MSK’s shaman was revealed on this week’s episode of NXT.
The weeks-long build came to a head on this week’s show when the person behind the door was revealed to be Raw star and half of the Raw Tag Team Champions, Riddle. He called himself the “shaman bro” as MSK and Riddle sat cross-legged surrounded by candles. They asked him if they should be more serious. Riddle told them they would climb back to the mountaintop (regain the NXT titles) by being themselves and would be by their side, as long as they opened the bag they brought. The trio then opened the bag, but it was a tease for the next vignette.
Since losing the NXT Tag Team titles to Imperium at Halloween Havoc back in October, a series of vignettes have shown MSK traveling around the country looking for their shaman that would teach them more about tag team wrestling. On last Tuesday’s NXT, they had found the shaman’s location. They opened a nearby door and saw the shaman right as the segment ended.
The finals of the RK-Bro-Nament will take place on next week’s Raw.
Rey & Dominik Mysterio will take on The Street Profits in the finals of a tournament that started tonight on Raw. The Mysterios defeated Alpha Academy to advance, while The Street Profits defeated AJ Styles and Omos by countout when Omos did not enter the ring by the count of ten.
Riddle established the tournament tonight as a way to determine the next challengers for the WWE Raw Tag Team titles. Riddle, wearing a sport coat, did commentary for both matches. He first interviewed Styles, who was surprised by Omos walking out on him after Styles told Omos to listen to him. Later in the show, Riddle tried to interview Alpha Academy after their loss, but Otis ended up laying Riddle out with a slam.
Although Orton initally joined Riddle on commentary for the first match, he left Riddle prior to the second match, saying his broadcasting career was over, at least for now.
Raw will take place next week at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
The Raw Tag Team titles will be on the line at Crown Jewel.
It was announced today that RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) will defend their Raw Tag Team titles against AJ Styles & Omos when WWE returns to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel later this month. The show is taking place at Mohammed Abdu Arena in Riyadh on Thursday, October 21. It will air live on Peacock/WWE Network starting at noon Eastern time.
At SummerSlam this August, RK-Bro defeated Styles & Omos to win the Raw Tag Team titles. Orton & Riddle have made one title defense since then, retaining against Bobby Lashley & MVP.
Styles defeated Riddle in a singles match on Raw last week.
Orton & Riddle remained on Raw when they were selected in night one of the WWE Draft. Styles & Omos will be eligible to be selected when the draft concludes on Raw tonight.
Here’s the updated card for Crown Jewel:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Brock Lesnar
SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks in a triple threat match
Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) defend against AJ Styles & Omos
In the opening match of Saturday night’s SummerSlam main card, Randy Orton & Riddle defeated AJ Styles & Omos to win the Raw Tag Team titles. Orton pinned Styles after hitting an RKO. Riddle had taken out Omos by sending him into the ring post prior to the finish. Styles then backflipped off the apron and gave Riddle a reverse DDT on the outside.
Orton & Riddle were interviewed backstage by actor Mario Lopez after their title win. Orton said it’ll be smooth sailing for RK-Bro from here on out. When Orton left, Riddle told Lopez that he’ll have a surprise for Orton on Monday’s Raw.
RK-Bro reunited when Riddle saved Orton from an attack by Styles and Omos on Raw this past Monday. After being saved by him, Orton told Riddle that he’s earned his respect.
This is the second title Riddle has held on the main roster. He was previously United States Champion. During his time in NXT, Riddle held the NXT Tag Team titles with Pete Dunne.
It’s the first time Orton has been a tag team champion since he was part of The Wyatt Family in 2016.
Styles & Omos had been Raw Tag Team Champions since winning the titles from The New Day’s Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods at WrestleMania 37 this April.
The reunited RK-Bro are getting a Raw Tag Team title shot at SummerSlam.
WWE has announced that Randy Orton & Riddle will challenge for AJ Styles & Omos’ Raw Tag Team titles at SummerSlam this Saturday. The pay-per-view is taking place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Riddle challenged Styles & Omos to the title match after RK-Bro got back together on tonight’s Raw. RK-Bro reunited after Riddle made the save for Orton as he was being beaten down by Styles and Omos. Orton’s match against Omos tonight ended in a disqualification when the referee caught Styles attacking Orton at ringside.
Styles defeated Riddle earlier on tonight’s show. At the beginning of the match, Orton walked out on Riddle and refused to be in his corner. Styles got the win after Riddle was distracted by Omos.
After Riddle saved him from Styles and Omos, Orton told Riddle that he’s earned his respect. Orton said that even though he turned his back on Riddle, gave him an RKO last week, and walked out on him tonight — Riddle still came to his aid. Orton then gave Riddle a hug.
Styles & Omos have been Raw Tag Team Champions since winning the titles from The New Day’s Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods at WrestleMania 37 this April.
Here’s the updated card for SummerSlam:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against John Cena
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley defends against Goldberg
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defends against Sasha Banks
Raw Women’s Champion Nikki A.S.H. defends against Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match
Edge vs. Seth Rollins
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defend against Rey & Dominik Mysterio
United States Champion Sheamus defends against Damian Priest
Drew McIntyre vs. Jinder Mahal (Veer and Shanky are barred from ringside)
Raw Tag Team Champions AJ Styles & Omos defend against Randy Orton & Riddle
Bobby Eaton, one of the all-time greatest between the ropes
Jody Hamilton and the legend of the Assassins
Bray Wyatt and Ric Flair’s WWE departures
An update on how the biggest WWE & AEW shows upcoming are doing
WWE says AEW isn’t competition publicly and at the same time what was happening not publicly
Dragon Gate’s biggest shows of the year and the retirement of Masato Yoshino
A.J. McKee and the problems with the current set up in MMA
PWG returns
More detail on the ratings than any other source, how many different viewers the shows had, breakdown of who watches the shows, how they watch, DVR numbers and how long the average fan watches
Results of the major pro wrestling events of the past week
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
John Cena appeared before the crowd following last night’s Raw, giving a hug to Riddle and Randy Orton. He then teamed with Damian Priest in the dark match main event, defeating Jinder Mahal and Veer.
Riddle spoke to SportsKeeda regarding a recent interaction with Goldberg. “Bill Goldberg is extremely entertaining, I can’t take anything away from that but I’ll tell you this, I saw Bill the other day before he challenged Bobby Lashley and he was walking to the Gorilla Position and I was standing there and I was with Damian Priest at the time and he says hi to everybody and then Goldberg comes up to me gives me a look. He was making a face and then he goes, ‘Hey, congratulations kid….’ and I was like, ‘Oh man, Goldberg is kind of nice’, so I gave him a little handshake and he went out and challenged Bobby and then he was coming out, through Gorilla again and I was like, ‘Hey Goldberg, good stuff’ and as he gave me a fist bump he says, ‘I only need two moves’ so I was like, ‘Oh man, the guy’s still got it’”.
Keith Lee defeated Chico Adams in a dark match prior to last night’s Raw tapings.
A TikTok video shows the day in the life of the Baron Corbin character.
The former Bray Wyatt posted on Twitter for the first time since being released from WWE, posting a picture with text saying “You can’t kill it”.
Mercedes Martinez commented on her release for the first time on Twitter, writing: My life..I never thought I would ever make it to the WWE. I stayed dedicated, hustled, grinded, and sacrificed more than I could ever imagined to reach that goal. It took 20yrs…..but I wouldn’t change anything bc the universe has a way of making things work out. I never fit the mold ANYWHERE but I stayed TRUE to myself, ALWAYS. “The diamond in the rough” so to say….I truly want to thank @tripleh @wwe and @WWENXT for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. I understand this business is never a guarantee for anything, and that sometimes the risk is higher than the reward. I’m grateful, blessed and humbled. Thank you to all that have text, messaged, emailed, called, and to those that put me on blast on social media..lol. The overwhelming love does not go unnoticed. But…….DONT COUNT ME OUT! The BEST of me is still yet to be unseen. I’m rebuilding myself and I know my worth, always have. My drive, dedication, perseverance and my hard knocks stubbornness says I have more to prove. I’m looking forward to THE NEXT CHAPTER!……”
Masked Republic has secured visas to bring 50 luchadores to the US. Names include Psycho Clown, LA Park, Psicosis, Aero Star, Super Crazy, Mistico, and Drago. Japanese stars Ultimo Dragon, The Great Sasuke, and Tajiri are also part of the list.
QT Marshall spoke to Digital Spy about Shaq’s appearance on AEW television back in March, saying he lied to Shaq about the table spot he eventually agreed to. “He said something about maybe going through some tables and I told him, ‘Oh it won’t be that bad, we’ll put a really thick pad underneath,’ which was not true,” Marshall said. “I just didn’t want him to back out of it. So it was a lot of fun, as soon as he came in the back, right away, he said, ‘You lied to me! There was no pad under there!’ That’s wrestling ,welcome to wrestling.”
On last night’s episode of AEW Dark, Joey Janela turned on tag team partner Sonny Kiss, attacking him prior to a scheduled match. On social media, Janela wrote: “I did what I did not because Sonny, it’s because most mainstream wrestling “fans” are absolute losers, mutant scum! Always arguing about ratings, what’s wrestling & what’s not, who’s dating who, body shaming, & what’s going on backstage.. now you have a reason to really hate me!”
Mark Henry talked to The New York Post ahead of the debut of AEW Rampage on Friday, where he will be part of the commentary team.
Chelsea Green is the guest on this week’s Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette.
GCW will bring ‘EMO FIGHT’ to The Melrose Ballroom in New York City on September 23. It will stream live on Fite TV. In a press release, EMO FIGHT was described as “a popular celebration of emo, pop punk and your favorite music from the days of Myspace with the world of Game Changer Wrestling. “
Riddle is set to face off against one half of the Raw Tag Team Champions.
WWE has announced that Riddle vs. Omos will take place on Monday’s episode of Raw. The match comes after a distraction by AJ Styles and Omos caused Riddle to lose to John Morrison on Raw earlier this week.
During the Riddle vs. Morrison match, Riddle was distracted when Omos broke his scooter. Morrison then pinned Riddle after hitting Starship Pain. After the match, Styles laid out Riddle with the Styles Clash.
Styles & Omos retained their Raw Tag Team titles against The Viking Raiders earlier on this week’s Raw. Styles & Omos have held the titles since winning them from The New Day’s Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods at WrestleMania 37 this April.
Monday’s Raw is taking place at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Riddle’s tag team partner Randy Orton is listed for the episode on the Allstate Arena’s website, but whether or not he’ll be making his return at the show hasn’t been confirmed. Orton hasn’t appeared on Raw since June 21.
The Allstate Arena has announced that Goldberg will be appearing at Monday’s Raw. Goldberg is scheduled to challenge for Bobby Lashley’s WWE Championship at SummerSlam, but the match has yet to be officially announced.
Plus, Raw Women’s Champion Nikki A.S.H. will face Charlotte Flair in a non-title no holds barred match on Monday’s Raw.
John Cena was in action after last night’s Raw went off the air, teaming with Riddle in a dark match.
Cena & Riddle defeated Mace & T-Bar in a tag team match after last night’s Raw at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Cena got the hot tag at the end of the match and took out Mace and T-Bar. Cena and Riddle then hit a double Five-Knuckle Shuffle on Mace and T-Bar. Cena hit an Attitude Adjustment on Mace while Riddle laid T-Bar out with an RKO. Cena pinned Mace to get the win.
Cena didn’t appear on television last night. He was advertised to appear at the show but was never announced for TV.
Riddle lost to John Morrison on last night’s Raw. The finish of the match involved Riddle being distracted by AJ Styles and Omos, including Omos breaking Riddle’s scooter. Styles then hit the Styles Clash on Riddle in a post-match angle.
Mace & T-Bar lost to Mustafa Ali & Mansoor on Raw last night.
This was the fourth match that Cena has worked since making his return to WWE programming at Money in the Bank. Cena, Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio defeated Universal Champion Roman Reigns & The Usos in a dark match after last Friday’s SmackDown. That match also took place at two house shows over the weekend.
Cena is scheduled to challenge for Reigns’ Universal Championship at SummerSlam on Saturday, August 21. Here’s the full list of upcoming shows that Cena has been announced for:
Friday, July 30: SmackDown — Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Saturday, July 31: Supershow house show — Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Sunday, August 1: Supershow house show — Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan
Friday, August 6: SmackDown — Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida
Saturday, August 7: Supershow house show — Hertz Arena in Fort Myers, Florida
Monday, August 9: Raw — Amway Center in Orlando, Florida
Friday, August 13: SmackDown — BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Saturday, August 14: Supershow house show — Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina
Sunday, August 15: Supershow house show — Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina
Friday, August 20: SmackDown — Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona
Saturday, August 21: SummerSlam — Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada
Friday, September 10: SmackDown — Madison Square Garden in New York City
Drew McIntyre secured his Money in the Bank spot by winning a last chance qualifying match on last night’s Raw.
McIntyre defeated Riddle and AJ Styles in a triple threat match last night to qualify for Money in the Bank. It was originally supposed to be McIntyre, Styles, and Randy Orton in the match, but last night’s show began with Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville saying that Orton couldn’t compete due to circumstances beyond their control.
Riddle, who already qualified for Money in the Bank on his own by defeating McIntyre last week, wanted to wrestle on behalf of his RK-Bro partner Orton. Pearce and Deville gave Riddle a spot in the battle royal to determine Orton’s replacement. Riddle won the battle royal by last eliminating Damian Priest.
During the last chance qualifying match, Riddle was taken out when Styles moved out of the way and he kicked the steel steps instead. But Riddle returned and appeared to be on the verge of winning the match for Orton. He caught Styles with a knee strike as Styles was going for the Phenomenal Forearm. Riddle then gave Styles an RKO, but Omos pulled Styles out of the ring as Riddle was pinning him.
Riddle then turned around into a Claymore from McIntyre and McIntyre pinned him to get the win.
Ricochet, John Morrison, Riddle, McIntyre, and Big E have qualified for this year’s men’s Money in the Bank ladder match thus far. A Last Man Standing match between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn on this Friday’s SmackDown will determine one of the three remaining participants.
If McIntyre wins Money in the Bank, WWE has said that he’ll have to wait until Bobby Lashley is no longer WWE Champion if he wants to cash in for that title. A stipulation of McIntyre’s loss to Lashley at Hell in a Cell earlier this month is that McIntyre can’t challenge for the WWE Championship again while Lashley is still champion.
The field for this year’s Money in the Bank ladder matches has started to take shape.
The first five Money in the Bank qualifying matches took place on tonight’s episode of Raw. Ricochet, John Morrison, and Riddle qualified for the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match, while Asuka, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, and Nikki Cross qualified for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
Ricochet defeated AJ Styles to qualify for Money in the Bank, Morrison defeated Randy Orton, and Riddle defeated Drew McIntyre.
Asuka, Naomi, Bliss, and Cross all qualified for Money in the Bank through winning tag team matches. Asuka & Naomi defeated Eva Marie & Doudrop (Piper Niven). Bliss & Cross defeated Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler.
The men’s and women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches will each feature eight participants.
Styles, Orton, and McIntyre are set to face off in a triple threat last chance qualifying match on Raw next Monday. It will determine Raw’s final participant for the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
As a stipulation of him unsuccessfully challenging for Bobby Lashley’s WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell, McIntyre can’t challenge for the WWE Championship again while Lashley is still champion. It was said on Raw that, if McIntyre wins Money in the Bank, he would have to wait until Lashley loses the WWE Championship if he wants to cash in on that title. McIntyre could also cash in on the Universal Champion.
Money in the Bank is taking place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday, July 18.
WWE has made a second match announcement for Monday’s episode of Raw.
Riddle vs. Xavier Woods has been added to the lineup for Monday’s Raw. The show will also feature WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya & Tamina defending their titles against former champions Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler.
R-K-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) teamed with The New Day (Woods & Kofi Kingston) to defeat AJ Styles, Omos, Elias & Jaxson Ryker on the May 10 edition of Raw. But instead of celebrating with Woods and Kingston after the match, Orton laid them both out with RKOs. Riddle asked Orton how they’re ever going to have friends if he keeps doing things like that.
Riddle unsuccessfully tried to make peace between Orton and The New Day on Raw earlier this week. Later in the show, Kingston defeated Orton in a singles match after Orton was distracted by Woods playing the trombone. Riddle then argued with Kingston and Woods after the match. Orton left the ring and Riddle went to go follow him. Woods grabbed Riddle’s arm when he turned away — and Riddle responded by shoving Woods down.
Sheamus defeated Riddle to win the WWE United States title tonight during the second night of WrestleMania 37.
The finish of the match had Riddle springboarding off the ropes for a moonsault, giving Sheamus the opportunity to kick Riddle square in the face with the Brouge Kick, pinning him to win the United States title for a third time. Riddle’s mouth was busted open following the finish.
This ends Riddle’s first run with the championship. He defeated Bobby Lashley and John Morrison in a triple threat match to win the title back at Elimination Chamber on February 21.
The feud between Sheamus and Riddle started last month, when Sheamus destroyed Riddle’s scooter. The two had a match on the March 29 edition of Raw, with Sheamus defeating Riddle. A championship match was then announced for WrestleMania.
Sheamus first won the United States title in 2011, defeating Daniel Bryan on March 14 of that year. He also held it in 2014, defeating Dean Ambrose.
A United States Championship match is the latest addition to the lineup for WrestleMania 37.
Riddle will defend his United States Championship against Sheamus at WrestleMania 37 night two on Sunday, April 11. That was announced after Sheamus defeated Riddle in a non-title match on Raw tonight.
At the end of their match on tonight’s Raw, Sheamus pinned Riddle after hitting a knee strike. Sheamus charged at Riddle and knocked him into a production crate backstage before the match began.
Riddle got some payback on Sheamus by knocking him out of the ring as Sheamus was celebrating after their match tonight.
Last week, there was a segment where Sheamus was being interviewed backstage but was interrupted by Riddle. After being asked multiple questions by Riddle, Sheamus acted like he was interested in riding Riddle’s scooter. Riddle went to let Sheamus ride the scooter, but Sheamus instead attacked him with it.
WrestleMania 37 is taking place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11. Here are the updated cards for the event:
WrestleMania 37 night one (Saturday, April 10) —
SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defends against Bianca Belair
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley defends against Drew McIntyre
Bad Bunny vs. The Miz
Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) defend against AJ Styles & Omos
Steel cage match: Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon
Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro
WrestleMania 37 night two (Sunday, April 11) —
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Edge and Daniel Bryan in a triple threat match
Raw Women’s Champion Asuka defends against Rhea Ripley
“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
Intercontinental Champion Big E defends against Apollo Crews
United States Champion Riddle defends against Sheamus
United States Champion Riddle is set for non-title action on Monday’s episode of Raw.
WWE has announced that a non-title match between Riddle and Sheamus will take place on Monday’s Raw. The show is the second-to-last episode of Raw before WrestleMania 37.
Sheamus lost a no holds barred match against Drew McIntyre at Sunday’s Fastlane pay-per-view. On Raw the next night, Sheamus lost a non-title match to WWE Champion Bobby Lashley. There was then a segment later in the show where Sheamus was being interviewed backstage. The interview was interrupted by Riddle riding up on his scooter and asking Sheamus multiple questions.
Riddle asked Sheamus if he’s ever seen the Loch Ness Monster, if McIntyre has ever been to Sheamus’ house in Ireland, if leprechauns are real, and what Sheamus would wish for if he had a wish. Sheamus told Riddle to stop and asked what he was doing. Sheamus then acted like he was interested in riding Riddle’s scooter. But instead of riding the scooter, Sheamus attacked Riddle with it.
For Monday’s Raw, WWE is teasing whether or not anyone will be looking to cash in on the bounty that Lashley has put on McIntyre. Lashley has said that if someone can take out McIntyre before WrestleMania, he’ll give them a WWE Championship shot. Lashley defending his WWE Championship against McIntyre is set for WrestleMania 37 night one on Saturday, April 10.
Monday’s Raw will also feature a contract signing for Asuka and Rhea Ripley’s Raw Women’s Championship match that’s taking place at WrestleMania 37 night two on Sunday, April 11. Plus, there will be a Dirt Sheet segment where The Miz and John Morrison’s “Hey Hey, Hop Hop” music video will premiere. Miz vs. Bad Bunny has been announced for WrestleMania 37 night one.
Riddle and Mustafa Ali will go at it once again at Fastlane.
It was announced tonight that Riddle will defend the WWE United States title against Mustafa Ali. This follows a match from Raw this past Monday where Riddle successfully defended the title against Ali. In a social media post after Raw, Ali issued a challenge to Riddle, wanting another shot at the United States title.
Riddle has been feuding with RETRIBUTION in the last few weeks. Most of the stable has fallen short against Riddle, leaving Ali to berate his stablemates for their losses.
Fastlane, which takes place this Sunday on Peacock, has the following announced:
Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Universal title (Edge guest enforcer)
Big E vs. Apollo Crews for the WWE Intercontinental title
Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus in a no holds barred match
Alexa Bliss vs. Randy Orton
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins
Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs. Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair for the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles
