Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE Monday Night Raw Report! (11/13/17)

Published

6 years ago

November 13, 2017

Steven Mitchell

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Triple Threat: Mickie James VS Bayley VS Dana Brooke; Bayley wins and joins the Raw Women’s Team at Survivor Series.
Enzo Amore & Drew Gulak VS Kalisto & Akira Tozawa; Enzo & Gulak win.
Jason Jordan VS Bray Wyatt; Jordan wins.
Six Man Tag: The Shield VS The Miz & The Bar w/ The Miztourage; The Shield wins.
Finn Balor & Samoa Joe VS The Club; Balor & Joe win.
Braun Strowman VS Kane; no contest.

PLAY BY PLAY

It has been three weeks since Raw was #UnderSiege.

And yet, it is as the New Day has said: Raw has done “nothing~!” At least, Raw seems to claim so, as Raw GM Kurt Angle denies knowing Kane was going to attack SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan! And even after being screwed out of the Raw Tag Team Titles by The New Day’s #UnderSiege2 “pump fake”, Raw did “nothing~!”

The Raw Commissioner, Stephanie McMahon, is here!

And she welcomes Atlanta to Monday Night Raw, and speaks on decisions she must make that impact everyone from fans to talent to shareholders to staff. Things that normal people can’t even fathom, which is why she needs “true leaders” running the show. As such, she introduces us to Team Captain, Kurt Angle!

The Olympic Gold Medalist was put on notice at the same time he was appointed to the Raw Men’s Team, and he wishes Stephanie to understand that he was prepared for the New Day’s raid. She’s not upset, but she is curious how The New Day got in. No idea. Well he’s honest. Was there an actual raid? No… But Angle “valiantly” led the charge, no doubt. Was there a raid? Or was Raw tricked? Stephanie can make a highlight reel for Survivor Series out of this stuff. She’s being harsh, the fans love Angle. Angle makes good on being team captain, with the Fifth Man being… Jason Jordan. Who is he? A capable wrestler. No, who is he to Angle? His son. And what has Jordan done to make him valuable to team Raw? He’s very talented. Okay, maybe we should put this another way. Who is SmackDown’s Fifth Man? John Cena. Yes, the 16 time World Champion and franchise player, John Cena. And last Stephanie saw Cena, he was on Raw. So, Angle chose his son instead of Cena? Or Cena decided to join SmackDown when he got snubbed? You’d have to ask Cena. But seeing as fans love Angle, here’s a second chance. What is Angle going to do at Survivor Series? Break Shane’s ankle. Angle is captain, he’ll start the match, and if Shane “has the balls”, he’ll start, too. What, is this the 1990’s? That you two are going to go 1v1, that Shane is going to man up? No Shane is going to have the others do his dirty work. Plus, Stephanie doesn’t think Angle could break anyone’s ankle. Angle’s gone soft and is going to be Stephanie’s biggest mistake. Shane is trying to ruin the show their father made 25 years ago, Stephanie put that burden on Angle and yet Angle is not changing her mind. Don’t break ankles, put heads on platters! DECIMATE SmackDown. But Stephanie has no other choice. Angle — “Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta. Shield.”

Yes, the Shield is here, in full! Roman Reigns is healthy, Roman Reigns is with his brothers in Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, and the trio heads down the steps and to the ring. Stephanie wants the fans to make up their minds, are they cheering or not? Ambrose says that there have been a lot of leaders for Raw, none better than Angle. Angle is their guy, TLC proved he’s still got it. The fans join in, “You Still Got It!” Be that as it may, the Shield is missing those tag titles. They lost because of Angle. Are they even going to be at Survivor Series? Is it Angle or the New Day who made them look like fools? And where was Roman anyway? Wow a lot of questions. How about where’s Stephanie been? She wasn’t here for months, and all that happened was going through a table at WrestleMania. Oh, sorry, Rollins. It was HHH who put her through a table. Did she forget how this works? The Shield doesn’t do what she tells them, they do what they want. And they’d like to do something. Stephanie and Atlanta are all ears. The Shield wants The New Day. And if The New Day has balls, then there will be a match at Survivor Series. And The Shield will handle that. Angle has Team Raw, and The Shield will whoop the New Day’s ass. Raw is raring to go, can they win big at Survivor Series?

Triple Threat: Mickie James VS Bayley VS Dana Brooke!

With only one spot left on Raw’s Women’s Team, three must fight to be the Fifth Woman! As such, Team Raw’s Captain Foxy, “Bossy Banks”, Empress of Tomorrow and Brutal Beauty are ringside to watch.

The bell rings, the three circle, tie up, but Mickie gets the edge, double takedown on! Dropkick sends Bayley out, Mickie’s alone with Dana, snapmare and running — Baley trips Mickie up, covers Dana, TWO. Bayley brings Dana up, is put in a corner, Mickie comes back in to kick and whip but is reversed, collides with Bayley, Dana handsprings to hit them both. Dana keeps things moving, but Mickie dodges and Bayley runs Dana over. Bayley is dumped to the apron, Mickie comes back, Dana helps out, Bayley goes down to the ground. We go to break as Dana and Mickie stare down.

We return, Dana has Mickie caught in a corner, she rolls out but into Bayley’s back suplex! Mickie swings, gets a back suplex! Bayley throws Dana out to the apron, hotshot! But Mickie gives a flapjack to Bayley, kip-up to fire up. Mickie climbs up top, Bayley stops her with a forearm then climbs up to join her. They brawl on the top rope, Bayley is knocked away. Mickie takes aim, seated senton!

Dana breaks the pin, but gets forearms from Mickie. Back kick, front kick, Mickie runs to forearm Dana down. Bayley goes after Mickie, gets a stiff neckbreaker. Bayley bails out of the ring, Micke gives Dana a running facebuster. Dana rolls out, Asuka checks on Dana. Dana gets pissed, hits Asuka, that was a mistake. Dana gets in the ring, Asuka chases her out! Heel kick rocks Dana down! Bayley goes after Mickie, but she get rolled up, TWO! Neckbreaker denied into backslide, TWO, Mickie kicks, but Bayley hits Bayley2Belly! Bayley wins! She’s on the team! With all five spots filled, can this combination defeat SmackDown’s?

Enzo Amore & Drew Gulak VS Kalisto & Akira Tozawa!

The Certified Cruiserweight Champion and “Gabber Gulak” of the ‘Zo Train are in Atlanta, How You Doin’? Very well, thank you. Not you, Gulak. And days before taking on the Lucha Dragon to defend Enzo’s “boo”, as well as the future of 205 Live. Gulak wants to make it better, but it’s already great because Enzo’s on it. Kalisto has no money, no pockets like basketball shorts. Gabber Gulak gets time to talk, except for Kalisto and Tozawa appearing!

The bell rings, Gulak starts against Kalisto, but Tozawa wants in so Kalisto tags. “HAH! HAH! HAH!” echoes throughout the arena as they tie up, Gulak gets an arm lock and throws Tozawa down. Headlock, Tozawa powers out but Enzo tagged in and tackles Tozawa. The two stomp and whip but Tozawa dodges, Kalisto tags in. Springboard missile dropkick gets two for one! Team “Luch-AH!” in control as we go to break.

We return, Gulak has Tozawa in a cravat. The fans “AH! AH! AH!” for the Stamina Monster, he feeds off the energy and fights out of the hold. Gulak grabs Tozawa again to keep him away form kalisto, Tozawa rocks him with right hands and a kick. Gulak keeps Tozawa down, stomp to the back. He swings on Kalisto, but gets into a saido suplex from Tozawa! Fans rally with “Lucha! Lucha!” chants. Tozawa and Gulak crawl, tag to Enzo and Kalisto! Kalisto springboard seated senton to Enzo, then a mule kick, front kick and whip. Reversed, but Kalist tumbles over and kicks Enzo away. Springboard crossbody hits, Gulak goes to break, Kalisto evades so that elbow drop lands on Enzo! Tag to Tozawa, he climbs up, missile dropkick takes Gulak down. Gulak is sent out onto Enzo, then “Luch-AH!” as the TOZAWA TORPEDO hits! But that’s not the end of it, Kalisto springboard swantons! Cruiserweights are all over the floor, so a ring count must begin. Kalisto gets to his corner, Tozawa fires up, he puts Enzo in. Enzo is kicked again, Tozawa has him in the right spot. Tozawa up, takes aim, but Gulak goes to save Enzo. Kalisto wipes Gulak out with a cannonball! Then Tozawa brings Enzo up, Enzo pushes him into Kalisto, Jor-DONE-Zo! Enzo rolls up, Enzo and Gulak win! Enzo took advantage of environment, but will he still have his “Boo” when it’s 1v1?

Kurt Angle meets with Team Raw.

Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman and Jason Jordan are all there, and they all heard Stephanie McMahon earlier. He’s taking no chances. Joe and Finn wanted to tear each other apart just last week, but Angle wants them to focus on Shane McMahon, John Cena, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode. These two need to get along, so they’re teaming up against The Club, Gallows & Anderson. And Jordan pissed a lot of people off, including Stephanie, so he must impress tonight by going up against “the most sadistic superstar” around, Bray Wyatt. And Braun wants Kane. Well- Braun, wants, Kane. Then he’ll get Kane, in the main event. Can Team Raw get some final momentum before Survivor Series?

Time for Miz TV!

The Most Must-See Talk Show in WWE history hypes up Survivor Series and how it is truly Raw VS SmackDown. Most importantly at Survivor Series, “internet tough guy” Baron Corbin gets to step into the ring with The Miz, unless he loses that US Championship to Sin Cara on SmackDown. Some think it won’t happen, but it’s Corbin’s MO. He failed to use his Money in the Bank briefcase to become world champion, and his US Championship reign has been “lackluster at best.” Corbin wasn’t even on the show last week, so he wasn’t even the bathroom break! There’s a level Miz is on and a level Corbin is on, Miz’s is higher! If Miz doesn’t have opportunities, he makes them and capitalizes! Just look at tonight: The Miz can “have one of the most momentous victories” against The Shield. And by his side will be two men laser focused on winning even when SmackDown looked to invade: The newRaw Tag Team Champions — and Miz’s close, personal friends — Sheamus & Cesaro!

The Bar are once again champions but still not liked by the WWE Universe. Miz congratulates them on the win, and they appreciate it. But it was no surprise, they did what they always do: eyes on the prize. While Rollins & Ambrose wanted to defend Raw, The Bar just wanted back what belonged to them. An opportunity presented itself, they capitalized, and they’re now three time Raw Tag Team Champions. Give it up for the champs! Boos and jeers instead. The Bar are the real WWE tag team champions, unlike the SmackDown champions, The Usos. Yes, they won the “cute little B-Show” titles. Fans remind Sheamus that he looks stupid. When Miz’s hand goes up, your mouth goes shut, and you will respect your champions! As Sheamus was saying, The Bar are the A-Team tag champs. They are the flagship show’s champs! “Damn it, we are the Raw tag team champions!” And they’re gonna jailbreak the Uso Penitentiary! Just like they’re going to finally break the Shield! Yes, the true Shield, too. No glory hogging Kurt Angle stepping in, it is Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns. Think of the magnitude! Look at the odds they had to overcome, like betrayal and years of infighting, and now they’re reunited just to face The “Hollywood Bar”, the champions of Raw! This is not The Shield’s moment but theirs! Because they don’t just set the bar, they are the bar. Can Miz and friends really ruin the storybook reunion?

Jason Jordan VS Bray Wyatt!

The Gold-Blooded Son needs to step up and prove he isn’t just being favored by his father, can he do so against the returning Eater of Worlds? The bell rings, the two circle, Wyatt swings but gets chased to ropes. JJ backs off so Wyatt can return, they tie up and JJ gets a waistlock. Wyatt backs him down, ropebreak in a corner, Wyatt walks away but comes back in, misses, Wyatt spooks JJ with that lean-back. Wyatt comes out, JJ dropkicks him down, then a waistlock. Ropebreaks made dirty as Wyatt hits JJ and then runs him down with a headbutt. Angle is watching this as JJ still lifts Wyatt up and puts him in a corner. Then, corner to corner! JJ is fired up, runs in corner to corner for the shoulder tackle. Overhead suplex! Wyatt rolls out, JJ pursues from around the corner to build speed, but misses wide and runs into barriers.

Wyatt has turned the tables, “you don’t know who you’re messing with, kiddo.” We go to break as the Face of Fear looms over JJ.

We return, Wyatt has JJ in the ring with a chinlock, but fans are rallying. JJ gets free but gets an uppercut, Wyatt goes after the leg, which JJ tweaked during break. Back senton to squash, TWO. Wyatt keeps on that leg, Wyatt dares JJ to get up. JJ does and fights back but then gets rocked by a stiff right uppercut. Wyatt keeps on JJ’s leg, JJ clutches it in pain. Wyatt brings JJ up, “Is he a hero?” Wyatt clubs JJ back down, then lift shim up for a scoop slam. JJ slips out, but that leg gives out, Wyatt boots JJ down, then slams him with a vicious yurinagi!

Wyatt goes to the corner, fans get loud as he does the spider walk. JJ rocks Wyatt with a right hand of his own! Then a back elbow out of a corner, JJ staggers over, Sister Abigail- roll up! JJ pulls off the win! And Stephanie was there to watch it. Has this valiant effort impressed her?

Wyatt clobbers JJ! Wyatt isn’t done with the Gold-Blooded Son, he runs JJ over with a lariat! Then he puts JJ onto the apron, and takes that bad leg to throw it against the post! JJ writhes in pain, Angle is devastated as he hurries out of the office. Fans chant “Thank you, Wyatt!” as they’re clearly not fans of Angle’s son.

JJ needs to be helped away, will he be in any shape to compete at Survivor Series?

Kurt Angle checks on Jason Jordan in the trainer’s room.

A lot of ice for that battered knee, and Jordan says he’s okay but… Jordan says Angle competed through injuries, Jordan wants to do the same. But he needs to be at 100%, not 90%. But this is Jordan’s chance, the opportunity he’s wanted for his entire life! He deserves this, doesn’t he, Dad? What will Angle decide come Survivor Series?

Altanta becomes Suplex City!

As such, fans duel “AJ Styles!” “Suplex City!” to the enjoyment of Paul Heyman, Advocate of the “reigning, defending, undisputed Universal Champion, BROCK, LESNAR!” And Lesnar has authorized Heyman to list the top five reasons to watch Survivor Series on the WWE Network. First selling point: the first time a Universal Champion and a WWE Champion will go 1v1, and the first time Lesnar goes up against Styles. This may be the only time these two ever have a match, so to put it simply, “don’t miss it!” Second selling point: Heyman wants to see this, too! He knows Lesnar better than anyone, and has seen with his own eyes this year alone, Lesnar has gone against the biggest and baddest but no one is better. Styles is an interesting opponent, and has mastered something that you learn in fight sports, “Speed Kills.” Styles has the speed advantage but that’s not all. Third selling point: “She said yes!” Oh, wait, someone proposed at this time? How sweet. Because she’s never had a Beast like Lesnar. By the way, interrupting a Heyman promo is tantamount to fighting Lesnar: you won’t win. Third selling point: Styles is the “single most talented in-ring performer of this generation”! Well, isn’t that Finn Balor? Those two can settle that on their own, but to Heyman, Styles is stylistically the “ultimate opponent” for Lesnar. Styles has the most momentum, second to Lesnar. Styles is a respectable world champion. But now Styles is the “ultimate underdog” because “this good ol’ boy from Georgia” is up against a “Georgia Bulldog eating carnivore” this Sunday! Lesnar shall prove he and he alone is “the number one champion in WWE, then, now and forever.” These are the odds Styles has to overcome. Fourth selling point: you wanna see a Rocky movie come to life? That’s Styles VS Lesnar. Fans chant for AJ Styles, and Heyman agrees. This year alone, Styles defeated John Cena, Shane McMahon and Jinder Mahal, which is why this is such a great story! But Fifth selling point: this in’t Rocky, this is Survivor Series. Styles won’t survive Suplex City, Styles won’t survive The Beast, Styles won’t survive the Conqueror, Styles won’t survive the F5. Heyman looks forward to telling the tale of Styles’ heroic effort as he puts on the show of his life only to be victimized by… BROCK, LESNAR. Is Heyman once again correct about his assessment? Or will Styles surprise us all in this once-in-a-lifetime match?

Six Man Tag: The Shield VS The Miz & The Bar w/ The Miztourage!

The match-up that was meant to be at TLC happens here and now, can the #HoundsofJustice keep the championship-studded “Hollywood Bar” from seizing opportunities tonight? The bell rings, Swiss Cyborg starts against Architect. They tie up, waistlock but standing switch, Rollins arm-wrenches and headlock takeover, headscissor counter form Cesaro, stand off. The two go again, Cesaro kicks low, gives a stiff European Uppercut, headlock but Rollins powers out, Cesaro shoulders him down. Cesaro runs, Rollins speeds it up, dropkick drops Cesaro. Tag to The Lunatic Fringe, they get running for a low lariat, a knee drop and an elbow drop. ONE, Ambrose puts Cesaro in a corner for stiff chops. Cesaro turns it around to give a chop of his own, Ambrose walks it off. Cesaro gives him another, Ambrose walks it off again to fire off more chops of his own. Corner to corner whip, reversed, up and over to a drop toehold, Indian Deathlock and a hook to the nose, Ambrose lets go at 4. Crossface punch, then Cesaro up, tag to Rollins. Rollins goes up, ax handle to Cesaro, then more chops. Tag to Ambrose, he goes up, a handle to the ribs. Cesaro fights back with a EuroUpper, tag to Sheamus. The Bar whips Ambrose, Bar Lariat knocks him down. Sheamus runs, low boot, then stomps. EuroUPper from the Celtic Gladiator, then body shots in the corner, cheap shot in the form of raking fingers in Ambrose’s face. Miz lets Ambrose go then tags in, the Intercontinental Champion keeps Ambrose isolated with a mudhole stomp. Then cheap boot grinds into the sides of Ambrose’s head. Miz stomps another mudhole, Sheamus tags in, Cesaro tags in, Super Saiyan mule kicks! Ambrose down for a cover, TWO. Tag to Sheamus, Sheamus goes up, ax handle for Ambrose. Sheamus gives Ambrose kenes to the ribs, elbows to the back, and then sits him down with a chinlock. Shift to keylock, but Ambrose gets to his feet as fans slowly rally. Ambrose fights back, Sheamus knees low, Ambrose gives a knee back. Tag to Rollins, dropkick to dropkick to clothesline from Reigns! Cesaro in, gets clothesline’d out. Double slingshot planchas! The Bar is down, Miz is alone with Roman.

Miz retreats to regroup with the Miztourage. The Shield flanks them, Bo goes into barriers! Axel has a neck brace, show mercy! No, not gonna. Miz runs away through the crowd! The Shield lets him go, they keep the ring, we go to break.

We return, so has Miz, he plants Rollins with a DDT! TWO, and Miz is furious. Miz thrwos Rollins out, Cesaro lurks but Ambrose intercepts! Sheamus goes after Ambrose, Miz goes out to get Rollins. Back into the ring, Rollins clobbers Miz with a clothesline. Both men are down, Sheamus is there to tag Miz. Sheamus keeps Rollins back, suplex reversed, TWO, Rollins baits and dumps Sheamus to the apron. Sheamus has a rough bump but he still goes after Rollins, stiff elbows from Rollins are responded to with a hotshot. Sheamus goes up, takes aim, flying shoulder SUPERKICK’d out of the sky! Fans rally, Sheamus tags Cesaro but Rollins tags in Roman! The Big Dog rallies on everyone, jumping lariat on Cesaro. Cesaro in a corner, he gets those close-range clotheslines. All ten connect, Roman runs but Cesaro boots. Roman boots back! Then, Samoan Drop! Roman has fans cheering, jeering and booing, Miz goes after Roman’s foot. Ambrose DIVES outta nowhere! Cesaro EuroUppers Roman, Sheamus knees him, pop-up EuroUpper! TWO and Cesaro is shocked. Sheamus is back, Cesaro reaches but Ambrose trips Sheamus up, Rollins DIVES! Roman SUPERMAN PUNCHES Cesaro! Fans know what’s next, as Roman lets out the battle cry. SPEA- EURO UPPER! In position, Neutral — back drop! Miz tags in, Roman swings but misses, SUPERMAN PUNCH intercepts Cesaro!

Miz gets Roman in a roll-up, TWO! Miz wants the Finale, gets a flying knee! Sheamus goes after Rollins, gets Dirty Deeds! Miz is vulnerable as the Shield surrounds him. Miz senses what’s coming, the fans do, too. SPEAR! But that’s not all, the fans and The Shield fire up, time for the Triple Bomb!! The Shield wins! The New Day better be ready, because The Shield is back!

Kane has a message.

“Even as someone as sick and depraved as I am can smile. All I have to do is remember what I did to Braun Strowman.” The sound of that garbage truck crushing his body, “a true symphony of horrors.” And tonight, Kane will show Strowman there are worse things than death, one of them being Kane himself. Can the Big Red Machine establish superiority this close to Survivor Series?

Kurt Angle returns to the ring.

He brings up the decisions a leader must make. This is the toughest decision he’s ever made as a GM. Jason Jordan was injured in his match against Bray Wyatt, so as the Raw GM, and Team Captain of Raw, he cannot allow Jason Jordan to compete. Jordan’s replacement — Don’t do this. Jason Jordan is headed to the ring. Don’t take this away from him! This is Survivor Series, the one time that it’s Raw VS SmackDown, and the one time he’d get to be side-by-side with his father. But you’re injured. Not by Sunday! But he won’t be 100%. Jordan insists he’ll be fine, because if Angle can compete injured, so can he. Jordan can be just like Angle. It’s not worth it. But it is! Jordan has always emulated Angle, from high school to college to the WWE. Angle was his hero, so being on the same show is a dream come true. But, to be honest, Angle knows he didn’t pick out of favoritism. Don’t take this away from Jordan. Jordan won’t get another chance like this. It’d be an honor to represent Raw, so don’t take that from him. He wants to compete alongside his father. Please reconsider.

“Give me a break, Kurt.” Stephanie McMahon can’t believe this is happening. Just make the announcement, now. Fans want it, too. As if that wasn’t enough, TRIPLE H is here!

He marches right down to the ring, takes the mic from Angle, and after a stern stare down, Triple H makes the choice for him. “The Fifth Member of Team Raw, is me!” Triple H, on Team Raw?! And JJ doesn’t want to accept it. Fans are thunderous, but Triple H tells Angle he’s gonna do it. PEDIGREE to Jordan!

The Game takes no prisoners, he is fighting for Raw’s domination over SmackDown and the decimation of SmackDown. Is this the advantage Raw needs to silence SmackDown’s uprising?

Finn Balor & Samoa Joe VS The Club!

This match is the definition of dysfunction: The Extraordinary Man has to team with The Destroyer, who he despises, in a match against The Good Brothers, who he was once teammates with. Can differences be put aside for the greater good of Team Raw? Well, not with how Joe shoves Finn to force him to start the match… The bell rings, The Machine Gun takes advantage by attacking Finn from behind, not really #GoodBrotherBehavior… Anderson keeps on Finn but Finn fires back, tags Joe, Joe gives jabs to Anderson. Tag to Finn, Finn arm wrenches but Anderson rocks Finn with a right. Whip reversed, sunset flip rolled through, dropkick. Anderson gets out of the ring, Joe runs in to clobber Gallows. The tension is strong as we go to break.

We return, Finn tags Joe and Joe goes after Anderson. Tag to Finn, Anderson is isolated. Finn chops, whips but is reversed, Finn dodges and gets to the apron, swing kick knocks Anderson away. Finn goes up, Gallows distracts, Anderson capitalizes. Finn tumbles to the mat, Gallows tags in, and he rocks Finn with a right hand. Gallows drags Finn up, Finn blocks and fires back rights of his own, but is pushed back to take a YAKUZA Kick, Too Sweet. Elbow drop after elbow drop, Gallows covers, TWO. Gallows drags Finn up and powers him to Club corner, tag to Anderson and Anderson rains down rights. Anderson brings Finn to a neutral corner and rocks him with a right hand, snapmare to chinlock. Anderson grinds and squeezes Finn, fans rally, Finn gets to his feet and fights back. Finn runs, but gets elbowed down, TWO. Back to the chinlock, fans rally again, Anderson switches to an armlock, Finn endures the wrenching. Anderson wrenches deeper, fans keep rallying, Finn feeds off it and gets to his feet. Finn reaches, reaches, but Anderson uses hair to pull Finn back. They brawl, stuff EuroUpper into a spinebuster, TWO! Anderson is frustrated, but The Club is in control as we go to break.

Back again, Finn fights out of Gallow’s chinlock, but is spun off into a boot, Too Sweet. Gallows steps to Joe, but that makes him miss the elbow drop on Finn. Finn takes an uppercut, gives a PELE! Both men down, Finn crawls, tag to Joe! Anderson tags in, but Joe rallies right over him, atomic drop to running boot, back senton! Forearm for Gallows, then the back elbow and PELE for Anderson in the corner. Anderson down, tag back to Finn to go up top. Gallows in but thrown out, so Finn gives him the Penalty Kick! Joe sits Anderson down! Joe DIVES on Gallows! Coup de Grace! Finn & Joe win! Joe leaves, not wanting to celebrate with his teammate, but if they can work like this at Survivor Series, can Raw win against SmackDown’s best?

Backstage interview with Alexa Bliss.

The Goddess of Raw will face the winner of Charlotte Flair VS Natalya tomorrow night. Any preferences? So, the Queen of Cats or the Queen of Dysfunction? Great. It’s not fair that Alexa has no time to prepare, but whatever. When she made the jump, the power shifted, and SmackDown truly became The B Show. Alexa DVR’s and forgets, but tomorrow is actually important. She might even show up to watch it live. But it doesn’t matter, the Goddess will reign supreme. Is her confidence justified? Or will she be horrified this Sunday?

Braun Strowman VS Kane!

Motivated by revenge and a desire to be top of the food chain, this main event is simply #MonsterVSMachine. The two lock eyes all the way from when Strowman marches down the ramp.

The two stand face to face in the ring, uppercut from Kane before the bell, Strowman boots him down. This isn’t even a match yet, Strowman just stomps on Kane. Kane gets out, Strowman pursues, Strowman gives Kane an uppercut. Headbutts and elbows, too, as they go around the ring, Strowman with the edge over Kane. Strowman gives body shots against the barriers, Kane crawls. Strowman keeps going, the referee tries to get this in the ring as an actual match but Strowman keeps punching Kane. Strowman grinds Kane against the barriers the clobbers him, making him feel like the trash Kane tried to turn him into. They fight in the timekeeper’s area, Strowman whips Kane but is reversed, Strowman goes into steel steps instead! Kane decides to up the ante, he brings out a table!

The fans are loving it already as Kane sets the table up. Kane stalks over to Strowman, kicking the Monster while he’s down. Kane brings out a chair, SMACK across Strowman’s back. And SMACK again, but Strowman stays standing. Choke grip and Kane brings Strowman over but Strowman pries his way out and then SMACKS Kane with that chair! Strowman is again stalking Kane as he SMACKS Kane a second time. Strowman sees that table and brings Kane over. A stiff uppercut rocks Kane again, Strowman puts him on the apron then climbs up the other side. Strowman climbs up, drags Kane up to join him, aimed at that table! Kane resists, punches Strowman, Strowman teeters but saves himself. Headbutt sends Kane into the ring, Strowman adjusts, Kane grabs him by the throat. Strowman breaks out, flying double ax handles! Strowman scoops Kane onto his shoulder, spiraling powerslam goes through the floor!!

The fans are losing their minds as these two behemoths disappear into the void under the ring, what is the condition of either monstrous man?!

My Thoughts:

Raw finally gets their go-homes to feel important again. Bayley wins a triple threat to be the Fifth Woman, though it seemed touch-and-go as there was a chance it could have fed into a long-game turn for the Huggable One. But it just works better with the WWE’s Four Horsewomen all in the match, at least for now. Enzo & Gulak win against their rivals tonight but that adds into the math of the Faces likely winning blow-offs in the coming week, Tozawa on 205 Live and Kalisto at Survivor Series.

And then there was the real big stuff. Stephanie wants Raw to not just win but dominate, so she adds on to that ultimatum from last week by questioning Angle’s decisions. The Shield, while maintaining their tension with the Billionaire Princess, promises results when they get payback on The New Day, the dream match we’ve all wanted. And tonight’s Six Man Tag against Miz, Sheamus & Cesaro was great, the fans were into it, even with Roman participating. Angle ends up putting all of Raw’s Men’s Team in action with mixed but important results. Jason Jordan and Bray Wyatt had a solid match, but this was a great way to swap out Jordan for a huge surprise in Triple H while planting seeds for several things, such as Jordan turning Heel because fans actually liked what happened to him, as well as Angle VS Triple H at Wrestlemania for what Triple H did to Jordan. Finn and Joe manage to keep dysfunction out of the way bell to bell for a solid match, but I’m a bit disappointed there wasn’t a moment of hesitation between Finn, Gallows and Anderson. Maybe in a 5V5 elimination match, the dysfunction might come into play. And then hot damn that ending. Starting as late as they did, Strowman in a main event match with another giant, it was all a formula for breaking something to close out the show with shock and awe, I just didn’t expect them to break through the ring. Even though Team Raw now has Angle and Triple H, Strowman is the key to Raw’s victory.

My Score: 8.5/10

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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April 25, 2024

Andrew Balaz

Rebellion had quite a few returns, Mike Santana, Sami Callihan and Broken Matt Hardy. All three of these guys could easily be main event players, and its nice to mix up and expand what felt like a rather small pool of potential challengers.

Under Siege is only like 2 weeks out, so we’ll see how the dots connect in such a short period of time.

.@AJFrancis410, Rich Swann, and rap legend @BunBTrillOG are IN THE HOUSE Meanwhile, @joehendry announces he will deliver an apology to Fir$t Cla$$ NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT! pic.twitter.com/4GNe2xWfyU

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Ratings:

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz: Santana wins via Spin the Block – ** 1/2
#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander: Josh wins via Grapevine Ankle Lock – ***
ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside: Xia wins via School Girl Roll-Up – ** 3/4
Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands: Sami Callihan wins via Cactus Driver ’97 – SQUASH
Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth: Eddie wins via Boston Knee Party – *** 1/4

Results:

Did @NicTNemeth say BROKEN? @MATTHARDYBRAND has arrived in the iMPACT Zone! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/HbkUangt6e

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

A weird opening that is just framed to put Nemeth and Hardy together against The System. Feels a little awkward, but who knows how it will play out.

.@JordynneGrace vs @miyu_tjp NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT will now be for the Knockouts World Championship! pic.twitter.com/YnKZjb9yjx

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz

Ahh I didn’t really pay attention to Santana’s theme at Rebellion, but its pretty damn cool. Good stuff.

Rascalz blindside Santana early, but the heel advantage doesn’t last more than a few moves. Santana whips Myron from corner to corner, hits a few Hip Attacks before Myron finally dodges one and starts using his unique offense and agility to his advantage. Matrix dodge, into an Leaping Outside Back in Slingshot Codebreaker. Some more offense and Santana powders to the ramp, Myron jumps over the rope and tries a Flying Cutter, but Santana blocks it, turns things around, gets pushed forward and hits the Rolling Cutter. Santana takes out the Rascalz, heads back into the ring, Myron tries to catch him unawares but eats the Spin the Block off the rope run! Santana wins fairly quickly.

Maclin’s music hits, he tries to employ the help of The Rascalz to attack Santana, but as soon as Maclin positions himself to get in, The Rascalz bail and flip off Maclin. Maclin makes it out of the confrontation relatively unscathed, but at least we know where he’s going for Under Siege probably.

OH FUCK ME WITH RUSTY KNIVES. Because Cardona is hurt Kon is paired with SDL, and she just challenges Jordynne and PCO to a tag match. WHY!? STOP IT. This is hot garbage.

Josh Alexander comes out…I wonder who’s Super Finisher he’s gonna conveniently kick out this time? Brian Myers? Frankie Kazarian? Rich Swann? Because yes, I’m still annoyed that Hammerstone has been in TNA for half a sandwich, he already connects with a Super version of his finish on tacks, and that’s not a finish. Oh Kaz’s music hits. Okay, so time for Josh to kick out of Fade to Black or Flux Capacitor. Kaz talks smack, says he won his match too so he should have a say in who’s number one contender. Josh challenges him, Kaz says not right now, but a referee runs out and says the match is official.

#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander

Kaz throws his jacket on Josh’s head, and attacks him with some strikes before Josh fights back and throws Kaz out. Commercial break, we see Kaz misses his Apron Guillotine, Josh goes for the Low Crossbody but Kaz dodges and Josh goes flying. Kaz starts throwing some chops and claws at the cauliflowered ears of Josh. Russian Leg Sweep from Kaz for a near fall. Josh swings wildly and Kaz ducks the strike and levels Josh with a Lariat.

Josh blocks a Vertical Suplex attempt, but Frankie pulls off a Fisherman’s Suplex after a few overhead strikes for a near fall. Josh stands up and connects with a straight right, rocks Kaz, Back Body Drop, into a Charging Forearm, Rolling Senton, 2 count! C4 Spike attempt countered into a Back Stabber and then Chicken Wing, but Josh fights it off, rolls through and into an Ankle Lock, Kaz kicks off and into a Head and Arm Cradle for a near fall and then the Guillotine Leg Drop into Slingshot DDT spot from Kaz for another 2 count!

Fade to Black, but its fought off, Big Boot but then Kaz counters the next move with a Power Slam into the Springboard Guillotine Leg Drop, but Josh grabs the Ankle Lock! Locomotion German Suplex time from Josh, Halfhatch Suplex after the Germans, floats over for a 2 count! C4 Spike attempt again, but Kaz fights it off, dumps him over the top rope, slingshots him in and into the Cutter for a near fall for Kaz! After the 2 Kaz grabs a chair and chain, the referee stops the chair of course, so he tries the chain, EY runs down and grabs the chain so Kaz pulls the Eddie Guerrero and the referee admonishes EY, but doesn’t DQ Josh. So as Kaz is busy laughing at EY, Josh picks the ankle, Ankle Lock with the Grapevine, Kaz taps.

Tensions are sky-high between @alexhammerstone and @JakeSomething_! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/LLCUJOCy7H

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside

Both are jawing at each other and then throw hands before Xia gets the upper hand with a Headscissors from the Top Turnbuckle, Charging Knees, a Flurry of Kicks, but when the ref forces some space in the corner, ASH is finally able to dodge and work over Xia with her Twisting Body Splash, a few choking moves, a corner Stomp into a Snap Suplex for 2. ASH is in charge elegantly, but the referee keeps forcing space on both of them when they go for corner attacks. Xia manages to take advantage a little, but ASH regains control, kicks Xia up the ramp and then lands her Cartwheel Back Elbow up the ramp. It actually looks pretty cool executed like that.

Headlocks and Hair Pulling to keep Xia down and using energy to kick out. ASH is getting frustrated but Xia is remaining persistent. ASH goes back to the Headlock, but Xia fights up, Jawbreaker, Back Elbow, Kick to the gut and Drop Toe Hold sends ASH face first into the middle buckle. Xia rips off 4 Double Knee Smashes to the back of ASH’s head into her Flying Crossbody for a close 2! Xia pulls her up, but ASH spins out, then Xia slips it, but ASH kicks her in the chest and deposits her to the outside and demands a count from the referee. Iceman puts Jeweled Knuckles/Rings on ASH’s hand, the referee catches her, removes the stuff from her fingers and Xia hits the School Girl Roll-Up for the flash win.

Fraud has thrown the Ballot Box Battle into chaos, but also paved the way for an explosive showdown between @TheTreyMiguel and @The_Ace_Austin NEXT WEEK to determine the #1 Contender for the X Division Championship! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/lYHrtgNrc3

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands

So the Good Hand Jobs are about to do their job to Sami. I’m just gonna assume Sami beats the hell out of both and wins with a Cactus Driver ’97. If anything interesting happens I might actually cover it, but come on now.

.@SteveMaclin has a proposition for @FrankieKazarian #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/XY6lMdmSWo

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Kaz makes a Metallica reference with the “Wash Your Back So You Won’t Stab Mine”…and Sweet Amber is the only good song on St. Anger. So…I ain’t mad.

Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth

A little early ground wrestling and headlocks for control from both men. Nothing super flashy to start until we get to the rope run and Nemeth goes for the Flying Body Press to drop Eddie. Before Nemeth can follow up, Lish grabs his foot. Nic does have his brother Ryan in the crowd, trying to get chants going and do the old school ‘power up the babyface’ thing, but Eddie has been in control since Lish got involved. Simple offense, chokes, strikes, Snap Suplexes, Knee Drops, simple yet effective. But then Eddie ducks his head too early, Nemeth kicks him in the face, bounces his head off the buckles a few times, Dropkick sends Eddie reeling to the corner, Nemeth starts the 10 Count Punches but Myers hits the apron to distract and Eddie manages to slip the situation and push Nemeth to the floor.

Commercial break happens, Nemeth is trying to fight back with Chops, but a Kitchen Sink from Eddie puts Nemeth on the floor again! Clubbing blow from Eddie, but Eddie then misses the Hip Attack in the corner and Nemeth counters with the Rude Awakening into the 10 Count Rain of Elbows. Fame Ass-er miss, Eddie tries something but Nemeth turns it into that hesitation DDT for 2! Tuning up the band starts to build and Eddie powders to avoid it. Nemeth throws Eddie back in, goes to the top, but Eddie crotches him, rises up and hits the Superplex into Tiger Driver for 2! Eddie starts mocking with Tuning Up the band but Nemeth hits his own Superkick into an Olympic Slam for 2!

Both men just trade strikes Fighting Spirit style, Eddie says “Always Trust the System” and Nemeth shuts him up with a Headbutt. Danger Zone is blocked, Boston Knee Party gets ducked, they level each other with Lariats! Myers and Ryan Nemeth start fighting to distract the referee, Moose hits the ring and hits Nemeth with the belt. Eddie lands Boston Knee Party and The System wins again!

Overall Score: 6/10

A lame opening segment, a squash match, ASH by Elegance getting her first loss, and a weird way of just pulling the number one contender out of mid air makes for an awkward show. Also Kon still be involved in, literally anything, is negative. However, I can say there was a ton of stuff thrown at the wall this episode, so there’s a chance that some things landed better with other people than myself. The ballot segments were amusing, they overused the “I need to talk to you Santino” gimmick a bit much and personally I feel like having Jake versus Hammerstone is booking yourself into a weird corner.

But hey, the main event was fun, Nemeth getting laid out to the point that there could be a story reason to take him out of the Under Siege match. Kaz with the Metallica reference was pop worthy and I guess its a lot of ‘let’s see where it goes’ kind of angle creation. So it wasn’t complete trash, but its definitely a wait and see episode.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Coverage

Mitchell’s ROH Results & Report! (4/25/24)

Champions need challengers!

Published

13 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Steven Mitchell

The Queen is coming for her crown!

Athena & Billie Starkz are the top champions in the ROH Women’s Division, but Queen Aminata’s coming after them! Who will she target first?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Isiah Kassidy VS Komander w/ Alex Abrahantes; Zay wins.
Six Man Tag: Top Flight VS The Dark Order; Top Flight wins.
Anna Jay VS Allysin Kay; Anna wins.
Johnny TV w/ Taya Valkyrie VS Will Austin; Johnny wins.
Six Man Tag: The Mogul Embassy VS MANDERS & BEEFTANK; The Embassy wins.
Yuka Sakazaki VS Leila Grey; Yuka wins.
ROH World Tag Team Championships Proving Ground Match: The Undisputed Kingdom VS The Outrunners; The Kingdom wins and denies The Outrunners a title match.
Taya Valkyrie w/ Johnny TV VS Laynie Luck; Taya wins.
Six Man Tag: Lance Archer & The Righteous VS Jon Cruz, GPA & Ren Jones; Archer & The Righteous win.
Abadon VS Nova; Abadon wins.
Triple Threat: Blake Christian VS AR Fox VS The Beast Mortos; Mortos wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Isiah Kassidy VS Komander w/ Alex Abrahantes!

Brother Zay and the Commander of the Skies are coming down from the high of competing against Rob Van Dam on April 20th, but they’re both ready to get back up. Will Kassidy earn his shot (shot shot) at a championship? Or will the AAA Cruiserweight Champion be aiming for ROH gold?

The Code of Honor is upheld, but Zay has his fingers crossed! Zay trips Komander at the bell, says he’s too smart, then he steps on Komander’s dropdown to say “SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS!” and “SUCK IT!” Komander keeps cool, he and Zay tie up, and Komander headlocks. Zay pulls on the mask, powers up and out to hurdle, but then Komander steps on him! Komander mocks “SHOTS! SHOTS!” Zay runs up, Komander avoids the boot to then wrench, wrench and mule kick a leg! Kmoander steps over, rolls through, then rolls again, to a HALF CRAB! Zay endures, fights around, ROPEBREAK! Komander lets go and Zay stands back up.

The fans rally, Komander runs in but is put on the apron. Zay runs in but into a slingshot BOOT! Zay comes back but Komander goes up and headscissors Zay into buckles. Komander comes back to springboard, wheelbarrow, but Zay HOTSHOTS Komander and then throws him down! The fans boo but Zay says they don’t teach that at school. Just follow Zay and he’ll get your right. Zay then smothers Komander with his towel! The ref reprimands, Zay lets off and Komander sputters to a corner. Zay bumps Komander off buckles, CHOPS him, then stomps Komander down. Zay says “SHOTS! SHOTS!” as he gives stomp after stomp.

The ref counts, Zay lets off at 4 and dusts his shoes off. Zay goes back to scuff Komander, taunt him, but the fans rally up for Komander. Zay scuffs Komander more, eggs him on, but Komander fights up to fire hands! Zay ducks a roundhouse but not the HEEL KICK! Zay leans on ropes, Komander runs in but Zay puts him on the apron. Komander gets up but Zay triangle jump STUNNERS! Komander flops to the floor, Zay scowls and goes out after him. The fans rally, Zay backs Abrahantes off, and the fans boo. Zay goes back for Komander, SMACKS him off barriers, then grabs the chair.

The fans boo, Zay says watch this, it’s about to be an 8K. Zay runs and uses the chair to LAUNCH, into barriers! Komander avoids disaster, puts Zay in the ring, and he hurries to a corner. The fans fire up as Komander springboards, but Zay moves! Komander rolls through, ducks ‘n’ dodges then RANAS! The fans fire up while Zay bails out. Komander builds speed and WRECKS Zay with a dropkick! Then ASAI MOONSAULT and down goes Zay! The fans fire up, Komander drags Zay up and in, then he springboards again, for a SWANTON BOMB! Cover, TWO! Zay stays in this as fans chant “DOS! DOS! DOS!”

Zay goes to the apron, Komander storms up and stands him up. Zay shoves Komander away, goes up the corner, but Komander runs up! Zay anticipates and GAMANGIRIS! Zay goes up to SUPSER SUSNET FLIP, but Komander flips through!! The fans fire up and Zay is shocked! Zay still BOOTS Komander, fires forearms, but Komander bobs ‘n’ weaves to SLAP, UPPERCUT and power up! Zay turns Komander around but gets a SHOTEI! Komander then jumps up top POISON-RANA! The fans fire up again and Komander runs, but into a SPANISH FLY! Cover, TWO! Or as the fans remind us, “DOS! DOS! DOS!”

Zay says Komander’s done wasting his time. Zay whips, Komander reverses but Zay reverses back to scoop, only for Komander to tilt-o-whirl sunset flip! TWO, but Komander tries a side roll sunset, TWO! Zay escapes, Komander dodges his haymaker and waistlocks. Zay switches, Komander switches back, but Zay grabs the ref! LOW BLOW MULE KICK!! The fans boo as Zay gets away with that one! Abrahantes protests but the ref can’t call what he didn’t see! Zay blows a kiss, before the INVERTED TWIST OF FATE! Cover, Zay wins!

Winner: Isiah Kassidy, by pinfall

Brother Zay didn’t break rules but he did find a loophole to DELETE Komander’s momentum. Will Zay soon have a WONDERFUL ascension to the top of ROH?

ROH hears from Bullet Club Gold.

It was backstage at AEW Dynasty this past Sunday that the Bang Bang Gang unified the AEW and ROH World Trios Championships! Jay White says, “Today, our destiny, fulfilling our destiny by building our Dynasty! Y’see, I’m full! I’m full of that feeling when I get to say, I told you so! When I came to AEW, joined forces with The Gunns, I said the Gunns were money! Brought them in along with Juice Robinson, to Bullet Club GOLD. I said I would bring you gold, and boys, we’re running out of space. Because we’ve got gold a plenty, haven’t we, boys? Cuz I’m the mother effin’ Catalyst of Professional Wrestling! I told you so!”

Austin says their backpacks are heavier on the ride home, but that extra weight just reminds him that the Bang Bang Gang runs this Trios ish! Colten says they like to have fun before and after, but during? They don’t take no ish! There’s this saying around here, “Restore the Feeling.” That’s something for the young guys to get on TV, but guess who are never mentioned? The Gunns! Is it because they’ve been in too many main events? Is it because they’ve been tag team world champions? And now they’re AEW & ROH Trios Champions! The Gunns are the best damn team in the world! White is the best singles man in the world!

And tonight, they are the BEST trio in the world!! And if you’re not down with that, they’ve got two words for ya: GUNS UP!! The Bang Bang Gang is firing on all cylinders, but will they be able to shoot down those who take aim at them?

Six Man Tag: Top Flight VS The Dark Order!

Speaking of the trios championships, Action Andretti, and the brothers Martin get their shot at the Bang Bang Gang this Saturday! Will Top Flight pick up speed going into that Collision? Or will Evil Uno, John Silver & Alex Reynolds prove they are worthy contenders?

The Code of Honor is upheld, the trios sort out, and Darius Martin starts against Johnny Hungy. The bell rings, the fans rally and the two circle. The fans rally for “JOHNNY HUNGY!” as the two tie up. Darius wrenches, wristlocks, but Silver spins and fireman’s carries for the takeover. Silver has the cording hold but Darius fights up. Silver wrenches but Darius spins, slips around, waistlocks, spins Silver and cravats for the neck wrench. Silver endures, powers up and out, but Darius rolls over the dropdown. Darius sweeps a leg to cover, ONE! Darius turns Silver’s sweep into a cradle, TWO!

Silver gets up but Darius arm-drags him back down. The fans cheer, Darius wrenches Silver and tags Action. Action runs to LEAP FROG ATTACK the arm! Action wrenches Silver, tags Dante, and Dante goes up to AX HANDLE the arm! Dante clamps onto the arm, digs a knuckle into Silver’s ribs, or was it a tickle attack? Tag to Darius and Dante snapmares Silver. Darius runs to basement dropkick! Cover, ONE!! Silver stays in this but Darius stays on him. Tag to Dante, Top Flight reel Silver in but the rest of Dark Order save him from the double suplex! So Action jumps in and Top Flight TRIPLE SUPERKICKS!

The fans fire up while Uno and Reynolds spill back out. Action and Darius aim, DOUBLE PLANCHA but Uno and Reynolds DECK them outta the air! Dante brings Silver up but Silver fights the half nelson to then whip Dante into the ropes! Silver then runs up, Uno & Reynolds join in, TRIPLE DROPKICK! Silver then waistlocks to GERMAN SUPLEX Dante into a bridging cover, TWO! Silver tags Reynolds and he short arm LARIATS Dante! Cover, TWO! Reynolds brings Dante up, bumps him off buckles, then tags Uno. Uno CHOPS Dante, then snapmares him to stomp him down! The fans rally for Uno as he tautns Action.

Uno goes back for Dante but Dante throws body shots. Uno CLUBS Dante, bumps him off buckles, and tags Reynolds. Silver holds Dante in whiel Reynolds whips Uno for the SPLASH! Uno goes again, but Dante dodges, goes up and over Reynolds, hot tag to Action! The Sight to See rallies on the Dark Order! ELBOW for Uno! BOOT for Silver! ELBOW for Reynolds! Uno kicks low, whips, but Action handsprings to DOUBLE BACK ELBOW! The fans fire up as Action kips up, and he runs in at Reynolds in a corner. UPPERCUT! Uno runs in but the SPLASH is sent into Reynolds! Uno staggers away, Action DECKS Reynolds!

Action aims, slingshot and SPLIT LEG but he has to bail out as Reynolds moves! Action just uses that to roll and PELE Uno! SPANISH FLY on Reynolds! Cover, Silver breaks it! Darius tosses Silver out but Silver ROCKS Darius! Darius drops down but Dante runs in and uses Darius as a step, POETRY IN MOTION! Silver falls, Reynolds dodges Darius to RAM Dante! Dante comes back, Darius helps him get up and over, then Dante helps in the TORNADO DDT! Darius sets Reynolds up for the STANDING SHOOTING STAR! Cover, Uno shoves Dante onto it! Uno then CHOPS Darius down and goes to his corner.

Reynolds crawls over, hot tag to Uno! Uno fires forearms on all of Top Flight! Uno winds up, but Dante JUMP KNEES! Darius mule kicks! Action KICKS, Darius BUZZSAWS! But then Silver & Reynolds drag the Martins out! Uno dodges Action, tells him to STOP, then ROCKS him! The rest of Dark Order get in, Reynolds spins Action before the TRIPLE ROLLING ELBOWS!! Action wobbles, Uno reels him in, and Silver gives Reynolds the BOOST to take out the Martins! PILEDRIVER for Action! Cover, TWO!! Action survives and shocks the Dark Order! Uno cools off, tags Silver in, and Silver tags Reynolds.

The Dark Order surrounds Action and the fans rally up. They stand Action up, hoist him up, and Silver builds speed, but the Martins trip Silver! Darius drags Silver out, Action gets away and Dante baits Uno. Uno runs in, Dante goes up and over to JUMP KNEE Reynolds! GAMANGIRI for Uno, then Action SUPERKICKS! Dante DIVES to take out Silver, Darius steps in to COMPLETE SHOT Uno! Action and Darius have Reynolds for the double pump handle, DOUBLE LIGHTNING SPIRAL! Cover, Top Flight wins!

Winners: Top Flight, by pinfall

Action, Dante & Darius are flying high and heading for Collision, will they take those unified World Trios Championships away from the Bang Bang Gang in the blink of an eye?

Backstage interview with Athena & Billie Starkz.

Lexy Nair is with the ROH Women’s World and Women’s Television Champions, and says “Ladies and gentlemen, we are calling an Emergency MEM, a Minion Empowerment Meeting.” The Fallen Goddess asks the Minions why they’re here, and Minion #400,237.75 knows why. This is because of Red Velvet and Queen Aminata. They decided to stick their noses in Athena’s moment. The main event of Battle of the Belts, live on TNT, the first time the Overlord has been on live TV in over a YEAR. And Aminata put her hands on Athena, put Athena on her head, and proved that she is nothing more than “a hot piece of porcelain hussy garbage.”

Billie says not to forget about Red Velvet. Velvet acted all high ‘n’ mighty, but she just forgot Billie hasn’t beat her yet. Lexy says then it seems there is some unfinished business. The champs bring Lexy in for an uncomfortable double side hug, and Athena says “Bestie” is right. There is unfinished business. And since MIT is a nonprofit, they’ll give a “scholarship to the biggest ass-whooping Queen Aminata and Red Velvet have ever seen. Got it?” Athena tells Queenie and “Blue Velvet” to either step up or step out. Challenge issued to the Queen and the Chef, but are the Overlord and her sidekick about to get cooked?

Mark Sterling speaks.

“Some people get into professional wrestling because they need to. You haven’t needed anything in your entire life. You have an unlimited amount of resources at your fingertips. Money, culture, knowledge. You wanted to excel at this business, so you got the best training, the best workouts, the best diets, the best gear, the best moves. If it’s not the best, it’s simply not you. But the wisest man doesn’t think he’s the best until he’s surrounded by the best. And now, we all are. You are Ariya Daivari. And you are a Premier Athlete. We are the Premier Athletes.”

The Premier Athletes are here in person.

Sterling talks to his stable and tells them the beginning of phase two was a success. They wanted to assert dominance over ROH, and he would say message sent. However, they were not aware that the message would be sent to ROH World Champion, Mark Briscoe, to Dalton Castle, and half of the ROH men’s locker room. It took SIX men to stand face to face to these three. They’ve got Ariya back and more pissed off than ever. They’ve got National Champion, Josh Woods. And they’ve got Tony Nese in peak, physical performance. Now, they all know The Infantry wasn’t personal. They were just in the line of fire.

The Infantry is just on a long list of people who do not deserve the opportunities. Opportunities that belong to these three physical specimens! Because these are The Premier Athletes. When and where will Sterling’s stable finally break through to that next level?

Backstage interview with Griff Garrison & Cole Karter.

Lexy is now with Maria Kanellis’ baby boys and says they haven’t had the best luck as of late. What’s next? Karter isn’t sure. They keep getting opportunities, but they keep failing. Karter recently had a match against Christopher Daniels, and he lost! Griff says Karter thinks that’s bad, but Griff lost his shot at the ROH World Championship. Griff has faced Mark Briscoe twice in his career, and he’s 0-2. Karter’s match wasn’t even for a title! Griff had so much more on the line! Maria then walks in and sees her boys are disappointed. Well, Mama is disappointed, too. They both could’ve done much better in their matches.

But every loss is an opportunity. Griff was in the ring with THIRTEEN TIME ROH World Tag Team Champion, Mark Briscoe! Karter was up against Christopher Daniels, a legend! Maria’s been in the ring with both of those men, and they have so much experience. That is what Griff & Karter gain every time they’re out there. Every single loss is an opportunity. And everyone around here is always jealous of the abs and the looks, and it’s great that they are. But eventually, they’ll be jealous of what these two do in the ring. And eventually, these two will get back her championships, the ROH World Tag Team Championships.

Maria leads the way, but does anyone wanna tell her that that would mean her baby boys going up against her husband, Mike Bennett?

ROH World Tag Team Championships Proving Ground Match: The Undisputed Kingdom VS The Outrunners!

Speaking of Mike Bennett, he and Matt Taven are still champions after the big assist from Wardlow at Supercard of Honor. But will the Kingdom need their War Machine again real soon? Or will they be able to handle Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum in 10 minutes or less?

The fans rally up for the Outrunners already while the Code of Honor is upheld Mega Powers style. The teams then sort out, and though Taven is confused, Bennett steps up and starts against Truth. The fans chant “TAVEN SUCKS!” but Taven just eggs the Melvins on. Truth and Bennett tie up, then Truth wrenches to wristlock. Tag to Turbo, he takes the handoff, and he nods as he wrenches and wristlocks. Bennett knees low, flexes on Turbo, then wrenches to an ELBOW BREAKER! Bennett wristlocks, says this is old school wrestling, but Turbo powers up! The fans fire up as Turbo rolls, handsprings, and kips up! Turbo then BOPS Bennett on the head!

The fans cheer, Turbo tags Truth, and Truth wrenches to wristlock. Truth grinds the arm, whips, but Bennett reverses. Taven trips Truth up while Bennett’s all up in the ref’s face! The fans boo and Turbo protests but Bennett dropkicks Truth down! Bennett mocks the old school posing then takes a bow. Tag to Taven, he CHOPS Truth in the corner. Taven CHOPS again, digs his boot in, but the ref counts. Taven lets off to taunt Turbo, and Bennett gets a cheap shot on Truth! Bennett drags Truth up by his hair, the ref sees that and reprimands, but Taven ROCKS Truth. Taven whips, but Turbo trips Truth to actually save him from the crossbody!

Taven tumbles up and out of the ring, Truth gets up to tag Turbo! Truth then runs and Turbo holds ropes up, BASEBALL SLIDE DROPKICK! Bennett runs up, is sent out, and The Kingdom regroups. The fans fire up for Turbo as he fires up, then PLANCHAS! Down goes The Kingdom and Turbo is all revved up! Turbo gets in the ring, shakes the ropes, then tags in Truth. The Outrunners coordinate, to spin and pose! The fans fire up but The Kingdom CLOBBER The Outrunners from behind! The fans boo but Bennett flexes. Bennett brings Truth up, CHOPS, and now fans chant “BENNETT SUCKS!”

Bennett CHOPS Truth, puts him in the corner, and tags Taven. Bennett feeds Truth to a BOOT, adds the BOSTON BAYONET, then Taven LARIATS! Cover, TWO! Truth is tougher than that, but Taven argues with the ref. The ref defends his count, so Taven brings Truth over to ropes. Taven CHOKES Truth but the fans boo. The ref counts, Taven lets off at 4, and Taven soaks up the heat. Truth sputters but Taven tags Bennett. The Kingdom mugs Truth, then Bennett keeps Truth from Turbo with a snap suplex! Cover, TWO! Truth stays in this but Bennett stays on him with a chinlock and stretch. The fans rally as Truth endures.

Truth is red in the face but he fights to his feet. But Taven BLASTS Turbo! Bennett throws Truth by his hair! Turbo storms in but the ref has to stop him. Turbo is upset but Bennett stands on Truth’s face! Bennett clamps onto Truth with a chinlock and grinds him down with a knee in the back. The fans fire up, we pass five minutes as Truth fights up, but Taven runs at Turbo again! Turbo ROCKS Taven first this time! Truth then hits a BIG back suplex on Bennett! The fans fire up, Turbo is feeling it, and Truth crawls over! Truth staggers ot his feet, hot tag to Turbo! Turbo rallies on The Kingdom with big haymakers!

The fans fire up as Turbo scoops and SLAMS Taven! Then he scoops and SLAMS Bennett! Scoop and SLAM for Taven! Scoop and SLAM for Bennett! The fans fire up and Turbo drops an elbow! And another elbow! And then he winds up, flexes, and JUPM ELBOW DROPS! Taven runs up but Turbo kicks! Turbo reels Taven in, flexes again, and hits a BIG suplex! Turbo points to Truth, Truth tags in, and Truth goes up! FLYING FOREARM on Bennett! The Outrunners hurry to get Bennett up, but Taven ENZIGIRIS Truth to stop Boot Camp, er Vice City, or whatever they were calling it! Bennett shoves Turbo into Truth then rolls Truth up, with tights! The Kingdom wins!

Winners: The Undisputed Kingdom, by pinfall (denies The Outrunners a title opportunity)

Taven grabs the belts to celebrate and Bennett says that was too easy. But then the ref suspects shenanigans! Did Bennett pull tights? Bennett defends his innocence, as does Taven, and the ref drops the issue. Will The Kingdom do anything and everything they have to in order to stay champions?

Red Velvet & Queen Aminata speak.

The Chef and The Queen are backstage, and Velvet tells Athena, “There you go again. Stirring up the pot. Oh my gosh, we ruined your moment~! I’m done with you. Billie? You wanna hang with the big girls? You wanna get in big girl business? Then bring it on. Yes, I haven’t forgotten I beat you, twice. And I’ll do it again, and this time, I’m a beat you like your mama never did. You know why? Cuz I don’t roll with minions. I roll with royalty.” Aninata says that’s right. And Athena, oh, they feel so sorry for “ruining” the moment. Actually, Aminata would do it again and again and again. And wanna know why? Because Queen Aminata does not respect Athena as a champion!

Athena has ZERO honor! And no one knows better about honor than The Queen. And Velvet says, “Y’know what, Queen? I’m looking for a fight. Are you looking for a fight?” Aminata is definitely ready for a fight. Velvet says it is time to cook, eat, leave no crumbs, and take out the trash! This dynamic duo is ready to tear down the Forever Champion and her little buddy, will they take the gold right off Athena & Billie?

Backstage interview with The Infantry.

Lexy is now with Trish Adora, Carlie Bravo & Captain Shawn Dean, and we’ve seen them get on a roll. How are they continuing the momentum? Carlie is so glad she asked. Have no fear, you know The Infantry is here. Dean says yes, they are here. And there’s been nothing but targets on their backs. They said they’re the most popular team, and people have been after them. Carlie does realize now that they had those OG Ops, then those really big Ops, and last week, there’s Ops they didn’t even know about. But let’s not forget those really old Ops, the- Oh wait, The Outrunners walk in. Turbo & Truth are feeling good. They may not have targets on their backs, but they’ve got some guns!

Wait, wait, wait. Are they wearing brightly colored camo?! Okay, first they take the Infantry’s move, now they’re copying the swag? What’s next? Trying to take Adora and their homes? What the what, son? Dean has Carlie calm down. He’s always got great ideas. He does? Yes, because next week, Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida, they take this to where it all began! Finally, Infantry take The Outrunners to where they belong, and that’s Boot Camp! Hold on, The Outrunners have been using camo since The Cow Palace. Dean has to hold Carlie back on that one! Turbo has a better idea! Outrunners VS Infantry, Daily’s Place, where it all began!!

WHAT!? Didn’t they just- Fine, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! Oh yeah? The Outrunners will do Infantry one better and THEY will accept! Let’s roll out! Copy that! WHAT!? Stop copying them, Outrunners!! But will Dean & Carlie finally get through the delusional duo and make them find their own schtick?

Backstage interview with Johnny TV & Taya Valkyrie.

Lexy is with Mr. & Mrs. TV Ready and notes the season finale of Johnny Loves Taya just dropped. How are they feeling? Amazing~! Everyone loves their show, they worked so hard on it for months. Ten episodes, the grand finale, it couldn’t have gone any better. And think about it: awards season! The acceptance speeches, the red carpets, the fashion moments. But in sneaks Aaron Solo. That sounds fun! Though they would’ve won more awards if they had this face on the show. Maybe next season? Johnny says maybe Aaron would’ve been on the show, if he supported it once. He didn’t tweet about it once! All their real friends did.

Uh, Aaron is the Retweet King! Especially those first three episodes. Aaron and Johnny argue but Taya has them calm down. Taya runs the socials for the show, and she can confirm, Aaron did retweet. Oh, well, thanks, bro. Yeah, man! Remember QTV? The handshake? They do the handshake, right down the rocket ship taking off. Aaron says see? They’re bros. Before Johnny Loved Taya, Johnny Loved Solo. Uh… No. Aaron is a loser! TV Ready people do not hang with losers. Remember how his name used to be S O L O W? They took the W away cuz he keeps getting L’s! He’s 0 and THIS CENTURY! Get a win already!

Aaron says fine, if that’s what they want, he will win. And he’ll prove to both of you that Aaron is TV Ready! Aaron heads out, and Taya says it’ scute that he’s so confident. Not that it’ll work out. And they got the last word. Aaron then says “Bye” from offscreen, so Johnny says, “Adios.” Aaron has bet on himself, but will he win out?

Triple Threat: Blake Christian VS AR Fox VS The Beast Mortos!

All Heart, The Whole Fox’n Show and the evolved Black Taurus are among the fastest, toughest and hungriest competitors around, and they’re all looking for that golden opportunity. Will Blake be rolling into NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament? Or will another big name prove they’re a big deal?

The Code of Honor is upheld between Fox and Blake, but not Mortos. The bell rings, Mortos stares down Fox and Blake. Fox runs in to RAM Mortos but bounces off! Blake RAMS Mortos but also bounces off! They both run up, but he runs them over! Fox & Blake both kip up, but Mortos choke grips them both. Mortos shoves Blake away, but Fox flips through the choke slam! Blake & Fox DOUBLE SUPERKICK Mortos down! Mortos bails out, Blake and Fox coordinate, and Fox runs. But then Blake sweeps the legs! Fox ends up on ropes, Blake runs to BASEMENT 619! The fans boo but All Heart also has some brains.

Blake aims from the apron, springboards in and MISSILE DROPKICKS! Fox flounders to a corner, Blake runs in, but Fox puts him on the apron. Blake RAMS into Fox, slingshots, but Fox goes out to then slingshot SENTONS! The fans fire up, Fox suplexes for ANARCHY! Blake bails, Mortos LARIATS Fox down! The fans fire up as Mortos roars, and Mortos drags Fox up. Mortos suplexes, Fox slips free to waistlock but Mortos switches. Mortos shoves, follows, then rolls off Fox’s back! Mortos SOBATS, KNEES, ELBOWS and snapmares, to then NECK TWIST! Then SNAP POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO!

Fox survives that onslaught but Mortos roars again. Mortos drags Fox up, wrenches and grabs a leg, for a SHIN BREAKER! Fox writhes, Mortos gets legs and steps through, and Mortos ties Fox up for a NAVARRO DEATH ROLL! Fox endures the leg lock, but Blake DIVING DOUBLE STOMPS Mortos! The fans fire up and Blake smirks as he runs in at Mortos. Mortos BOOTS Blake, SLING-DOGS, then CRUCIFIX DRIVERS! Blake wobbles, Mortos whips to POP-UP SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO! Blake survives but Mortos snarls. Mortos drags Blake up, UPPERCUTS him down, and Blake flounders to a corner.

The fans cheer as Mortos drags Blake back up. Mortos reels Blake in to back suplex, but Blake lands out! Blake dodges in the corner, then whips to ropes. Mortos reverses but Blake handsprings, wheelbarrows, SPLASH 182! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Mortos and Blake stir while Fox returns. The fans rally, Fox and Mortos stand first and Fox throws a haymaker! Blake adds a haymaker, he and Fox pinball Mortos around! They put him in a corner, throw more hands, then Fox goes up to rain down fists! Mortos shoves Fox away so Blake rains down fists. Mortos shoves him away, Fox returns to A-LIST LARIAT!

Mortos slumps down, Blake adds a LOW CROSSBODY! Fox skins the cat to DROPKICK Mortos, and then Fox goes to the apron. The fans fire up as Fox goes up, but Blake ROCKS him first! Blake goes up, brings Fox up, but Mortos adds on! The fans are going nuts already for the SPANISH FLY BOMB!! Cover on Blake, TWO! Cover on Fox, TWO!! Mortos snarls but he drags Fox back up. Mortos trophy lifts Fox, but Fox slips free to BOOT! Mortos tumbles out to the apron, and Blake SPEARS him down! Blake hurries to build speed so he can DIVE! Mortos stays up!? So Fox FLIES! Down goes Mortos and the fans fire up!

Fox puts Mortos in but Blake aims first! Springboard 450 SPLASH! Fox adds the SWANTON BOMB! But then Blake TOSSES Fox to cover Mortos, only for Fox to break it! Fox has had it with Blake being so sneaky, and TOSSES him out! Blake is on the apron, he ROCKS Fox, but Fox stops the slingshot! Fox has Blake in ropes, step-up DRAPING DDT! Roll through, but Mortos reels Fox in! Scoop and MORTOS DRIVER!! Cover, Mortos wins!

Winner: The Beast Mortos, by pinfall

Blake and Fox couldn’t say on the same page, and that allowed the minotaur of lucha to take the win! Will nothing stop The Beast Mortos from stampeding his way to a championship opportunity?

My Thoughts:

A good episode of ROH here at an hour and 38 minutes, but that made for quite a bit of filler. I did like the Six Meaty Men Slapping Meat Tag match of Mogul Embassy VS 1 Called Manders, BEEF and Calvin Tankman, but of course The Embassy won. Good return matches for Johnny and Taya, but I liked their promo with Aaron Solo better. It was a good use of continuity bringing up the failed QTV to pivot into a new story for Johnny TV now that Dalton Castle is moving on. Good promos from Mark Sterling, but a bit redundant again to have him hype up Ariya Daivari, then for him to talk directly to Ariya and the others.

Another confusing thing was the promo from The Infantry and Outrunners. Well, the promo wasn’t confusing, the timing was. Perhaps it was a victim of poor pacing as we’ve seen all over AEW & ROH. But I do appreciate we’re finally seeing these two teams have it out for ROH at Daily’s Place “next week,” aka prerecorded sometime this week. Outrunners had a good match with The Kingdom but of course The Kingdom won. But we’re getting an interesting detail where Maria wants her new boys, Griff & Karter, to go for those ROH World Tag Team Championships while her old boys, Bennett & Taven, still have them. Some sort of Kingdom Civil War angle in the works here?

Really good stuff with Zay winning by going to new lows, and really good Six Man Tag to give Top Flight momentum going into their title match with Bang Bang Gang. Really good promo from Bang Bang Gang and of course White & The Gunns are going to retain. And at least they did just what I was hoping by having a promo from Bullet Club Gold on ROH so that it counts as them being on this show. Just needs to keep happening, maybe with some in-person appearances. Not even matches, just BCG watching other trios fighting it out because they’re scouting, aka foreshadowing, new opponents.

Great main event Triple Threat but also a fast one, Mortos with the big win over Fox and Blake. While there’s something brewing for the ROH World Championship with Mark Briscoe being around Dalton Castle and The Premier Athletes, maybe Mortos can find himself in the world title scene for the next ROH PPV. And then great promos from Athena & Billie as well as Velvet & Aminata. We’re definitely getting a tag team match that will end up earning Velvet a shot at the Women’s TV title and Aminata a shot at the Women’s World title, and those will be awesome matches.

And if either of the champs is losing, I’m actually thinking it’s more Athena losing to Aminata than Billie losing to Velvet. I’ve said it before, Aminata’s proven herself worthy, and if she wasn’t gonna be inaugural Women’s TV Champ, might as well make her the woman that dethrones the undefeated Athena.