Xavier Woods is headed to the finals of WWE’s King of the Ring tournament.
On tonight’s episode of Raw, Woods defeated Jinder Mahal in a King of the Ring semifinal match. Woods will face Finn Balor in the tournament finals at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia this Thursday.
Woods pinned Mahal after connecting with a rope-walk elbow drop. Mahal had hit the Khallas on Woods near the end of the match, but Woods was able to reach out and grab the bottom rope for a rope break.
Woods has called winning King of the Ring a lifelong goal of his.
Crown Jewel is taking place at Mohammed Abdu Arena in Riyadh on Thursday. The show will begin at noon Eastern time.
The updated lineup for Crown Jewel is listed below:
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
WWE Champion Big E defends against Drew McIntyre
No holds barred match: Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley
Hell in a Cell match: Edge vs. Seth Rollins
Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) defend against AJ Styles & Omos
Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali
King of the Ring tournament finals: Finn Balor vs. Xavier Woods
Queen’s Crown tournament finals: Zelina Vega vs. Doudrop
The semifinals of this year’s King of the Ring tournament are now set.
Xavier Woods and Jinder Mahal won their respective King of the Ring first-round matches on Raw tonight and will face each other in the semifinals of the tournament next Monday. The winner of Woods vs. Mahal will face either Finn Balor or Sami Zayn in the finals of King of the Ring.
Balor and Zayn’s semifinal match is taking place on SmackDown this Friday.
Woods defeated Ricochet on Raw tonight, while Mahal defeated Kofi Kingston. It would have been a New Day vs. New Day matchup in the semifinals if Kingston won his first-round match.
Woods has said that winning King of the Ring is a lifelong goal of his. For years, he’s lobbied for the return of King of the Ring and to be included in the tournament.
This is WWE’s first King of the Ring tournament since 2019. Baron Corbin defeated Chad Gable in the 2019 finals.
The finals of the King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown tournaments are both being held at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 21.
A SmackDown Tag Team title match is the latest addition to the card for Extreme Rules.
WWE has announced that The Usos will defend their SmackDown Tag Team titles against The Street Profits at Extreme Rules on Sunday, September 26. The pay-per-view is taking place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
A Tag Team title match between The Usos and The Street Profits headlined last week’s episode of SmackDown. The Street Profits were on the verge of getting the win after Montez Ford hit a frog splash on Jimmy Uso, but Roman Reigns interfered to cause a disqualification.
Reigns put Ford in a guillotine after last week’s title match. The show ended with Finn Balor’s “Demon” character making its return as Balor came out to the ring and had a staredown with Reigns. Balor is challenging for Reigns’ Universal Championship at Extreme Rules.
A non-title match between The Usos and The Street Profits on SmackDown two weeks ago also ended with The Street Profits winning by DQ. After Ford hit a frog splash on Jimmy near the end of that match, Jey Uso broke up the pin, attacked Ford, and wouldn’t leave the ring. The Street Profits got the better of a brawl with The Usos after the match.
Here’s the updated card for Extreme Rules:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against “The Demon” Finn Balor
SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bianca Belair
United States Champion Damian Priest defends against Sheamus
Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defends against Alexa Bliss
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defend against The Street Profits
Date: July 12, 2021 Location: Yuengling Center in Tampa, FL
The Big Takeaway —
The ThunderDome era is over.
Show Recap —
There was a graphic honouring “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff. RIP.
Xavier Woods (w/Kofi Kingston) defeated WWE Champion Bobby Lashley (w/MVP) in a non-title match (10:41)
The story was that Lashley mostly dominated and could have won several times but Woods surprised him with a rollup win.
Woods mounted a bit of offense until Lashley simply press slammed him over the top to the outside (with Woods’ face bouncing off the apron). Lashley also dropped him on the steps and stared down Kingston before a break. (This show is taped but they still plan it like a live show, so this break was about two minutes into the match.)
Lashley was in control until Woods came back with a superkick and DDT that spiked the champion. Woods followed with a flip dive and a missile dropkick, barely getting a two count. Woods applied a crossface but Lashley just powered out of it. Lashley followed soon after with a big spinebuster and his version of a Dominator.
Instead of going for a cover, Lashley took Woods outside and drove him into the post before hitting a spear back in the ring. As Lashley boasted, Woods caught him in a small package for the pinfall win. That was unexpected.
The announcers speculated that maybe Lashley had lost a step and had some doubt in his eyes.
Kevin Patrick approached MVP and asked if it was true that Lashley left the building. MVP said yes, that was true, but it wasn’t a big deal. He just wanted to blow off some steam but would be back in the lounge tonight. (MVP walked with a cane despite wrestling last week.)
Jinder Mahal was shown arriving at the building earlier today in his red motorcycle. Veer and Shanky handed him Drew McIntyre’s sword.
Alexa’s Playground with guests Eva Marie and Doudrop
Alexa Bliss was excited to return to live crowds and excited at the prospect of holding the Money in the Bank contract. Eva Marie, who was sitting on the swingset, reminded Bliss that she and Doudrop were there. Bliss was happy to see them and loved saying the name “Doudrop.” Doudrop seemed amused by her.
Marie was annoyed that Bliss wasn’t paying enough attention to her. Bliss mentioned that Doudrop was actually the one invited to the playground, not Marie. Marie called herself the star of the show. She was unimpressed and said this was the last time she’d be on Alexa’s show.
They spliced in some pictures of Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks at the ESPYs.
Jinder Mahal / Drew McIntyre segment
Mahal was in the ring, which was dressed in a red carpet, and he invited McIntyre to the ring. He wanted to offer an olive branch and hand him back his sword.
McIntyre appeared on the screen instead. He knew Mahal was lying and told him to get to the point. Mahal said McIntyre should trust him given everything they’ve been through. Mahal said Veer and Shanky had his sword refinished.
They unveiled the sword only to reveal that it was broken. McIntyre knew better than to bring his real sword or car or whatever to Monday Night Raw because it would just get destroyed. He informed Mahal that the sword in the ring was a replica. McIntyre had his real sword on him.
McIntyre walked over to Mahal’s motorcycle and noted that it was definitely not a replica. McIntyre tore pieces off the bike and knocked the bike over. He advised Mahal that he can fix it with a bit of elbow grease.
Elsewhere, Riddle approached Nikki ASH. He wondered why she doesn’t just fly above the ladder to grab the contract. She let him know that she was almost a superhero. She was about to explain further but Riddle began rambling about some story that she didn’t even pretend to understand. Her music hit so she told him she had to fly. After she left, Riddle said, “wait, I thought she said she couldn’t fly.”
During the next match, a graphic popped up plugging a VIP Lounge segment tonight with MVP and Lashley.
Naomi and Asuka knocked each other down by kicking each other at the same time. Bliss and Cross went at it as Marie and Doudrop made their way down the ramp. Asuka clotheslined Naomi and Bliss gave Asuka a DDT.
Bliss decided to leave the ring and make her way to Marie and Doudrop. Doudrop complimented Bliss on her DDT but Bliss just walked by her toward Marie. Marie was getting nervous and Bliss shrieked at her like she did last week. Doudrop came to Marie’s aid and slammed her over the barricade. The camera went over to reveal that Bliss disappeared. Commercial break.
For almost two straight minutes, we had no idea what was happening in the ring. (The answer is: nothing.)
Back from break, Asuka ran wild on Nikki and Naomi, getting two counts on both. Naomi kicked Asuka in the head, gave Nikki a rack bomb, gave Asuka a back suplex, and leg dropped both women at the same time for a two count. Nikki gave Naomi a tornado DDT but Asuka broke up the cover. Naomi and Asuka each tried submissions but had them broken up.
Cross gave Asuka a flying crossbody but Naomi broke it up. Asuka knocked Naomi out of the ring with a running hip attack. Asuka and Nikki traded counters until Nikki applied a rollup for the pinfall win. Nikki ASH pins Asuka. Asuka stared down Nikki as she celebrated.
(The last few minutes of this match was the beginning of the second hour.)
Sarah Schreiber interviewed the Viking Raiders. Ivar didn’t appreciate AJ Styles insulting their lifestyle choice. He mentioned their good hygiene and said Styles would learn to respect them. Erik planned on using Omos’ inexperience to find a crack in his armour and find his way to victory before they regained their tag team championships next week.
AJ Styles promo
AJ Styles and Omos entered the ring. Styles apologized for calling the Viking Raiders barbarians — he should have instead called them “hairy barbarians, uneducated, salmonella poison infested” who never should have gotten off their wooden boat.
The Raiders keep getting in his business and cost him a chance at MITB. Styles planned on breaking Ivar’s leg in the Calf Crusher, while Omos would destroy Erik. They planned on tearing the Raiders apart to retain the tag titles.
They announced the tag title match for Money in the Bank. This was originally scheduled for next week’s Raw.
Ivar (w/Erik) defeated Raw Tag Team Champion AJ Styles (w/Omos) (3:45)
They had a back and forth match that Ivar won after slamming Styles out of the corner. They pushed this as another upset.
Raw Tag Team Champion Omos (w/AJ Styles) defeated Erik (w/Ivar) (3:24)
Erik managed to get Omos stumbling for a moment, but Omos won easily with a tree slam.
Sheamus yelled at Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville in the back for forcing him to defend his title despite having a broken nose. He calmed down and assured them that they’re on the same page. Sheamus turned to leave and smirked as he did. Pearce and Deville seemed a bit uneasy about his behaviour.
(Sheamus wore a face shield to protect his nose. It was all-black instead of transparent like the ones we usually see.)
Kingston and Woods spoke with Lucha House Party in the back until Schreiber approached New Day for an interview. Kingston put over Woods’ win over Lashley. Schreiber let them know that Lashley was back in the building with MVP in the lounge. Kingston was amused and said of course Lashley is distracting himself with women and champagne.
Woods said Kingston would beat him to become champion. Kingston said Lashley was focused on the wrong things. Kingston was the kind of champion that took on all challengers and those days were about to be upon us again. He planned on beating Lashley in front of the live crowd to become a two-time world champion.
There was a Money in the Bank video package focusing on the ladder matches.
There was a hard cut to the back where Sheamus was attacking Humberto Carrillo. Officials checked on Carrillo after Sheamus walked away. Sheamus crossed paths with Damian Priest but they didn’t say anything to each other. Priest checked on Carrillo.
After a break, Pearce and Deville told Carrillo he didn’t have to compete tonight, they could do the match another time. Carrillo said he had to fight tonight. If he can stand, he can fight. He left with Priest. (Mansoor and Mustafa Ali were there too for a moment but Ali smiled, shook his head and left.)
Sheamus defeated Humberto Carrillo to retain the United States Championship (0:17)
Carrillo fell to his knees in pain as soon as the match started. Sheamus gave him a Brogue Kick for the pinfall win.
Sheamus was about to kill Carrillo after the match but Priest ran down and Sheamus bailed.
Riddle wanted to accompany Ricochet to the ring but Ricochet told him not to worry about it. They were both excited about MITB on Sunday. Riddle was also excited to watch his favourite Western. Ricochet thought he meant Tombstone but Riddle said it was Toy Story 2. The “snake in my boot” line reminded him of Randy Orton, but Orton wasn’t a snake in his boot, more like a snake in his heart. He again pointed to the sky and said he missed Randy.
Riddle also wanted to cash in on the tag team championships but Ricochet wasn’t sure he could do that. Riddle realized Ricochet was probably right. After some more banter, Miz and John Morrison showed up. Miz sprayed Ricochet in the face with water and Morrison rolled over Riddle’s foot.
There was a spot very early in the match where Morrison gave Ricochet a neckbreaker on the apron for two. Morrison also tried a cover with his feet on Miz’s wheelchair for two. Morrison set up for Starship Pain in the ring but Ricochet popped up and hit an impressive German suplex for two. They fought in the “crowd” and Ricochet high-fived one of the screens.
Morrison took an awkward tumble off the barricade and Ricochet followed with a 450 off the barricade for two. With Morrison standing outside the ring, Ricochet hit a damn shooting star press off the top of the ring post, which led to a break.
Morrison placed a ladder as a bridge between the ring and announce table. Ricochet went for a dive but stopped when Miz rolled in front of Morrison. Ricochet hit a flip dive anyway, flying right over Miz, for a two count.
They fought on the stage until Morrison went to the back. Ricochet went after him but as soon as he entered Gorilla, Morrison nailed him with a superkick and knee strike for two.
The fight went back on the stage, and with Morrison down at the bottom of the ramp, Ricochet rode Miz’s wheelchair down the ramp and hit a “running” clothesline. Miz distracted Ricochet which allowed Morrison to hit a corkscrew neckbreaker for two.
Riddle scooted down to the ring and placed Miz and his wheelchair on his back and Miz sold it like a turtle on his shell who couldn’t move.
Ricochet gave Morrison a Recoil before placing him on the ladder bridge. Ricochet finished him off with a splash off the top through the ladder for the pinfall win.
This was fun and made me glad they don’t have to do this in the ThunderDome anymore after tonight.
Schreiber asked Natalya what she wanted to prove tonight against Rhea Ripley. Natalya had a plan. She wanted to be a triple champion and if she beat Ripley tonight, she’d be one step closer. Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke happened to be nearby and they were laughing at Natalya and Tamina. Rose said Natalya can’t have a foolproof plan if it came from a fool. They all argued until Tamina shoved Brooke. Brooke wanted to go after her but Rose held her back.
Patrick interviewed McIntyre. McIntyre told us a story about Icarus, who flew too close to the sun. This led to McIntyre saying nothing, not even the sun, would stop him from becoming Mr. Money in the Bank.
The announcers ran down the MITB card.
Schreiber asked Ripley why she accepted a match against Natalya so close to her title defense. Ripley wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. Plus, she already exposed Charlotte Flair of being a drama queen and Charlotte really would need crutches after their match on Sunday.
Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley defeated Tag Team Champion Natalya (w/Tamina) in a non-title match (9:30)
This was a strong match. These two worked well together.
They were having an even fight until Ripley dropkicked Tamina by accident outside the ring after Natalya moved. Natalya followed with a discus clothesline, which led to break.
Ripley knocked Natalya off the top with a headbutt and followed with a missile dropkick. Natalya tried fighting back but Ripley used another dropkick for two, followed by a Northern Lights suplex for two. Natalya drove Ripley’s head against the ring post and followed with a sit-out powerbomb for two.
Ripley blocked a low dropkick and applied a standing cloverleaf but Natalya reversed into a rollup for two. Natalya applied a Sharpshooter but Ripley rolled through and drove Natalya into the turnbuckle. Ripley kicked Natalya in the head and hit Riptide for the pinfall win.
Charlotte chop blocked Ripley after the match and put her in a Figure Four while hanging off the side of the ring.
After a break, Schreiber asked Charlotte if that was a preview of Sunday. Charlotte read her script and said it’s not about the pieces in the game, it was about the player, and she learned from the dirtiest. It was game over for Ripley at MITB.
MVP’s VIP Lounge
MVP was in the ring with five women. He said it was the final episode in the ThunderDome where we saw the rise of the All Mighty. In fact, it should be called the LashleyDome. He was honoured to introduce us to Bobby Lashley.
Lashley didn’t enter. MVP tried a bigger introduction and Lashley finally did enter. Lashley’s vest was unbuttoned and his necktie wasn’t tied. Lashley asked the five women to excuse them. They left.
Lashley was thinking about Kingston’s words. At first, he thought of it as trash talk but realized Kingston was right about MVP making him soft. He lost to Xavier Woods of all people. He should have stacked up Woods and Kingston in a pile of bones.
He appreciated everything MVP did for him but the bullshit (the lounge, women, champagne, etc) had to stop now. MVP nodded in agreement. Lashley wanted to destroy everyone who challenged him for the championship.
Lashley began destroying the lounge furniture in a convincing fashion. He destroyed the tables and chucked a full-sized couch out of the ring as MVP looked on.
Lashley warned Kingston that he was going to tear him in half and would leave MITB as champion. He hoped Kingston would bring his family and friends and all of the fans to have his back because he would dismantle him. Lashley planned on caving Kingston’s face in and Sunday would be the end of his career.
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.)
Xavier Woods is set for another match against Bobby Lashley.
WWE has announced that WWE Champion Lashley will face Woods in a non-title match on next Monday’s episode of Raw. In the main event of last week’s show, Lashley defeated Woods in a Hell in a Cell match.
Lashley submitted Woods with the Hurt Lock to win their Hell in a Cell match. After the match, Lashley attacked Woods and put him in the Hurt Lock again. MVP locked the door to the cell so that Kingston couldn’t get in and save his partner. The show ended with Lashley having Woods in the Hurt Lock against the cage as Kingston yelled for Lashley to let Woods go.
There was a face-to-face confrontation between Kingston and MVP on tonight’s Raw. MVP claimed that, after facing Lashley in the Hell in a Cell match, Woods couldn’t make it to work tonight and was unlikely to make it next week. Kingston said Woods will be back next week because — unlike MVP — Woods has heart, is a fighter, and has resiliency.
Lashley defending his WWE Championship against Kingston has been announced for Money in the Bank. The pay-per-view is taking place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday, July 18.
Though the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view took place on Sunday night, WWE had one more Hell in a Cell match on last night’s episode of Raw.
Last night’s Raw was headlined by WWE Champion Bobby Lashley defeating Xavier Woods in a non-title Hell in a Cell match. The match was set up when Kofi Kingston and Woods interrupted Lashley and MVP in the opening segment of the show.
It was announced last night that Lashley will defend his WWE Championship against Kingston at Money in the Bank. Last night’s show ended with Lashley having Woods in the Hurt Lock against the Hell in a Cell cage as Kingston yelled for Lashley to let Woods go. Lashley attacked Woods after their match and MVP got in the cell and locked its door so that Kingston wouldn’t be able to save his partner.
Money in the Bank is taking place on Sunday, July 18. The first five Money in the Bank qualifying matches were held last night. 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.
To determine Raw’s final men’s Money in the Bank participant, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, and Drew McIntyre will face off in a triple threat last chance qualifier on Raw next Monday. Styles, Orton, and McIntyre all lost qualifying matches last night.
Tonight’s Raw featured the show’s first Hell in a Cell match since 1998.
In the main event of tonight’s Raw, WWE Champion Bobby Lashley defeated Xavier Woods in a non-title Hell in a Cell match. Lashley got the win by submitting Woods with the Hurt Lock after hitting a spear.
Lashley continued to attack Woods after tonight’s main event. He put Woods in the Hurt Lock again and had him against the cage as Woods’ New Day stablemate Kofi Kingston watched on from outside of the cell. MVP had gotten in the cell following the match and locked the door to prevent Kingston from getting in and saving Woods. Kingston was yelling for Lashley to let Woods go as tonight’s show went off the air.
The Lashley vs. Woods Hell in a Cell match was set up when Kingston and Woods interrupted Lashley and MVP during tonight’s opening segment. It was also announced tonight that Lashley will defend his WWE Championship against Kingston at Money in the Bank on Sunday, July 18.
This was the second straight night that Lashley wrestled in a Hell in a Cell match. He retained the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre in a Hell in a Cell match at last night’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.
There were two Hell in a Cell matches (Lashley vs. McIntyre for the WWE Championship and Bianca Belair vs. Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship) at the Hell in a Cell PPV. A Hell in a Cell match also took place on SmackDown this past Friday, with Roman Reigns and Rey Mysterio’s Universal Championship match being moved up to that show after originally being scheduled for the Hell in a Cell PPV.
Two new matches, including a Tag Team title match, have been added to this week’s WWE Raw.
AJ Styles & Omos will defend their Raw Tag Team titles against Elias & Jaxson Ryker on Raw this Monday night. A singles match between Randy Orton and Xavier Woods has also been added to the show.
Ryker defeated Styles on last week’s episode of Raw after Elias interfered and attacked Styles. Omos emerged after the match and confronted Elias, sending both him and Ryker away.
Orton will face Woods after Riddle managed to defeat Woods on last week’s Raw. Woods has been feuding with RKBro in recent weeks after Orton attacked both Woods and Kofi Kingston unprovoked following an eight-man tag team match where RKBro and The New Day teamed together.
A number one contender’s match with Drew McIntyre facing Kingston has already been announced for this Monday’s Raw. The winner will challenge for Bobby Lashley’s WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell on Sunday, June 20. McIntyre and Kingston’s number one contender’s match has a stipulation where — if Lashley or MVP interfere or even come out to ringside — Lashley will be suspended without pay for 90 days.
Shayna Baszler vs. Reginald is also set for this Monday’s Raw. Plus, The Miz will return to host a Miz TV segment with Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair. It will be Miz’s first appearance since losing to Damian Priest in a zombie lumberjack match at WrestleMania Backlash earlier this month.
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.
WWE and G4 are teaming together for a series that will be hosted by Xavier Woods.
WWE and G4 announced on Monday that they’re partnering together for a video game competition series that will premiere on G4 this fall. The series is being hosted by Woods and “pit some of the biggest content creators in gaming against each other, playing some of the most popular video games to settle scores… with scores.”
“Getting a shot to be a G4 cast member is incredible and humbling in itself, and I couldn’t be more excited for the chance to have my own show,” said Woods. “Not only will I host, but I’ll also have a pivotal role to play as the top personalities in gaming try to settle their beef.”
In November of last year, Woods was announced as the first host for the relaunched G4. The video game-focused channel originally existed from 2002-2014.
“This partnership combines WWE’s sports-entertainment and G4’s competitive entertainment to bring a truly unique offering only these brands can offer,” said Brian Terwilliger, VP of Programming and Creative Strategy for G4. “The format of the show, along with WWE Superstar Xavier Woods AKA Austin Creed’s electric presence on-screen, will make it appealing for gamers, WWE fans, and those new to both as well.”
“Xavier Woods has become a household name for WWE fans and gamers alike, and he is the perfect fit to headline our new series with G4,” said Jayar Donlan, WWE Executive Vice President, Advanced Media. “From console and mobile games to WWE’s successful UpUpDownDown YouTube channel, WWE’s influence on gaming is stronger than ever, and having our own gaming series on G4 is the next step in the evolution of the company’s gaming strategy.”
It was noted that WWE will serve as an executive producer for the series and G4 and WWE will take the program to market together.
As part of G4’s Epic April celebration, another major G4 announcement will take place during WWE’s UUDD WrestleMania Gaming Event at 11 a.m. Eastern time this Saturday on the UpUpDownDown YouTube channel.
The New Day’s Woods & Kofi Kingston are the current Raw Tag Team Champions. At WrestleMania 37 night one this Saturday, Woods & Kingston will defend their titles against AJ Styles & Omos. Woods vs. Styles will take place on tonight’s WrestleMania 37 go-home edition of Raw.
Ahead of the Raw Tag Team title match at WrestleMania 37, Xavier Woods and AJ Styles are set to face off in singles action.
WWE has announced that Woods vs. Styles will take place on tonight’s WrestleMania 37 go-home episode of Raw. The New Day (Woods & Kofi Kingston) are defending their Raw Tag Team titles against Styles & Omos at WrestleMania 37 night one this Saturday.
Woods vs. Styles is a rematch from last week’s episode of Raw. Woods defeated Styles by disqualification in that match after Omos got involved. After the match, Omos laid out both Kingston and Woods. Omos then put his foot on Woods as Styles counted to three.
The Raw Tag Team title match at WrestleMania 37 will be Omos’ televised WWE in-ring debut.
Tonight’s Raw was taped at the WWE ThunderDome last week. Here’s the updated lineup for the episode:
Non-title match: WWE Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Cedric Alexander
Drew McIntyre vs. Baron Corbin
Non-title match: WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs. Raw Women’s Champion Asuka & Rhea Ripley
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.
CM Punk talked to Renee Paquette regarding a variety of wrestling subjects, including unionization, Twitch, and a possible return to the ring.
Punk talked to Paquette on the latest episode of her podcast, Oral Sessions. When asked about potentially returning to the ring, Punk stressed that it was about finding the right scenario.
“Without wanting to insult anybody on any either side of the fence, any WWE talent or any AEW talent, it would take – above all – an interesting scenario. A story that would be fun to tell,” he told Paquette (H/T Cageside Seats). “Also, just the stupidest amount of money. But they could just save themselves a whole lot of money if they just presented, like, a fun storyline.”
He also expressed interest in an AEW run as opposed to a WWE one, citing the desire to wrestle new faces.
“I think there’s more interesting people on the AEW side of things for me to wrestle, but that’s just because I’ve never wrestled them before. Young Bucks, Kenny Omega. Talking about your husband. I look at that and I go, ‘Well, I wrestled him already.’ So it’s just less interesting than something new. And on the WWE side of things, I don’t know that there’s anybody there currently that I haven’t wrestled that I would be interested in wrestling.”
When asked about wrestlers potentially forming a union, Punk expressed doubt that it would ever happen. “No, and just because there’s no such thing as ‘the boys’”, he responded. “It’s a trope. ‘Oh, we’re on the road, and these people are our family,’ and like I said, once you’re out of the bubble, you don’t hear from anybody anymore. Those people don’t pay your bills. There’s always gonna be a handful of people that will undercut everybody else just to get ahead a little bit. There seems to be a lot of people that not only by nature, are bootlickers – they just love the taste.”
When it came to Twitch, Punk compared the situation between Zelina Vega’s release for keeping her Twitch account and Xavier Woods becoming a host for the G4 Network’s upcoming revival with WWE’s blessing.
“I don’t know what’s going on with his Twitch channel so I don’t want to speak out of turn on that,” he said. “I just saw he was petitioning to get a job with G4. Why is it ok for him to do that but Zelina Vega can’t have a Twitch?”
Punk and Paquette were co-hosts on WWE Backstage, a studio talk show. The show was cancelled in June.
