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Seth Rollins Highlights Importance Of World Heavyweight Title, Balor Beats Nakamura | Raw Fight Size

Wrestling
Colin Tessier May 23, 2023 2:43AM

Here is your post-Monday Night Raw fight size update for May 22, 2023.

- Corey Graves’ interview with Seth Rollins continued. Rollins made it clear that he didn't respect the kind of champion Roman Reigns has become, as he stated that his former Shield stablemate is taking opportunities away from others. Rollins emphasized that he would be a fighting champion that gave others opportunities. He highlighted his love of wrestling and noted that he wanted to be the kind of champion that would be viewed as a positive example.

Update On Jeff Hardy's AEW Contract

- Shinsuke Nakamura clashed with Finn Balor. Damian Priest intervened and helped Balor take control. Nakamura kept fighting, and he was on the verge of victory, but more interfere from Priest helped Balor clinch the win.

- Cody Rhodes was walking backstage, and Brock Lesnar viciously attacked him. Lesnar slammed Rhodes’ wrist with a metal canister. Backstage, Byron Saxton noted that it wasn’t clear whether Cody would be cleared to compete at WWE Night of Champions.

- In an interview, Mustafa Ali previewed his match with Gunther at WWE Night of Champions and he was cut off by Brock Lesnar, who told him to get a life.

- Ricochet faced Bronson Reed, who was determined to get revenge after Ricochet cost him the battle royale for a shot at the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Reed overpowered Ricochet, but the former WWE Intercontinental Champion rallied. Reed took control and got the win with the Tsunami.

- Zoey Stark took on Candice LeRae, and the Raw newcomer brought the fight to the veteran. Nikki Cross was at ringside, but her presence didn’t sway the outcome, as Stark pinned LeRae for the decisive win.

- An interview with Apollo Crews was interrupted by Dominik Mysterio. Crews said he was everything that Dominik is not. Ripley took the microphone and called out Natalya. She challenged Natalya to a match at WWE Night of Champions. Crews interrupted and asked Dominik what he was gonna do about it, setting the stage for a match.

- Paul Heyman came to the ring and noted that he had nothing to do with Brock Lesnar’s attack. He stated that it was just a taste of what Lesnar was capable of. Heyman hyped up WWE Night of Champions and predicted that Roman Reigns af Solo Sikoa would beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship. Owens and Zayn interrupted, and Heyman fled the scene. Owens and Zayn discussed their title match at WWE Night of Champions. Imperium (Gunther, Giovanni Vinci, and Ludwig Kaiser) came down to the ring, but Matt Riddle joined forces with the champions. Owens, Zayn, and Riddle gained the upper hand after a brief brawl.

- Brock Lesnar came to the ring and claimed that Cody Rhodes wouldn’t be wrestling at WWE Night of Champions. He issued an open challenge, and Cody Rhodes, with his arm in a sling, came to the ring to answer it. Cody took the sling off and tried to fight Lesnar with one arm. Lesnar easily overpowered him. He locked Cody in the Kimura and seemingly snapped it. Adam Pearce called for medical officials to check on Cody.

- Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus signed the contract for their match at WWE Night of Champions. Stratus claimed that she was always number one. Lynch said that Stratus was everything she hoped she never would be, and she vowed to welcome Stratus to the big time at WWE Night of Champions.

- Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis) faced the Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar). At ringside, Valhalla intimated Maxxine Dupri, who ran away. The distraction somewhat helped Gable score the victory by pinning Erik.

- Raquel Rodriguez faced Soya Deville. Rodriguez picked up the decisive win, and when Green and Chelsea Green attacked her after the match, Shotzi made the save.

- Jinder Mahal hyped up Veer Mahaan and Sanga in a brief promo.

- Dominik Mysterio clashed with Apollo Crews. Rhea Ripley got involved and helped Dominik take control. She also shoved Crews into the ring post. Mysterio clinched the win with a Frog Splash.

- WWE hyped up the success of Fast X, and John Cena thanked the WWE Universe for their support.

My time in #WWE has made it clear that the fans are by far the most important piece of the puzzle.

I want to thank the members of the @WWE Universe whose support of #FastX helped propel it to #1 in the world! https://t.co/jEGwbS9pL0

May 23, 2023

- Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Matt Riddle defeated Imperium (Gunther, Giovanni Vinci, and Ludwig Kaiser) in a hard-fought match.

- Backstage, Raquel Rodriguez picked Shotzi to be her new tag team partner.

- Triple H tried to be the voice of reason by telling Cody Rhodes he shouldn't compete with an injury at WWE Night of Champions, but Rhodes remained adamant; he told Triple H that he still wanted to fight Brock Lesnar.

- In a Raw Exclusive, Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville expressed their confidence ahead of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match on the May 29 episode of WWE Raw.

- Natalya delivered an emotional message ahead of her match at WWE Night of Champions.

- Mustafa Ali looked ahead to his match at WWE Night of Champions and stated that his dream would die if he lost.

- Zoey Stark discussed her win in a Raw Exclusive and made it clear that she was on WWE Raw to make a name for herself.

- Alpha Academy (Otis and Chad Gable), alongside Maxxine Dupri, celebrated their win on Raw Talk.

- In a Raw Exclusive, Bruce Boudreau gave Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn advice.

- Check out the card for the May 29 episode of WWE Raw here.

Catch up on our coverage of WWE Raw here. For a full review, check out the post-show podcast on our YouTube channel.

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