'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What's the story?
WWE has announced that a Fatal 5-Way match will take place on the June 17 episode of Raw to determine a new #1 contender for Samoa Joe’s United States Championship.
In case you didn't know…
Rey Mysterio won the United States Championship from Samoa Joe in a 100-second match at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view in May, but he was forced to relinquish the title and hand it back to Joe three weeks later due to a shoulder injury.
On the most recent episode of Raw, Joe’s appearance on Miz TV was interrupted by Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley, Ricochet and Cesaro, leading to an impromptu six-man tag team match.
The match was won by the babyface trio of Ricochet, Strowman and The Miz after “The One and Only” hit a 630 splash on Cesaro, inadvertently landing on his knee in the process, to pick up the victory.
Joe’s defeat in the match also continued the recent trend of WWE title holders suffering defeats in non-title encounters – he has now lost seven of his last eight matches where a title has not been on the line.
The heart of the matter
WWE has already announced that Daniel Bryan will be among four SmackDown Live Superstars who will appear on the June 17 episode of Raw, while Baron Corbin will reveal the special guest referee for his Universal Championship match against Seth Rollins at WWE Stomping Grounds.
In addition to those announcements, it has now been confirmed that five of the six men from last week’s tag team match – Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley, Ricochet, Cesaro and The Miz – will do battle in a Fatal 5-Way match on Raw, with the winner going on to challenge Samoa Joe for the United States Championship at the June 23 pay-per-view.
The match announcement also means that Cesaro’s knee injury, which initially looked as though it could be very serious, is not as bad as first feared.
What's next?
Assuming there is a clear winner in the Fatal 5-Way match on Raw, we can expect to see a one-on-one encounter for the United States Championship at next week’s Stomping Grounds event in Tacoma, Washington.
