
The New Day took a step closer to history by once again becoming tag team champions in WWE on Monday Night Raw.
Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston stunned The Hurt Business during Monday's show to pick up the gold - the eleventh time the faction have had such an honour.
It seems almost certain that the group will go down in history as WWE's most decorated tag team, with their combined reigns of the company's various championships likely to outstrip any other.
A shock though it was given the momentum the Hurt Business seemed to have built in recent months - not least with WWE Champion Bobby Lashley - it became clear immediately that the victory was purely to set up a feud between the newly-crowned champions and challengers AJ Styles and Omos who swiftly put their names down for a clash at WrestleMania next month.
Also locked in for Mania was the WWE Championship match between Lashley and his challenger Drew McIntyre. McIntyre has his plate plenty full, though - he continues to be pestered by not only The Miz but also Sheamus, who he meets in a match at Fastlane on Sunday. On Raw, McIntyre defeated Miz by using Lashley Hurt Lock submission, before watching on in the night's main event as Lashley defeated the Irishman.
Sheamus has been in fine form recently after a string of hard-hitting matches and this one was no exception; he pushed Lashley all the way before eventually succumbing thanks to a spear. After clearing his WrestleMania foe out of the ring, the show ended with the Scot staring down his more immediate threat.
The MIz, meanwhile, appears to be falling swiftly out of the WWE title picture after his eight-day reign last month. While he opened the show by confronting McIntyre and Lashley and was beaten by the former, his attentions soon turned to Bad Bunny and, by association, Damien Priest. An ongoing exchange between rapper and one of WWE's top celebrity stars seems a smart move, and Priest will almost certainly be the big winner in the long run.
One feud that continues to have eyes rolling but nonetheless people talking is that between Shane McMahon and Braun Strowman. Continuing to insult Strowman's intelligence, McMahon attacked him before their scheduled match could begin, sending him crashing through a table before dousing him in green gunge in a bizarre scene. It was then confirmed the two will meet again at Fastlane this weekend.
By contrast one welcome relief on Raw was the return to competitive action of Asuka after she'd reportedly spent the last few weeks nursing the impact of an inadvertently stiff kick to the head by Shayna Baszler. That scenario was used to great effect on the show, with a seemingly enraged Raw Women's Champion returning the favour in a vicious attack that left Baszler bloodied following a brief match that saw Asuka come out on top.
Elsewhere on Raw, United States Champion Riddle successfully defended his title against Mustafa Ali - Ali left beside himself after being effectively cost the match by his own Retribution team mate T-Bar who provided a less than helpful distraction.
Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke also picked up a tag team victory over Lana and Naomi.
Image - WWE
Comments