Xavier Woods Suffers A Cervical Strain, Will Miss The Next Episode Of WWE Raw
In a shocking turn of events during Monday’s Payback go-home edition of WWE RAW, Xavier Woods of The New Day suffered a cervical strain. The injury occurred when Drew McIntyre inadvertently hit Woods with an office chair meant for Erik of The Viking Raiders.
The night saw The Viking Raiders defeat The New Day as McIntyre and Matt Riddle observed from ringside. During a chaotic moment, Ivar scooped Kofi Kingston for a slam into the barrier, knocking into McIntyre and Riddle in the process. A fuming McIntyre retaliated by throwing furniture around, and that’s when the accidental hit on Woods happened. The incident allowed The Viking Raiders to secure a victory with their Ragnarok finish.
Woods’ Medical Update and McIntyre’s Apology
Following the match, McIntyre was seen tending to Woods and later continued to apologize backstage. “Woods isn’t doing so good,” Kingston told McIntyre, prompting the latter to challenge The Viking Raiders to a Tornado Tag Team match next week to end the “Viking problem” once and for all.
Woods took to Twitter on Tuesday to update fans on his condition, revealing he was diagnosed with whiplash. “Doctors have ordered me to stay out of the ring next week,” Woods tweeted. He will consequently be missing the Labor Day RAW episode from Charlotte, NC. Woods also expressed his disappointment in not being able to celebrate his 37th birthday with fans but promised to be back for the following week’s RAW in Norfolk, VA.
WWE Official Announcement
WWE confirmed today that Woods is suffering from a cervical strain caused by the chair thrown by McIntyre. According to the official statement, Woods’ current status is week-to-week. A cervical strain, commonly known as whiplash, can take anywhere from a week to three months to heal, depending on its severity.
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Impact on Upcoming RAW and Title Ambitions
While Woods and Kingston were not scheduled for a match on next week’s RAW, they would have likely been present at ringside or backstage during the Tornado Tag Team match featuring The Vikings vs. McIntyre and Riddle. The New Day is currently entangled in a three-way tag team feud with The Viking Raiders and the team of McIntyre and Riddle, all vying for a title match against Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
This injury comes at an unfortunate time for The New Day, who just returned to action this August. Kingston was on hiatus due to an ankle injury since March, leaving Woods to carry on alone in several singles matches. Now, with Woods sidelined, The New Day faces yet another hurdle in their quest for tag team gold.
As the WWE Universe sends their best wishes to Woods for a speedy recovery, one can only wonder what impact this will have on the already heated rivalry among these three tag teams. With Woods’ status declared as week-to-week, all eyes will be on the upcoming episodes of RAW to see how this dramatic saga unfolds.