Monday night’s edition of WWE Raw was a real barnburner, folks, as the Intercontinental Title No. 1 Contender’s Tournament kicked off in style. The stakes were high, the action was hot, and by the end of the night, Jey Uso and Pete Dunne were one step closer to claiming their first-ever WWE singles gold.
Let’s break it down: In the first of two triple threat matches, Jey Uso squared off against The New Day’s ever-energetic Kofi Kingston and the brooding force that is Karrion Kross, who’s recently been a one-man drama show with his quest to tear apart The New Day. With tensions already running high, Uso and Kingston briefly teamed up to give Kross a taste of unity, which lasted about as long as a WWE push. Once Kingston tossed Kross out of the ring like yesterday’s leftovers, Jey Uso saw his moment. A spear, an Uso Splash, and BAM – Jey Uso moves on. Who says you can’t go solo and still keep it in the family?
In the second match, Pete Dunne took on The New Day’s other half, Xavier Woods, and the veteran who needs no introduction, The Miz. Now, Miz, with his dreams of tying the all-time record with a ninth Intercontinental title reign, was on fire. But dreams are like glass – they shatter easily. Woods, showing off that New Day magic, hit Miz with a Limit Break Elbow that had the crowd ready to count along. But before that final hand could hit the mat, Dunne yanked the official out of the ring, proving once again that if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying. With Woods out of the picture, Dunne delivered his Bitter End on Miz, dashing those nine-time dreams and securing his spot in the finals.
Post-match, Bron Breakker – the current Intercontinental Champion and self-proclaimed “that dude, that dog” – sent a clear message to Uso and Dunne from the backstage area. His words were simple but powerful: “The worst is yet to come.” The champ’s not sweating yet, but with these contenders in the hunt, maybe he should be.
The tournament heats up even more next week with two more triple threat matches. Ilja Dragunov, Dragon Lee, and Dominik Mysterio are set to clash in one bout, while Bronson Reed, Ludwig Kaiser, and Sheamus will battle it out in the other. Only two will join Uso and Dunne in the tournament finals on the September 9th episode of Raw, where one man’s dreams will become reality – and another’s, well, you know, not so much.