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Veer Mahaan Comes Again, JD McDonagh Makes A Statement, Nakamura Beats The Miz | Raw Fight Size

Wrestling
Colin Tessier May 16, 2023 1:12AM

Here is your post-Monday Night Raw fight size update for May 15, 2023.

- Veer Mahaan came again, and he brought some friends with him for the ride, as Indus Sheer (Veer, Sanga, and Jinder Mahal) arrived on WWE Raw. Veer and Sanga dominated Jackson Drake and LeVar Barbie, and Jinder Mahal said that Indus Sher runs WWE Rwaw.

A Number Of Departures From TNA Wrestling

- Former NXT stars JD McDonagh, Von Wagner, and Xyon Quinn all made their Raw debuts in the battle royal for a shot at the WWE Intercontinental Championship. McDonagh made the most remarkable impression; though he was eliminated by Dolph Ziggler, he left the former champion lying with an attack at ringside.

- Shinsuke Nakamura continued his hot streak with a win over The Miz.

- In an interview, JD McDonagh made it clear that hat he intended to make a statement on his first night on WWE Raw.

- Adam Pearce announced that WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan was injured, so the scheduled title match was postponed.

- After Raquel Rodriguez defeated Chelsea Green, she was attacked by the returning Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler.

- Mustafa Ali won a battle royal to earn a shot at WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther; they will have a match at WWE Night of Champions.

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn came to the ring. They discussed their looming title match with Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa at WWE Night of Champions. Zayn noted that they viewed it as a gift. He delivered a passionate message and told Reigns that he couldn’t have the titles. The Judgment Day interrupted, and Kevin Owens made it clear that he was ready for a fight. Finn Balor teased their interest in challenging for the gold. Owens said he wanted to punch Dominik Mysterio, and Rhea Ripley got in his face. The Judgment Day attacked the duo, but Zayn got a chair and cleared the ring.

A video package recapped Seth Rollins’ journey in WWE. Rollins then looked back on his road up to this point in an interview with Corey Graves. He also took a shot at Roman Reigns and noted that some guys at the top were more concerned with protecting themselves than moving the industry forward. The interview ended when he was asked about Roman Reigns; it will continue on the May 22 episode of WWE Raw.

- WWE Intercontinental Championship Gunther made his WWE Raw debut alongside his Imperium stablemates, Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser. Gunther commented on his arrival on WWE Raw and stated that he would continue his mission on Raw.

- Becky Lynch came to the ring and addressed Trish Stratus’ betrayal. She thanked her for turning on a light that had been off for many months. Lynch noted that Stratus may wish to be number one, but “The Man” is it”. She then challenged her to a match at WWE Night of Champions.

- SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley was asked about Natalya confronting her on the May 8 episode. Natalya approached her again and praised her dominance. The veteran noted that Ripley deserved respect, but she wasn’t giving the women she runs through any respect. Ripley said Natalya was welcome for making her relevant again. She then threatened to end Natalya’s career.

- Cody Rhodes came out to the ring and used the story of the scorpion and the frog to highlight his feud with Brock Lesnar. Rhodes said Lesnar is a hunter, but he reminded everyone that he left some scars on Lesnar’s face at WWE Backlash. Rhodes stated that at Backlash, Lesnar was not better than him. He also said that Lesnar is no longer "the big thing". Now, Cody claimed that Lesnar is just in his way.

- Xavier Woods faced Dominik Mysterio. The two stars went back and forth, and in the end, Rhea Ripley helped Dominik clinch the win.

- Paul Heyman visited WWE Raw and collaborated with Imperium (Gunther, Giovanni Vinci, and Ludwig Kaiser), as the trio cost Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn their match with Damian Priest and Finn Balor in the main event.

- Check out the card for the May 22 episode of WWE Raw here.

- Gunther told Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn he wouldn’t tolerate the disrespect they showed Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser last week. Owens challenged the trio to a match on the May 22 episode, and Gunther accepted.

- Backstage, Mustafa Ali tried to help Alpha Academy (Otris and Chad Gable) be more positive, but he also called them losers. WWE Intercontinental; Champion Gunther congratulated Ali on his win but told him he’d suffer the biggest loss of his career. Ali responded by saying he’d take the title from him.

- Zoey Stark called Nikki Cross a freak, and Candice LeRae stood up for Nikki. Candice challenged her to a match. Stark agreed to face her next week.

- A video package highlighted Apollo Crews.

- In a WWE Raw Exclusive, Mustafa Ali expressed his confidence ahead of his match with Gunther at WWE Night of Champions.

- In a WWE Raw Exclusive, Apollo Crews commented on his return to WWE Raw.

- On Raw Talk, Shinsuke Nakamura mocked Damian Priest, and tensions rose between the two.

Catch up on our coverage of the May 15 episode of WWE Raw here. For a full review, check out the post-show podcast on our YouTube channel.

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