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Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (12/21/20)

Is The Fiend nothing but ash?

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WWE Raw Coverage 3.0

What is in store for Raw with what’s left in 2020?

After TLC, Drew McIntyre is STILL WWE World Champion, we have NEW Raw and Women’s Tag Team Champions, but what about The Fiend?! Has the Viper vanquished him once and for all?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler VS Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke; Nia & Shayna win.
  • WWE 24/7 Championship Very Important Photobombing: R-Truth retains the title.
  • Angel Garza VS Drew Gulak; Garza wins.
  • Ricochet VS T-Bar w/ Retribution; T-Bar wins.
  • The Hurt Business VS Jeff Hardy & Matt Riddle; The Hurt Business wins.
  • Jaxson Ryker w/ Elias VS Gran Metalik w/ Lince Dorado; Ryker wins.
  • Charlotte Flair & Asuka VS Peyton Royce & Lacey Evans; Charlotte & Asuka win.
  • Six Man Tag Street Fight: Drew McIntyre, Sheamus & Keith Lee VS The Miz, John Morrison & AJ Styles w/ Jordon Omogbehin; McIntyre, Sheamus & Lee win.

PLAY BY PLAY

Charlotte Flair returns to Raw!

The Queen and the Empress reign together as the NEW WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions! It was quite the return for Charlotte, having been out six months recovering from injuries. Charlotte has a mic to say, “Well, would you look at this? I am in the ThunderDome. And what would the ThunderDome be without the Queen?” Charlotte’s first night, she walks out champion, because that is who she is to the core. Nothing has changed. When a friend asked for help, and there’s something in it for Charlotte, she gladly obliged. “The heartbeat of this division,” Charlotte’s friend and tag partner is ASUKA!

The other half of the new tag team champions makes her entrance as #AsukaTwoBelts! Asuka and Charlotte hug and Asuka is excited to be a double champion! “The Empress of Tomorrow is the DOUBLE~ CHAMPION~ of Today!” She is both Raw Women’s and Women’s Tag Team Champion! It’s a great feeling to be partners with a friend! Nia and Shayna were NOT ready for Asuka, nor were they ready for Charlotte! WOO~! Charlotte wants Asuka to wait a moment. What about the Raw Women’s Championship? But before the discussion can be had, Shayna and Nia storm out!

The former tag team champions join Charlotte and Asuka in the ring, grab some mics, and get in on the conversation. “Charlotte, Charlotte, Charlotte. It’s so good to see you.” Guess it took all six months to heal that arm, but it didn’t fix that robotic voice. So does this soft voice work for you instead, Nia? “I kicked your ass last night~!” Shayna says that’s not robotic, at least. But before they get too comfortable with the tag titles, Nia has a holiday story for them. Santa isn’t the only one with a Naughty or Nice list. Nia and Shayna have a list, too. The only thing is, the naughty don’t get coal. They get “seasons beatings.” Just ask Lana, Kairi Sane, and-

“Mandy~…!” Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke are here! But the Sexy Muscle Friends aren’t in a good mood. Something looks different about each other, but they’re not sure what it is. Oh, Nia and Shayna look different! Shayna looks like Rudolph with a nose job, and Nia just needs the antlers. Oh wait, what’s different is… They’re not tag team champions anymore! So then, move over, these two are coming through! Charlotte likes this attitude. And while this match was already going to happen, the champs say it should happen NOW! A ref arrives, Asuka and Charlotte join commentary, and it is happening! Will the former champions lose twice in 24 hours?

Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler VS Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke!

Raw returns and this match begins with Shayna and Mandy. They tie up, Shayna facelocks and brings Mandy down but Mandy rolls to get free and get an arm. Shayna pushes Mandy over, gets the arm in return, and floats around to push Mandy around. Shayna toys with Mandy, but lets her up to tie up again. Mandy waistlocks, slams Shayna down, then brings her up to slam her again! Shayna gets up, pries free to switch, but Mandy uses a leg to trip Shayna up. Shayna kicks Mandy, Mandy cartwheels to evade then she kicks Shayna down! Cover, ONE!

Mandy puts Shayna in a corner, rams her shoulder in, then tags in Dana. The Sexy Muscle Friends double suplex Shayna hard! Shayna scrambles, tags in Nia and Nia stares Dana down. Dana dodges Nia, throws forearms but Nia headbutts her down! Dana flounders to a corner, dodges Nia but not enough as she gets clipped! Nia drags Dana up, headbutts Dana again, and Asuka is growing worried. Nia digs her boot into Dana, but lets off as the ref counts. Dana gets up but Nia chokes her, then TOSSES her! Nia runs in to corner splash! Dana flops down, Nia talks smack to Mandy, then Nia whips Dana corner to corner, but Dana dodges clean this time!

Dana come back with a handspring back elbow! Dana keeps moving, but Nia blocks the handspring, only to get an around the world headscissors! Tag to Mandy, they chop block and KENE FROM A ROSE Nia out! Shayna hurries over but Dana wrecks her with a dropkick! The Sexy Muscle Friends stand tall, then LEAP onto the former champs with double crossbodies! Asuka is fired up for Dana and Mandy, and Charlotte is fired up that Asuka is fired up. Charlotte sees Dana and Mandy flexing on Nia and Shayna, and they put Nia in. Mandy follows but Nia knocks her down! Nia stalks back out, drags Mandy up, and throws her into barriers! Nia looms over Mandy as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns and Nia has Mandy in a bearhug. Mandy fights out, kicks and throws forearm after forearm! Mandy kicks again, runs but Nia blocks the knee to CLOBBER Mandy! Nia looms over Mandy, drags her up and tags Shayna in. They mug Mandy, Shayna clubs Mandy down, and Shayna steps on Mandy’s foot to keep her anchored. Shayna SMASHES the knee into the mat! Then she has a standing heel hook on Mandy, leaning on the leg deep. Mandy fights back but Shayna DDT’s the leg! Shayna drags Mandy away, tags Nia back in, and Nia stomps the leg! Nia puts Mandy on the ropes to choke her but lets off as the ref counts.

Nia puts Mandy’s leg on the rope and STOMPS it! Mandy crawls but Nia stays in her way. Nia pie faces Mandy, kicks her around, then drags her back up. Mandy breaks free to fire off body shots! Nia shoves Mandy to the corner but Mandy boots her away! Mandy ROCKS Nia, but Nia CLOBBERS Mandy again! Nia drags Mandy away, and drops the leg, only to miss! Mandy hurries, reaches, but Nia has a leg. Mandy kicks Nia away, Shayna tags in and she DECKS Dana! Mandy hits Shayna back, dodges her and LARIATS! Mandy rallies and Asuka fires up on commentary! Mandy gets a snap suplex! Shayna goes to a corner, but she dodges Mandy, only for Mandy to elbow back!

Mandy bumps Shayna off buckles, throws forearms, then snapmares Shayna to run. Dana tags in before the KNEE FROM A ROSE! Dana handspring SPLASHES! Cover, TWO! They almost had the Queen of Spades! Dana drags Shayna up, ducks a kick to give an enziguri! Dana hurries up top, leaps, SWANTON! Cover, but Nia shoves Mandy and drags Dana off the cover! Mandy comes back with a FLYING KNEE! Dana handsprings and elbows Nia into the post! The Sexy Muscle Friends regroup but Shayna KICKS Mandy down! Dana ghost pins Shayna, TWO! Shayna gets Mandy for the swinging BACKBREAKER!

Shayna drags Dana by her arm, wrenches it, locks it in, and- Dana dodges the stomp to roll Shayna into buckles! High stack, TWO!! KIRAFUDA KLUTCH!! Dana taps, Shayna and Nia win!

Winners: Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax, by submission

So close and yet so far from victory, Dana and Mandy couldn’t put away the former champions! Shayna eggs Charlotte on but Mandy dropkicks her down! Then the Sexy Muscle Friends both DUMP Nia out! Mandy and Dana lost the match but the race is still on! Will the wrestling royals have to watch their backs against even friends?

 

The Hurt Business arrive backstage.

And they immediately spot someone wearing a New Day shirt. It was an early Christmas present… Well, maybe he didn’t get the memo. Wardrobe change! They literally RIP the New Day shirt off this guy, and force him to wear a Hurt Business shirt. Now that looks good! Merry Christmas!

 

Raw returns with the VIP Lounge!

MVP, the WWE United States Champion, Bobby Lashley, and the NEW Raw Tag Team Champions head to the ring for this “Champions Edition” of their talk show. “If ever there was a time for a champagne celebration, it is tonight!” And what better place to celebrate than the most exclusive club in all of the WWE? So allow MVP to indulge himself as he says, “Once again the Hurt Business is in the ring, so that can only mean one thing. Big things poppin’, little things stoppin’. So relax and enjoy the view, because the VIP Lounge is for champions … people who are better than you.”

Shelton Benjamin starts by saying they showed the world why they are better than ANY tag team on Raw! Cedric Alexander continues to say ESPECIALLY the New Day! The titles now have the prestige they deserve because they are in the Hurt Business. The come-up is over, because this is PRIME Alexander! Forget about pancakes, unicorns and all that. The Hurt Business has champagne and custom made suits! Right, Mr. CEO? Lashley says they are the most dominant force in the WWE. Get used to this view. Alexander and Benjamin have proven themselves as dominant, and Lashley promises not a man on this earth can beat him for the US Championship.

So to commemorate the occasion, MVP has a photographer to capture these moments for posterity. They gather together, hold up the belts, and the pictures are taken. Looking good, right? Wait, R-Truth is photobombing them! But he is a champion so… Wait, here come the “contenders!” Erik, Titus O’Neil, Akira Tozawa, and the Lucha House Party, chase Truth around the ring then back up the ramp, through the Christmas trees and presents, and then backstage! Lince Dorado snatches a present! And before the Hurt Business can respond, Jeff Hardy and Matt Riddle are here! And they have mics!

MVP says they were NOT invited! Wait the 24/7 Championship chase is still going in the background. Riddle congratulates the bros on the big win. And he’s digging the celebration. But they’ve got a couple of things wrong. You don’t need to waste money at the clubs. They just need to chill with the homies, throw a disk around, get a little toasted, and listen to Joe Rogan or watch Dave Chapelle to escape “the day to day, existential grind that live is.” Y’know what Riddle means? Hold on he has more. There’s no reason to spread negative vibes, because in the end, we’re all the same: self-aware, carbon matter that is on a rock hurling through space. So just chill-

No, they’re NOT the same. Riddle doesn’t even know what he’s talking about but no one cares about his hair-brain concepts. Why are they here? Hardy translates: there are more important things in life than status and money. So Hardy and Riddle would rather die with pride than live with greed. But facing MVP and Lashley means having something more than money can buy: faith. Will the Hardy Bros get a big win at the expense of the Hurt Business?

 

Angel Garza VS Drew Gulak!

Raw returns as Sarah interviews the Lethal Lothario backstage. Garza knows he faces Gulak for the first time ever, but these are the holidays! What better way to celebrate than to give the women of the world the #GiftOfGarza? Speaking of gifts, a rose for Sarah. Yes, Garza is up against Gulak, but he will be thinking of Sarah. Maybe they can have an interview under the mistletoe? From one former Cruiserweight Champion to another, will Gulak give Garza the gift of a lesson in grappling?

The bell rings, Gulak rushes Garza and they tie up. Gulak puts Garza in a corner, the ref counts and Gulak backs off. Garza takes off the pants, and throws them at Gulak! Garza then sucker punches Gulak, puts on a facelock but Gulak hits back! Gulak scoops to a backbreaker! Gulak throws hands, Garza turns things around and CHOPS! Gulak boots, Garza blocks and has the legs in the ropes to ROCK Garza with a right! Then KNEES Gulak in the side! Cover, ONE!! Garza keeps on Gulak, drags him around and digs his forearms in. Garza drags Gulak up to get the arm and pulls back. Gulak elbows Garza’s leg, gets around and puts on a cobra twist!

Garza endures, chokes Gulak and shoves Gulak down! Garza brings Gulak back up, whips him to ropes and hip tosses him down! Cover, TWO! Garza is after Gulak again, but Gulak throws elbows and haymakers! Gulak throws body shots, whips corner to corner but Garza BOOTS back! Garza waistlocks, Gulak switches but Garza bucks him off to SUPERKICK! Then the underhooks, the lift, and WING CLIPPER! Cover, Garza wins!

Winner: Angel Garza, by pinfall

It seems Garza is both a lover and a fighter! Will Garza continue to fight until he gets what he really loves in a championship?

 

AJ Styles and Jordan “Omos” Omogbehin walk backstage.

Neither is in a good mood after how TLC went down. Charly Caruso asks their reaction to The Miz’s cash-in. “Hot. Livid! Past my boiling point!” Miz screwed Styles out of his championship win! So obviously, still emotional. But if that’s the case, why is Styles being on Miz TV. Styles wants to hear what Miz has to say for himself. And for his sake, it better be good! Will Styles and Omos look to cancel Miz TV after the break?

 

Raw returns with Miz TV!

The Guru of Greatness and Hollywood A-Lister are back with the Most Must-See WWE Talk Show, but clearly they’re not in the best mood. “In life, you’re not often presented with an opportunity to become WWE Champion. Last night, I had the chance to etch my name in the history books as a two-time WWE Champion.” But Miz failed. Not only did he fail himself, but he failed his family. He’s sorry. But that’s not the only apology to be issued tonight. They welcome their guest, AJ Styles! The Phenomenal One, and Omos, join Miz and Morrison in the ring, and Styles keeps Omos from going after Morrison.

Miz explains that he invited Styles to, well, explain his actions. Miz isn’t usually so impulsive, but Styles would’ve done the same in that position. Styles doesn’t want to hear it! Doesn’t Miz realize he is the biggest idiot on earth?! Miz is selfish, and incompetent! Miz cost Styles the WWE Championship, in a Ladder Match, by cashing in the MITB briefcase! You don’t think Miz knows that?! The contract was everything! Ten YEARS ago, Miz cashed in a MITB contract, won the title and main-evented Mania! He wanted the same to happen this year! For 15 YEARS, Miz has dedicated himself to being the poster child of the WWE! And nobody respects him! Nobody cares!

But if Miz cashed in at the right time, and became champion, just maybe someone would respect him! Styles, the fans, everyone! And then he’d take Raw to new heights! But Miz can’t do anything about that now. He can only make it right. So from the bottom of Miz’s heart, soul and with every ounce of dignity he has, he apologizes. But they were both robbed last night. So, it’s the holidays, right? A time for giving and forgiving. So Miz will give Styles an early gift. Miz presents Styles with an opportunity to be part of The Marine 7. Wait, why is he so small on that poster?! Where is Morrison!?

Omos speaks up! Don’t defend Morrison! Morrison was the one who gave the ref the briefcase! Well, because Styles was down, it looked like he was losing, so- But Styles says Morrison also hit Omos with a chair! Omos was gonna make himself a Peanut Butter & Morrison sandwich! Oh big talk having the big man behind you! Styles says is gonna give Morrison a “thunder cookie!” Morison has a five course meal ready for you! Omos moves aside, Miz calms Styles and Morrison down. Because Omos is RIGHT! Morrison cashed Miz’s contract in, Miz is the ONLY one who can cash it in! That’s a LOOPHOLE! Miz demands his contract be revived!

But Drew McIntyre interrupts them here. “Lads, we’ve got ourselves a Six Man Holiday Street Fight later tonight. And if anyone takes you guys out, it’s not each other. It’s gonna be Drew McIntyre.” And speaking of taking these guys out, after he defended his title at TLC, he had a bit of a celebration. Styles will remember that match for a long time because of that mark on his left cheek. McIntyre, Sheamus and Keith Lee each had some pints, had some laughs, and remembered that hilarious “Nightmare Before TLC.” Then Jack Daniels, Jim Bean and Mr. Jameson joined the fun, and McIntyre got the creative juices flowing for a sequel! He had no time for a booklet, but he has it all on a napkin. This will be called, “The Nightmare After TLC.”

‘Twas the night after TLC, and Miz had no Money in the Bank, and Styles was left title-less, with Drew McIntyre to thank! Sheamus appears from the other side of the ring! Both AJ and Miz whined, screaming, “This isn’t fair!” This truly was a Phenomenal Nightmare. Keith joins in! McIntyre tries to remember the big finish. What was it? Don’t ask Sheamus. Everything after 3 AM was a blur. Keith says they can improvise the finish in the Street Fight! But with all this talking, they’re not dressed up for nothing. Let’s just throw down right now! And so the brawl is on! Sheamus has Miz, McIntyre has Morrison and Keith has Styles!

McIntyre TOSSES Morrison overhead and out of the ring! Sheamus knees Miz, McIntyre CLOBBERS Miz then tosses the director chairs! Keith keeps Styles down, but then Styles dropkicks Keith into Styles! McIntyre keeps the peace to explain, and Omos helps Styles get away. There is still dysfunction dating back to Survivor Series, can the WWE Champion keep his friends on friendly terms for tonight?

 

Keith Lee and Sheamus argue backstage.

Keith didn’t trust Sheamus before, he doesn’t trust him now! McIntyre barges in to stop this. Otherwise, he’ll knock them both on their asses! McIntyre says Keith hitting Sheamus was an accident! Now cool down before the Six Man! Sheamus storms off, and McIntyre tells Keith that Sheamus is like a brother to him. He can be a bit of a prick sometimes, but Sheamus is loyal, too. The three of them could do so much damage if they were united. Let McIntyre worry about Sheamus. Just focus on Styles and the others. Keith accepts that and also heads out. Is this going to work out for the Scottish Warrior, Celtic Warrior and Limitless One?

 

Ricochet VS T-Bar w/ Retribution!

The One and Only continues to fight against Mustafa Ali’s horde of havoc wreaking henchmen! Will the towering T-Bar break Ricochet down into joining the movement?

Raw returns as Ricochet makes his entrance. The bell rings and Ricochet dropkicks T-Bar! Then fires off hands! T-Bar shoves Ricochet but Ricochet dropkicks a leg out! And then BOOTS T-Bar! Ricochet springboards but into T-Bar’s arms! For a standing knee to the side! And another! And another! And then T-Bar TOSSES Ricochet aside! Retribution is fired up to see that, and Ali tells T-Bar he needs to force Ricochet to see the light. T-Bar fires off clubbing forearms, then runs to CLOBBER him! Cover, TWO!! Ricochet survives but Ali is still confident in T-Bar. T-Bar sits Ricochet up to dig a knee in and clamp on a chinlock!

Ricochet endures, fights up, but T-Bar CLUBS him! T-Bar whips Ricochet, Ricochet holds ropes then dumps T-Bar out! Ricochet builds speed but Slapjack is there, so Ricochet dropkicks him down! Mace rushes in but Ricochet dodges and QUEBRADAS! Ricochet stares Ali down but T-Bar BOOTS Ali down! T-Bar puts Ricochet in but Ali says Ricochet needs to learn. “Stop feeling with your heart! Think with your mind, you fool!” Ricochet hits Ali with fists! T-Bar drags Ricochet in, torture racks, FEAST YOUR EYES!! Cover, T-Bar wins!

Winner: T-Bar, by pinfall

Ricochet put up another fight but Retribution still wins! T-Bar tells Ricochet himself, “When are you gonna learn? Retribution is not your enemy! We are your ally! You will either join us, or we will end your existence!” Will Ricochet finally fall in line with Ali, T-Bar and the mission?

 

Raw shares The New Day’s post-match reactions.

Even after losing the titles, Xavier Woods says this has happened before. This is what the New Day does. They’ve been at the top of the mountain before and will be there again. Kofi adds that they have to take hats off to the Hurt Business. Kofi cracked teeth, was spitting out pieces in that match. But it’s okay. A man is not measured by high he climbs, but by how high he bounces back from falling down. That is just what they do! Will New Day bounce back better than ever before?

 

The Hurt Business VS Jeff Hardy & Matt Riddle!

MVP and Bobby Lashley are ready for the Charismatic Enigma and the Original Bro! Will Jeff and a different Matt succeed as this different kind of Hardy Bros? Or will the Hurt Business bankrupt them after the break?

Raw returns and the Hardy Bros make their entrance! The flip-flops fly and teams sort out, and Hardy ambushes MVP and Lashley! MVP gets out, Lashley shoves Hardy down, but Hardy is right after him again! Tag to Riddle, the Hardy Bros mug Lashley and Riddle hops on for a sleeper! Lashley throws Riddle off hard then CLOBBERS him! Lashley looms over Riddle, bumps him off buckles, and tags in MVP. MVP throws body shots on Riddle, stomps him down, but lets off at the ref’s count. MVP keeps Riddle in the corner, RAMS him with a shoulder, then clubs him down! Tag to Lashley, and they mug Riddle in return with stomps!

Lashley looms over Riddle while Alexander talks smack. Lashley hits a neckbreaker, covers, TWO! Riddle hurries for his corner but Lashley drags him away by his hair! Lashley rakes Riddle’s face but stops as the ref counts. Riddle gets up to fire off KICKS! Lashley blocks, but Riddle boots free! Hot tag to Hardy! Hardy fires off forearms and whips, but Lashley reverses. Hardy hits back with forearms, and an atomic drop! Trip up, leg splitting leg drop! Basement dropkick! Splash, cover, TWO! Lashley has power but Riddle tags in. Hardy Bros whip Lashley corner to corner, Riddle sets up, BROETRY IN MOTION!

Lashley falls out of the ring but MVP runs in! Hardy atomic drops MVP to trip, but Hardy helps Riddle with a STANDING FLOATING BRO! MVP bails out, the Hurt Business regroups, but they get wrecked by a dropkick, and Riddle PENALTY KICKS MVP! The Hardy Bros are fired up as Raw goes to break!

Raw returns again and Hardy fires off on Lashley. Hardy whips, Lashley reverses but Hardy elbows back! Hardy goes up but Lashley SHOVES him down! Hardy crashes ‘n’ burns to the steel steps, then the floor! Benjamin and Alexander mock Hardy’s pain as Riddle checks on him. Hardy manages to get up but the ring count is 5 of 10! And then 7! Hardy hobbles in at 9, but Lashley is looming right over him. Hardy tries to get to Riddle but Lashley drags him up, wrenches an arm and hits a vicious elbow breaker! Tag to MVP, MVP stomps Hardy then digs an elbow into the shoulder. Hardy endures, MVP shoots to a cover, but Hardy is under ropes. MVP moves Hardy to try again, TWO!

MVP drags Hardy up but Hardy throws hands! MVP throat chops and SMASHES Hardy off his knee! The Hurt Business cheers as MVP runs, BALLIN~! Elbow drop! Cover, TWO! MVP rains down furious rights, then drags Hardy up to whip him to a corner. MVP runs in but Hardy dodges the boot! Hardy goes up and hits WHISPER IN THE WIND! Both men are down and the fans are fire dup on their ThunderDome screens! Hot tag to Riddle! Riddle rallies with a strike fest, then spins MVP for a PELE! Riddle kips up, runs in and forearms MVP, then goes side to side to forearm again! Alexander distract son the apron but not enough, MVP gets a BROSPLODER! To BROTON!

Riddle is fired up and drags MVP into a Fisherman BUSTER! Cover, Lashley breaks it! Lashley helps MVP get to the corner then tags in. Lashley runs at Riddle, and gets him for a COMPLETE SHOT! The Hurt Business is fired up as Lashley reels Riddle in for a suplex, but Riddle fights out! Riddle gets to his corner, Hardy tags in and ROCKS Lashley! FINAL FLASH from Riddle, Hardy sets up for SUPER BROETRY IN MOTION! Riddle wipes out Alexander and Benjamin as Hardy goes up! But MVP is there, only for Hardy to kick him away! SWANTON FLOPS! Lashley aims from a corner, Hardy gets up, but Hardy knees the spear away! TWIST- To the HURT LOCK!! Lashley thrashes Hardy around, Hardy taps, the Hurt Business wins!

Winners: The Hurt Business, by submission

The Hardy Bros were so close, but the Rocky Mountain Machine is just too powerful! But Hardy and Riddle aren’t deterred, will they go back to the drawing board and have a solution?

 

Styles argues with Miz and Morrison backstage.

The apology sucked! Well Styles’ attitude sucks! It seems these three aren’t doing very well, either. Will the Phenomenal One, the Awesome A-Lister and the Guru of Greatness be able to recover in time for the Street Fight?

 

Ladies and Gentlemen: Elias.

The Drifter has Jaxson Ryker in the ring as security as he plays his guitar. Ryker is a man that understands the universal truth. And after the year Elias has had, from winning at WrestleMania, getting hit by a car but coming back to release his album and getting #1 on the charts, to then survive electrocution, this has been a whirlwind. He thanks his fans who put his album on the top of the list. And those who didn’t just haven’t heard it yet. Elias’ music changes lives! Ryker was reborn by the Universal Truth. Tonight, we test just how powerful Elias’ music can be. Before Ryker sends a message to-

No time to waste! Gran Metalik storms out to the ring for this revenge match over how roughly Ryker treated him, over simply chasing R-Truth! Will Ryker wreck Metalik to send a message to all of the roster?

Jaxson Ryker w/ Elias VS Gran Metalik w/ Lince Dorado!

The bell rings, Ryker grabs at Metalik but Metalik kicks and CHOPS! Ryker whips and sends Metalik flying with a shoulder, all while Elias climbs up the corner? Elias plays while Ryker drops ax handle after ax handle on Metalik! Elias is Ryker’s bard as Ryker whips Metalik, but Metalik POSTS Ryker! Metalik goes after Elias on the top rope, for a SUPER STEINER! Elias tumbles out, Lince has the guitar and plays a tune of his own! But Ryker CLOBBERS Metalik! Ryker choke grips and Choke BOMBS! Cover, Ryker wins!

Winner: Jaxson Ryker, by pinfall

Elias says that is the power of HIS music! Ryker made Metalik understand through pain, but will anyone else come to #WalkWithElias?

 

Randy Orton is here!

The Viper, the Apex Predator, the Legend Killer… The Fiend Killer? There is no more remorse on Orton’s face, but there is a sick satisfaction. Yes, an Inferno Match is about lighting a part of your opponent on fire, but Orton didn’t end at winning. With Bray Wyatt unconscious on the mat, Orton soaked him with gasoline and set him ablaze! He even looks at the spot in the ring where Bray’s body burned before striking his signature pose on the corner. Orton gets a mic to say, “My entire life, I have been called many, many different things. Sick and twisted, deranged and demented.” Orton proved he is each and everyone one of those things when he burned The Fiend alive!

A normal man would have regrets if they set another man on fire, but The Fiend is no normal man, and neither is Orton. “Last night, I enjoyed every single second as I stood by and watched The Fiend… burn!” Orton again goes to the spot in the ring where it happened. He finds the exact spot where it happened. If Orton closes his eyes, he can still see it, and still smell it. “The stench of burning flesh has a tendency to linger.” Orton didn’t sleep last night, because the voices in his head, which he grew accustomed to, were just gone. The voices don’t exist. The only sound Orton hears in his head is the Fiend gasping for his last breath as the fire grew hotter and the flames grew higher.

Orton smiles into the camera as he says, “The Fiend is gone. The Fiend is no more! And I am the evil son of a bitch that took him out!” Then why are the lights shutting down!? Orton hurries out of the ring but it’s too late. A spotlight shines on the ring, and Alexa Bliss is there! She has a new set for A Moment of Bliss that’s even more demented than before! “Expecting someone else?” He built this for her. Call it, “Alexa’s Playground.” C’mon in, Orton. Wondering where “he” is? He could be at a tanning salon. Looked a little pale. Or maybe he is at the beach. It’s good weather in Florida. Hopefully he doesn’t get a sunburn! Or maybe Fiend is at his favorite restaurant, having his favorite food: barbecue!

Alexa laughs at her own jokes, but admits Orton is right. It was right here, where you can still see and smell what happened to The Fiend’s flesh. He’s not here right now, but it’s almost as if he became one with the mat. “Under the ground, under reach layer of the earth. He’s home.” But if he ever leaves home, he’ll come back to Alexa’s playground. And it’ll be like nothing Orton’s ever seen before. Alexa stares at Orton with her spooky eyes, and the lights turn off again. And when they come back this time, the playground is gone! Did Orton only make The Fiend stronger by burning his body?!

 

Charlotte Flair & Asuka VS Peyton Royce & Lacey Evans!

The brand new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions have a title defense set for Christmas SmackDown, so they need something to help them bridge the gap from TLC to Friday night! Will the Queen and Empress be ready for this dysfunctional duo?

Raw returns as Asuka returns to the ring, with pyro! Lacey does last minute stretching as Sarah interviews her and Peyton about facing the new champions. Are they up to the challenge? What kind of question is that? “Pey-Pey” and Lacey asked for this match! They’re not sitting around for handouts. No one is as relentless as Peyton. Ready to get hands on the nasties and take out the trash? Yes, ma’am! High five? No, ma’am. And for the record, Peyton got them this match. But either way, the Sassy Southern Belle and Venus Flytrap head to the ring, ready to upstage the new champions!

The teams sort out, Asuka starts with Peyton, and the two tie up. Asuka headlocks, Peyton powers out but Asuka runs her over! Asuka rolls Peyton, Peyton ducks the kick and waistlocks. Asuka switches, Peyton switches, and Lacey tags in. O’Conner roll but Asuka pops out to get her lock! Lacey drags Asuka off Peyton, Charlotte protests but Asuka throws Lacey out. Lacey blocks the punch to sweep the legs, then slingshots in! Asuka moves to mule kick back! Peyton tags back in, Shayna and Nia are watching backstage as Asuka hip attacks Lacey off the apron! But Asuka turns around into Peyton’s HEEL KICK! Cover, TWO! Peyton grows frustrated but Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Lacey hits Asuka with a swinging bronco buster in the corner! Lacey then hops up, salutes, but Peyton tags in to steal the cover! TWO! Peyton clubs Asuka over and over, goes to the apron to hop up the corner, but Lacey tags in! It’s only fair! Lacey sweeps Asuka’s legs, then slingshots for the elbow! Cover, TWO! Peyton tags back in and the dysfunction is only growing stronger. Asuka is crawling away while they’re arguing! Peyton intercepts with a forearm, then slaps Asuka around. Asuka swipes back! Asuka blocks a kick to get around for a GERMAN SUPLEX! Hot tag to Charlotte!

The Grand Slam Queen rallies on Peyton, back suplexes Lacey high and hard, then kips up! Charlotte CHOPS away on Pey-Pey! Peyton is reeling but Charlotte CHOPS her more! Charlotte whips, Peyton reverses but Charlotte holds ropes to stop herself,. Charlotte hits Peyton with a backbreaker and a BOOT! Charlotte gets the legs, steps through, but Lacey runs in! Charlotte kicks her first, scoops her and hits an EXPLODER! Nia and Shayna are upset as Charlotte swaggers, but Peyton kicks the leg! Peyton rolls Charlotte to a HALF CRAB! Lacey trips Asuka up, rams her down, then slingshots, but Asuka slide sin to sliding KICK Peyton down! Asuka then slides to trip Lacey up, and ROUNDHOUSES her down!

Charlotte flounders up but glares at Peyton. Charlotte trips Peyton, gets the legs, but Peyton twists to victory roll! TWO, Charlotte trips Peyton again! Charlotte lets out a “WOO~!” and puts on the Figure Four! Figure EIGHT! Peyton endures but taps, the champs win!

Winners: Charlotte Flair & Asuka, by submission

The Queen and Empress stand tall together with their belts! But there is still a lot more for them to prove as a team! Will they make it through Christmas day with the gold to then reign in the new year?

 

WWE and Raw acknowledge Titus O’Neil’s work in the community.

Titus himself rewarded a 27-year member of Sligh Middle Magnet School in Tampa Bay, Florida. He gave Virginia Lowell a very merry Christmas with a brand new car! She was so touched, because she’d never had a moment like this in her life. But her dedication and love for the school needs to be acknowledged and is an example to be followed. Titus also gave away five cars to families in need, and his own dedication and love for the community is something to be acknowledged and followed.

 

The Miz makes calls to his lawyer.

Again, the loophole of how the MITB contract holder having to be the one to give the briefcase is grounds enough! Talk to WWE management, or the USA Network, and get this set right! Miz is sick of being mistreated! Styles tells Miz to hang up, but when Miz doesn’t, he hangs up for him. They have a match! Morrison and Miz have to shrug that off quickly, because their match is NOW!

Six Man Tag Street Fight: Drew McIntyre, Sheamus & Keith Lee VS The Miz, John Morrison & AJ Styles w/ Jordon Omogbehin!

Neither trio teaming tonight has had the smoothest time together. But it is the holidays, and they all have common enemies on the other side. Will the the King of Claymores, the Fella and the Limitless One make their opponents #BaskInTheirGlory? Or will the Greatest Tag Team of the 21st Century *stare off into distance* and Phenomenal One be able to turn things around before the year is over?

Raw returns as Keith Lee makes his entrance. So far, Sheamus and Keith are able to stand together. Then Miz and Morrison make their entrance, followed by Styles and Omos. The bell rings and Morrison steps up to start with Sheamus, they tie up and go around, and Sheamus has a facelock. Morrison gets around to club away on the arm then he whips, Sheamus kicks back, clubs Morrison and ROCKS him with a right! Morrison throws hands back, trips Sheamus up and drags him over to tag in Miz! Miz stomps Sheamus and throws hands at the ropes. Miz chokes on Sheamus, then Morrison KICKS Sheamus! Styles tags in, he and Miz mug Sheamus, but Sheamus hits back!

Sheamus throws hands on Styles in a corner, reels him in and CLOBBERS him! Sheamus drags Styles up, Styles throws hands, then he puts Sheamus in a corner. Morrison tags in but they all mug Sheamus! Morrison stomps Sheamus, Miz gets his shot and Morrison mule kicks! Morrison cravats, but Sheamus resists the snapmare and throws hands! Sheamus CLOBBERS Morrison and drags Morrison over to tag in McIntyre. McIntyre and Sheamus split the wishbone! McIntyre drags Morrison up to bump off buckles, then CHOPS him! Morrison flounders but McIntyre drags him around to stomp the arms.

McIntyre drags Morrison up but Morrison slips out of the scoop to dropkick the bad leg! Morrison fires off KICKS, brings McIntyre out of the corner and KICKS the leg, to a DRAGON SCREW! McIntyre clutches his leg, Morrison drags McIntyre up but gets a GLASGOW KISS! McIntyre hobbles to his corner, brings Morrison with him and CLUBS Morrison down! Tag to Keith, McIntyre gets the bad leg moving as he and Keith double suplex Morrison and hold him up! Then they TOSS Morrison across the way! Morrison crashes down and Keith glares at Miz and Styles. Keith dares one of them to tag in as he drags Morrison away.

Keith clamps onto Morrison’s arm, drags him up to knuckle lock, and then brings Morrison over to tag in Sheamus. The mutual friends of McIntyre whip Morrison and run him over with double shoulders! Then they double elbow Miz as he runs in! And double hip toss Styles! McIntyre’s team holds the ropes and Sheamus gives Keith a pat on the shoulder. Keith gives it back. Sheamus gives another, but Keith gives a GRIZZLY MAGNUM!? McIntyre gets in before this gets too aggressive! This is what McIntyre was talking about, them destroying anyone as a unified unit! But will they stay unified after the break?

Raw returns once again and Sheamus has Styles’ arm! Styles endures as Sheamus keeps twisting! Sheamus drags Styles up, Styles throws haymakers, then runs, but into an elbow! Sheamus drags Miz into the ring and Morrison joins in! McIntyre goes after Morrison and throws him out! The Celtic Connection have a duet of BEATS OF THE BODHRAIN! Keith meanwhile comes around and has them feed him BOTH Miz and Morrison, for a DOUBLE RAM into the apron! Keith throws Morrison into presents! And then he throws Miz into a pile of presents on the other end! Styles is put in the ring for Sheamus to grind down with a chinlock!

Styles endures, Sheamus gives him clubbing forearms then drops knees over and over! Sheamus digs his knee in but Styles tries to pull on the beard. Sheamus drops another knee, then throws big haymakers. Styles hits back, someone throws in a present box! The box is moved aside as Sheamus whips Styles, but Styles dodges and Sheamus POSTS himself! Hot tag to Miz and Miz stomps away on Sheamus! Morrison jumps in again but McIntyre goes after them! Keith also gets in, Sheamus and McIntyre CHOP Miz and Morrison out of the ring! Sheamus drags Morrison back up, fireman’s carries, and hits a rolling senton! Sheamus goes up top, but has to DECK Morrison first!

Styles creeps over, Sheamus glares at him, but then Morrison returns! Morrison shoves Sheamus down through a table of cookies! Keith and McIntyre check on Sheamus while Morrison and team creep over. Morrison drags Sheamus away to stomp him down! Morrison puts Sheamus in, stomps and covers, TWO! Miz tags in, he and Morrison drag Sheamus up for a double GUT BUSTER! Miz knocks Sheamus down, claws at his face, and digs in with no disqualifications stopping him! Sheamus hurries for his corner but Miz keeps him away with a facelock and clubbing forearms! Miz hits a BASEMENT DDT! Cover, TWO!!

Miz seethes as he drags Sheamus up and around. Styles tags in, they stomp away on Sheamus at the ropes, and Styles kicks Sheamus down! Styles drags Sheamus up but Sheamus fires off hands! Styles headbutts then enziguris! Styles dropkicks Keith just because! But Sheamus hits WHITE NOISE outta nowhere! Both men are down and McIntyre reaches out! Sheamus crawls, Styles does, too, hot tags to Miz and McIntyre! McIntyre rallies with big shoulders, then a whip, and an OVERHEAD SUPLEX! Morrison gets in but gets an OVERHEAD SUPLEX for his trouble! Miz gets another OVERHEAD SUPLEX!

McIntyre manages a kip up, he elbows through Morrison’s boot to INVERTED ALABAMA SLAM him onto Miz! McIntyre brings Miz up, Miz slips out of Future Shock to kick the bad leg! Miz runs, into a SPINEBUSTER! Cover, Styles breaks it! Styles turns around into Keith’s POUNCE! Morrison gets up, FLYING CHUCK to Keith! Sheamus sees Morrison, IRISH CURSE BACKBREAKER! Miz BOOTS Sheamus out but McIntyre clotheslines Miz out! Styles uses a candy cane kendo stick to SMACK away on McIntyre’s bad leg! McIntyre hobbles out, Styles runs over, McIntyre TOSSES him into a Christmas tree!

Styles flounders and McIntyre brings him over, to POWERBOMB him through a table of eggnog!! Yuck! Morrison has a kendo stick but so does Sheamus! Sheamus SMACKS away on Morrison first! Morrison hits back, McIntyre gets in as Keith gives him Miz! Sheamus chases Morrison off, McIntyre aims but Sheamus tags in!? Sheamus wants to finish this, but then Keith tags in! Are they falling apart again? Morrison distracts Keith, Keith shoves Morrison into Omos’ arms! Morrison thinks he’s saved, but Omos POWERSLAMS Morrison through a table! That’s for the chair shot at TLC! Meanwhile, Keith pops Miz up for a SPIRTI BOMB!! Cover, Keith and the Celtic Connection win!

Winners: Drew McIntyre, Sheamus & Keith Lee, by pinfall

Then Sheamus BROGUES Keith! McIntyre can’t believe Sheamus! “I vouched for you! Why!? Why?!?” McIntyre told Keith he could trust Sheamus but clearly not! Is there still no love lost between these former Team Raw members?


My Thoughts:

A pretty good Raw to follow TLC, but it could’ve been better. For one, there were too many recap packages and it sure felt like too many commercial breaks throughout the night, that alone might be a problem with ratings. Obviously more the recaps than the commercials, but it has been awhile since USA Network has given Raw a picture in picture break. Another horribly glaring flaw was how the Six Man Tag main event went. If it is a Street Fight, meaning no disqualifications and no count outs, IT BECOMES A TORNADO TAG BY DEFAULT!! The six of them should’ve all been brawling, it should’ve been chaotic, and it should’ve wrecked everything at ringside. But no, it was some awful hybrid of a NORMAL Six Man Tag and a Street Fight. The table spots and kendo sticks came off more like, “Oh, yeah, we forgot those were allowed.”

The only good development was Sheamus giving Keith a Brogue over their dysfunction finally hitting a boiling point. And a bad development from the entire story of the world title is that Miz thinks he can get his MITB briefcase back because of a loophole. It really hurts the amazing passion Miz gave us in that promo about not being respected. And a promo like that always works with Miz because we all know it was a legitimate thing when he got started! With Miz being booked the way he has, it also adds to that a bit, where WWE isn’t giving him and/or Morrison respect by making them respectable threats to the world title, but him using a loophole to get his briefcase and his title shot back is not The Miz I want getting the shot. The Miz captured within the worked shoot promo is what I want! Miz needs to have aggression so that we’ll want to see him fight McIntyre for the title.

We had pretty good stuff for the Women’s Division, and obviously focused on the Women’s Tag Division. Charlotte and Asuka have good promos against Shayna and Nia, but the Sexy Muscle Friends were fed just the dumbest reindeer jokes on Nia and Shayna, all because it’s the holidays. Those lines didn’t need to be in the promos, just stick to the joke about the belts being gone. But they at least get to look good in a match with Shayna and Nia, even if they lose. Shayna and Nia keep an eye on Charlotte and Asuka during their match with Peyton and Lacey. I suppose it’s good progress for Peyton and Lacey to and least try to be united, and it was fine that it didn’t work out. Charlotte and Asuka win, obviously, because for one, they’re Charlotte and Asuka.

Then the new champs have a title match on Friday already, and though the team isn’t announced, the challengers have to be the Riott Squad. That is the only women’s tag team on SmackDown that is winning at all. I hope this is a sign Charlotte and Asuka get to follow in the footsteps of Bayley and Sasha, going back to NXT to face some NXT teams like Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell of The Way, and maybe even get involved in a TakeOver event. Raw has the ratings problem, but I would think strengthening the Women’s Tag Division on all shows would help Raw just as much.

The Hurt Business had a pretty good night. They bullied a New Day fan within the crew because duh, the New Day is the one tag team even plausible as a contender to the Raw Tag Team Championships. Yes, Hardy and Riddle did well as a team, but they still lost to MVP and Lashley. There is still some sorting out to do on who challenges for the US Championship next, but maybe Hardy gives Riddle the go ahead on it. Riddle had a hard time with his overly complicated “chill” promo, so I think WWE needs to let Riddle be the Bro and not try to write him as what they think The Bro should be.

Garza squashes Gulak because he desperately needs momentum after splitting off from Zelina Vega and then just treading water with trying to go all in with the Lothario bit. Ricochet loses to a Retribution member again, but perhaps because he isn’t joining. I’m still wondering if someone joins his fight, since Dana was apparently a one-time partner. Maybe Titus O’Neil can move over from the 24/7 Championship scene to help Ricochet. Titus has been a great role model for his charity, maybe he can be a role model in the ring standing against Ali trying to force everyone to see things his way. Ricochet and Titus would make a great combination, really. And speaking of the 24/7 Championship, Truth getting in on the VIP Lounge was a great way of sprinkling all that in.

I think the best stuff tonight was Orton and Alexa in relation to The Fiend. Orton might’ve been trying a little too hard to be menacing supervillain, but he is still doing really well. Alexa having a playground set is a great evolution of her own part in this story. I don’t know if Nikki Cross returns to feud with Alexa more, but I almost want a “Firefly Playground” match now. And what Alexa said about The Fiend only getting stronger now, Bray Wyatt might be the secret to Raw fixing their ratings and fulfilling that apparent request by USA Network for more “adult” content, in terms of being spooky scary horror movie stuff. Either way, I hope the endgame is the Firefly Fun House sequel with Orton to bring up his past and throw it in his face.

In fact, with John Cena being disappeared because “You Can’t See Me,” I think Orton should get “burned” in return since A) he loves burning Bray’s stuff, and B) Orton’s original theme was “Burn In My Light.” Gotta bring things full circle to make it worth it.

My Score: 8.2/10


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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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