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Mitchell’s NXT TakeOver 31 Results & Report! (10/4/20)

Will we see everything change in NXT?

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NXT TakeOver 31

Will the Johnny Gargano Way take over?

Mr. & Mrs. Wrestling could end up Mr. & Mrs. CHAMPION! Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae both go for titles in NXT’s 31st TakeOver!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • NXT North American Championship: Damian Priest VS Johnny Gargano; Priest wins and retains the NXT North American Championship.
  • Kushida VS The Velveteen Dream; Kushida wins.
  • NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Santos Escobar VS Isaiah “Swerve” Scott; Escobar wins and retains the NXT Cruiserweight Championship.
  • NXT Women’s Championship: Io Shirai VS Candice LeRae; Shirai wins and retains the NXT Women’s Championship.
  • NXT Championship: Finn Balor VS Kyle O’Reilly; Balor wins and retains the NXT Championship.

PLAY BY PLAY

It’s the TakeOver Preshow!

Join Scott Stanford and Sam Roberts in discussing, analyzing and predicting all the action on this surprisingly historic TakeOver!

 

TakeOver 31 will be in the Capitol Wrestling Center!

Yes, a brand new arena to usher in what will be a brand new era of NXT! Steel ramp, steel fencing and just a sampling of the ThunderDome screens for fans to watch and be seen! Every match, all the blood, sweat, tears and titles will christen this new venue’s maiden voyage!

 

McKenzie Mitchell has BREAKING NEWS!

From what she saw, Damian Priest was NOT happy with how NXT ended last Wednesday, and he went to William Regal with a special request. The request was granted, and now the North American Championship match will kick off the night! On the flipside, the Garganos are very happy with themselves, and feel #TheJohnnyGarganoWay will get its way in both the North American and Women’s Championship matches. Will they still be in a good mood after tonight?

 

NXT takes a look at the NXT Women’s Championship match.

Candice LeRae has us rewind back to April. A #1 contender’s ladder match. What did Io Shirai do as Candice almost had it won? Shirai clawed Candice’s eyes and shoved her down. But Shirai did her a favor. That moment opened Candice’s eyes to all the mistakes. For so long, she was the big sister to every woman in NXT. And she never got a thank you. Just attacked again and again and again. She could only count on Johnny Gargano. They only need each other. And now it’s time to do things their way. The Gargano Way. Candice has confidence in herself. She realized she doesn’t need friends. She has everything she needs, and will have everything to gain.

But Shirai is no stranger to Candice. Now, this is a new Candice. But this is a Candice that takes shortcuts. Candice says Shirai did the same thing to her. So thanks, Shirai, for showing Candice how to do things. Candice will thank Shirai by taking the NXT Women’s Championship. Shirai says she’s already beaten the best, and while Candice is good, the Gargano Way is not enough. Will the Evil Genius be ready for the Poison Pixie’s plans to take over?

 

NXT shares Rhea Ripley joining Triple H on Facebook Live.

The Aussie Nightmare points out that she still owes Shirai for In Your House. Shirai got the best of her and is the champion, but Rhea wants it back. If Shirai wins, Rhea will be waiting for her. HHH says that Candice might win, and she’ll know the same. HHH looks across the board and asks, “Three years from now, five years from now, what is the layout at the top?” Rhea is his #1 pick. Rhea appreciates that, and hopes to prove herself worthy of that. So if it’s Shirai, Rhea wants Shirai. If it’s Candice, then Candice will have the shortest reign in NXT history. Rhea wants the champion. Who will she get after the TakeOver?

 

It all started with The Capitol Wrestling Corporation.

Vincent J. McMahon and Phil Zacko founded it in none other than Washington, D.C. in 1977. It brought wrestling to the world from the capital of America. “You’re looking at some of the most remarkable athletes in the world today. Professional wrestlers are a rare breed of athlete, possessing gargantuan proportions, enormous strengths, unique coordinate and agility, a high threshold of physical tolerance, pulverizing power, and the ability to withstand the rigors of one of the most taxing sports known to man, professional wrestling.” – Vincent K. McMahon, 1977. CWC lives again, in NXT!

 

NXT North American Championship: Damian Priest VS Johnny Gargano!

The Archer of Infamy didn’t appreciate Mrs. Wrestling help her husband by trying to break his “arrow” last Wednesday! He’ll make sure Johnny TakeOver pays for it by being denied his second reign as North American Champion! But will Priest be able to #LiveForever now that the Wednesday Knight is doing things his way?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and this incredible opener begins!

Gargano rushes Priest but Priest sees him coming, so Gargano backs down. Gargano dodges priest to fire off hands, and he avoids every kick! Gargano bails out but gets back in as Priest chases after. Priest still chases but Gargano stomps and clubs and punches him to a corner! The ref counts, Gargano lets up to whip, but Priest reverses. Gargano goes up and over and dodges again. Gargano ducks one kick, but not the SPINNING HEEL KICK! The live crowd is fired up as Priest ROCKS Gargano with that right! Gargano flounders, Priest KICKS him in the side then drags him back up. Priest puts Gargano in to throw more haymakers. The ref counts, Priest lets up and whips Gargano corner to corner hard! Gargano staggers into a scoop and tilt-o-whirl, but Gargano lands on his feet!

Gargano wants the arm, Priest powers out, but Gargano escapes the dragon sleeper to CHOP! Priest shrugs it off to BOOT Gargano down! Priest whips Gargano to ropes and leaping back elbows! Cover, TWO! Priest keeps on Gargano with a knuckle lock and keylock. Priest drags Gargano up, twists the wrist and goes up the ropes. Gargano trips Priest up before he could go Old School but Priest lands on his feet. Priest ROCKS Gargano, steps up but Gargano kicks his legs! Gargano swings and slips under but Priest holds on to block the bomb! Priest reaches down for Gargano, but Gargano YANKS him for a twisting fall! Gargano grins as he sits on the apron looking down on Priest. Priest growls as he gets up but Gargano builds speed to DIVE! Direct hit and Priest goes into the fencing!

Gargano also RAMS Priest into the steel steps! Priest is down in a heap and Gargano moves the steps around. Perhaps Gargano wants Priest to relive In Your House in some way, because he brings Priest over. Priest ROCKS Gargano back but both men wobble into the ring. Gargano kicks Priest through the ropes, clubs away and hooks him up to throw forearms! Gargano runs, and dropkicks Priest right in the chest! Priest is stuck, Gargano goes up and CANNONBALLS onto Priest! Cover, TWO! Gargano grows frustrated but he omoplatas an arm to get a leg, modified Half Boston Crab! Priest endures, Gargano pulls on the leg, but Priest powers up and out of the hold! Gargano bails out, comes back but Priest throws body shots! Gargano kicks the leg, Priest throws Gargano into a corner!

Priest runs but into a boot, Gargano hops up but his tornado is denied. Gargano goes after a leg but Priest uses that to STOMP Gargano down! Priest backs off to get his bad leg moving, and he fires himself up. Priest glares at Gargano as he swats away the forearms and elbows! Priest kicks and kicks then BELL CLAPS, to the LIFTING COMPLETE SHOT! The crowd is fired up and the fans on screen clap and give thumbs up. Gargano is in a corner, Priest runs to hit a BIG leaping elbow! And then another! Priest has the crowd fire up as he runs to hit a third! BROKEN ARROW! Cover, TWO! Gargano survives but he’s a Triple Crown for a reason! Priest gets up, the crowd rallies up and Priest vows to end it. Priest lifts but Gargano slips under.

Gargano elbows back then dodges Priest to roll him up, SCHOOL BO- NO! No kick! Priest DECKS Gargano! Priest hauls Gargano, Full Nelson SLAM! A unique forward slam as opposed to a side, and that helps Priest haul Gargano back up into the crucifix! RAZOR- NO! SUNSET BOMB!! Cover, TWO!?! Priest survives and Gargano can’t believe it, but the crowd is loving this! Gargano goes after a leg with a splash! A little double-edged but Gargano is willing to do anything to win. Gargano sits Priest up to throw haymakers, then runs, into a RIGHT! Gargano rebounds, DISCUS LARIAT! Priest throws more forearms, Gargano returns them. Gargano enziguris, runs, but into a ROUNDHOUSE! Priest runs, springboards, fakes Gargano out to DECK him with a flying forearm!

Priest fires up, takes aim and spins, but Gargano ducks the kick to POST Priest! Gargano clotheslines Priest out of the ring, builds speed again, and DIVES, into Priest’s hands! Priest lifts but Gargano hops onto the apron! SUPERKICK! But Priest spins and SWEEPS Gargano’s legs! Gargano crashes down, Priest catches his breath and the ring count begins. The live crowd is fired up again as Priest drags Gargano up. Priest lifts, Gargano is in the crucifix for an APRON RAZOR’S EDGE! Gargano rolls into the ring, Priest covers, TWO!?!? The superhuman heart is still there, even if there’s no soul! Gargano drags himself to the far corner and Priest is in the other. Priest runs corner to corner but Gargano chop blocks him! Gargano runs, into a LARIAT!

Priest grits his teeth again and roars! But Gargano kicks away at him from below! Gargano gets up, has the arm but Priest resists the takedown. Priest rolls, Gargano BUZZSAWS! Gargano runs, tilt-o-whirls, but Priest spins Gargano through to the dragon sleeper! Gargano escapes the Reckoning to STANDING SLICED BREAD! BLINDSIDE FOREARM! Cover, TWO!! Priest survives, because how else can he #LiveForever? The crowd rallies for “NXT! NXT!” as Gargano goes to a corner. Gargano is frustrated but he powers up and mocks Priest’s bow ‘n’ arrow. Gargano runs in, Priest blocks the superkick! Priest lifts, Gargano wheelbarrows to a victory roll, TWO!! Priest escapes but Gargano doesn’t slow down! Gargano goes to the apron, aims as Priest hurries over, shoulders in and slingshots up, into a choke grip!

Gargano enziguris free, slingshots again, but Priest blocks One Finial Beat into an Alabama, and SOUTH OF HEAVEN!! Cover, TWO?!?! Gargano still lives?! The crowd hopes they “Fight Forever!” at this rate! Priest goes to a corner, climbs up top, but Gargano rolls as far away as he can. Priest hops down as Gargano bails out, but Priest still runs! Priest FLIES over the corner, but onto security staff! Gargano used them as shields! The ref calls for medics, Gargano LOW BLOWS Priest!! Gargano puts Priest in, SUPERKICKS, covers, TWO!?!? Priest survives and Gargano is in shock! Gargano just gets angry now and he runs again, into a tilt-o-whirl takedown! Gargano gets the arm up and over, GargaNO Escape! Priest reaches for ropes, Gargano drags him away, STF GargaNo Escape modification!!

Priest endures, reaches, powers up and gest his leg free! Priest uses all his strength to get the ropebreak! Gargano lets go at 4 and Priest looks out as it is! Gargano drops knees on the bad arm over and over! Gargano smirks as Priest writhes towards the ropes. Because Priest is on the side of the ring where the steps are! Gargano definitely wants Priest to revisit In Your House as he throws haymakers. Priest teeters on the edge, Gargano gets space and runs back in, but Priest ROCKS him back! Priest brings Gargano up, suplexes but Gargano fights free! Gargano hits and runs and hits a big forearm! Priest wobbles, Gargano tries again but runs into a ROUNDHOUSE!

Priest climbs up and leaps, into a SUPERKICK! Gargano SUPERKICKS again! Gargano is on the apron as Priest flounders up, ONE FINAL- NO! Priest puts Gargano in the ropes, for a DRAPING RECKONING!! Cover, Priest wins!!

Winner: Damian Priest, by pinfall (still NXT North American Champion)

Now THAT is how you live in infamy! Will Priest continue to reign forever as North American Champion?

 

Kushida VS The Velveteen Dream!

The Timesplitter and the Experience. Two shining stars with bright futures in NXT, but only one can shine in the spotlight tonight! Dream has tried to overshadow Kushida but he has only unleashed Kushida’s aggression! Who takes over the spotlight to shine brightest?

Dream tries to be Doc to Kushida’s Marty, but that’s not gonna fly with the Super Junior! Kushida attacks before the bell! And CLOBBERS Dream with his jacket! The crowd is fired up for Kushida as he whips Dream but Dream reverses. Kushida KICKS Dream down, throws his jacket at him again, and Dream bails out to throw a fit. And a chair, too! Dream puts the chair in the ring, Kushida gets it first and swings on Dream! Dream bails out, is furious all over again and shakes out his left arm. The bell rings to get this all on record and Dream gets in the ring. Kushida gets around him, gets a leg but Dream drags Kushida down. Kushida facelocks, hooks an arm and rains down elbows! Kushida floats all over Dream to get another opening for hammering fists.

Dream resists the armbar and gets a waistlock but Kushida cranks the arm! Dream gets the ropebreak, Kushida lets go at 3, but he avoids the back elbow to ROCK Dream with that right! Dream rushes Kushida, Kushida ducks under and then mocks Dream back with the slither! Dream is furious and he gives chase as Kushida slides out of the ring. The chase goes around the ring, Kushida stops and mule kicks Dream hard! Kushida gets in the ring, builds speed and handspring kicks Dream off the apron! Dream flounders, Kushida drags him in and wrenches the arm as the fans fire up. Kushida hits a bulldog on the bad arm! Dream clutches that arm but Kushida threatens to break it! Dream backs off to a corner and begs for mercy, but he dodges Kushida to get a leg.

Kushida enziguris back, then atomic drops Dream for a whip and drop toehold! Dream resists the takedown but Kushida just gets the bad arm! Kushida rolls to get the hammerlock, traps that arm with a leg, and then uses his body to capture Dream’s other arm! Double omoplata SNAP! Dream writhes, flails but BOOTS Kushida right down! Dream drags Kushida up, throws him out of the ring, then climbs up top. Dream leaps to ax handle Kushida down! Dream poses for just a moment before wincing with pain. Dream drags Kushida back up to throw into boards! Dream returns to the ring just to refresh the count, and he drags Kushida up again. “Get up, Marty!”

Dream puts Kushida in the ring, clubs him on the back with double ax handles, then brings him back up for a European Uppercut! Cover, ONE! Dream is annoyed with Kushida but he stalks Kushida to a corner. Kushida gets up to throws forearms, Dream EuroUppers! Dream sits Kushida up, runs in and hits a BRONCO BUSTER! “Boo me now!” The crowd is fired up while Dream soaks up all the heat. Dream drags Kushida up, puts him back in a corner, but Kushida boots back! Dream blocks it but Kushida throws haymakers! They brawl, Kushida whips, Dream reverses, and Dream catches the handspring into a sleeper hold! Dream leans on Kushida and Kushida fades! The ref checks but Kushida stays awake, only for Dream to squeeze tighter.

Fans rally up for Kushida as he fights up to his feet. Kushida backs Dream to a corner, Dream stays in the ropes but lets go at 4. Kushida ROCKS Dream with that elbow! Dream throws haymakers, Kushida gives back forearms! Kushida rocks Dream, Drema shoves him but Kushida TACKLES Dream! Kushida rains down fists, then hip tosses and handsprings to basement dropkick! Dream flounders, Kushida gives him DANIELSON- NO! Dream rolls Kushida, Kushida rolls through, FAST BALL SPECIAL! Kushida gets both arms as Dream is on his stomach, for INVERTED DANIELSON STOMPS! Kushida flips Dream over to stomp him properly! The ref counts, Kushida lets up fast and Dream flounders to a corner. Kushida fires up, runs in but Dream puts him on the apron.

Kushida gets Dream’s arm, Dream flails but Kushida POSTS him! Fans are thunderous as Kushida gets on the apron. Dream apologizes but the fans want “One More Time!” So Kushida POSTS Dream again! And then BOOTS the steel steps into the arm!! Dream screams in agony as he flounders about. Kushida gets in but Dream SUPERKICKS him down! Dream manages to make it to his corner, climbs up top, and leaps, into an ARMBAR!! Kushida holds on tight as Dream flails and rolls, and Dream gets a ropebreak with a leg! Kushida holds on, Dream throws haymakers, but the ref separates them. Dream thumbs Kushida in the eyes! Then throws haymakers and POWERBOMBS! High stack, TWO, into the ARMBAR! Dream clubs away on Kushida until he’s free!

Dream throws off the gloves, slaps the bad arm to get it working, and he fireman’s carries, DREAM VALLEY DRIVER! Dream heads up top again, his bad arm slows him down a bit, but he leaps for the PURPLE RAIN MAKER! But his left arm bothers him so bad that he can’t cover right away! TWO!! Kushida survives and Dream is shocked! Dream argues with the ref but Kushida grabs the bad arm. Dream glares at Kushida, drags him up and reels him in for a LARIAT! “Dream Over. Call your mama and tell her about it!” Dream climbs up back up again, takes time to pose, but Kushida is up and after him! Kushida throws forearms, gets the arm, FLYING HOVERBOARD ARMBAR!!

Dream endures, reaches, flails, and gets the ropebreak, but Kushida rolls him away! Kushida cranks on the arm, Dream stands up and fireman’s carries, but Kushida fights to keep the arm! DREAM VALLEY, but the HOVERBOARD is still on! Dream TAPS, Kushida wins!!

Winner: Kushida, by submission

Dream feels the true agony of defeat! Kushida’s new edge shines in the spotlight, but is his future going to be golden? Wait, Kushida keeps going after Dream! Winning wasn’t enough, he wants Dream to feel regret! Kushida puts the bad arm in an armbar, Dream taps but it won’t stop the pain! Kushida bends fingers until more referees rush out to pry him off Dream! Kushida paces, but goes right after him again! OMOPLATA! Dream taps and taps but Kushida holds on until the ref’s pry him off again! Will Dream wish he could travel back in time to stop himself from ever angering Kushida?

 

NXT Universe beware, you’re in for a scare!

The wild child, Shotzi Blackheart will host a very special NXT on October 28th as NXT brings back HALLOWEEN HAVOC!! Trick or treat, get ready to be on the edge of your seat!

 

NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Santos Escobar VS Isaiah “Swerve” Scott!

El Hijo del Fantasma won the title at the end of the Cruiserweight Championship Round Robin finals, but there was one man who did defeat him along the way! Swerve got his shot but was screwed over by El Legado and a loaded lucha mask! But the house still stands and Swerve has a chance at redemption on top of the title! Will he be ready for anything and everything? Or does Escobar have a trick up his proverbial sleeve that no one could expect?

The introductions are made, the title is raised, and the Cruiserweight Division finally gets to TakeOver!

Escobar and Swerve circle as the crowd rallies up already. They approach, tie up, and Escobar gets the arm. Swerve hooks a leg to trip Escobar, cartwheels over but Escobar arm-drags Swerve away. Escobar runs but Swerve dodges, Escobar huricanranas but Swerve handsprings through! Swerve says HE is Cruiserweight wrestling, and that upsets Escobar. Escobar rushes Swerve, Swerve dodges and Eddy Gordo headscissors Escobar away! Escobar gets up and Swerve smirks. Swerve then trips Escobar, turns him over with leg hooks and goes to dead lift, but Escobar victory rolls through, TWO! Escobar sweeps the legs to cover, ONE! Swerve sweeps the legs to cover, ONE! The two stand off in fighting stances and the crowd loves it!

Swerve blocks Escobar’s punch, fakes him out to mule kick, and then runs, into a forearm! Escobar runs into a monkey flip! Escobar just barely gets his feet under him but Swerve handsprings and MOONSAULTS him down! The crowd is fired up as Swerve watches Escobar flounder. Escobar leans against the post, and pulls down the crossbar cover. Swerve gets in the ring to refresh the ring count, and he goes to the corner to CORKSCREW SENTON! Down goes Escobar and the crowd fires up again! Swerve puts Escobar in the ring but Escobar bails out the side. Swerve runs and FOSBURY FLOPS Escobar down! The fans are thunderous as Swerve is showing he can do it all! Swerve puts Escobar in, covers, TWO! Escobar bails out again but Swerve pursues.

Swerve drags Escobar up to go after the arm. Swerve wraps the arm around the very crossbar Escobar exposed! He’s showing Escobar what bending the rules gets you as he bends the arm! The ring count is at 7 but Swerve puts Escobar in at 8. Cover, TWO! Swerve grows annoyed with Escobar and he pulls Escobar around to go after the bad arm! Escobar endures as Swerve pulls it way back to drop down on it! Escobar puts a leg on the rope, Swerve stomps him anyway! Swerve brings Escobar up to Northern Light takeodnw into an ARMBAR! Short Arm Scissor, even, as Escobar resists. Escobar gets legs under the ropes, Swerve lets off but goes to the apron. Swerve drags Escobar up to hotshot the arm!

Fans rally as Swerve brings Escobar up again, but now Escobar hotshots Swerve! And KICKS him off the apron! Escobar runs and builds speed to DIVE! ARROW FROM HELL!! Swerve gets sent into the fencing, Escobar puts Swerve back in, covers, ONE?! Escobar is furious that Swerve kicks out so he KICKS Swerve in the face! Escobar waits for Swerve to stand and he LARIATS Swerve back down! Swerve gets to a corner, Escobar runs and DOUBLE KNEES! Escobar puts Swerve up top and SLAPS him! Escobar climbs up and SUPER STEINERS! Then somersault and elbow drop! Cover, TWO! Swerve still lives and the fans stay fired up! Escobar stomps away on Swerve at the ropes but the ref counts. Escobar stops at 4 because he still doesn’t want to be disqualified.

Escobar stands Swerve up and tells him, “Yo soy Lucha Libre!” Escobar SLAPS Swerve, kicks him, and says maybe if he spits in Swerve’s face will make him understand. Escobar reels back but Swerve puts a hand on Escobar’s mouth! No spit flies, but the fists do! Escobar clubs Swerve, reels him in, but Swerve frees himself to ROCK Escobar! And again! Swerve fires off heavy haymakers in the corner! The ref counts, Swerve stops at 4 to throw Escobar down, for a DISCUS! The crowd is thunderous as Escobar flounders up. Swerve runs in to uppercut! Swerve snapmares Escobar for the falling EuroUpper! Escobar bails out but Swerve BOOTS him from the apron! And then again! Escobar goes down in a heap, Swerve puts him in, slingshot to somersault, ROLLING THUNDER SHOT! Cover, TWO!!

Escobar survives but Swerve doesn’t lose focus. Swerve aims from the corner, hops up again and waits for Escobar to stand. Escobar is up but he climbs up to join Swerve! So Swerve slips under, only for Escobar to kick him away. Escobar turns around, Swerve dropkicks the legs out! DRAPING DDT! Cover, TWO!! Escobar survives again but Swerve grits his teeth. Swerve drags Escobar up with a half nelson but Escobar gets the ropes! The ref counts, El Legado returns! The ref stops Wilde from getting in, Escobar shoves Swerve and Mendoza trips him up! Gut wrench, SHOULDER BREAKER! Cover, TWO!! Swerve survives the screw job attempt! Escobar goes to the apron to follow Swerve, runs side to side, but into a pop-up that puts Escobar on the ropes!

Escobar is stuck on his fantasma, Swerve throws haymakers! Swerve then hops up, and STEINERS Escobar onto Legado!! They catch him, help him up, but here comes ASHANTE “THEE” ADONIS!! From what’s been happening on 205 Live, Adonis isn’t a fan of Legado del Fantasma, either, and he goes up to TORNILLO! Adonis wipes out Mendoza and Wilde! The crowd is thunderous as Escobar is in shock! Adonis and Swerve run off the henchmen before Swerve hurries into the ring. Escobar runs over, gets a back elbow, and Swerve goes up and in to somersault, into a CALF KICK! Fireman’s carry, PHANTOM DRIVER!! Cover, TWO!??! How?!!? Escobar doesn’t know how, but the crowd is electric!

Escobar is fuming as he stomps away on Swerve over and over! Escobar drags Swerve back up, suplexes, uno amigo! Then a roll over, dos amigos! Fans boo, they don’t think Escobar isn’t worthy of Eddie Guerrero but he still hits all three amigos! Escobar goes up top, FROG SPLASH FLOPS!! Swerve evades and denies Escobar his Latino Heat! Swerve gets the arm, POP CULTURE!! Escobar clutches his arm but Swerve gives him a HOUSE CALL!! But that’s not it, Swerve goes up for the 450 SPLASH!! Cover, TWO!?!?! Escobar survives all of that and Swerve is losing his mind! The crowd hopes they “Fight Forever!” because “This is Awesome!” But this will end somehow, and Swerve drags Escobar up.

Escobar flounders, throws Swerve out and hurries back up. Swerve hurries after him, half nelsons him, but Escobar holds ropes for dear life! Escobar pushes Swerve back, Swerve falls and hits the bare crossbar!! It comes into play after all!! Escobar drags Swerve in, brings him up, underhooks and lifts, BUTTERFLY FACEBUSTER ACROSS THE KNEE! Cover, Escobar wins!!

Winner: Santos Escobar, by pinfall (still NXT Cruiserweight Champion)

So much fight from Swerve, and he even had a new ally fight against the minions, but Escobar always has a back-up plan! Was this Swerve’s last chance at the championship? Will Escobar truly remake the Cruiserweight Division to reflect HIS image?

 

NXT Women’s Championship: Io Shirai VS Candice LeRae!

As said time and again, there was a time when these two were on friendly terms. But somewhere along the way, both of them found themselves on darker paths. The Wednesday Knight failed to grab some gold, will the Evil Genius make sure the Poison Pixie’s story also has a bad ending?

The introductions are made with extra special spotlight and a mic lowered from the ceiling! The title is raised and the fans are fired up already as this twisted tale of treachery and woe writes a new chapter!

Fans already cheer for “Women’s Wrestling” at the bell but Candice talks trash. She shoves, Shirai shoves back and Candice gets a headlock. Shirai powers out, follows through and redirects Candice. Candice drops down, Shirai handsprings, hip tosses and basement dropkicks! Candice bails out as Shirai kips up and dares her to come back. Candice takes her time to cool off, and then gets in. Candice waistlocks, Shirai switches but Candice bucks her off. Shirai comes back to crucifix swing but Candice blocks. Candice swings Shirai, Shirai arm-drags her to a corner. Shirai runs, Candice dodges and runs back in to monkey flip, but Shirai lands on her feet! Fans fire up as Shirai runs back in but Candice moves!

Shirai is denied her trip on the Shinkansen, and Candice tells the ref to give her a second to catch her breath. Candice gets on the apron, Shirai rams a shoulder then sunset flips! Candice holds on for dear life, knocks Shirai away and springboard crossbodies Shirai down! Candice brags like she just won the match, and she throws Shirai at the apron. Shirai tiger feints and kicks! Shirai springboards, ASAI MOONSAULT! Down goes Candice and Shirai is fired up! Shirai drags Candice up and in, Candice crawls but Shirai is after her with a cover, ONE! Shirai kicks Candice to a corner, stomps a mudhole into her but lets up at 3. Shirai digs both boots in, swings and double knees! Shirai drags Candice to a cover, TWO! Candice crawls away but Shirai is after her again.

Shirai brings Candice up to whip to a corner, Candice reverses and runs in, but Shirai slips out to the apron. Shirai swings but Candice blocks the kick! Candice pushes Shirai right-side-up to DRAPING BACKSTABBER! Cover, TWO!! Shirai survives and Candice is frustrated. Candice drags Shirai around, puts on a chinlock and digs a knee into her back. Shirai endures the modified camel clutch as the fans rally up. Shirai gets to her feet, throws elbows and is free, but Candice clubs her back. Candice runs, tilt-o-whirl headscissors but Shirai lands on her feet again! Only for Candice to CLOBBER her! Cover, TWO! Shirai survives again and Candice is getting angrier. Candice kicks Shirai around, scrapes her face on the ropes, but lets up at the ref’s count. Fans boo but Candice just soaks it all up.

Candice snapmares and neck snaps to a jackknife cover, TWO! Candice keeps her cool this time and she clamps onto Shirai with a high keylock. Shirai endures, fans rally up, but Candice traps the other arm. Shirai reaches with a leg but fights up to her feet, only for Candice to throw her down by her hair! Cover, TWO! Candice gets frustrated again as she stomps Shirai to ropes. Candice scoops Shirai for a backbreaker! Cover, TWO! Candice drags Shirai back up, rams her into buckles and again, but lets off at the ref’s reprimand. Candice soaks up the heat, then runs in to uppercut at the corner! Shirai flounders against ropes and Candice talks smack, so Shirai SLAPS her! Candice clubs Shirai back, bumps her off buckles and brings her out of that corner to bump her off buckles in another corner.

Candice stomps a mudhole then backs off to soak up more heat. Candice mockingly asks Shirai if she’s okay, then brings her up to throw her by her hair! Shirai flounders to a corner, Candice brings her up to throw her back the other way! Candice clubs Shirai, suplexes to a BRAIN BUSTER! Cover, TWO! Another cover, TWO!! Candice scowls as she sits Shirai up and knees her in the back! And again! Candice clamps on with a neck wrench but Shirai endures. The crowd rallies up, Shirai stands but Candice knees low. Candice shoves Shirai to a corner, runs in but only gets buckles! Shirai is still down, Candice uses her as a step, but Shirai moves and the senton flops! Shirai victory roll STOMPS Candice down! The fans fire up as Shirai and Candice stir.

The ref starts a standing count but Candice and Shirai are up at 4. Shirai runs Candice over with shoulders, and then again! FLAPJACK! Candice flounders to ropes, Shirai runs in to 619! Candice flounders more, Shirai springboards, missile dropkick! Cover, TWO! Shirai keeps her cool as Candice survives. Shirai drags Candice up to underhook, but no Tiger Driver as Candice pops out. Candice blocks the wheelbarrow to make it a facebuster! Step-up senton! LIONSAULT, into a BOOT! Shirai underhooks again, TIGER BACKBREAKER! Candice is down in the drop zone and Shirai walks all over her. Shirai is up top but Candice gets up to stop her! Candice brings Shirai off for a POWERBOMB, but Shirai is right back up to hit SHINKANSEN! Shirai Alabama lifts, Candice sunset flips, TWO!

SHOTEI! GERMAN SUPLEX! Candice flounder but dodges a 619 to SNAP GERMAN! Shirai flounders up, into a BACKSTABBER! LIONSAULT! Cover, TWO!! Shirai barely survives and Candice is beside herself! The crowd is thunderous and Candice goes back to Shirai. Candice slaps and pushes Shirai around, but Shirai catches her for a CROSSFACE! Candice flails, reaches, endures but Shirai cranks back! Candice manages to roll Shirai, TWO! Candice gets the GargaNO ESCAPE! Shirai endures now, crawls around, reaches, but Candice cranks as far back as she can! Shirai powers her way forward but Candice digs her heels in to slow her down! Shirai still gest the ropebreak! Candice lets go and CLOBBERS the ref by accident!

Candice tries to take advantage, but she runs into an AIR RAID CRASH! Shirai heads to the corner and up top, for the MOONSAULT onto BOOTS! And Shirai crashes into the ref! The ref is sent out of the ring, Candice BOOTS Shirai! Candice gets the leg, Queen Angelito STOMP!! The Wicked Step Sister hits but the ref is OUT! Candice would’ve won twice over, but here comes… Johnny Referee?! Fast count, TWO!?!? Shirai won’t be screwed out of her title like this! Gargano throws a fit on Candice’s behalf but he gets an idea. Gargano hurries out to get the belt from the timekeeper. As far as Gargano is concerned, it’s Candice’s belt! But the actual ref gets back in and questions what Gargano’s even doing!

Gargano manages to slip the belt to Candice as he argues with the ref! Candice aims at Shirai, BELT SHOT!! Cover, TWO!?!? Gargano is losing his mind but so is Candice! The fans are thunderous as Candice climbs up top. Shirai SHOTEIS her first! Shirai climbs up to get Candice for a SUPER SPANISH FLY!! And then up, up and away for the OVER THE MOONSAULT! Cover, Shirai wins!!

Winner: Io Shirai, by pinfall (still NXT Women’s Champion)

The Johnny Gargano Way did NOT have its way tonight! Try as they might, Mr. & Mrs. Wrestling could not take over at TakeOver! But with Rhea Ripley waiting on the other side, will the Evil Genius reign for much longer?

But wait! Someone speaks to “Io-chan” via the screen wall! It’s TONI STORM! Good to see you, Shirai. Don’t mind her, she’s just congratulating Shirai on the victory. Oh and also, she wants us all to keep their head on a swivel. Because Toni is BACK in NXT! And it goes without saying she’ll turn the place upside-down and inside out. This always has and always will be #ToniTime. But when will the Lightning Down Under strike the Capitol Wrestling Center? And what does this mean for Rhea’s opportunity at the title?

 

NXT spots the mystery invader!

They ride in on their motorcycle, night vision helmet still active as they drive around to a side door. They go inside the Capitol Wrestling Center, but who are they? Who are they after? They’re ON STAGE! And it’s… EMBER MOON! The Shenom has returned to NXT and everyone is fired up! Shirai is excited, too, because this just adds on to the fun she and the Women’s Division are going to have! But again, what does this mean for Rhea’s opportunity? Will the Nightmare have to deal with champions of the past and present to be the champion of the future?

 

Backstage interview with Ashante “Thee” Adonis!

He got involved with Swerve and Legado, but why? He has a lot of respect for Swerve, and just trying to help a brother out. But he is sick and tired of Legado jumping guys, so he jumped them faster than Amazon delivers! But enough about them, this is all about him! You see Adonis’ swagger is 1000, and he is drippin’, drippin’, drippin’! Because this is his #RICHual! When the money speaks, no one checks the grammar! He’s gonna hit you with the hammer! 205 from the 215, you know what time it is! Showtime! Will Adonis show El Legado what happens when you try and hold people down?

 

NXT Championship: Finn Balor VS Kyle O’Reilly!

As the Prince said himself, “Life comes full circle in this business.” At one time, the longest reigning NXT Champion in history was also the inaugural WWE Universal Champion and a bright star on Raw and SmackDown. But he felt the need to go back to his roots in more ways than one. Now he is back on his throne as a TWO-TIME NXT Champion. But his challenger is the only THREE-TIME NXT Tag Team Champion, and that is Undisputed! Will Kyle usher in “the second wave” of the Golden Prophecy? Or is Balor too rrrreeeal for him?

The crowd chants “This is Awesome!” and we’re just at the special spotlight introductions! Then the belt is raised, and the moment of truth for both these long-standing veterans begins!

Kyle and Balor circle, feel things out and Kyle gets a testing kick in. Balor stays up as the fans are thunderous already. They tie up, Balor gets around to a waistlock but Kyle pries free to wrench to a hammerlock. Balor slips out quickly, waistlocks and slams Kyle down, but Kyle scrambles to turn Balor over. Kyle is after Balor with the mount, covers, but Balor headscissors before a count! Kyle pops out and the two stand off as fans cheer again. Balor and Kyle circle, tie up, and Balor headlocks. Kyle endures the grind, powers up but can’t power out as Balor holds tight. Kyle fights up to his feet as Balor grinds the headlock harder. Kyle stomps a foot and power out but Balor runs him over! Cover, ONE, Balor headlocks to a takedown!

Kyle tries to headscissor but Balor shrugs that off as he grinds the headlock. Kyle rolls to a cover, ONE, and then Kyle hits a back suplex! But Balor holds on! Balor grinds Kyle down but Kyle fights his way up. Fans rally as Kyle pries at the hold. Kyle still can’t power out but he stays on his feet. Kyle gets a leg and lifts but Balor anticipates the shin breaker to sunset flip! Kyle drops down on Balor for an ARMBAR! Balor gets up and around to get the ropebreak! Kyle lets go but kicks Balor and clubs the arm. Kyle yanks the arm, reels Balor in for a shoulder to shoulder collision, then he wrenches Balor down to his knees. Balor endures as Kyle grinds the shoulder. Fans rally as Balor gets up but Kyle wrenches. Balor rolls, tries to hook Kyle’s chin but Kyle wrangles Balor down.

Kyle cranks on the arm but Balor kips up! Kyle still gets a hammerlock, spins Balor around and sweeps the legs! Balor lands on the arm, Kyle is after it with another hammerlock and drops knees. Kyle drives elbows into the side, then throws a knee in. Kyle runs to knee Balor hard in the side! Kyle sits Balor up and is after the arm again but Balor clasps hands. Kyle still cranks on the hammerlock but Balor reaches back. Balor spins, trips Kyle and drops on him but Kyle slips right out to get the arm again. Fans continue to rally as Kyle leans on Balor. Balor moves around, gets another ropebreak, and Kyle lets go. Kyle brings Balor up, hammerlock takedown, but Balor knees him over and over to avoid a cover. Kyle cranks on the arm again, but Balor back drops!

Kyle sunset flips through but Balor rolls through that to basement dropkick! The legs still work! Balor shakes out the bad arm before he KICKS Kyle in the back! Cover, TWO! Balor has Kyle’s arm now and he stomps it! Balor has a standing armbar and pulls but Kyle endures. Fans rally again as Kyle endures. Balor mocks Kyle’s air guitar by using Kyle’s arm. Kyle tries to power up but Balor stomps him again! Balor hammerlocks and wrangles Kyle down, and even gives it some snap. Kyle moves around, Balor stands on him and drops knees on the hammerlock. Fans rally, Balor gives another snap, but Kyle endures. Kyle reaches back but Balor cranks the arm to avoid the headlock. Kyle keeps trying so Balor wrenches his arm more. Fans rally, Kyle stands and backs Balor but Balor sends him into buckles!

Balor elbows the arm and CHOPS Kyle in the chest! Balor wraps the arm on the rope to pull it! The ref counts, Balor lets go at 4 to CHOP Kyle again! Kyle leans on the ropes as he goes to another corner, but Balor CHOPS him there, too! Balor stomps Kyle, whips him corner to corner then runs in to CHOP again! Balor whips Kyle the other way for another CHOP! Kyle leans against ropes again but Balor won’t let him rest. Balor whips Kyle again, Kyle comes back with a BIG kitchen sink knee! Kyle and Balor both hobble, but Balor CHOPS again. Balo rruns, into a pop-up KICK! Kyle throws muay thai knees then a strike fest! Leg sweep and down goes Balor! Fans fire up as Kyle catches his breath. Balor gets to a corner, Kyle runs in for a forearm smash!

Kyle has the arm, ELBOW BREAKER! Balor throws forearms, Kyle throws knees, BUTTERFLY SUPLEX! Kyle holds on, another BUTTERFLY SUPLEX! And a third! Cover, TWO! Balor survives that underhook hat trick and the fans fire up. Kyle stalks Balor, brings him up and goes for a lift but Balor elbows free. Kyle KICKS the leg and Balor drops to a knee! Balor is on the ropes, Kyle fires off more stirkes! Kyle throws knees, elbows but Balor pushes him away. Balor throws a BIG forearm! Kyle throws another! Balor back kicks HARD and Kyle falls! The ref checks on Kyle but Balor won’t let up! Balor stomps away at the ropes but the ref backs him off. The ref checks Kyle but Balor KICKS Kyle while he’s down!

Balor shows no mercy but the ref counts! Balor stops at 4 and Kyle is still down. Fans rally up for Kyle but Balor drags him up to bump off buckles. Balor rams his shoulder in over and over, then whips corner to corner HARD! Kyle bounces off buckles chest first and he might only be in worse shape! Balor drags Kyle back up and CHOPS him against the ropes! Balor puts Kyle throw the ropes and CLUBS him on the back. Balor goes side to side to kick Kyle in the kidneys! Kyle is down in a heap but he refuses to let this end the match. Balor stomps Kyle as he crawls around then drops down for a chinlock. Not quite a camel clutch but it still stretches the abs! Kyle endures, Balor leaps to drop an elbow! Cover, TWO! Kyle grits his teeth as he gets to a corner and the fans rally up even harder.

Balor heads after Kyle, CHOPS him again, then whips him corner to corner. Kyle stops himself, tries to get under but Balor KICKS him in the side! Balor brings Kyle up for the cobra twist! Kyle pops right out to hip toss Balor down! Kyle gets up, Balor runs and CHOPS him again! Balor runs but into a KNEE from Kyle! Kyle fishermans, REGAL PLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!! Balor survives but the fans are still rallying for Kyle! Kyle grits his teeth, drags Balor up and wrenches, but Balor CLUBS him and dragon sleepers! ELBOW DROP DDT! Cover, TWO!! Kyle is still in this but Balor grits his teeth now. Balor watches Kyle rise, runs in, SLING BLADE! Kyle flounders as Balor aims from the corner again. Balor wants Kyle to rise, and Kyle does, but Kyle dropkicks Balor’s legs out first!

Balor hobbles up, Kyle kicks his leg from the mat! Balor hobbles up again, Kyle has the leg, but Balor uses that to get the COBRA TWIST! Kyle endures, blood in his mouth! Balor CLUBS Kyle, dragon sleepers, but Kyle slips around, SHIN BREAKER! HEEL HOOK! Balor manages to stay up on one foot but Kyle cranks harder. Balor turns things around, into a SHARPSHOOTER! Kyle endures as his body is stretched again! Balor sits DEEP, drags Kyle from ropes, but Kyle refuses to quit! Kyle grits his teeth and gets the ropebreak! Balor lets go but how much does Kyle even have left?! Balor hobbles up as the fans are thunderous! Kyle gets to a corner, Balor heads over and tells him, “I am Finn Balor!” Balor stomps Kyle as he says, “I do this every night!”

Kyle crawls, Balor follows to stomp him more. Balor KICKS Kyle in the side but Kyle still manages to move. Balor stomps him into the corner and keeps going but the ref backs him off. Fans rally up for Kyle as Kyle grits his teeth. Balor stomps but Kyle grabs the foot! Kyle stands up, and ROCKS Balor! Kyle throws more forearms, Balor kicks the gut! Kyle kicks back! AX ‘N’ SMASH! PELE! YOYO LARIAT!! Both men are down and the fans fire up! “This is Awesome!” but far from over! The fans build to a rally as Balor and Kyle slowly rise. Kyle KICKS Balor in the chest! Kyle wants Balor to get up, he does, and Balor blocks the kick! Balor SLAPS Kyle, half hatch, but Kyle suplexes! Balor fights out of that but Kyle has the GUILLOTINE FACELOCK!

Kyle squeezes tight, Balor fades fast! Kyle lets go to KNEE Balor in the stomach! Then BRAIN BUSTER!! Cover, TWO! Short Arm Scissor! Balor clasps hands as Kyle wants the armbar, and is even using Balor’s own leg as leverage against him! Balor’s grip pries apart and Kyle has the ARMBAR! Balor hurries up to stomp away on Kyle’s face! Balor is free, both men are down and the fans are still thunderous! Balor gets up, CLUBS Kyle on the back then CLUBS him again! Balor smothers Kyle into the dragon sleeper, drags him up, BLOODY SUNDAY! Cover, TWO!?! Kyle survives and the crowd is fired up all over again! Balor hobbles up with Kyle in the drop zone, and he climbs up top. Balor grits his teeth as he looks down at Kyle, but Kyle is up top and sweeps the legs!

Balor is stuck, Kyle has the legs for a DRAPING DRAGON SCREW! Balor tumbles down but Kyle drags him up again, for another DRAGON SCREW in the ropes! Kyle hurries to a corner as Balor is stuck again! FLYING KNEE DROP! Balor is down now but Kyle heads up top!? ANOTHER FLYING KNEE! And the KNEEBAR!! Balor endures as Kyle has the Achilles Lock!! Balor hurries to pry the hold apart but Kyle just shifts to another angle! Balor endures, kicks at Kyle, but that leg gets caught! DOUBLE HEEL HOOK!! Fans are electric as Balor punches Kyle! Kyle just wrenches both ankles again! Balor turns over, crawls and reaches, ROPEBREAK! Kyle has no choice but to let go! The crowd chants for “NXT! NXT!” for another incredible main event!

Kyle throws off the wrist tape in frustration as he grits his teeth. Kyle KICKS Balor in the leg and Balor falls over! Kyle hobbles and Balor flounders up, but Balor drops down to avoid another kick! Balor suckers Kyle into a trip up and DOUBLE STOMP! Kyle clutches his stomach, but he still runs in to KNEE Balor in the corner! GERMAN SUPLEX! But Balor’s right up to DOUBLE STOMP again!! Both men are down and the crowd is still fired up! Balor hobbles over to a corner and he drags himself up the ropes. Balor leaps, COUP DE GRACE!!! Cover, Balor wins!!

Winner: Finn Balor, by pinfall (still NXT Champion)

You wouldn’t think he won from the blood in his mouth, but the Prince still sits on the throne atop NXT! If Balor survived even this much, what will it take for anyone to take the title from him? As for Kyle, he seems to have won something from Balor: his respect! Balor offers a hand, Kyle takes it, and the champion helps his challenger up. Will Kyle be back for another shot at the title?

Wait, what the hell?! Ridge Holland is at ringside, carrying an unconscious Adam Cole!! And he dumps Cole over the barriers! Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish hurry out to check on Cole and shout for medics to hurry! How did this happen?! Only Cole and Holland know, but Cole’s in no shape to tell his side of the story. Will the Undisputed Era make Holland answer for what he’s done?


My Thoughts:

For this being only a TakeOver with a number, not a subtitle, this TakeOver blew me out of the water! No titles changed but that’s never a reason to complain because all the matches were amazing! Priest VS Gargano opening the show was a great surprise in itself, and it was an incredible match to open with! A lot of new takes on moves, like Priest using his height advantage for more of a full nelson dunk than slam on Gargano, and it really did feel like it could go either way. Priest retains, so it was put on Candice to try and get something. Shirai VS Candice was itself incredible, and with all the screw job attempts, I almost thought that was going to do Shirai in. Shirai finds a way, but wow, the Women’s Division is top loaded again.

Everyone was fairly certain Ember Moon was the mystery return, but it seems almost anticlimactic after they also gave us Toni Storm’s little titantron message. Will Rhea have to compete for the shot she wants? Obviously that’s how things tend to go, but I feel like since she, Shotzi, Dakota and Raquel are all entangled, that story will again quite literally interfere with whatever contenders match Rhea is in. Ember VS Storm is great just saying it, and whether it’s Ember VS Shirai or Storm VS Shirai, those are both great. The latter being a rematch from the second May Young Classic makes it seem like it could wait for a real big stage, like WrestleMania 37 (wherever it ends up), for the second NXT Women’s Championship match to be part of that PPV.

Kushida VS Dream was good but it seemed rather one sided in the end. Given the outside issues that already shot down Dream’s chances of being NXT Champion in that Parking Lot Brawl with Cole, don’t expect Dream to win anything big any time soon. For that matter, Kushida going after him so brutally, he might be off TV entirely to let the heat die down. Kushida should go after a belt after this now, and while we’d hope it’s the North American Championship, it might be the Cruiserweight Championship since he is in the 205 Live intro video. Escobar VS Swerve was a great match, better than their round robin one, and what strong heat with copying Latino Heat. Tehuti/Adonis joining this is interesting, but I did say a month or so ago that he and Swerve would make a great duo, so maybe we see that starts now.

NXT bringing Halloween Havoc back this year is great (and probably just a way to stick it to AEW) and I love that Shotzi Blackheart will be the host. She used to host horror movie drive-in type events, she’ll certainly have a lot of fun with this and make it that much more fun, I can’t wait to see what happens. Balor VS O’Reilly, what an incredible match! They were both going really hard, but maybe too hard, because I’m fairly certain someone was spitting real blood, not just movie effect blood. Hopefully it isn’t so bad that we again have to see the title vacated. But what a twist for Holland to be there with a brutalized Cole. Was that story about him beating the hell out of four bullies foreshadowing for this? Is he going to take on the UE alone? Is this a red herring so we don’t suspect someone within the UE? I’ve said before that mystery and unpredictability is best for wrestling, and that’s where we are right now!

My Score: 9.6/10


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Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (3/18/24)

Talk about a Big Time Raw!

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Will The Man be the Last Woman Standing?

Becky Lynch and Nia Jax want to finally put this to an end, so tonight on Raw, it will be a Big Time Last Woman Standing match! Will the Irresistible Force force the WrestleMania 40 match to change?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: #DIY VS The Creed Brothers; DIY wins and advances to WrestleMania.
  • Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance; Candice & Indi win.
  • Dominik Mysterio w/ JD McDonagh VS Ricochet; Ricochet wins.
  • Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: The Awesome Truth VS Indus Sher; The Awesome Truth wins and advances to WrestleMania.
  • Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: The New Day VS The Alpha Academy; The New Day wins and advances to WrestleMania.
  • Last Woman Standing: Becky Lynch VS Nia Jax; Becky wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Jey Uso is here!

North Carolina State University fires up and bounces along with Main Event Jey, and Pat McAfee plays a dangerous game standing on the armchairs! From Bret VS Owen to Matt VS Jeff, we’re about to get Jey VS Jimmy in the third-ever Brother VS Brother WrestleMania grudge match! Jey gets the mic as fans chant “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Jey welcomes us to Monday Night Raw, and wants us to check this out. He knows his brothers are somewhere in the building. He knows The Bloodline’s in the building. He knows how the Bloodline rolls! SO Big Brother Jimmy, where you at?! Where you at, Uce!?

Jey waits for someone to show up somewhere, and the crowd spots them first! Fans boo as Jimmy & Solo make their way from the back of the stands. Jimmy gets a mic and goes to the apron while Solo paces around the outside. Fans chant “YEET! YEET! YEET!” again as Jey puts the sunglasses aside. The Usos stare each other down, the fans now chant “UCE! OH! UCE! OH!” Jey wants to say something, hesitates, but then says these two would always get to it but they always knew how to shake right back to this. But now it’s different. Regardless of what happened, the bad blood between them, Jey misses his brother. He does.

Jey knows Jimmy will say what he wants, but Jey doesn’t talk to him no more, doesn’t ride with him no more, doesn’t even see him no more! Jimmy can just come back. Jimmy says he never left! He protected Jey! Jey’s so dumb, he can’t see it! Jimmy is protecting Jey! It was Jey’s idea to leave The Bloodline, but Jimmy helped because he is Jey’s brother. So yeah, Jey leaves, and what happens? Lil’ Bro becomes the BIGGEST star on the Raw roster! Lil’ Bro becomes the top merch seller! Lil’ Bro goes off to become a tag team champion without Jimmy, but with CODY RHODES!? Who left who, Uce?

Jey forgot Jimmy! Everything Jey did that was big was cuz of Big Bro Jimmy! Everything! So listen loud and clear. The biggest moment in Jey’s career, the BIGGEST moment, is because of Jimmy! Jimmy stares Jey down, but Jey says no. Jey’s biggest moment in his career is going to be his dream match at WrestleMania 40: Jey VS Jimmy, and Jey knocks the yeet out Jimmy’s ass! Jey DECKS Jimmy, DECKS Solo off the apron, but then Jimmy SUPERKICKS Jey down! The fans boo but now Solo storms in and looms over Jey. Solo drags Jey up so Jimmy can look him in the face and tell him that Jey needs to get it right! JIMMY made Jey!

But here comes Cody Rhodes! The fans fire up as Cody DECKS Jimmy, then gets in to springboard and CODY CUTTER Solo!! The American Nightmare said he was gonna be a Bloodline Hunter, and he made sure they didn’t take out Jey! Cody tells The Bloodline it is only a matter of time before they lose it all at WrestleMania! Will Jey prove that younger or older doesn’t matter when he is the BETTER brother?

 

Adam Pearce is on the phone.

He’s telling Nick Aldis to stop being a hypocrite, telling Pearce to keep his roster in check when this is happening. But then Paul Heyman walks over and Pearce says he’ll call Aldis back. Pearce then asks Heyman what was all that, and Heyman says he owes Pearce an apology. He is sorry. That was not authorized by The Final Boss nor The Tribal Chief, and certainly not by Heyman. Jimmy & Solo went into business for themselves so Heyman apologizes. But listen, Pearce knows that there have been flight delays all day. Even private jets like theirs. Heyman is barely even dressed for TV, let alone has his make-up!

Pearce says those two were ready. Yeah, well, they got in on a different flight. But Roman Reigns is a chief of his word. Those two are already gone, out of the arena, and Pearce has Roman’s word. Call his bluff, put out a search party. Pearce knows Heyman is here on official business, which Heyman will handle, and then be gone. That is it. But when Heyman does his official business… everyone will be caught off guard. “And Mr. Pearce, sir, that’s not a prediction. That’s a spoiler.” The Wise Man heads out and calls Roman, but just what is Heyman teasing?

 

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: #DIY VS The Creed Brothers!

Unlike SmackDown’s mini-tournament, Raw and Adam Pearce say it’s win and you’re in! Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano want one more shot at Judgment Day, but so do Julius & Brutus! Will the Sicilian Psycho & Johnny Wrestling prove that when it comes to Mania Moments, you gotta do it yourself? Or will the Creeds be bringing golden tickets to the Diamond Mine?

Raw returns as The Creeds make their entrance. The teams fist bump to show respect, then the teams sort out. Julius starts against Ciampa, they circle and tie up. They’re in a deadlock, Ciampa goes for a waistlock but Julius facelocks. Julius wrangles Ciampa to the mat, flips him over, ONE, and Ciampa keeps moving. They trade facelocks, gator roll, and Julius gets another lateral press. ONE, but Julius gator rolls Ciampa around. Ciampa fights up, puts Julius on ropes, and the ref counts. Ciampa lets off, then CHOPS! Julius shoots in for the takedown! Julius has a leg, Ciampa fights but Julius turns him for the ANKLE LOCK!

Ciampa scrambles to the ROPEBREAK, and Julius lets off cleanly. Ciampa bails out, shakes it off, and he gets back in. They go again, Julius hits a fireman’s carry takeover! Tag to Brutus, and Julius feeds Ciampa to another fireman’s carry takeover! Brutus cording holds but Ciampa endures. Ciampa fights up, but Brutus facelocks. The fans rally as Brutus switches and rolls Ciampa. Ciampa fights up, headlocks, then ROCKS Brutus! Brutus DECKS Ciampa, then whips him to ropes. Ciampa ducks ‘n’ dodges, tag to Gargano! Ciampa slides, CHOPS, Gargano LARIATS and Ciampa JAWBREAKERS! Wrench and LARIAT!

Julius runs in, Gargano kicks and Ciampa gives him the boost for SLICED BREAD! The Creeds bail out, but DIY DOUBLE PLANCHA! Down go the Creeds, and DIY applaud and pat themselves on the back. The fans fire up and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Ciampa has Julius in a chinlock. The fans rally, Julius fights up to throw body shots, but Ciampa hits a back suplex! Julius lands out of it, but Ciampa elbows him away. Ciampa drop toeholds Julius, gets legs, but Julius BOOTS Ciampa away! Hot tags to Gargano and Brutus! Brutus rallies on DIY, TOSSES Gargano, then blocks Ciampa’s kick to get under and POWERBOMB him! Brutus sees DIY regroup, then he runs in to SPLASH them both! O’Conner on Ciampa, but Gargano runs up! NORTHERN LIGHTS! Brutus has a DOUBLE BRIDGE, TWO!! Tag to Julius and he gut wrench SLAMS Brutus on Ciampa!

Brutus helps Julius flip up and over to SPLASH onto Ciampa! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up as Julius drags Ciampa up. Ciampa throat chops! A bit dirty but Ciampa wants that win! Ciampa storms up on Julius, but Julius basement stalling suplexes!! The fans are thunderous, Gargano runs in, but Brutus intercepts! Brutus suplexes Gargano now, stalls, and then the Creeds SLAM and kip up! Then they both STANDING MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Ciampa stays in this for DIY but the Creeds keep cool. Julius stomps Ciampa, tags Brutus, and they KNEE Ciampa around! Then they DOUBLE GUTBUSTER! Ciampa sputters but Brutus tags Julius in.

Julius drags Ciampa up, tags Brutus back in, and Brutus climbs. Julius Electric Chair Lifts, but Gargano makes the save! Gargano ROCKS Julius, Brutus ROCKS Gargano! Ciampa BOOTS Brutus, Gargano swings on Julius but is sent into Ciampa! Ciampa pushes Gargano back so he can ELBOW Julius! DIY set up again but Brutus stops the Sliced Bread! Julius DECKS Ciampa, KNEE into the WIDOWMAKER! Julius scrapes Gargano out, Brutus POUNCES Ciampa over the desk! Pat fires up with Brutus and so do the fans! The Creeds say they run this now, and then Brutus drags Ciampa up while Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Julius has Ciampa in a chinlock. Ciampa fights up, and he JAWBREAKERS free! Ciampa ELBOWS Brutus down, BOOTS Julius, then runs up, only for Julius to catch him and toss him back! But then Ciampa catches Julius for a REVERSE DDT! The fans fire up while both men are down and crawling! Hot tag to Gargano! Gargano slingshots to KICK Julius, then he CLOBBERS Brutus! ENZIGIRI for Julius, then he runs to DOUBLE KNEE Brutus! BULLDOG LARIAT COMBO! The fans fire up with Gargano while Julius ends up in another corner. Gargano runs in but is put on the apron!

Gargano GAMANGIRIS Julius, SUPERKICKS Brutus, then SLINGSHOT SPEARS Julius! Cover, TWO! Julius survives but Gargano puts him in a corner. Gargano CHOPS, then hoists Julius up top. Tag to Ciampa, Ciampa CHOPS Julius while Gargano DIVES onto Brutus! Ciampa CHOPS Julius again, goes up top, and fireman’s carries! Ciampa then tucks Julius in for the SUPER AIR RAID CRASH! Cover, TWO!! Julius survives again and shocks Ciampa! The fans are just as stunned, but Ciampa and Julius sit up. Ciampa stands, and he CHOPS! And CHOPS! Julius sits back up as Ciampa puts some stank on the CHOP!

Julius brings the straps down! Julius fires a forearm, Ciampa hits back, and the fans fire up as the shots keep going! They go faster and faster, harder and harder, meaner and meaner! The fans fire up as this just turns into a brawl of haymakers and SLAPS! Ciampa then gets around, ripcord and HAYMAKER! ROLLING- TACKLE from Julius! And then the ANKLE LOCK!! Ciampa reaches out, moves around, but Gargano runs up! Julius kicks him, then gets him up with one arm to POWERBOMB! Then it’s back to the ANKLE LOCK on Ciampa! Brutus gets in to get Gargano for an ANKLE LOCK of his own!

The fans are thunderous as DIY endures! Ciampa and Gargano fight, turn things over, SICILIAN CROSSFACE and GargaNO Escape!! The fans are thunderous as The Creeds power up and lift both DIY! They fireman’s carry, then TOSS DIY into each other!! The fans are thunderous as Julius goes up to MOONSAULT onto Ciampa! Brutus MOONSAULTS, too! Cover, TWO?!?! Ciampa survives and the fans are loving this! Julius tags back in, Brutus climbs up! “This is Awesome!” as Julius Electric Chair Lifts Ciampa! But Ciampa VICTORY ROLLS to get under the Brutus Ball!! Cover, Brutus tips it! Gargano TOSSES Brutus then SUPERKICKS Julius!! Ciampa has the cover, DIY WINS!!

Winners: DIY, by pinfall (advance to WrestleMania)

Julius can’t believe it! He kicked out at 3.1, but a loss is a loss! And for the first time ever, DIY is going to Mania! Will Philadelphia soon be historic for a DIY championship victory?

 

Judgment Day meets backstage.

Rhea Ripley is with Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor & JD McDonagh, but also Andrade. Dom says he’s always liked Andrade’s style, but things have changed since the last time he was in the WWE. The Judgment Day runs Raw now. Rhea says yeah, and they don’t extend invitations to just anyone. Judgment Day is very exclusive. JD says very exclusive. But if Andrade continues to impress them, they’ll see about making things happen. And Finn says he just heard that Andrade has a match next week, so the Judgment Day will be watching him. Sounds good. See you next week. But then in steps Damian Priest.

The Punisher says hello to El Idolo, and El Idolo says hello to Senor Dinero. Andrade heads out, will he quite literally win his way into the club? But as for Priest, Finn asks him what he was up to. Priest was getting a closer look at that DIY VS Creeds match. DIY won, but whatever, they can handle those guys. But JD, they thought he could handle Ricochet last week, and run the gauntlet, and then go to WrestleMania to bring even more gold back to Judgment Day. JD says he did he belonged in there. But also, he battered Ricochet, who got lucky at the end there. Right, Finn? Finn hesitates, and Rhea says Priest is right on this one.

Ricochet made a fool out of JD! A fool? Yes. A fool? Yes. That’s why tonight, Dom will make it right. Right, Dom? Yeah, Mami. Let’s go talk to Pearce to make it official. Dom & JD head out, and the others are confident Dom’s got this. But does he, though? Or will the One and Only have two wins over Judgment Day in as many weeks?

 

Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance!

The Poison Pixie certainly lived up to that name last week when she bullied Maxxine Dupri as part of beating her and Ivy Nile last week. Will Candice’s toxic tongue strike again? Or will the party not be stopped by her harsh vibes?

The teams sort out and Candice starts against Kayden. Candice rushes up, Kayden gets around and O’Conner Rolls, TWO! Kayden springboards to basement dropkick! Cover, TWO! Kayden stalks Candice, Candice ELBOWS her away then tags Indi. Kayden dodges Candice to SUPERKICK, but Indi BOOTS Kayden! Cover, TWO! Indi drags Kayden up, tags Candice back in, and they mug Kayden. Candice CLUBS away on Kayden, fires off furious fists, then covers. TWO, and Candice grows frustrated already. The fans rally, Candice steps up but Kayden avoids the senton! Tags to Katana and Indi! Katana blasts past Indi, comes back and BULLDOGS!

Katana keeps moving, ducks ‘n’ dodges, then SHOTGUNS Indi to a corner! The fans fire up as Katana stomps away on Indi! Indi shoves Katana, Katana runs corner to corner to A-LIST LARIAT! Katana shoves Indi down, runs up, but into a back suplex! Katana lands out, but her leg jams! The ref and Kayden check, then the ref keeps Indi back. Indi says okay, and she stays by Candice. But Candice tags in to WRECK Kayden! And she SLAMS Katana’s leg into the post!! HALF CRAB and DEEP! Katana taps, Candice & Indi win!

Winners: Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell, by submission

Candice smiles and celebrates with Indi, but Indi doesn’t want to. Candice says a win is a win, but just what is going on in her toxic mind?

 

Cody Rhodes makes his way to the ring.

NC State fires up again as The American Nightmare walks down the ramp, and this time the fans can sing along with the song, “WHOA~ OH~!” Cody gets his pyro then gets the mic. “In less than three weeks time, I will stand opposed for the second year in a row, in the main event, with the lights on brightest, I will challenge for the WWE Undisputed Championship, against the greatest champion in all of sports, The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. And this Friday on SmackDown, Roman and I are going to have a little conversation, if you will. But there are… complications. Factors, elements, combustible elements, namely… The Rock.”

Fans boo but Cody says The Rock took to Instagram on Friday, and followed it up with “extremely entertaining” concert. Too bad The Rock didn’t wanna be here tonight. Something Cody took from the Instagram post: The Rock referred to himself as “Our Favorite Heel.” A bit of an inside term, but we’re not dumb, we know that means he’s the “bad guy.” Cody has known Heels. Bobby Heenan, Arn Anderson, Michael Hayes, “Superstar” Billy Graham, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair! Fans “WOO~” and Cody says he doesn’t think The Rock is a Heel. He’s just an assh*le. The fans go nuts hearing that!

Cody doesn’t want Rock getting upset, he doesn’t want the “seven bucks team” to get upset, he doesn’t want anyone getting emotional. Cody knows how Rock feels about emotions, he poked fun at Cody tearing up at discussing “finishing the story” with good friend, Michael Cole. There’s no crying in pro-wrestling, Jimmy Dugan, we get it. But hasn’t The Rock been crying behind the scenes this whole time? Once that hashtag came out, once fans chanted something else, The Rock cried to his buddies on the TKO board and said “Hey, this is gonna be some good PR for The Rock! I need to save WWE!” God knows, look at this house. They sure needed “saving,” huh?

The fans cheer but Cody says Rock wanted great PR. Until it wasn’t. TKO said OMG yes, put on the Gucci shirt, get those muscles looking big. It’s because they are Yes People, they are enablers, they won’t dare tell The Rock like it is, so Cody’s going to. Cody tells The Rock, “You’re a lot of things. You’re a lot of wonderful things. You are the Braham Bull, you are The Great One.” Cody still has shoes with The Rock’s logo on it! The Rock is the only guy Cody honestly feels is a Mount Rushmore wrestler. But he is also a terrible salesman, a carny succubus, and for those who don’t get what that means, The Rock is “a whiny b*tch!”

Fans lose their minds again but Cody says The Rock has been convinced otherwise. But don’t think that for two seconds this locker room needs The Rock more than The Rock needs it! That’s a rule of wrestling, nobody is bigger than the business! And sure, Cody brought up his mom, so it is fair game for The Rock to use that. But Cody knows The Rock’s mom. Here’s what Cody will tell us about The Rock’s mom. She is a wonderful lady, salt of the earth, she helped Cody chop Kevin in a dark match. Cody has nothing but respect for The Rock’s mom, something The Rock should’ve echoed back towards Cody’s mom.

But see, The Rock was talking about whipping Cody, handing a bloody weight belt to Cody’s mom, and normally someone as powerful as The Rock, Mama Rhodes would tremble. But The Rock doesn’t know Cody’s mom. Cody was more scared than she was, because she ain’t scared of nothing. This is the same woman who once jumped out of her chair at a Willie Nelson concert and beat up an undercover cop! She ain’t afraid of The Rock! Cody has been asked, April 6th, biggest tag match of all time, Rock & Roman VS Cody & Seth. Seth Rollins, the World Heavyweight Champion, a man The Rock should respect because that man has carried The Rock’s company!

How will Cody get past that match? How will April 7th look? Will it be a fair fight? Cody can tell us honestly… He doesn’t know. Cody does not know if it will be Bloodline Rules or not. Hell, he might not #FinishTheStory. “But Dwayne… What do you know? How can you be so sure of your own self, right?” The Rock hasn’t been in the ring in real action in years! April 6th, the bell is gonna ring, and what happens then? Is The Rock gonna bring The Great One, the hero we all had growing up? Is he bringing that #BigDwayneEnergy? Or is it gonna be LDS, Little D*ck Syndrome?! The fans chant “L D S! L D S!”

Cody says The Rock has referred to himself as The Final Boss. Kudos for that nickname, maybe he really is that. Maybe Cody is too naive to see it. But at WrestleMania, Cody doesn’t think The Rock will be The Final Boss. At WrestleMania, he’s just Roman’s side chick. But then ladies and gentlemen, his name is Paul Heyman, and he serves as The Wise Man to Your Tribal Chief, the reigning! Defending! Undisputed! WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion, Roman… Reigns! And as Special Counsel to the Bloodline, Heyman is here to say to Cody that the ideals that Cody and Heyman share are far greater than the interests on which they conflict.

By example, don’t you hate it when someone comes out to demand an apology? Not that Cody’s done that, but Heyman is still going to do that. Heyman came out here with some “friends” of his, and he apologized. For a Wise Man, that was pretty freakin’ stupid. One: because it didn’t work. Two: because it was just dumb. And for that, Cody, to you and the fans, Heyman humbly apologizes. Cody says whoa, whoa, whoa. He didn’t ask for an apology, and he certainly knows Heyman wants permission to be in the ring. Heyman is a Hall of Famer starting this year, if he wants into the ring, be Cody’s guest.

Heyman thanks Cody for that but he’s fine on the apron. He carries with him a message from The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Talk about Heels… You may think of Heyman anything negative you want, and that might be understanding the obvious. Heyman is not trustworthy, but Roman is a chief of his word. Heyman assures that this Friday on SmackDown, Roman will be face to face with Cody. American Nightmare, Tribal Chief, challenger and champion. And when they are face to face, there will not be a single other member of The Bloodline in sight. Except for Heyman, but he is no physical threat.

Heyman holds the title belt, the beads, whispers things in Roman’s ear, such as his love and respect. But Cody has Roman’s word that if he shows up on SmackDown, Roman will show up alone. Cody says Roman shows up alone, no Bloodline outside of Heyman, it’s a deal. They good? Heyman has some jet lag, he forgot one little point. And don’t boo him, he’s talking to Cody! Cody says yes they’re booing, and he’s about to go full Homelander and rip Heyman’s throat out if he doesn’t get to the point. Fans like the reference. Heyman composes himself and says if Roman Reigns shows up alone this Friday on SmackDown, then Cody must show up to SmackDown alone, too.

Cody steps closer to Heyman and Heyman is a bit nervous. Cody tells Heyman, “Deal!” They shake hands, and Heyman smiles. The Wise Man negotiated a purely one-on-one meeting between his Tribal Chief and American Nightmare, but can we trust Heyman was telling the truth about Roman telling the truth?

 

Nia Jax speaks.

“You know what I’ve realized? Becky Lynch has never beaten me. And after tonight, she never will. Because after I break her face again, I will be taking her spot at WrestleMania. I will finish business with Rhea Ripley, and not only will I walk out the Last Woman Standing, but I will become Women’s World Champion.” The Irresistible Force is ready for the Big Time, but will she A-Nia-late her?

 

Cody Rhodes returns backstage.

And Jey says there he go! But real quick, Cody can’t be going to SmackDown alone. Cody says he gave them his word. But The Bloodline isn’t gonna play fair! They’re all gonna be there! If Cody needs Jey, Jeys’ got him. Cody hears that, but he knows what he’s dealing with. They shake hands and Jey heads out. Will Cody be able to have that fair, one-on-one meeting? Or does Jey have a point about The Bloodline?

 

Dominik Mysterio w/ JD McDonagh VS Ricochet!

It seems Pearce agreed to the idea that Dirty Dom should try and clean up The Irish Ace’s mess. Will Dom be able to get revenge on Ricochet? Or will Ricochet be the One and Only person holding their head high tonight?

Raw returns and Dom has made his entrance. The bell rings, Dom and Ricochet circle, and they tie up. Ricochet waistlocks, Dom fights the lift and grabs ropes. The ref counts, Ricochet lets off, but Dom ELBOWS him away! Dom fires hands, soaks up the heat, then storms up, but into haymakers! Ricochet CHOPS, kicks then flexes on Dom. Ricochet whips, Dom reverses, but Ricochet goes up and over. Ricochet ducks ‘n’ dodges to then handspring back elbow! The fans fire up while Dom bails out! JD is there to coach Dom up, but Ricochet runs in! JD gets Dom to safety, but Ricochet handsprings to hero land!

The fans fire up, Ricochet then goes to ropes to TORNILLO PLANCHA! Direct hit on Dom and Ricochet tells JD to back off. Ricochet puts Dom in, Dom distracts the ref, but JD grabs Ricochet’s leg! Ricochet kicks JD away, but then Dom WRECKS Ricochet with a dropkick! Dom soaks up the heat and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Dom has Ricochet up top. Dom climbs but Ricochet throws body shots! The fans rally behind Ricochet as he sends Dom staggering. Ricochet hops down as Dom comes running back, and Ricochet GAMANGIRIS him away! Ricochet then springboards, but Dom trips him up! Ricochet flops to the mat, then Dom kicks and FACEBUSTERS! Cover, TWO! Ricochet is still in this and JD argues the count. Dom looms over Ricochet, scuffs him around, then mockingly cheers him on. Fans boo but Dom brings Ricochet up. Dom gives some Latino Heat, then suplexes! Uno Amigo, but fans boo.

Dom gets Ricochet up but Ricochet suplexes Dom instead! And then fireman’s carry, DYNAMITE KICK! Cover, TWO! Dom is still in this and JD coaches him but the fans rally for Ricochet. Ricochet stands, storms up on Dom, but Dom shoots around to roll him up! With tights! TWO, Ricochet blocks a kick and KICKS Dom down! Ricochet hurries up top, the fans fire up, but Ricochet has to bail out of the 450 as Dom moves! Dom runs in again, but into a SUPERKICK! JD gets on the apron, so Ricochet triangle jump DROPKICKS! But then Dom DROPKICKS Ricochet onto ropes! Dom dials it up but Ricochet ducks!

Dom spins around, into the RECOIL!! Cover, Ricochet wins!

Winner: Ricochet, by pinfall

But then JD runs in! Ricochet dodges, goes up and around, BOOTS JD away, then BOOTS him again! Ricochet even flips up and out of the ring at the same time! Ricochet gets the better of Judgment Day again, just how disappointed is Mami going to be in her Latino Heat this time?

 

Sami Zayn is backstage.

He finds Chad Gable and wants to talk with him. Last week’s match, that was an honor. Sami hasn’t been pushed like that in a long time, it could’ve gone either way. Gable says yeah, it was great. Thanks. Is Gable alright? Yeah, he’s fine. Kinda feels like not… Gable says he’s fine, so leave it at that. C’mon, man, how many years have they known each other? Sami knows when something’s bothering Gable, so he should just say it. Gable says look, last week, the WrestleMania opportunity, the whole thing, it just meant more to him. Sami says he’s been hearing Gable say that for weeks, and it is really unfair.

Does Gable really think he’s the only one this title opportunity matters to? Sami has a family, too! Sami’s kid cries when Papa loses a match, too. Sami has people he’s let down and is trying to make proud. After all the years put into this, Gable can’t tell Sami what matters more because he doesn’t know Sami like that. Gable has Sami calm down, and says he knows all that. But it isn’t all about that. Then what is all this? Gable says Sami can’t beat Gunther. Gable then leaves, and Sami is at a loss for words. Is this bitter side of Gable only going to get worse as we go down this Road to WrestleMania?

 

Adam Pearce is in the ring.

Raw returns with the GM by a table, and he welcomes us to a contract signing to make official the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship for WrestleMania! The fans cheer, and Pearce introduces first, the challenger, Sami Zayn! The Great Liberator makes his entrance and the fans sing along with his song. Sami still looks troubled by what Gable said just moments ago, but he still high-fives fans and gets in the ring. Then Pearce introduces the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time, Der Ring General, GUNTHER! The fans boo as Gunther walks in, having reached Day 647!

Gunther smiles as Sami watches him make his way down the ramp and into the ring. Pearce says we know how this works, but Gunther says before we proceed, let us call this what it is: the most important contract signing for the most important match in the history of this championship. And why, why, why is the challenger dressed no better than any of the bums in the audience? Fans boo but Sami just shrugs that off. Sami gets a mic to say that Gunther keeps sitting there all smug, and it’s really starting to piss Sami off. Gunther thinks this is just another day at the office, that he’ll steamroll through Sami like any other contender.

But with all respect to Gunther, he really has. He has beaten everyone that has come his way, and has done it on his own. Gunther doesn’t believe Sami can do it. A lot of people didn’t believe Sami at many points in his career. They didn’t believe he’d even make it to WWE, let alone win championships and main event a WrestleMania. And if you ask The Usos, they didn’t believe Sami would be one of the guys to end the longest tag title reign in WWE history, but he did! And one year later, he will make history again by ending the longest Intercontinental title reign in WWE history! Sami signs his part and pushes the contract over to Gunther.

The fans cheer Sami on but Gunther waits it out. Gunther tells Sami, what Sami should do is listen to his new friend, Gable. Gable doesn’t believe Sami can win. The people here cheer Sami, they probably even love Sami. But even they don’t believe Sami can win. And y’know, when Gunther looks Sami in the eyes, and if Sami was honest with himself, even Sami doesn’t believe he can win. So what Sami is doing right now is standing on Gunther’s doorstep and begging him to get the beating of a lifetime on the Grandest Stage of Them All! So whatever Sami has to do, from training to believing, just keep doing that. Because at WrestleMania, Sami’s dreams will meet reality.

Gunther grins and signs his part, and it is now official! Gunther then stands, title on his shoulder, and takes his leave. The fans boo, but then Sami tells Gunther to wait. Gunther steps back inside to hear Sami as Sami turns around. Gunther looks in Sami’s eyes and believes Sami doesn’t believe? Sami stands to get in Gunther’s face and dares him to look again. Get a good long look, because these are the eyes of the man who will take you down at Mania! The fans fire up, and now Sami leaves first. Gunther still just grins, but will Sami use a Helluva Kick to wipe that smile off his face?

We follow Sami as he storms backstage, right past DIY and The Awesome Truth. Truth asks what’s up with Sami, but The Miz says that is the mindset of WrestleMania right there. That’s what they need. DIY wishes Awesome Truth luck. Awesome Truth knows DIY is into the ladder match, and they are gonna have their own qualifier. Miz & Truth just need to beat… Indus Sher. Jinder Mahal tells Veer & Sanga to warm up for the match. They head out, and Truth says he feels sorry for whoever has to face those guys. Miz stares at Truth, and he has DIY hold off. Miz will explain. The Awesome Truth heads to gorilla, their match is next!

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: The Awesome Truth VS Indus Sher w/ Jinder Mahal!

Miz wants a remix of the theme song but Truth says to just follow his lead. NC State knows what’s up, but will the Awesome Truth finally reach the top of the tag division 13 years after they first teamed? We’ll see, after the break!

Raw returns as Indus Sher makes their entrance, the Modern Day Maharaja by their side. The teams sort out and Truth starts against Sanga. The fans echo “WHAT’S UP?!” but Sanga roars! Truth is scared now so he tags Miz. Truth fires Miz up, Miz runs up and dodges Sanga to fire off haymakers! Miz kicks, whips, but Sanga blocks! Sanga whips and CLOBBERS Miz! Jinder nods as Sanga then scoops Miz and brings him over. Veer tags in, Sanga SLAMS Miz, then Veer ELBOW DROPS! Indus Sher say “NAMASTE!” but the fans say “WHAT’S UP!?” with Truth. Veer HIP DROPS Miz, then looms over him.

Veer eggs Miz on, drags him up with shoulder claws, and then steps over Miz for the neck wrench! Miz endures as Veer still digs a claw into his shoulder. The fans rally for Miz, Miz fights up and throws body shots! Miz reaches out but Veer knees low! Veer SHOVES Miz to the corner, runs in, but Miz BOOTS! Miz ELBOWS Sanga, but Veer catches him! Veer puts Miz back int he corner, but Miz ducks the boot to tag Truth! Truth dodges Veer and starts up the shoulder tackles! Truth gets around Veer to SPIN-OUT BOMB! The fans fire up as Truth shouts out Cena with “You Can’t See Me!” Truth runs to Five Knuckle Shuffle!

Jinder is not happy now as Truth fireman’s carries! But Veer slips free! Truth drop toeholds to the STF!! The fans fire up but Sanga stomps Truth! Miz fires off kicks on Sanga, then body shots! Truth joins in, they mug and whip Sanga, to DOUBLE DROPKICK! Sanga staggers around, Veer runs up, but into a full nelson! Truth and Miz combine for a SKULL CRUSHING LIE DETECTOR!! But Sanga whips Miz away! Miz WRECKS Jinder with it, but Sanga runs up! Sanga knocks Miz down, Miz anchors Sanga, Sanga ELBOWS Truth, Truth falls onto Veer for the cover! Awesome Truth wins!!

Winners: The Awesome Truth, by pinfall (advance to WrestleMania)

The fans fire up, and Truth doesn’t even realize what happened! Miz celebrates with Truth and Truth puts it together! They’re now one of the six in the ladder match! Will this combination of teamwork and luck be just what they need to take those titles from Judgment Day?

 

Sami confronts Gable now.

Sami tells Gable to tell him why. Why what? Why does Gable think Sami can’t beat Gunther? Well you just saw why! With Gunther, it isn’t just physical, it is mental. Sami made his career out of being the underdog that crawls his way out of any hole he’s in, right? Just like last week! Sami found the window of opportunity to get out of a bad situation any time he can. Gunther’s on a different level! You gonna sit and wait for that window to appear? It doesn’t happen with Gunther! He’s a different beast, a different animal. If Sami doesn’t change his mentality, then he can’t beat Gunther. Gable leaves Sami with a lot to think again. Is there a way Sami can change enough to defeat Der Ring General?

 

CM Punk speaks.

“Do I plan at being in WrestleMania? WrestleMania is in Philadelphia, what’re the first four letters in Philadelphia? Phil. You can’t have WrestleMania Philadelphia without Phil. Whether I’m invited or uninvited, Punk will be there.” And next week in Chicago, Punk returns to Raw! Will the Second City Saint find a way to be part of the biggest WrestleMania ever?

 

Drew McIntyre is here!

The Scottish Terminator, or as his new shirt says, “The Savior of WrestleMania,” makes his way to the ring, NC State a bit torn about seeing him. But then Seth Rollins is here, too!? McIntyre is upset but the fans sing along, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” as The Visionary struts his way out. Rollins swaggers right past McIntyre in his green storm pattern suit, and steps into the ring first. McIntyre frowns as he follows Rollins in, and sits in a corner. The fans continue to sing, which Rollins revels in for a moment. Rollins has the mic to then say, “RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA~! Welcome to Monday Night Rollins~!

“And Drew, hah, sorry, I didn’t even see you there. I was too busy, uh, y’know, soaking up the spotlight, right?” McIntyre has a mic to say, “Alright, here we go.” Here goes what, Drew? McIntyre says no, no, get it all out of your system, he knows Rollins has more! McIntyre can stay in the back while Rollins enjoys the spotlight, because after WrestleMania, that spotlight’s all McIntyre’s. Hey, hey, c’mon. Rollins is here with an honest cause. Rollins doesn’t like McIntyre, he thinks he’s stupid, a hypocrite, has said a lot of dumb things lately, but Rollins is here to admit that one thing McIntyre said is absolutely right and he wants to say it to McIntyre’s face, right here in Raleigh, in front of the fine people.

Now, they always say the first step to recovery is the hardest, so bare with Rollins. He has been working on this all week, but… “My name is Seth Freakin’ Rollins, and I’m a spotlight junkie.” The fans chant “Spotlight Junkie!” and also sing, but McIntyre says everything is just a joke to Rollins, isn’t it? Look at Rollins! He’s a parody of himself at this point. But honestly, McIntyre doesn’t care. He tried reasoning, he gave the answers, and now he only cares about their match and the world title. And you wanna know the real punchline, funny man? “What?” McIntyre says they say that because they’re happy McIntyre sidelined Punk, thanks for remembering!

But the punchline is when McIntyre beats Rollins for that title. The fans chant for “C M PUNK!” but McIntyre says don’t be ridiculous. Punk’s waiting until next week to return because he’d never show up in a place like Raleigh. The fans boo but McIntyre says see, they’re booing Punk! Punk is only getting off his couch to be at his local arena. Rollins tells McIntyre to shut up already. Oh, seems McIntyre got Rollins’ attention. Rollins takes off the sunglasses to say yeah, McIntyre has his attention. Because this isn’t a joke! When Rollins says he is a junkie, it isn’t a joke! He’s been doing this for 20 YEARS! Just like McIntyre!

And every time Rollins comes out of the curtain, that’s his fix. And it gets better and better every single time. Rollins comes out here, lays it all on the line, and it just gets better and better! When he hears the fans sing the song so loud, Rollins can barely speak, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” That’s Rollins’ fix! That is the spotlight he craves, and y’know what? Rollins wants the spotlight as bright as it can possibly be. So yeah, McIntyre’s been busy online entertaining people with memes, so he hasn’t been listening to Rollins. So Rollins will get this through McIntyre’s thick skull: Night One, Rollins takes the biggest star in Hollywood and his side chick, and makes them his b*tches!

Then on Night Two, the biggest spotlight possible will be shined down on McIntyre and Rollins and the World Heavyweight Championship! McIntyre says all hail the savior, Seth Rollins! This is what McIntyre wanted! The passion and desire, not the stupid laughing and dancing. Rollins had McIntyre all the way to the finish. Rollins has done this 20 years, just like McIntyre. They’ve given their lives to this industry, and that is what the title is about! The wrestlers’ title, the workhorse championship! Rollins had McIntyre with him until he mentioned the bigger spotlight and how Rollins pins one of the biggest stars in the world.

Why can’t it just be about Rollins’ hard work to make that title, and all of McIntyre’s hard work to get this chance? Why can’t that be the reason they’re getting the biggest spotlight!? Rollins has had his priorities all backwards, McIntyre has been giving him all the answers. McIntyre said he is over the BS, and all he cares about is Rollins making it to the ring on Night Two. And if Rollins can’t walk, then McIntyre will wheel him down. If not, McIntyre will carry Rollins down. At Mania, McIntyre doesn’t get the moment he deserves. He gets the moment he has bloody EARNED. The fans do cheer that!

Rollins smirks and says, “Ah, Drew. There it is. That’s right, you wanna call me a spotlight junkie, but you want the spotlight just as bad as I do, don’t you? You’re an addict, just like I am. And you’ve been begging for spotlight for the past four years, because you won the WrestleMania main event. You did, back in 2020, in an empty warehouse. And all we’ve been hearing from Drew McIntyre for the past four years was how that wasn’t good enough. You’ve been whining and complaining and bitching and moaning that you deserve better, that you deserve more. The problem is, Drew, when everybody came back around, and the lights got bright again, what happened? You fumbled the ball.

“And that’s the difference between you and me. When the lights are the brightest, I shine, baby. I shine bright. And at WrestleMania 40, the lights are gonna be as bright as they have ever been. And you are gonna find out you are not as good as you think you are.” Rollins drops the mic, but this time McIntyre smirks. The verbal battle continues, but who will put their money where their mouth is once this one finally happens?

 

Becky Lynch speaks.

“I’m a wanted woman, and I don’t even have the title. Yet. But we’re less than three weeks away from WrestleMania, so why would I risk it all? Because I don’t know anything else. All I know is taking risks. All I know is fighting. And all I know is tonight, I’m gonna be the Last Woman Standing.” Becky is fired up to finally do what she hasn’t done in the most extreme way possible. Will she be the immovable object to Nia’s irresistible force?

 

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: The New Day VS The Alpha Academy!

Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods have been W, W, E, World, Tag, Team, CHAMPIONS~, but they’ve never been a part of a title match as big as this Six Pack Ladder challenge! Will they look to be part of history once again? Or will Akira Tozawa & Otis say “A THANK YEW~!” for this golden opportunity?

Raw returns as the Academy makes their entrance. The teams sort out and Woods starts against the tree trunk, Otis. The fans rally for “NEW! DAY ROCKS!” Otis and Woods tie up, but Woods kicks low then headlocks. Otis powers up and out then runs Woods over! Otis storms up on Woods, GUT RAMS him back down, then brings him back up. Otis GUT RAMS Woods again, then runs to CLOBBER Woods! Otis swivels his hips, the fans echo “Oh~ yeah!” Otis tags Tozawa and the Academy mugs Woods. Tozawa brings Woods around but Woods CHOPS! Woods tags Kofi, he and Kofi double whip Tozawa but Tozawa holds ropes!

Tozawa fires hands, dodges Woods then BOOTS Woods down! Kofi kicks low, whips Tozawa to a corner, but Tozawa BOOTS Kofi away! Tozawa goes up to FLYING RANA! The fans fire up as Tozawa sees New Day regroup outside. Tozawa runs to DIVE! Direct hit on both New Day, and Otis joins in for “A THANK YEW~!” The Academy stands tall as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Tozawa fights a chinlock. Tozawa reaches for Otis but Woods back suplexes. Tozawa lands out to then DROPKICK Woods down! The fans rally as Woods and Tozawa crawl, hot tags to Otis and Kofi! Otis CLOBBERS Kofi, CLOBBERS him again, then whips him to ropes. WRECKER ELBOW! Woods runs in, Otis dodges, to LARIAT! Otis sees Kofi leap off the corner, and catches him for a WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM! Otis rips the shirt off, winds up the hips, and then starts up the CATERPILLAR! ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Kofi survives but Otis hurries to step on him! Tag to Tozawa, and Otis goes up!

Otis VADER BOMBS but FLOPS as Kofi moves! Tozawa hurries up top while Kofi SUPERKICKS Otis! Kofi turns around into the CROSSBODY from Tozawa! Cover, TWO! Tozawa SUPERKICKS Kofi but Woods tags in! Woods GAMANGIRIS Tozawa, then steps in to TORNADO DDT! Cover, TWO! Tozawa toughs it out but Woods grits his teeth as he goes to the corner. Woods climbs, but Tozawa rises! Tozawa throws body shots, Woods CLUBS Tozawa! Tozawa throws more hands and climbs up! The fans rally as they brawl up top! Tozawa brings Woods up but Woods fights the lift! Woods throws body shots in return!

Woods shifts position to get under Tozawa for a fireman’s carry! But then Tozawa pops up to SUPER STEINER!! Tozawa rips off his shirt, climbs back up top, SUPER SENTON!! Cover, Kofi breaks it! The fans fire up but Otis drags Kofi out! Otis whips Kofi at steps, Kofi goes up and jumps off the steps to TORNADO DDT to the floor! Kofi hurries back up to the apron but Tozawa SCREW HIGH KICKS him down! Tozawa dodges Woods, pop-up, but Woods blocks the rana to then SPINNING POWERBOMB! Woods sees the WrestleMania sign, hurries up the corner, and he tightrope walks! LIMIT BREAK ELBOW!! Cover, New Day wins!

Winners: The New Day, by pinfall (advance to WrestleMania)

The New Day are the ones saying A THANK YEW~ as they put their names down for the Six Pack Ladder Match! Will they once again climb to the top of the WWE Tag Team Division and bring home those championships?

 

Liv Morgan confronts Becky Lynch.

Becky asks if she’ll have to watch out for Liv as well. Well, you should always #WatchMe, but no, not tonight. Nia is all Becky’s. Liv just wants Becky to kick Nia’s ass. Liv leaves, will Becky kick ass and then some?

 

Cody walks with his dog, Pharaoh, backstage.

Rollins finds him and brings up Friday. One on one? One on one. Rollins nods and says he loves Pharaoh’s bandanna. The Visionary trusts the American Nightmare can handle himself, but will we be able to trust The Tribal Chief?

 

Last Woman Standing: Becky Lynch VS Nia Jax!

From the origins of “The Man” in WWE to the aftermath of Elimination Chamber: Perth, these two have battled, but never as brutally as this! They’re able to go anywhere and do anything, but who will be the Last Woman Standing this close to WrestleMania 40?

The bell rings and the two rush in! Becky DROPKICKS Nia and Nia goes to a corner. Becky runs in but Nia puts Becky on the apron. Becky ROCKS Nia, goes up a corner, then leaps to MISSILE DROPKCIK! Nia stumbles and tumbles out of the ring, so Becky WRECKS her with another dropkick! Becky then goes to the apron for a FLYING FOREARM! Nia stays up, Becky tries again, but Nia dodges! Fireman’s carry and Nia POSTS Becky, to then SAMOAN DROP her into barriers! The ref counts as Becky is down, but she stands at 4 of 10. Nia CLOBBERS Becky and wants the count! The count climbs but Nia is impatient.

Nia clears off the desk, Becky stands at 5 of 10, and she leans against barriers. Becky comes back with body shots and haymakers, but Nia ROCKS her with a forearm! Becky staggers away as Raw goes to break!

Raw returns and Becky is bringing out a table! The fans fire up as Becky sets that up ringside. There’s been a lot of chaos during the break according to commentary, from chairs to kendo sticks to even a copy of Becky’s book, The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl! But Nia storms over to stop Becky and SMACK her off the desk! Nia puts Becky in the ring, takes that table for her own and sets it up. The table doesn’t cooperate and fans boo, but Nia goes for chairs instead. She slides those in the ring, Becky manages to stand at 7 of 10, and she grabs at those chairs. Nia ditches the table, it just doesn’t wanna work.

Nia storms in but Becky JAMS her with a chair, SMACKS her with it, then clinches! Nia fights the slam, fireman’s carries Becky, and FULL METAL SAMOAN DROPS!! Becky writhes from hitting chairs but Nia looms over her. Nia soaks up the heat as she counts along. Becky flounders to ropes and drags herself up at 7! Nia sits a chair up, fans want a table, but Nia scoops Becky. Becky slips around to a SLEEPER! Nia RAMS Becky into buckles again and again until Becky lets go. But then Becky BULLDOGS Nia off the chair! Nia is down for the count now, and Becky leans against ropes to stay up herself.

Nia stirs at 5, stands at 8, but Becky is up top! Becky leaps, into a CHAIR SHOT! Nia SMACKS Becky again and again and again! The fans boo but Nia finally stops. Nia puts that chair aside and goes out to get some kendo sticks! Nia puts those in, but Becky grabs one! Nia snatches it from her to SMACK! And SMACK! And SMACK! Becky sputters and staggers, Nia clinches and scoops! Nia SLAMS Becky onto chairs! Then Nia runs to drop the leg, brother! Nia wants the count and the count begins! Becky sputters as we reach 5 of 10. Becky grabs that kendo stick but Nia SMACKS Becky with a chair! And again!

Nia kicks Becky around, then uses the chair to take a seat on Becky’s body!! The fans boo as the count begins, but Becky SMACKS Nia with the kendo stick! And again and again and again, even in the butt! Nia stands up, into more shots! Becky stands and she fires away until Nia scurries out of the ring! Becky pursues but Nia CLOBBERS her! Nia pulls the steel steps apart now, and takes that top half to RAM Becky down! Becky flounders, Nia hauls her up and puts her in the ring. Becky’s on the apron and Nia takes aim! Nia runs up, APRN LEG DROP only gets apron! Becky avoids disaster, then has Nia by the steps! DDT onto the steel!

Nia is down again and the count begins. Nia stirs at 5 of 10, sits up at 6, but Becky SMACKS her off steps! Nia falls over again and the count resets. Becky hurries to go looking for things while Nia rises again. Becky has a new table! The fans fire up as Becky gets that in the ring. Nia stands at 7, staggers after Becky, and Raw goes back to break.

Raw returns once again and Nia mugs Becky against barriers! Nia puts Becky on a table, and surprise! There’s a ladder set up now! Nia climbs the ladder?! She also demands Pat support the ladder. But Becky gets off the table so now Nia has no reason to be up there. Nia storms after Becky, but gets a FIRE EXTINGUISHER BLAST!! The fans fire up as Becky cools Nia off, then JAMS her with the canister! Becky puts Nia in the ring, and there’s a table waiting in a corner! Becky lines up the shot, and runs in, but Nia SAMOAN DROPS Becky through the table!!! Both women are down in the wreckage and the count begins!

Nia flounders away from the wreckage but she still needs to stand. Nia is up at 5, and she isn’t satisfied with this! She drags Becky all the way to another corner and puts her in the drop zone! Nia climbs up, for the A-NIA-LATOR!! Nia shouts for the count, the count begins, and Nia storms around as she points to the Mania sign. Becky is still down at 5 of 10, only starts stirring at 7, and she slumps out of the ring to stand up! Nia is furious, goes out after Becky, and kicks things aside to keep after her. Nia asks if Becky’s vision is blurry. Nia fireman’s carries Becky up the steel steps and along the apron, aiming for that other table!

The fans freak out but Becky fights with elbows! Becky CLUBS away on Nia and the fans are thunderous! Becky then clinches, for a MANHANDLE SLAM through the table!!! Both women are down int he wreckage again, and the count begins! Becky sits up at 4 while fans are still losing their minds! We pass 5 of 10, then 7! Nia sits up at 8 and stands at 9! But then she slumps back over! The count starts again, Nia flounders around and stands at 5. Becky goes up the ladder! Becky sees Nia approaching the desk, and then SUPER MAN’S LEG DROP through the desk!!! The fans lose their minds again while both men are down in more wreckage!

The count is 5 of 10! Becky flounders and crawls, drags herself up at 9, but Nia is still down! BECKY WINS!!

Winner: Becky Lynch

The Man conquers truly one of the most intense challenges in her career! But then here comes one of the most intense champions! The fans fire up as Rhea Ripley makes her way out, Women’s World Championship in hand. She goes right to the ring and looks at Becky. Rhea “congratulates” Becky for winning, but then Becky gets in Rhea’s face! The fans fire up, and now there are no obstacles in the way of Mami VS The Man! Who will be the champion after WrestleMania 40?


My Thoughts:

A great Raw right here, though the in-ring action kinda dipped down until that awesome Last Woman Standing main event. This is one of the times I wish they’d done picture in picture so we as the TV audience could see even more action. Great win for Becky, of course, but I also like that Becky had a moment with Liv just before, and of course she had a moment with Rhea to close out the night. Great promos with Sami and Gable that also blended into the contract signing from tonight. And I suppose Gable has a point that Sami, the comeback kid, can’t do that when Gunther has an arsenal of moves that would be “finishers” given all the different ways Gunther has won over the years.

And speaking of that contract signing segment, I really liked the segue they did in following Sami so that he’d cross paths with Awesome Truth at gorilla and we’d get their segment going into their match. WWE has been doing some really creative stuff in this newest era where Vince is truly out and apparently even Kevin Dunn has moved on. Awesome Truth had a really fun but also really quick tag match with Indus Sher, and then New Day VS Alpha Academy was solid stuff, but DIY VS Creeds was such an awesome match. For a moment, I thought Creeds were gonna take this one but DIY still found a way, and I like that DIY is in. Honestly, I’m liking that the HHH favorites are getting in, because we also have New Catch Republic on the other side that can still win into the match.

Judgment Day had good stuff tonight, too. Good group promo with Andrade to tease El Idolo possibly joining, but who knows if he does. Depends on how things go for Priest. He was watching the qualifiers, he’s not worried, but maybe he should be. Granted, he still has the MITB briefcase, he could go from losing the tag titles to taking the world title, who knows how the Judgment Day’s story is going to go as we move past Mania. Dom VS Ricochet was a really good match, and Ricochet winning was the right move to keep this feud going. I think there’s going to be Ricochet VS McDonagh next week as a rematch from the gauntlet, that’ll be great stuff, too.

Candice’s Heel turn slow burn continues as she takes advantage of the “hurt” leg. Indi also does a good job of being very conflicted about this. There’s a WWE YouTube exclusive where Ivy Nile confronts Candice so that’ll be a match, and then maybe when Candice again goes too far, Indi steps in and we get a match of Candice VS Indi at some point. Good little update promo from CM Punk, he’ll have a great homecoming moment in Chicago, but also probably McIntyre coming after him. McIntyre had a great promo segment with Rollins, and with all these continued moments where the other person gets the mic drop moment, it feels like McIntyre has to win the title.

And of course, great stuff with the Bloodline story even on Raw. Jey and Jimmy have great promos in their confrontation, and of course it turns into a brawl. Good segue from that to Heyman being here, and Heyman confronting Cody during Cody’s great promo segment. Cody really went off on The Rock, that was some wild stuff. But the supposed promise of “one on one and no one else aside from Heyman” might be kept, and we get a strong promo segment on SmackDown in a foreshadowing of the fair-and-square 1v1 match. Or it is a trap and that’s more a foreshadowing of Bloodline Rules where they can do whatever they want. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

My Score: 8.9/10


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Mitchell’s NJPW New Japan Cup Results & Report! (3/18/24)

The semifinals are here!

Published

on

We’re just one step away from the Cup!

Cold Skull faces The Fierce Warrior, and Gene Blast faces The King of Darkness, and when the smoke clears, we will have our New Japan Cup finalists!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • Boltin Oleg & Shoma Kato VS Zack Sabre Jr. & Mikey Nicholls; ZSJ & Mikey win.
  • Six Man Tag: El Desperado, Tomohiro Ishii & Togi Makabe VS Just5Guys; Just5Guys win.
  • Tanga Loa & Ryusuke Taguchi VS Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman; Loa & Taguchi win.
  • Six Man Tag: YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano & Hiroyoshi Tenzan VS Bullet Club; Bullet Club wins.
  • 8 Man Tag: Shota Umino, El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & YOH VS The House of Torture; Shota, ELP, Leo & Yoh win.
  • Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS The United Empire; LIJ wins.
  • 2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: Yota Tsuji VS EVIL; Tsuji wins and advances to the finals.
  • 2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: SANADA VS Hirooki Goto; Goto wins and advances to the finals.

PLAY BY PLAY

2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: Yota Tsuji VS EVIL w/ Dick Togo!

The Gene Blast overcame the tricks Ren Narita tried, but that’s because the House of Torture was saving all the good stuff so they could slay the Rampaging Dragon. Will the deck be even more stacked to make sure Everything is Evil’s? Or will Yota be one step away from LIJ VS LIJ at Sakura Genesis?

Well, Dick is making his way out here, but where is Evil? Oh, there he is. No tricks just yet it seems. But then Yota DIVES onto Evil! The fans fire up but Dick attacks Yota! Dick whips, Yota stops himself, and then scoops Dick for a BACKBREAKER! The fans fire up and Yota wants the bell. The ref says yes, ring the bell, and this is on the record! Yota stomps and CLUBS Evil, then whips, but Evil reverses! Yota hits railing, and then Evil whips him into more railing! Evil CHOKES Yota against the railing, Yota fights back, but the ref gets knocked aside! Evil puts Yota in so he and Dick can stomp away!

The fans boo but here comes the rest of the House already! Narita, Yujiro, Kanemaru and Jack all stomp away on Yota, but here come Bushi & Hiromu! It’s a replay of yesterday as LIJ fights off the House, but the numbers are still against them! The ref rushes in to tell everyone to stop! Evil shoves the ref out of the ring, Yota fires off on him, but Evil CLAWS Yota’s eyes! The House CHOKES LIJ, but the ref says stop! The bell rings, but what is the decision!? NO CONTEST!?

No Contest

What does this mean!? Someone has to advance, right? The finals aren’t until the 20th, how can there be a no contest? The House started this, where’re the consequences?! Yota gets up but Evil TOSSES him back out! LIJ regroups and Yota asks for a mic. Yota tells Evil that he’s sick and tired of this! They ARE gonna finish this match! The fans like the sound of that! All the refs come out, including Red Shoes, to discuss how this will be handled. For starters, they tell all the extras to get outta here! LIJ is cool with that, and Hiromu tells the House to come along. Evil says fine, and Jack, Kanemaru, Narita, Yujiro and even Dick reluctantly exit.

The announcement is officially made, and the bell rings! Yota and Evil rush in, Evil kicks low but Yota CLUBS away on Evil! Evil CLAWS the eyes! Evil kicks, runs, RAMS, but Yota rebounds to run Evil over! Then run and SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Yota fires up and the fans are with him! Evil bails out but the fans rally for Yota. Evil wants Yota to stay back, then he slides in, only to slide right out! Yota runs out after Evil, but Evil kicks him! Evil RAMS Yota into the timekeeper! Abe-san and his table go flying! Evil gets the mic to tell Yota that this is what he gets! The fans boo but Evil tells them off, too! Evil stomps Yota then soaks up the heat.

Evil unties the blue buckle pad himself, then waits in the ring. The ref checks Yota and the fans rally up again. The Young Lions help Abe-san while Yota drags himself up. Yota slides in, the fans cheer, but Evil pulls on Yota’s hair! Evil wrenches the hair, then wrenches it again! And again! Evil CLUBS the hair! The ref reprimands but Evil just dusts off his hands. Evil covers, but the ref refuses to count! Evil is furious but he’s the one up to no good! The ref still says no, so Evil stands on Yota’s head. The fans rally up, Yota rises, and he grins as he winds up to ROCK Evil with a forearm! And ROCK him with another!

Yota ROCKS Evil again, but Evil whips him into the bare buckles! Yota falls and the ref reprimands about the missing buckle pad. Evil stomps Yota, covers, TWO! The fans cheer but Evil is annoyed. Evil scuffs Yota, taunts him, and drags him up. Evil CHOPS, Yota drops to his knees, but Evil stands him back up. Evil CHOPS again and Yota grits his teeth as he drops to his knees! Evil stands Yota up again, to fake the chop to CLAW the eyes! The ref reprimands, Evil lets off, and then Evil stands on Yota in a corner. The ref counts, Evil lets go of the ropes but that’s not the problem! Evil steps away, drags Yota up but claims he’s dead weight.

The ref checks, Evil stands Yota up and wrenches an arm. Evil whips Yota into a corner, runs in, but into a BOOT! Evil runs in again, blocks the boot, but Yota brings Evil in for the STOMP! The fans fire up while Yota rests on the mat. The fans rally up and Yota rises again. Evil’s in the corner, runs out, but into the BACKBREAKER! COMPLETE SHOT! STOMP! The fans fire up again as Yota stands back up. Yota runs, to CURB STOMP!! Yota roars and the fans fire up again! Evil flounders while Yota aims. Yota runs in, but the ref is used as a shield! Evil kicks Yota low, then uses the ref in MAGIC KILLER!

All three men are down while the fans rally up again. Evil stands, he brings Yota up, and the ref also rises. Evil whips Yota into the bare buckles, then clotheslines him in! Then FISHERMAN BUSTER! Cover, but Evil lets off?! Evil wants to torture Yota but it’s hard to say if Yota is still even in this. Yota opens his eyes, rises up, but Evil fireman’s carries! DARKNESS FALLS! Cover, TWO!! Yota survives, the fans fire up, but Evil is furious! Evil slashes his throat and vows to end this now! Evil drags Yota up, spins him around, but Yota fights the STO with elbows! Evil kicks low, whips again, but Yota stops from hitting buckles!

Evil runs in, Yota dodges and Evil hits the buckles! SUPERKICK!! Both men are down again and the fans fire back up! We’re only ten minutes into this new match but this is on top of the madness from earlier. Evil drags Yota up, but Yota ROCKS Evil! Evil fights Yota’s fireman’s carry and CLUBS him, but both men wobble. Evil LARIATS, but Yota stays up! The fans fire up but Evil swings to LARIAT again! Yota drops to a knee, but he grins through the pain! Evil says alright, and he throws off his elbow pad. Evil runs to LARIAT! Yota grits his teeth to stay up! V-TRIGGER! Yota brings Evil in, suplexes, ORANGE CRUSH! Cover, TWO!!

Evil is still in this but the fans rally behind Yota again. Yota rises, drags Evil up, and then goes to the corner. Yota goes up and up and Evil moves the ref into the way! The ref takes the FLYING CURB STOMP!!! And now the House returns! The fans boo as Kanemaru, Dick, Yujiro, Narita & Jack all stomp away on Yota again! The fans tell them to go home, again, but these guys don’t care! They just put one out on Yota. They whip Yota to a corner, then DIck runs in to ELBOW! Kanemaru ELBOWS! Yujiro BOOTS! Jack SPLASHES! Narita ELBOWS! Then they snapmare and set Yota up! Dick climbs for the DICK CHOP!!

The fans boo but the House applauds their own dirtiness. But here come Bushi & Hiromu again! But they just get mugged again! They set Hiromu up for the DICK CHOP, while Bushi gets a JACK CHOP! The House then slithers away before a replacement ref rushes out here. Evil drags Yota up, winds up and runs, to LARIAT!! Cover, TWO!!! Yota survives and the fans are thunderous! Evil is at a loss for words, but he slashes his throat! He vows to end it for real, and he reels Yota in. EVERYTHING IS- Yota flips through!? And HEADBUTTS!! The fans fire up as Yota reels Evil in for a fireman’s carry! 70 CROSS!! Cover, TWO!!

Evil survives the swinging spinebuster and the House cheers! Yota drags himself to a corner, drags himself up with the ropes, and roars as he takes aim! Evil rises, but Yujiro distracts! Dick runs in, but gets a V-TRIGGER! The ref sees Dick, but misses the LOW BLOW! Then Evil RAMS Yota into the ref! That’s the second ref this match! Narita gets his push-up bar! The others set Yota up, but here comes SHINGO TAKAGI! The Rampaging Dragon has seen enough, and he’s still pissed from yesterday as it is! He dodges Narita to PUMPING BOMBER! Kanemaru & Yujiro kick Takagi, double whip, but he DOUBLE PUMPING BOMBERS!!

Jack gets in, but he gets ELBOW, JAB and YUKON LARIAT! Evil runs up but Takagi SWATS Evil’s lariat to JAB! Then feed to Hiromu’s SUPERKICK! Hiromu & Takagi set Evil up for Bushi’s BLACK MIST!! Evil can’t see, the PUMPING BOMBER turns him inside-out!! The fans are thunderous as LIJ helps Yota up! Red Shoes hurries out here, and Yota aims at Evil! GENE BLASTER!!! Cover, Yota wins!!!

Winner: Yota Tsuji, by pinfall (advances to the finals)

The House of Torture ran out of tricks, and now there is light at the end of the tournament! Will Yota do LIJ proud and bring home the Cup?

 

2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: SANADA VS Hirooki Goto!

One down, one to go. Yota Tsuji has made it through, now we see who joins him in the finals! Will the Cold Skull or Fierce Warrior be the one that steps closer to former glory?

The bell rings and the fans duel between “GO-TO-O!” and “SA-NA-DA!” Red Shoes measures the levels, and it seems to slightly favor Goto. Goto and Sanada circle, tie up, and are in a deadlock. Goto gets some leverage to put Sanada against ropes, but he lets off slowly. Goto pats Sanada on the shoulders and the fans cheer. The two reset, circle again, and tie up again. It’s another deadlock, but again Goto finds a way to put Sanada on ropes. Sanada turns things around, lets off slowly, and also pats Goto on the shoulders. The fans applaud and the two reset again. They feel things out, knuckle lock, then move to a clinch.

They fight for control, Sanada starts pushing Goto towards a corner but Goto slips away. They feel things out, knuckle lock again, then break. They tie up collar ‘n’ elbow, Goto waistlocks, but Sanada wrenches to wristlock. Goto rolls, wrenches, wristlocks, but Sanada spins, wrenches, only for Goto to roll! Goto gets a leg to trip Sanada up, and he has a toehold. Sanada fights back with a chinlock but Goto pulls on the leg. Sanada uses his free leg to hook Goto into an ARMBAR, but Goto clasps hands! Goto moves around, pops free, then headlocks. Sanada fights up, Goto grinds the headlock, but Sanada throws body shots.

Sanada powers up and out, but Goto runs him over! The fans rally as things speed up, and Goto counters hip toss with hip toss! Goto runs and he clotheslines Sanada up and out! The fans fire up and Goto slides out after Sanada. Goto stomps Sanada, drags him up, then CLUBS him on the neck! Sanada staggers, Goto CHOPS him, then kicks him, then CLUBS him! Goto whips but Sanada stops himself from hitting railing! Goto runs in but Sanada drop toeholds him into the railing! Goto goes down in a heap, but Sanada opens the gate. Sanada brings Goto through, then to the crowd! PILEDRIVER to the bare floor!

The fans are stunned but Red Shoes reprimands. Sanada leaves Goto behind and slides into the ring. The fans rally for Goto as the ring count begins. Goto crawls at 5 of 20, finds his way to ringside at 10, but still hobbles and crawls. He stands at 17 to slide in! The fans cheer, but Sanada stomps Goto. Sanada drags Goto up, CLUBS him on the neck, then brings him back up to CLUB him again. Goto CHOPS! And CHOPS! Sanada eggs Goto on so Goto CHOPS again! Goto whips, Sanada reverses to RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Cover, TWO! Sanada keeps cool and sits Goto up into a chinlock. Goto endures and the fans rally again.

Goto kicks forward, reaches out, but Sanada cranks on the hold! Goto keeps fighting, and has the ROPEBREAK! Sanada lets go cleanly, but then he stomps Goto while he’s down. Sanada then stands Goto up to CLUB him on the neck. Goto CHOPS in return! And CHOPS, and CHOPS, and has Sanada in a corner! Goto CHOPS again, then whips corner to corner. Goto runs in, but Sanada BOOTS first! Sanada runs, Goto follows, and Goto LARIATS Sanada down! The fans fire up and Goto rises, clutching his neck. Goto stands Sanada up to fire off forearms, then he whips corner to corner. Goto runs in, MURAMASA!

Sanada wobbles, into the SAIDO! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up while Goto grits his teeth. Goto drags Sanada up, fireman’s carries, but Sanada fights free! Sanada waistlocks, Goto throws elbows, then runs. Sanada hurdles, hurdles, and DROPKICKS! Goto tumbles out of the ring, Sanada PLANCHAS him down! The fans fire up and Sanada encourages them to get louder. The fans get louder and Sanada appreciates it. Sanada then goes back for Goto, brings him up and puts him in the ring. Sanada fireman’s carries but Goto throws elbows! Sanada turns around into Goto’s fireman’s carry, but then slips out into the dragon sleeper!

But Goto arm-drags free! Sanada kicks low, runs, but Goto follows! Sanada dodges this time, runs again, but Goto still follows! Sanada sidesteps this time, but Goto holds ropes to avoid the hurdle! Goto runs in, but Sanada fireman’s carries! T K O! Cover, TWO! Goto is still in this and the fans rally up! Sanada goes up the corner, ROUNDING BODY- NO, Sanada has to land out as Goto moves! Sanada runs in, but into the fireman’s carry! USHIGOROSHI! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! They cheer on “GO-TO-O!” but the “SA-NA-DA!” chants are still there. Red Shoes checks them both, and both men slowly rise.

The two crawl towards each other, and Goto fires a forearm! Sanada shakes his head, eggs Goto on, so Goto throws another! Goto eggs Sanada on, so Sanada fires a forearm! Goto fires a forearm back, and the two stand. Sanada UPPERCUTS! Goto comes back to forearm! Sanada UPPERCUTS again, and Goto drops back to a knee! The fans rally, Goto stands again, and he forearms! UPPERCUT, forearm, repeat! Goto growls, fires a flurry of forearms, and he ROCKS Sanada! Sanada drops to his hand and knees but Goto powers up! Goto KICKS but Sanada blocks! Goto fires more forearms, then waistlocks, but Sandaa fights free!

Sanada runs, but Goto fireman’s carries! And he throws Sanada into the dragon sleeper! But Sanada turns around and suplexes, for MAGIC SCREW! Both men are down again and the fans fire back up! Sanada roars as he rises up, and he aims from a corner. Sanada wants Goto to get up, and Goto sits up, into the SHINING WIZARD! Sanada then dragon sleepers, for the SKULL END!! Goto endures, flails, reaches out, but he’s caught in the body scissors! Goto fights around but he’s fading! The fans rally, Goto’s hand drops! Sanada lets him go to then climb! ROUNDING BODY PRESS! Cover, TWO!!

The fans fire up as Goto survives but Sanada storms around. Sanada drags Goto up, reels him in and clinches, but Goto slips free to shove Sanada away! Sanada forearms, ROLLING- HEADBUTT from Goto! The fans fire up and duel, and Goto drags Sanada up. But Sanada breaks free! Goto HEADBUTTS again! Sanada falls back down and Goto steadies himself. Goto roars, the fans are with him, and Goto sits Sanada up. Goto runs to PENALTY KICK! Shoutout to Shibata and the fans fire up more! Sanada grits his teeth as he sits back up but Goto takes aim! BUZZSAW! And then he hauls Sanada up to dragon sleeper! G T- BACKSLIDE COUNTER! TWO!!!

Sanada and Goto hurry up, Sanada dodges to O’Conner BRIDGE!! TWO?!!? Goto escapes and shocks everyone! Sanada resets, runs in, SHINING WIZARD!! The fans are thunderous as Sanada roars and drags Goto back up! Clinch and DEAD- NO, Goto slips around to ripcord and fireman’s carry! G T W!! Cover, TWO?!?!? Sanada survives but Goto is all fired up! The fans are thunderous as Goto dragon sleepers for G T R!!! Cover, GOTO WINS!!!

Winner: Hirooki Goto, by pinfall (advances to the finals)

Don’t call it a comeback, Goto’s been here for years! Sanada’s hopes of being IWGP World Heavyweight Champion again have been delayed, how long must he wait for another chance?

As for Goto, he’s going back to the New Japan Cup Finals for the first time since 2016, and his seventh overall! But before he can get the mic to speak, Yota makes his way back out here. Yota steps into the ring and he gets the mic first. Yota tells Goto, “In order to open the door to a new era, we must do this.” The fans applaud that, and Yota continues by asking Goto, “Are you ready?!” Yota drops the mic at Goto’s feet, and Goto stands up to speak. “I also have something I want to show you. As a three-time New Japan Cup Champion, I will show you my strength.” The fans like the sound of that!

The Fierce Warrior stares down with Gene Blast, a true generational showdown on the horizon! Will Goto return not juts to former glory, but finally ascend to top of NJPW? Or will Yota make it LIJ VS LIJ for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship?


My Thoughts:

A great semifinal round for this tournament, with quite a surprising main event. Sanada VS Goto was great stuff, and while I felt Sanada wasn’t winning the Cup, I didn’t think he’d be out this round. Yota VS Evil was rather creatively put together, too. I did not think the House would get so involved that at first it was a No Contest but then they restart under a ringside ban. Takagi making sure Yota won was good stuff, too, maybe we can get Takagi VS Evil for the NEVER Openweight Championship if they’re not gonna circle back to more Shota Umino VS House of Torture stuff.

Goto VS Yota is going to be great stuff, and Goto is clearly a top utility guy. He’s had so many New Japan Cup finals appearances, certainly among the most ever, but I don’t think he gets a fourth Cup win against Yota, one of the “new era Musketeers” that NJPW clearly loves. Yota VS Naito is definitely the title match for Sakura Genesis.

My Score: 8.9/10


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