Welcome to Fightful.com's live coverage & discussion for Monday Night RAW (5/2/22)!
We'll be bringing you full, fight-by-fight results of every match on the card as we're just six days away from WrestleMania Backlash!
— The show begins and we see a video package of Randy Orton and RK-Bro's contract signing for WrestleMania Backlash with Jimmy and Jey Uso from this past Friday's edition of SmackDown. We then head to the live broadcast where our commentators of Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton and Corey Graves welcome us to tonight's show.
— Roman Reigns' music hits and out comes the WWE Universal Champion, who's flanked by SmackDown Tag Team Champions Jimmy and Jey Uso as well as Paul Heyman. The Bloodline take their sweet time heading down to the ring and Heyman orders the crowd to bow down to their champion, Roman Reigns. Heyman hands the microphone to Reigns, who tells North Carolina to acknowledge him. Randy Orton and Riddle come out of nowhere and hit Jimmy and Jey with simultaneous RKO's. RK-Bro surrounds the champ and out comes Drew McIntyre. Orton and Riddle exit the ring and allow McIntyre to face-off with Reigns one-on-one. Reigns rushes McIntyre and the brawl is on. McIntyre gets the better of the exchange, Jimmy and Jey attack McIntyre from behind but RK-Bro make the save as WWE officials rush down to the ring and break up the fight as we head to a commercial break.
— Back from the break and we cut backstage where Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins of the Street Profits see Ezekiel and the Profits say it's time to get 'Zekey'. Montez and Angelo hand Ezekiel a solo cup and they each take a drink. Gable and Otis of Alpha Academy interrupt, so does Kevin Owens, who calls Ezekiel a liar. Gable says he did research and lie detectors can be tricked, especially by the worst of liars, like Ezekiel. Dawkins says he, Montez and Ezekiel are going to beat Alpha Academy and Owens, later tonight. Owens throws a drink in Ezekiel's face, Montez and Angelo hold Ezekiel back from attacking Owens and we head back to the ring, where that six-man tag match will go down, right now.
Kevin Owens & Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis) vs. Ezekiel & Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins)
— Gable and Dawkins start this one off. Dawkins sends Gable to the mat with a shoulder, then leaps over a ducking Gable and Gable lands an arm-drag but Dawkins comes right back with a back-elbow. Dawkins makes the tag to Ford, the Profits land a double-slam on Gable and Ford goes for the cover but Gable kicks out. Gable rolls out of a head-lock and lands a bevy of strikes on Ford then trips him to the mat and locks-in an arm-lock. Ford powers out, leaps over Gable, lands an arm-drag, then a drop-kick, Otis comes in and gets hit with a double drop-kick but the Profits, then Ezekiel enters the fray and they hit a triple drop-kick that sends Otis out of the ring and we head to a commercial break. Back from the break and Gable’s working over Ford in the ring. Gable plants Ford with a Norther Lights Suplex and goes for the cover but Ford kicks out. Gable makes the tag to Owens and KO wallops Ford with a number of kicks in the corner then goes to the middle rope and drills Ford with a moonsault before going for the cover but Ford, again, kicks out. Ford trips Owens to the mat and makes the tag to Ezekiel, Owens does the same to Gable, Ezekiel plants Gable with a spine-buster, then knocks Otis off the apron. Ezekiel sends Gable to the corner and lands a corner splash before lifting and slamming Gable with a standing suplex, Ezekiel goes for the cover but Otis makes the save. A brawl ensues, Ezekiel takes Owens out, Owens retreats and trips Ezekiel into a roll-up by Gable and he gets the 1-2-3!
Winners - Kevin Owens & Alpha Academy
— We then see Kevin Patrick backstage with AJ Styles and we'll hear from the former WWE Champion after the break. Back from the break and we're back with Patrick and Styles. Patrick says there's been a stipulation added to AJ's match against Damian Priest, tonight. AJ says he had Edge beat at WrestleMania until Priest distracted him. AJ says if he beats Priest, tonight, Priest is banned from ringside for AJ's match against Edge this weekend at WrestleMania Backlash.
— We then see a video package highlighting the feud between Sonya Deville, Bianca Belair, Queen Zelina and Carmella. Sonya's then shown backstage with Adam Pearce. Sonya says she doesn't know why anyone thinks she's abusing her power. Pearce explains the issue and says the higher-ups want Sonya to just be an in-ring competitor...at least for the night. Pearce says tonight, it'll be Sonya, Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch against Bianca Belair, Asuka and Liv Morgan. Sonya asks to make it a no-holds-barred match but Pearce declines and says Sonya has no power, at least for tonight.
— We head back to ringside, where Veer Mahan's making his way down to the ring and he'll be in-action, after the break. Back from the break and Byron Saxton is in the ring with Veer's opponent, local enhancement talent, Burt Hansen. Byron asks Burt why he took this match, Burt says he always dreamt of competing on Monday Night RAW, especially in his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina.
Veer Mahan vs. Burt Hansen
— Hansen rushes Veer, who catches Hansen and launches him to the corner. Hansen clocks Veer with an elbow, Veer gets extremely angry at the elbow and unloads a number of ripcord knees to the body of Hansen before walloping him with a leaping splash and cracks him with a massive lariat before locking in the cervical clutch and Hansen immediately taps!
Winner - Veer Mahan
— After the match, Veer continues the attack until he puts Hansen out cold with a cervical clutch against the bottom rope. Veer exits, we see a replay package of the match and we see a highlight package of the rivalry between AJ, Edge and Damian Priest from the past few weeks. Priest makes his way down to the ring alongside Edge and Priest will face Styles, after the break.
— Back from the break and Edge has a microphone and introduces he and Priest as Judgment Day. Edge says he knows the fans can’t stand to look themselves in the mirror and he knows they don’t like him anymore but that’s only because they don’t like themselves. Edge tells the crowd to boo louder, to which they oblige. Edge sarcastically congratulated AJ Styles on getting the stipulation he wanted tonight but now he’ll have to face his punishment. Styles’ music hits and it’s time for this match to get underway.
Damian Priest (with Edge) vs. AJ Styles
— Some back-and-forth to start, AJ’s the aggressor early and unloads a bevy of strikes onto Priest, who fires back with a right hook that knocks AJ to the mat. Priest wallops AJ with a clothesline and sends him to the corner before planting him with a side-walk slam. AJ shoves Priest out of the ring and follows him out with a dive through the ropes right in front of Edge. AJ sends Priest into the ring post but Priest comes back with a slam to the floor and we head to a commercial break. Back from the break and AJ clocks Priest with a flying right hand in the corner whilst back in the ring. Priest scoops and slams AJ before going for the cover but Priest kicks out. Priest puts AJ on the top turnbuckle, follows him up and looks for the super-plex but AJ slides underneath Priest and slams him with a power-bomb then goes for the cover but Priest lifts the shoulders after a count of two. Priest fights back with some shots and looks for the Razor’s Edge but AJ slides out and nails Priest with a Pele kick. AJ clocks Priest with a forearm, goes to the apron and looks for the Phenomenal Forearm but Priest catches him and plants him with a choke-slam before going for the cover but AJ kicks out at two-and-a-half! Priest lands a ripcord knee, AJ blocks a follow-up strike and trips Priest into the Calf Crusher. Edge distracts AJ, Priest goes for the attack but AJ rolls up Priest and gets the three-count!
Winner - AJ Styles
— After the match, Edge attacks AJ and Priest plants AJ with The Reckoning. Edge grabs a pair of steel chairs, Priest holds AJ down and Edge lifts a chair but Finn Balor rushes down! Balor clears the ring and checks on AJ, they ‘Too Sweet’ each other as Edge and Priest retreat.
— We then see Omos and MVP backstage alongside Cedric Alexander. Cedric says he’s interested in working with MVP again. MVP says he’s moved onto bigger and better things and tells Cedric to excuse him while he and Omos talk shop. Cedric says since Shelton Benjamin isn’t around tonight, he’s going to show what he can do on his own against Bobby Lashley. Omos cuts off Cedric from talking any further and we cut back to the ring where The Miz makes his way down to the ring and we’ll have an episode of Miz TV, after the break.
— Back from the break and we see a video package wishing The Rock a happy 50th birthday. Back in the ring, Miz welcomes everyone to the latest edition of Miz TV before introducing his guest for the night, Mustafa Ali. During Ali’s entrance, his music cuts out and Miz ‘wonders’ how something like that could happen on Miz TV. Miz says the fans missed Ali…and so has he. Miz confronts Ali about interrupting Theory during last week’s episode of Miz TV and Miz asks Ali if it was an act of desperation because he hasn’t been champion or ponders if it’s because the fans forgot about him while he’s been gone. Ali tried to say something but the microphone cuts out and grabs another, which works. Ali says the only thing he and the fans have to complain about…is Miz still being in WWE. Ali says when he’s upset, he goes to the fans because they’re who matters meanwhile Miz complains to WWE executives. Theory’s music hits and out comes the United States Champion. Theory says it’s been bothering him how he didn’t have time to prepare for his match against Ali, last week, so he went to his ‘mentor’ Vince McMahon and got the loss removed from his record. Ali tells Miz and Theory that they talk too much and says that he wants a title shot against Theory…but he wants to fight for it. Theory said he already spoke to Vince and a Championship Contender’s match between he and Ali has been booked for tonight. Ali accepts the challenges and Theory ‘forgot’ to mention that it’ll be a 2-on-1 handicap match between he and Miz against Ali…which starts right here, right now.
The Miz & Theory vs. Mustafa Ali — 2-on-1 Handicap Match
— All three competitors get ready for the bout and we head to a commercial break before this one gets underway. Back from the break and Miz rolls up Ali but Ali rolls Miz back and lands a few shots. Ali looks for a cross-body but Miz evades and Ali spills to the outside. Miz makes the tag to Theory, Ali sends Theory to the corner with a drop-kick then plants Theory with a neck-breaker before going for the cover but Theory kicks out at two. Theory rolls to the outside, Theory makes the tag to Miz on the way out, Ali goes for Theory but Miz pops up from behind and plants Ali with the Skull Crushing Finale for the 1-2-3!
Winners - The Miz & Theory
— After the match, Miz and Theory celebrate and take selfies on the stage. Ciampa comes out of nowhere and attacks Ali back in the ring. Ciampa stands tall in the ring. Theory and Miz continue their celebration.
— We then see a video package highlighting the 24/7 Championship picture. Nikki A.S.H. won the title after rolling now-former champion Dana Brooke up. Dana blames Reggie for the loss and says that he was supposed to protect her. Dana says Reggie needs to get her a title match, later tonight or their marriage is over. We head back to the ringside area and Dana makes her way to the ring alongside Reggie and we head to a commercial break.
Nikki A.S.H. (C) vs. Dana Brooke (with Reggie) — 24/7 Championship
— Nikki trips Dana to the outside, catches her in the ring apron and unloads a number of forearms to the chest. A back-and-forth lasts for a second and Dana wallops Nikki with a spring-board back elbow in the corner and plants Nikki with a neck-breaker for the three-count!
Winner - Dana Brooke (NEW 24/7 Champion)
— After the match, Dana and Reggie celebrate and Akira Tozawa comes up from behind Dana and rolls her up but R-Truth shoves Tozawa aside and looks for the pin himself but Reggie tosses Truth out of the way and tries to roll Dana up. Tamina throws Reggie to the side, Dana escapes out of the ring, Reggie rolls up Dana on the outside, Dana kicks out and slaps Reggie in the face. Reggie tries to apologize to Dana but Dana jumps up on the announce table and says she wants a divorce from Reggie. Everyone, including Reggie, looks shocked.
— We then see a video package showing Asuka’s return, last week when she interrupted Becky Lynch’s promo. We then see Becky backstage with Kevin Patrick. Kevin asks Becky about her reaction to last week’s events. Becky says that Asuka’s never faced ‘Big Time Becks’ and Asuka doesn’t know what she’s getting herself into. Becky says this is her comeback story…and it begins by ending Asuka.
— Back at the ringside area, Seth Rollins makes his way down to the ring and we’ll hear from Rollins, after the break.
— Back from the break and commentary recaps the night thus far and runs down this weekend’s WrestleMania Backlash card. Seth Rollins is in the ring. Rollins says, last week everyone celebrating Randy Orton’s 20-years in the company and now everyone needs to celebrate a true ‘visionary’ and ‘global sex icon’, like Seth Freakin’ Rollins. Cody Rhodes’ music hits and out comes ‘The American Nightmare’. Rollins says Cody tried to steal his spotlight at WrestleMania and this Sunday at WrestleMania Backlash, he’ll show the world and Cody why nobody can steal his spotlight. Rollins asks Cody why he’s getting into somebody’s business that he has no business in being in. Cody congratulates Rollins in everything that he’s accomplished and says he feels like Rollins is about to cross a line that he shouldn’t cross. Cody says while Rollins is certainly one of the best, he’s also delusional. Rollins says Cody’s father Dusty wrestled hundreds of times in this very arena and Cody reminds him of his father, both very egotistical. Rollins says the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree and calls both Cody and Dusty delusional. Rollins says Dusty wanted to be WWE Champion but he simply wasn’t good enough and as long as he’s [Rollins] here, Cody won’t be good enough either. Cody attacks Rollins, who retreats and Cody launched Rollins’ suit jacket into the crowds
— We then see a video package of the arm wrestling contest between Omos and Bobby Lashley from last week. Back to the live arena, Lashley makes his way down to the ring and ‘The Almighty’ will face Cedric Alexander, after the break.
Bobby Lashley vs. Cedric Alexander
— Omos’ music hits before this one gets underway, Cedric attacks from behind and MVP starts talking trash about Lashley while the match is going on. Cedric continues the attack, Lashley overpowers Cedric, rolls out of the ring and stares down MVP from afar. Cedric dives through the ropes, Lashley Lashley evades and launches Cedric into the ring post before getting Cedric back into the ring. Lashley drills Cedric with a spear then locks-in the Hurt Lock and Cedric’s forced to tap!
Winner - Bobby Lashley
— After the match, Lashley urges Omos to come down to the ring but MVP stops him and the two behemoths stare each other down as commentary runs down this Sunday’s card for WrestleMania Backlash.
— We then see Sarah Schreiber backstage with Liv Morgan and we’ll hear from them, after the break.
— Back from the break and Liv says she attacked Rhea Ripley, last week because she just wanted to return the favor. Liv says Rhea’s just disappointed in herself and that’s why she’s lashing out at her [Liv]. Liv says to watch her and we see a video package of what’s happened so far tonight.
— We then cut back to the ringside area and Becky Lynch makes her way down to the ring ahead of tonight’s main event and we head to a commercial break before it gets underway.
— Back from the break and we see a quick recap of tonight’s events. Nikki A.S.H. is shown backstage and looking upset. Doudrop approaches and asks Nikki if she’s done messing around and ready to take things more seriously. Nikki says yes and we head to the ring for our main event of the evening.
Becky Lynch, Rhea Ripley & Sonya Deville vs. Bianca Belair, Asuka & Liv Morgan
— Asuka and Becky start this one off. Becky immediately retreats and makes the tag to Sonya and Bianca’s also tagged in. Sonya also retreats and makes the tag to Rhea, who slams Bianca and knocks Liv off the apron. Rhea sends Bianca to the corner and makes the tag to Sonya, who wallops Bianca with a bevy of shots. Bianca slides out of the way of a knee and stomps on Sonya’s mid-section. Bianca makes the tag to Liv and they plant Sonya with a double-slam and Liv goes for the cover but Sonya kicks out. Sonya gets momentum back and makes the tag to Becky, who wallops Liv with a slam and goes for the cover but Liv lifts the shoulders after a count of two. Liv rolls Becky up with a back-slide but Becky kicks out. Liv drills Becky with a knee in the corner then a slam and goes for the cover but Becky kicks out. Liv dives through the ropes and takes out Sonya on the outside. Liv gets back in the ring but is met by a drop-kick from Becky that sends Liv out of the ring. Becky goes to the outside and tosses Liv back in, goes up top and plants Liv with a diving leg-drop then goes for the cover but Liv kicks out at two-and-a-half and we head to a commercial break. Back from the break and Sonya’s working over Liv in the ring. Liv escapes and makes the tag to Asuka, who clears house but Sonya comes back with an axe-handle slam. Asuka fired back with some fast-paced strikes and then a spin-kick before going for the cover but Sonya kicks out. Asuka sends Sonya to the outside, Liv nails Sonya with a meteora from the apron and sends Sonya back in the ring where Asuka goes for the cover but Becky makes the save. Asuka sends Becky to the outside and makes the tag to Liv, who gets put in an awkward submission by Sonya inside of the ropes, Bianca breaks it up, Liv sneaks up behind Sonya and plants her with the ObLIVion for the 1-2-3!
Winners - Bianca Belair, Asuka & Liv Morgan
— After the match, Bianca, Asuka and Liv all celebrate as the show goes off-the-air!
