Why Kofi Kingston Missed Last Night's WWE Raw

Kofi Kingston was absent as New Day ally Xavier Woods fell to RETRIBUTION's T-Bar on WWE Raw.

Kofi Kingston
WWE

Kofi Kingston was missing from last night's episode of WWE Raw, leaving New Day partner Xavier Woods to lose to RETRIBUTION's T-Bar, who was accompanied to the ring by a full complement of stablemates.

The match was short, running less than five minutes in total. T-Bar, whose pre-match promo saw him promise to contort Woods' body into the shape of a trombone, scored the victory when RETRIBUTION pulled a distraction. Xavier lashing out at Mustafa Ali gave T-Bar the opening he needed to put the babyface away.

Obviously, Kingston's ringside presence could have helped prevent this. This opens the possibility of extending a New Day/RETRIBUTION feud beyond this show.

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Per WWE itself, Kingston was away from the show as he is currently suffering from a jaw injury. The promotion offered no indication of the severity of the injury, or when Kofi would return, though the announce team noted that he had suffered the issue sometime over the past few weeks.

WWE's televised injury updates should always be taken with a hint of cynicism. There's a strong chance the situation is a work, though there hasn't been any confirmation of this either way.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.