Zayn welcomes fans to the season premiere of “Raw”, then says it feels weird for him to be out in the ring by himself after it was announced on Friday that Kevin Owens was the person traded to “SmackDown” for Jey Uso. He says he’s sad their partnership ended the way it did, but he’s also excited for Owens and himself. He says he is able to stand on his own two feet now and show to the world that he’s a World Heavyweight Champion level Superstar.

Zayn points out that Jey is the reason for Owens not being on “Raw” any longer and confesses that while no one was happier to see him move brands, he’s struggling a little bit with it now. He says their Undisputed Tag Team Championship reign was tainted by dealing with Judgment Day, and he has mixed emotions about Finn Balor and Damian Priest getting a rematch tonight. He says the last year of his career has by far been the best one, and that’s all thanks to the fans.

Judgment Day’s music hits, and Balor, Priest, Rhea Ripley, and Dominik Mysterio make their way down to the ring. Balor (mockingly) points out that Zayn is alone, and Priest says one thorn in the side of Judgment Day has now been removed. He gets heated, but Ripley calms him down and tells him he needs to focus on tonight. Dominik puts her over and says she will defeat Shayna Baszler, and Ripley then says Priest and Balor will regain the Undisputed Tag Team Championship. She points out that Zayn looks lost, and while they used to recruit the lost, they have a different plan for him. She says they want to get rid of him permanently before they surround the ring.

Jey Uso’s music hits, and he runs down to the ring with two chairs in hand. He gives one to Zayn and the pair stand in the middle of the ring, which leads to Balor telling his teammates to back down. Zayn then hops out of the ring, leaving Jey standing alone.

Ricochet then heads down to the ring. 

Back from the break, we see Jey approach Zayn and ask if the two of them are good. Zayn says that Owens should be the one who has his back rather than Jey, and while he wants to be happy for him, Jey has everything going for him while he has nothing because of him. Jey says he didn’t realize Zayn felt that way, but assures him that he’s still in his corner. Jey walks off, and Zayn pushes over a ladder before chasing after him. He apologizes for what he said, explaining that it’s a tough week. He says he’s happy for Jey, then offers him his hand. Jey opts to hug him instead, and the pair continue chatting.

Back at ringside, Shinsuke Nakamura heads down.