We haven’t seen much of Mojo Rawley since WrestleMania. Despite his win in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale at that event, things have been quiet for the lonesome Hype Bro.
There was his short-lived feud with current WWE Champion Jinder Mahal assisted by the involvement of Mojo’s real-life friend, New England Patriots tight end Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski. But that was largely seen as a ratings-grab, and cooled quickly following Gronk’s few ringside (and in-ring) appearances and Jinder’s subsequent push to the top of the roster.
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With his former tag partner Zack Ryder still out due to injury, Mojo has been left to ponder the reasons for his own absence from SmackDown Live, and exclusion from the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view.
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But the hungry young up-and-comer hasn’t exactly been *patiently* waiting. Instead he has repeatedly tweeted at SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon, drawing attention to his feeling overlooked.
The first tweet, sent during SmackDown‘s airing last Tuesday, depicted Rawley looking particularly melancholy alone with his trophy prize, and only the word “Waiting.”
Waiting. @shanemcmahon pic.twitter.com/jFQ8Ni08Iy
— Mojo Rawley (@MojoRawleyWWE) May 31, 2017
Mojo followed up with gym update tweets and videos sent to McMahon’s attention, with more direct messages such as “I know you hear me @shanemcmahon. I’m too loud for you not to. #StillWaiting #ATGMBRChamp #SoHungryImStarving #MojoRising”
Having made his grievances clear, Mojo finally got his wish, returning to TV on Tuesday’s SmackDown Live. First appearing in a backstage promo, he confronted the commissioner about his time spent riding the bench since (and in spite of) his win. He reminded Shane he’s the only one to have defeated Jinder Mahal since Mahal came to the blue brand. Shane rewarded his efforts with the chance to earn his way into Money in the Bank— if he could beat Mahal again in a non-title match.
Though he lost that rematch, Mojo went on to be a featured guest on Talking Smack that night, where he paid respect to Mahal’s advancements, expressed gratitude to his employer for giving him the chance, and discussed how he plans to bounce back following the defeat.
“I didn’t get the job done. And now it’s time to kind of refocus, regroup, go back to the drawing board, but hat’s off to Jinder, I’ve got to say… he’s a bit of a different dude these days from when I had my last match with him… He’s a lot meaner now, more aggressive, and probably more importantly than any of that, I mean, the guy’s got the strength of a nation behind him, one of the biggest nations in the world, and you can kind of tell that there’s that intangible presence about him.”
Never one to let a loss knock the wind out of his sails, Mojo remains hungry for more challenges, and optimistic for his future as a WWE champion.
“You get knocked down. You’ve got to step back up…I’m going to be hard on myself. I’m going to beat myself up… but that’s what’s going to motivate me, inspire me,” Mojo Reflected. “Yeah, we’re going to have some changes coming, but it’s going to be within the realm of who Mojo Rawley is.”
[H/T Wrestling Inc]
