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What's the story?
This week's episode of WWE Raw opened with an explosive Falls Count Anywhere match featuring Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley, and the bout ended without a winner after The Monster Among Men literally put Bobby Lashley through the entrance set.
WWE has since announced that Lashley is "resting comfortably and is undergoing further medical evaluation, while Braun Strowman might have suffered a ruptured spleen following the incident at the end of their match on Raw."
In case you didn't know...
In the latest WWE NEWS it was announced last week that Paul Heyman has been hired as the new Executive Director of WWE Raw, and while Heyman's involvement in the opening of Raw this week remains unconfirmed, speculation is running rampant that Heyman's fingerprints appear to be all over the opening of the show. It was reported last week that Heyman and Eric Bischoff, who was named the Executive Director of WWE SmackDown Live, were beginning their new roles in the company at this week's TV tapings.
As for the action-packed Falls Count Anywhere finish on Monday night, speculation has also been that Braun Strowman might be taking some time off from in-ring action as he heals up from nagging injuries, so the Raw angle might have been done to write the big man out of competition while he recovers.
The heart of the matter
The major match finish was highlighted by masterful camera work and silent commentary, and both men were loaded into an ambulance following the bout.
The WWE.com announcement updating both Lashley and Strowman's conditions prove the angle was a work, and the full announcement notes:
Following the conclusion of Raw’s opening Falls Count Anywhere Match, both Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley were admitted to a local medical facility as a result of injuries sustained during a crash through the Raw stage’s LED board. Stay tuned to WWE.com as more information becomes available on Strowman’s condition.
What's next?
With the Falls Count Anywhere match ending in a no contest on Raw this week, it remains to be seen whether or not the two big men in WWE will continue their feud, or if the two will move on to new opponents once they are able to return to in-ring competition.
See WWE RAW Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE RAW Results page
