Tag: Oba Femi

New match and opening segment announced for WWE Raw

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE Raw General Manager Adam Pearce has announced the lineup for Monday’s show.

In a video posted to social media on Sunday, Pearce revealed a new match and the opening segment.

Oba Femi will kick off the broadcast. Also announced, Sol Ruca will defend her WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship against Lyra Valkyria.

Previously announced for the show were four-way matches in both the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments, as well as Penta defending the Intercontinental Championship against Rey Mysterio.

WWE Raw this week is set for the Accor Arena in Paris, France.

The updated lineup is below:

WWE Raw lineup for Monday, June 8, 2026:

  • WWE Intercontinental Championship: Penta (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
  • WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Sol Ruca (c) vs. Lyra Valkyria
  • King of the Ring first-round match: Seth Rollins vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Talla Tonga vs. Ricky Saints
  • Queen of the Ring first-round match: Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green
  • Oba Femi kicks off the broadcast

WWE’s in no rush to make new top-level stars, and that’s a problem | Opinion

Posted on by Bryan Rose

WWE right now reminds me a lot of when Bob Backlund returned to the company in 1992.

The company continually pushed that the former WWE Champion, 43, was a grizzled veteran and was nearing the end of his career. Heel announcers like Jerry Lawler and Bobby Heenan would constantly berate him for being over the hill. Even when he turned heel and had his memorable run with Bret Hart, a lot of the emphasis was on him being a former world champion ten years prior, a relic from the past angry at the “new generation” of WWE talent.

How much have things changed since 1992? I present to you a chart showing every top male WWE star, and a few that you could argue are just slightly under top level status:

WrestlerAge
Roman Reigns41
CM Punk47
Brock Lesnar48
Seth Rollins40
Cody Rhodes40
Gunther38
LA Knight43
Damian Priest43
Randy Orton46
Drew McIntyre41
Jey Uso40

The average age here is 42.45. In other words, today’s WWE main event scene features a whole bunch of Bob Backlunds.

I can’t remember a time where every big star just feels so…old. Not in terms of in-ring, as everyone listed above is good to great. No one embarrasses themselves, and the top matches are usually good. But on the flipside, I’ve seen Brock Lesnar do the same thing for 14 years. I’ve seen Randy Orton on top. I’ve seen Seth Rollins, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns headline big events for well over a decade now. Key point here? I’ve seen it.

The way WWE structures itself right now makes it hard for anyone over 30 to truly break out and become top level stars. Many wrestlers get featured, some get to headline, but it seems like WWE is far more interested in creating a system where people have to “earn” their spots. They can “get the rub” by getting laid out by The Undertaker. They can be in the same ring as The Rock and get berated, but the chances of a young star getting what is most important — a decisive win over an established star — often feels remote at times. 

To their credit, WWE has been pushing hard the likes of Trick Williams, Oba Femi, and Bron Breakker over the last few months. But even then, they aren’t at the very top. Femi defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania in a quick, convincing match, only to lose just as quickly one month later at Clash in Italy. Breakker got a decisive victory over Rollins at Backlash, but then lost to him this past Monday on Raw. Granted, both were protected on those losses, and one loss isn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things. But you know what protects them even more? Winning. All the time. 

All of this is illustrated more as WWE begins to plant the seeds for SummerSlam. After Roman Reigns defeated Jacob Fatu for the second time at Clash in Italy, he locked eyes with Solo Sikoa, hinting a future feud between the two after spending much of 2024 at each other’s throats. Meanwhile it’s been rumored that Rollins could emerge as the winner of the King of the Ring tournament, setting him up for a match against Reigns. I don’t think I really care too much about revisiting their feud again. The Shield broke up twelve years ago. Can we move on?

One can argue that WWE is doing so well right now they don’t need to change anything. And WWE has such a giant advantage over every other wrestling promotion in the world, there’s no real rush to do anything. But eventually, the wrestlers listed above are going to age out, and the best time to start pushing in a new era of wrestlers is now, while the company is hot. Otherwise, by the time new stars are made, they’re already in their 30s, and soon the cycle will repeat itself. WWE needs to be more pragmatic about who can be a top star before it eventually comes back to haunt them.

Wrestling Weekly: Nothing new in the WWE main event scene

Posted on by Victor Sosa

After a week away, Les Thatcher and Vic Sosa return on Wrestling Weekly to talk all the things happening in WWE and AEW.

In WWE, it may be more what’s not happening for three talents in particular with main event potential, while in AEW, Mercedes Mone returned this week and the story between Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay continued.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

WWE’s reported plans for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 43

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

WWE’s plans for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 43 and his rival has reportedly been discussed and a backup idea has allegedly been thrown around.

While it is not confirmed or official, Self Made Pro reported that WWE is planning a feud between Reigns and Oba Femi for WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia. It has been reported that WWE is considering either Seth Rollins or Femi as Reigns’ opponent at SummerSlam, with the other potentially being saved for a WrestleMania 43 showdown. There is no confirmation on the matter. These are possible scenarios being discussed if The Rock is unable to make an appearance for WrestleMania.

In 2024, a blockbuster feud between The Rock and Reigns was teased. However, it stirred an uproar when Rock’s return was presented as poised to overtake Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania main event spot despite winning the Royal Rumble and earning his opportunity by right. That evolved into a tag team match for Night 1 at WrestleMania that year with Rhodes teaming up with Seth Rollins against Reigns and Rock.

The Rock’s last WWE appearance was at Elimination Chamber 2025 where he was the mastermind in John Cena’s heel turn. He also played a key role in ambushing Rhodes, catching him off guard in a surprise attack in spite of showcasing a truce between the two earlier in the year.

Meanwhile, a feud between Reigns and Femi was imminently teased shortly after his World Title win at WrestleMania 42. Femi challenged him to a match and fans began chanting for Femi during Reigns’ post-show appearance. The champion addressed their cheers while putting Femi and other aspiring challengers on notice.

At Clash in Italy on May 31, Reigns defeated Jacob Fatu in a Tribal Combat match for the World Heavyweight Championship. And this forced Fatu to officially ‘acknowledge him as the Tribal Chief’ on the Raw that followed. Rhodes put his Undisputed WWE Championship on the line against Gunther at the Premium Live Event.

Later, backstage, Reigns and Rhodes had a staredown potentially teasing a match for Night of Champions on June 27 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

First competitor advances to WWE King of the Ring semifinals

Posted on by Joseph Currier

It didn’t take Oba Femi very long to bounce back from his loss to Brock Lesnar at WWE Clash in Italy.

The 2026 King of the Ring tournament began on Raw today with Femi defeating Solo Sikoa, Penta, and Carmelo Hayes in a fatal four-way match to advance to the semifinals. His opponent in that round is set to be either Dominik Mysterio, Bron Breakker, Trick Williams, or Damian Priest.

Femi got the victory with a Fall From Grace on Sikoa. During the match, WWE teased that interference from Talla Tonga was going to remove Femi from contention — but Femi was able to return after Tonga had sent him into the crowd. He emerged from the barricade and took out Tonga, Hayes, and Penta before pinning Sikoa.

In a post-match promo, Femi addressed his loss to Lesnar from Sunday. He took Lesnar’s best shot and is still standing the next day. He reminded Lesnar that they are tied up at 1-1, and he’ll see Lesnar down the line.

Updated WWE King of the Ring bracket —

King of the Ring is Femi’s immediate focus, though, with the tournament set to play out on Raw and SmackDown over the next few weeks in advance of the finals taking place at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia on June 27. The Queen of the Ring finals are also being held at that PLE, with the winners earning World title shots at SummerSlam.

Femi, Dominik, Breakker, Williams, Priest, Seth Rollins, Je’Von Evans, Talla Tonga, Ricky Saints, Jey Uso, LA Knight, Royce Keys, and Finn Balor are the competitors still in the running to win King of the Ring.

WWE King of the Ring 2026 bracket (Image credit: WWE)

Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi result at WWE Clash in Italy 2026

Posted on by Ian Carey

Brock Lesnar defeated Oba Femi at WWE Clash in Italy 2026.

Lesnar picked up the victory after delivering his seventh F5 of the match, which went six minutes and 21 seconds. He had jumped Femi before the bell and gave his opponent four F5s in the early going.

After the bout, Lesnar was shown shouting at Femi that they were now 1-1 against each other.

For Lesnar, he is now 5-5 in his last 10 singles matches in the company, dating back to his SummerSlam 2022 bout against Roman Reigns.

For Femi, this is the 28-year-old’s first loss in a singles match since Ricky Saints defeated him for the NXT Championship at No Mercy on September 27, 2025.

Brock Lesnar’s future after WWE Clash in Italy

Last week, reports surfaced that despite his apparent retirement at WrestleMania 42, Lesnar is expected to continue with WWE past Clash in Italy. He is not expected for the upcoming Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 18.

Dave Meltzer addressed Lesnar’s future in the April 27, 2026 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, writing that most in WWE expect his retirement to take place at WWE SummerSlam in Minnesota this year.

WWE stars who need a win at Clash in Italy | Opinion 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Sunday’s WWE Clash in Italy features several rematches against talent with some stars seeking to either gain momentum or shift momentum in their favor. With championship implications and ongoing storylines, the PLE presents a crucial opportunity for stars to re-establish themselves. 

Here’s a few talents who need to win at WWE Clash in Italy.

Sol Ruca

Ruca won their non-title SNME bout via disqualification last weekend as an awkward landing after the Sol Snatcher forced the stoppage. 

Ruca and Lynch had their first encounter on the May 4 edition of Raw. Ruca was in the middle of signing her contract, officially transitioning to the main roster. Lynch intervened to confront Adam Pearce for her impromptu match against IYO SKY the previous week. 

Despite the mixed reactions, Lynch levels up and boosts her opponents. While it seems like the Women’s Intercontinental Title is struggling to brand its own identity, Ruca’s win could help define it with exciting matches and feuds. 

Oba Femi

Femi already showed his physicality and worth against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42. Another win against him would help cement him as WWE’s next powerhouse attraction. He has developed the momentum, but a second win over someone of Lesnar’s stature would solidify his credibility as a main event force.

It would also avoid predictable squash matches which were taking place as a part of Femi’s open challenges after WrestleMania. Apart from a rivalry with Roman Reigns, which was teased in the Mania post show and Gunther’s interest in a possible feud, the pool of believable opponents is limited. 

Femi needs to gain a victory over Lesnar again at Clash in Italy so he can strut on to better opportunities and most likely the World Heavyweight Championship. 

Jade Cargill

The formulaic attraction of Cargill’s limited title defenses during her initial World title reign made it difficult to sustain her character development. It often came across as WWE protecting her to ensure her dominant position. However, it fell flat. 

Rhea Ripley has strong connections to ongoing storylines. The tension with Charlotte Flair stemming from their history is teasing another singles feud down the line. Jacy Jayne confronting the champion on the April 24 edition of SmackDown demonstrated why WWE may be keen on keeping her in the center of the women’s division. 

Without the championship, Cargill could focus on fresh feuds against top notch opponents before a likely future as a two-time WWE Women’s Champion. 

Gunther

Gunther has already been presented as a physically dominant World Heavyweight Champion. If he defeats Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship Sunday, that would be the final step in establishing himself as the company’s ultimate in-ring force.

Rhodes is in his third reign as champion. Initially, he was backed by fans worldwide to end Roman Reigns’ record-breaking Universal Title reign and take over the reins of the new era in WWE. However, over time, his monotonous tone and persona has become predictable. 

With a heel like Gunther taking the WWE Title from Rhodes, it would give him some time off from the constant spotlight and refresh his character direction. Meanwhile, it would be a change of pace with Gunther’s brutal, methodical style of wrestling in the WWE Championship picture. 

Roman Reigns

The Tribal Combat match is built to feel like it’s Roman Reigns’ domain. Reigns’ presence is still central to WWE. While this reign may feel a lot like his last one, a loss this soon would risk undercutting the aura WWE has rebuilt for him since his return to full-time competition.

Jacob Fatu’s determination is set in the right place — to take everything Reigns has for himself. However, that might get the best of him and detour him from seeing the bigger picture, blinding him with the right motive and method to get the victory over Reigns. He has proven it multiple times that his anger and quest has been the main influence to determine his next move. 

At the same time, it would enable WWE to carefully plot who could take over the leadership reins from him instead of a rushed takeover by Fatu.

Gunther outlines key factor for Oba Femi feud in WWE

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Gunther is impressed with Oba Femi’s in-ring ability and commanding presence in his limited main roster run. He also addressed an important factor to consider if the two square off against each other in the future. 

Gunther praised Femi on the latest episode of the No Contest Wrestling Podcast. He described Femi as a ‘standout talent’ but reaching such a high level in his WWE career so early on could also come with pressure. Despite which, Gunther hopes to see Femi succeed. 

“I honestly don’t really spend too much time on looking what the other ones do. But I always keep an eye on the big picture and obviously Oba is a standout talent. I think in the short time he’s been in the company, he’s taken huge steps. But I think that’s also, we will see how he deals with that. That’s a big burden or a big responsibility right from the get go.” 

“I want to see him succeed in that, because I think he’s an amazing talent and the future is very bright for him. I hope he maintains that, stays around, so when it comes down to us two, he’s gonna be ready for it.” 

Gunther highlighted the possibility of a feud with Femi noting their contrasting physical appearances. He added that facing a more experienced opponent like himself would be the true test of Femi’s in-ring endurance. 

“And that’s a little to just clarify quickly because I’m tall and I’m a heavyweight, but people often, when they think about matches with Oba, it’s not gonna be like how Oba and Brock is. I wouldn’t meet up with Oba on a physical level. He’s stronger than I am, I don’t know if he’s a little bit taller or not, and he’s younger than I am. So it makes absolutely no sense, I think what would make that interesting is seeing me work from underneath a little bit, wrestle from underneath against a stronger opponent.”

“I think that’s a test that would be interesting for him, how to last in a longer match, how to endure 20 minutes with somebody much, much, much more experienced than him.” 

“And that’s why I need him to gain experience himself first, because when I meet him, I wanna meet him on eye level.”

This weekend at Clash in Italy, Gunther challenges Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Meanwhile, Femi collides with Brock Lesnar in a rematch following their WrestleMania showdown. 

WWE Raw live results: Tribal Combat contract signing

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: May 25, 2026
Location: Schottenstein Center in Columbus, OH 

The Big Takeaway —

Raw featured another contract signing, a fun Intercontinental title match, and a nonsensical show-long storyline involving Austin Theory, Seth Rollins, and The Street Profits. 

On a personal note: this report will be my final time covering a WWE show. See more below. 

**********

Show Recap —

Paul Heyman paced around the ring, awaiting his cue to start the show as the announcers plugged Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar at Clash in Italy. 

Heyman said he was there to hype a match that didn’t need to be hyped. (His speech was interrupted by chants of “Oba.”) He called this rematch the biggest in professional wrestling history, and he cut to the video screen for a pre-taped Lesnar promo. 

Lesnar congratulated Femi on his WrestleMania victory, but said that win was going to cost him. Lesnar has had his ass beat before, but nothing quite like that. It was so bad that Lesnar was done (and left his gloves in the ring). However, it wouldn’t end like that for him. Lesnar asked, “Brock Lesnar can take an ass-whooping, but can you?” He said Femi would get his ass kicked by a humbled, retired beast, and he would rule over Femi. 

Heyman said the good news was that everyone would get to see history, but the bad news was that Femi had awakened the beast. 

Femi entered and cornered Heyman. Femi said he might have awoken Lesnar, but “what do you think four F5s has awoken in Oba Femi?” Heyman was panicking, so Femi assured him he was safe. Femi wanted Heyman alive to see him retire Lesnar a second time. Heyman liked to say it was only business, but four F5s seemed pretty personal to him. 

Femi pulled out the contract and signed it on Heyman’s chest. He told Heyman to deliver a message: “Last time, I was fighting to beat him. This time, I’m fighting to kill him.” (The crowd liked Femi, but that line only got a modest reaction from them.) 

********

Roman Reigns was shown arriving earlier. It’s his birthday, so a stagehand tried handing him a mystery gift, but he chucked it aside. Jacob Fatu, Rey Mysterio (announced as the new GM of AAA), and Judgment Day also arrived. 

Intercontinental Championship match: Penta (c) vs. Je’Von Evans

Evans immediately went for a cutter, but Penta blocked it. Evans hit a hurricanrana instead, then landed on his feet after Penta tried a hurricanrana of his own. After a quick exchange of counters and a face-off, Evans joined Penta in doing his little dance. 

However, Evans nailed an unsuspecting Penta with a dropkick before hitting a leaping dive. Evans tried a springboard move back in the ring, but Penta superkicked him out of the air. Moments later, with Penta back outside the ring, Evans went for a suicide dive, but Penta used his momentum to toss him into the edge of the announce table. 

Evans fought back during a break by driving Penta over the barricade before hitting a springboard clothesline back into the ring. As Michael Cole noted, Evans was no longer smiling. He traded chops with Penta, but instead of going for another chop, Evans hit a sudden knee strike and a cutter for a nearfall. Penta responded with a backstabber for two. 

With Penta hunched over on the apron, Evans leaped over the ropes and hit a cutter onto the edge of the ring for a two count. Penta blocked another springboard move and hit a Penta driver for a nearfall. 

Penta went to the top, but Evans leaped to the top rope and hit an avalanche hurricanrana. Evans went for an OG Cutter, but Penta nailed him with a mid-air superkick. Penta went for a destroyer, but Evans countered with a knee strike. 

Evans went for the OG Cutter again, but Penta caught him with a mid-air backstabber, followed by a Canadian Destroyer for the pinfall win. 

— Penta raised Evans’ hand post-match, but a frustrated Evans pulled his hand away and left the ring. Penta celebrated with his belt. 

Match result: Penta defeated Je’Von Evans to retain the Intercontinental Championship (11:31)

An excellent TV match. Evans is ready to be a singles champion. 

******** 

Austin Theory gets a new tag team partner 

Austin Theory approached Heyman backstage. Theory was ready to hand over his tag title belt to Heyman, who wasn’t sure why. Theory said Logan Paul was hurt, so he wasn’t sure what to do with it. Heyman said Logan knew that this business wasn’t ballet. 

Heyman also put it in every contract that “The Vision” would be the ones defending the tag titles, without specifying who. Heyman said Theory could defend the titles with Bron Breakker. Heyman explained further until Theory gave him a big hug and thanked him. 

Heyman told Theory, “I did this for you because I believe in you. Because I wanted this for you.” (Probably some reality to that line.) Theory wanted to take out anyone involved in taking out Logan. Heyman was on board. 

(It’s pro wrestling logic, but it’s silly that Heyman can simply put “The Vision” in the contract, and Adam Pearce wouldn’t make him specify which members make up the team.) 

********

Joe Hendry was in the ring, I guess for a concert. He sang his Fire Logan Paul song again until Theory attacked him from behind with a steel chair. Theory hit Hendry repeatedly in the back with the chair. Theory was about to leave, but turned around to hit Hendry’s “head” against the steel post (it was done safely). Officials checked on Hendry. 

Backstage, Seth Rollins approached Angelo Dawkins. Rollins said he knew what it felt like to get screwed over by the Vision (as the Street Profits did at SNME). But they had an opportunity with Logan gone. The Vision was the weakest they’ve ever been, but they were also the most dangerous. (What?) Rollins said she’s never seen that side of Theory, and they should put the Vision out for good. 

Montez Ford approached and was not having this. Ford wasn’t interested in Rollins’ redemption story. Rollins said if he were around for their match, the Street Profits would be tag champs right now. They didn’t have to be friends when this was over; they just needed to work together to get rid of the Vision.  

Rollins knew why Ford didn’t trust him, but he was also the only one between them who was a multi-time world champion and a WrestleMania main-eventer. Ford said he never stabbed his brother in the back. Ford wanted a match against Rollins tonight, and Rollins accepted. Dawkins was annoyed. 

********

There was a video package for the El Grande Americano vs. Original El Grande Americano, Mask vs. Mask match in AAA on Saturday. 

Penta approached Evans backstage. Evans apologized for being unprofessional earlier. He called Penta a great champion, but let him know he’d be seeing him again soon. They bumped fists. 

Rey Mysterio approached Penta and congratulated him on his success. Penta congratulated him on his position in AAA, too. Penta wanted to be a fighting champion, and there was no one he would rather face than Mysterio. Rey liked the sounds of that. Penta left to go talk to Pearce. 

******** 

Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez (w/ Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan & AAA Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio) vs. Lyra Valkyria & Bayley

Bayley made a hot tag following a break, hitting Perez with a back suplex and sunset flip powerbomb into the corner. Valkyria tagged in and teamed with Bayley to hit Perez with a combo neckbreaker. 

They awkwardly made their way to the side of the ring so they could be in position for Morgan to put Perez’s leg on the bottom rope. However, the ref saw this and tossed her from ringside. Morgan protested, so Bayley attacked her. Rodriguez clotheslined Bayley, and Valkyria wiped out Rodriguez. Perez tried to use the distraction by applying a schoolboy, but Valkyria kicked out. Morgan finally left ringside. 

Bayley tagged in and went to the top rope, but Dom distracted the ref, so Rodriguez shoved Bayley off the top. Perez hit Bayley with Pop Rox, and Valkyria was supposed to break up the cover, but she was late, so Bayley kicked out of Perez’s finisher. 

Rodriguez tried powerbombing Valkyria out of the ring, but Valkyria used a leg scissors to wipe them both over the top rope. 

Dom leaped on the apron to distract the ref so Perez could use his AAA title as a weapon, but she got in a tug-of-war with Bayley. Bayley knocked Perez backward, and Perez knocked Dom off the apron by accidentally hitting him with the belt. Bayley rolled up Perez for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Bayley & Lyra Valkyria defeated Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez (10:50)

A mess of a match. Awkward-looking spots with tons of interference and distractions. Rodriguez and Valkyria, in particular, were off in this match, and the overbooked spots didn’t help. 

********

Roman Reigns met with Pearce backstage. Pearce didn’t think Jacob Fatu should be employed by WWE. Reigns understood, but he had to show the power and stroke that they (the Bloodline) had. 

Reigns didn’t actually want to go back to his old ways and didn’t realize Fatu knew he had the ace to pull by challenging him to Tribal Combat. But Fatu knew Reigns had no choice but to accept as Tribal Chief. Reigns said there had to be consequences in the contract. If Fatu lost, he had to serve Reigns. But if Fatu won, he wished Pearce luck, because they were all screwed. 

******* 

There was a Memorial Day video narrated by Cody Rhodes. 

LA Knight promo

LA Knight entered. He said it’s been a while since he’s felt this. It’s been since WrestleMania since he stood in the ring in front of everyone. He wished everyone a happy Memorial Day and thanked all of their service members. 

Knight put the Vision in his rear-view mirror at WrestleMania and stood with Jimmy and Jey Uso, but the Usos have been doing things a bit differently lately. Next week on Raw, the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments begin, and he was throwing his name in the hat. That meant he would be earning a title shot and was coming for Roman Reigns, who was the most corrupt champion he’s ever seen. 

Jimmy Uso interrupted. He said he fought side-by-side with Knight against the Vision at Mania. Knight said that was true, but now Jimmy was with Reigns, fighting three-on-one. It rubbed Knight the wrong way, and he was one of the Bloodline’s past victims. 

Jimmy understood because a lot of people had a problem with the Bloodline. They made things ugly for everyone for years. They did what they had to do, but it wasn’t like that anymore. Jimmy invited Knight to enter KOTR because if he won, he’d have a fair shot at Reigns. 

Knight heard the word “fair” and asked if Jimmy was being honest with him, or if he was even being honest with himself. Knight saw Jimmy playing third-fiddle to Reigns, behind Jey, and didn’t want to see him become Reigns’ errand boy again. 

Jimmy said Knight was lucky the Yeetman wasn’t there, because if he was, they wouldn’t be talking. Knight said that proved his point. The two of them would attack him two-on-one, and maybe Reigns would join them, just like they did to Fatu. 

Jimmy said their family business had nothing to do with Knight, so he should tread carefully, or he would become their business. 

Knight said Jimmy was the one he liked. He was ok with Jey. But he didn’t like Reigns then, and he didn’t like him now. Reigns always needed somebody’s help. If the family business became his business, he would make sure they went out of business. Knight told Jimmy to deliver that message to Reigns. 

********

Ethan Page interrupted a conversation between Pearce and Rey. Page didn’t like that Rey was trying to get an IC title match. Rusev jumped in next, wanting to know what was going on. Page said Pearce and Rey were conspiring against Rusev. Rusev believed him, so he wasn’t happy to hear this. Rey was more than happy to fight Rusev to earn an IC title match. Pearce made it official. 

******** 

90 minutes into Raw, we’ve had two matches amounting to about 22 minutes. 

Seth Rollins vs. Montez Ford

After a break, Rollins hit a superplex into a falcon arrow for two. They traded counters until Rollins hit a Pedigree for two. With Ford down, Rollins tried to talk sense into him and convince Ford that he’s changed. Ford slapped him, so Rollins hit consecutive buckle bombs. 

Rollins went for a third buckle bomb, but Ford countered and drove him out of the ring. Ford hit a running flip dive over the corner to the outside, followed by a frog splash in the ring for two. 

Ford went for a 450 splash, but Rollins dodged it and hit a curb stomp. Rollins was exhausted, but fell into a cover for the pinfall win. 

— After the match, Dawkins scampered out to the stage where Theory attacked him with a steel chair. Theory continued the attack until officials ran out. Pearce called him sick. 

Match result: Seth Rollins defeated Montez Ford (12:35)

This match was fine, but a step down from what you might expect. Unlike the Evans’ match earlier, it didn’t feel like Ford deserved a better fate here, but that seemed to be the point. 

********

Backstage, Ford was steaming and wanted an update from Pearce on Dawkins. Rollins joined in and wanted an update, too. Ford finally agreed with Rollins that there were bigger things going on and bigger fish to fry. His brother was down, and he needed them. Rollins and Ford nodded at each other before Ford went into the trainer’s room to check on Dawkins. 

Rollins told Pearce he wanted Breakker and wanted the match as soon as possible.

(Breakker wasn’t on the show tonight, and Paul is out with an injury, so it’s odd that they’re having so much trouble against one guy with a steel chair.) 

********

Clash in Italy (airing 2 pm ET/11 am PT): 

  • Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Gunther for the WWE Championship 
  • Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship 
  • Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar 
  • Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu in Tribal Combat for the World Heavyweight Championship 
  • Becky Lynch (c) vs. Sol Ruca for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship 

********

Becky Lynch interview 

Cathy Kelley interviewed Lynch backstage. Kelley said Sol Ruca was sidelined with injuries tonight, and it seemed like Lynch had the advantage for their upcoming match. 

Lynch said some people got punched in the face and became the face of the industry, while others got punched in the face and got a wake-up call that they were in over their heads. Ruca was totally outmatched. 

Some people might be impressed with her tricks and flips, but she hasn’t picked up a single pinfall victory since her debut. Ruca’s name was written in sand, but the tide was coming in. Lynch’s name was etched in stone and would be around forever. There was a difference between striving for greatness and standing across from it. Lynch welcomed her to the big time. 

******** 

Ethan Page joined commentary for this match. 

Rey Mysterio vs. Rusev

They played cat-and-mouse until Rey set up for a 619, but Rusev popped off the middle rope and clobbered him with a back elbow. Rusev was in control, but Rey came back after a break with a low seated senton and Lionsault for two. Rey tried a springboard move, but Rusev caught him and hit a spinning side slam, followed by a Machka Kick for two. 

Rusev tried chucking Rey through the ropes, but Rey countered by hitting a 619 to the gut. Rey went for a regular 619, but Rusev caught him. Rusev went for the Accolade, but Rey quickly slipped out and applied a schoolboy for the pinfall win. Page was displeased. 

Rey is now the number one contender for the IC title, setting up a potential match against Penta. 

— Rusev attacked Rey after the match, so Dragon Lee ran out to make the save. Page ran into the ring, but Dragon Lee fought him off and used a hurricanrana to drive him into Rusev. Dragon Lee wiped out Page with a flip dive while Rey hit Rusev with a 619. Dragon Lee hit Rusev with Operation Dragon and posed tall with Rey. 

Match result: Rey Mysterio defeated Rusev (9:27) 

********

An irate Pearce told Theory he’d had enough and kicked him out of the building. Theory said it wasn’t enough after what happened to the rest of the Vision. Pearce told him again that he was done for the night. Heyman settled things down and walked Theory out of the building. 

They walked past Alpha Academy as they left. Otis and Akira Tozawa weren’t impressed. Maxxine Dupri told them to cut Theory some slack. She said she’d catch up with them later, and she left. 

(Seriously, what’s stopping Ford and Rollins from ambushing Theory right now?)

******** 

Next week on Raw (airing at 2 pm ET/11 am PT): 

  • King and Queen of the Ring tournaments begin 

As Knight referenced earlier, the tournament winners earn title shots. 

********

Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu contract signing 

This was the second contract signing with these two men in the past four weeks. 

Jacob Fatu entered first, and security filled the aisleway. Fatu signed the contract, then he chucked the leather chairs and table out of the ring at the security guards. Security swarmed into the ring, but Pearce settled them all down. 

Roman Reigns entered. He signed the contract. Reigns told Pearce and security to leave them. Pearce thought it might be smart for security to remain. Reigns said Fatu made a blood oath. He can’t touch him until Italy. Reigns told them to leave now, so they did. 

Reigns told Columbus to acknowledge him. They did. Reigns told Fatu this could have been simple. After Reigns beat him, Fatu could have acknowledged him, and they could have moved on to the next mission. 

Fatu said hell no. Fatu wasn’t like everyone else. Reigns was indeed the reason their family was living the life that they were, that their family was living on top of the mountain. Reigns elevated the family and took them to the promised land. But he could only take them so far. It was time for a change. It was time for another destination. 

Fatu smiled and asked Reigns whether he lived by the Bloodline’s code at Backlash, or if he bent the rules just to beat him. Fatu knew Reigns did what he had to do in that match, but in Tribal Combat, anything goes. Fatu would dog-walk Reigns’ bitch-ass. When Fatu took over all of this, everyone would face the consequences. 

Reigns said he was a man of his word. If Fatu won, he would be head of the table. Fatu would lead, and Reigns would follow. But if Fatu couldn’t dog-walk him, Reigns would walk him like a dog. Reigns would domesticate him. Fatu would serve him, learn from him, and, in time, Fatu would love his Tribal Chief. 

Fatu was on board with that. This was a win for him. Even if Reigns won, Fatu still had a job. Nothing changed there. But when Fatu won, everyone—including Reigns—would learn how to acknowledge him. 

They shook hands and touched foreheads to make it official.

*************** 

I won’t go into it too in-depth here, but as mentioned above, this will be my final time covering WWE. I’ve been watching WWF/WWE basically my entire life. The quality of the product has been much worse than it is now many times over the past three-plus decades, but it’s become increasingly difficult to follow this company as a whole for a long list of reasons. 

I’ve already stopped buying merchandise and attending shows. But continuing to cover the shows doesn’t feel worth the time and mental fatigue, especially with a full year of programming ahead culminating in a WrestleMania show that, as it stands now, represents much of what’s wrong with the company. There’s more to it than that, but I’ll leave it there. 

I’m (probably) not disappearing entirely from this website, for those wondering. This also isn’t me encouraging anyone to stop watching WWE. Like what you like. But I’m done with it. 

Roman Reigns & Jacob Fatu contract signing, Oba Femi set for WWE Raw

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Roman Reigns, Jacob Fatu, and Oba Femi are all set for Monday’s Raw.

Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu will hold their contract signing just days before their Tribal Rules match at Clash in Italy on May 31. This past Monday’s Raw showed Fatu and Reigns clashing once more, this time with Reigns standing tall thanks to help from The Usos. The Bloodline started to leave the ring, but as they made their way towards the entrance stage Fatu issued the Tribal Rules challenge for Turin. Reigns accepted, giving Fatu another chance at the World Heavyweight title.

Meanwhile, Oba Femi will appear and will likely want to talk about Brock Lesnar after he interrupted Femi’s open challenge last week, dropping Femi with four F-5’s. Furthermore, when Adam Pearce tried to get Paul Heyman to explain what was going on, Heyman gave Pearce a contract for Clash in Italy with Brock Lesnar’s signature on it, making it clear that Lesnar was far from retired.

WWE Raw (May 25)

  • Roman Reigns – Jacob Fatu contract signing
  • Oba Femi will appear

Brock Lesnar Retired And I Was OK With That | Opinion

Posted on by Jeff Moss

One of the more memorable moments for me during this past Wrestlemania was the surprising and genuinely emotional retirement of one Brock “by God” Lesnar. After losing his match to Oba Femi, a tearful Lesnar removed his boots and left them in the ring, the universal signal that a wrestler is retiring, 

Now, I know a few things; Comic Book characters never stay dead, The Rolling Stones will never stop touring and wrestlers have a really hard time staying retired. However, in this case WWE went as far as to move Lesnar to the “Alumni” section of their website and it seemed like we maybe, possibly, had really seen the last of The Beast Incarnate. 

Fast forward to this past week’s RAW and not only is Lesnar back, but he’s already got a contract for a rematch against Femi (that he seems to have written himself?) in Europe. Not only that, but it will assuredly lead to a SummerSlam “rubber” match between the two, where we might actually see Lesnar retire as the event is on his home turf Minnesota. 

It’s Not That I’m Mad, Just Disappointed

To say that Lesnar’s return comes with mixed feelings is to say that when he returned last summer it was to mixed feelings. Is Brock a great attraction and one of the most dominant presences in WWE? Yes. Was he wrapped up in a bunch of unseemly things involving the former chairman of the board? Yes, yes he was. I would have been OK if Brock simply went away and farmed trees or did whatever he does on that compound of his in Saskatchewan. 

So, when Brock returned to face John Cena on his retirement tour, it was distasteful, but made sense. Lesnar was one of the biggest obstacles that Cena never really overcame and one more match between the two seemed like a good idea and then maybe the end for both of them.

However, when Brock then squashed Cena at the ridiculously named Wrestlepalooza, my heart sank. “He’s going to be around for a while, isn’t he?”I said out loud to the no one else that was in the room at the time. “Yeah” I answered. “Yeah…”

So when Lesnar unlaced his boots at Wrestlemania, I literally breathed a sigh of relief. I wouldn’t have to have that reminder of one of the darkest chapters in WWE (and that’s saying something) crushing people with the three things he does. 

Now, as a fan, I’m faced with it all over again. Here’s a guy who is by and large very entertaining, but also not someone I particularly want to see on TV. The conflicted feelings run deep, and what makes it worse is that what seemed like a legitimate and emotional moment at Wrestlemania was taken away. Considering how few of those moments we got this year, that just makes it sting a little bit more. 

What’s Done Is Done And It Should Stay Done

Where does that leave me as a viewer? Do I want to see Femi beat Lesnar? Of course I do, and I did. I saw him handle the Beast like, well, like Lesnar would have handled someone 15 years ago and made my peace with that being it for Brock.

To put it flatly, I simply don’t care about a trilogy between Femi and Lesnar. From a story telling perspective, from a legacy perspective and from a building Femi up as the “next big thing” perspective, it just doesn’t make sense and screams of someone in WWE saying “we got a lot of heat out of these two, lets see how hard we can squeeze the stone.” I would much rather see Femi built up by tearing through current stars, which the man has proven he can do, 

If we are going to ignore everything about Brock Lesnar and play along with this one final cash grab off his slowly turning purple back, then fine. Let’s get it over with. But it just goes to show that the TKO era of WWE isn’t about anything right now other than milking things with name recognition at the cost of realizing the future. 

Brock Lesnar returns, attacks Oba Femi on WWE Raw

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Brock Lesnar is back, and it looks like he’ll be wrestling in Italy.

On Monday, Oba Femi headed to the ring for his open challenge when suddenly someone entered the ring and attacked him. When the lights came on, it was none other than Brock Lesnar, who destroyed Femi with four F5s. After he was done, Lesnar looked at Femi and smirked before leaving the ring. Femi recovered enough to stare down Lesnar as he headed up the rampway.

Following the commercial break, Adam Pearce found Paul Heyman in his office and asked him what was going on, as he had filed retirement papers on Lesnar’s behalf. Heyman gave Pearce a contract, saying it was for a match between Lesnar and Femi for Clash in Italy and it already had Lesnar’s signature on it. Heyman told Pearce that if Femi signed it, it would set up the biggest rematch in history.

Brock Lesnar & WWE heavily suggested he had retired

At WrestleMania 42 last month, Lesnar lost to Oba Femi in quick fashion, falling to Femi’s powerbomb. After the match, an emotional Lesnar took off his gloves and boots and placed them in the ring, hinting that it was the end of his in-ring career. In the weeks following his apparent retirement, WWE had placed Lesnar in the alumni section of their website. 

Despite this, PWInsider had recently reported he was still listed as an active performer internally within the company.

Donovan Dijak reveals WWE quietly tests wrestlers for attitude problems 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Donovan Dijak revealed WWE sometimes quietly tests wrestlers by assigning certain matches to determine how easy they are to work with. 

Responding to an X post about Femi’s wins on NXT against talents no longer associated with WWE, Dijak revealed it does not surprise him. He linked it with WWE’s silent test on wrestlers’ mindset going into certain matches to assess how they deal with the assignment. 

“I don’t even know if this is true or not, but it wouldn’t surprise me. WWE will often quietly test wrestlers to see if they have an attitude problem, especially if they have big plans in store. Oba obviously passed with flying colors, I never heard anything even remotely negative and he was a pleasure to work with,” tweeted Dijak. 

Femi transitioned to the main roster this year after four years on NXT. He competed and won his first WrestleMania match against Brock Lesnar last month. Since then Femi announced open challenges on Raw. Otis confronted him on the May 5 edition of the show and Femi defeated him within minutes.

This week on Raw, Adam Pearce announced there were no challengers to step up to Femi. He lashed out at Angel and Berto to make an example out of them.

WWE Raw live results: Jacob Fatu, Roman Reigns Acknowledgement Ceremony

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: May 11, 2026
Location: Food City Center in Knoxville, TN 

The Big Takeaway —

For the twelfth straight week, Raw did not have a main event match, but rather, ended with a non-wrestling segment. 

It was not a particularly noteworthy show, either. It ended with Jacob Fatu standing tall over a fallen Roman Reigns for the third straight week. It wasn’t enough of a beat-down to keep Reigns out of action for any length of time, as it was fairly similar to the angles we’ve seen already. Fatu also laid out the Usos. 

Elsewhere on the show, Iyo Sky said good-bye to Asuka, who appears to be gone, at least for a while. 

**********

Show Recap — 

After a Backlash recap video, wrestlers were shown arriving, and the announcers ran down tonight’s card. 

Adam Pearce approached Roman Reigns as he arrived at the arena in Knoxville. Pearce wasn’t sure Jacob Fatu deserved to even be here tonight after what he did at Backlash. Reigns wanted to know where his title (belt) was and why it wasn’t in his hand. A random stagehand ran up and handed Reigns his belt. 

Pearce reiterated that he didn’t think Fatu deserved to be here tonight, or even at all. Reigns said Pearce couldn’t fire Fatu, at least not tonight. Reigns was the one who brought him in, and he would be the one to take him out. 

******* 

The Vision segment 

Paul Heyman entered with Bron Breakker, Logan Paul and Austin Theory. Heyman talked about the devastation Breakker handed out at Backlash. Heyman said Seth Rollins claimed Breakker wasn’t ready, but it was Rollins who wasn’t. Rollins would never get a victory over any of them. Heyman expunged Rollins from the record of ever being a part of the Vision and said they would never mention his name again. 

They moved on to the Street Profits. Theory said the Street Profits needed the tag titles because they didn’t have Bianca Belair to pay the bills. 

Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins interrupted. Ford said Theory was right that Belair was busy with the baby, so somebody had to come to Raw to beat the Vision’s asses. The Street Profits wanted the titles. (Dawkins did not say anything, and Ford has done most, if not all, of the talking since they returned.) 

Paul called the Street Profits a legendary team, but they were old news, and the only notable thing Ford has done lately was organize a baby shower. Paul asked if Ford’s balls were in his red solo cup. 

Paul was tired of the talk, but was interrupted by Joe Hendry, who randomly appeared at ringside and sang his “Fire Logan Paul” song until they went to break. The opening match began during the break. 

Six-man tag team match: Bron Breakker & Tag Team Champions Logan Paul & Austin Theory vs. The Street Profits & Joe Hendry

Hendry made a hot tag and hit Paul with clotheslines and a fallaway slam before doing his little pose. Theory, not the legal man, attacked Hendry in front of the referee to give his team the advantage again. (Ford and Dawkins were out of the ring while this happened.) 

There was a boring heat segment during commercials until Hendry made a hot tag right in time for them to return from break. Ford and Dawkins knocked Breakker out of the ring before Ford wiped him out with a flip dive. Theory avoided a splash, but Ford gave him a powerslam instead for two. 

Dawkins tagged in, and the Profits set up for a double-team move, but Paul knocked Ford off the top rope. Hendry charged after Paul outside the ring, but Paul sent him into the steel steps. (That was it for Hendry in this match and post-match.) 

Breakker set up for a running spear around the ring, but Seth Rollins appeared and clotheslined Breakker. The referee somehow did not see this. Theory did see it, and it distracted him long enough for Dawkins to apply a schoolboy for the pinfall win. 

— Theory attacked Dawkins after the match, but Rollins dumped Theory out of the ring. 

Rollins helped Dawkins to his feet. However, Rollins dodged as Breakker went for a spear, and Dawkins got speared instead. Rollins superkicked Breakker out of the ring. Ford saw Dawkins down on the mat and got into a shoving match with Rollins. 

Match result: Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford & Joe Hendry defeated Austin Theory, Logan Paul & Bron Breakker (12:20) 

********

Backstage, Pearce met with the Original El Grande Americano, Bruto Credo and Julio Credo. Pearce was trying to clarify their new identities, and the Creeds pretended not to speak English even though it’s already been established that these are the Creed Brothers. 

Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio interrupted. Gable Americano didn’t appreciate being interrupted. Morgan tried to dismiss him, but Americano said this was serious lucha business. Dom said he wasn’t even a real luchador, and Americano was offended. 

Pearce decided to make Dom defend his AAA Mega Championship against Americano tonight. 

As Pearce turned to leave, Angel and Berto approached him to ask for an opportunity. Pearce was more than happy to listen. 

********

Penta and Ethan Page segment 

Penta entered. He called himself a fighting champion, and if Ethan Page wanted a title match, he should say it to his face. Page entered. 

Page mocked Penta for hiding behind face paint and a mask. Page did not hide. He was all ego, Ethan Page, and he hailed from the greatest country on Earth, Canada. He pinned Penta last week, so that should make him the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship, but Penta was probably afraid to lose to him again. 

Penta said he was not afraid and challenged Page to a match right now. Page gave Penta credit for being willing to defend the title, but Page wasn’t ready right now. 

Page said Penta didn’t understand what his title meant. The IC title was the token of excellence in WWE. Every mega star had to hold that title to prove themselves, and Page was the next mega star. The title deserved the spotlight, so Page challenged him to a match at Saturday Night’s Main Event instead. 

Penta urged Page to work hard if he wanted the title, because he was ready for war and would be ready. 

Rusev interrupted. Rusev said Page amused him. They both beat Penta last week, and it was Rusev who bounced Penta’s head off the announce desk. Page interrupted, but Rusev intimidated him, so Page let him continue. Rusev wanted a title match. 

Page claimed he talked to Pearce earlier and tried to get Rusev a title match first, but Je’Von Evans barged in and questioned why Rusev would get a title match if he couldn’t even beat him. 

Evans immediately interrupted (so he must’ve been waiting around Gorilla in case someone said his name). Evans said Page’s ugly-ass was lying because none of that happened. Evans didn’t talk to Page or Pearce, and didn’t say Rusev couldn’t beat him, even if that last part was true. 

Page shoved Evans into Rusev, which led to a brawl, and the babyfaces stood tall. During a break, Pearce made a match between Evans and Rusev (our second impromptu match so far). 

The crowd didn’t seem to care too much about any of this. 

Je’Von Evans vs. Rusev

Before the match started, Evans flew into the ring and clobbered Rusev with a running knee. The referee separated them to start the match, and Evans hit another knee strike. Rusev got the heat later by shoving Evans into the ring steps. 

Evans came back with a Whisper in the Wind, a hurricanrana, and a dropkick, but Rusev blocked his suicide dive attempt and gave him a fallaway slam onto the announce table. Another boring heat segment led to Evans making his comeback after a break, hitting a springboard clothesline for two. 

Rusev cut him off and hit a Ura-nage and Machka Kick for two. Rusev was frustrated that Evans kicked out, saying, “He’s a freaking child!” 

Evans came back with kicks, a leaping dive, and an OG Cutter for the clean pinfall win. 

Match result: Je’Von Evans defeated Rusev (12:11) 

An ok match, but a nice win for Evans. 

********

Two members of the Tennessee Volunteers football team were at ringside. 

There was a video package for the AAA Mega Championship and the Dom/Americano match tonight. 

Asuka and IYO SKY segment 

Asuka approached Iyo Sky backstage. Asuka gave her a big hug. She said he was looking for someone to take over her position, and finally, Sky was that person. She was glad it was Sky, and she was proud of her. 

Sky said they would always be family, even if they fought. Sky said, “Goodbye, Asuka-san,” and they hugged. Asuka said a few words in Japanese before kissing Sky’s forehead. Asuka left with her luggage. 

********

Paige and Brie Bella answer Judgment Day 

Brie Bella and Paige entered with their tag team title belts. They were ready for a fight, but they wondered where Judgment Day was after they made their challenge last week. 

Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez entered. Perez said she loved watching Paige and Bella on TV back when they were young and still relevant. Perez asked Brie if she remembered meeting her. Perez said Brie told her that she could carry on the Bella legacy, but she set the bar too low. 

Brie said it was Morgan who set the bar low. Brie wanted Perez to make her own legacy, not be a footnote for “the Judgment’s Day.” Brie said, “There’s someone more disappointed in you than me: your mom!” 

Rodriguez held back Perez from going after her. Rodriguez turned her attention to Paige—the girl who’s been given a million chances only to fumble each one. Rodriguez said we were all waiting for Paige’s next big scandal to hit, but they could save everyone the time by handing over the title belts right now. 

Paige and Brie attacked Judgment Day, but Morgan jumped in from behind to even the odds. Judgment Day laid out the champs. 

(This wasn’t good. This particular crowd does not seem interested in these talking segments tonight.) 

********

Jimmy Uso told Reigns that Jey was outside waiting for Fatu to talk him out of going to the ring tonight. Reigns wasn’t sure why he would do that. Jimmy thought Reigns should leave Fatu alone. 

Reigns said they made an agreement, and Fatu put his name on the contract. They were men of their word, and they were on top of the business. If Fatu couldn’t respect his own family, and there wasn’t respect from within, there wouldn’t be respect from those on the outside. Fatu had to acknowledge him. 

Jimmy still didn’t trust Fatu. Reigns said if Fatu didn’t acknowledge him, Fatu’s ass was out of here. Jimmy said he’d find Jey. 

******* 

There was a Rhea Ripley video package where she put over the importance of her time in NXT (including plenty of clips of Triple H showing her the way). 

Michael Cole said Asuka’s future was up in the air, and only time would tell.  

IYO SKY vs. Sol Ruca

They wrestled back and forth for the first few minutes until Ruca hit a springboard corkscrew dive to the outside. Sky came back with a butterfly backbreaker during a break for two. 

After the break, Sky hit an avalanche Spanish Fly for two. Ruca ducked a roundhouse kick and hit a spinning sit-out powerbomb for two. Sky came back with a missile dropkick. Sky missed a running corner meteora, so Ruca hit one of her own, but Sky came back and hit a double foot stomp for two. 

Sky went to the top, but Ruca shoved her off. Sky wrenched Ruca’s knee in the ropes, but Ruca booted her moments later. Ruca went to the top and hit a cartwheel DDT for a nearfall. That drew a modest “This is awesome” chant. Sky fought back and hit consecutive meteoras. 

Sky went for a moonsault, but Ruca got her legs up to block it. Ruca went for the Sol Snatcher, but Sky saw it coming and caught her in a crucifix cover for the pinfall win. 

Match result: IYO SKY defeated Sol Ruca (12:25)

This was a pretty good match, and a different pace than most matches on Raw. It should be fun to see what sort of match they have in a year or two. 

Sol Ruca’s finisher is not having a good run, however. She hit Morgan with the move in her debut and failed to win, failed to hit the move smoothly on Becky Lynch last week, and, within the context of this match, failed to hit the move at all and lost. She’s now winless in two Raw matches.

********

Jimmy approached Jey outside the arena. Jimmy didn’t feel good about this and thought Reigns was delusional at times. Jimmy and Jey both knew Fatu wasn’t going to acknowledge him. Jimmy said their family was stressful. Jey didn’t like hearing that and reminded him that their family was the reason they were there at all. Jimmy understood. He left to return to Reigns and wished Jey luck with Fatu. They shook hands. 

********

The Street Profits will get a tag title match against the Vision at SNME. 

Dawkins and Ford were about to be interviewed, but they were interrupted by Rollins. He said if they were serious about getting the titles off the Vision, they should talk. Ford was frustrated because he didn’t want Rollins involved. 

Dawkins wanted to hear him out, but Ford wasn’t interested. Rollins admitted he was wrong when he said they should stay out of each other’s way. Ford didn’t trust Rollins and said they didn’t need him to win the titles. Ford and Dawkins left. 

********

Backstage, Sky told Ruca that she was the future, and they would fight again one day. Ruca thanked her. 

Becky Lynch showed up, laughed at Ruca for losing to Iyo Jannetty, and said the lights must be too bright for her. 

********

Oba Femi entered and called out his next challenger, but Pearce came out to say that nobody backstage wanted to answer, so the open challenge was cancelled. The fans booed. 

Femi was pissed, so he marched backstage while calling everyone a coward. Angel and Berto were near Gorilla position in their street clothes, so Femi attacked them and dragged them to the ring. Femi demanded the referee ring the bell, so he did. 

2-on-1 handicap match: Oba Femi vs. Angel & Berto 

Femi hit multiple running corner uppercuts, tossed both guys around (tossing Angel right over the head of a hunched-over Berto) and gave Berto a Fall from Grace powerbomb for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Oba Femi defeated Berto & Angel (0:51) 

*******

JD McDonagh and Dom walked through the back as Dom made his way to the ring, but McDonagh was suddenly blinded by Finn Bálor. Bálor repeatedly shoved McDonagh into some equipment boxes. Dom was stunned. Bálor told Dom, “Looks like you’re gonna have to go out there alone, mate.” Dom said he had gold to defend, something Bálor knew nothing about. 

AAA Mega Championship match: Dominik Myserio (c) vs. Original El Grande Americano

This was the first time this title has been defended on Raw. 

There was a fun spot early in the match, where Dom monkey-flipped Gable Americano high in the air off the apron and into the top of the ring post. Dom was in control during the break, but Gable came back after the break with a superplex, Angle slam, and moonsault for a nearfall. Dom responded with a Michinoku Driver for two. Gable suplexed Dom into the corner before hitting a Dragon suplex for two. 

Rayo and Bravo Americano ran out to distract the referee and Gable. El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) hit Gable with a cheapshot, and Dom followed with a tornado DDT for a nearfall. Bruto and Julio Credo ran out to chase away Bravo and Rayo. 

Gable put Dom in an ankle lock, but Kaiser Americano leaped on the apron right in front of the referee (after he was already distracted earlier). Gable went after him and tried to rip off his mask, but that distraction allowed Dom to hit a 619 and a frog splash for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Dominik Mysterio defeated Original El Grande Americano to retain the AAA Mega Championship (9:04)

Gable looked great here, but this Americano feud needed to end weeks ago, and Gable needs to get out of this mask. 

********

Raw next week in Greensboro: 

  • Oba Femi open challenge 
  • Paige & Brie Bella (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez for the tag team titles 

Not sure how they can advertise an open challenge if nobody even answered it this week. 

*******

Jackie Redmond interviewed Paul and Theory backstage. Paul was still offended by Hendry’s song. Redmond asked if he meant the ‘Fire Logan Paul’ song. Paul told her to stop, “unless you want to get fired, too.” 

Paul said if he had to hear the song again, he would cut off his ears like Vincent Van Gogh. Theory told Paul to relax and told him they should go get dinner. 

Redmond tried asking Theory a question. He ignored the question and asked if she wanted a ride in their car. She said no. They left. (Maxxine Dupri was already in the back seat.) 

********

Acknowledgement Ceremony 

Roman Reigns entered with Jimmy Uso. Reigns told Knoxville to acknowledge him. They did. 

The camera cut to Fatu arriving at the arena, right on time. Jey tried pleading with him to stop as Fatu marched through the back. Jey warned him that he would only be creating problems for himself and his family. Fatu got to Gorilla, so Jey put his hands on him to stop and told him to be smart. Fatu headbutted Jey and laid him out. 

Fatu looked into the camera and told Reigns that if he wanted an acknowledgement, Reigns would have to beat it out of him. Fatu entered through the curtain and was met by Jimmy, but Fatu attacked him and laid him out, too. 

Fatu turned his attention to Reigns. Fatu entered the ring, and Reigns went right after him. Fatu fought him off and clotheslined him out of the ring. Fatu tried a dive, but Reigns hit a Superman punch. 

Reigns attacked Fatu repeatedly with a steel chair while telling Fatu to acknowledge him. Reigns went for a spear, but Fatu hit a superkick and applied the Tongan Death Grip (which did get a reaction from the crowd). Reigns fell out of the ring, so Fatu hit a suicide dive. 

Fatu tossed Reigns into the post and steel steps before clearing the announce table. Reigns tried to fight back, but Fatu cut him off and powerbombed him through the announce table. 

Fatu put Reigns in the Death Grip as officials swarmed him. Fatu let go and posed with the world title belt. 

They did the thing where they made it seem like the show was over as Fatu made his way up the ramp, but he instead sprinted back down to ringside. Jey and Jimmy were checking on Reigns, so Fatu hit a wild running hip attack, driving all three men through the barricade.

Here’s who we want to see answer Oba Femi’s future open challenges | Opinion 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

The Oba Femi open challenge series officially began on Monday’s WWE Raw with the first challenger — Otis — getting a viral forearm en route to a loss to “The Ruler.”

It was Otis’ first singles match on Raw since May 2025 and a rematch from their August 2024 clash in NXT for the NXT North American title.

With the series underway, here’s a few other wrestlers who could step in the ring with Femi on the upcoming editions of Raw.

Ilja Dragunov

Even after having one on-screen interaction, Dragunov and Femi never squared off in NXT despite being notable names on the brand.

Before WrestleMania 42, Dragunov was teasing a pursuit of the United States Championship, a title he lost to Carmelo Hayes in December. He was initially hesitant because he claimed wanting to go into the title match with a clear mind, avoiding all the mental blocks and confidence issues he said he was facing. 

Despite being on SmackDown, Dragunov could cross over to Raw to confront Femi as WWE has done in the past with their rosters.

Ivar 

During his reign as NXT North American Champion, Femi faced talents from the main roster, too. Ivar was one of them as he challenge Femi at NXT Spring Breakin’ on April 30, 2024.

On the February 2 Raw, Femi singlehandedly overpowered The War Raiders. Although Ivar has been competing solely in AAA the past couple of months, he could stop by Raw to seek redemption against Femi. 

Royce Keys

After debuting at the Royal Rumble, Keys finally competed in his first SmackDown singles match last month against Berto. 

With Femi being an unstoppable force in the ring, WWE could pit him against Keys in a showdown that could possibly escalate into a long term feud later. Perhaps Keys crosses over to Raw at some point before a big PLE to put that into motion, helping elevate Keys in the process.

Omos

Omos and Femi have stepped inside the ring once before, facing each other at an NXT house show in October 2025. Omos instigated the match after a brief interaction on one of the shows and stated that there could only be one Nigerian giant.

Their rivalry garnered a huge amount of attention on social media. That could be magnified if the two giants collide on WWE TV for the world to see and prove which one of the two is better in the ring. Additionally, it would also be an ideal pathway to bring back Omos to televised matches on the main roster which he hasn’t done in a very, very long time.