If you haven’t heard, the Adnan Virk experiment on Monday Night RAW has come to an end. The two mutually parted ways, but the poor guy didn’t even make it out of the ThunderDome. Jimmy Smith, of MMA fame, takes the lead seat tonight and hopefully he makes it through more than one pay per view. Corey Graves and Byron Saxton are still on the call and this is the last time I want to talk about changes on the announce desk. Into the ThunderDome.
Miz TV
Ugh. This is what I want to see when I tune into a wrestling show; two dudes sitting in the ring and talking. Confused to why John Morrison is wearing a garlic necklace? Well, it’s because he is confused. Vampires hate garlic; while zombies use it as a nice seasoning. Miz tries to talk about his first major injury in WWE, but calls out his partner on the smell. Morrison claims he is ready for aliens, vampires, or even punters.
Miz knew he had to get back to RAW, since the WWE will be heading out on the road. Miz gets around to introducing his guest, Charlotte Flair, who could become a 14 time champion at Hell in the Cell. In three weeks, Rhea Ripley will be sent to hell.
The RAW Women’s Champion makes her way to the ring in a move no one saw coming. Miz tries to defuse the situation by having Rhea talk about herself. She claims in three weeks she will still be champion. Charlotte points out that she couldn’t even beat Nikki Cross in two minutes.
Nikki Cross crashes the proceedings, but she couldn’t wait any longer. She wants to challenge the winner of the Hell in a Cell match. Ripley says if the time limit last week was four minutes; she wouldn’t be here right now. Nikki wants a chance to challenge if Flair can’t beat her in two minutes. Charlotte mouths off, saying she only needs a minute.
Nikki Cross vs. Charlotte Flair – Two minute time limit
Cross dances outside the ring, playing keep away with Flair. Charlotte tries to give chase, but then wastes precious second jawing with Ripley at ringside. Flair gets her hands on Cross, but Nikki hits a DDT out of the corner. The clock runs out as Flair tries to lock in the figure four and Nikki Cross picks up the win.
Winner via time limit: Nikki Cross
Damien Priest and Riddle are excited to get back on the road. Riddle wants Damien to help him brush up on his Spanish. Randy Orton drops in and Riddle is exited as a puppy. Orton asks Riddle about using the RKO last week. He was impressed though and wants to improve the tag team. He invites Riddle to ringside for his match to pick up some pointers.
Xavier Woods vs. Randy Orton w/Riddle
Wait? Why isn’t Kofi coming to ringside with Woods? Orton takes Woods to the floor, repeatedly smashing him into the announce desk. Back in the ring, an enziguri rocks Orton. Woods keeps on the pressure with strikes and chops. An Orton knee strike stops Woods, but he answers back with a back elbow. A flatline nearly gets Woods the pin. Woods mounts Orton in the corner, raining down shots. Randy with a hair pull and a power bomb out of the corner. Woods kicks out. Orton takes too much time and Woods counters with knees to the arm into a Fujiwara arm bar. Orton is able to crawl to the ropes to break the hold. Randy hits the draping DDT and looks to strike. Woods counters the RKO with a backslide, but Orton kicks out. Orton catches Woods and hits him with the Bro Derek. Riddle is ecstatic as Orton gets the pin.
Winner via pinfall: Randy Orton
After the match, Orton isn’t quite ready to pose with his new partner.
WWE Champion is partying in his suite.
Shayna Baszler vs. Reginald
Backstage, Nia Jax wants to make sure Reggie is okay for the match. He promises he will be fine and wants her to watch in the back. Reggie wants to talk his way out of this, but Baszler wants nothing to do with him. Reginald is able to dodge a few strikes and even hits a body slam. He does apologize after ward though. Baszler snaps the knee with a foot lock and things are about to get worse. She cranks on the ankle and knee. Shayna slams the knee into the mat.
Baszler with an ankle lock, but he is able to send her into the turnbuckle. He connects with a spinning cross body and Shayna is down. Reggie goes up top but crashes and burns on the moonsault; he knee giving out. Baszler locks in the Kirifuda Clutch. The pyro goes off on the turnbuckles and Shayna breaks the hold. Reggie quickly rolls her up and gets the win.
Winner via pinfall: Reginald
Jax embrace Reggie backstage, so happy that he won, but probably doing even more damage.
Drew McIntyre knows tonight is about Kofi Kingston and he has earned this. He thinks maybe Kofi could have beaten Lashley. Drew is ready to beat Kofi and go onto Hell in a Cell.
Mace and T-Bar vs. Lucha House Party
Two luchadores does not a house party make, but first we here from Mace and T-Bar. They are predators; I guess? The house party gets cancelled with a double sit out powerbomb to Gran Metalik.
Winners via pinfall: Mace and T-Bar
Alexa wants Reginald to join her on the playground.
United States Champion brags about his win last week and can’t wait to get back out on the road. He tells Humberto Carrillo and Ricochet that the closest they will get to his title will be a participation trophy. He isn’t pleased that they both jumped him last week, though. Sheamus wants the open challenge to find someone that is worthy to face him. Carrillo and Ricochet can’t lace his boots. He will take them on one at time and he wants to know who is first. Ricochet steps up.
Sheamus vs. Ricochet
Ricochet sends the champ to the floor, but Sheamus cuts him down coming through the ropes. He tosses Ricochet into the barrier. He goes up top with a clothesline off the turnbuckle. Carrillo’s music hits, distracting Sheamus. Ricochet rolls him up for the pin.
Winner via pinfall: Ricochet
Sheamus vs. Humberto Carrillo w/Ricochet
We join the match in progress and Carrillo is taking a beating. Humberto leaps into an Irish Curse backbreaker, punishing him for the interference in the first match. Sheamus clubs him across the chest. Carrillo creates some separation with a jaw breaker. Sheamus charges but misses and runs shoulder first into the ring post. Carrillo with a forearm shot to the nose and is a bloodied. Sheamus catches Carrillo and dumps him over the top rope. Ricochet checks on him, only to get decked by Sheamus. Carrillo goes up top, only to get caught again with a uranage. Sheamus grabs Ricochet. Humberto connects with a springboard round kick and covers Sheamus to get the win.
Winner via pinfall: Humbert Carrillo
Eva Marie is back to be a voice for the WWE superstars. Yay….
Naomi and Lana vs. Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose
The tag team champs, Natalya and Tamina, join commentary. The tag champs put themselves over, talking over the match. Naomi with a jaw breaker to Dana. Naomi dumps Dana to the floor, but Lana has her hand full with Rose. Brooke gets back to her corner and makes the tag. They double team Lana with a blockbuster-Samoan drop combo. Dana covers and gets the pin. After the bell they trash talk the champs.
Winners via pinfall: Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose
Shelton Benjamin vs. Cedric Alexander
Benjamin opens with a big boot. Cedric fights out of a powerbomb with a thumb to the eye. Shelton is blinded as Cedric hits the Nueralizer and makes the cover to get the three count.
Winner via pinfall: Cedric Alexander
Backstage, Elias pumps up Jaxson Ryker for their tag team title match. He knows that they need a game plan for Omos. Elias needs to know that Ryker has his back. Elias wants to know if he has even been in battle. Ryker tells him he served in Iraq.
Kofi Kingston tells Kevin Patrick that his connection with his family is not a detriment. His friends and family make him push. Kofi doesn’t appreciate the cheap shots on the microphone from Drew regarding Brock Lesnar. Kofi points out the two weeks ago he pinned Bobby Lashley, something Drew hasn’t been able to do.
AJ Styles and Omos (champions) vs. Elias and Jaxson Ryker (challengers) – RAW Tag Team title match
Elias wants no part of Omos, cutting the ring in half to keep Styles from making a tag. Ryker whips AJ toward the ropes. Styles slides out, yanks Elias off the apron. He then takes out Ryker and Elias with a baseball slide.
After a commercial break, Ryker is still in control of Styles with a head lock. AJ is whipped into the bottom turnbuckle face first. Styles ducks a clothesline and responds with a Pele kick. Both men are down. Ryker goes for the tag, but Elias pulls back and drops off the apron. Omos tags in, but Ryker is unaware. He turns around and Omos grabs him by the head. Ryker is tossed into the corner and crushed with hip attack. Elias back up the ramp and Ryker is decimated in the ring. Omos with a short-armed clothesline and AJ tags in. Styles hits the Phenomenal Forearm and covers to get the win.
Winners…and still RAW Tag Team Champions…via pinfall: AJ Styles and Omos
Nia Jax isn’t sure about accepting an invitation from Alexa. Reggie assures her he will be fine.
Elias is trying to get out of Dodge, but is cornered by Kevin Patrick. Elias says Ryker has become unhinged after running away from him last week. He wants to know where Ryker was when Elias needed him. He’s too unpredictable. He doesn’t want to be on the road with Ryker.
Alexa’s Playground
Lilly is exited for Reginald to join the playground. Alexa congratulates him for his win over Shayna Baszler, but Lilly has a question. She wants to know about his time with Cirque de Solei. Shayna Baszler attacks him before he can answer. Baszler wasn’t invited to play, because Lilly doesn’t like her. Baszler calls Alexa and problem and they need to have a chat next week. Baszler addresses the doll directly, calling her stupid. That feels like a mistake.
The Viking Raiders give Mansoor some advice for being on the road. He needs a war cry, but don’t forget to have fun. Mustafa Ali is waiting in the wings, warning Mansoor about making friends. Ali tells him not to trust anyone.
Bobby Lashley and MVP are ready to watch the main event from their suite. Kevin Patrick wants to know if they have a preference in a winner. MVP respects both men, but just not as competition. MVP does like the suite better than a 90 day suspension.
Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre – Number One Contender Match
Drew picks up Kofi, slamming him into the corner. McIntyre with a chop and then a hard right to the jaw. Kofi looks for a crucifix and transitions into a sunset flip. McIntyre kicks out at two. Kofi dumps Drew out of the ring and hits the trust fall onto McIntyre on the floor.
After a commercial break, Drew drops Kofi with a Glasgow kiss head butt. Kofi lands on his feet on a suplex and locks in a guillotine. Drew tries to power out, but Kofi rolls him up. Drew kicks out at one. Kofi with a forearm shot in the corner. Drew dodges another strike, tossing Kofi across the ring. Drew follows with another over head toss. Kofi nearly steals a pin with an inside cradle, but Drew kicks out. Kofi blocks a strike and hits the SOS. McIntyre kicks out at two and rolls to the floor. Kofi goes up top, but Drew catches the trust fall and slams him over the barricade into the time keeper’s area.
After another commercial break, Drew is looking to put Kofi away, but can’t get the three count after back breaker. Drew sets Kofi atop the turnbuckle. The two trade blows, until McIntyre over powers him. Kofi fights off of Drew shoulders and hits a sunset flip powerbomb off the top turnbuckle. Kofi crawls over to make the cover, but can’t get the three count. Kingston with a drop kick, but Drew stays on his feet. A drop kick off the turnbuckle drops McIntyre, but not enough for a pin. Kofi with a head butt and wants Trouble in Paradise. Drew ducks and then counters an SOS with a spinning Future Shock DDT. Kofi kicks out, though.
Kofi runs into a spine buster, but then blocks a DDT with a superkick. McIntyre cuts Kingston down on the top turnbuckle and goes up to meet him. Looking for a superplex Drew takes a head butt and gets hung up. McIntyre pulls himself up and yanks Kingston off the turnbuckle to the mat. Kofi counters a Claymore kick with Trouble in Paradise. McIntyre grabs the ropes to break the pin. Kingston jumps off the top rope for a hurricanrana. He follows with a running knee on the apron and a double stomp to the floor. He rolls Drew into the ring and goes up top. McIntyre gets to his feet at the last minute and Claymore kicks Kofi out of mid-air. He covers Kofi and gets the three count.
Winner via pinfall: Drew McIntyre
After the match, Kofi and Drew respectfully shake hands. The All Mighty Bobby Lashley walks out on stage and McIntyre stares him down. See you next week in the ThunderDome!
Monday Night RAW 5/31/2021
The ThunderDome at Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
If Monday Night RAW was only an hour long and the matches were Randy Orton with Riddle vs. Xavier Woods and the main event, Drew McIntyre vs. Kofi Kingston, this would be a five star show. Seriously watch the main event. Riddle and Orton are a brilliant team up and are flat out entertaining. Unfortunately, RAW is three hours and everything else that fills the extra time is just not that good. Jimmy Smith is good on the announce team, though.