In a classic demonstration of expect the unexpected, Monday’s WWE Raw encountered a flurry of last-minute changes, with the opening segment reworked at the eleventh hour, as reported by Fightful Select.
Cody Rhodes, the American Nightmare himself, was initially planned to kick start the evening. This would have marked his first appearance since the Payback premium live event. It was there that Rhodes revealed his backstage maneuvering to secure a place for Jey Uso on the Raw roster.
However, the script took a sudden twist. Instead of Rhodes, Jey Uso became the opening act of the night, sharing the spotlight with Kevin Owens in the ring. Just as their conversation was getting started, The Judgment Day crashed their party. This unexpected intrusion set the stage for an impromptu tag team match pitting Uso and Owens against the formidable duo, Finn Balor and Damian Priest. In a shocking turn, Uso mistakenly super-kicked his own partner during the high-stakes match.
The chaotic changes weren’t confined to Raw, as the taping schedule for WWE Main Event also underwent significant revisions. Fightful further revealed that Natalya’s match with Zoey Stark was abruptly pulled from the Main Event lineup and Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin’s showdown with Viking Raiders was pushed over from Raw to Main Event.
Adding to the suspense of the night was the feature event – a WWE Women’s World Championship battle. The line-up saw Rhea Ripley once again squaring off against Raquel Rodriguez, promising a power-packed wrestling rodeo. An interesting twist was the barring of NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio from ringside, serving as a potential game-changer.
Not to be overlooked among all the abrupt changes and dazzling showdowns was the celebration of GUNTHER’s game-changing reign as Intercontinental Champion. This stellar celebration set the foundation for a thrilling six-man tag match, pitting Imperium against the formidable Alpha Academy and Tommaso Ciampa, ensuring an unforgettable climax to the show.
