An official update on Xavier Woods’ status was provided during tonight’s broadcast of Monday Night RAW, confirming the severity of an injury sustained last week. On commentary, Corey Graves announced that Woods has suffered “severe cervical damage.”
The injury is the result of a Mexican Destroyer delivered by Penta during their match on the August 18 episode of RAW.
Tonight’s show, broadcast from the United Kingdom, featured an in-ring segment where Grayson Waller circulated a petition to have the Mexican Destroyer banned. Woods was present at ringside, wearing a neck brace, as Waller campaigned against the move. Graves signed the petition himself just before making the official announcement about Woods’ condition.
Content continues after the ad
The storyline continued with a singles match between Kofi Kingston and Penta. The finish saw Grayson Waller distract Penta, allowing Kingston to hit the Trouble in Paradise for the pinfall victory, avenging his New Day partner.
The on-air confirmation follows a week of backstage reports regarding the legitimacy of the injury. After the initial match, sources noted that Woods claimed his neck was “messed up” and he was later seen wearing a neck brace.
Adding to the narrative, Xavier Woods released a video on his social media on August 23, where he delivered a promo in character. He referred to the injury as “debilitating” and directly blamed RAW General Manager Adam Pearce for allowing Penta, whom he called a “masked mercenary,” to use a “banned” version of a piledriver on him.
In the video, Woods also questioned what he perceived as double standards in WWE management. He pointed out that when stars like Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes were taken out by similar moves, they received immediate attention from officials, care he claims he was not afforded.
READ MORE: Ex-WWE Writer Blames TKO for Strategy to Destroy AEW
