World Tag Team Champion Finn Balor verbally erupted at broadcast journalist Byron Saxton during a commercial break interview on Monday Night RAW, accusing him of being a conspiracy theorist. The confrontation occurred after Saxton questioned the champions’ lengthy period of inactivity and asked when they planned to next defend their titles.
The pointed question from Saxton highlights a significant period of dormancy for the championships, as Balor and JD McDonagh have not defended the World Tag Team Titles in over 60 days. Their last championship match took place on an episode of RAW in late July. This static situation on the RAW brand stands in contrast to the landscape on SmackDown, where The Wyatt Sicks have been presented as dominant WWE Tag Team Champions in what is described as a more stacked division.
The tense moment with Saxton came after an otherwise routine interview segment. Balor had expressed contentment regarding stablemate Dominik Mysterio’s successful, albeit tricky, defense of the Intercontinental Championship against Rusev. McDonagh also offered a comment, predicting that Raquel Rodriguez would defeat Bayley in their scheduled match.
It was only after these initial topics were covered that Saxton shifted focus to the tag team titles, prompting Balor’s complete meltdown in response. While WWE does have a 30-day title defense rule, its enforcement has historically been selective across all championships and brands.
JD McDonagh’s earlier prediction proved accurate, as Raquel Rodriguez, accompanied by Roxanne Perez, secured a victory over Bayley later in the broadcast after hitting a Texana Bomb. Following the match, Rodriguez and Perez initiated a two-on-one assault on Bayley, which prompted Lyra Valkyria to run in and make the save. Bayley and Valkyria ultimately cleared the ring of their attackers to end the segment.