WWE Rumors: Backstage News On Botched ‘Monday Night Raw’ Match Finish
On last week’s Monday Night Raw, Andrade and Angel Garza defeated Cedric Alexander and Ricochet in a Tag Team match. The match came to an end after Andrade hit Alexander with a spinning elbow attacked that led to the pin fall, but that reportedly wasn’t the planned finish to the bout.
Citing Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WrestlingNews.co reports that the referee counted to three because Alexander did not kick out of the pin in time. According to the report, WWE referees have been instructed to count pin falls and count outs as normal, and it’s up to the wrestlers to either kick out or return to the ring in time.
Meltzer stated that WWE officials thought that Alexander had been hurt by the elbow attack, which caused the referee to become distracted by people talking to him through his earpiece. This caused him to hesitate and count, leading to the match coming to an abrupt end.
However, the report also states that Alexander didn’t get hurt during the match, so it’s unknown why he botched the kickout. Based on the footage, WrestlingNews.co‘s Paul Davis suggests that he simply forgot to raise his shoulder in time, perhaps because he was unsure which number the referee was on. Alternatively, he may have been temporarily hurt by the elbow attack, only to recover later on.
While the details surrounding the incident are unclear at the time of this writing, it’s highly unlikely that Alexander will be punished for the botch. Andrade and Garza have been subject to pushes recently, while Alexander and Ricochet have struggled to gain any momentum on the red brand in 2020. It’s more than likely that the heels were booked to win the match question, albeit in a different fashion.
The team of @AndradeCienWWE & @AngelGarzaWwe scored an impressive win against @KingRicochet & @CedricAlexander heading into #WrestleMania!#RAW pic.twitter.com/5nkcmSoRJd
— WWE (@WWE) March 26, 2020
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Alexander appears to be frustrated with his current position on the Monday Night Raw roster as well. He was rumored to be high in the company’s plans last year, but an unsuccessful United States Championship feud with AJ Styles led to opportunities being difficult to come by afterward for the talented Cruiserweight.
In addition to losing to Andrade and Garza, Alexander was also squashed by Riddick Moss on a recent episode. While Moss is the 24/7 Champion who could receive a future push, at the time of this writing, he is still considered a lower card superstar due to the disreputable nature of the title.
