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Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (1/15/21)

Will Scrap Daddy sign on the dotted line?

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Coverage SmackDown 2021

SmackDown sets a contract signing for Roman Reigns VS Adam Pearce!

Despite being furious with the WWE official, the Head of the Table made Adam Pearce the new #1 contender for his WWE Universal Championship! But will Scrap Daddy find that that’s punishment enough?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • Shinsuke Nakamura VS Jey Uso; Nakamura wins.
  • Natalya w/ Tamina VS Liv Morgan w/ Ruby Riott & Billie Kay; Natalya wins.
  • Rey Mysterio w/ Dominik Mysterio VS King Corbin; Corbin wins.
  • Cesaro VS Daniel Bryan; Cesaro wins.
  • Apollo Crews VS Sami Zayn; Crews wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Roman Reigns sits in his room.

He looks over the contract for the WWE Universal Championship match, and Paul Heyman says it’s the same stuff all the time. Cookie cutter, boiler plate WWE garbage. This one just happens to be for the Royal Rumble 2021. Heyman hates it, too, didn’t like it from the moment he started reading, but the match does need a stipulation. It needs the stipulation of letting Roman be Roman. Heyman can take this off Roman’s hands to bring to Adam Pearce. Roman silently hands the contract over and Heyman says he can consider this handled. But what exactly will Heyman suggest as a stipulation for The Head of the Table VS Scrap Daddy, a man who hasn’t wrestled in roughly six years?

 

Shinsuke Nakamura VS Jey Uso!

The King of Strong Style’s rise through the gauntlet last week was epic, but also abruptly ended as Roman Reigns and his cousin got involved. Jey welcomes us to SmackDown, and says it’s The Bloodline Show! Because Jey and Cuz Roman run this! Not Adam Pearce! Not Kevin Owens! Not nobody in the WWE Universe! Their family calls the shots, Uce! Pearce, be careful. You’re going to wish you kept that suit on. But if you thought they’re just satisfied with SmackDown, think again! Roman Reigns, the Universal Champion, the provider, needs to be thanked by all the talent in the back! The food in catering, “Thank you, Roman!” You being relevant for the first time in your careers, “Thank you, Roman!”

Jey says as far as being the right hand man, he’s trying to get his, too. The family is expanding! Step one, Jey officially declares for the Rumble! Step two, he’ll win the match! Step three, he’ll whoop Drew McIntyre, “Oldberg” and any WWE World Champion so that the Bloodline WILL be the entire WWE! But first, there’s business with Nakamura. Everyone talks about Shinsuke in the gauntlet. He did good, had to survive and advance, facing one man after another, match after match. Nakamura beat Mysterio, he beat Baron “Big Head” Corbin, and even Daniel Bryan! But as soon as they said, “NOPE, not tonight, Uce!” DONE! Out like a light!

So Jey tells Nakamura to thank them! They let him survive! Now he wants to step up and fight? King of Strong Style? Let’s see how strong you really are then, bruh! You know as soon as you cross the family, you leave the ThunderDome on a stretcher! But here comes Nakamura! And Nakamura has a mic to respond, “If your cousin, Roman Reigns, is the Big Dog, that makes you… His little puppy!” And then Nakamura ROUNDHOUSES Jey down! They have their match after the break, will Jey be able to get this for the Bloodline?

SmackDown returns, the bell rings, and the two fire off forearms! Nakamura backs Jey down, Jey shoves but Nakamura knocks him down! Nakamura drags Jey up, snapmares and drops a knee! Cover, TWO! Nakamura keeps on Jey with a grinding headlock, but Jey powers up and powers out. Things speed up, Jey drops then knocks Nakamura over with an elbow! Jey drops elbows on Nakamura and Nakamura gets to a corner. Jey is after Nakamura at the ropes, scoops him and slams him! Cover, ONE! Jey drags Nakamura up, throws haymakers, but Nakamura body shots back! Nakamura backs Jey down with forearms but Jey hits and whips hard!

Nakamura writhes on the mat but Jey brings him up to whip again. Nakamura reverses, break frees, misses the roundhouse but not the windmill kick! Nakamura follows up with knees into Jey’s shoulders and ribs! Nakamura bumps Jey off buckles, brings him up and suplexes for a gourd buster! Then he throws in more knees! Nakamura stomps Jey to the corner, the ref has Nakamura let off. Nakamura comes back to stomp Jey again, then lets off for a moment. He brings Jey back up into a sleeper hold! Jey endures as Nakamura shifts to a chinlock and grinds him down. Jey fights his way back up, but Nakamura throws knees.

Nakamura puts Jey in the corner to give some Bad Vibrations! But wait, Cesaro is heading to the ring! Cesaro is Nakamura’s tag team partner so maybe he’s showing support. Nakamura dropkicks Jey then POSTS him! The Swiss Cyborg cheers Nakamura on as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and Nakamura stomps Jey around at the ropes. Jey goes to a corner, Cesaro is on commentary and Nakamura whips Jey corner to corner. Cesaro knows he has his match with Daniel Bryan later but he wants to cheer his friend and tag partner on. Nakamura runs corner to corner but Jey throws him out! Jey kicks, Nakamura blocks and spins but Jey dragon whips him down! Michael Cole wonders where Cesaro was last week when Nakamura was getting beat up, but Cesaro says Tropicana Field, the new home of the ThunderDome, is very big. He was too late getting here, the cameras cut away and Michael Cole probably left.

Jey puts Nakamura in the ring with some force, then glares at Cesaro before going to Nakamura. Jey ROCKS Nakamura with the uppercut then clubs him down! Jey stomps, Cesaro says HE is entering the Rumble, and Jey stalks Nakamura to a corner. Jey digs his claws in, stomps away, but lets off as the ref counts, only to get around and fire off forearms and stomps! The ref backs Jey off, but Jey comes back to HIP ATTACK in the corner! Jey stomps Nakamura more, the ref counts but Jey stops at 3. Fans give thumbs down on their screens, Jey goes back to a corner, then runs corner to corner again, into the DYNAMIC DROPKICK!

Nakamura fires up as he sees Jey get up. Nakamura KICKS Jey back down, then KICKS away on his legs! Nakamura whips, kitchen sink knees then sliding KNEES to add on! Jey gets up, Nakamura stalks him and runs in but into a boot! Jey boots again but Nakamura spins him into the ropes, SLIDING GERMAN! Cover, TWO! Nakamura grows frustrated but he drags Jey back up. Jey fights off the exploder and throws forearms. Jey shoves, fireman’s carries, and SAMOAN DROPS! Cover, TWO! Cesaro admits Jey is a great wrestler because of their history in tag team competition, but never underestimate Nakamura. Speaking of, Nakamura fires off a strike fest!

Jey ducks the forearm to mule kick then uppercut! Back suplex to a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Nakamura survives but Jey heads for a corner. Jey sees Nakamura get to a corner so he goes back in and runs in, but into buckles! Nakamura KICKS, climbs up, FLYING KNEE! Cover, TWO! Nakamura fires up and aims from a corner! “YAO~!” SUPERKICK FROM JEY!! Jey heads to a corner, climbs up top, and USO SPLASHES onto knees! Nakamura saves himself and rises as Jey goes to a corner. Nakamura runs in but only gets post! Jey rolls Nakamura, has his feet on ropes, but the ref sees it just in time!

Jey protests that the ref was already counting three! The ref says it’s at his discretion when the bell rings, but Nakamura rolls Jey to a KINSHASA! Cover, Nakamura wins!

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura, by pinfall

The Swiss Cyborg celebrates with the King of Strong Style! Cesaro is in the Men’s Royal Rumble, gunning for Roman Reigns, will Nakamura look to do the same?

 

Sonya Deville talks with Adam Pearce.

They’re going over a copy of the title match contract, and she says she’s looked up his past stuff on YouTube. To her, he’s still got it. Pearce appreciates that, but he hasn’t been that guy in a long time, and even that guy couldn’t handle Roman Reigns. Sonya says he shouldn’t think like that. But then in walks Heyman with his copy of the contract. Heyman presents the agreement from the Tribal Chief. Pearce now holds “the opportunity of a lifetime!” Not only does Pearce get to main event the Royal Rumble PPV, he has the opportunity that was never presented to Scrap Daddy.

This opportunity is not only at the Universal Heavyweight Championship, but against the single biggest star in all of sports entertainment, Roman Reigns. And not only that, but the stipulation, “my GOD,” Sonya’s perfume is effective. But that said, this is actually tilted in Pearce’s favor. This is a match under NO DISQUALIFICATIONS! So this is the part of the pitch that it’s somehow for Pearce’s benefit. He’ll still sign it, even though we all know it’s ridiculous. This only means Pearce gets injured, which is exactly what Heyman wants. But Pearce put his name on the contract, will he be able to prepare now that he knows what’s coming?

 

Jey Uso shouts at referee Charles Robinson backstage!

Three is three! Shoulders were on the mat! How long has he been doing this job?! Yes, Nakamura’s shoulders were on the mat, but Jey’s FEET were on the ROPES! You don’t think Jey knows rules? Charles has to do his job! Didn’t his daughter just get married? He’s about to get fired by The Chief. What? Jey’s veiled threat is clear, is no one safe from Roman’s wrath?

 

Backstage interview with The Street Profits!

Kayla Braxston asks Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins if it was wise to put their SmackDown Tag Team Championships on the line against Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler only a week after the vicious attack that injured Ford’s leg? Ford says you can call them a lot of things, like playboys, honorary Vikings, and “two dudes who’re dying to get drawn up as Simpsons characters,” but one thing they cannot, will not and shall not be called is scared. “On March 2nd, in the Year of Our Lord 2020,” the Profits became World Tag Team Champions! For 312 historic days, every single team that stepped up got dealt with! So for them not to accept a challenge would be disrespecting the very legacy they’re trying to build!

There are a bunch of names for the new champions. Roode-Dolph. The Two Aces. The Dirty Dawgs. ED. Whoa, whoa, keep it PG. No, it stands for “Entertainment Dysfunction.” That’s good! And now… Champions. But you best believe the Profits will run it back! It ain’t no rerun, fam. What they did to Ford had him limping for a minute. But when the sequel happens, they’ll drop bodies like they’re entering the Blood House. Tell ’em why, fam. Because the Profits are UP, even though they’re down right now. And #WeWantTheSmoke!

 

Roman Reigns talks Apollo Crews!

“You’ve gotta believe it. It’s all about control.” If Apollo doesn’t get it, then who will? Understood? Apollo does believe. Heyman returns and has the contract “sign, sealed and delivered.” Roman allows Apollo to stay and watch this and learn from it. The stipulation is No Disqualifications. Pearce signed? Yes. Well Roman chooses not to sign. He never wanted No DQ, never said he wanted No DQ. He wants it as… a LAST MAN STANDING MATCH.

What?! But Adam Pearce will never go for that! Oh he will. Because Heyman will make him. Heyman needs to tell Pearce that they’re going to sign this in the ring tonight. And then it’ll be considered “Handled.” Roman continues to talk with Apollo about how this is about control. Is Roman going to control this entire situation so it plays out how he wants it?

 

Natalya w/ Tamina VS Liv Morgan w/ Ruby Riott & Billie Kay!

The two second-generation superstars ditched the Femme Fatale and became a duo themselves, but now Billie’s hopped on a new bandwagon! Will she be able to help the Riott Squad keep things on track? Or will this mismatched trio fall apart before it gets going?

Billie joins commentary and the bell rings. Liv and Natty tie up, go around, and Natty puts Liv on the ropes. The ref counts, Natty lets off and shoves Liv. Liv pushes back! Liv counters the punch to a headlock, Natty powers out but Liv dodges and huricanranas! Billie cheers Liv on as she runs in and back body blocks Natty in a corner! Liv whips, Natty reverses but Liv stops herself and elbows back. They knuckle lock, Natty pushes and turns Liv, then throws her up and over. Liv lands on her feet to monkey flip! Both women are down but they spring up! Natty trips Liv, Liv pushes back and wheelbarrows, but Natty makes it a STUNGUN!

Billie and Ruby are worried but Billie says to walk it off. Natty fires off on Liv in the corner then tells the ref to shut up. “You think this is a joke, Liv?!” Natty pushes Liv, drags her up, and snap suplexes! And then KICKS Liv in the back! Liv crawls, Natty brings her back up but Liv resists the suplex to cradle counter! TWO, and Natty LARIATS! Cover, TWO! Billie cheers Liv on more but Natty brings Liv up to a Canadian rack and backbreaker stretch! Natty tells Billie to shut up as she jams Liv harder. Liv fights with elbows, gets to ropes and then the apron. Natty throws a haymaker but Liv hits back! Liv slingshots and sunset flips, TWO!

Liv kicks low, front kicks then enziguris! Natty goes to a corner, Billie cheers Liv on again, and Liv runs in to SHINING WIZARD! Liv stomps away on Natty in the corner, the ref counts and Liv lets off at 4. Natty throws Liv into buckles! Then DISCUS LARIAT! Billie panics as Natty covers, TWO! Billie shouts as Natty tries for the Sharpshooter, and Liv cradle counters, TWO!! LIV BREAKER! Cover, TWO!! Natty survives and Billie protests. Tamina is there and Billie gets a little too close. Tamina gets after Billie and Billie says she didn’t do anything. Billie gets in the ring?! And in everyone’s way! Natty rolls Liv up!! Natty wins!!

Winner: Natalya, by pinfall

Billie realizes what happened and she apologizes, but still says the ref wasn’t counting right earlier. Will Billie ever get it right on SmackDown?

 

Rey Mysterio w/ Dominik Mysterio VS King Corbin!

The moment the King of Lucha was eliminated from the gauntlet by the King of Strong Style last week, the Lone Wolf King attacked them both! Corbin added insult to injury but now Rey wants payback! Will Rey trump the King of the Ring on the road to the Royal Rumble?

SmackDown returns as Corbin goes to the ring and Dominik joins commentary. The bell rings, Mysterio and Corbin circle and approach. Rey slides under, Corbin gets him with a choke grip but the choke slam is turned into a huricanrana! Rey rams Corbin in a corner but Corbin whips him away into buckles and then CLOBBERS him! Corbin mocks Dominik on commentary then puts Rey in a corner. Corbin ties an arm up on the ropes, throws body shots then throws haymakers. Rey goes to the other corner, Corbin stalks him and back suplexes high and hard! Cover, ONE! Corbin is annoyed already and he drags Rey up for another back suplex, only for Rey to counter with a BULLDOG!

Rey goes after Corbin but Corbin knees low and slides Rey out! Corbin slides out to then CLOBBER Rey again! Corbin stares Dominik down as the ring count starts. Dominik stands up but Corbin shoves him down! Corbin says Dominik’s not going to do anything to cost Rey and then he puts Rey in to cover, TWO! Corbin keeps Rey in the ring, brings him around to choke on ropes and taunt Dominik at the same time. Dominik say she’s going to let Rey fight his fight because he trusts in him. Corbin drags Rey up, talks some smack, then runs to DECK Rey with a right hand! Corbin says Dominik’s only good as a cheerleader, but then Rey gets up to dropkick the legs out!

Rey goes to a corner, climbs up top and leaps, seated senton! And then a springboard, but into Corbin’s arms! Corbin pops Rey up to a fireman’s carry but Rey sits up to rain down rights! Rey spins and ranas Corbin onto ropes! Dial it up, DEEP SIX!! Cover, TWO!! Corbin is furious as Rey survives! Rey crawls to a corner and gets to his feet. Dominik says he’s learned resilience from his father, and Rey dodges Corbin. Corbin slides out, in but into a boot! Rey runs, slides, but Corbin ducks under to throw an elbow! Dominik stands up again and Corbin taunts him again. Corbin puts Rey in then SUCKER PUNCHES Dominik! But Rey 619’s Corbin at the apron!

Rey keeps Dominik calm and out of the ring but then Corbin shoves Rey into Dominik! END OF DAYS!! Cover, Corbin wins!

Winner: King Corbin, by pinfall

The Wolf King used father and son against each other quite literally and he took the win from them! Will he continue to play on the “family drama” as the Royal Rumble approaches?

 

Adam Pearce comes across Paul Heyman in the hallway.

Has Roman signed the contract? Heyman says there’s a bit of a wrinkle. No, Roman hasn’t signed the contract. But Heyman says it’s because Roman agreed with Pearce’s concerns. What does that say to the WWE management and the fans to deliver a No DQ match as the main event of the Royal Rumble for the WWE Universal Championship and Adam Pearce’s return to wrestling? No DQ is not enough! Where is Heyman going with this? Roman VS Pearce, at the Royal Rumble, LAST MAN STANDING. What is with these people?! Oh~ Pearce wonders who that favors. Well Heyman isn’t really into spoilers.

Heyman says Pearce can take his time because they can address this in the ring later tonight. Heyman will leave Pearce to his thoughts, and considers this business “handled.” Will Pearce do what Roman wants?

 

Rey and Dominik talk backstage.

Rey wants Dominik to calm down but Dominik says he’s been fighting giants like Corbin his entire career. Now, NOW Rey backs down? Rey didn’t back down, he’s being smart. He suggests Dom do the same. You don’t pick a fight without a plan. Corbin has been a WWE United States Champion, Mr. Money in the Bank and King of the Ring. He’s even a former Golden Gloves boxer! Dom doesn’t care about what Corbin’s done! Well if Dom wants to take care of Corbin, Rey knows just the guy to talk to. Who is it that will give the Mysterios the upper hand on the Wolf King?

 

SmackDown presents Bayley’s brand new talk show!

DING DONG, HELLO~! Bayley walks in through the door, has an arm chair and a plaque commemorating her 380 day reign as SmackDown Women’s Champion. She welcomes us to HER talk show, which is already bigger than Marvel’s WandaVision. Now let’s welcome the EST of WWE, Bayley’s first guEST ever, Bianca Belair! Bianca makes her entrance and joins Bayley in the ring, and Bayley insists she go through the door. Ring the bell, too. DING DONG, who could that be? Bayley, c’mon. Bayley opens the door and lets Bianca in. Bianca then takes the arm chair and Bayley says that’s her. Well she has good taste, this is very comfortable.

Bayley would take the stool meant for guests, but y’know what? With the Women’s Rumble match, Bayley will probably be in it for a full hour so she might as well get her legs stronger now. Bayley congratulates Bianca on her WWE Chronicle premiering on the WWE Network on January 24th! And after everyone sees it, there will be so many Bianca Belair believers. Here’s a special sneak peek! It was when Bayley beat Bianca about a month ago. Oh, sorry, that wasn’t the right footage. Bayley says move on from that and go to the hard hitting questions.

Why does Bianca call herself the EST? It is her nickname based on her accomplishments in various things, such as track & field, sports, school- But those are all things from before the WWE. Isn’t that disrespectful to those that built the division? Bianca asks Bayley why Bianca’s confidence threaten Bayley so much? Bayley is mad at a nickname when Bianca doesn’t even brag, she’s just being herself. So when Bianca says she’s the strongEST, fastEST- Wait, hold on, doesn’t that make Bayley the best now? She beat Bianca in that match! And was a champion for 380 days. Bianca tells Bayley to take her talk show and go put on some dusty go and give Bianca a rematch right now.

Bayley knows Bianca is just trying to play mind games, but she’s not falling for it. She has nothing to prove. But Bayley has an idea! We can figure out who is the superior with an obstacle course! Yes! Imagine it! The Ultimate Athlete Obstacle Course Challenge! YES! Oh wow, really? Bianca can’t even argue with that, challenge accepted! Bayley has her EST, but there ain’t no way she can whoop Bianca. Now ding dong dat! Will Bianca prove it to Bayley and the world that she is then, now and forever THE E S T?

 

Daniel Bryan continues his training with the Alpha Academy!

It was earlier tonight that Bryan and Otis were backstage, and they got those hips moving left and right! Chad Gable has them explode up to their feet, and Kayla comes by. How has this training helped ahead of the Royal Rumble? It’s going great! “The pursuit of excellence” never ends. That’s what Bryan likes about Chad and Otis. And if training with the Alpha Academy makes Bryan even a little bit better, he’s all in. A great attitude to have, but did Bryan’s loss in the gauntlet hurt his confidence? Chad says no negativity. Nakamura is a former Rumble winner, there is no shame in losing to him. Bryan has a lot of respect for Shinsuke, and surely he has that same respect for Bryan.

But Cesaro barges in and says Bryan cannot speak for Nakamura because Bryan is not Nakamura’s friend. But Cesaro is so he will. Cesaro says Nakamura only shook Bryan’s hand was because he felt sorry. It was more a pity handshake. And Bryan would’ve had more of a chance at winning if he trained with someone who could teach him something more than that stupid hip thrust Macarena stuff. Then how about Bryan show Cesaro how that works firsthand later tonight? That is to say, NOW!

Cesaro VS Daniel Bryan!

The Swiss Cyborg won the inaugural Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal but Bryan has never won a battle royal ever! Anywhere! Will Bryan show Cesaro that the Alpha Academy knows what it’s doing?

SmackDown returns and the bell rings! These two tie up, Cesaro headlocks and hits a takeover. Bryan tries to headscissor but Cesaro pushes that off. They stand up, Bryan powers out but Cesaro runs him over! Cover, ONE, but Cesaro keeps Bryan down with another headlock. Bryan fights up, powers out again, and drops to then arm-drag Cesaro to an armlock! Bryan grinds Cesaro down, wrenches to a wristlock, then wrenches more and hits an elbow breaker! Bryan drags Cesaro down to a hammerlock but Cesaro backs him to a corner. The ref counts, Cesaro elbows Bryan with the free arm! Then he throws EuroUppers!

Cesaro whips Bryan corner to corner and EuroUppers again! Cesaro pushes Bryan around, drags him up and wrenches to whip corner to corner. Bryan dodges and Cesaro hits buckles, then Bryan fires off kicks from all sides! Bryan runs corner to corner for a dropkick! Armlock BULLDOG! Bryan keeps on that arm, hammerlocks it and drops knees on it! Bryan pulls on the arm and twists the wrist! Cesaro rolls, gets up but Bryan wrenches. Cesaro scoops and SLAMS Bryan down! Cesaro shakes out the bad arm and he brings Bryan up to shove him to ropes, and CLUB him hard in the back! Cesaro stomps Bryan, drags him up, shove shim again but Bryan ROCKS Cesaro back!

Bryan fires forearms but Cesaro hits a standing STO! Knuckle lock cover, TWO as Bryan bridges! Cesaro goes to put his weight on Bryan but Bryan counters to monkey flip Cesaro into ropes! A rough landing and Cesaro tumbles out of the ring! Bryan goes to a corner, climbs up top and leaps, BIG CROSSBODY! Both men get up and Bryan fires off kicks! The ring count is climbing as Bryan KICKS Cesaro against post! Cesaro ducks the next one and Bryan kicks POST! Bryan goes down, clutching his shin, and SmackDown goes to break!

SmackDown returns again and Cesaro stomps away on Bryan in a corner. Cesaro is after the leg but Bryan scrambles, so Cesaro double stomps Bryan down! Cesaro stomps Bryan’s leg again! Cesaro drags Bryan up but Bryan throws a EuroUpper! Cesaro EuroUppers, Bryan fires off kicks and uppercuts, only for Cesaro to ROCK him! Cesaro whips Bryan corner to corner, Bryan goes up and over but the leg jams! Cesaro runs in but Bryan manages a drop toehold! Bryan PENALTY KICKS Cesaro’s bad arm! Bryan runs back in, tilt-o-whirl and takedown! YES LOCK!! Cesaro endures, moves around, pries free of the hold and stomps Bryan’s legs!

Cesaro gets both legs, for a SWISS SWING! Then a SHARPSHOOTER! Bryan endures as Cesaro sits deep! Bryan crawls, drags himself and Cesaro over, but Cesaro reaches back to get an arm! CROSSFACE! Bryan rolls it over, and gets the arm again! Cesaro holds off the Yes Lock but Bryan fish hooks Cesaro’s face! Bryan gets the YES LOCK! Cesaro reaches, ROPEBREAK! Bryan lets go, but he wrenches to an elbow breaker! Cesaro goes to a corner, Bryan kicks him and puts him up top. Bryan climbs to SUPER- NO! Cesaro blocks the steiner to bring Bryan up and into a TWISTING SUPERPLEX! Cover, TWO!! Bryan survives and Cesaro is furious!

Cesaro gives Bryan EuroUppers, then rains down forearms! Cesaro reels Bryan in, Gotch but Bryan back drops out! Bryan boots from a corner, runs, but into a pop-up, only for Bryan to backslide! TWO and Bryan unleashes a Yes Kick and a BUZZSAW! Cesaro already has a cut on his head so the ref checks. Bryan and Cesaro go to opposite corners and Bryan pops up with Yes fingers, only to run into a POP-UP UPPER! GOTCH NEUTRALIZER!! Cover, Cesaro wins!!

Winner: Cesaro, by pinfall

Incredible! Cesaro beats a Grand Slam Champion in Bryan and is rolling towards the Royal Rumble! Will Bryan’s dream of finally checking off a battle royal win be only dreams?

 

Backstage interview with Carmella!

The Untouchable and her sommelier, Reginald, are here and Kayla asks her about what she said last week. Mella says she was telling the truth about Sasha Banks. When it comes to natural talent, Sasha can’t touch Mella. Yet here Mella is here, where is Sasha? Why haven’t we seen Sasha back? Oh, of course. It’s because Mella proved she’s better than Sasha in every way. Maybe Sasha’s hiding from Mella. But then Sasha comes out and shoves Mella over! Sasha isn’t hiding from anyone! Reginald keeps this from getting any more physical, and Sasha tells him to tell Mella that they’ll have the title match. So long as Sasha gets at Reggie first! Will Mella agree to this deal at the expense of her assistant?

 

Apollo Crews VS Sami Zayn!

Both men want after Big E and the WWE Intercontinental Championship, but we saw earlier tonight how Roman Reigns was giving Apollo some pointers. Will Apollo take control and have another shot at the title? Or will he not see the next trip Sami has up his sleeve?

SmackDown returns and Sami makes his entrance, accompanied by his documentary film crew to have evidence of the “Anti-Sami Conspiracy” Sami claims exists in the WWE. Big E is ringside, lounging on a couch and having a fruit salad from is minifridge!? Sami is upset because he never got anything close to that as champion, and as the bell rings, Sami runs into Apollo’s dropkick! Apollo counter punches Sami, whips him to ropes but Sami reverses to knee low. Sami runs, Apollo hits an OVERHEAD THROW! Big E respects that but his version is better. Apollo waistlocks but Sami elbows him away, then dodges to clothesline Apollo out!

Big E says he doesn’t believe in Sami’s conspiracy theories and says he didn’t really need the pep talk Heyman gave him like he gave Apollo on Talking Smack. Sami tells Big E to watch this as he JABS away on Apollo. Sami goes to bump Sami off the desk but Apollo blocks to bump Sami off the desk! Apollo then uses the desk for a MOONSAULT to knock Sami down! Apollo puts Sami in at the count of 8, climbs up top, but Sami trips Apollo up! Apollo hits the mat, Sami stomps Apollo into a corner! Sami digs his boots in, the ref counts and Sami lets off. Apollo staggers, Sami hops up and leaps for a flying elbow! Cover, TWO! Sami keeps on Apollo with another cover, TWO! Another, TWO!

Sami tells his personal camera crew to focus on this as he climbs back up. Sami leaps, Apollo gets around to GERMAN SUPLEX! Both men are down but Sami got folded! Sami goes to a corner, Apollo runs in, blocks a boot, and trophy lifts Sami up to throw him into the buckles! ENZIGURI! Apollo STANDING MOONSAULTS, but onto knees! Sami covers, TWO! Sami dodges Apollo and rolls him up, but the ref sees him grabbing tights! Sami is upset with the ref, similar to Jey and Charles Robinson, but Sami still catches Apollo to an EXPLODER into buckles! Sami goes corner to corner, but Apollo rolls Sami, and has TIGHTS! The ref doesn’t see this one, Apollo WINS!

Winner: Apollo Crews, by pinfall

Did Sami’s cameras get Sami’s butt crack like WWE cameras did? Apollo walks over to the couch, picks up the belt, and grins as he tosses back to Big E. Big E says Apollo can keep coming for it but he won’t touch it again. They’ll see each other down the line, but who wins when the title is back on the line?

 

Roman Reigns heads to the ring!

The Head of the Table leads the Special Counsel, Paul Heyman, and #MainEventUso to the table that’s waiting in the ring for this contract signing. And then Adam Pearce quietly makes his way out with the official contract. Pearce takes a seat at the table, Roman takes his time circling around the table, and Heyman moves the chair to the head of the table. Roman doesn’t want that chair. He wants the chair Pearce just sat in. Heyman asks Pearce that he give up the chair, but Jey just takes it from Pearce. Roman takes a seat and Heyman helps Pearce into the chair Roman didn’t want.

Roman says Pearce needs to go ahead and sign. Heyman says this sitting around is not good television. Pearce looks at the contract as he holds the pen, and signs it. Heyman smirks at the passive aggressive behavior as he hands Roman his own pent to sign with. Roman signs his name, gives the pen back, and it is done. Roman says that’ll be the last contract Pearce ever signs. Pearce says, “I’ve waited all night for you to do that.” What’s that supposed to mean? Pearce leaves with the contract in hand, goes up the ramp, and then seems to have a problem walking. Pearce says his knee has been bugging the hell out of him all day. An old injury that just creeps up on you at the worst possible time.

But Pearce says it’ll be fine. After all, we all know that standard contracts say the same things. As a WWE Official, Pearce reserves the right to have a substitute, should he not be medically cleared to compete at the Royal Rumble. In fact, Pearce already has one in mind. It’s KEVIN OWENS! Roman sighs, perhaps disappointed he didn’t see this coming. Kevin signs his name to the contract, and it’s all but a given that the Prizefighter is back in the fight! Will Kevin finally #StunTheWorld and end Roman’s reign as Universal Champion?


My Thoughts:

A really good episode for SmackDown, with some interesting developments in the different stories. The story of Roman Reigns and all those related took an expected yet perfectly executed twist. It was clear Adam Pearce wasn’t really going to compete against Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble, but how he tricked them into a trap like that was great. We’re getting another Roman VS Kevin, but now Last Man Standing, and if Jey is in the Royal Rumble, he might have to consider not interfering. And even if he does, maybe Pearce gets involved so that Scrap Daddy at least gets one great moment WWE PPV moment? Or maybe it’ll be Bryan or Nakamura, depending on who wins the Rumble.

Jey VS Nakamura was a good opening match and I was worried Cesaro showing up when he did was going to mean he costs Nakamura. But Cesaro stays on commentary, stays Nakamura’s friend, and yet also stays a bit Heelish as he still talks smack on Bryan, Otis and Gable. Bryan VS Cesaro was a great match, and it was a great surprise to see Cesaro win. It works for both men going towards the Rumble. Bryan wants to win so badly but that alone could be why he’ll lose, and Cesaro needs a little something to keep him afloat. Cesaro really is a great talent, we all know that, but who knows when and where he’ll get the world title nod.

The Profits had a good promo and they’ll eventually have that rematch with the Dirty Dawgs, but who knows if they win it. Natty VS Liv was alright, but Billie was a highlight of the whole thing with her wannabe punk rock outfit and behavior. She did more of a Spider-Man web shooter hand than the rock ‘n’ roll fingers, and then she costs Liv the match, adding more tension to the tenuous friendship. Maybe Billie does something big to make it up to the Riott Squad and that’s how she wins them over. Bayley is great, Bianca is great, and maybe Ding Dong, Hello was being awkward on purpose, but it didn’t quite land. And I don’t think their obstacle course challenge will, either, even if Bianca does an amazing job with it. Just give us a 15 to 20 minute NXT level match on SmackDown with them.

Rey VS Corbin with Dom on the side was good, but I almost thought Dom was going to find a way to Eddie Guerrero Corbin out of the win. I’m very curious as to who Rey is talking about when it comes to dealing with Corbin. I’m thinking it’s Cain Velasquez given the established relationship between him and Rey. Though that does bring up the question of what happened to A) the relationship of Murphy & Aalyah, and B) the Knights of the Wolf King. The former is probably one of those many cases where WWE gave up on it because they couldn’t figure it out. The latter is probably COVID concerns, and then some of the former.

Mella and Sasha had a decent segment, and they set up the obvious rematch. But I really like the idea that Sasha is getting a co-ed match against Reginald. I have a feeling Mella will interfere in return to put Sasha behind the 8 ball for their match. Apollo VS Sami was good as a main event match, but we did not need that much Sami butt cheek… I like that Big E now has a couch and fridge, oddly. Apollo is slowly starting that turn to Heel given what Heyman told him on Talking Smack last week, I’m just waiting for that moment when it’s complete. Then we’re really going to see some stuff from the already athletic and charismatic Apollo and Big E for the workhorse title of the WWE.

My Score: 8.3/10


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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; 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!

 


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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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