Welcome to Fightful.com's live coverage & discussion for Monday Night RAW (5/23/22)!
We'll be bringing you full, fight-by-fight results of every match on the card.
Preview
- Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz
- Bobby Lashley Calls Out Omos
- Becky Lynch Confronts Asuka
Live Coverage
— The show begins and our commentary team of Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton and Corey Graves welcome us to tonight's show. We then see a video package highlighting The Usos victory over RK-Bro from this past Friday's episode of SmackDown where Jimmy and Jey became the undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions.
— Riddle then makes his way down to the ring. Riddle says Randy Orton's been battling back issues over the past number of months and even though Orton could barely walk, 'The Viper' knew how important their match against The Usos was for both him [Riddle] and the fans, so he pulled through and gave it his all. Riddle says The Usos are a great team but they didn't win the right way and calls Roman Reigns a piece of trash. Riddle says he'll get revenge on Reigns and The Usos. Riddle says Orton has done more for him than anyone else has ever done and tells Orton that he loves him and says he knows Orton is watching the show, tonight. Riddle admits that he doesn't know what the future of RK-Bro is and he starts an 'RK-BRO!' and the crowd joins in. Riddle puts down the microphone and exits and we head to a commercial break.
— Back from the break and it's announced that Cody Rhodes' match against The Miz will go down at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT. It's also announced that Jerry Lawler will host King's Court with special guest Veer Mahan.
The Usos (Jimmy & Jey) & Sami Zayn vs. Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) & Riddle
Dawkins and Zayn start this one off. Zayn applies a headlock to start. Dawkins powers out and drills Zayn with a running shoulder strike. Dawkins drags Zayn to the corner, flattens him with a splash then makes the tag to Ford, who slams Zayn to the mat and makes the tag to Riddle, who knocks both Jimmy and Jey off the apron. Zayn attacks Riddle from behind and works over Riddle's taped up mid-section. Zayn makes he tag to Jey, Riddle launches Jey to the corner and unloads a bevy of kicks and makes the tag to Ford. Jimmy makes the self-tag on Jey and sends Ford out of the ring with a clothesline.
Back from the break, Zayn has a headlock applied on Ford whilst in the ring. Zayn plants Ford with a scoop and slam then goes for a suplex but Zayn slides out and ends up planting Zayn with a suplex of his own. Zayn escapes a slam and knocks Dawkins off the apron, Jey trips Riddle off the apron and launches Riddle into the barricade. Ford rolls Zayn up, Zayn kicks out and makes the tag to Jey. Ford fends off Jimmy and Zayn and makes the tag to Riddle, who drills Zayn with a bunch of kicks then lays into Jimmy with a ropcord knee strike. Riddle hits a senton on both Jimmy and Zayn, Dawkins comes in and helps Riddle with the attack, both Jimmy and Jey roll to the outside but Ford takes them both out with a dive over the top rope. Back in the ring, Riddle nails Zayn with Randy Orton's vintage middle rope DDT then goes foe the RKO but Jimmy and Jey distract him but end up backing off and exiting, Riddle plants Zayn with an RKO and gets the 1-2-3!
Winners - Street Profits & Riddle
— We then see a video package highlighting the rivalry between Bobby Lashley, Omos and MVP, which culminated in a steel cage match, last Monday night on RAW, won by Lashley. 'The Almighty' then makes his way down to the ring and we head to a commercial break before we hear from the former WWE Champion.
— Back from the break and it's announced by commentary that Bobby Lashley and Omos will have their rubber match at next month's Hell In A Cell premium live event. Back in the ring, Lashley says he survived last week's steel cage match against Omos but even after the brutal match, he knew he and Omos were far from done...so that's why they'll settle it once and for all at Hell In A Cell. Omos, alongside MVP make their way out. MVP says the whole world saw Omos beat Lashley and if it weren't for the broken cage wall, Omos would've picked up the win. Lashley interrupts MVP and says no regular match can finish the feud between he and Omos. Lashley says he'll face MVP, tonight and the winner picks the stipulation for he and Omos' match at Hell In A Cell. MVP says he's the only reason Lashley's relevant, Lashley asks MVP when was the last time he won a match was and says he's gonna make MVP tap to The Hurt Lock in front of the entire world, tonight. MVP and Omos try to attack Lashley but Lashley shoves MVP off the apron and MVP and Omos exit.
— We then see a video package hyping up The Judgement Day and Edge, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley make their way down to the ring and we head to a commercial break.
— Back from the break and we see 24/7 Champion Dana Brooke, backstage alongside Adam Pearce. Brook tells Pearce that she wants to face Carmella and exits. Becky Lynch comes in and tells Pearce that she wants another shot at Asuka. Pearce tells Lynch that she'll face Asuka, tonight and if she wins, it'll be a triple threat match between herself, Asuka and RAW Women's Champion, Bianca Belair at Hell In A Cell.
— Back in the ring, Edge, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley of The Judgement Day all have microphones. Priest says everyone needs to stand up and show their respects to the group. Priest says there's still an open invite for anyone to join them but says nobody has enough courage to do so, because they're all sheep. Ripley directs her attention to Liv Morgan and says that Liv needs to stop listening to the sheep online and in the arenas and needs to start thinking for herself just like she [Rhea] did. Edge says The Judgement Day are all about telling their truths and having power. Edge says anyone in the locker room can change their career by joining the group and learning from him. Edge says he wasn't hand-picked by WWE to be the poster boy and he got to the top of the company by true hard work. Liv Morgan makes her way down to the ring, as does AJ Styles and we go to a commercial break ahead of a mixed tag team match.
Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley vs. AJ Styles & Liv Morgan
Priest and Styles start this one off. Styles applies an armbar and quickly transitions into a headlock. Priest powers out and drills Styles with a kick but Styles comes back with a drop-kick. Priest makes the tag to Ripley, so Morgan is now automatically the legal competitor for her team. Morgan sends Ripley to the corner and landa a splash but Ripley comes back and drills her with a headbutt. Ripley tosses Morgan to the corner and unloads a bevy of strikes. Morgan comes back with a big boot then goes for a cross-body but Ripley catches her and plants her with a suplex. Morgan trips Ripley to the mat, Ripley rolls to the outside but Morgan nails her with a dive through the ropes onto the outside. Styles trips Priest off the apron, Morgan sends Ripley back into the ring, Ripley fights back and lands a suplex before going for the cover but Morgan lifts the shoulders after a count of two. Priest and Styles are both back in as the legal participants. Priest sends Styles to the corner and goes for a splash but Styles sends him back with a forearm. Priest drills Styles with a kick, Styles rolls to the outside, Priest follows him and drills him with a slam onto the apron and we head to a commercial break. Back from the break and Ripley and Morgan are now the legal members of the match. Morgan sends Ripley back with a kick, then a running knee to the corner and a drop-kick and goes for the cover but Edge puts Ripley's foot on the bottom rope to force the break. Morgan goes for ObLIVion, Edge holds Ripley still so Morgan can't slam her and Morgan goes tumbling to the mat and Ripley rolls her back for the three-count!
Winners - Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley
— After the match, Edge, Priest and Ripley continue the attack and stand tall over Styles and Morgan as the segment ends.
— We then see The Miz, backstage and Kevin Patrick comes in and asks Miz about his match against Cody Rhodes, later tonight. Miz says you can never trust a man with a neck tattoo and Cody's ego has been out of control ever since coming back to WWE and that shows with him 'having more pyro than the fourth of July'. Miz tells Patrick to leave, which he does.
— Back at the ringside area, WWE Hall of Famer, Jerry 'The King' Lawler makes his entrance and he'll host King's Court, after the break.
— Back from the break and Jerry Lawler welcomes his special guest of the evening, Veer Mahan. Lawler says Veer doesn't talk much, so this is a chance for him to finally say what's on his mind. Veer just stares Lawler down and doesn't say anything. Lawler asks Veer why he's directed his anger toward Rey and Dominik Mysterio and Veer doesn't respond. Veer finally speaks and says he's not here to joke around and while Rey is a legend, he's too busy babysitting Dominik, so he decided to take them both out. Veer slaps Lawler's microphone out of his hand then picks it up and hands it back to Lawler and asks Lawler if he's scared. Rey and Dominik Mysterio make their way down to the ring and Veer exits before they can attack.
— A video package of Alexa Bliss' return from two weeks ago is then shown. Bliss makes her way down to the ring and she'll face Nikki A.S.H., after the commercial break.
— Back from the break, Nikki A.S.H. and Doudrop make their way down to the ring and Corey Graves takes another dig at Naomi and Sasha Banks for walking out of last week's show.
Alexa Bliss vs. Nikki A.S.H. (with Doudrop)
Nikki fakes a handshake and uses it to crack Bliss with a forearm. Bliss fires back and clocks Nikki with a clothesline that sends her out of the ring. Bliss follows Nikki and tosses her back into the ring and nails Nikki with a drop-kick. Nikki trips Bliss and goes up top, Bliss follows, Nikki looks for a super-plex, Bliss knocks Nikki back to the mat and hits Twisted Bliss for the 1-2-3!
Winner - Alexa Bliss
— We then see Seth Rollins backstage, with Kevin Patrick. Rollins says Cody Rhodes has received preferential treatment since coming back to WWE, especially with 'The Countdown To Cody' clock that's been shown at the start of shows. Rollins says there's also a clock in his head and he wonders what's going to happen when it finally reaches zero.
— Back at the ringside area, Cody Rhodes makes his entrance and 'The American Nightmare' will face The Miz, after the break.
Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz
Miz sends Cody to the corner to start. Cody slides out of the way of a chop to the chest and cracks Miz with one of his own. Cody applies a headlock, Miz powers out but Cody regains momentum with his patented drop-down punch. Cody drills Miz with a clothesline, Miz trips Cody and goes up top but misses an forearm and drops to the mat. Cody plants Miz with a front-suplex and goes for the cover but Miz kicks out. Cody goes up top, Miz knocks him off and Cody spills out of the ring and we head to a commercial break. Back from the break, Cody has control of Miz and plants him with a cutter before going for the cover but Miz kicks out at two. Cody applies a leg-lock but Seth Rollins attacks him and caused a disqualification.
Winner - Cody Rhodes (via DQ)
— After the match, Miz and Rollins continue the attack. Rollins takes Cody’s weight belt away from the child Cody handed it to during his entrance and whips Cody with it. Rollins and Miz exit, Cody limps over to the child and gives him the belt back and we head to a commercial break.
Ezekiel vs. Chad Gable (with Otis & Kevin Owens)
Ezekiel applies an armbar to start. Gable rolls out and trips Ezekiel to the mat. A brief back-and-forth ensues, Gable lands a suplex and goes for the cover but Ezekiel kicks out. Ezekiel comes back with a spine-buster then a corner splash. Otis distracts Ezekiel but the referee’s seen enough and kicks Otis out. Kevin Owens tries to use the distraction to attack Ezekiel but he’s also caught and he’s also ejected. Ezekiel rolls Gable up and gets the 1-2-3!
Winner - Ezekiel
— After the match, Owens grabs a microphone and challenged Ezekiel to a match at Hell In A Cell and Ezekiel escapes an attack by the three heels and exits through the crowd.
— We then see Cody Rhodes, backstage with WWE medical personnel. Cody says his leg is in a ton of pain but he can still put pressure on it which is bad news for Seth Rollins, who’s about to be 0 and 3 against him after Hell In A Cell.
— Back at the ringside area, Bobby Lashley makes his way down to the ring and he’ll face MVP, after the break.
Bobby Lashley vs. MVP (with Omos)
MVP plays a game of chicken and gets Lashley to chase him around the ring and the ringside area. MVP gets Lashley cornered and drills him with a bit boot whilst in the corner. Lashley fights back and lands a boot of his own and then plants MVP with a flatliner. MVP rolls to the outside but Lashley follows him and launches him into the ring post. Omos clothesline Lashley then goes for a second one but Lashley evades but Omos has distracted Lashley long enough because Lashley’s been counted out!
Winner - MVP (via count-out)
— After the match, Lashley attacks MVP, Omos tries to make the save but Lashley sends him out of the ring and puts MVP to sleep with The Hurt Lock.
— It’s then announced that Lacey Evans will make her in-ring return, next week.
— Back at the ringside area, RAW Women’s Champion, Bianca Belair makes her way down to the ring and she’ll join commentary for our main event of the evening, which will go down, after the break.
Asuka vs. Becky Lynch
Asuka with a kick to start. Becky shoves Asuka to the outside, follows her out and launches her into the ring post and we head to a commercial break. Back from the break and Asuka’s down on the outside, Becky yells at the referee to count quicker but Becky goes to the outside and fires Asuka into the barricade and then the pair get back into the ring. Becky tosses Asuka right back out then sends her into the steel steps before throwing her back into the ring. Becky goes to the middle rope and nails Asuka with a leg drop before going for the cover but Asuka kicks out. Asuka cracks Becky with an elbow then a German suplex and some kicks before going for a cover of her own but Becky lifts the shoulders after a count of two. A back-and-forth ensues, Asuka misses a back kick, Becky goes for the Disarm Her but Asuka rolls out and cracks Becky with a kick and Becky spills to the outside. Becky sends Asuka into Bianca on the outside before getting herself and Asuka back into the ring but Becky immediately rolls Asuka up and gets the three-count!
Winner - Becky Lynch (Will Join The RAW Women’s Championship Match At Hell In A Cell Against Bianca Belair and Asuka)
— After the match, the three foes for Hell In A Cell stare each other down from afar as the show goes off-the-air!