WWE RAW Live Coverage - May 17th, 2021

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Alexa Bliss welcomes the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Natalya & Tamina onto Alexa’s Playground

In he wake of WrestleMania Backlash, what will be the fallout of the WWE Championship and Raw Women's Championship Triple Threat Matches. Plus, Alexa Bliss welcomes the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Natalya & Tamina onto Alexa’s Playground.


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– Tonight’s post-WrestleMania Backlash edition of WWE RAW opens up on the USA Network with the usual intro. We’re live from backstage at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida as WWE Champion Bobby Lashley comes out of his locker room with a young woman on each arm. Three more women come out of the locker room and they all walk off together.

– We’re live from the WWE ThunderDome at the Yuengling Center in Tampa as MVP welcomes us. He’s in the ring to introduce WWE Champion Bobby Lashley. Out he comes with the women from backstage. Adnan Virk welcomes us to RAW. He’s joined at ringside by Corey Graves and Byron Saxton. We get a video package on Lashley’s win over Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania Backlash last night.

MVP says he told Lashley he had some surprises for him tonight, referring to the women. MVP hypes last night’s win and says Strowman is suffering from broken ribs while McIntyre was too beat up to get out of bed this morning. MVP says Lashley did everything he did last night while injured. Lashley shows us his fist with swollen knuckles. MVP says they’re swollen from pounding the faces of McIntyre and Strowman. Lashley says The Allmighty Era never ends, and MVP says we are witnessing it. MVP says Lashley was supposed to have the night off but they are issuing an Open Challenge for anyone who wants to face… the music interrupts and out comes McIntyre to a pop.

McIntyre hits the ring and comments on Lashley being a fighting champion. He then accepts the Open Challenge. MVP says Drew interrupted him before he finished. The Open Challenge is for anyone in the locker room, except for Drew and Braun. Fans boo. MVP tells Drew to get to the back of the line. Lashley and Drew start to fight but Drew rocks him and Lashley goes to the floor to regroup. The women keep screaming. MVP and Lashley yell from ringside with MVP telling Drew to get to the back of the line.

– Still to come, Elias vs. AJ Styles. Also, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler will get their rematch for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. We go to commercial.

– Back from the break and the Open Challenge for the WWE Title is confirmed for later.

AJ Styles vs. Elias

We go back to the ring and out come the RAW Tag Team Champions – AJ Styles with Omos. Elias is out next with Jaxson Ryker.

The bell rings and Elias goes to work. AJ comes back with a dropkick. Elias blocks a suplex and nails one of his own in the middle of the ring. AJ fights out of the corner now, beating Elias into the opposite corner. Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair is confirmed for tonight.

AJ takes Elias to another corner, then hits a backbreaker as Ryker and Omos look on. Elias turns it around in the corner again, beating AJ down until the referee backs him away. Elias ends up dropkicking AJ into the lower part of the ring post, sandwiching him and sending him to the floor in front of Omos. Elias brings it back in but drops AJ face-first into the apron. Elias brings it back in as the referee counts. Elias turns right around to AJ clotheslining him over the top rope to the floor.

AJ launches himself over the top rope to the floor, taking Elias down with a big right hand. AJ landed bad on his knee it appears. Ryker stares AJ down but here comes Omos to back him up. The referee keeps counting as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Elias hits a big back-drop, then a Spinebuster for a close 2 count. Elias with another quick 2 count. Elias keeps control and drops knees on AJ, then grounds him with a headlock as Omos cheers AJ on. AJ fights up and out, stunning Elias with a kick. AJ slides in with another forearm now. AJ mounts more offense now, dropping Elias with the Ushigoroshi for a close 2 count.

AJ calls for the Styles Clash but Elias back-drops him, into a roll-up by AJ. Elias blocks the Styles Clash again. Elias with a big jumping knee and a spinning suplex for a close 2 count. Elias shows some frustration now. Elias taunts AJ and works him over now. AJ fights off Elias’ shoulders with elbows. Elias charges but AJ sends him into the middle turnbuckle. Elias with a big chop. AJ chops him back.

Elias sends AJ to the apron but AJ rocks him with a forearm. AJ looks to finish Elias off but Ryker pulls him off the apron for the disqualification.

Winner by DQ: AJ Styles

– After the bell, Omos backs Ryker up the ramp as Elias sends AJ over the steel ring steps. Elias stomps on AJ at ringside but Omos comes back down the ramp and Elias retreats. Omos checks on AJ as Elias and Ryker look on.

– Alexa Bliss and Lilly are backstage on a swing. She mentions having the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions as their guests tonight. Back to commercial.

– Back from a break and we get a plug for tomorrow’s WWE NXT episode with NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano cutting a promo on his Steel Cage match with Bronson Reed.

– We get a look at last week’s eight-man match and how Randy Orton dropped The New Day with RKOs. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are with Riddle backstage now. Orton ends up walking in and he was told to be there so Adam Pearce could speak. Pearce was not there and this was just a ruse by Riddle. Riddle says they had such a good time last week and even though it ended on bad terms, they could make this a 4-way group and Orton could apologize for what he did. Orton says that’s not going to happen because he’s not sorry. Kofi warns Riddle he will end up on the receiving end of a RKO if he’s not careful. Kofi and Orton have words and Kofi challenges him to a match. It’s on for later. Kofi and Woods walk off. Riddle goes to speak but Orton hushes him. Orton walks off.

– Alexa Bliss is backstage with Lilly at Alexa’s Playground. She says they’re excited because they have two new friends coming to play. New WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina Snuka are there now. Natalya is on a swing but Tamina is standing. Natalya talks about how proud they are of their win and how tough it was beating Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. Tamina is ready to leave. Bliss says Lilly wants to know their favorite color. Natalya says probably pink. Tamina says black and blue, which will look great on Bliss’ face if she tries anything weird. Bliss says that was not very nice but she’s lucky Lilly really likes them. Lilly really liked how Tamina beat Reginald up a few weeks ago. Tamina mentions how she has no problem swatting Reginald again if he tries anything during tonight’s rematch. Bliss rambles on about Lilly collecting wings of dead bugs and other body parts. Natalya and Tamina are weirded out. They walk out while Bliss is rambling about Lilly. Bliss wishes them good luck and says she and Lilly will be watching. The Firefly Fun House music starts up as we go to commercial.

Angel Garza vs. Drew Gulak

Back from the break and out comes Angel Garza with a rose. Out next comes Drew Gulak. We see what happened last week between the two.

The bell rings and Gulak immediately nails a big dropkick in the corner. Gulak goes to work on Garza and applies a modified abdominal stretch in the middle of the ring. Garza fights out and slams Gulak to the mat. Garza with a running clothesline from the corner, then a slap to the face and another clothesline.

Garza with a slingshot inverted suplex, then a dropkick to put Gulak back down. Garza talks some trash and stays on Gulak. Gulak fights back but Garza rocks him with a right. Garza goes for the big backbreaker in the middle of the ring, holding Gulak in the air and dropping him. Garza follows up with a running knee to the face in the corner.

Garza comes right back with the Wing Clipper in the middle of the ring for the pin to win.

Winner: Angel Garza

– After the match, Garza stands tall as his music hits. We go to replays. Garza walks over to the corner and grabs his rose. He kneels down over Gulak and taunts him with it, then snaps it in half and shoves it down his throat. Garza exits the ring and shows off, smiling at Gulak’s mouth full of rose petals.

– WWE 24/7 Champion R-Truth is backstage hiding when Kevin Patrick tries to get an interview. Truth didn’t recognize Patrick and thought he was hiding from a Superstar. Truth says he has to keep a low profile because he heard there was an Open Challenge for his title. Patrick informs him the Open Challenge is for the WWE Title. Truth goes on until Akira Tozawa rolls him up from behind to win the title. Tozawa says the tables have now turned. Tozawa runs off with the 24/7 Title. Truth yells out and says he’s tired.

Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston

We go back to the ring and out comes Randy Orton. Riddle appears next to him on his scooter. Orton is a bit annoyed but he heads to the ring with Riddle riding right behind him. Orton enters the ring and takes his time as Riddle joins him. Orton poses in the corner as pyro falls from the rafters. Riddle points up at him as some fans boo. We go to commercial as Orton continues his entrance.

Back from the break and we get a replay of the Eva Marie “Eva-Lution” vignette that aired last week. Orton paces in the ring now as Riddle continues running his mouth behind him. Out next comes The New Day – Kofi Kingston with Xavier Woods. The bell rings and they go at it. Orton takes Kofi down first with a headlock as Riddle cheers him on from ringside. They hit the ropes and Orton drops Kofi with a shoulder. They run the ropes again and Kofi leaps up, colliding his hip with Orton’s face. It looked like they hit hard there and Orton immediately rolled to the floor to regroup.

Kofi follows and Orton fights him off. Orton brings it back in the ring but Kofi nails a big arm drag, and another for a 2 count. Kofi with more offense for another 2 count. Orton turns it back around with a bit of a cheap shot as some fans boo. Orton with big uppercuts in the corner now. Orton manhandles Kofi some and uses the middle rope as the referee warns him.

Orton stomps on Kofi’s leg and taunts him. Kofi kicks out at 2. Orton grounds Kofi with a chinlock now. Fans try to rally for Kofi as Riddle and Woods keep ranting from ringside. Kofi fights up and out of a hold but Orton rocks him with a headbutt. Orton whips Kofi into a corner but Kofi nails a missile dropkick. Orton goes down and clutches his shoulder.

Kofi with big strikes and another dropkick for a pop. Kofi goes on but Orton catches him with a big powerslam. Woods starts playing Francesca at ringside, distracting Orton. Kofi takes advantage and rolls Orton from behind for the pin to win.

Winner: Kofi Kingston

– After the match, Riddle hits the ring to calm Orton down while Woods joins Kofi to celebrate. Orton wants to go at Kofi but Riddle holds him back. Riddle has words with The New Day while Orton seethes and makes his exit. Riddle follows but stops and turns around to shove Woods to the mat out of frustration. Kofi holds Woods back now as Riddle follows Orton up the ramp and to the back.

– Naomi, Lana, Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke are in the back with Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville. They’re arguing about who deserves the next title shot. Charlotte Flair interrupts and says they’ve all had a million chances and blown them all. Deville says they will figure out who is next in line after tonight’s title match but if they will excuse us, Flair has a private matter to discuss. The others leave Flair alone with Pearce and Deville. Flair says she should be getting a one-on-one match for the RAW Women’s Title, not a Triple Threat. Pearce understands she’s disappointed about last night, and asks why should she get a singles shot. Flair says she was not pinned last night. Deville understands where she’s coming from and says if she can beat Asuka tonight, she can get her shot. Pearce says that’s fair. Rhea Ripley interrupts and taunts Flair. Ripley came to tell Pearce and Deville she’s ready for some new competition because Flair is nothing but yesterday’s news. Flair fires back and promises to be the new RAW Women’s Champion when they face off. Flair walks off. Ripley says she will be watching Asuka vs. Flair from ringside just in case The Queen falls from her throne. Ripley walks off as Deville and Pearce look at each other a little surprised.

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WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles Match: Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya and Tamina Snuka

We go back to the ring and out come the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions – Natalya and Tamina Snuka, their first appearance since winning the titles on SmackDown. They hit the ring and pose to a pop as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and we get a Progressive-sponsored replay of how Natalya and Tamina won the titles on SmackDown. Out next comes Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler with Reginald for their rematch. The bell rings and we get formal ring introductions from Mike Rome. Jax and Natalya start off. Jax immediately runs her over, then taunts Tamina. Jax with a big splash in the corner. Baszler tags in and nails a running knee to Natalya in the corner. Natalya kicks out at 2.

Baszler grounds Natalya and starts bending her arm now. Baszler keeps working no the arm, snapping it back to the mat. The referee checks on Natalya as Baszler taunts Tamina. Baszler grounds Natalya by the arm again. Natalya breaks free but Baszler levels her with a clothesline for 2. Jax tags in and Baszler whips Natalya into her. Natalya goes right back down. Natalya fights back and sends Jax into the turnbuckles as she side-steps. Natalya keeps fighting and hits the big discus clothesline but they both go down.

Jax shrugs off a pin attempt. Tamina tags in and goes at it with Jax but Jax decks her and nails a scoop slam. Jax tags out but goes to the top while Baszler gets rocked trying to attack Snuka. Snuka knocks Jax off the ropes to the floor. Baszler hits Tamina but Tamina catches a knee. We see Alexa Bliss on the stage with Lilly now, laughing.

Baszler applies the Kirifuda Clutch to Tamina but the ring explodes from the turnbuckles, apparently because of Bliss, and Tamina breaks the Clutch. The explosion also sent Reginald flying from the ring steps. The distraction leads to Natalya tagging in and they hit the Hart Attack for the pin to retain.

Winners: Tamina and Natalya

– After the match, Natalya and Tamina celebrate as the music hits. Jax checks on Reginald at ringside. We hear Lilly’s laughing echo around the arena. We go to replays now as the Lilly laugh keeps repeating.

– Still to come, Sheamus vs. Ricochet. Back to commercial.

Sheamus vs. Ricochet

Back from the break and out comes WWE United States Champion Sheamus. He’s furious as he takes the mic and orders Ricochet to bring his ass out here and return his hat and jacket, or else he’s coming back there after him. We see Sarah Schreiber interviewing Ricochet in the back now. We see how Ricochet attacked Sheamus and danced around in his gear after Sheamus won the non-title Open Challenge match on the WrestleMania Backlash Kickoff pre-show. Ricochet admits he had fun, but says his point was to go out and smack Sheamus in the mouth, but the real fun will come when he shuts Sheamus up forever. Sarah asks about Sheamus just now accusing him of stealing the hat and jacket. Ricochet steps away and comes back with the gear. He says he had to take it because of the look on Sheamus’ face last night. Ricochet does his best Sheamus impersonation and walks off as Sheamus watches from the ring, seething.

Out comes Ricochet for this non-title match, wearing Sheamus’ hat and coat. Sheamus charges up the ramp but Ricochet takes him down on the stage. They return to the ring and the bell hits. Ricochet attacks and fights into the corner. Sheamus shoves him but Ricochet nails a kick for a quick pin attempt. Sheamus drops Ricochet with a stiff shot.

Sheamus unloads on Ricochet now, beating him into the opposite corner and taking his time punishing him. Sheamus with a big scoop slam. Ricochet fights back but Sheamus puts him down. Ricochet jumps on Sheamus’ back but Sheamus tosses him across the ring. Sheamus grounds Ricochet now, shoving his face into the mat as some fans boo.

Sheamus slaps Ricochet around as he tries to fight back from the mat. Ricochet gets free with a jawbreaker but Sheamus is barely hurt. Sheamus goes back t work but Ricochet kicks him out of the ring with an enziguri. Ricochet launches himself over the top rope but Sheamus catches him and rams him into the ring post, then tosses him over the barrier into the timekeeper’s area. Sheamus stands tall at ringside as fans boo him. The referee continues to count as RAW goes to commercial.

Back from the break and Sheamus is in control in the ring. He knocks Ricochet to the apron and delivers 10 Beats of The Bodhrán. Ricochet finally fights out of a hold and beats Sheamus down for a pop. Ricochet charges but Sheamus catches him with the Irish Curse backbreaker for a close 2 count. Sheamus goes to the top but he’s slow to move. Ricochet with a big right hand, and another to stun Sheamus on the top turnbuckle.

Sheamus sends Ricochet to the mat but Ricochet runs right back up and leaps to the top turnbuckle, then brings Sheamus to the mat with a huge Spanish Fly. Sheamus kicks out just in time. Ricochet kicks Sheamus away from the mat now. Ricochet unloads with chops into the corner. Ricochet with a flying forearm into the corner. Sheamus dumps Ricochet to the apron but he springboards in with a flying clothesline for a pop. Ricochet with the running Shooting Star Press for a 2 count.

Ricochet goes for a springboard moonsault but Sheamus gets his knees up for a close 2 count. Sheamus misses a Brogue Kick and gets stuck on the top rope. Ricochet with a big kick of his own and a neckbreaker for a pop. Ricochet goes to the top but Sheamus rolls to the floor to regroup a fans boo him. Ricochet leaps to the floor instead, taking Sheamus down on the floor for another pop. Ricochet rolls Sheamus back into the ring. He springboards in and hits the 450 for another close 2 count.

Ricochet can’t believe it. He shows frustration now. He scoops Sheamus on his shoulders but it’s too much. Ricochet keeps fighting and goes for a springboard but Sheamus meets him in mid-air with a big pump kick for another close 2 count. Everyone is confused over the kick out. Sheamus grabs Ricochet by the mouth and yells at him. Ricochet slaps him. Sheamus comes right back with a Brogue Kick for the pin to win.

Winner: Sheamus

– After the match, Sheamus stands tall as we go to replays. Ricochet is down on the outside now as Sheamus takes the mic and brags about the win. Sheamus also tells WWE Champion Bobby Lashley to keep his eye on his own title because he might answer that Open Challenge. The music starts back up as Sheamus raises the title in the corner.

– T-BAR and MACE are backstage now. They cut a promo on Bobby Lashley’s Open Challenge, mentioning how Lashley previously paid his debt, but now they wonder which one will end his legacy. It’s as simple as the flip of a coin. They flip a coin and catch it. They go on and tease that they will take Lashley’s WWE Title tonight.

Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair

We go back to the ring and out comes Asuka. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and Asuka wraps up her entrance as the pyro goes off. Out next comes Charlotte Flair as fans boo her. Flair poses on the stage to more pyro. Virk shows us a replay of Asuka and Flair coming up short to RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley. The bell rings and here we go. Asuka with a dropkick early on, then a Hip Attack into the ropes.

Flair blocks an Irish Whip but ends up dropping Asuka. More back and forth now. Flair tries to fight in from the apron but Asuka leg sweeps her. Asuka with another Hip Attack from the apron for a 2 count. Still to come, John Morrison vs. Damian Priest in a Lumberjack Match. Flair counters Asuka and retreats to the floor to regroup. Asuka follows but Flair drops her on the apron. The music interrupts and out comes Ripley. Flair and Ripley stare each other down as Ripley heads down the ramp to ringside. Flair covers Asuka for a 2 count while staring at Ripley. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and Flair has Asuka down in a headlock. Ripley watches from a chair at ringside. Asuka fights back but Flair drops her. Flair uses the ropes to choke Asuka now as fans boo and the referee warns her. Flair decks Asuka into the corner and unloads with the Flair chops. Flair stomps away while Asuka is down now. Flair keeps control but has a scoop slam blocked. Asuka goes to work now, mounting offense. Asuka with a neckbreaker as Ripley laughs from ringside. Asuka covers for 2. They roll around with more pin attempts on the mat. Flair blocks a clothesline and nails a backbreaker, then send Asuka face-first into the rope. Flair follows up with a neckbreaker for a close 2 count.

Flair shows some frustration now. She applies the head scissors and uses that to slam Asuka around the mat. Fans rally for Asuka but Flair keeps the scissors locked in, manhandling Asuka with them. Flair rolls and tosses Asuka with the scissors. Asuka kicks out at 2 as Flair shows more frustration now. Flair kicks Asuka around but Asuka pulls her into a roll-up for 2. Asuka back-slides for another 2 count. Asuka goes for a big kick and connects with part of it but Flair still goes down. More back and forth now. Asuka with a big German suplex, a Hip Attack in the corner and a bulldog in the middle of the ring. Asuka goes on and covers for a close 2 count. Ripley continues to look on from her chair, smiling and laughing. Flair rocks Asuka but runs into a boot now. Asuka charges but Flair levels her with a big boot for 2. Flair goes for Natural Selection but Asuka blocks with the Asuka Lock. Flair blocks that and drops Asuka for another close pin attempt.

Flair can’t believe it as she has a few words with the referee. Flair takes Asuka to the top turnbuckle now. Flair climbs up to the top for a Spanish Fly but Asuka hangs on and Flair lands on the mat by herself. Asuka re-groups on the top and delivers a missile dropkick for a 2 count. Asuka with kicks while Flair is on her knees now. Flair ducks a roundhouse kick and rolls Asuka for a 2 count. Asuka fights Flair off. Flair elbows her. They tangle some more as Asuka applies the knee-bar in the middle of the ring. Flair resists and powers up to their feet. Asuka takes her right back down and applies the Triangle submission. Flair powers back up and turns it into a Boston Crab in the middle of the ring. Asuka counters and rolls Flair for a 2 count. Flair charges but Asuka takes her down for another submission. Flair gets the bottom rope to break it. The broadcast has went black on three separate occasions during this match, for a few seconds each time. They end up on the floor. Flair slams Asuka face-first into the announce table. Flair gets in Ripley’s face now and they have words.

Asuka goes for a back-fist at ringside while Flair and Ripley face off, but Flair blocks it and sends her back in the ring. Flair says a few more words to Ripley then returns to the ring to beat the count. Flair ends up kicking Ripley off the apron after she jumps up. Asuka tries to put her away but she can’t. Flair goes for the Figure Four but Asuka counters and rolls her up for the pin to win.

Winner: Asuka

– After the match, the music hits as Asuka rolls to the floor to recover. Ripley is up at ringside now, laughing at Flair, who is furious in the ring. We go to replays. Ripley raises the RAW Women’s Title at ringside, taunting Flair. Asuka is all smiles on the other side of the ring.

– We see John Morrison walking backstage. Kevin Patrick stops him and asks if he can even attempt to explain what happened with the Lumberjack Match between The Miz and Damian Priest at WrestleMania Backlash last night. Morrison says when he tries to explain what happened to The Miz, it feels like someone is picking at his brain, like something is rotting inside. He doesn’t think the Lumberjacks (the Zombies) have visited a dentist or washed in some time. Morrison says Miz might never be the same, and that’s why he’s dedicating tonight’s match to him. Morrison says he loves Miz, wherever he is. He walks off.

Lumberjack Match: Damian Priest vs. John Morrison

We go back to the ring and out comes Damian Priest. The pyro goes off as Priest continues his entrance. We go back to commercial.

Back from the break and the ring is surrounded by Superstars, including MACE, T-BAR, The Viking Raiders, new WWE 24/7 Champion Akira Tozawa, Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik, Titus O’Neil, Cedric Alexander, Shelton Benjamin, Mansoor, Mustafa Ali, and the only female Superstar, Nikki Cross. Out next comes John Morrison.

The bell rings and they go at it. Morrison with a headlock. They collide with shoulders and Morrison sells a bad landing on his ankle. Priest with an arm drag to ground Morrison. Morrison unloads in the corner now with strikes. Morrison tosses Priest out and he gets stomped by MACE, T-BAR, Cedric and others. The other Lumberjacks come over and argue as Priest gets rolled back in.

Morrison goes right back to work on Priest, beating him from corner to corner. Morrison runs into a big stomp out of the corner. Priest with several kicks now, then a big right hand. Morrison retreats to the floor but Cross rolls him back in fro a pop. Cross yells out as Morrison looks stunned at how she handled him. Priest beats Morrison down in another corner. Priest with a big right hand in the corner. Priest runs into the turnbuckles as Morrison moves. Morrison kicks him but gets the next kick blocked as Morrison falls to the floor clutching his ankle. Tozawa rolls him back in.

Morrison retreats from Tozawa and leaps over the barrier but runs back over the barrier, and misses a kick to Tozawa. Shelton grabs him but he slides out of a move and escapes to the ring steps. Morrison kicks Mansoor away from the steps and jumps back into the ring but Priest catches him in mid-air. Priest drops Morrison as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Morrison works Priest over while he’s down. Priest kicks away but Morrison keeps fighting. Morrison with an arm bar now. They tangle some more on the mat until Priest applies a submission for a pop. Morrison nails the big springboard kick, sending Priest out. The Viking Raiders send him back in. Morrison with a running knee to the face for a 2 count. Morrison grounds Priest with a headlock now. The Lumberjacks start rallying. Priest fights back and rocks Morrison with a big elbow. Priest with more big strikes and a Facebuster. Priest spikes Morrison face-first again but Morrison kicks out at 2.

Priest gets sent to the floor as MACE, T-BAR and Cedric attack again. Lumberjacks argue now as Priest is sent back in. Priest rocks Morrison with big strikes. Priest gets sent into the ropes but he leaps out, taking down MACE, T-BAR and a few other lumberjacks. Cedric runs the ring and leaps out onto Shelton on the other side. Lumberjacks continue fighting at ringside. Priest rocks Morrison and goes to the top but Morrison climbs up with him. Priest delivers a huge superplex from the top, onto the Lumberjacks at ringside. Bodies are down all over the floor. Titus rolls Morrison back in as The Viking Raiders roll Priest back in. This match just keeps dragging and dragging. Priest finally hits a big hurricanrana from the top, then Hit The Lights for the pin to win.

Winner: Damian Priest

– After the match, Priest stands tall and joins Schreiber on the stage. He speaks some in Spanish and dismisses Morrison. Schreiber asks what’s next. Priest teases that he might answer Bobby Lashley’s Open Challenge tonight.

– We see Bobby Lashley and MVP backstage getting ready.

– We get a quick promo from Bronson Reed to promote tomorrow’s Steel Cage match on NXT against NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and we get a new “Eva-Lution” coming soon vignette with Eva Marie.

– Kevin Patrick is backstage with Shelton Benjamin now. He brings up Cedric Alexander but Shelton doesn’t want to waste time on him. He wants to talk about answering Bobby Lashley’s Open Challenge. Cedric interrupts now, clapping and congratulating Shelton on finally challenging Lashley. Cedric says Shelton got a fluke win over him last week and now thinks he can challenge Lashley. Cedric goes on and says Shelton will always be worthless. Shelton drops Cedric with a big shot to the mouth. Shelton walks off as Cedric clutches his jaw.

– The announcers show us the opening segment with MVP, Drew McIntyre and WWE Champion Bobby Lashley.

Open Challenge: WWE Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston

We go back to the ring for tonight’s main event as WWE Champion Bobby Lashley makes his way out with MVP. He hits the corner to pose and raise the title as pyro goes off. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and announced for RAW Talk are Angel Garza, The New Day, Natalya and Tamina Snuka. MVP is in the ring with a mic now, asking who will step up and answer the Open Challenge. The music finally hits and out comes The New Day – Kofi Kingston with Xavier Woods. Kofi is apparently pulling double duty tonight. They have words as The New Day enters the ring. We get formal ring introductions from Rome.

The bell rings and MVP interrupts from the apron. He says he and Lashley never said anything about a title match, Adam Pearce isn’t here to make it a title match, and Kofi isn’t worthy of being in the ring to challenge Lashley, but good luck. This apparently is no longer a WWE Title match. Kofi attacks Lashley and we get the bell. He charges again but Lashley drives him hard into the mat for a close 2 count.

Lashley with a long vertical suplex now. Kofi fights out with knees to the head. Kofi ducks a clothesline and nails a kick, and another kick to send Lashley to the apron. Kofi dropkicks Lashley to the floor. Kofi runs the ropes with a baseball slide to send Lashley into the announce table. Kofi runs the ropes again and leaps over the top, taking Lashley down again on the floor. Kofi gets fired up at ringside as fans cheer him on and Woods plays Francesca. Kofi returns to the ring and stands tall as we go to commercial.

Back from the beak and we get a replay of the earlier opening segment with MVP issuing the Open Challenge, to prove that MVP never said the match would be for the WWE Title. Kofi and Lashley are brawling now. Lashley drops Kofi with a big back elbow, then works him over while he’s down.

Lashley uses the bottom rope to choke Kofi as MVP taunts him. Lashley with big shoulder thrusts in the corner now. Lashley with a running thrust to the gut. Lashley goes for another vertical suplex, holding Kofi in the air and finally dropping him for boos. Kofi kicks out at 2. A frustrated Lashley immediately covers for another 2 count. Lashley keeps Kofi grounded now as MVP yells from ringside. Kofi fights up and out but Lashley sends him into the ropes. Kofi with a big chop. Kofi counters a move and drops Lashley with a big DDT for a 2 count.

Kofi with the Boom Drop. Lashley no-sells it and drops Kofi on his face for another close pin attempt. Lashley yells at Kofi and then takes him to the top. Kofi headbutts him to the mat. Lashley rocks him and climbs back up. Woods distracts with the trombone. Lashley yells out at him. Kofi takes advantage of the distraction and slams Lashley face-first into the edge of the apron. Kofi goes for the SOS bu it’s blocked as Lashley drives him into the mat face-first once again. Lashley sends Kofi out to the floor, saying he doesn’t belong in his ring.

Lashley follows and scoops Kofi on his shoulders, then drives him into the ring post for boos. Lashley brings it back into the ring, following him right back out to the floor at MVP’s feet. Lashley scoops Kofi again but Woods pulls him off. The referee ejects Woods to the back. Woods argues with the referee. MVP looks ready to use his cane on Kofi as Lashley holds Kofi’s neck on the middle rope. Drew McIntyre appears out of nowhere and grabs MVP’s cane, then decks Lashley with it, allowing Kofi to roll Lashley up for the pin to get the non-title win.

Winner: Kofi Kingston

– After the bell, Drew joins The New Day on the ramp as the music hits. We go to replays. MVP and Lashley stand tall in the ring, yelling out at Drew and The New Day, who are celebrating the win. Lashley taunts them by raising the WWE Title in the air as the post-WrestleMania Backlash edition of RAW goes off the air.