WWE Raw: Drew McIntyre defeats Kofi Kingston in the main event

Monday night featured a new face as Jimmy Smith was introduced to the WWE Universe as the new third voice on the commentary team. The evening was set to build out the WWE Championship match for Hell in a Cell as Kofi Kingston battled Drew McIntyre. Randy Orton was also scheduled to face Xavier Woods, along with Reginald versus Shayna Baszler.

Charlotte Flair and Nikki Cross found themselves in a beat-the-clock challenge match after Cross defeated Rhea Ripley in the same type of match last week.

Cross started the match with playing keep away, jumping outside the ring to speed up the timer. Flair eventually found her way to get her hands onto Cross, but the clock was already nearly exhausted. The buzzer would sound and Cross once again found herself victorious.

Nikki Cross defeated Charlotte Flair in a Beat the Clock challenge.

Xavier Woods was out next to compete against Randy Orton in a singles match.

Woods came out with the advantage early until taking a Snake Eyes off the top rope. Once they rolled outside the ring, Orton’s wrath continued, smashing Woods’s face off the announce table multiple times. Back inside the ring, Woods was able to fight back, attacking him with kicks to the head. A discus elbow allowed Woods to drop Orton, following up with a modified flatliner.

Orton recovered, landing a big powerbomb on Woods, but he did not get the pinfall. Orton went for the draping DDT, but Woods countered into a modified arm breaker, into the armbar. He would immediately hit the DDT after, transitioning into the RKO but Woods countered with the backslide. Orton pulled a move out of Riddle’s repertoire, hitting the Bro Derek for the victory.

Shayna Baszler was tired of Reginald’s interference, and she took that to the ring for their one-on-one match Monday evening.

Reginald was running one step ahead of Baszler until she dropped him with a shoulder block. It was all fun and games until Reginald body slammed Baszler. But when she got a hold of his legs, bad things happened. She would then stomp on his ankle, twisting it in an odd position. Baszler locked in an ankle lock, and he rolled out of it, hitting a spinning crossbody on Baszler.

Reginald went to the top for a moonsault, but Baszler rolled out of the way. She would then lock in the Kirifuda Clutch until fireworks exploded from the ring post. Reginald took that moment to roll Baszler up, pinning her for the victory.

Reginald defeated Shayna Baszler via pinfall.

Tag team action was next with Mace and T-Bar taking on Lucha House Party.

Lince Dorado started out against T-Bar and the bigger man took immediate control. Dorado and Gran Metalik turned to tag team moves to get T-Bar from his feet, but when Mace got into the match the destruction continued. Metalik was isolated on their side of the ring and the situation only got worse as they took turns beating on him.

Metalik attempted to come from the middle rope but was met with a big boot. That leg to a High Justice from them both and the pinfall victory.

Mace and T-Bar defeated Lucha House Party via pinfall.

Sheamus went to the ring to challenge both Ricochet and Humberto Carrillo in back-to-back matches. Ricochet was out first. Sheamus was overpowering Ricochet easily, but Carrillo’s music hit and caused enough of a distraction for Ricochet to roll him up and get the win.

Ricochet defeated Sheamus via pinfall.

Carrillo then tried his hand against Sheamus and was met with violence upon violence. He continued to take his time, battering Carrillo with shots to the chest. Carrillo was able to get some momentum in his favor, until Sheamus sat him on the top rope, blasting him with a shot to the face. Carrillo then came off the top rope, only to be planted in the center of the ring.

Yet, Ricochet made the distraction for Carrillo this time, allowing him to land a kick to Sheamus’s face, then hitting the rollup of his own to pick up the victory.

Humberto Carrillo defeated Sheamus via pinfall.

Women’s tag team action was next, with Naomi and Lana versus Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose.

Lana and Brooke locked up first, leading to a transition where Lana rolled Brooke up to allow for Naomi to hit a leg drop. They kept Brooke isolated on their side of the ring, making tags to keep her away from Mandy. But she did get the tag, having her way with Naomi.

Naomi fought her way out of the corner, taking out Brooke on the way. Rose knocked Naomi off the apron, but she and Lana were back in the ring as the legal team members. They would hit a modified blockbuster on Lana to get the victory.

Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose defeated Lana and Naomi via pinfall.

Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin had their third match against each other.

The match started with a big boot from Benjamin, but it went downhill from there with Alexander using a thumb to the eye. He followed up with the Neurolizer, to pick up another victory.

Cedric Alexander defeated Shelton Benjamin via pinfall.

The tag team titles were on the line with Elias and Jaxson Ryker defending against AJ Styles and Omos.

Elias pounced all over Styles, dropping him to the mat and stomping all over his body. Styles fought back with his own strikes into a snap suplex. Styles used his experience to rattle both Elias and Ryker, knocking them from the ring and landing a sliding kick.

Styles was isolated on their side of the ring, keeping him grounded and away from Omos. Styles was able to fight out of the corner, knocking Ryker down with a kick to the head. Elias refused tag into Ryker, leading him to Omos who immediately destroyed Ryker. Omos tagged out to Styles who hit the Phenomenal Forearm for the victory.

AJ Styles and Omos defeated Jaxson Ryker and Elias via pinfall.

The main event of the evening featured Kofi Kingston and Drew McIntyre battling for a shot at Bobby Lashley’s WWE Championship.

Kingston ran out of the corner at McIntyre and McIntyre started beating on the smaller man. McIntyre was dominating until they fell outside the ring where Kingston caught him off guard. Back in the ring, Kingston was rolling until McIntyre flattened him with a headbutt. Kingston locked in a front choke, that McIntyre tried to counter, but Kingston reversed it into a pin attempt.

McIntyre continued to beat on Kingston, but nothing he could do would put him away. Kingston even went for the trust fall only to be tossed over the barricade. McIntyre would take Kingston up to the top rope, but Kingston would roll through into a powerbomb. Kingston was rolling, but McIntyre continued to kick out of pin attempts. McIntyre came back with a whirling Future Shock DDT, spinebuster and more but the match continued.

McIntyre went for the Claymore, but Kingston countered with the Trouble in Paradise. McIntyre grabbed the bottom rope to break the count. Kingston went on a run, knocking McIntyre from the ring. He would roll him back inside and come off the top, but McIntyre landed the Claymore to pick up the victory.

Drew McIntyre defeated Kofi Kingston via pinfall.