Candice LeRae is back in WWE, and she on Monday Night Raw!
As soon as Johnny Gargano made his return to WWE on the August 22nd episode, speculation began about whether or not his wife Candice LeRae would be joining him once again. LeRae hasn’t been seen on WWE television since her last appearance in NXT in late 2021, and she gave birth to the couple’s first child in February.
On the latest episode of Raw, Nikki ASH was shown in the ring waiting for her opponent when the theme music of Candice LeRae played and the Poison Pixie herself made her way to the ring to the shock of the Edmonton, AB crowd. Mrs. Wrestling made quick work of Nikki ASH, pinning her following a swinging neckbreaker from the second rope.
SURPRISE!@CandiceLeRae has arrived on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/7vHRXsfMPT
— WWE (@WWE) September 27, 2022
Following the bout, Nikki ASH ripped off her superhero mask, signaling that change could be ahead for the former Raw Women’s Champion following her recent losing streak.
As @CandiceLeRae returns on #WWERaw, @WWENikkiASH just took off her mask! pic.twitter.com/RLmGLnOe9d
— WWE (@WWE) September 27, 2022
According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Nikki ASH was scheduled internally to face her tag team partner Doudrop in attempts to keep LeRae’s return a surprise.
“WWE had Doudrop listed to face Nikki ASH internally for the SWERVE, BRO”
WWE had Doudrop listed to face Nikki ASH internally for the SWERVE, BRO
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) September 27, 2022
Later in the episode, Candice LeRae approached Bianca Belair, Asuka, and Alexa Bliss backstage to say hello before being confronted by Damage CTRL. She and Bayley exchanged words before LeRae indicated that she wanted to get her hands on Dakota Kai, but Bayley said that had to wait until next week.
Elsewhere on Monday Night Raw, Bayley challenged Bianca Belair to a ladder match at Extreme Rules. There was also another development in the ongoing viral social media mystery of the White Rabbit as another QR code led to a TikTok-like video featuring multiple WWE Hall of Famers. LeRae’s husband Johnny Gargano teamed with Kevin Owens in a winning effort against Alpha Academy. Full results from the September 26th episode can be found here.