Curtis Axel tries to cut Team Red's resident redwood down to size.

Curtis Axel might be on the brink of a revitalization with his “Skol Axel Skol” war cry. Unfortunately, however, sheer enthusiasm wasn’t enough to power the former Intercontinental Champion past Braun Strowman on Raw. The Gift of Destruction made quick work of the game Axel, at which point he quickly turned his attention toward would-be rival Sami Zayn in his post-match interview. In response to Zayn’s repeated demands for a one-on-one bout against him, Strowman declared that Raw General Manager Mick Foley was aware that Zayn “wouldn’t last two minutes” against him, and was thus protecting Zayn accordingly. 

Even so, Strowman may have underestimated the lengths Foley would go to: Zayn got in Foley’s face immediately after Strowman’s missive and demanded the match once again, only to be refused. And when Zayn insinuated that he’d rather not be on Raw at all if Foley wouldn’t give him the opportunity, The Hardcore Legend agreed to call SmackDown LIVE GM Daniel Bryan and work out a trade.