A new title match has been confirmed for tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW, as Penta is set to defend the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Je’Von Evans.
WWE officially announced the bout via its website, confirming that the championship match will take place during the broadcast from the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.
“Intercontinental Champion Penta continues to build his reputation as a true fighting champion as he prepares to battle the dynamic Je’Von Evans in a title match. Find out who will leave Raw with the title, tonight at 8 ET/5 PT on Netflix.”
The announcement comes just two days after Penta successfully retained the Intercontinental Championship against Ethan Page at Saturday Night’s Main Event on May 23. Rather than taking time off, the champion is immediately scheduled for another defense, highlighting WWE’s current presentation of him as an active titleholder.
Evans is no stranger to high-stakes opportunities. He previously challenged for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 42, competing in a six-pack ladder match where Penta ultimately retained the title. This upcoming match now gives Evans another chance in a one-on-one setting.
Penta has held the Intercontinental Championship since defeating Dominik Mysterio in March. His reign has now reached 84 days and is nearing the three-month milestone, adding further importance to each defense.
Tonight’s episode of RAW serves as the final show before WWE Clash in Italy, scheduled for May 31 in Turin. With momentum building heading into the event, this title match could play a key role in shaping the championship landscape.
Here is the announced lineup:
Oba Femi opens the show
Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu contract signing for the Clash in Italy Tribal Combat match
Bayley and Lyra Valkyria vs The Judgment Day (Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez)
Intercontinental Champion Penta defends against Je’Von Evans
Penta vs Je’Von Evans Intercontinental Title Match Set for WWE RAW
Bronson Reed has shared a new look at his physical condition while away from WWE television, posting a photo on X with the caption “Break the internet.” The image shows the RAW star appearing significantly bulked up, with noticeable muscle definition as he continues his recovery period.
Reed has been absent from Monday Night RAW since earlier this year, following his last in-ring run alongside The Vision faction. The group, which includes Logan Paul and Austin Theory, has remained active on television in his absence.
The Vision currently holds the World Tag Team Championship through Paul and Theory, who recently retained their titles against The Street Profits at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Meanwhile, Bron Breakker has taken on a more prominent singles role within the faction, including a recent save appearance at SNME XLIV.
Reed’s absence is due to injury, as he suffered a torn distal biceps in his right arm during a February episode of RAW. Since then, there has been no confirmed timetable for his return, though the latest photo suggests he is maintaining peak conditioning during his recovery.
Before his current WWE run, Reed captured the NXT North American Championship in 2021. He was released later that year before re-establishing himself internationally, competing in NJPW under the name Jonah and also appearing in TNA Wrestling. He returned to WWE in 2022 and has remained part of the main roster since.
While his return date is still unknown, Reed’s latest post indicates he is preparing for an eventual comeback once medically cleared.
Bronson Reed Shows Off Jacked Physique During WWE Absence
“The Aerial Assassin” was also asked how confident he is about being world champion, if he gets that main event victory at All In. Ospreay asked his own questions, pondering what pay-per-view he’s been on that he hasn’t stolen, or what time he hasn’t stepped up to the mark whenever he’s been asked to. He believes he can carry all three letters in “AEW.”
“That middle letter, the ‘E,’ that’s the standard,” he said. “‘Elite.’ When everybody talks about an elite pro wrestler, there is no one better on this planet, mate. I believe that with my heart. I believe that with my soul. I know what I’m capable of. I know what I can do. This place, the motto, and it gets said over and over and over again, ‘this is where the best wrestle.’ No, mate, this is where the Billy GOAT wrestles and I am ready more than ever to take that top spot and take AEW to new heights.”
Ospreay goes on to face the winner of Mark Davis vs. “Jungle” Jack Perry. On the other side of the bracket of “The Owen,” Swerve Strickland also won at Double or Nothing in a victory over Bandido, and he will face the winner of Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brody King.
Whether it be against Davis or Perry, the date of Ospreay’s next match in the tournament has yet to be determined. If he advances to the final, he’ll compete at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door at the SAP Center in San Jose, California on June 28.
MVP has opened up about how the former Hurt Business faction ultimately made the jump from WWE to AEW, revealing he was the driving force behind the group’s transition into what is now known as the Hurt Syndicate.
Speaking on Marking Out with MVP and Dwayne Swayze, MVP detailed his frustrations with WWE management, particularly his experiences with Paul “Triple H” Levesque, while explaining why he pushed Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin toward AEW.
According to MVP, the turning point came after Shelton Benjamin’s WWE release following his second stint with the company.
“When the Hurt Business was broken up, and then Shelton, after 20 years, was unceremoniously released. Just like, okay, you’re done. They didn’t offer him a job as a trainer, as a producer. Like, yo, Shelton is one of the all-time greats. He’s underappreciated. And he doesn’t get the flowers he deserves. But legitimately, Shelton is great.”
MVP explained that while he and Bobby Lashley were still under WWE contracts at the time, he had already begun questioning whether he wanted to remain with the company long term.
“So, having said that, they just released Shelton. So, me and Bobby were still under contract. At this point, I was with Omos and Bobby was doing his thing with the Pride. And I made up my mind, my contract was coming up, me and Bobby had contracts at similar times. And I made up my mind that I don’t want to be here anymore.”
He then spoke candidly about his opinion of Triple H and claimed communication between management and Lashley became increasingly difficult.
“And if Triple H is in charge, then I definitely want to be here. Because I don’t like Triple H. I don’t respect Triple H. I think he’s a coward and a liar.”
MVP continued by alleging there were repeated situations where Lashley was unable to get direct answers regarding his WWE direction.
“There have been many situations where he was dealing with Bobby, where he didn’t tell Bobby the truth creatively what he wanted to do. There are multiple times that I tried to talk to him. And he would always, I’ll get with you in a little bit or the few times that I got a chance to get him in his office alone, he would call somebody to come in. He didn’t want to deal with me. I don’t respect that. Tell me. I’m a professional. Tell me how you feel. We’re doing business.”
MVP said those experiences convinced him there was little future for the group in WWE under the current leadership structure.
“So, having said that, when I saw the political horizon, I told Bobby, Triple H ain’t for us. Triple H won’t even talk to you. You’re a two-time WWE champion, one of the most decorated champions in wrestling. Triple H wouldn’t give Bobby one-on-one time.”
The veteran manager then revealed the conversation he had with Lashley while the pair were sitting backstage in catering.
“So, I told Bobby when we were sitting in catering, ‘Dog, I’m not going to re-sign. Don’t resign. You and me get Shelton and let’s go to AEW. Let’s go.’ Bobby was like, ‘Man, I don’t know.’”
While Lashley was initially hesitant due to the lucrative nature of his WWE contract, MVP said he eventually came around to the idea after observing the atmosphere backstage.
“So, after a few weeks, Bobby started to kind of see the environment for what it was, and he was like, ‘Yeah, your right. When our contracts run out, let’s stop re-signing. Let’s get with Shelton. And let’s take this show up across the street.’”
MVP also disclosed that he had already started putting plans together for the group before Lashley officially committed.
“And I already knew what I was doing cuz I had already put in a trademark for the Hurt Syndicate.”
He added that conversations between himself, Lashley, and Benjamin had already begun well before their WWE deals expired, with the trio even considering opportunities outside the United States if AEW had not worked out.
“Even if we didn’t go to AEW, we could go to Japan. We could do it. Dude, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and Bobby Lashley. There’s no way it’s going to work.”
Once all three men officially became free agents, MVP said their representatives reached out to AEW President Tony Khan to begin negotiations.
“So, at the end of the day, unfortunately, once our contracts were done, we had our conversation about what we wanted to do. We had our representation reach out to Tony Khan. Meetings were had. Tony Khan was like, ‘Yes, I want you guys here.’”
MVP closed by saying the move was always part of a bigger plan the group had mapped out together.
“And we had a great conversation with Tony Khan, and we were able to take the Hurt Business to AEW as the Hurt Syndicate. So, that whole thing came about because we knew where we wanted to go.”
WWE has officially confirmed another Intercontinental Championship match for tonight’s episode of Raw, as Penta is set to defend the title against Je’Von Evans just two nights after his successful defense at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
If you reference any quotes from this piece, please attribute them to the original source, and kindly credit WrestlingNewsSource.com (h/t) for the transcription.
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