Welcome to our WrestlingINC.com Live WWE RAW Viewing Party. Tonight’s show comes from the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida.

– Tonight’s WWE RAW opens up live from the ThunderDome at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida as Adnan Virk welcomes us. He’s joined by Corey Graves and Byron Saxton at ringside.

– We go right to the ring and MVP is waiting with a mic. He introduces WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and out he comes with 5 models. These are different from the women he came out with last Monday night. Lashley and his ladies march to the ring as Virk shows us a video package with highlights from last week’s RAW, showing how Lashley got into it with Drew McIntyre in the opening segment, and then lost the Non-Title Open Challenge match to Kofi Kingston.

The models are booing the video and MVP has to calm them. MVP calls for a loud round of applause for Lashley. They go on about how life is great and MVP brings up a dark cloud hanging over them. That bitter, crass dark cloud has a name and it’s Drew McIntyre. Fans pop for Drew’s name. Lashley talks about beating Drew at WrestleMania 37, then beating Drew and Braun Strowman at WrestleMania Backlash, so it’s a no-go for Drew, we don’t want to see him anymore. MVP says they tried to move on from Drew by issuing the Open Challenge last week and Kofi Kingston thought he was worthy, but the dark cloud Drew had to show up again. The music interrupts and out comes Drew to the stage.

Drew says his business is getting back the WWE Title. He says he would’ve won at WrestleMania if it weren’t for MVP, and would’ve won at Backlash if it weren’t for Braun. Drew wants his one-on-one title shot and deep down he thinks Lashley wants the match also, to prove to himself once and for all that he is the #1 Superstar on RAW. Drew, who is in the ring now, says he could be wrong, maybe deep down Lashley knows he doesn’t measure up to Drew and doesn’t have the balls. Drew asks the models if Lashley has the bells. Drew brings up the loss to Kofi last week. Lashley argues about the match and they have words. The music interrupts and out comes The New Day – Kofi with Xavier Woods.

Kofi says they’re making some good points and he knows things move fast out here, but he doesn’t want them to forget that he pinned Lashley last week. He reminds us again. Kofi and Woods hit the ring now as the tension picks up. Kofi mentions how he and the fans want Drew to step aside as he did what Drew couldn’t do in months, pin Lashley. Out comes Adam Pearce to interrupt from the stage. Pearce has an easy solution. He announces Kofi vs. Drew for tonight with the winner challenging Lashley at Hell In a Cell. MVP says that is a great idea. He’s bringing the ladies and The VIP Lounge to the stage so they can watch the match. Kofi and Drew have words in the ring as MVP, Lashley and their models leave the ring. We go to commercial.

– Back from the break and the announcers hype the upcoming return to touring. We get comments from Braun Strowman to hype the tour.

#1 Contender’s Match: Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre

We see MVP and WWE Champion Bobby Lashley with their models in The VIP Lounge on the stage. The winner of this match will challenge Lashley at WWE Hell In a Cell. The bell rings and they lock up with Drew McIntyre taking it to the corner, then breaking. Kofi Kingston takes control early on but Drew counters and goes to work on the arm.

Drew levels Kofi with a big shoulder. They run the ropes again and Drew catches a crossbody, then drives Kofi into the mat with ease. Drew puts Kofi back down with a right hand. Kofi slides out of another move with a knee to the head. More back and forth now. Kofi with the Russian Leg Sweep and a splash for a close 2 count as Lashley applauds from the stage.

Drew catches a kick from his knees, then rocks Kofi. Drew drops Kofi with a big chop to the chest. Drew stomps on Kofi’s hand now. Kofi ends up countering a move and sending Drew to the floor on his back. Kofi launches himself over the top rope, splashing Drew while Xavier Woods stands over him with Francesca. Drew avoids a whip into the steel ring steps. Kofi leaps off the steps but Drew catches him and delivers a huge inverted Alabama Slam into the edge of the apron. Drew stands tall and taunts Lashley from ringside as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and McIntyre dominates Kofi in the ring for another 2 count. Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair is confirmed for later tonight. Drew works Kofi over with the ropes as the referee warns him. McIntyre launches Kofi across the ring with a big overhead suplex. Drew with more offense to keep Kofi down. Drew with a long vertical suplex now, holding Kofi in the air and pointing up at Lashley. Drew drops Kofi in the suplex for another 2 count. Kofi fights up and out with strikes. Drew kicks him but Kofi nails a missile dropkick from the top. Kofi with more strikes and another dropkick. Kofi catches Drew in a Guillotine submission but Drew overpowers and breaks it with a big suplex for 2.

Drew sends Kofi to the corner but runs into a double stomp to the chest. Drew kicks out at 1. Kofi works Drew over in the corner now. Kofi runs into a kick to the head in the corner. Kofi goes to the top but Drew turns it around and climbs up for a superplex. Kofi resists and headbutts Drew to the mat. Kofi leaps with a crossbody but Drew rolls through and comes up with a big Michinoku Driver for a close 2 count. Drew points up at Lashley and taunts him. Lashley starts walking down the stage now as Drew smiles at him. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and we get a plug for Finn Balor vs. WWE NXT Champion Karrion Kross tomorrow night. Drew and Kofi brawl on the top turnbuckle now. Drew slams them to the mat for a 2 count with a big belly-to-back superplex. We see MVP and Lashley watching the match from chairs at ringside now. No models. Kofi and Drew trade big strikes in the middle of the ring. Kofi blocks a Futureshock DDT and rolls him for a 2 count. Kofi comes right back but Drew nails a big Spinebuster for a close 2 count. Drew tries again with a sitdown powerbomb but Kofi kicks out.

Drew shows a little frustration now. Kofi counters a slam and side-steps, sending Drew into the ring post shoulder-first. Drew is down in the corner now as Kofi crawls to the top. Drew kicks out from a big stomp. Kofi ends up sending Drew to the floor. He stumbles to his feet and has words with Lashley. Drew turns around to Kofi leaping from the top, splashing Drew and sending them both into Lashley in his chair. MVP leaped out of the way to avoid Kofi leaping at them. Kofi and Drew return to the ring and Kofi catches Drew with SOS out of nowhere. Drew kicks out at 2.

Lashley hits the ring and attacks Drew while MVP attacks Kofi. Xavier runs in and checks on Kofi but Lashley levels him. Kofi hits a Trouble In Paradise but it staggers Lashley. Drew follows up with a Claymore Kick and Lashley is down. MVP helps Lashley at ringside as McIntyre and Kofi recover in the ring, as does Woods. The announcers wonder who won the match and who is headed to Hell In a Cell.

Double DQ

– We get a video package on what happened with Asuka, Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley last week. We see video from earlier today where Ripley confronted Flair backstage and wished her good luck for tonight’s match with Asuka. They had words with Flair saying Ripley just wants to be like her. Flair then said it will be her face Ripley sees inside the Cell at Hell In a Cell. Nikki Cross then appeared and said she can beat both of them. Flair said she’d beat Cross in 2 minutes if she didn’t already have a match, and Cross isn’t worth her time. Ripley knocked Flair for always talking down to people. Flair told Ripley to beat Cross then. Ripley accepted the challenge from Cross and Flair to end the segment.

Beat The Clock: RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Nikki Cross

We go back to the ring as RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley makes her way out for this non-title match. We see the timer on the big screen and the time to beat is 2 minutes. Ripley poses on the apron as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and we get the “Eva-Lution” return vignette for Eva Marie that premiered last week. Eva is coming soon to RAW. We go back to the ring and Nikki Cross is staring Ripley down. We get a formal ring introduction with Mike Rome explaining the rules. The bell rings and Cross charges but Ripley shoves her down by her face. Ripley points at the clock and taunts Cross.

Cross goes for a takedown but Ripley knees her to the mat, then taunts her some more over the timer. Cross charges and leaps but Ripley catches her. Cross slides out and rocks Ripley with a big forearm. Ripley is upset now. She grabs Cross but Cross hits a Jawbreaker. Cross goes to the top and hits a crossbody but Ripley kicks out at 2.

Ripley has less than 1 minute to win now.Cross attacks in the corner but has her Bulldog blocked. Ripley comes right back with a big dropkick. Ripley manhandles Cross in the corner now, then hits her with shoulder thrusts. Ripley beats Cross down in the corner again with less than 10 seconds to go. Ripley argues with the referee and goes back to stomping away on Cross. The timer expires and Cross wins.

Winner: Nikki Cross

– After the match, Cross heads to the floor and starts celebrating as her music hits. Ripley looks on and seethes from the ring. Cross runs around the ring celebrating but the music interrupts and out comes Charlotte Flair. Flair poses on the ramp as pyro goes off and Ripley rolls her eyes in the ring. Fans boo and Cross taunts her. Flair points and laughs over what just happened. We go to commercial with Flair pointing at Ripley and laughing at her.

– Back from the beak and we get a promo for the upcoming return to touring. Damian Priest is backstage with brief comments to promote the 25-city tour.

– The announcers show us what happened with the end of Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre. Graves says as of now Bobby Lashley is without an opponent for Hell In a Cell. Drew walks in on Adam Pearce now. Kofi is right behind him and they’re both furious. Pearce says he’s upset over what happened also. A rematch will take place next week and nothing is changed, the winner will face Lashley at the pay-per-view. Kofi says he’s fine with that, as long as Pearce finds a way to keep MVP and Lashley away from the match. Kofi and Drew have a few more words and stare each other down to end the segment.

Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka

We go back to the ring and Charlotte Flair is wrapping her entrance. Asuka is out next to a pop. She hits the ring and poses in the corner to pyro.

The bell rings and they size each other up. They lock up and Flair takes Asuka down first but they keep locked up. Flair takes it to the corner and backs off as the referee warns her. Asuka ducks a shot and we have a stalemate. They go at it again and tangle. Flair takes Asuka down and they trade counters on the mat. Flair dodges an early Asuka Lock attempt. They get back up and break again for another stalemate. More back and forth now. Flair tosses Asuka across the ring and ends up applying a head scissors on the mat. The referee checks on Asuka but she’s not giving up.

Asuka goes to power up but Flair takes her back down with the scissors. They get up and Asuka kicks Flair in the gut. Asuka slams Flair face-first into the top turnbuckle twice. Asuka drops Flair to her knees with a Hip Attack. She charges again but Flair leaps and nails a chop block in mid-air. Flair works on Asuka while she’s down now. Flair focuses on the hurt knee and uses the ropes as the referee warns her and fans boo. Asuka clutches her knee as Flair shows off at ringside. Flair comes back in and goes to work on the hurt left knee.

Flair slams the knee into the mat and applies an ankle lock. Asuka sends Flair into the ropes and she hits hard. Flair goes to the floor for a breather. Asuka comes at her off the apron but lands hard on the floor. Flair then slams Asuka’s knee into the steel ring steps. Asuka screams out as the referee counts to 6. Flair stands tall over Asuka at ringside as fans boo and we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Flair is working Asuka around the ring. Flair drives a knee into the back of Asuka’s knee in the corner now. Flair continues focusing on the hurt knee for another pin attempt. Flair grounds Asuka with another scissors on the leg, working her over. Flair with a Boston Crab now. Asuka crawls for the rope and then rolls Flair for 2. Fair goes right back to work on the knee. Asuka takes Flair down with an armbar. Flair stops her from fully locking it in, then gets to the bottom rope to break it up. Asuka with kicks while Flair is on her knees now. Flair ends up catching a Hip Attack and driving Asuka over her knee.

Flair kicks Asuka away from the corner and goes to the top but has to land on her feet from a moonsault attempt. Asuka immediately follows up with a big German suplex but she goes down, clutching her hurt knee. Fans cheer her on. Asuka charges with a Hip Attack in the corner. Asuka fights Flair off with a big knee to the face, a back-fist and a kick to drop her. Asuka with another low Hip Attack for 2. More back and forth now.

Flair ends up down on the floor in front of the announce table. Asuka follows her but Flair yanks her face-first into the announce table. We go to commercial with both competitors down on the outside.

Back from the break and they’re going at it in the ring. Asuka catches a big boot and drops Flair with a knee to the face. Flair kicks out at 2. Asuka with the armbar now. Flair resists it but Asuka goes into the Asuka Lock. Flair fights that off as well and they go to the corner. Flair fights Asuka off but Asuka grabs her for the Asuka Lock once again. They both tangle to the floor as the referee counts. They trade big strikes in the ring again. Flair with a close 2 count after an elbow drops Asuka. Flair shows some frustration.

Flair goes back to work on the hurt angle but Asuka counters and rolls her up. Flair eats a big boot and stumbles into the corner. Asuka charges but misses. Flair with the backbreaker from the middle rope to stop Asuka’s comeback attempt. Flair goes to the top for the moonsault but has to land on her feet. She immediately hits the standing moonsault and holds it for the pin but Asuka kicks out. Flair screams out in frustration. Asuka counters a move and they tangle. Asuka gets the Asuka Lock applied but Flair rolls through and holds her down for the pin to win.

Winner: Charlotte Flair

– After the match, Flair stands tall at ringside as her music hits. Asuka recovers in the ring as we go to replays. Flair poses at ringside to end the segment.

– Bobby Lashley is backstage getting a massage from his models on the couch. MVP is standing by. A crew member walks in and tells Lashley that Adam Pearce would like to see him. Lashley gets up and heads out as we go to commercial.

– Back from the break and the announcers hype the upcoming return to touring with fans in attendance. We get a brief backstage promo with Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke hyping the tour.

– MVP and Bobby Lashley approach Adam Pearce in his locker room. He asks what happened out there and if this is how Lashley wants to represent RAW as WWE Champion. Lashley takes offense and says he was just trying to help Pearce out. Pearce says the Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre rematch is set for next week and if MVP or Lashley show up at ringside, Lashley will be suspended for 90 days without pay. Lashley is furious but MVP backs him out of the room, telling him to save it for Hell In a Cell.

– We get a video package on the recent issues between Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Cedric Alexander

We go back to the ring and out first comes Shelton Benjamin. Cedric Alexander is out next.

Cedric takes the mic and taunts Shelton from the steel ring steps. Cedric has to get something off his chest. He says they had something together, they were RAW Tag Team Champions, they were a part of The Hurt Business. Cedric is on the apron now, telling Shelton to just listen because he has so much to say. Cedric goes on about how MVP brought them up but then kicked them out. Shelton wants to fight but he’s laughing at Cedric’s voice cracking when he tries to raise his voice. This promo unfortunately goes on. Cedric calls Shelton washed up. He goes on and says he has years to make up for past mistakes because he’s young and fresh, in his prime. Cedric asks Shelton how many years he has left, how many opportunities, what does he have to show for his hard work? Cedric says Shelton got a fluke win a few years ago.

Cedric keeps ranting and his voice keeps breaking as he promises he will win tonight. Shelton is furious and ready to fight. Cedric finally enters the ring and the bell rings but Cedric immediately goes to the floor to stall. We go to commercial with Cedric taunting Shelton from the floor.