Asuka-Charlotte set for WWE Raw, Apollo Crews to defend US title
WWE has made a couple of announcements for next Monday’s episode of Raw.
Raw Women’s Champion Asuka and NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair will face off in a non-title champion vs. champion match on next Monday’s show. New United States Champion Apollo Crews will also make his first title defense, with WWE announcing that Crews will defend the title against an opponent of his choosing.
Asuka will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Nia Jax at Backlash on Sunday, June 14. Jax became the number one contender to Asuka’s title by defeating Natalya and Charlotte in a triple threat match on Raw last night.
Charlotte also faced SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley in a non-title match on SmackDown last week. The finish was Bayley getting the win by reversing a roll-up and holding onto the ropes while pinning Charlotte.
Charlotte’s next title defense is in a triple threat match against Rhea Ripley and Io Shirai at NXT TakeOver: In Your House on Sunday, June 7.
Crews defeated Andrade for the United States title on Raw last night. This is the first championship that Crews has won in WWE.
Next week’s Raw was being taped at the WWE Performance Center today. WWE has announced Seth Rollins vs. Aleister Black for the episode, and Rollins will also host a “retirement ceremony” for Rey Mysterio.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.