking to local media in London after meeting with the mayor about potentially bringing WrestleMania to the city, Levesque was asked if he could give an update on the status of either man.
“No. Just like any sport, any business, we sign talent, talent contract runs out, we release talent. It’s just part of the process, so it’s an ongoing thing,” he said.
Fightful reported last Sunday that Lashley’s contract was set to expire and that his name was removed from the internal roster. On Monday, our Dave Meltzer said both Lashley and MVP were expected to be departing the company “relatively soon” with the possibility of reforming The Hurt Business stable with Shelton Benjamin in another company like AEW if there was interest.
As MVP’s most recent WWE tenure appears to be drawing to a close, the former United States Champion has posted a statement on his run with the company.
In an Instagram post Wednesday, MVP wrote at length about his run, which the star notes he originally thought was a one-off on his way to retirement, but instead turned into a four-year journey with multiple facets.
MVP wrote:
I came back so my baby boy could see “Daddy” in a WWE ring. “The Royal Rumble.” That’s all I wanted. A one off. I was ready to retire. Then, I received an offer to become a producer. The pandemic hit. I became a producer AND a commentator for Main Event. Next, they asked me to put the boots on and help out with TV during the “PC Era”. One episode of RAW, “MVP” was in NINE segments! Heyman agreed to put me and Roberto together. I signed a full time talent contract. And then we made history. What a ride!!!!
Our Dave Meltzer reported earlier this week that MVP and Bobby Lashley are expected to leave WWE when their contracts expire “relatively soon,” and that the duo hope to restart The Hurt Business stable outside of WWE, perhaps in AEW.
Dave Meltzer on Monday’s Wrestling Observer Radio said that both Bobby Lashley and MVP were on their way out of WWE. Meltzer said that their contracts were up “relatively soon.”
“I know there is talk of them trying to get into AEW, it’s one of those things where technically nobody can talk to them because I don’t believe either’s contracts has expired, but their contracts are going to expire and they are at this point, as things stand right now, WWE is under the assumption that they’re gone and that they are going to try and revamp The Hurt Business,” he said, noting that he wasn’t sure if they would use that name.
Meltzer also said that MVP & Lashley want to bring in Shelton Benjamin in as well, a former member of the group who is also a free agent after being released by WWE last September, to reform the group in AEW.
“I don’t believe it is a done deal or anything like that but it is something that is alive,” he said.
Fightful Select first reported on Sunday that Bobby Lashley’s contract was due to expire “within the next month or so, possibly over the course of weeks.” Later that day, MVP posted a saluting emoji on X.
Lashley, MVP, Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander formed The Hurt Business in 2020 and were prominently featured on the Raw brand during the pandemic, with Lashley at one point holding both the WWE and United States titles and Alexander & Benjamin holding the Raw Tag Team titles. The group eventually split in early 2022. Although a reunion was teased last year, the storyline was quietly dropped.
Alexander remains with WWE and most recently was moved to the NXT roster.
Ricochet could have been a member of WWE’s Hurt Business faction if one decision went differently.
On Tuesday, MVP posted a tweet revealing that — when The Hurt Business was being formed — he asked for both Ricochet and Cedric Alexander to be in the group. When WWE told him that he could only have one of them, MVP chose Alexander because he thought it would help Alexander more.
“True story. When we were forming The Hurt Business, I asked for BOTH Ricochet AND Cedric Alexander,” MVP wrote. “We were told we could only have 1. We chose Cedric because we felt he needed our association more than Ricochet did. I always thought Ricky O would be a big star on his own.”
The Hurt Business existed from 2020-2022 and included MVP, Alexander, Bobby Lashley, and Shelton Benjamin. Lashley had WWE Championship and United States Championship reigns while the group was together. Alexander & Benjamin held the Raw Tag Team titles.
MVP posted that he, Lashley, and Benjamin also discussed Naomi and Bianca Belair as potential Hurt Business members, but WWE had other plans for both of them.
Ricochet’s WWE run seemingly came to an end with him being demolished by Bron Breakker in an angle that took place on Raw last night. Dave Meltzer reports that the prevailing belief is Ricochet is headed to AEW when his WWE contract expires, but that has not been confirmed.
They both posted to social media recently that they have traveled to Mexico to undergo treatment at a Rejuvstem clinic. The company has been operating since 2007 but opened a new location in Cancun just recently. Shotzi also had treatment at the same clinic last week for a nagging back injury related to an injury she suffered in late 2021.
MVP is documenting their treatment on his YouTube channel:
MVP teased last week that he’s hoping the treatment allows him to have one more in-ring run. He wrote on Instagram, “Here we go!!! Heading to Cancun for stem cell treatment at @rejuvstem so I can get back on the mats AND, into the ring. 1 last run? Let’s see…”
“We are beyond thrilled to welcome WWE superstars @the305mvp and @wwebige to our brand-new clinic in beautiful Cancun! 🌴✨ These incredible athletes are here to experience the power of cellular regeneration, boosting their performance and enhancing their overall health with millions of rejuvenating cells. Join us in celebrating their visit and learn how our innovative cellular treatments can help you feel your best too! Curious about how you can benefit? Don’t wait—reach out to us today and start your journey to optimal health and vitality!”
Since opening its doors in 2007, Rejuvstem promotes itself as a “Pioneer in providing the highest quality stem cells to tens of thousands of patients through advanced quality control and technology.”
The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship will be on the line on the December 5 episode of WWE Raw.
In a match announced during Monday’s Raw, The Usos are set to defend the Undisputed Tag titles against Matt Riddle and Elias on next week’s show.
WWE continued to tease dissension between Riddle and Elias during this week’s show in a backstage interview with the duo. Elias stated that he sees himself as more of “a solo artist,” while Riddle was enthusiastic about their pairing.
Riddle and Elias’s only match as a team came on the November 21 Raw show, as they defeated Alpha Academy’s Chad Gable and Otis.
The Tag title bout is the only match or segment announced for the December 5 Raw, set to take place at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Here is the announced card:
WWE Raw, Monday, December 5 —
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship: The Usos (c) vs. Matt Riddle & Elias
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reports that Chris Jericho and MVP got into a confrontation following the May 18 episode of Dynamite in Houston, Texas. Though it was a tense situation, Meltzer notes that nothing bad ended up happening:
After the 5/18 show in Houston, there was a confrontation in the hotel the wrestlers were staying at between Chris Jericho and MVP at about 1 a.m. after the Dynamite tapings. Something that I’m not clear of happened 18 months ago where they had a falling out. Jericho was talking to Matt Hardy and MVP showed up. Most people didn’t know what was up and thought he was kidding around until it became clear he wasn’t kidding. Nothing bad happened even though it was a tense situation. Jericho did tell him that he doesn’t fight jobbers when he got in the elevator and MVP was screaming about it in the lobby.
Bobby Lashley’s “All Mighty Challenge” to MVP and Omos is scheduled for next week’s Raw.
Prior to tonight’s main event, announcers promoted an “All Mighty Challenge” for next week’s show. There were no further details other than the challenge would be for both Omos and MVP.
Tonight’s Raw opened with Lashley facing Omos in a steel cage. The finish came when Omos threw Lashley into the steel cage, with the cage wall breaking and falling to the floor with Lashley on top. This allowed Lashley to easily reach the floor, giving him the win.
Omos and Lashley have been feuding since WrestleMania 38, with Lashley getting the initial win. After MVP turned on Lashley and joined forces with Omos, the two faced off again at WrestleMania Backlash on May 8, this time with Omos getting the win. This led to Lashley challenging Omos to a cage match.
Next week’s Raw will take place at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
MVP turned on longtime associate Bobby Lashley tonight on Raw, aligning himself with Omos.
On tonight’s Raw, Bobby Lashley was in the ring talking about how hard it was to defeat Omos, saying at one point in the match he had nearly given up. Omos came out and demanded a rematch. As the two stared down one another, MVP jumped Lashley from behind, with the two beating down Lashley. The segment ended after Omos threw Lashley down with a tree slam.
Lashley and Omos faced off at WrestleMania 38 after Lashley made his return from injury earlier that week on Raw, challenging Omos. Lashley was able to score the victory after hitting a spear to the back, then to the front of Omos.
The relationship between MVP and Lashley dates back to 2020, when Lashley chose MVP over his (in storyline) wife Lana, blaming her for a loss. His association with MVP eventually led to Lashley winning the WWE Championship on two occasions.
Big E cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on the 9/13 Raw to win the WWE championship from Bobby Lashley, signifying his switching brands and reuniting The New Day.
Born Ettore Ewen, the 35-year-old Tampa product was a state heavyweight champion wrestler at Wharton High School and football player, who went to the University of Iowa, and after college, became a powerlifter.
A mutual friend contacted Jim Ross, and he was given a WWE tryout in 2009 and WWE signed him to a deal at that time. He started as Big E Langston in Florida Championship Wrestling, which was shortened to Big E. He was popular due to his personality and those in developmental thought he could be a groundbreaking performer with his leaping ability and agility and power combination.
In 2012, he was brought up to the main roster, and on November 18, 2013, won the IC title from Curtis Axel. But his career took off in 2014 as part of the New Day tag team. The idea started out silly but ended up being tweaked by the three guys in it and the group held the Raw tag team titles twice and Smackdown version of the titles six times.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Our weekend show is up on the site right now. We did two shows this weekend, one with Garrett Gonzalez on Dark Side of the Ring and the AEW & WWE trends and what they say about the future and last night we talked about the weekend shows and the first two nights of G-1.
I’d say go out of your way to see Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii from night one of G-1. It’s easily one of the best matches of this year.
For this past week, the only thing that trended on Google in combat sports was UFC yesterday being No. 9 with 100,000 searches yesterday. Notable that nothing from Dark Side on Thursday cracked the list on Friday.
G1 returns for more A block matches on Thursday at Ota Ward Gym in Tokyo and the next B block show is Friday in the same gym. We are looking for your thoughts on the first two nights of the tournament, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for each show to [email protected]. We’re also looking for reports on Friday’s Game Changer show, last night’s WWE in North Charleston, SC, tonight’s WWE in Augusta, GA and tomorrow’s WWE show in London at the O2 Arena.
To attend the WWE show in London tomorrow you need proof of a COVID-19 vaccination.
The Stardom Five Star Grand Prix ends tomorrow at Korakuen Hall.
Raw tomorrow has announced Natalya & Tamina defending the tag titles against Rhea Ripley & Nikki ASH, Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler, Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy and if Hardy wins the U.S. title match at Extreme Rules becomes a three-way, Alexa Bliss welcomes Charlotte Flair t the playground, the hotshot match of Roman Reigns & Usos vs. New Day and the celebration of Big E’s title win.
Results from WWE in Newcastle, UK today:
Street Profits b Chad Gable & Otis
Kevin Owens b Happy Corbin
Rey & Dominik Mysterio NC Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler
Finn Balor & Mysterios b Roode & Ziggler & Seth Rollins
Shinsuke Nakamura b Apollo Crews to keep the IC title
Drew McIntyre b Jinder Mahal in a street fight
Becky Lynch b Bianca Belair to keep the women’s title. Lynch was cheered more than Belair. Both were cheered. McIntyre gave a great speech about his journey and talked about independent shows in newcastle. (thanks to Rob Coll)
Former Florida & Carolinas referee Stu Schwartz passed away this weekend.
If you’ve seen the news about the death of Roger Brown, who was one of the best NFL defensive linemen of the 1960s and part of two different versions of the Fearsome Foursome, Brown did wrestle during the off season for The Sheik and for Mike LeBell in the Michigan-Ohio territory and Southern California territory during the off-season from football in 1967-70.
Julius Anglickas was named the newest person in the Bellator light heavyweight Grand Prix tournament replacing Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. Johnson pulled out of the 10/16 title fight with champion Vadim Nemkov due to an undisclosed illness and Anglickas will be getting the title shot and a spot in the tournament’s final four.
RevPro from today in London. Aussie Open vs. Destination Everywhere where Aussie Open won the tag titles got a standing ovation and tore the house down. Will Ospreay retained the British title over RKJ in 35 minutes. Ethan Allen & Luke Jacobs b Doug Williams & Brendan White, Kenneth Halfpenny & Shaun Jackson ad Chuck Mambo &* TK Cooper in four-way, Shota Umino b Dan Moloney, Michael Oku won three-way to keep the cruiserweight title over Chris Ridgeway & Robbie X, Yota Tsuji b Mark Haskins, Gisele Shaw b Hyan to keep the British women’s title in a 2/3 fall match, Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher won the tag titles over Michael Oku & Connor Mills, Will Ospreay b RKJ to keep the British title. After the match, Ospreay was beating down RKJ when Umino made the save. Oku & Mills helped Ospreay and then Aussie Open came out to apparently save, and attacked Umino first but then helped Ospreay and were announced as the newest member of the United Empire group in New Japan. (thanks to David Hayter, Spencer Bentley, Gary Sweetapple and @HashtagWrest)
WWE
Raw is locally advertising for 9/27 in Cincinnati a main event of Big E & Randy Orton & Riddle vs. Bobby Lashley & AJ Styles & Omos.
MVP had knee surgery this week so he’ll be out of action for a while.
An update on the UBS Arena ticket sales. The Raw show on 11/19 is now at 2,365 tickets out (sales plus comps) while the 12/9 AEW Dynamite in the same arena was at about 6,200.
UFC
On last night’s show they did a very nice tribute to Suzy Friton, the make-up woman who passed away from cancer this past week. They also announced that the make-up room at UFC events will be called the Suzy Friton Room.
Also on the show they noted that Raquel Pennington was hospitalized for more than 30 days with COVID-19 and was in really bad shape.
Ryan Hall vs. Derrick Minner has been added to the 12/11 show.
Adrian Yanez vs. Davey Grant has been added to the 11/20 show.
OTHER NEWS
Ron Fuller, Les Thatcher and Jimmy Golden will be doing a live Q&A podcast on 10/13 in Knoxville at Calhoun’s on the river. Tickets are $30 and come with two free autographs and door prizes and a buffet dinner is included in the price. Fuller is also putting up on YouTube his USA Wrestling shows from 1988, weekly, in order, every Sunday at 3 p.m. on the Southeastern Rewind Channel. The shows are then reviewed by Fuller and Thatcher later in the week. They will also put up old Southeastern clips every two weeks. The first clip was of a Michael Hayes vs. Terry Gordy cage match from 1978.
Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling from last night in East Carondelet, IL: Waco b Richard Shaw, Shawn Santel & Mauler McDarby b Billy McNeil & Sean Vincent, Big Texan DCOR Kowalski, Bobby D b Rick Ruby, Derek Stone b Ax Allwardt, Christopher Hargas & Ken Kasa b Gary Jackson to win tag titles (Jackson & Gil Rogers were the champions and Rogers wasn’t there), Attila Khan b Flash Flanagan in a no DQ match (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
Tri City Wrestling from last night in Quincy, MI: Solo b Kyler Coleman, Adam Wick b Alex Taylor, Hornswoggle & El Ridiculoso b Christopher Saint & Nick Xero, Chuck Wagon & Maynard R Nek b Brutus Dylan & Let Er Rip to win tag titles, Jack Price b Aaron Orion to win the TCW title, Zach Gowen b Tommy Vendetta to win the lightweight title.
WWE is claiming that MVP is “out indefinitely” after suffering an injury on this week’s Raw.
“BREAKING: Due to an RKO from @RandyOrton this past Monday night on #WWERaw, @The305MVP suffered a broken rib and is out indefinitely,” WWE announced on Thursday night.
“While I’m out suffering from this broken rib, I may as well get my knee fixed,” MVP tweeted.
Randy Orton gave MVP an RKO outside of the ring after MVP got involved in his match against Bobby Lashley on Raw. Orton hit an RKO on Lashley during the match, but MVP helped pull Lashley under the ropes before Orton could pin him.
Lashley defeated Orton to retain the WWE Championship, but Big E then cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Lashley to win the title.
Lashley & MVP won a number one contender’s Tag Team Turmoil match on the September 6 episode of Raw. It was originally announced that they would challenge for Orton & Riddle’s Raw Tag Team titles this past Monday, but that was changed to the Lashley vs. Orton WWE Championship match.
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
