On paper, the Raw Women’s Championship match between Asuka and Sasha Banks in The Horror Show at Extreme Rules It could have been an instant classic for women’s wrestling. And for 95 percent of the match, it lived up to expectations, until the end. The ending sequence saw Bayley try to get involved, Kairi Sane got into a fight with her at ringside (while Banks touched Asuka’s lock), Banks threatened to hit Asuka with the tag’s title belt, Asuka accidentally sprays green mist on Referee’s eyes, Bayley hit Asuka in the back with the title, grab the referee’s shirt and put it on, make all three count and demand that the bell ring. Banks and Bayley quickly fled the scene with the Raw Women’s Championship when the comment team expressed confusion.
WWE.com stated after the fact that Asuka was still recognized as the Raw Women’s Champion, and Banks & Bayley promised to “explain” what happened on this week’s Raw.
According to Wrestling spotterDave Meltzer, Asuka was originally supposed to win the game cleanly, but Vince McMahon chose to turn things around at the last minute.
“Asuka was supposed to win the match and Vince changed his mind,” Meltzer said in Fight Observer Radio. “I think it was the day of the show, but it was basically a last minute change.”
It’s unclear why McMahon decided to make the switch, though he may be trying to generate some intrigue for this week’s Monday Night Raw after last week’s record-breaking audience. Until now, the only thing officially reserved for the show is an unauthorized match between Randy Orton and Big Show.
In addition to the confusion of the Raw Women’s Championship, there is also a situation regarding the United States Championship. Apollo Crews was unable to compete on Sunday against MVP (the commenter said it had to do with an injury, Meltzer reports being related to COVID-19), making Porter crowned the new United States Champion. The comment team did not make clear whether a change of title had actually occurred.
See the full results of The Horror Show at Extreme Rules down:
- SmackDown Tag Team Championships (Draw): Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura def. The new day
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley def. Nikki Cross
- United States Championship Game: MVP vs. Apollo Crews (Without competition, MVP is crowned new champion)
- Eye for an Eye Match: Seth Rollins def. Mystery King
- Raw Women’s Championship: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks (No contest
- WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre defeated Dolph Ziggler
- Wyatt Swamp Fight: Bray Wyatt def. Braun Strowman
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