Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (3/30/20)

What happens before WrestleMania?

Published

4 years ago

March 30, 2020

Steven Mitchell

One last hurrah for Raw before WrestleMania!

The WWE World Champion, the Raw Women’s Champion and legend after legend are here tonight, just days before WrestleMania Weekend!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

From WrestleMania 35 – Raw & SmackDown Women’s Championships, Winner Takes All Triple Threat: Ronda Rousey VS Charlotte Flair VS Becky Lynch.
Aleister Black VS Jason Cade; Aleister wins.
Six Man Tag: Kevin Owens & The Street Profits VS Seth Rollins, ~~Andrade Almas~~ Austin Theory & Angel Garza w/ Zelina Vega; Owns & The Street Profits win.
Asuka VS Kayden Carter; Asuka wins.
From Survivor Series 2019 – WWE World Championship No Holds Barred: Brock Lesnar VS Rey Mysterio.

PLAY BY PLAY

The Undertaker speaks.

“AJ Styles. Or should I say, Allen Jones.” If we’re getting real, let’s get real. And for such a small man, you’ve got a big mouth, AJ. Styles either has a “big set,” or is just stupid. But Styles’ mouth is writing checks his body can’t cash. Taker’s heard worse from far greater. There are some truths to what Styles said, admittedly. Styles said 10 years ago or so, he wouldn’t want to try the Dead Man. “You damn right you wouldn’t want to.” Styles was content to being the big fish in a little pond, because he couldn’t hang with Taker, Stone Cold, The Rock, HBK, HHH, Kurt Angle, Mick Foley, Eddie Guerrero, Booker T, Edge, “the very best this business had to offer.” Phenomenal mah ass! Styles waited until they were all gone, except Taker.

Taker admits he has more behind him than in front of him. But “Allen” has stepped into something. Styles’ pride made foolish decisions for him. The things Styles said are “Just business.” But Styles crossed the line when he mentioned Michelle. Styles pride is playing games. Maybe Styles is jealous that Michelle’s Faith Breaker, the same move as the Styles Clash, is better. But whatever the reason, Styles will pay the price for disrespecting Taker’s wife. And he will pay in the Boneyard. “Remember? That was your idea.” IF Styles wants to be relevant at the Showcase of the Immortals, who better than The Undertaker. “Try me. I”ll make you famous.”

And be sure to bring “those two ass clowns,” Gallows & Anderson, too. All three of The OC will feel the wrath “of the unholy trinity I’m bringing with me.” They will feel the pain, they will get hurt, and they will suffer. But most importantly, they will… REST, IN, PEACE…! The camera zooms out to show that Taker already has a headstone for Styles. Will the Phenom end the Phenomenal One this WrestleMania Weekend?

The Raw Women’s Champion rides in style, again!

Becky Lynch rides into the Performance Center parking lot with the Manmobile once again! And she’s going to be live, after the break!

Raw returns with The Man!

Becky is riding high after she finally got even with Shayna Baszler just last week. She stands on stage this week to reflect on last year. She fought two champions at once, with Charlotte for SmackDown and Ronda for Raw. The stakes couldn’t have been higher. Becky made bold predictions and hit the Queen and Rowdy Ronda whenever she could. And she’s been living that bold lifestyle ever since. How about we take a look?

From WrestleMania 35 – Raw & SmackDown Women’s Championships, Winner Takes All Triple Threat: Ronda Rousey VS Charlotte Flair VS Becky Lynch!

History was made almost a year to the day from this weekend! Witness the rise of The Man as she, The Queen and the Baddest Woman on the Planet for both titles!

The Queen arrives in a helicopter! And of course, with a red carpet. But of course, Ronda Rousey has Joan Jett & The Blackhearts perform their iconic song live! As for Becky, she only needs herself and the WWE Universe. The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we make history!

Ronda, Charlotte and Becky stare down from their corners. They all slowly circle, with fans strongly behind Becky. Becky and Charlotte stare, but then realize Ronda is literally between them. So they both go after her! Ronda and Becky grapple while Charlotte hangs back. Ronda throws body shots to back Becky up, but Becky hits back. Only for Ronda to fire off more! Ronda kicks Becky out but Charlotte runs in, only to get a knee! Ronda kicks Charlotte out, too, then goes after Becky. She picks Becky up to drive her into barriers. Ronda scoops Charlotte for Piper’s Pit to the floor! Ronda goes back to Becky but Raw goes to break.

Raw returns as Becky escapes Piper’s Pit and shoves Ronda into a post! Becky boots Ronda then Charlotte scoops Ronda for an exploder into barriers! The Man and The Queen have Ronda down for now, and they go back to the ring. Charlotte says she told us so, but Becky doesn’t care. The frenemy Horsewomen throw hands back and forth! Becky hits but Charlotte kicks the bad leg. Charlotte yanks on an arm as well, and goes to bring Becky down! She wants to steal the Disarm-Her?! Becky powers out and rocks Charlotte, to steal the Figure Four! Charlotte shoves Becky back but the two throw forearms again. Ronda returns to kicks them both down! Ronda judo throws Becky around but Charlotte knees Ronda low. Chalrotte boots Ronda into Becky, but Ronda won’t let go of Becky!

Charlotte powerbomb lifts Ronda with Becky trapped, but Ronda drags them both into hanging armbars! Triple Threat means no disqualifications so Ronda doesn’t need to let go! Becky breaks free but Charlotte’s still trapped. Becky dropkicks Ronda from under Charlotte, and Ronda hits the ground hard! The referee checks on Ronda but Charlotte knocks Becky down. Charlotte goes after Becky but Becky fights her off. Becky runs in at Charlotte in a corner, but into a backbreaker and buckle bump! Charlotte kicks Becky in the face then covers, TWO! Charlotte stomps Becky out then brings down the knee pad. She shouts out to the Nature Boy with that knee drop. Fans rally for Becky even as Charlotte bounces her off the mat. Charlotte climbs up top, MOONSAULT! But into knees! And the Disarm-Her!

But Ronda returns to drag Becky into knee strikes. And then takedown to an armbar! Becky rolls around to resist, Charlotte knees Ronda down! Charlotte catches her breath while Becky and Ronda are both down, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and an annoyed Charlotte throws Becky out of the ring. Charlotte stalks Ronda now, but Ronda throws body shots. Ronda backs Charlotte down but Charlotte gives Flair CHOPS! Charlotte lights Ronda up but Ronda still says Charlotte “chops like a b*tch”! So Charlotte b*tch SLAPS Ronda! Ronda hits the leaping elbow! Then a takedown! Charlotte resists and shifts Ronda to a Boston Crab! Ronda endures, but Becky returns to bulldog Charlotte! Flashbacks to Summerslam and other Triple Threats, but Becky doesn’t stop there. She drags Ronda up into a dragon sleeper, then kicks Charlotte as she stands up. Becky grabs Charlotte in a facelock for double DDT combo! Cover on Ronda, TWO! Cover on Charlotte, TWO!

Becky is beside herself but she focuses on Charlotte while Ronda goes to the apron. Becky forearms and mule kicks Charlotte to ropes, but runs into a boot. Charlotte runs into uppercuts from Becky, then headbutts. Becky runs into an elbow from Charlotte, and Charlotte drags Becky up to whip. Becky reverses but Charlotte tumbles to the apron. Charlotte boots Becky then climbs, but Becky joins her. They fight for control and Ronda crawls over. SUPER Becksploder! Cover, TWO!! Becky gets up and goes after Ronda but Ronda hits her away. Ronda climbs up and leaps for a double crossbody! Double cover, TWO!

Ronda grabs Becky for another judo throw, then she throws Charlotte down beside her. Double Armbar! Ronda promised to do this to them, but Charlotte and Becky lift her up for a DOUBLE BOMB! But not just one, a SECOND Double Bomb! Ronda holds on so Charlotte and Becky give her a THIRD! Becky and Charlotte then brawl with each other! Charlotte throws Becky out and covers Ronda, TWO!! Ronda survives by the narrowest of margins, and Raw takes another break.

Raw returns again as Charlotte formulates a plan. Charlotte sees Becky get up and falls for the bait! Becky kicks Charlotte then dodges the boot for an urenage! Cover, TWO! Becky keeps her cool again as she scrapes Charlotte out. Fans rally up as Becky goes after Ronda. Ronda kicks but Becky rolls her, DISARM-HER! Ronda flails and turns but Becky stays on! They roll again and Becky keeps the arm, but Ronda keeps pushing to ropes. Ropebreaks don’t end this, but Ronda uses the ropes to climb up and lift Becky for a buckle bomb! Ronda runs back in but gets buckles herself! Becky gives Ronda a Disarm-Her through the ropes! Charlotte BOOTS Becky outta nowhere! Ronda flops to the floor while Becky and Charlotte brawl. Charlotte rocks Becky then climbs up to join her. They stand up on the very top, for a SUPER SPANISH FLY!! Cover, TWO!!

Becky lives and Charlotte clutches her own leg from that landing. Ronda drags herself back in, and goes after Charlotte. But Charlotte exploder suplexes Ronda! Becky prevents any covers to drag Charlotte in, but Charlotte throws Becky into buckles. Becky gets to the apron but Charlotte boots her down! Ronda grabs Charlotte but Charlotte kicks Ronda’s leg out. Charlotte stomps the leg, leaving nasty bruises on it. She drags Ronda over and takes that leg to sling it against the post. Charlotte gives Ronda a post-assisted Figure Four! Ronda screams but Becky breaks the hold with a BOOT! Ronda rolls away for her own safety, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns as Charlotte goes for another Figure Four, only for Ronda to cradle counter! TWO and Charlotte’s back on that leg! Figure Four is on, but Ronda crawls. Charlotte still gets the Figure Eight, but Becky leg drops in outta nowhere!! All three women are down but New York is fired up! Fans build to a rally while Becky and Charlotte go to the apron. Becky takes this No Disqualification stipulation to the extreme with a table! New York loves where she’s going with this as she puts the table in the ring. Becky sets the table up near a corner but Charlotte returns. Charlotte clobbers Becky into the table then bounces her off the wood. Charlotte puts Becky on the table then goes to the corner. She climbs up but Becky stops her with clubbing forearms. Becky turns around but Ronda attacks!

Ronda dumps Charlotte down and decides that “Tables are for b*tches!” Ronda throws hands and throws Becky around. She scoops Becky but Becky slips out. They go around but Charlotte SPEARS them both! Cover on Becky, TWO!! Cover on Ronda, TWO!! Charlotte is frustrated but she hobbles to the table. She insists “This is MY main event!” as she puts the table up in a corner. Charlotte drags Ronda up and bounces her off the wood. And again, and again! Becky grabs Charlotte but Charlotte whips Becky off. Becky dodges but Charlotte SPEARS on the return! Cover, TWO!! Charlotte grows further frustrated, but sees Ronda stirring. Fans rally for Becky but Charlotte is up first. Charlotte aims at Becky and Ronda, and runs in, only to get double hip tossed into the table!!

Fans want that “One More Time!” but Charlotte flops out of the ring. Becky and Ronda grit their teeth and face off again! Survivor Series’ original plan finally happens as they throw furious hands! Ronda throws body shots and the Shining Wizard! Ronda jackknifes through to a fireman’s carry, but that bad leg slows her down. Becky uses the Piper’s Pit for a Crucifix Pin! Becky WINS!!

Winner: Becky Lynch, by pinfall; Winner Takes All, NEW Raw & SmackDown Women’s Champion

The Man shocks the Baddest Woman with her first defeat in WWE! But more than that, she keeps her promise to the fans and herself by becoming DUAL champion! But not without controversy, as Ronda points out a shoulder was up during the count. However, they always say the referee’s decision is final, and it stands.

Raw returns to the present with Becky.

“That’s the first time I watched that back.” In this last year, history follows the ones who make it. Becky also gets followed by “dopes” who can’t make their own. Many have tried and failed, but Shayna thinks she has an edge for wiping out the entire roster. Shayna thinks taking the title will destroy Becky. And she’s right. Everyone gets in the business because they have demons to slay and things to prove. Becky admits she doesn’t know who she is if she isn’t the champ. But she knows Shayna’s demons, too. Shayna walks around all cool with her tough voice and cage fighter resume. But Becky’s starting to get to her. Like all the rest, Shayna will be emotional, hoping that when she wins, she’ll finally do the one thing her buddy, Ronda, couldn’t.

Becky sees it, the relief in Shayna’s eyes and the exhilaration she’ll feel if she beats Becky. Because for once, Shayna will have stolen Ronda’s spotlight, and not the other way around. Shayna will finally be seen as the supreme athlete that she is. Or Shayna loses, and she’s back in that shadow. So when it comes to being destroyed by defeat, who does Shayna mean? But speaking of Shayna, she GRABS BECKY OUTTA NOWHERE! She drags Becky to commentary in the Kirafuda Klutch, and then SLAMS her into the desk! “This is what I mean!” Shayna throws her jacket off and stands over Becky. She grabs both legs, dead lifts Becky to SWING her into the desk!

Becky clutches her shoulders but Shayna clutches the Raw Women’s Championship. Shayna stands over Becky with title in hand, another thing Ronda couldn’t do. Will the Queen of Spades finally be atop the mountain with WrestleMania?

Aleister Black VS Jason Cade!

The Grandest Stage of Them All approaches, and the Embodiment of the End wants to shine in that light. He will collide with the Rocky Mountain Machine, but must focus on the fight before him tonight. Will he make Jason Cade #FadetoBlack?

The bell rings and Cade rushes in but ALeister dodges. ALeister dodges, dodges and sweeps the legs! Aleister sits down and it spooks Cade. Cade doesn’t understand what Aleister is up to, and backs off. Cade runs in but his kick is blocked! Aleister stands up but Cade enziguris! Cade runs into a roundhouse! Then BLACK MASS! Cover, Aleister wins!

Winner: Aleister Black, by pinfall

Another opponent, another match, another victory. But even Aleister knows it won’t be so easy against Bobby Lashley. Will Aleister be able to strike down his most mighty opponent to date?

Six Man Tag: Kevin Owens & The Street Profits VS Seth Rollins, Andrade Almas & Angel Garza w/ Zelina Vega!

The Monday Night Messiah told the world that he is the sole reason the WWE is where it is today. From the Performance Center to NXT to even the Women’s (R)Evolution are what they are because of his sacrifices. But Rollins’ allies are falling apart at the seams! Can the Prizefighter and the Raw Tag Team Champions gain ground in this war for the brand as Rollins must team with a different duo?

But as Vega’s stable makes its entrance, La Muneca must make an unfortunate announcement. Andrade suffered a serious rib injury last week, and is medically unable to compete. However, Vega has access to “the hottest young talent here in the WWE.” Just as she brought in Garza in an instant, allow her to introduce the 22 year old sensation and hottest free agent, AUSTIN THEORY! #AllDay from NXT joins El Latino en la casa! Will Theory prove himself worthy of both working with Vega and teaming with the Architect?

Six Man Tag: Kevin Owens & The Street Profits VS Seth Rollins, Austin Theory & Angel Garza w/ Zelina Vega!

The trios sort out and Kevin starts against Rollins. But then Rollins tags in Theory and wants the “kid” to show him what he’s got. Kevin wants Rollins to man up, but Theory gives him a push. Theory wants Kevin to take him seriously, so Kevin DECKS him! Kevin CHOPS Theory to the corner and throws furious body shots meant for Rollins. The ref backs KO off and Kevin says Rollins will get that at Mania. Tag to Dawkins and tag to Ford. The Profits double whip Theory and run him over with a shoulder. Ford is the human weapon, back suplex splash! Garza runs in but gets a double flapjack onto Theory! Ford fire sup to FLY Out onto the young guns! KO and the Profits are up as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns and Garza whips Ford corner to corner. Ford goes up and over and handsprings. Things speed up and Ford hurdles but Garza dropkicks him down! Off come the pants! Garza throws those at Ford and dropkicks him down again! Tag to Theory and they mug Ford with body shots. Theory suplexes Ford then covers, TWO! Theory clamps onto Ford with a chinbar and armlock and Rollins gives him pointers. Ford endures as Theory cranks and Ford gets up. Theory knees low but Ford throws him out! Theory stays on the apron, somersaults in to dropkick Ford down! Cover, TWO! Theory drags Ford up to throw a BIG forearm! He elbows Ford down and keeps on Ford, and then back suplexes. Ford lands on his feet and ducks to HOT TAG Dawkins!

Dawkins rallies on Theory and Garza, then gives Theory an exploder! Dawkins goes corner to corner, Rollins tags in before the Cyclone Splash! Theory throws Dawkins out but Dawkins body checks Garza! Dawkins returns to BLAST Theory! But Rollins SUPERKICKS Dawkins down! KO grins at Rollins but Rollins grins back. Rollins dares KO to do something before he stomps away on Dawkins. Rollins drags Dawkins up to throw a heavy right hand. And then an uppercut! Dawkins crawls but Rollins chokes him on the ropes! The ref reprimands and Rollins lets up at 4, but Garza gets a cheap shot. Rollins tags Theory in and they mug Dawkins together. Theory pushes Dawkins around and clubs him down. Vega likes what she sees out of Theory as he clamps on a camel clutch.

Dawkins endures as Theory pulls back. He fights up but Garza tags in. Garza KICKS a leg out then gets Dawkins down to a half camel. Garza adds a chinbar before getting the full camel clutch. Dawkins endures as Garza fish hooks the eyes! KO and Ford protest but Garza lets up, to knock Dawkins down! Cover, TWO! Garza tags Rollins and they mug Dawkins more. Rollins snapmares and Penalty Kicks Dawkins in the back! Rollins clamps on with a chinlock then drives in elbows. Dawkins endures as Rollins leans on him in the hold. Rollins shifts to a facelock but Dawkins fights up as his team rallies for him. Dawkins throws body shots but Rollins knees low. Rollins sucker punches Ford! KO dares Rollins to do the same, but Dawkins rolls Rollins! TOW, and Rollins slingblades Dawkins down!

Rollins rains down rights and lefts on Dawkins before he glares at cameras. He aims at Dawkins from a corner as Dawkins rises. Rollins goes to kick but Dawkins blocks! Dawkins ROCKS Rollins with that right hand! Both men crawl, hot tags to KO and Garza! Kevin CHOPS and haymakers Garza over and over! Kevin whips but Garza kicks back, only for Kevin to LARIAT! And drop a senton! Kevin taunts Vega as Garza is in the corner, CANNONBALL! Vega coaches Garza but Kevin is up top, SWANTON BOMB! Cover, but Theory breaks it up! Ford ENZIGURIS Theory out! “WrestleMania~!” Ford FLIES but MISSES! Theory only gets grazed as Ford hits the floor! Garza rolls Kevin, TWO! Kevin BOOTS and STUNNERS Garza! Cover, Kevin and the Street Profits win!

Winners: Kevin Owens & The Street Profits, by pinfall

But Rollins CURB STOMPS Kevin anyway! The Monday Night Messiah sacrifices his team and the win just to get at Kevin. Will Rollins become a “wrestling god” off the blood, sweat and tears of KOMania?

Raw returns to Kevin Owens still in the ring.

He has since recovered from the Curb Stomp, and now has a mic. “Y’know, Seth. I think you just kicked some sense into me, no pun intended.” Kevin’s been thinking about what Rollins said. After what just happened, Kevin has a lot to say. Rollins needs to listen up. Rollins says that while he never trained int he Performance Center, this building exists because of him. Everyone should be thankful to Rollins because he built this place on his back. But Kevin heard otherwise. This place was built despite of Rollins. Kevin heard that the moment Rollins was in that Tampa warehouse, he was a “Nightmare to deal with.,” Rollins was a know-it-all who acted better than everyone else. And these past few months, Rollins has done an amazing job proving everyone right when they say Rollins is an “arrogant dips*it.”

But Kevin is aware of his own past and his own reputation. The difference between them is that Kevin isn’t delusional. Kevin has said Rollins is delusional for a long time, and Rollins proved Kevin right. Rollins talks about his Mania moments, and how he is “a god” while Kevin is a disappointment. Kevin admits those words stung and stayed with him all week. But while he was home thinking, Kevin realized how skewed Rollins’ perspective really is. Kevin may not have Mania moments, Kevin can still claim the same accolades: WWE Intercontinental Champion; WWE United States Champion; WWE Universal Champion well before Rollins. And as for those Mania moments, Kevin didn’t get them on his own. Kevin had someone watching his back and helping him each time. “And so did you,” Rollins.

Rollins’ moments he’s so proud of? None were accomplished on his own. And if he didn’t have back-up, Rollins found some “underhanded way” to get what he wanted. Now Kevin isn’t saying Rollins can’t be proud of his moments. What Kevin is saying is that Rollins just needs to be more honest with himself. The only thing Rollins said that made sense is that nothing before the WWE mattered anymore. The past no longer matters. And that will never be more true than this Saturday. When Kevin and Rollins finally face off, neither of their pasts matter. The only thing that matters is that it is Kevin and Rollins, finally 1v1. Saturday Night, Kevin shows Rollins is not a profit, messiah or god when he beats Rollins in the middle of the ring to take his FIRST Mania Moment from Rollins! This Saturday, Kevin will be the one to #BurnItDown.

Edge is backstage on Raw.

“Randy. You said that Adam Copeland is a junkie for Edge. You’re probably right.” But it’s not an ego thing. Edge just loves the feeling that happens in an arena when his music hits. That connection to the fans and audiences. Edge is one of them, he came from that. Let’s face it: we’re all junkies for wrestling. A 13 year old kid watching Hogan VS Warrior knew then that he wanted this. If you’re not, you’re just in the way of others. And if Orton wants to talk grit, they clearly have different definitions. To Orton, “grit” is handpicked by Evolution. Orton rests on the laurels of his family name, coasting off and on with “spurts” of magic. Don’t get Edge wrong, “okay” for Orton is Hall of Fame level for others.

But to Edge, “grit” is the type of person that will reach out and pull someone from a hole, when they don’t deserve it. To Edge, “grit” is refusing to be in Evolution to keep from being someone else’s lackey. To Edge, “grit” is forging your own hall of fame worthy career! “Grit” is thinking about how to get back every day for NINE YEARS, and end his career on his own terms. But Edge admits he was wrong. Edge thought Orton was jealous of Edge. But no, Orton is jealous of edge’s passion. You can’t fake passion, and Edge has it. The only time Orton has it is when Edge is around. Edge makes Orton better and lights a fire under him, and everyone else sees it! Everyone knows this is the best Orton has been. The last time he was this good? Rated RKO. And that scares Orton.

Edge inspires passion and it scares Orton. Orton doesn’t know what to with that. Orton doesn’t know what to do with that feeling Edge makes him feel. But Orton listens to “the voices” in his head. The voices can’t handle the feeling so they made Orton do something terrible. Orton attacked the family. Orton almost had Edge believing the Royal Rumble was enough. But then Orton went after Beth Phoenix and said the names of Edge’s girls. Orton pulled Edge back in. Orton accepted Last Man Standing with a man “who will dive face-first into a flaming table with thumbtacks lodged into every part of my body, just to grab that torch that you took for granted!” Orton’s dug himself another hole. But this time, Edge isn’t pulling him out. This time, Edge is going to push Orton so far down, he will never get back out.

Asuka VS Kayden Carter!

The Empress of Tomorrow is still without her Pirate Princess sidekick, but the Kabuki Warriors will be ready to defend the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania! But before worrying about Bliss-Cross, Asuka takes on another surprise from NXT! Will the fiery Filipina be an appetizer before the feast?

Before the match, Asuka grabs herself a mic. “OI! OI!!” Asuka shouts and wonders who even is Kayden Carter. She doesn’t seem to take her serious, because now, then and forever, “No one is ready for Asuka!” The mic and gauntlet have been thrown and the bell rings. Asuka dances around but gets a DROPKICK from Kayden! Kayden whips but Asuka reverses to hip attack hard! Asuka tells KC to Kiss this” then gives her toying kicks. Asuka talks trash but KC blocks a kick to spin her. KC waistlocks, Asuka standing switches, but KC slips out. KC waistlocks and O’Conner rolls, TOW! Springboard dropkick! Cover, TOW! KC swings a kick but Asuka blocks to an ANKLE LOCK, to trapped-leg GERMAN!

Asuka is mad now, and she BUZZSAWS Kayden down! She shows no mercy as she puts on the ASUKA LOCK! Asuka laughs as Kayden taps, and Asuka wins!

Winner: Asuka, by submission

The Empress still doesn’t seem to take the situation seriously as she sings along with her own theme song. Asuka even gets on commentary to keep shouting, “OI, Alexa! Nikki!” She tells them in Japanese that if they think they will win, that’s IMPOSSIBLE! The Kabuki Warriors will deal with them #EZPZ! Asuka blows a kiss good-bye and signs off to groove along with her song. But if she and Kairi don’t take this more seriously, will their title reign be in serious trouble?

Raw shares Rhea Ripley’s arrival at the Performance Center.

The NXT Woman’s Champion was minding her own business, when Charlotte ATTACKED! Charlotte BOOTS Rhea into a garage door! The Queen takes offense to Rhea just waltzing onto her show like this. Referees back Charlotte off but she tells the “rookie” that she’ll see her at WrestleMania. Rhea gets up and actually smirks. “Yeah, you will.” Will the Riptide see to finally humbling the Queen on the Grandest Stage of Them All?

From Survivor Series 2019 – WWE World Championship No Holds Barred: Brock Lesnar VS Rey Mysterio!

While it was the first-ever three-way battle of the brands, it was the King of Lucha Libre that took on The Beast. This dream match was made incredibly personal and violent because of what Lesnar did to Mysterio’s son, Dominic. However, vengeance does not always come easy.

The introductions are made as Mysterio goes from King of Lucha to Clown Prince of Crime. Heyman of course introduces Lesnar, and also says some of it in Spanish. The belt is raised, the bell rings, and the rules are thrown out on this golden grudge match!

Mysterio immediately goes out to get something from under the ring! It’s that steel pipe! Mysterio has his little friend, but Lesnar bails out of the ring. He wants Lesnar to get back in but Lesnar takes his time. Mysterio chases Lesnar, they go back in the ring, and Lesnar clobbers Mysterio! Lesnar makes sure Mysterio doesn’t have the pipe as he throws him down! Then he drags him up to clobber him down again! Lesnar taunts “Rey Rey” as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns as Lesnar drags “Rey Rey” up to slide him out of the ring! Then Lesnar goes out to drag Mysterio up and throw over an announce desk! Specifically the Spanish announce desk, at that. Fans rally and duel as Mysterio writhes down in the corner. Lesnar clears the desk then drags Mysterio up, to belly2belly Mysterio onto the hood! Mysterio is writhing as the massacre begins. Then Lesnar puts the hood on Mysterio’s body to STOMP it down! Lesnar tosses the hood aside to drag Mysterio back up, and ram into the post! Mysterio writhes more but Lesnar looms over him. Lesnar takes time to tie his boots, because he isn’t at all concerned about Mysterio. Lesnar drags Mysterio up to a fireman’s carry, but Mysterio slides out to send Lesnar into a post!

Mysterio gets in the ring while Lesnar wobbles, and Mysterio’s going for the pipe! Heyman warns Lesnar, Lesnar gets in and stops that. To then German Suplex Mysterio ON the pipe!! And then he dead lifts Mysterio for a second German! Chicago is becoming Suplex City now. Lesnar mocks Mysterio, kicking the pipe to him and daring him to use it. Mysterio crawls to the ropes, but Lesnar German Suplexes him again! That’s three! And again, Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again, and as Lesnar paces, DOMINIC appears! Dominic has a towel, and begs Lesnar to stop! Is Dominic going to throw in the towel? Lesnar keeps him from doing that by throwing the towel away. And then he grabs Dominic!! Mysterio LOW BLOWS Lesnar! Heyman panics, because Dominic LOW BLOWS, too! Mysterio SMACKS away with the steel pipe!! Dominic joins in with a CHAIR SHOT to the back! Lesnar ends up on the ropes, father and son dial it up, DOUBLE 619!! Dominic goes up top, to FROG SPLASH! Mysterio climbs up, to FROG SPLASH! Double cover, TWO!! Lesnar kicks out and Heyman is actually shocked! Mysterio tells Dominic to go back up. But Lesnar gets Dominic with a GERMAN SUPLEX! Mysterio leaps, into an F5!! Cover, Lesnar wins!

Winner: Brock Lesnar, by pinfall (still WWE World Champion)

Not even two generations of Mysterios could defeat Lesnar, and Chicago is furious. Will anyone ever defeat The Beast?

Well, not even six months later, Drew McIntyre now stands ready to take his shot. Will #ClaymoreCountry be want finally demolishes Suplex City?

Raw returns to Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman in the ring.

The Advocate and the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World are back. Heyman hates “pulling back the curtain” because he loves being in the business of “larger than larger than life” personalities. But this is the final segment of the final Raw before “the most unique WrestleMania of our lifetimes.” And not just because it is going to be two nights, but because we are in the most unique period of our lifetimes. Now, this is the go-home segment of the go-home episode. If you look at the past 20 years, who stands in this ring during the go-home of the go-home? “More often than not, your champion, Brock Lesnar. Why is that? Because year in and year out, at WrestleMania, Brock Lesnar is the Beast to Slay.” The one to beat on the single biggest show of the year.

This year, Drew McIntyre has truly stepped up. “My compliments, sir, much respect to you.” But why? Because McIntyre is that special. Compared to the normal person on the street, McIntyre is special. Compared to “the dumbass in the gym,” McIntyre is that special. And compared to the rest of the Raw locker room, the most extraordinary roster in the history of the industry, McIntyre is that special. But who else was special? The Rock, who got beat the first time Lesnar came after the title. The immortal Hulk Hogan, whose blood was on Lesnar’s chest like a warlord conquering the past. Randy Couture, Shane Carwin, JOhn Cena, The Undertaker, they were all LEGENDS AND ICONS, and yet, at the end of the day, after going up against a “once ever” like Lesnar, they ended up all the same: NOT SO DAMN SPECIAL!

Drew McIntyre does not need embellishing or exaggerating or promoting. That’s how great the Claymore is. Yet so were the Rock Bottom, the Hogan leg drop, the fists of Courture and Carwin, the Attitude Adjustment, and the Tombstone. None of them worked on Brock Lesnar on the day Lesnar stepped in the ring against them. And now that Lesnar knows that a Claymore is coming, one of two things happens: Either Lesnar has mastered a strategy to counter the Claymore, or Lesnar eats a Claymore and sees if it’s enough to take him down.

Heyman has something for us. Not a prediction, and not even a spoiler. This is a guarantee: Next year’s go-home of the go-home to WrestleMania, the man who will be standing here will be Lesnar with the title on his shoulder. Heyman will be talking about the great story McIntyre had to tell with the right look at the right time, but he got beaten “fugly” by Brock Lesnar. Because this year, McIntyre walks in special, and walks out just like everybody else: Brock’s bi*ch.

My Thoughts:

Even with this being another Empty Arena Raw, this was still just an okay go-home. I do appreciate that the matches chosen for replay were matches I have on file with The Chairshot. That said, the commercials really killed the flow of both matches, mostly because they took too many for my test. But I do understand that in these times of very little money coming in for anyone anywhere, the best way for WWE to make up for it is ad revenue. I still would’ve done one less break for each replay. But going with WrestleMania 35’s historic Women’s Triple Threat was a great choice given Becky’s promo and Shayna’s attack after. Shayna standing tall here makes me think Becky finds a way to retain, but maybe they change it up and Shayna shocks Becky by winning.

Heyman’s promo after the Lesnar match replay was some really strong stuff, especially in the language department. But Heyman’s passion definitely adds something. I really hope that the plan proceeds as if there was an audience, and that is McIntyre proving Heyman wrong on that guarantee. If WWE wants this historic Mania to matter, if they want to push past the people saying this Mania should’ve been postponed, and at the very least, if they want people to see that WWE cares about future stars, give McIntyre the title. Then when things finally return to some semblance of normal, make that first Raw the biggest celebration possible for both the fact everything is back, and that Lesnar lost.

Andrade Almas being injured is definitely unfortunate timing, but this definitely helps Theory’s stock. He did great for substituting in tonight’s Six Man Tag, up until Ford’s tope. That’s definitely a timing thing, but Theory will surely (hopefully) get better at that. Kevin’s promo in response to the loss was really good, and his match with Rollins is going to be intense. Taker and Edge had great promos for their matches, too, really adding to the intensity for their matches, too. Asuka’s tune-up win was at least a great spot for Kayden Carter to be on Raw, and perhaps Kayden will become a part of that roster after Mania. NXT has so many women, they can actually give up a few for the sake of Raw and SmackDown.

But as I voiced on SmackDown, I’m more concerned what the Women’s Tag Title results will mean. If Kabuki Warriors lose, that definitely pushes things in the direction of Kairi leaving WWE to return to Stardom. And honestly, I’m not sure how Asuka continues after that. I’m not sure Raw or SmackDown could rebuild her up to the way she was on NXT, and I’m not even sure if Asuka returning to NXT could revitalize her. The key might be to really pump some dedication from booking and management into the Women’s Tag Division.

My Score: 7.9/10

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

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Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/19/24)

Prepare for Backlash!

Published

4 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Steven Mitchell

Did you know that challenger in French is still “challenger?”

In a WrestleMania rematch, AJ Styles takes on LA Knight in a #1 contender’s match, to challenge WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at Backlash in France!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Undisputed WWE Championship #1 Contender’s match: AJ Styles VS LA Knight; Styles wins and will challenge Cody Rhodes for the title at Backlash.
SmackDown/WWE Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Fatal 4 Way: The Street Profits VS New Catch Republic VS The Authors of Pain VS Legado Del Fantasma; The Profits win and will challenge A-Town Down Under for the titles.
Carlito w/ Zelina Vega VS Santos Escobar w/ Elektra Lopez; Santos wins.
WWE Women’s Championship: Bayley VS Naomi; Bayley wins, by disqualification, and retains the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

Undisputed WWE Championship #1 Contender’s match: AJ Styles VS LA Knight!

After fighting their way through Triple Threats, the Phenomenal One and the Mega Star meet again, YEAH! It’s a WrestleMania Rematch, the winner moving on to Backlash, YEAH! Will AJ Styles avenge his loss at the biggest WrestleMania ever? Or will everyone from here to France know whose game it is?

The bell rings and the two step to each other. The fans in Pittsburgh “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” and Knight lets Styles know it. Styles snarls, they tie up, and they go around. Knight puts Styles in a corner, the ref counts, but Knight lets off slowly. Styles kicks low! The fans boo but Styles headlocks. Knight pulls hair, throws body shots, then headlocks in return. Styles pushes Knight to ropes, powers up and out, then hurdles, drops and DROP- NO, Knight avoids the dropkick to BOOT, and LARIAT! Knight then TOSSES Styles out of the ring, storms out after him, and brings him to commentary. Knight SMACKS Styles off the desk! And again! And again!

The fans chant “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” with every SMACK, then Knight tops it off with one last SMACK! Knight drags Styles up and into the ring, storms in, but Styles KICKS Knight in the ropes! Styles reels Knight in, but Knight back drops Styles up and out! Styles flounders on the floor, Knight runs to WRECK him with a dropkick! Styles hits desk again and Steel City is loving “L! A! KNIGHT, YEAH!” as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Styles soaks up the heat as he taunts Knight. Styles brings Knight up, but Knight fires haymakers! “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Knight backs Styles down, whips, but Styles ducks ‘n dodges! Knight ducks ‘n’ dodges, then DOUBLE CROSSBODIES collide! Both men are down and the fans fire up. Both men slowly sit up, crawl around, and then stand. Styles fires a shot, but Knight gives it back! The haymakers go back and forth, “YEAH! BOO! YEAH!” Styles staggers but he still ROCKS Knight! Knight ROCKS Styles again and again, but Styles throat chops! Styles fires off the Phenomenal Blitz, but Knight ducks the lariat!

Knight JABS, JABS, JABS, and DECKS Styles! Knight stomps a mudhole in at the corner, “YEAH!” Knight then runs corner to corner to KNEE Styles down! The fans fire up, Knight puts Styles up, and Knight ROCKS Styles. Knight climbs, but Styles ROCKS him back! Knight staggers away, but returns to spring right up! SUPER DUPER PLEX! Cover, TWO!! Styles survives that crash but both men are down again. The fans rally as Knight rises, and he brings Styles around. Knight reels Styles in, suplexes, but Styles slips free! Styles goes to a corner, ELBOWS Knight away, then goes up to QUEBRADA DDT! Cover, TWO!

The fans fire up as Knight stays in this and Styles starts losing his cool. The fans rally for Knight but Styles looms over him. Styles brings Knight up and in, but Knight RAMS him into a corner! Knight then scoops Styles, but Styles slips free to roll up, TWO!! Knight escapes, swings, but Styles dodges to PELE! Knight ends up in a corner, Styles runs in, but Knight puts Styles on the apron! Styles ROCKS Knight, springboards, but Knight gets under! Styles comes back, into a scoop and POWERSLAM! Then JUMP ELBOW DROP! The fans fire up with with Knight as he storms around. Styles rises, Knight winds up, B F- NO, Styles bails out!

The fans boo but Knight storms over. Knight drags Styles up but Styles HOTSHOTS him! And pokes him in the eyes! Then ROCKS him! And springboards, to PHENOMENAL FOREARM!! Cover, Styles wins!

Winner: AJ Styles, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the Undisputed WWE Championship)

Styles bent the rules, but a win is a win! He will get his shot at the American Nightmare in Lyon, France, will this year’s Backlash be phenomenal?

The Bloodline arrives backstage.

The car pulls up, Solo Sikoa steps out in a suit, and Paul Heyman is there to greet him. Nice threads, Solo. Tama Tonga walks over and Solo says meet the newest member of The Bloodline, Solo’s MFT. The Wise Man is stunned. But Solo cuts him off to ask if Kevin Owens is here. Heyman hesitates and Solo asks again, is Kevin here? If he is, he’s probably already in the locker room. Then take them to him. Heyman obeys and leads on. There have already been changes to the chain of command, is there about to be a change to the landscape of SmackDown, too?

Nick Aldis is in the ring.

In a familiar scene to Monday Night Raw, there is a podium with something under a satin sheet. The SmackDown General Manager welcomes to Pittsburgh the Chief Content Officer, Paul “Triple H” Levesque! The fans fire up as The Game makes his way to the ring! HHH joins Aldis in the ring, gets a mic, looks around at the crowd as he revels in the cheers, then says, “On the heels of the biggest, most epic, history making, record breaking, epic, unbelievable WrestleMania of all time, we are here tonight, sold out, 15 thousand strong, Pittsburgh, PA! So let me say, welcome to SmackDown!” The fans cheer that!

HHH wants to take a moment to say that he thinks Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis are both doing great jobs at leading their respective brands into the future. Thank you to both of them. And when we talk about the future, we have to talk about the history made coming into the future. So when history is made, HHH wants it to be represented here befitting of those that make it. So Aldis, if we could, let us bring the… champions out here. Aldis says without further ado, the NEW SmackDown Tag Team Champions, Austin Theory & Grayson Waller. The fans boo as A-Town Down Under make their way, blue belts in hand.

Theory & Waller join Aldis and HHH in the ring, mics already in hand, and they soak up the heat from Steel City. Waller says this is huge. Monday, we saw the second place champions get new belts. And now A-Town Down Under will be presented new titles! Theory says speaking of truth, didn’t Truth think HHH was a magician? Well, who knows what magic trick HHH has to make these guys look better than they already do, but hey, give it a try. HHH says congratulations on becoming tag team champions, so he will show them what they will wear going forward. From now on, they will be the WWE Tag Team Champions.

Reveal! In the style of the Attitude Era and Ruthless Aggression Era belts, the solid gold shines. HHH offers a handshake, but Waller leaves him hanging to shake Theory’s hand! Aldis makes it clear to them. They ever pop off and disrespect HHH like that, here’s a real magic trick: A-Clown Down Under will disappear, permanently! The fans like the sound of that! Aldis snatches the blue belts away since they won’t need them, and speaking of disappearing, there’s a chance one of the following four teams will make their title reign disappear. That #1 contenders match starts right now! The fans fire up, but which team defies the odds to get some golden tickets to France?

Backstage interview with Naomi.

Kayla Braxton is with The Glow and says last week, she beat Tiffany Stratton to get this title opportunity tonight. Will the friendship with Bayley get in the way of this match? Naomi says no, of course not. Bayley’s her sister, and she needed help against Damage CTRL, so Naomi was more than happy to help. But in no way will friendship get in the way of this opportunity. It has been over two YEARS since Naomi’s last WWE singles championship match, and there is nothing that will get in the way of making the most of this moment. Now last week, Tiffy Time felt the glow, so that same energy keeps going tonight.

Naomi is also looking forward to next week’s WWE Draft, where she will walk in the NEW WWE Women’s Champion. Naomi is ready, but will she be able to best Bayley in Bayley’s first title defense?

WWE Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Fatal 4 Way: The Street Profits VS New Catch Republic VS The Authors of Pain VS Legado Del Fantasma!

SmackDown returns as Legado makes their entrance, followed by Akam & Rezar with the Final Testament. Waller & Theory are on commentary, Waller admitting he wants any team but AOP, and Theory saying these teams are fortunate to have real superstars leading their division. In this form of Fatal 4 Way, only two teams are active, so the Big Strong Boi, Tyler Bate, starts against Montez Ford. They circle, tie up, and Ford headlocks. Bate powers up to pry at the hold but Ford clamps on tighter. Bate powers up and out, drops, but Ford leaps over! The fans cheer, things keep moving, Bate feints high to drop low!

Bate shows knuckle lock, Ford obliges, but Bate wrenches, baits and double pump handles to FLIP Ford! Cover, TWO! Ford gets up to sweep and cover, TWO! Bate steps over, La Magistrol, TWO! Ford gets up, dropkicks cancel out, and both men kip up! The fans fire up and the two reset. But then Humberto Carrillo sneaks a tag, before he DECKS Bate with a sucker punch! Ford dodges Humberto but Angel Garza holds the ropes open! Ford tumbles out, Garza tags in, and Humberto sits Ford up. Garza runs in to KNEE Ford down! The fans boo, Garza drags Ford to a cover, TWO! Garza back suplexes, Ford lands out!

Ford tags Dawkins and he dodges Garza to FLYING ELBOW! Garza tags out to Akam, but then the Bruiserweight, Pete Dunne, tags in off Dawkins! Rezar tags, Dunne runs up but Akam LARIATS him down! Rezar DECKS Dawkins, then the AOP start clearing the corners! But Ford goes up to leap, but into an URENAGE! The fans boo but the AOP roar and soak up the heat. Waller’s worst case scenario might end up reality, but SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and the fans rally as Ford endures a facelock. Ford fights up, pries at the hold, but Rezar shoves him to ELBOW him down! Rezar talks trash, Waller taunts the Steelers players sitting in the front row that they don’t really know what championships are, and then Rezar sucker punches Dawkins down! Rezar stands Ford up, Canadian Racks and bends him! Ford endures, the fans rally, but Rezar thrashes Ford around! Ford kicks and flails, he gets free, hot tag to Dunne! Bate sneaks a tag, Dunne GAMANGIRIS Akam and then NCR fire off on Rezar! The fans fire up, Humberto runs in, but Dunne dodges to SNAP GERMAN!

Bate & Dunne STOMP Humberto’s hands! Then BASEMENT DROPKICK! Garza runs up, but into the REBOUNDER GERMAN COMBO!! The fans fire up with NCR, but Rezar runs up! He grabs Dunne, but Bate says Bop up, BANG! Bate fireman’s carries Rezar?! But Rezar ELBOWS right free! Dunne GAMANGIRIS, Ford SUPERKICKS, and Dawkins ENZIGIRIS! Rezar wobbles, and everyone helps Bate gets Rezar up! BIG STRONG AIRPLANE SPINE! But then Legado CLOBBER Bate and Rezar! They BOOT Dunne, whip the Profits but the Profits reverse to TOSS Legado out! Ellering coaches Rezar while the Profits regroup.

Bate gets up, Dawkins ROCKS him! Dawkins brings Bate to the very top, but Dunne CLUBS Dawkins! NCR mug Dawkins but Ford joins in! They brawl, but AOP add on! Humberto finds Rezar to tag in, before the DOUBLE TOWER OF DOOM!! Bate’s the only one left up top, so Legado mug him! They double trophy lift Bate, to DOUBLE ROCKET LAUNCH him onto everyone!! Humberto then finds Bate, sunset flips and rewinds, Garza jumps, MISSILE DROPKICK DOOMSDAY! Cover, DUNNE BREAKS IT! “This is Awesome!” as all eight men are down around ringside, and Waller says this is gonna be easy pickings for A-Town Down Under now.

Dunne grabs Garza, Bate has Humberto, STEREO ANKLE LOCKS!! Grapevine for Garza! But Humberto BOOTS Bate onto Dunne! Legado is free, Ellering has AOP regroup, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and Rezar CLUBS Dawkins down. Rezar soaks up heat, taunts the other teams, then CLUBS Dawkins again. Rezar brings Dawkins up again, but Dawkins fires off body shots! Rezar KNEES low, reels Dawkins in, talks more trash, and lifts Dawkins up, to POWERBOMB! But then Dunne runs up to ROCK Rezar! Akam gets in to scoop Dunne and SLAM him on Dawkins! Cover, TWO! Rezar looks to Ellering and he coaches AOP. Rezar HAMMERS Dawkins, Akam tags, and AOP get NCR up! The fans boo but NCR RANA free to send AOP into each other! Ford jumps in, as does Garza.

All the teams realize, they gotta do something about AOP. So they all mug AOP! The fans fire up as AOP tumble out, but now who strikes first? Dunne runs up but Garza SUPERKICKS him first! Bate waistlocks Garza and Ford winds up, but Garza ducks so the BACKHAND hits Bate! Garza SUPERKICKS Ford, but Dawkins DECKS Garza! Humberto springboards to FLYING CHUCK! Cover, TWO!! Theory says if A-Town Down Under were in this match, he’d knock everyone out and Waller could just sneak in to cover. Humberto and Dawkins rise and go to corners. Humberto runs up, but Dawkins POUNCES him away!

Dawkins gets Humberto up, Ford returns and tags in! Dawkins Electric Chair Lifts Humberto and Ford climbs! The stars are out for the BLOCKBUSTER DOOMSDAY! Cover, DUNNE BREAKS IT! Another save from the Bruiserweight and Ford is frustrated. Dunne drags Dawkins up to CHOP, but Dawkins ROCKS him! Dawkins whips Dunne out of the ring, but Dunne grabs the arm! And he pulls off the glove so he can SNAP fingers! The fans fire up, but Ford ENZIGIRIS Dunne down! Ford brings Humberto up, Humberto JAWBREAKERS! Bate tags in off Ford, BOOTS Garza, then runs up, but into a POP-UP! But Bate RANAS Humberto!!

Bate then DUMPS Garza out, goes to the apron, and Dunne lines up targets. Bate and Dunne climb, Ford runs in, NCR DOUBLE ARIHARA MOONSAULT while Ford FLIES over the corner post!! Down goes Legado and AOP!! The fans are losing their minds as Bate hurries to get Humberto up. Bate puts Humberto in, reels him in, underhooks, but Humberto fights it! Humberto back drops but Bate lands on his feet! Humberto cradles, TWO! Humberto LARIATS Bate, tag to Garza! Legado gets Bate up, feed to the POP-UP KICK!! #FTY! Humberto then DIVES to take out Dunne! Garza goes up the ropes to LIONSAULT!!

But Ford flies in FROM THE HEAVENS!! The fans are thunderous as everyone is down again! Bate flounders, Dawkins tags in! Dawkins whips Legado, Ford joins in, THE REVELATION!! Cover, PROFITS WIN!

Winners: The Street Profits, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championships)

Waller & Theory are relieved it isn’t AOP, but they still look a bit annoyed that it is Ford & Dawkins. The Profits are Triple Crown Tag Team Champions from Raw to SmackDown to NXT, but will they soon add the WWE Tag Team Championships to make it a grand slam?

Backstage interview with Bayley.

Byron Saxton is with The Role Model, and brings up the emotional moment from Monday Night Raw where Rhea Ripley had to relinquish her title. But let us focus on Bayley’s title, as she defends it for the first time against Naomi. Where is her head at ahead of the main event? Bayley says after seeing Rhea vacate the Women’s World Championship on Raw, Bayley appreciates her reign more. She is focused, and she has realized she’s THE Women’s Champion in WWE right now, something she does not take for granted. Because we all know that with the WWE Draft, things are bound to change.

And as excited as Bayley is to face her friend, Naomi, one thing that won’t change is her as THE WWE Women’s Champion. Bayley is just as confident at Naomi, so something’s gotta give! Will The Role Model #FeelTheGlow? Or will she still be shining with gold after tonight?

Paul Heyman talks with Solo Sikoa.

The Wise Man apologizes that they haven’t found Kevin Owens, but he has to be here somewhere. Just look at the time. They will find him, somewhere. Solo stops listening and heads to gorilla. Heyman follows after, but Solo gives him a look. Heyman says he isn’t trying to upset Solo. Please believe him. The last person on this planet Heyman wants to piss off is Solo. But respectfully, Solo is making decisions that are not his to make, yet. One day, these will all be Solo’s decisions. But not now, not here! These are decisions that can only be made by one man. Solo asks Heyman if he’s done talking. Heyman asks if MFT is coming with Solo.

Solo just gives a thumbs up, with that taped thumb. The music hits and Solo makes his entrance, Heyman still following all the way into the ring. What does the Enforcer have planned? We’ll find out, after the break.

SmackDown returns and Heyman has the mic to give his usual introduction. And he doesn’t know if there is a list of the most brilliant backstage maneuvering politicians int he history of the WWE, but if there were, Heyman would have to think that he personally is in the top… Well, permit Heyman, with Solo’s permission, to explain what’s going on right now within The Bloodline, “the premier act in the history of WWE.” The fans chant, “We Want Roman!” but Solo shrugs that off. Heyman assures us that as The Wise Man for… Heyman gets emotional, so Solo just snatches the mic! The fans boo but Solo paces.

Solo tries to talk but the fans boo. Solo says last week, he had to lose a brother! He had to! It was in order for him to find a new one! His MFT, Tama Tonga! And with that, a bloodied Kevin Owens is tossed out, by the Good Bad Guy! Tama shoves Kevin down the ramp, stalks behind him, and referees rush out to stop him from doing anything further! Kevin can’t even sit up, but Tama steps over him to go to the ring. The fans boo as Tama joins Solo in the ring while the refs help Kevin to his feet and to the back. Tama raises his finger to the sky, because he acknowledges Solo! Heyman has no choice but to go along, but wait! Kevin is heading back down the ramp!?

The fans fire up as Kevin shows his grit and defiance! He drags Tama out to fire off hands!! The fans cheer but then Solo whips Kevin into steel steps! Solo drags Kevin back up, puts him in the ring, but now security rushes in! Tama storms in after Kevin but Kevin TACKLES Tama! The security gets Kevin away from Tama, but Solo SAMOAN SPIKES Kevin down!! The fans boo but then Tama SPLASHES Kevin! Tama rains down fists on that bloody wound, then he DECKS guard after guard! Producers try but Tama is a madman! Tama shoves everyone away so he can slip out of the ring, to grab a chair!!

The fans boo as Tama storms back in, but now Aldis steps up! Aldis warns The Bloodline here, and Solo has Tama stand down. Solo takes the chair from Tama to show they’re done here. The fans chant “YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!” but the damage is done. Solo & Tama are a dangerous duo, will nothing and no one stop them from taking over SmackDown?

Heyman goes to the parking lot.

He’s in shock, but Aldis finds him and pulls him along. Was Heyman aware of this? Aldis shows Heyman the aftermath of one car T-boning another! And in case Heyman can’t guess, the struck car was Kevin’s. The attacking car was Tama’s! Heyman says this wasn’t authorized! No, Heyman, Aldis is speaking now. He gets this is a conflict within The Bloodline, but on his show, things are settle din the ring. Next week is the Draft, a lot of eyeballs on it, and a lot top brass are gonna be here. So Aldis will not tolerate this behavior. So make sure The Bloodline understands. Because, Heyman, if you don’t, the repercussions will be equally savage.

Aldis brings Heyman in close to tell him losing isn’t the only thing that has consequences. Will the Wise Man be able to rein in such an unruly force as Solo and Tama?

Carlito w/ Zelina Vega VS Santos Escobar w/ Elektra Lopez!

The LWO still doesn’t believe Legado’s claims that they had nothing to do with Dragon Lee going down before WrestleMania, so they’re going to get to the bottom of this one themselves! Will Caribbean Cool make the Emperor of Lucha confess his crimes? Or will Santos prove he was right all along?

The bell rings and the two talk trash. Then they start throwing hands! Carlito backs Santos down but Santos gets around to whisper something in Carlito’s ear. Carlito ELBOWS Santos away, runs up and hits a THESZ PRESS! Carlito then bumps Santos off buckles, fires hands, then has him in another corner. Carlito whips corner to corner, runs up, but Santos BOOTS him! Santos runs up, but into a SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Vega coaches Carlito to stay on Santos and he brings Santos up. Carlito ROCKS Santos, whips, but Santos KICKS him! Santos runs, but into a DROPKICK! Carlito kips up and the fans fire up!

Santos is on the outside, the ref won’t let Carlito go after him, but then Carlito WRECKS Santos with a dropkick! Carlito loads up to PLANCHA! Direct hit on Santos and Carlito hoists Vega up to celebrate! The fans cheer the LWO on as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Santos whips Carlito hard into buckles. Carlito falls over, Santos soaks up the heat, then Santos HEADBUTTS Carlito to a corner. Santos then CHOPS, gets space and runs in, to DOUBLE KNEE! Carlito slumps in the corner but Santos puts him up top! Santos GAMANGIRIS then climbs up! SUPER STEINER! Carlito flounders, Santos pushes him to a cover, TWO! Vega is relieved but Santos huffs and puffs. Santos rains down fists on Carlito, then clamps on a top wristlock. Carlito endures and Vega coaches him while the fans rally. Carlito rises, throws body shots, then LARIATS!

The fans rally as Carlito starts to rally with more clotheslines, and an ELBOW! Carlito kicks, runs, and KNEE LIFTS! Santos wobbles, Carlito LARIATS again! Cover, TWO! Santos is tougher than that but Carlito says he’s going up! Carlito climbs, but then Lopez gets on the apron! Vega storms right over to YANK her down! The fans fire up as Vega goes up, and RANAS, only for Lopez to block! Lopez SWINGS Vega into barriers! Carlito ROCKS Santos, steps in, but the ref is reprimanding Lopez so he misses Santos KICK ropes to jam Carlito low! Santos reels Carlito in to POST him, then brings him back for the fireman’s carry! PHANTOM DRIVER!! Cover, Santos wins!

Winner: Santos Escobar, by pinfall

La Madrina helps The Emperor steal this victory, them taking down the Caribbean Cool and La Muneca! Whether or not Legado beat down Dragon Lee, will nothing stop them from conquering SmackDown?

VIP Skybox interview with Damage CTRL!

Kayla is with Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai, Kairi Sane & Asuka as they sit way up in the back. What made the former WWE Women’s Champion and crew want a special view of this main event? Dakota takes offense for Iyo with the use of “former” there. Is Kayla trying to disrespect them? Iyo will take that title back when they’re good and ready. But for now, they’re here to watch two people they can’t stand tear each other apart! Does Dakota need to remind everyone here that DMG CTRL is still the most dominant force in the WWE!? The fans boo but Dakota says the Kabuki Warriors are STILL the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, and that will not change-

WAID! Jade Cargill is here! She makes her entrance from the other skybox, with Bianca Belair alongside her! The strongEST duo argues with DMG CTRL, their own title intentions clear. But for now, it’s time for the main event! Who shines with gold here in the Steel City? We find out, after the break!

Cody Rhodes speaks.

The American Nightmare is in the UK as part of Raw’s tour, but he still took time to say, “What is the task? Run up the score, leave no doubt, right? Formerly, the task was ‘win the big belt, in the big place.’ We’ve done that. Now, it’s a whole new frontier for us, undiscovered country.” There’s an old expression: the title can make the man, or the man makes the title. Which will it be for Cody? He’s in London tonight, the O2, 16 THOUSAND, then it’s on to Belfast, Ireland. Cody is keeping his promise to bring this title all around the world. Back home, AJ Styles has emerged the #1 contender to this championship.

So then, it will be two Georgia boys duking it out in Lyon, France. The first time ever, at that. Styles has an unprecedented reputation in pro-wrestling. The modern day Excellence of Execution, if you will. Styles rarely misses. But the same goes for Cody. So Backlash in France, Cody looks forward to it. The contract signing is next week, even as the WWE Draft is going on! Will things be explosive when American Nightmare and Phenomenal One meet face to face?

WWE Women’s Championship: Bayley VS Naomi!

SmackDown returns and Bayley makes her entrance. The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and either we shine or we glow!

The bell rings, the fans rally, and the two circle. The two tie up, go around, and Bayley headlocks. Naomi powers up but Bayley wrenches to wristlock. Naomi slips through, rolls Bayley up, ONE!! The fans rally as the two go again. Naomi waistlocks, Bayley headlocks to hit a takeover, and she makes it a cover, TWO! Naomi fights up to her feet, powers up but Bayley wrenches gain. Naomi waistlocks, O’Conner Rolls, ONE! Both women get up, Naomi ducks the boot but Bayley arm-drags her around! Bayley has the cording hold, the fans rally up, and Naomi fights to her feet. Naomi whips Bayley away, but Bayley runs her over!

The fans cheer and Bayley tells DMG CTRL she’s watching them, too. Things speed up, Naomi does the splits to duck under, then she comes back to kick from below! She drags Bayley into a cradle, ONE!! Bayley hurries to step over, LA MAGISTROL! ONE!! Naomi and Bayley get up, Naomi trips Bayley to jackknife, ONE!! Ghost pin, TWO! Both women hurry up, DOUBLE CROSSBODIES collide! The fans rally while both women are down, evenly matched in this chess game so far. Both women rise, and Naomi SHOTGUNS first! Then she runs up, uses the ropes to slingshot and BULLDOG! Cover, TWO! Naomi is frustrated but keeps her focus.

Naomi drags Bayley up, Bayley shoves her away. Naomi dodges the lariat to hit REAR VIEW! Cover, TWO!! Bayley survives but Naomi lets her know it was that close, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and Bayley whips Naomi to a corner, runs in, but into a BOOT! Bayley gets up, Naomi runs up, JAWBREAKER! Bayley ends up in a corner now, Naomi runs in, and she forearm SMASHES! Naomi then runs Bayley corner to corner for a BUCKLE BULLDOG! Naomi slips out to the apron while Bayley flounders, and Naomi climbs. The fans duel as Naomi CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Bayley is tougher than that but Naomi knows that. Naomi keeps her focus while DMG CTRL, Bianca & Jade all focus on them. Naomi ROCKS Bayley, tries the ropes again, but Bayley stops the bulldog to SMACK Naomi off buckles!

Bayley then reels Naomi in, SAIDO! High stack, TWO! Naomi is still in this and Bayley remembers Naomi’s tougher than that, too. Bayley drags Naomi into a drop zone, then goes up the corner! Bayley aims, to MACHO ELBOW onto knees! Bayley writhes, Naomi goes to the apron. Bayley stands, runs up, but into a ROUNDHOUSE! Naomi slingshots, for a FACEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Bayley survives and Naomi is stunned! Naomi refocuses, goes to the corner, and goes up to SPLIT LEG MOONSAULT onto knees! Bayley returns the favor and both women are down. Bayley shakes out the leg, stands and runs, to KNEE Naomi down!

Bayley hurries to put Naomi back in a drop zone, and then hobbles her way to a corner. Bayley climbs, to MACHO ELBOW!! Direct hit this time and Bayley covers, TWO!! Naomi survives and Bayley is frustrated. Bayley hobbles on the bad leg, leans on ropes while she catches her breath, and the fans duel even more. Bayley stalks Naomi, hooks her up, but Naomi PELES free! Naomi hurries to a corner, Bayley runs up, but Naomi goes up to sunset flip! TWO!! But into the BUTTERFLY LOCK!! Bayley endures, reaches out with her legs, but then she tucks to a cover, TWO!! Naomi gets up, both women throw forearms!

They both wobble, storm up, and Bayley eggs Naomi on. Naomi wants this, right? So hit her! Naomi fires a forearm, Bayley hits back! Naomi winds up to forearm, Bayley comes back with another! The fans fire up as the forearms go harder and faster! Bayley gets the edge, but Naomi SWATS one, to SCORPION KICK, and then JUMP KNEE! Bayley tumbles out of the ring, Naomi PLANCHAS! Direct hit and a hard one, both women are down on the floor! The ring count starts, Naomi stirs at 3 of 10. Naomi brings Bayley up, but BAYLEY2BELLY onto the desk!! The count is 7! Naomi flounders on the desk, but then TIFFANY ATTACKS BAYLEY!!!

Winner: Bayley, by disqualification (still WWE Women’s Champion)

Tiffany makes herself the center of attention as always as she ruins this main event! She dribbles Naomi off the desk, then RAMS Bayley into steel steps! Then she drags Naomi off the desk to POST her! Tiff storms back over to Bayley, puts her in the ring, then adds Naomi in, too. Tiff says sorry not sorry, but it’s Tiffy Time! Tiffy goes to the corner, for the PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER! Tiff flexes over both champion and challenger, having upset Bianca & Jade but having entertained DMG CTRL. But will Wrestling Barbie pay for pissing off the Role Model?

My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown that also acted as a WWE Draft go-home. Great match from Styles and Knight to open the night but also follow-up their WrestleMania match. Naturally, Styles wins because then he and Knight are 1-1 in 1v1 matches, and also natural Face VS Heel right there. Good promo from Cody Rhodes, that title match is going to be awesome. Awesome new looks for the WWE Tag Team Championships, though maybe too much gold. Nothing really pops when it’s all the same color, so they should’ve had silver on the WWE logo and the words, “Tag Team Champions,” but it’s still a great redesign.

We also got an awesome Fatal 4 Way tag match, with Theory & Waller decent on commentary. And pieces are falling into place for what I was thinking: Profits win the right to face Theory & Waller, we’ll surely get Lashley wanting the US Championship, we’ll get a good faction feud there as we approach those title matches. Also good continuation of the LWO VS Legado feud with Carlito VS Santos, and distractions of course helped Santos win. There’s gotta come a point where Carlito reveals it was him, Dragon Lee, it was him all along! Now, that would make like the third turn since the start of this rivalry (Santos to Heel, Andrade to Face and Carlito to Heel) but hey, the drama is heightened each time, and maybe Dragon Lee will actually get a win in this feud.

Great stuff in Bayley VS Naomi, as well as all the promos. DMG CTRL watching from the skybox, same as Bianca & Jade, was good stuff. The tag title match is definitely coming for Backlash, that will be great stuff. But I should’ve figured Tiffany would “ruin” the main event so that there won’t really be a choice between Bayley and Naomi. The Draft is coming, hopefully they think to keep all three on the same brand, and probably here on SmackDown, so that those three can have it out. I don’t know the chances of a Triple Threat for Backlash but it still feels possible. Though at the same time, I don’t think they’d take the title off Bayley after only a month, so she’d probably use Tiffany against Naomi to retain.

And what wild stuff with this new, more vicious Bloodline. Solo is in a suit because he certainly thinks he is Tribal Chief already, given Roman Reigns did give him the nod as “Tribal Heir” a few months ago. And while Tama is the MFT, which everyone is already wondering what that even means, it’s clear he’s also the right hand man and a loose cannon at that. Without the Draft, it’d be pretty wild for Jimmy to come back and help Kevin against this new Bloodline. With the Draft, we could get Jey back on the same brand as his family and then he and Jimmy stand against Solo and Tama. But either way, it’ll be a wild ride in this new chapter and I’m all for it.

My Score: 8.9/10

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

Coverage

Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.18.2024

Motor City Machine Guns either go out on their backs, or head to Rebellion as champs! Lets see how they finish their current run in TNA!

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2024

Andrew Balaz

No burying the lead here! The Main Event is The System versus Motor City Machine Guns, and it’s the Go Home episode before Rebellion! So we’re guaranteed a damn good tag match, and we should get either new wrinkles, or ways to keep the storylines cooking going into the Pay-per-View.

With all the rumors and innuendo about the Guns being on their way out, I think we all assume that MCMG is losing, but my inner fanboy is still excited.

Part Three: Acceptance @TheJonGresham #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/NE9FPzCCz2

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

Ratings:

Little Guido w/New FBI vs Hammerstone: Hammerstone wins via Torture Rack – SQUASH
LSG vs Joe Hendry: Hendry wins via Standing Ovation – SQUASH
Mustafa Ali & GYV vs Cody Deaner, Jake Something & Rhyno: Ali wins via 450 Splash – ** 3/4
Rosemary w/Havok vs Jody Threat w/Dani Luna: Rosemary wins via Spear – ***
Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) vs The System (Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers) w/Alisha Edwards: System wins via Roster Cut + Knee Party – *** 1/4

Results:

So we kick off the match with Josh coming out to commentary again to watch Hammerstone’s match. They really need a new way to try and keep heat without reusing the same tired gimmick of “ring side seat” to a Squash match.

Little Guido w/New FBI vs Hammerstone

Guido tries to shoot the half, but Hammerstone shrugs him off, lifts him like a child and runs him into a corner, few short shots and then just tosses him across the ring. Hammer gets a little distracted talking smack to Josh and eats a foot, but then tosses Guido with the ole Sack of Shit move and keeps working over Guido.

Hammer shoves Clayton, and provokes him to push him back right in front of the referee. She ejects them, Guido tries to take advantage but when he goes for the pinfall Hammer kicks out immediately and presses Guido out of thing through the ropes. Continues to dog walk Guido, puts the head gear on the ECW Original and then Torture Racks him while staring directly at Josh, and of course picks up the submission victory.

.@XiaBrookside and @Ashamae_Sebera face off NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT! pic.twitter.com/Q0S3wSRpeu

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

LSG vs Joe Hendry

Hendry cuts a little promo, mentioning the Fat Uncle Phil joke…something about shopping at the TOP Dollar Store. Solid mic work.

LSG is a damn good local talent, he’s been seen in ROH and AEW in the past (perhaps others, but that’s what comes to mind immediately for me), but we all know this is an enhancement match. A few nice chain wrestling spots early, but Hendry uses his power to stop the smaller wrestler, Sack of Shit into Standing Ovation and the match is over quickly.

Mustafa Ali & GYV vs Cody Deaner, Jake Something & Rhyno

Well okay, having Deaner ask the crowd if they wanted a 3v2 or their third member…RHYNO…is pretty much a no brainer in Philly. But at least the gimmick isn’t quite as cringe as I expected.

Jake starts with Zack Gibson and throws him around. Jake goes for the tag and Deaner asks the crowd who Jake should tag, and the crowd picks Rhyno. Rhyno Whips Gibson into a corner, Drake actually softens the impact, allowing Gibson to fire back, tag out, but Rhyno levels both GYV members and then even knocks Ali off the apron. Rhyno tries to call to the crowd to tag in Deaner and that goes over like a fart in church. He tags him in anyway, and the crowd is kinda dead and doing whatever it wants after the obvious ECW chants when Rhyno tagged in.

GYV take a couple lumps but they of course start to work over Deaner and capture some momentum. Solid tandem work from GYV, they cut off Deaner from making a tag and goad Jake a little to cause the ref to block off the babyfaces so the heels can take a few shortcuts. Cody eventually makes the tag to Rhyno, hot tag, he tries to set up the Gore but the GYV manage to stop him in his tracks and hit an Enzuigiri to daze the Man Beast, he falls to his corner and Jake tags himself in. Jake literally runs them all over, tags in Cody and Launches him from the Top Rope into Zack Gibson. Ali makes the save and Jake tries to get his hands on Ali, but the GYV keep throwing themselves at him, literally. The triple team finally gets the best of Jake, they hit 3 Dives and then post Jake, so they gather around Cody like hyenas.

They forgot about Rhyno, he’s set up for a Gore, he Gores Drake, Gibson and Ali take out Rhyno, but then Cody starts to fight back. Ali stops Deaner’s offense with an Avalanche Sunset Bomb, then hits his 450 Splash. Jake barely misses being able to break up the pin.

.@TheEricYoung channels "The Sickness" as he prepares for FULL METAL MAYHEM with @FrankieKazarian at #Rebellion! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/tm1TqxZBLo

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

Rosemary w/Havok vs Jody Threat w/Dani Luna

Jody tries to start quickly with Shoulder Tackles, Lariats and Scoop Slams, and it does seem somewhat effective. Rosemary is having trouble finding offense against the intensity, but she keeps kicking out. Shotgun Dropkick finally gives Rosemary an opening, she goes into full mount and rains down strikes. Rosemary shoves Jody into a corner and Bites her in the corner. Jody tries to fight out, they go across and Rosemary catches her with the legs and puts her in the Upside Down. Splash in the corner from Rosemary, Exploder Suplex and Jody is eating a lot of offense.

Rosemary looks like she’s caught after she gets tripped up into the ropes and Jody goes for her Rope Knee into the German, but Rosemary dodges. Rosemary hits her own suplex and pulls out a beautiful Last Chancery! I haven’t seen her do that in a long time. Jody manages to fight to the ropes, Rosemary is a little slow to capitalize and eats a Pump Kick. Rosemary goes flying into the ropes, Jody hits the Double Knees into the German this time for 2, and they trade a few haymakers after that. Jody folds Rosemary with a low Lariat, Zombie rise spot a few times, Jody goes for a pinfall and Rosemary kicks out.

Havok jumps up on the apron, Dani meets her and they decide to step down, but the distraction was enough. Jody turns around and eats a Spear. Rosemary wins!

Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) vs The System (Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers) w/Alisha Edwards

Eddie and Shelley start off, and its a very simple slow start. Mostly an early stalemate, the typical Japanese style the TNA seem to love to employ. Starters tag out, but then Shelley with the blind tag, Sabin Baseball Slides out, picks Eddie’s ankle and sends his face bouncing off the apron, while Shelley sneaks up being Myers and they hit a tandem move before we cut to commercial. Off of the commercial it looks like Eddie and Myers regained control. But a nice Jawbreaker from Shelley sends Eddie falling back into the MCMG corner. Dragon Screws to both legs from Sabin and Shelley, and we get the Dragon Screw dissection spot for the Guns.

Myers gets sick of things, tries to get involved, but Simultaneous Figure Fours from the MCMG makes The System look silly. Alisha does the classic “push the rope forward” gimmick to assist Eddie in breaking the hold. She keeps chirping at Shelley until she finally grabs his foot. Shelley doesn’t take kindly, tries to grab her by the hair but she gets away, Shelley eats a strike and falls back to the ropes so Lish can just throttle him with the rope, Sabin walks over and acts like he’s going to PK her and the look of disgust on her face is hilarious, like “how dare he threaten to kick her”. Would I be mad is Masha decides to team with Lish and they win the Knockouts Tag titles? No, because the Knockouts Tags are trash. But I still prefer Lish as valet/manager.

Shelley starts fighting back after another commercial break, Eddie tries to cut him off, but Sabin clocks Eddie and Shelley manages to make the tag and Sabin comes in. Lights up both System members, Kick off Tornado DDT, into a Running Gamengiri. Eddie tries to counter but Shelley assists, tandem strikes, Double Baseball Slide into the classic MCMG spot 5 Hole Dive! Keeping up with the classics Shelley stacks the System members on each other and hit the Missile Dropkick/Flatliner spot. As the Guns are rolling, Sabin accidentally catches Sabin with his foot and The System take control! They hit their pieces of the System Overload spot, but Sabin kicks out. Roster Cut attempt from Myers, but Shelley is back. High Speed Dirt, Machine Gun Sandwich, but Lish grabs Shelley’s foot when they’re setting up Skull and Bones. Shelley gets dropped on the turnbuckle and thrown out, Sabin eats the Roster Cut followed up with Boston Knee Party and System retains!

Its a little weird to have had the two commercial cuts and the fact there’s still Nic Nemeth to follow. So it feels a little flat, I hope this wasn’t their swan song match, because it was nice to see some classic spots, but it was entirely too abbreviated.

Nemeth comes out, goes into the crowd and finds a kid with a kendo stick and borrows a beer from someone, so he does a bit of a Sandman tribute. Moose cuts off his promo basically immediately. He throws out the “can’t beat the system” line again, and Nic rolls with the punches well. Moose uses a few cute analogies about Nic having a failure laden past, but Nemeth bites back and its really damn good. He says he can see it in Moose’s eyes that he thinks he’s getting in the ring with Dolph Ziggler, but no, there is no more old Dolph Ziggler, just the new Nic Nemeth. And Moose’s cool seems to be slightly shaken after those words. Good promo.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

So this was okay, if it didn’t end as strongly as it did, I would’ve rated this much lower. Two squash matches in the beginning, reusing the Josh comes out to the announce table to watch trope is boring, hell even Clayton’s shove to Hammerstone was super lame looking. The Deaner match was luke warm at best, but things picked up around the Rosemary match.

Lets also not overlook the segments with ASH & Xia, Jonathan Gresham’s whole deal and EY having to return to the violence/sickness/world class maniac, whatever you want to call it, were all great building blocks. This definitely wasn’t what I would call a strong Go Home, but it didn’t hurt things for Rebellion. The whole injury of Cardona was addressed, which honestly sounded weird since Jordynne basically said she was expecting them to have a backup plan so she has a backup plan. I don’t really like how that video package came across.

But who knows, all I know is, this wasn’t an awful episode, it just wasn’t really strong either. Here’s to hoping Rebellion Saturday is still strong.

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