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
Two matches have been announced for Raw’s go-home show for Hell in a Cell.
A commercial that aired during SmackDown tonight announced two matches that will be taking place on this coming Monday’s episode of Raw:
RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles
RK-Bro and The New Day both took part in a number one contender’s tag team battle royal on Raw earlier this week. Riddle, who had already been eliminated by Woods, came back in the ring and got in Kingston’s way when Kingston went to hit Trouble in Paradise on Orton. After Kingston hit the move on Riddle, Orton eliminated Kingston. But The Viking Raiders then threw Orton out of the ring to win the battle royal.
Following the battle royal, Riddle and Kingston faced off in a singles match later in the night. Riddle had insisted on using the RKO in the match, but Kingston countered out of it before getting the win.
The issues between RK-Bro and The New Day began when Orton laid out Kingston and Woods after an eight-man tag match where they teamed together last month.
McIntyre is challenging for Bobby Lashley’s WWE Championship in a Hell in a Cell match at Hell in a Cell on Sunday, June 20. That title match also has a stipulation where — if McIntyre loses — he won’t be able to challenge for the WWE Championship again while Lashley is still champion.
Styles & Omos are the current Raw Tag Team Champions. WWE hasn’t announced when The Viking Raiders will be getting their title shot against Styles & Omos.
It’s also been announced that Eva Marie will make her return to WWE television on Monday’s Raw. Videos hyping Marie’s return have been airing for the past several weeks.
A battle royal on Monday night will determine the next challengers for AJ Styles & Omos’ Raw Tag Team titles.
WWE has announced that RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle), The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods), Mace & T-Bar, Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado), and The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) will take part in a five-team battle royal on Monday’s episode of Raw. The winning team will become the number one contenders to Styles & Omos’ Raw Tag Team titles, but WWE hasn’t revealed when they’ll be getting their title shot.
Styles & Omos won the Raw Tag Team titles from Kingston & Woods at WrestleMania 37 this April. On Raw earlier this week, Styles & Omos retained against Elias & Jaxson Ryker after Elias abandoned Ryker during the match.
Two segments have also been announced for Monday’s Raw. WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre will take part in a contract signing ahead of their title match at this month’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. Plus, Shayna Baszler will come to Alexa’s Playground.
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.
A title change on tonight’s Raw led to a new match being made official for WrestleMania 37.
The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) won the Raw Tag Team titles by defeating The Hurt Business (Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) on Raw tonight. After the match, Kingston & Woods were confronted by AJ Styles & Omos. Styles & Omos challenged Kingston & Woods to a Raw Tag Team title match at WrestleMania 37. The match was later made official for WrestleMania.
This will be Omos’ first televised match in WWE. The 7-foot-3 Omos, whose real name is Jordan Omogbehin, signed with WWE in October 2018. He’s originally from Lagos, Nigeria and played college basketball at the University of South Florida and Morgan State University. He made his in-ring debut at an NXT house show in July 2019 and debuted on Raw as Styles’ bodyguard in October of last year.
Prior to losing the titles tonight, Benjamin & Alexander had been Raw Tag Team Champions since defeating Kingston & Woods at December’s TLC pay-per-view.
WrestleMania 37 is taking place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida over two nights on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11. Roman Reigns vs. Edge for the Universal Championship, Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, and Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship have also been announced for the event.
WrestleMania 37 will air live on Peacock in the United States. It will be live on the WWE Network everywhere else.
Date: March 15, 2021 Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL
The Big Takeaway —
Shane McMahon beat up Braun Strowman and covered him with green slime. The two will have a singles match at Fastlane. Also, Randy Orton accepted Alexa Bliss’ challenge for some sort of fight at Fastlane.
The New Day won the tag team titles and will defend them at WrestleMania against AJ Styles and Omos. Riddle retained the US title over Mustafa Ali.
Asuka returned and squeaked out a quick win over Shayna Baszler before attacking Baszler after their match. Asuka was about to curb-stomp her into the exposed turnbuckle but the referee stopped her.
Show Recap —
They kicked off with breaking news: Bobby Lashley will defend the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania.
Lashley and MVP entered. They were extremely well-dressed. MVP reminded us that we are in the All Mighty era. MVP called Lashley the CHO of the Hurt Business and said he won the WWE title after 16 years of dedication. Lashley said he wasn’t given anything — he had to fight to win the title and he did so after destroying McIntyre, which he will do again at Mania.
The Miz and John Morrison entered. They were not as well-dressed. They claimed they were all-in on the All Mighty era. Miz was honoured to share the ring with Lashley and was sad that their rivalry was over. He talked about the great feuds that had showdowns at Mania, including Bret Hart-Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan-André the Giant, and The Rock-Steve Austin.
Miz did an awful Steve Austin impression (for 3:16 week) and he went on for a while. Basically, he wanted Lashley to agree to a title match against him at Mania.
McIntyre interrupted. He walked right by Miz and Morrison without acknowledging them. McIntyre said he knew what it was like to take such a long journey to finally win the title. They both went years being the hardest-working men in the room while opportunities passed them by. They both left WWE and had to start at the bottom to get to the top.
The difference with their stories was that McIntyre won the Royal Rumble and beat Brock Lesnar in five minutes, whereas Lashley made a deal to screw him out of the title.
MVP told McIntyre that he’d have to deal with Sheamus first. McIntyre wasn’t worried about Sheamus and wondered why MVP was even there. Lashley said to focus on him.
Miz reminded them that he was there. McIntyre said Miz can attack him if he wants or just go to the back. McIntyre said he would beat Miz in their match and beat Sheamus at Fastlane before regaining his belt at Mania, ending the All Mighty era. McIntyre called Lashley a “big, bald, bitch.”
Lashley acted like he was going to leave but attacked McIntyre after Miz distracted him. After Lashley left, Miz attacked McIntyre.
Sheamus then attacked Lashley as he was leaving until officials stepped in. Lashley was about to go after him but MVP told him to wait until later tonight.
In the back, Sheamus told Sarah Schreiber that he wanted McIntyre at 100% so he wouldn’t have any excuses at Fastlane. He was going to beat Lashley tonight and show McIntyre what he wouldn’t be able to do at Mania.
A referee checked on McIntyre to make sure he could start his match against the Miz. As this happened, they ran down tonight’s card. Conveniently, McIntyre was ready to go once this was finished.
Drew McIntyre defeated The Miz (w/John Morrison) (11:18)
Miz attacked McIntyre but McIntyre quickly fought back and took control. Morrison tried distracting McIntyre but it didn’t work, so Morrison chucked his shades in the ring and McIntyre stomped on them. This distraction allowed Miz to attack but again McIntyre quickly fought him off.
McIntyre hit a reverse Alabama Slam but Morrison pulled Miz out of the ring as McIntyre set up for a Claymore. The ref tossed Morrison from ringside and they went to break.
Miz hit a DDT for just a one count. McIntyre came back with clotheslines, overhead suplexes and a neckbreaker before taking him to the outside to drive him into the barricade and side of the ring. McIntyre slapped him in the face and bounced his face on the steel steps. McIntyre followed with a Future Shock DDT and a Claymore kick.
Instead of going for the cover, McIntyre pointed at the camera, pointed at the Mania sign, and put Miz in the Hurt Lock for the decisive submission win.
The announcers congratulated Bad Bunny on winning a Grammy for best Latin pop album. He was shown walking with Damian Priest in the back.
Braun Strowman / Shane McMahon segment
Strowman was mid-sentence in the ring after a commercial. He called out Shane McMahon who came out on the stage. He wasn’t sure what Strowman wanted. Strowman said he was bullied his whole life by guys like Shane and said he didn’t grow up in a mansion like him. Shane thought his accusations were disgusting. He claimed he would never insult another man.
Strowman said Shane was afraid which is why he stumbled over his words. Strowman knew Shane wanted a match with him but didn’t have the guts to issue the challenge. Strowman challenged him to a match tonight. Shane said Strowman couldn’t handle him. Shane made a bunch of jokes about how stupid Strowman was (as he stumbled over his dialogue).
Strowman told him to shut up. He wanted an answer. Shane accepted.
R-Truth, dressed as Steve Austin, approached Dana Brooke, Mandy Rose, Lana and Naomi in the back. They told him it was 3/15 today, not 3/16. He kept saying “What” in response. He offered them a beer but they told him that they have a match next. Truth downed a Broken Skull IPA before saying, “And that’s the bottom line because R-Truth said so!”
(It’s hard to believe that the 3/16 show where Steve Austin appeared in front of an empty building was one year ago. That was the first Raw at the Performance Centre.)
Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke defeated Lana & Naomi (4:30)
Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler were on commentary.
Rose and Brooke worked over Naomi until she hit a jawbreaker and tagged in Lana. As Lana ran wild on Rose, Byron Saxton said she looked impressive. Baszler responded, “impressive for a dancer.”
The four wrestlers traded moves when Asuka’s music suddenly hit and she marched out. Baszler left commentary and went after her. Asuka dodged her attack and nailed a roundhouse kick. Asuka hammered away on Baszler until officials stopped her. Jax calmly said, “I should help” but she remained on commentary.
Lana gave Rose an X-Factor but Rose wasn’t the legal wrestler. Brooke flew in with a swinging neckbreaker for the pinfall win. Jax was appropriately confused. I’m not sure where Naomi went.
Riddle approached Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in the back. New Day were startled upon seeing him, which was funny. They were all excited to leave tonight as champions. Riddle thought they should get matching tattoos but New Day didn’t like that idea. Riddle suggested matching scooters and New Day liked that idea better.
[Second hour]
Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods defeated Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander to win the Raw Tag Team Championships
New Day wore their Mortal Kombat gear and did a spot inspired by Scorpion, which led to Woods yelling, “toasty!” Hurt Business put an end to the fun with a cool spot where Alexander monkey flipped Kingston into a Benjamin spinebuster.
Kingston came back with a double foot stomp and tagged in Woods who fought off both men. New Day tried dives but Hurt Business blocked them and knocked them down outside the ring which led to break.
Woods and Alexander exchanged blows until Alexander hit a Michinoku Driver for two. Kingston tagged in but Benjamin cut him off with an enziguri. Kingston came back with a rana and foot stomp for two, followed by an SOS for two. Benjamin launched Kingston off the top with an arm drag but Woods broke up the cover.
Woods took out Alexander with a tornado DDT on the outside. Kingston hit Benjamin with Trouble in Paradise before wiping out Alexander with a dive.
Woods gave Benjamin a flying elbow drop and they followed that with Day Break for the pinfall win. New Day are the new tag team champions. Good match.
AJ Styles and Omos entered as New Day celebrated. New Day were ready for a fight but Styles said he just wanted to congratulate them on winning the titles right before Mania. Styles said he has been the WWE champion, IC champion and US champion. He even fought the Undertaker at Mania. Woods (off mic) yelled, “What do you want, AJ? We don’t care!”
Styles said Omos had an idea. Omos thought they should be tag champs. Styles officially challenged them to a title match at Mania. Kingston grabbed a mic and asked if they were officially registered as a tag team. Styles said yes. New Day accepted their challenge.
Priest and Bad Bunny approached Miz and Morrison. They mocked Miz and his awful stretch. Bad Bunny thought it was amusing that Miz ever held a belt. Miz ran down his accomplishments and asked Priest which championships he’s won. Priest said he was right and maybe he should start winning some right now. He got in Miz’s face but Miz and Morrison backed off and left.
Truth was about to attack Bad Bunny with an “Austin 3:16” lunchbox but Priest saw him coming, so he stopped. Truth said he was only there to give them some gifts. He had a Steve Austin plush doll and smoking skull belt for Bad Bunny. He also had a beer for Priest.
Bad Bunny wanted to know what Truth wanted in return. Truth wanted the 24/7 title belt. Bad Bunny said he respected Truth and the business. He gave Truth the 24/7 belt. Truth was elated. Right on cue, Drew Gulak, Akira Tozawa and Humberto Carrillo (I think) chase him away.
(I was reminded recently that Gulak wrestled Daniel Bryan at last year’s Elimination Chamber.)
Tom Phillips said there will be a new on-sale date for Mania soon.
Priest won immediately by pinfall after a Broken Arrow and Hit the Lights.
Elias attacked Priest after the match. He was about to attack with a guitar but Bad Bunny snatched it away. Elias grabbed Bad Bunny for a slam but he slipped out and punched Elias in the face. Priest gave Elias his finisher.
Morrison sauntered out to distract them so Miz could hit Bad Bunny from behind with the guitar. (The director actually missed the spot, so they showed a replay.) Miz bailed before Priest could go after him. Priest checked on Bad Bunny.
There was an ad for NXT but no matches were announced.
Schreiber interviewed Lashley and MVP. MVP was pissed about Sheamus attacking Lashley. He warned Sheamus that he won’t be walking into Fastlane at 100% and the same thing that happens to him tonight will happen to McIntyre at Mania.
Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman
The match didn’t happen.
Shane stalled before the match could start. He claimed he needed to warm up so he did push-ups and jumping jacks outside the ring. He also had a hopscotch game set up at ringside because of Strowman’s schoolyard comment earlier. (How did he get that so fast?) That pissed off Strowman so he went after Miz.
Strowman kicked Shane into the barricade and decided to run all the way around the ring for a shoulder tackle attempt. This gave Shane enough time to grab a camera from the cameraman and hit Strowman in the face. Shane repeatedly hit Strowman with the camera before clearing the announce table.
With Strowman laid out on the table, Shane nailed a flying elbow drop off the top and they crashed through the table. Shane got up pretty quickly from this spot. He grabbed a bucket of green slime from under the ring and dumped it over Strowman while calling him stupid. He grabbed a second bucket and dumped that on him as well.
They played Shane’s music as he walked to the back. Strowman got up and said he would rip Shane’s head off.
Rhea Ripley is (still) coming soon.
Alexa Bliss segment
Alexa Bliss (wearing white contacts) was on a swing set in the back. Bliss told Randy Orton that he if wanted her out of his life, he’d have to take her out of it. Bliss said he would have the opportunity at Fastlane and wondered if he’d take it. (The announcers weren’t sure what she meant by that.)
[Third hour]
They played the clip of Shane Helms informing Molly Holly that she would be inducted into the hall of fame this year.
Raw Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Shayna Baszler (w/Nia Jax) in a non-title match (1:29)
Asuka attacked Baszler before the match started. She also took out Jax with a Codebreaker. The ref checked on Baszler who told him to start the match.
Asuka attacked Baszler while also knocking Jax off the apron with a hip attack. Baszler hit a knee strike (which appeared to hit Asuka hard right in the jaw). The ref checked on Asuka who appeared to be fine. As Asuka went for an armbar, she once again had to knock Jax from the apron.
Baszler put Asuka into the Kirifuda Clutch but Asuka rolled into a cover for the pinfall win. Baszler still had the hold on but let it go after the bell rang.
Baszler tried to kick Asuka’s teeth out again but Asuka blocked it, hit a German suplex and kicks of her own. Asuka then curb-stomped Baszler’s face into the bottom turnbuckle.
Asuka removed the buckle padding and Baszler’s mouthguard. She was about to stomp her into the exposed buckle but the ref saved Baszler. (I liked the post-match stuff.)
Mustafa Ali told Retribution that he would right their wrongs tonight. Riddle sped through them on his scooter. Ali was unamused.
The announcers ran down the Fastlane card which now includes Shane vs. Strowman, and McIntyre vs. Sheamus.
Riddle defeated Mustafa Ali (w/Retribution) to retain the US Championship (8:51)
Early in the match, Ali chucked Riddle neck-first into the edge of the new announce table. Ali hit a swinging neckbreaker off the apron to the outside which led to break about 90 seconds into this championship match.
Ali took control after the break and hit a neckbreaker for two. He followed moments later with another neckbreaker for two again. Riddle fought back with a Pelé kick, exploder suplex, senton, and fisherman buster for two.
Riddle cradled Ali but as Ali reversed into a cradle of his own, T-Bar was distracting the referee. Riddle kicked out and hit a Bro Derek for the pinfall win. This match was fine.
Retribution chased Riddle away after the match. Ali yelled at them.
Schreiber asked Orton for his reaction to Alexa Bliss challenging him to a one-on-one match. Orton thought it was funny that she wanted him to “kick” her out of his life because that’s exactly what he planned on doing.
Drew McIntyre promo
McIntyre was still in his gear. He started with some comedy and said people must be wondering why he hasn’t showered and changed yet. He joked that he pretty much always dressed this way.
McIntyre said MVP did a dangerous thing by making a guarantee earlier. McIntyre planned on beating Sheamus at Fastlane before beating Lashley at Mania. He wanted a front-row seat for tonight’s main event.
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley (w/MVP) defeated Sheamus in a non-title match (17:38)
McIntyre watched from ringside.
They fought back and forth until Lashley caught Sheamus off the apron and gave him an overhead suplex. Lashley got in McIntyre’s face as they went to break.
Lashley was in full control after the break. He pointed at McIntyre who gave him a sarcastic thumbs-up. The extra time allowed Sheamus to dodge a running shoulder tackle and Lashley went shoulder-first into the post. Sheamus hit a flying clothesline but Lashley kicked out at one.
Sheamus clubbed away at him before hitting a backbreaker for a one count. Sheamus followed with another backbreaker, this time for two. Sheamus applied a modified sharpshooter but Lashley kicked his way out of it and hit a powerslam for two.
Sheamus hit elbows strikes but Lashley countered into a flatliner for two. Lashley followed that with a superplex but Sheamus countered a spear attempt with a knee strike. Sheamus followed with White Noise for a two count.
Sheamus went for a Brogue Kick but Lashley nailed a spear for the pinfall win. Pretty good match.
Lashley put Sheamus down with the Hurt Lock after the match. After McIntyre got into the ring, Sheamus bumped into MVP by accident (as he was selling). This caused Lashley to turn his attention to them, which allowed McIntyre to knock him out of the ring with a Claymore kick. McIntyre and Sheamus stared each other down as the show ended.
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.
Ahead of challenging for Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship at TLC, AJ Styles will be in action against one of McIntyre’s friends on Monday’s go-home episode of Raw.
WWE has announced that Styles vs. Sheamus will take place on Raw this Monday. They also faced off last week as Styles, The Miz & John Morrison defeated McIntyre & Sheamus in a three-on-two handicap match. After Sheamus accidentally gave McIntyre a Brogue Kick when Morrison moved out of the way, Styles hit a Phenomenal Forearm on Sheamus and pinned him to get the win.
There was an angle where McIntyre and Sheamus briefly brawled backstage after the miscommunication, but they were back on the same page after they put Pat Buck through a table when Buck tried to break things up.
WWE is also hyping that there will be a “The Nightmare Before TLC” segment with Styles on Monday’s Raw. Styles is challenging for McIntyre’s WWE Championship in a tables, ladders, and chairs match at TLC.
“The Phenomenal One plans to bring ‘The Nightmare Before TLC’ to Raw this Monday to display what’s in store for the WWE Championship Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match,” WWE.com wrote. “The Miz & John Morrison will back up Styles for his terrifying display, as Mr. Money in the Bank has his own hopes of delivering sleepless nights to the King of Claymore Country.”
A six-man tag match with Jeff Hardy & Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) facing The Hurt Business (United States Champion Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) has also been added to Monday’s Raw. The New Day are defending their titles against Benjamin & Alexander at TLC. Lashley defeated Hardy in a non-title match on Raw last week. Riddle came to Hardy’s aid when MVP got involved during the match and when Lashley wouldn’t let The Hurt Lock go after.
Here’s the updated lineup for Monday’s Raw:
AJ Styles vs. Sheamus
Jeff Hardy & The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. The Hurt Business (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander)
Lana vs. Nia Jax
AJ Styles brings “The Nightmare Before TLC” to Raw
Bray Wyatt takes his Firefly Fun House characters on a field trip to the WWE ThunderDome
A new title match has been added to the card for this month’s TLC pay-per-view.
WWE has announced that Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) will defend their titles against The Hurt Business (Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) at TLC. While Benjamin & Alexander have unsuccessfully challenged for The New Day’s titles twice recently, Alexander has defeated Woods and Kingston in singles action on Raw over the past two weeks.
Alexander defeated Woods on Raw last week. On this Monday’s show, Kingston defeated Benjamin but suffered a storyline knee injury in the process. Alexander then got on the microphone and challenged Kingston to face him. Kingston agreed and then lost to Alexander.
The New Day will look to keep The Hurt Business in the red and once again retain their Raw Tag Team Titles at WWE TLC.
Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods have gotten the better of Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander in two epic championship battles on the red brand. Alexander has found success on his own in recent matchups against Kingston & Woods, but his solo swagger has definitely caught the attention of his Hurt Business associates.
It will be another clash of styles when The Power of Positivity takes on the no-nonsense culture that MVP has put in place.
Will The New Day head into the holidays feeling golden? Or will The Hurt Business be stacking titles and profits entering the new year?
TLC is taking place on Sunday, December 20. Here’s the updated card for the PPV:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends his title against Kevin Owens in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends his title against AJ Styles in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defends her title against Carmella
Randy Orton vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax defend their titles against Asuka & Lana
Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) defend against The Hurt Business (Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander)
As the build to Survivor Series continued, WWE also set the stage for a big title match next week.
It was announced that Randy Orton will defend his WWE Championship against former champion Drew McIntyre on Raw next Monday. The winner will go on to face Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a non-title champion vs. champion match at Survivor Series.
Orton was furious about the title match announcement and refused to tag in for last night’s main event. McIntyre & Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) got the win against Orton, The Miz & John Morrison. After pinning Morrison, McIntyre stared down Orton and taunted him, telling him to enjoy every second he has left with the title before losing it next week.
Next week’s Raw will also feature The New Day defending their titles against The Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin). The winning team will face SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits in another one of Survivor Series’ non-title champion vs. champion matches.
Raw’s Survivor Series men’s team is now fully set after Riddle defeated Elias and Jeff Hardy in a second chance qualifying match last team. But dissension between the team continued, with a team meeting leading to AJ Styles refereeing a tag match with Riddle & Keith Lee facing Braun Strowman & Sheamus.
Two non-title matches involving tag team champions are set for Monday’s episode of Raw.
WWE has announced that Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) will face The Hurt Business (Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) in a non-title match on Monday’s Raw. Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax will also face Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke in non-title action on the show.
The Hurt Business confronted The New Day in a backstage segment on Raw this week and said they have their sights set on The New Day’s Raw Tag Team titles.
Baszler, Jax, Rose, Brooke, and Lana are the wrestlers who will be on Team Raw for their five-on-five elimination match against Team SmackDown at Survivor Series. Bianca Belair is the first wrestler to qualify for Team SmackDown.
Rose & Brooke began teaming together last month after both were moved to Raw. They argued with Baszler & Jax on Raw this week after Baszler & Jax claimed to be the leaders of Team Raw.
Jeff Hardy vs. Elias in a Guitar on a Pole match has also been announced for Monday’s Raw.
With The New Day being split up in the WWE Draft, they had their farewell match on last night’s season premiere episode of SmackDown.
Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods & Big E defeated Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro & Sheamus in a six-man tag match on last night’s show. Kingston & Woods were moved over to Raw in the draft, while Big E is staying on SmackDown.
The New Day also shared an emotional moment before the match as they discussed the journey they’ve been on together over the past six years.
Roman Reigns retained his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman in last night’s main event. Like he did against Jey Uso at Clash of Champions, Reigns low blowed Strowman when kicking out of a pinfall attempt. Strowman kicked out after Reigns hit a spear but ultimately passed out when put in a guillotine by Reigns.
Reigns is defending his Universal Championship against Uso in a Hell in a Cell I Quit match at Hell in a Cell on Sunday, October 25. Uso came out to the stage after last night’s main event. With Uso watching on, Reigns laid out Strowman with a post-match spear. Reigns then told Uso to come down to the ring. Reigns hit Strowman repeatedly with a steel chair and warned Uso that — if this is what he can do to Strowman — imagine what he’ll do to Uso.
Reigns dared Uso to use the steel chair and prove something to Reigns and their family. Reigns turned his back to Uso, but Uso initially refused to hit him. When Reigns turned around, Uso punched him, hit a superkick, and then hit him with the chair twice. As officials were holding Uso back, Reigns dropped him with a Superman punch.
The build to Hell in a Cell also continued with SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley and Sasha Banks having a contract signing for their Hell in a Cell match. The segment ended with Bayley leaving without signing the contract. Banks vowed that Bayley will be signing the contract one way or another.
Two matches have been announced for next week’s season premiere episode of SmackDown.
Roman Reigns will defend his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman on SmackDown’s season premiere next Friday. After being split up in the WWE Draft, The New Day will have their “farewell to SmackDown” match next Friday. Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods & Big E will face Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura & Sheamus in a six-man tag match.
The Reigns vs. Strowman title match comes in advance of Reigns defending his Universal Championship against Jey Uso at Hell in a Cell on Sunday, October 25. It was announced on SmackDown tonight that Reigns vs. Uso will be the first-ever Hell in a Cell I Quit match. Reigns also warned Uso that — after Uso says I Quit — there will be consequences.
Kingston & Woods returned to the ring on SmackDown tonight and defeated Cesaro & Nakamura to win the SmackDown Tag Team titles. After the match, it was announced that Kingston & Woods have been drafted to Raw and Big E has been drafted to SmackDown. Big E also defeated Sheamus in a falls count anywhere match tonight.
Reigns stayed on SmackDown in tonight’s draft. Strowman, Cesaro, Nakamura, and Sheamus are in the night two draft pool and are eligible to be selected by SmackDown or Raw on Monday.
There will be a special 30-minute pre-show airing on Fox before next week’s SmackDown season premiere. The pre-show is a Fox broadcast that will be hosted by Renee Paquette (formerly known as Renee Young in WWE) and Booker T.
