Braun Strowman Confronts WWE Stable After Its Heel Turn

Following his loss to Ricochet in a Royal Rumble qualifying match on the January 6 episode of "SmackDown," Top Dolla alongside the rest of Hit Row turned heel in a post-match beatdown. Hit Row attacked Ricochet after he was lured in for a post-match handshake by Top Dolla. But, the beatdown didn't last long, as Hit Row was promptly run off by Braun Strowman.

Hit Row's heel turn comes after a tag team loss to the reigning WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions, The Usos, two weeks ago on "SmackDown." Last week, Top Dolla had a brief confrontation with Ricochet backstage that set up their match on Friday.

The former Universal Champion's save of Ricochet comes just one week after he was saved by Ricochet from a beatdown at the hands of Imperium. Strowman is set for an Intercontinental Championship match against GUNTHER on the January 13 "SmackDown." Strowman himself is a former Intercontinental Champion, having held the championship in the early months of 2020.

On the December 30 episode of "SmackDown," Strowman confronted GUNTHER and Imperium to set up the match between the two imposing men. The match will mark Strowman's first championship match since his return in September.

Ricochet's victory over Top Dolla and entry into the Royal Rumble match makes him the third man to enter the match so far. Also confirmed for the men's Royal Rumble match are Kofi Kingston and Santos Escobar. On the women's side, Liv Morgan is the only competitor confirmed for the women's Royal Rumble match.