Fallout from Night of Champions carries into a packed Monday. Here’s what’s moving across WWE coming out of the weekend.
Roman Reigns returns as Raw hits Atlantic City
Raw runs from Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City tonight at a special 6 PM ET start, the company’s first U.S. show after the overseas stretch that included Night of Champions in Riyadh. Roman Reigns is advertised to appear, with Chad Gable vs. JD McDonagh booked and Oba Femi set to announce which title he’ll challenge for at SummerSlam.
We’ve got the full card and how-to-watch details in our Raw preview for tonight’s special start time.
The Mountain says he met with Triple H about a WWE run
Hafþór Björnsson, the strongman and actor best known as The Mountain in Game of Thrones, says wrestling once crossed his mind. He revealed he flew to Tampa to meet Triple H and the WWE team at the office, but nothing came of it. As he put it, the company could see his focus was on strongman, so the talks went nowhere.
Lyra Valkyria deactivates social media after heel turn
Lyra Valkyria pulled both her Twitter and Instagram, days after turning heel on Bayley on the June 22 Raw in London. The pair had just come up short against Women’s Tag Team Champions Brie Bella and Paige, with Valkyria taking the pin before snapping on her partner. WWE hasn’t explained the deactivation, and speculation runs from a character rebrand to fan backlash. It follows a similar move by Sol Ruca, who made her account private after criticism over a botched spot at a live event.
Piper Niven deletes Jade Cargill criticism
Piper Niven took aim at Jade Cargill over her Black Hole Slam on Tiffany Stratton at Night of Champions, where Cargill came up short challenging for the Women’s U.S. Title. Niven, who uses the move herself and is out recovering from neck surgery, graded it “5/10,” called it sloppy, and jabbed that Cargill doesn’t care who she hurts. After fans called the comments unprofessional, she deleted the post.
Kevin Owens reacts to Sami Zayn’s title win
Sami Zayn shocked the room at Night of Champions, beating Cody Rhodes and Gunther for the Undisputed WWE Championship, and his longtime friend was first in line to celebrate. Kevin Owens posted an emotional tribute, calling Zayn “undeniable.” We covered it in our piece on Kevin Owens reacting to Sami Zayn’s WWE Title win, and broke down why Zayn is the least likely WWE Champion in years.
Gunther and Nick Aldis brawl after Night of Champions
The night didn’t end cleanly for Gunther. On the Night of Champions post-show, he confronted SmackDown GM Nick Aldis, called him a “failed wrestler,” and a shoving match broke out. The details are in our writeup of Gunther brawling with Nick Aldis.
Quick hits
- Kendal Grey is the new NXT Women’s Champion, beating Lola Vice at Great American Bash and posting a “back to the grind” reaction.
- Royce Keys opened up on 973 ESPN about the rough childhood that shaped his road to SmackDown ahead of WWE’s Atlantic City return.
- Ted DiBiase shared a throwback to his 1986 “cowboy phase” in Japan, drawing a few laughs online.