WWE
AJ Styles and Dragon Lee dethroned the Judgment Day’s Finn Balor and JD McDonagh for the World Tag Team Championship during “WWE Raw.”
Balor and McDonagh were making just the second defense of their 113-day fourth reign with the titles, having dethroned the New Day in June and having since defended them against Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro the following month.Â
Following on from Styles’ attempts at Dominik Mysterio’s Intercontinental Championship, he was teaming with Lee once again as he turned his attention to those who helped Mysterio keep his title, looking to win his first reign as tag champion since his pairing with Omos throughout 2021 while wrestling his first bout since losing to John Cena at Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia.Â
Balor and McDonagh looked well on their way to retaining the titles after a back-and-forth match with a high tempo, with the closing stretch characterized by an exchange of finishers and broken falls; after Styles had come closest to ending the match with a Phenomenal Forearm and the cover broken up by McDonagh, he was caught by his opponent in a Spanish Fly for the two-count. Balor then tagged in and delivered the Coup De Grace, but Lee managed to bundle McDonagh into the cover to break things up.Â
Balor then sought to deliver the Styles Clash, but he was reversed by the move’s innovator as Styles delivered the finisher, making the cover for the three-count and the World Tag titles. Styles’ title win sets yet another milestone for the “Phenomenal One” ahead of his recently confirmed retirement from the ring sometime next year, while for Lee it marks his first title on the main roster, having previously held the WWE Speed and NXT North American Championships.Â