Raw results, Aug. 22, 2016: Injured Finn Bálor relinquishes WWE Universal Championship

The Underdog from the Underground battles The Architect, with the winner going on to a Fatal 4-Way WWE Universal Championship Match next Monday night.

Give Seth Rollins this much: He does not let disappointment keep him down for long. The Architect stayed firmly in the running for the WWE Universal Championship by denying one of his would-be usurpers, Sami Zayn, in a singles match. The win landed Rollins a spot in a Fatal 4-Way for the title next week on Raw.

It was, ironically, a landing that cost Zayn the match — specifically, a bad one off a springboard that tweaked his ankle and gave Rollins an opening. Even a one-legged Zayn was surprisingly difficult pickings for The Architect (a sit-out, sunset flip powerbomb nearly ended the match), though having the Helluva Kick taken from him proved to be a handicap Zayn couldn’t surpass. A Pedigree spelled the end of a bout that was much closer than Rollins is likely willing to admit.

The Man that Gravity Forgot goes one-on-one against The Prizefighter, with the winner going on to a Fatal 4-Way WWE Universal Championship Match next Monday night.

Everyone knows Kevin Owens thinks he’s the baddest cat in the room on any given day. He might soon be the baddest cat in the universe. The Prizefighter is headed to next week’s Fatal 4-Way Match for the WWE Universal Championship, having left Neville in his wake in the second of Raw’s qualifying matches for next week’s marquee clash.

He owes Chris Jericho a big hug for lending a hand, though. The Man That Gravity Forgot was running roughshod over KO in the early openings until “Jeri” came to “KO’s” aid, allowing Owens to land a barbaric clothesline on his foe. Jericho interfered again when Neville set up for the Red Arrow, and this time it helped Owens secure the win, as he tripped his opponent up on the turnbuckle and quickly administered a spinning torture rack neckbreaker to earn the win.

"Doctor" Anderson attempts to perform a follow-up exam on the recuperated Big E.

The past few weeks have been a roller-coaster for Big E. First, the WWE Tag Team Champion suffers a debilitating case of ringpostitis, only to return at the moment of truth and save his fellow New Day members (and Jon Stewart) from the hands of diabolical doctors Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson. Now, the big man is back in earnest, defeating Anderson in a singles match that’s both his first bit of in-ring action in almost a month and the one-year anniversary of New Day’s reign as W. W. E. World. Tag. Team. Champions.

All in all, the good brothers’ insistence that they’re owed a title match on the back of last night’s disqualification ruling might not be without merit. But clearly, having New Day at full force changes the complexion of any such match, as they were able to neutralize an interfering Gallows before Big E scooped up a mid-sprint Anderson into the Big Ending.

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson crash The New Day's post-SummerSlam festivities.

After getting brutally honest about his former tag team partner, Darren Young, Titus O'Neil unleashes his fury on Young's mentor, WWE Hall of Famer Bob Backlund.

One year ago, The Prime Time Players’ improbable run to the WWE Tag Team Championships was cut short by The New Day. Titus O’Neil would like you to know he’s still completely fine with it, thank you very much. In fact, he explained, that loss was what motivated him to jettison Darren Young and strike out on his own, and his recent matches with the rebuilding Mr. No Days Off have only served to remind him he made the right choice.

The Big Deal then called out his former partner to “bury” him once and for all, only he got D. Young’s life coach Bob Backlund instead. Mr. Backlund attempted to throw hands with O’Neil over Young’s protests and was beaten down in response. Young was, too, when he came to Backlund’s aid, suffering a Clash of the Titus from the self-proclaimed “only Prime Time Player.”

The 7-foot Big Cass goes one-on-one with the United States Champion, with the winner going on to a Fatal 4-Way WWE Universal Championship Match next Monday night.

This right here? This is Big Cass, and he … he beat Rusev? For what it’s worth, upending The Super Athlete is something that certainly can’t be taught, and the Queens-born 7-footer did just that, earning a major upset over the U.S. Champion to place himself in the running for the WWE Universal Title.

To be fair to The Bulgarian Brute, he started the bout behind the eight ball, as the beating he took from Roman Reigns at SummerSlam left him with bruised ribs and less-than-full mobility. But Cass delivered an impressive performance all the same, one that kicked into high gear when Rusev kicked Enzo Amore in the head on the outside. From there, Big Cass was off to the races, hammering away on Rusev’s torso and forcing the U.S. Champion to throw up his hands and leave rather than take any more punishment.

See what happened to the next man to get in the ring with Braun Strowman.

Well, Braun Strowman is back, which means some unlucky local competitor is about to get demolished. The Brooklyn, N.Y., product was, amazingly and appropriately, named Johnny Knockout. Appropriately, that is, because Strowman didn’t just pin him, he pinned him twice, forcing the referee to count a second pinfall after he’d already defeated him with the reverse chokeslam.