Coverage
Mitchell’s NJPW New Beginning Hiroshima Results & Report! (2/11/21)
NJPW begins in Hiroshima, still!
Who will stand atop NJPW with the Double Championships?
A string of trios matches sets the scene for a G1 Climax 30 rematch! Will Kota Ibushi still be a wrestling god after facing the Cold Skull?
NOTE: NJPW no longer wants to feed AXS TV now that it is with Anthem and Impact Wrestling. But never fear, I will cover NJPW in the spirit of AXS in providing the most important matches of the show.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Six Man Tag: Suzuki-Gun VS Master Wato, SHO & Tomoaki Honma; Wato, Sho & Honma win.
- Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS Bullet Club; LIJ wins.
- Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano VS EVIL & Dick Togo; Double Count-Out Draw.
- Kazuchika Okada VS EVIL; Okada wins, by disqualification.
- NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships: Chaos VS Jay White & The Guerrillas of Destiny; Chaos wins and retains the titles.
- IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Double Championship: Kota Ibushi VS SANADA; Ibushi wins and retains the titles.
PLAY BY PLAY
Six Man Tag: Suzuki-Gun VS Master Wato, SHO & Tomoaki Honma!
Well, “card subject to change” is a common thing in wrestling, and that’s happened here! Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru wanted after Bullet Club tonight, but they’re getting the Grandmaster, High Voltage and Everyone’s Kokeshi instead! Will the Meanest Man in the World, the Rogue Luchador and Heel Master still do what they intended and send a message to the rest of NJPW?
The second Honma gets in the ring, he and Suzuki get in each other’s face! The ref keeps the peace, the teams sort out and Honma eggs Suzuki on. They start and they start throwing CHOPS! Fans rally as the CHOPS fly back and forth! Neither man backs down but Suzuki gets the edge. Suzuki whips Honma to a corner and runs in to boot him! Suzuki cravats but Honma blocks the snapmare. Suzuki body shots then runs but Honma elbows him at the ropes! Honma runs and runs Suzuki over with a shoulder! Honma fires up, runs, but Suzuki moves so Honma stops from dropping the headbutt. Honma stomps Suzuki at the ropes, then goes for it again, but Suzuki boots him down!
Desperado and Kanemaru go after Sho and Wato while Suzuki clubs Honma down! Suzuki then drags Honma out while Desperado throws Sho into railing. Suzuki RAMS Honma into railing by commentary and he throws body shots and knees! Desperado rakes Sho’s eyes then POSTS him! Kanemaru chops away on Wato and Suzuki whips Honma into more railing! Suzuki taunts Honma, smudges his face and CHOPS him again! Suzuki puts Honma back in the ring and tags in Desperado. Desperado drops knees on Honma’s head, then stomps him over and over! Fans rally up but Desperado bumps Honma off buckles. Tag to Kanemaru and Suzuki-Gun mugs Honma!
The ref has to keep Sho back but that allows Suzuki-Gun to dig their boots in! Suzuki-Gun finally lets off on Honma and Kanemaru runs in to BOOT Honma down! Kanemaru throws elbows, then stomps him more. Tag to Suzuki and he runs to BOOT Sho! And BOOT Wato! Fans rally for Honma and he fires off forearms! Suzuki is liking this and he ROCKS Honma back! Honma throws more forearms but Suzuki ROCKS Honma again! Honma roars but Suzuki headbutts! Suzuki runs but Honma LEAPING HEADBUTTS! Fans fire up as Honma and Suzuki crawl, hot tags to Sho and Desperado! Sho dodges then fires off to whip but Desperado reverses, only for Sho to run him over!
Sho hits Kanemaru down, then runs at Desperado with a corner clothesline! Sho whips, wrenches and kicks away on Desperado! Fans fire up with Sho as he watches Desperado rise. Sho KICKS Desperado down, covers, TWO! Sho keeps his cool as he waistlocks and dead lifts Desperado. Desperado fights the German Suplex off, but Sho reels him in to try again. Desperado victory roll counters, TWO! Sho staggers up, Desperado spins him and knees, double underhooks but no Pinche! Sho wrenches to throw a forearm, but Desperado hits back! Sho forearms again, Desperado responds, and the two go back and forth!
Fans rally up as Sho gets the edge, but Desperado pokes Sho in the eye! Sho still hits back, KICKS and runs, to LARIAT! Fans fire up again as Sho drags Desperado up and reels him in. Desperado resists the lift, wrenches free to whip, and Kanemaru gets a cheap shot in! Desperado SPEARS! Tag to Kanemaru, he drags Sho up to whip, but Sho SPEARS back! Hot tag to Wato! Wato BOOTS Suzuki, Honma goes after Kanemaru, and together, he and Sho whip Kanemaru corner to corner. Honma whips Wato in and Wato elbows Kanemaru! Honma whips Sho in to clothesline! Sho feeds Kanemaru to Honma’s elbow and then Honma HEADBUTTS Kanemaru, into Wato’s SPRINGBOARD UPPERCUT! Cover, but Suzuki-Gun breaks it!
It’s another chaotic brawl, Desperado and Suzuki throw Sho and Honma out. Suzuki-Gun whips Wato to a corner, Desperado runs in to elbow! Suzuki runs in to BOOT Wato! Suzuki whips but Wato reverses, only for Suzuki to break and boot him! Desperado lifts Wato, Kanemaru BOOTS into the back suplex! Cover, TWO! Wato survives but Kanemaru goes up the corner. Suzuki keeps Honma out and Kanemaru hits DEEP IMPACT!! cover but Sho breaks it! Desperado gets in to throw Sho back out and Kanemaru drags Wato up. Kanemaru suplexes but Wato fights that off. Kanemaru blocks Wato’s kick to give a kick, but Wato dodges the clothesline to tilt-o-whirl and roll-up, high stack with a jackknife! Wato and team win!!
Winners: Master Wato, SHO & Tomoaki Honma, by pinfall
High Voltage usually pulls off shockers but the Way of the Grandmaster just pulled off one here! Is this just the beginning of Wato living up to his nickname?
Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS Bullet Club!
The challenge was made on night one that the Timebomb will give El Phantasmo a shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, but he and the Death Mask will get a shot at the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships first! With Tetsuya Naito and Tokyo Pimp in the mix, which side gets a major advantage going into the Junior Heavyweight title series?
Bullet Club throws up the Too Sweet, but they just use that as a distraction before ambushing LIJ! Yujiro is after Naito while the tag champs are after their challengers! ELP throws Hiromu out, they brawl as the bell rings and gets this on record! ELP ROCKS Hiromu and has him at the railing. ELP shouts that he won’t be embarrassed by Hiromu as he throws more forearms! Ishimori has Bushi in the ring, whips him corner to corner, but Bushi swings out to kick Ishimori away! Bushi goes up to hit a missile dropkick, and Bushirooni! Bushi drags Ishimori up but Ishimori slips out of the fisherman screw, only for Bushi to kick him low.
Ishimori goes to ropes, Bushi heads over but Ishimori throws him out! Bullet Club mugs Bushi at the railing, then puts him back in. Ishimori pulls Bushi’s shirt off him and throws it away! Ishimori drags Bushi up, fans rally up, but Ishimori CLAWS Bushi’s back! Tag to ELP and the tag champs coordinate for more claws to Bushi’s back! Tag back to Ishimori, he goes up and hits a super BACK RAKE! Bushi goes down and Ishimori tags ELP. ELP DECKS Hiromu and then Naito! Ishimori has Bushi in the corner, ELP runs corner to corner, cartwheels around and around, then rolls and handsprings, just to CLAW Bushi again! ELP tags in Yujiro and then sets Bushi up in the corner.
Yujiro throws clubbing forearms, then as ELP and Ishimori encourage him to scratch, he just clubs Bushi more. Yujiro snapmares Bushi, runs and basement boots! Cover, TWO! Yujiro drags Bushi up, stomps him to the corner, then stomps him in the corner. Tag to Ishimori, he drags Bushi up and hoists him onto the top rope. Tag to ELP, Ishimori runs to baseball slide Naito and Hiromu! ELP sets Bushi into the Tree of Woe, Ishimori runs in and basement dropkicks Bushi in the head! ELP runs in to leap, and then step on Bushi’s groin! Ishimori adds in, the ref reprimands, but Yujiro adds on! The ref counts, and Bullet Club steps away from Bushi’s boys.
ELP covers but the ref refuses because of their antics! ELP drags Bushi back, drags him up and throws forearms. ELP wrenches, whips Bushi corner to corner, then handsprings in, into a BOOT! Bushi goes up, FLYING RANA! Fans fire up, Bushi hot tags Hiromu! The Timebomb DECKS Yujiro, kicks ELP and whips him to ropes, but ELP reverses. Ishimori gets a cheap shot in, then he and ELP double whip Hiromu. Hiromu gets around and shoves Ishimori into ELP! Then Hiromu picks Ishimori up and makes him give ELP a RANA! Hiromu then whips Ishimori to a corner, clotheslines him, then runs to clothesline ELP! And back to Ishimori! Then back to ELP!
Hiromu baits Ishimori in, Ishimori avoids colliding with ELP, but Hiromu comes back to shotgun dropkick Bullet Club into the corner! Hiromu drags ELP up to suplex, for a Falcon Arrow! Cover, TWO! Fans rally and Hiromu grins as he brings ELP around. Hiromu fireman’s carries, ELP fights free and shoves Hiromu to a corner. Hiromu boots back, runs, dodges, but ELP blocks the kick. Hiromu blocks ELP’s kick, flips ELP but ELP lands on his feet to get around and torture rack! ELP spins around for a BIG neckbreaker! Both men are down, fans fire up, hot tags to Yujiro and Naito! Naito dodges the boot, fires off on Yujiro then whips.
Yujiro reverses, Naito holds ropes and boots back! Naito spins Yujiro around, whips him to elbow him down and basement dropkick in the back! Naito whips Yujiro to a corner, runs in, rocket kick and Combinacion Cabron! Fans fire up as Naito drags Yujiro up again. Naito turns Yujiro but Yujiro BITES Naito’s hand! No one learns! Yujiro boots Naito, turns him and hits a reverse DDT! Ishimori runs in just to DECK Bushi, then goes out after him. Yujiro has Naito for the FISHERMAN BUSTER! Cover, TWO! Naito survives and Yujiro is frustrated. Yujiro has a bloody nose but he ignores that to drag Naito around.
Yujiro fireman’s carries but Bushi saves Naito, to give Yujiro a BACKSTABBER! ELP superkicks but Bushi blocks! Hiromu SUPERKICKS ELP away but Ishimori runs in to fire off on Bushi and Hiromu! Ishimori runs but into SUPERKICK ENZIGURI COMBO! Yujiro runs in, Bushi sends him to Naito’s atomic drop! Naito whips Yujiro to a corner, Bushi elbows Yujiro, then LIJ coordinates, the HIROMU RAILGUN! Bushi keeps Ishimori out and then DIVES onto Ishimori! Hiromu goes after ELP on the outside as Naito throws an elbow and an enziguri on Yujiro! Tilt-o-whirl, DESTINO! Cover, LIJ wins!
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon, by pinfall
Tokyo Pimp takes the loss, but this doesn’t bode well for Bullet Club! Will Hiromu and Bushi take those tag titles away before having it out with Mr. Super J Cup one more time?
Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano VS EVIL & Dick Togo!
The Rainmaker has been daring the King of Darkness to step up, but Evil keeps playing games. Will the provisional Mr. KOPW 2021 help Okada force Evil’s hand?
The teams sort out, Evil and Dick Too Sweet and Okada starts. Evil doesn’t want to but Okada gives him no choice! Yano throws Dick out and the bell rings! Yano whips Dick to railing, Okada snapmares Evil to ropes and runs to basement dropkick him down! Okada brings Evil up to throw him out and then goes out after him at the railing. Fans rally with “O-KA-DA!” claps as he whips Evil into railing! Okada digs his boots in, the ref starts the ring count, Okada RAMS Evil into railings again! Okada goes to gut wrench but Evil fights it off! The count climbs, Evil whips Okada into railing! The count is 15, Evil whips Okada into more railing, then he gets a chair to choke Okada with! The count hits 20 of 20!!
Double Count-Out Draw
That wasn’t a match! That was just a brawl! Young Lions try to stop Evil but he only stops when Dick regroups with him. Evil doesn’t seem to care about facing Okada fair, square or any other which way. But Okada is getting up and he is pursuing Evil! CHAIR SHOT to the back!! The Young Lions and Yano hurry to bring Okada away but he dares Evil to bring it on! Fans clap even harder, “O-KA-DA!” Okada gets a mic to tell Evil to man up and get in the ring! What’s Evil gonna do? Okada wants Evil to take him on 1v1 already so what’s it gonna be? Evil gets up as Okada fires up the fans more, and Red Shoes appears to handle this. Evil agrees to the challenge?! And he even tells Dick to stand down!? Dick goes to the back, Yano also exits, and it’s official!!
Kazuchika Okada VS EVIL!
Evil gets in, the bell rings and the brawl continues! Forearms are fast, furious and point-blank! Evil kicks low, whips but Okada ducks and dodges to elbow Evil down! Fans are thunderous as Okada brings Evil back up and whips him corner to corner. Okada runs in and elbows Evil into the kick and DDT! Cover, TWO! Okada keeps his cool but the fans are fired up again as he paces. Okada waits on Evil to get up, but Evil blocks the Alabama lift. Evil pulls hair to throw Okada down! Fans still rally as Okada goes to a corner. Evil runs in, Okada boots him away! Evil runs in again but Okada pops him up to the Alabama! REVERSE NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!
Fans stay fired up as Okada keeps his focus. Okada drags Evil up, gut wrenches, but Evil fights it off! Evil claws Okada’s face, the ref reprimands but Evil stops at 4. Fans rally, Evil brings him up and fisherman’s, but Okada blocks the suplex. The two struggle against each other, Evil knees low then tries again. Okada kicks and wrenches free to waistlock. Evil elbows free but runs into Okada’s dropkick! Okada is right on Evil with the MONEY CLIP! Evil endures, reaches for Okada’s face, but Okada leans on the hold! Fans rally up as Okada cranks harder and Evil starts to fade! The ref checks on Evil, Evil gets a second wind and gets a ropebreak!
Okada lets go, fans fire up and Okada rises. Okada drags Evil back up, but Evil blocks the lariat! Evil mule kicks, Okada staggers to a corner, and Evil runs in to clothesline! Evil brings Okada around to fireman’s carry but Okada fights free. Okada swings but into a waistlock. Okada elbows free and runs, but Evil runs to the corner and back, LARIAT! Evil seethes as he drags Okada up to fireman’s carry again. DARKNESS FALLS! Cover, TWO!! Okada survives and fans fire up but Evil keeps on him. Evil gets the legs and turns Okada over for the SHARPSHOOTER! Fans rally as Okada endures, and Dick returns! So much for standing down!
The ref goes to intercept Dick but Dick shoves him down! Dick stomps away on Okada! Shouldn’t this be a disqualification? Evil and Dick keep stomping, so yes, the ref calls for the bell!
Winner: Kazuchika Okada, by disqualification
Well it’s almost like there was no point now! But here comes Yano! Yano attacks Evil but Dick attacks Yano! Yano hits Dick but Evil LOW BLOWS Yano! Okada goes after Evil and rains down forearms! But Dick has the SPOILER CHOKER!! Dick uses it on Okada!! Okada is turning red as he fades out! Fans still rally for “O-KA-DA!” as Young Lions get in. Dick hits the Young Lions and sends them out! Evil looms over Okada, and stands on Okada’s head. Evil and Dick Low Sweet, but nothing has been settled! Will the King of Darkness ever truly face the Rainmaker head on?
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships: Chaos VS Jay White & The Guerrillas of Destiny!
Tomohiro Ishii spoiled the Switchblade’s G1 run and now is the time for revenge! Will Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa add more gold on top of the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships? Or will Yoshi-Hashi and Hirooki Goto help Ishii #GetBackUp and #TurnItAround?
The introductions are made, the Six Man belts are raised, and the trios sort out. We begin with a brawl! Is this just how things are going to go tonight? Goto and Hashi get GOD out of the ring while White brawls with Ishii! White clubs away then kicks Ishii at the ropes. White throws a EuroUpper, then a CHOP, but Ishii just eggs him on! White rakes Ishii’s eyes, then whips Ishii. Ishii reverses but White bails out! Ishii pursues, White gets back in, but while he thinks he’s the smart one, he’s surrounded by Chaos! Chaos stomps White down 3v1! The ref reprimands, Chaos lets off and then they whip White to a corner.
Goto runs in to clothesline, then he feeds White to double shoulders from Hashi and Ishii! Then Chaos TRIPLE KICK COMBOS! Tama gets in but gets a double hip toss! And a basement dropkick! Loa returns but he gets hammered by Chaos! Ishii goes out after White then puts him back in. Ishii drags White away to the Chaos corner, drags him up and throws forearms. Ishii CHOPS White, Goto gets a shot in, and Gedo protests as Chaos digs their boots in! The ref counts, Chaos stops and Ishii tags Hashi. They double whip, but White grabs ropes to tag in Tama! Tama runs in but Hashi rallies on him with elbows and shoulders, then a RUNNING RANA!
Fans fire up for Hashi as he drags Tama up. Hashi elbows Tama to ropes then whips him. Tama uses that momentum to hit Goto of the apron! Hashi clubs and whips Tama again, but Tama reverses and Loa gets a cheap shot in! Loa holds Hashi and Tama CHOPS and forearms away! Tama runs but Goto trips him! Hashi elbows Loa away, he and Goto double whip and double shoulder Tama over! Hip toss senton combo! Cover, TWO! Fans rally, Gedo and Jado shout at Tama but Hashi runs in at the corner. Hashi CHOPS Tama, whips out to CHOP again, but White sucker punches Hashi! White hits Chaos, Tama feeds Hashi to Loa’s lariat!
White throws Ishii and Goto around while Loa RAMS Hashi into railing! White whips Ishii hard into more railing! Ishii even flops up and over! White asks if he’s allowed to go out after Ishii. For now, the ring count climbs, Tama gets back in, White brings Ishii back around to whip him into more railing! The ring count is 10, Loa puts Hashi in for Tama. Tama uses a knee to cover, TWO! Tama stmops Hashi, tags Loa, and Loa slingshot sentons! Tama slingshots sentons, too, then White drags Hashi out to RAM him into railing at English commentary! White puts Hashi back in, Loa drags Hashi up to suplex! Uno amigo as Loa gets back up.
Loa wrenches to BLUE THUNDER BOMB! White mockingly checks on Hashi but the ref actually checks. Hashi is okay to continue and fans rally up. Loa toys with Hashi, Gedo says this should just be stopped. Hashi barely stirs but he’s still conscious, so Loa drags him back up. Loa tags White, they mug Hashi, and White brings Hashi up for a BIG back suplex! Hashi flops over and White mockingly checks on him again. Cover, TWO!! Hashi is still in this and now White is annoyed. White drags Hashi around, mockingly claps with him, and then brings him over. White talks trash to Ishii before tagging out to Tama. Tama stomps Hashi, talks some trash of his own, but then Ishii gets in.
The ref tells Ishii to stay back, and Tama looms over Hashi as Ishii reluctantly goes back to the corner. Tag to White and White kicks at Hashi. White spanks Hashi to the rhythm, then snapmares Hashi to a chinlock! Hashi is already turning red as White squeezes tight! White taunts Hashi to look to Ishii but then turns Hashi away. White grins but fans rally up and Hashi gets a second wind! Hashi fights up, throws body shots, but White throws him by his hair! White DECKS Goto, hits Ishii, but Ishii doesn’t budge! Ishii gets in, kicks at White, but the ref tells him to go back! Tama sneaks in and drags Hashi back! White goes after Ishii, GOD stomp away on Hashi!
White RAMS Ishii into more railing, then comes back to the ring. White tags Tama, and Tama takes his time bringing Hashi up. Tama throws a big right hand but Hashi just fires up! Tama throws another but Hashi feeds off it! The fans rally up and Tama is starting to worry. Tama throws more haymakers but Hashi just gets stronger! Tama clubs away with fury, he brings Hashi up, but Hashi suplexes to the BUNKER BUSTER! Fans fire up as both men are down! Hashi and Tama crawl, hot tag to Goto! The Fierce Warrior rallies on Tama, BLASTS White and Loa, then fires off on Tama! Goto whips, Tama reverses but Goto dodges. Tama runs, redirects, but Goto follows to LARIAT!
Loa gets in but Goto kicks him first! Goto goes to suplex but Loa slips out to waistlock. Goto switches, Loa elbows him away, and Goto ends up in a corner. Loa whips Tama in but Goto dodges to LARIAT Loa! MURAMASA for Tama, to the BULLDOG! Cover, but White breaks it! Ishii rushes in but White bails right out! Goto glares at White, goes back to Tama, but Tama throws a body shot! Loa uppercuts, Tama neckbreakers! Tama shakes out the cobwebs, fans rally up, and Tama drags Goto up. Tama dragon sleepers, for a TONGAN TWIST! Cover, TWO! Tama grows frustrated and White protests the count. Goto slowly rises but Tama looms over him.
Tama drags Goto around to a fireman’s carry but Goto fights out. Goto swings, but back into a dragon sleeper! Goto reverses but Tama snapmares free, only to miss with the super punch! Goto grabs Tama by the hair, HEAD SHOT! Fans fire up as both men are down! Tama rolls towards his corner while Goto crawls, hot tags to Ishii and White! Ishii and White each dodge, swing and dodge, switch and swing, but White shoves Ishii to a corner. White runs in but Ishii dodges, only for White to dodge. Ishii boots, runs in but into a firema’ns carry! Ishii slips off to shove again, White boots but Ishii still clotheslines!
Ishii whips corner to corner, White reverses but Ishii comes back, only for White to ROCK him! White runs, into a SPINNING POWERSLAM! Ishii scowls as he looms over White. Ishii drags White up by his hair, CHOPS him in the corner, then CHOPS again! Ishii CHOPS close to the throat and Gedo protests, but the CHOPS keep flying! White drops down and guards but Ishii tries to punch through. Gedo gets on the apron but Ishii glares at him. Gedo backs off but White goes after a leg! Ishii ROCKS White, glares at Gedo again, but White hits a DRAPING DDT! White hurries over to drag Ishii up and throw him out.
White RAMS Ishii into railing, and then RAMS him again! And then RAMS him again! All in front of Japanese commentary! The ref reprimands White and White lets off on Ishii long enough to put him in the ring. White drags Ishii back up, suplexes, and hits BLADE BUSTER! Cover, TWO!! Ishii survives the twisting suplex and fans fire up! White mockingly pats Ishii on the head but Ishii eggs him on. White gets the leg for a GROUND DRAGON SCREW! White drags Ishii up but Ishii blocks the urenage. Hashi gets in to hit White, then Loa runs into the spin back kick! Hashi runs but into Loa’s dropkick! Loa looms over Ishii but Ishii hits him first.
Ishii runs and rams Loa but Loa stays up! Loa throws a forearm, runs, and rams Ishii! Ishii rebounds to ram Loa, Loa rebounds to ram Ishii! Both men run, but Tama and Goto trip Ishii and Loa! Goto gets in but Tama dropkicks Goto down! Tama rains down rights on Goto, White returns and they double whip Goto. Goto holds ropes, Ishii returns and he dodges double clotheslines! Ishii and Goto fireman’s carry White and Tama, but White and Tama rake eyes! Tama and White feed Goto and Ishii to Loa’s DOUBLE LARIATS! Bullet Club regroups and they focus on Ishii. Ishii staggers up into haymakers and forearms and uppercuts! Then GUERILLA WARFARE!
White drags Ishii back up, for KIWI KRUSHER! Cover, TWO!?! Ishii survives and White is furious! White drags Ishii back up, has the sleeper hold, but Hashi gets in! Hashi mule kicks White, but Loa hits a CODE BREAKER! Goto CLOBBERS Loa, CLOBBERS Tama, but White SNAP SAIDOS Goto away! Ishii runs in, into the SNAP SLEEPER SUPLEX! The Triple S hits, White drags Ishii back up, BLADE- NO! Ishii slips free, spins White, but White suplexes! Ishii fights out, escapes the urenage, and suplexes again! White fights out but Ishii HEADBUTTS and LARIATS! Fans fire up with Ishii and he drags White back up! But White fights the suplex off, but Ishii avoids Bladerunner again!
White escapes the suplex, catches Ishii again, URENAGE! Both men are down and fans fire up again! Ishii and White crawl, hot tags to Loa and Hashi! The Headhunter and Silverback collide with clotheslines! And again! And again! Hashi staggers but Loa just fires up. Loa runs, Hashi dodges, BLOCKBUSTER! Loa rolls away, Hashi runs in at the corner, and he corner clotheslines! Hashi brings Loa in but Loa suplexes first. Hashi slips out, waistlocks but Loa elbows free. Loa swings into a takedown! Hashi wants his head, BUTTERFLY LOCK! Fans fire up but Loa fights up to a fireman’s carry, SAMOAN DROP! Goto returns but Loa kicks, scoops and SLAMS Goto fast!
Loa aims at Hashi, Tama gets in, GOD drags him up. They hit Hashi with the back suplex neckbreaker! Cover, TWO! Loa is furious with the count! Jado tells them to finish this, GOD drags Hashi up, but Hashi fights off Magic Killer! Hashi shoves Tama at Loa, but Tama whips Loa into Hashi! Loa drags Hashi back up, scoop slams him, then coordinates with Tama. They’re on opposite corners, for the FLYING HEADBUTT and FROG SPLASH! Cover, but Goto breaks it! Tama is after Goto but Goto throws forearms on GOD! Goto denies Gun Stun, dodges Loa’s boot and LARIATS him! Goto DECKS White, too, then drags Tama up! But Tama denies GTR to suplex!
Goto fights that off, he and Hashi combine, G Y R!! Hashi gets Loa, shoves him to Goto and Goto fireman’s carries. Loa slips off, shoves Goto into Hashi, but Hashi mule kicks Loa! Goto fireman’s carries again, SUPERKICK to USHIGOROSHI, Ishii adds the SLIDING LARIAT! Hashi adds the METEORA! Cover, White breaks it! Ishii drags White away with a sleeper and Hashi aims at Loa! But Gedo goes after Ishii! Hashi SUPERKICKS Loa, brings him around, but Jado distracts the ref! White slips in to LOW BLOW Hashi!! Hashi barely stays up but White pushes him over. Fans rally but Bullet Club is regrouping again.
White drags Hashi up, he and Tama set him up for Loa to TACKLE to a corner! Tama whips White in to EuroUpper! Tama hits a splash, then White helps out as Loa climbs! But Ishii gets in to block the bomb! Goto helps and throws Tama and White out! Ishii ROCKS Loa, Goto hits a SUPER MURAMASA! Ishii goes up top with Loa, SUPER BRAINBUSTER!! Goto DECKS Tama, then PLANCHAS! But White is back! Ishii holds off Bladerunner to GERMAN SUPLEX! Hashi is back on his feet and he runs at Loa, for a HEAD HUNTER LARIAT!! Cover, TWO!?! Loa lives but Hashi is on him again, with the BUTTERFLY! Loa endures, Ishii holds White down but Loa keeps reaching!
Hashi gator rolls Loa away to keep the Butterfly on! Hashi adds the other arm to it! Loa endures the Kimura-Fly but Gedo gets up on the apron! The ref is distracted, Jado KENDO STICK SMACKS Hashi!! Loa LARIATS and covers, TWO!!! Hashi survives and fans are thunderous! Loa drags Hashi up, scoops him, but Hashi reverses to roll and cradle! CHAOS WINS!!
Winners: Chaos, by pinfall (still NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions)
But now things erupt into chaos! Tama is after Hashi, Ishii decks White then goes after Tama, Goto joins in, and Loa is pissed at the ref! Chaos clears the ring of the Bullet Club, and Bullet Club can only storm off in frustration! And with one of the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions taking the loss, does this mean the Headhunter is in the hunt for those titles? Hashi gets a mic to speak! “Oi, just wait a minute.” They’re still the NEVER Openewight Six Man champions, but now they want those IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles! Hashi and Goto are coming for the Guerrillas! So just keep those belts warm for them!
IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Double Championship: Kota Ibushi VS SANADA!
The Golden Star’s ascension to NJPW’s wrestling god all started with G1 Climax 30, making history as a three-peat finalist and a back-to-back winner. And that G1 Climax 30 Final was against the Cold Skull! Will Sanada make up for that loss by bringing Ibushi’s reign to a Skull End?
The introductions are made, both belts are raised, and the rematch from the New Beginning ends with a return of the Climax!
Fans are already fired up with “I-BU-SHI!” “SA-NA-DA!” clapping. Ibushi and Sanada soak it all in before circling. They approach, feel out the grapple, go around a bit more, and Sanada gets a waistlock. Ibushi switches, Sanada throws him over but Ibushi headscissors. Ibushi uses leverage to squeeze tighter but Sanada moves around. Sanada pops free, and then gets Ibushi in a headlock, only for Ibushi to headscissor again. Ibushi holds tighter this time, but Sanada kicks and flails. Sanada bridges, moves around, pries free again and has Ibushi’s legs. Sanada uses those to turn Ibushi over in a figure four knot. Ibushi crawls to the ropebreak, and fans cheer as Sanada lets go clean.
Sanada and Ibushi reset and the clapping returns. Sanada and Ibushi tie up, Ibushi wrenches but Sanada spins through. Sanada wrenches, wristlocks, but Ibushi rolls. Ibushi gets a leg and trips Sanada to then have a toehold. Sanada chinlocks but Ibushi pushes that away to crank the leg. Sanada uses his free leg to drag Ibushi down but Ibushi makes that a cover. TWO, Sanada wants the arm but Ibushi slips out to put on the figure four knot in return. Ibushi floats to a chinlock, Sanada fights up but Ibushi grinds the hold. Ibushi hits a takeover, Sanada headscissors, Ibushi kips free and Sanada thinks dropkick but holds back.
Fans cheer the technical exchange and stand-off between them. Sanada and Ibushi circle as the clapping continues, “I-BU-DA!” “SA-NA-SHI!” Sanada and Ibushi tie up, Sanada headlocks, but Ibushi powers out, only for Sanada to run him over! Ibushi kips up, though not the cleanest, and things speed up. Sanada fakes out the hurdle but gets a KICK for it! Ibushi has the fans rallying as Sanada bails out. Ibushi runs but has to slide as Sanada gets in. Sanada comes out, fakes IBushi out with the tumble, but Ibushi avoids the apron moonsault! Ibushi scoops but Sanada turns lawn dart into dragon sleeper! Ibushi spins through to suplex but Sanada fights that off.
Sanada suplexes Ibushi onto railing, MAGIC SCREW! Both men are down and fans fire up again! Red Shoes checks and Ibushi is okay to continue. Sanada is already up on his feet, and he stomps Ibushi down. Sanada drags Ibushi up to put him in and fans cheer as this continues in the ring. Cover, ONE! Sanada drags Ibushi up to elbow him back down! Ibushi goes to ropes, Sanada drags him back up. Sanada elbows Ibushi down again, then drags him up to bump him off buckles. Sanada whips Ibushi corner to corner, runs in and elbows! Sanada reels Ibushi in for a BIG back suplex! Cover, TWO! Sanada keeps his cool as he sits Ibushi up and wraps on a chinlock.
Ibushi endures, Sanada shifts to a headscissor hodl! Sanada squeezes tight now but Ibushi endures. Fans rally up, Ibushi moves around, and Ibushi reaches for ropes. Sanada rolls him away! Sanada squeezes tighter, Ibushi endures, and Ibushi kicks around again. Ibushi gets the ropebreak with a foot, and Sanada lets go. Sanada drags Ibushi up, Ibushi hits back with forearms! Sanada knees low, runs, but Ibushi kicks, only for Sanada to block! Ibushi fires off forearms to get free, then whips. Sanada reverses but Ibushi LEAPING KICKS! Both men are down but fans fire up! Ibushi grits his teeth as he and Sanada slowly rise.
Ibushi drags Sanada up, Sanada swings but Ibushi fires off a strike fest! Sanada ducks the Penalty Kick but the Standing Moonsault hits! Cover, TWO! Ibushi keeps his focus and fans fire up again. Ibushi drags Sanada up, Sanada fights off the lift and switches. Ibushi elbows free, runs, but Sanada hurdles, hurdles and dropkicks! Ibushi goes out, Sanada PLANCHAS out onto him! Fans cheer and Sanada encourages them to get louder. They get louder but Sanada still wants them to get louder. The fans reach the right volume and Sanada brings Ibushi up to put him in. Fans cheer as Sanada aims from a corner. Sanada springboards but Ibushi gets under.
Ibushi runs into a boot, Sanada runs into a dropkick! Sanada bails out and Ibushi fires up. Fans rally as Ibushi aims, to PLANCHA! Direct hit and Sanada gets a taste of his own medicine! Fans rally, Ibushi drags Sanada up and puts him in. Ibushi aims from a corner now, Sanada rises and Ibushi springboards but Sanada gets under. Sanada runs into a boot, then Ibushi goes up and over to RANA Sanada to a corner! Ibushi steadies himself, Sanada gets up, and Ibushi runs in but Sanada elbows! Sanada Quebrada but Ibushi ducks, only to run into a RANA! Both men are down but fans rally up. Ibushi and Sanada slowly sit up, and Ibushi forearms Sanada!
Sanada forearms back, but Ibushi hits Sanada again! Sanada shakes his head, and he forearms Ibushi back! Ibushi forearms, Sanada forearms, and the two stand up now. The back and forth of forearms continues and picks up speed! Sanada fires off several forearms but Ibushi KICKS him down! Ibushi drags Sanada back up, Sanada EuroUppers! Sanada GERMANS but Ibushi lands on his feet! Ibushi gets Sanada for a HALF ‘N’ HALF! Both men are down again but Ibushi sits up first. Fans rally, Ibushi grits his teeth. Ibushi brings Sanada up, reels him in, and lifts, SIT-OUT LAST RIDE! Cover, TWO! Ibushi looms over Sanada, drags him up by his wrists, but Sanada avoids the Kamigoye!
Sanada reels Ibushi in but Ibushi switches to straitjacket! Sanada resists the suplex, pries out of the straitjacket, and steals Kamigoye?!? Sanada sits Ibushi up and wants to do it again! But Ibushi voids that to gut wrench Sanada! Sanada slips out, lifts Ibushi up, and LAWN DARTS him into a corner!! Both men are down and fans fire up! Red Shoes checks on Ibushi, he’s okay to continue and Sanada drags him back up. Sanada hoists Ibushi to the top rope, climbs up to join him, and they go to the very top! SUPERPLEX!! But Sanada rolls through to hoist Ibushi up again, MAGIC SCREW! Cover, TWO!! Ibushi survives but Sanada says he’ll end it!
Sanada wraps on the dragon sleeper for SKULL END! Ibushi is stuck in the body scissors, too, and he powers his way out of the sleeper! Sanada works to drag Ibushi back in, Ibushi resists, but Sanada gets the dragon sleeper back! Ibushi endures again, fans still rally, “SA-BU-DA!” “I-NA-SHI!” Ibushi moves around, but he’s fading! Sanada lets Ibushi go to go to the corner! Sanada goes up, ROUNDING BODY FLOP!! The moonsault misses as Ibushi manages to move! Sanada stirs as fans rally up, and both he and Ibushi slowly rise. Ibushi runs in but Sanada elbows him away! Sanada Quebrada to the dragon sleeper!
Ibushi rolls back to dragon sleeper! Ibushi lifts Sanada, to LAWN DART him now! Fans are thunderous as Ibushi gets even with Sanada! Ibushi stalks Sanada and drags him up on the apron. Ibushi climbs, drags Sanada up the ropes, but Sanada kicks and flails! Sanada elbows then clubs Ibushi, then drags him to a fireman’s carry! SUPER TKO!! Both men crash and burn to the floor with that double-edged take on the move! Fans rally up again, a ring count begins, but neither man stirs until 10 of 20! Sanada stands and puts Ibushi in at 15 and fans cheer that this continues! Sanada stalks Ibushi, reels him into chicken wings, TIGER SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!
Ibushi escapes but Sanada is after him again with the dragon sleeper! Sanada takes Ibushi for a ride on the SKULL SWING! But Ibushi fights free to victory roll, TWO! SHINING WIZARD! Fans fire up with Ibushi as he rises again! Ibushi drags Sanada up by his wrists, but Sanada pops Ibushi up for a CUTTER! Sanada goes to a corner, ROUNDING BODY PRESS to Ibushi’s back! And then ROUNDING BODY PRESS, to Ibushi’s knees!! Ibushi saves himself and fans are thunderous again! Ibushi drags himself to a corner while Sanada stirs. Ibushi aims from the corner as Sanada stands. Sanada runs in, Ibushi boots him, then Ibushi dodges to send Sanada into the corner.
Sanada elbows back, cravats, Sliced Bread into chicken wings! But Ibushi breaks free to PELE! Sanada ducks the roundhouse, O’Conner rolls to the Japan Clutch, but Ibushi blocks the bridge to turn Sanada over! Ibushi has the arms, BLINDSIDE KAMIGOYE!! But Ibushi won’t end it there, he wants the proper finish! Ibushi sits Sanada up, FORWARD KAMIGOYE!! Cover, TWO!?!? Sanada survives the double shot!? Ibushi is stunned and the fans are volcanic! Ibushi brings down his knee pad! Ibushi sits Sanada up again, but Sanada dodges to backslide! TWO!! Sanada body scissors and rolls, JAPAN CLUTCH! TWO?!?!? That was more like 2.99!!
Ibushi runs in, Sanada waistlocks but Ibushi switches and throws Sanada way, to ROUNDHOUSE! V-TRIGGER! KENNY~! Ibushi gets the wrists, BARE KNEE KAMIGOYE!!! Cover, Ibushi wins!!
Winner: Kota Ibushi, by pinfall (still IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Double Champion)
AMAZING! The Cold Skull didn’t win but it took so much for the Golden Star God to put him away! Ibushi shows his respect to Sanada and the fans cheer. Sanada sits up to show respect back and fans cheer even more. Will the Cold Skull return to try again as the year rolls on?
Ibushi has both belts, manages to get them on his shoulders, and then gets the mic. But before he can say anything, Naito appears! Naito goes to the ring and Ibushi lets him enter. Naito tells Ibushi, or rather, after what happened in the Tokyo Dome, the God of Wrestling, that the title match just now was awesome, cabron! However… Naito says Ibushi may have won in the Tokyo Dome, but that doesn’t give him the right to combine those belts into one. Naito admits losing at WrestleKingdom proves he’s not suited for double gold, so he just wants one: the Intercontinental Championship! Fans like that idea!
So Naito therefore asks “God” to withhold on his plan to unify belts so that he can have a match for the Intercontinental title. Naito asks “God” to honor his request. Ibushi responds by saying Naito should TRANQUILO~! But if that’s what Naito wants, Ibushi is up for letting Naito challenge for just his favorite belt. Ibushi vows that he’ll never give up, run away or betray the fans! Ibushi thanks the fans for coming, and says Hiroshima’s awesome! Naito sets his sights on the belt in white, but when and where will he have his battle to deny Ibushi’s plans?
My Thoughts:
A great event to follow up yesterday’s great event, but I’m surprised things changed from what was advertised. I suppose NJPW does an even stronger level of kayfabing things, by changing matches based on story introduced just yesterday. It does make sense now that LIJ would battle Bullet Club’s ELP and Ishimori, that’s good build for their story with only so much time from now to Castle Attack. Everything with Okada and Evil was very different for what NJPW does, or at least what I’ve seen NJPW do. It feels slightly influenced by Western/WWE style, and I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. Okada and Evil will have another match for sure, but I wonder how they’ll stipulate it so that it can actually have an ending.
The NEVER Openweight Six Man match was really good, so much story and chaos. It works out that Chaos retains, because now Hashi and Goto will go after the IWGP Heavyweight Tag titles and White VS Ishii can happen on its own. The main event was amazing, it was definitely a level up from the G1 Climax and WrestleKingdom. It makes a lot of sense for Ibushi to retain, and it makes a lot of sense for Naito to come back around. Naito wants to separate the titles again, not because having a Double Champion was outright a bad idea, but because he wanted the Double Champion to be a double champion, not a unified champion. Naito wants the top champion to be a workhorse, so who knows if Ibushi changes his mind, win or lose.
My Score: 9.2/10
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Will The Man be the Last Woman Standing?
Becky Lynch and Nia Jax want to finally put this to an end, so tonight on Raw, it will be a Big Time Last Woman Standing match! Will the Irresistible Force force the WrestleMania 40 match to change?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: #DIY VS The Creed Brothers; DIY wins and advances to WrestleMania.
- Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance; Candice & Indi win.
- Dominik Mysterio w/ JD McDonagh VS Ricochet; Ricochet wins.
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: The Awesome Truth VS Indus Sher; The Awesome Truth wins and advances to WrestleMania.
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: The New Day VS The Alpha Academy; The New Day wins and advances to WrestleMania.
- Last Woman Standing: Becky Lynch VS Nia Jax; Becky wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Jey Uso is here!
North Carolina State University fires up and bounces along with Main Event Jey, and Pat McAfee plays a dangerous game standing on the armchairs! From Bret VS Owen to Matt VS Jeff, we’re about to get Jey VS Jimmy in the third-ever Brother VS Brother WrestleMania grudge match! Jey gets the mic as fans chant “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Jey welcomes us to Monday Night Raw, and wants us to check this out. He knows his brothers are somewhere in the building. He knows The Bloodline’s in the building. He knows how the Bloodline rolls! SO Big Brother Jimmy, where you at?! Where you at, Uce!?
Jey waits for someone to show up somewhere, and the crowd spots them first! Fans boo as Jimmy & Solo make their way from the back of the stands. Jimmy gets a mic and goes to the apron while Solo paces around the outside. Fans chant “YEET! YEET! YEET!” again as Jey puts the sunglasses aside. The Usos stare each other down, the fans now chant “UCE! OH! UCE! OH!” Jey wants to say something, hesitates, but then says these two would always get to it but they always knew how to shake right back to this. But now it’s different. Regardless of what happened, the bad blood between them, Jey misses his brother. He does.
Jey knows Jimmy will say what he wants, but Jey doesn’t talk to him no more, doesn’t ride with him no more, doesn’t even see him no more! Jimmy can just come back. Jimmy says he never left! He protected Jey! Jey’s so dumb, he can’t see it! Jimmy is protecting Jey! It was Jey’s idea to leave The Bloodline, but Jimmy helped because he is Jey’s brother. So yeah, Jey leaves, and what happens? Lil’ Bro becomes the BIGGEST star on the Raw roster! Lil’ Bro becomes the top merch seller! Lil’ Bro goes off to become a tag team champion without Jimmy, but with CODY RHODES!? Who left who, Uce?
Jey forgot Jimmy! Everything Jey did that was big was cuz of Big Bro Jimmy! Everything! So listen loud and clear. The biggest moment in Jey’s career, the BIGGEST moment, is because of Jimmy! Jimmy stares Jey down, but Jey says no. Jey’s biggest moment in his career is going to be his dream match at WrestleMania 40: Jey VS Jimmy, and Jey knocks the yeet out Jimmy’s ass! Jey DECKS Jimmy, DECKS Solo off the apron, but then Jimmy SUPERKICKS Jey down! The fans boo but now Solo storms in and looms over Jey. Solo drags Jey up so Jimmy can look him in the face and tell him that Jey needs to get it right! JIMMY made Jey!
But here comes Cody Rhodes! The fans fire up as Cody DECKS Jimmy, then gets in to springboard and CODY CUTTER Solo!! The American Nightmare said he was gonna be a Bloodline Hunter, and he made sure they didn’t take out Jey! Cody tells The Bloodline it is only a matter of time before they lose it all at WrestleMania! Will Jey prove that younger or older doesn’t matter when he is the BETTER brother?
Adam Pearce is on the phone.
He’s telling Nick Aldis to stop being a hypocrite, telling Pearce to keep his roster in check when this is happening. But then Paul Heyman walks over and Pearce says he’ll call Aldis back. Pearce then asks Heyman what was all that, and Heyman says he owes Pearce an apology. He is sorry. That was not authorized by The Final Boss nor The Tribal Chief, and certainly not by Heyman. Jimmy & Solo went into business for themselves so Heyman apologizes. But listen, Pearce knows that there have been flight delays all day. Even private jets like theirs. Heyman is barely even dressed for TV, let alone has his make-up!
Pearce says those two were ready. Yeah, well, they got in on a different flight. But Roman Reigns is a chief of his word. Those two are already gone, out of the arena, and Pearce has Roman’s word. Call his bluff, put out a search party. Pearce knows Heyman is here on official business, which Heyman will handle, and then be gone. That is it. But when Heyman does his official business… everyone will be caught off guard. “And Mr. Pearce, sir, that’s not a prediction. That’s a spoiler.” The Wise Man heads out and calls Roman, but just what is Heyman teasing?
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: #DIY VS The Creed Brothers!
Unlike SmackDown’s mini-tournament, Raw and Adam Pearce say it’s win and you’re in! Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano want one more shot at Judgment Day, but so do Julius & Brutus! Will the Sicilian Psycho & Johnny Wrestling prove that when it comes to Mania Moments, you gotta do it yourself? Or will the Creeds be bringing golden tickets to the Diamond Mine?
Raw returns as The Creeds make their entrance. The teams fist bump to show respect, then the teams sort out. Julius starts against Ciampa, they circle and tie up. They’re in a deadlock, Ciampa goes for a waistlock but Julius facelocks. Julius wrangles Ciampa to the mat, flips him over, ONE, and Ciampa keeps moving. They trade facelocks, gator roll, and Julius gets another lateral press. ONE, but Julius gator rolls Ciampa around. Ciampa fights up, puts Julius on ropes, and the ref counts. Ciampa lets off, then CHOPS! Julius shoots in for the takedown! Julius has a leg, Ciampa fights but Julius turns him for the ANKLE LOCK!
Ciampa scrambles to the ROPEBREAK, and Julius lets off cleanly. Ciampa bails out, shakes it off, and he gets back in. They go again, Julius hits a fireman’s carry takeover! Tag to Brutus, and Julius feeds Ciampa to another fireman’s carry takeover! Brutus cording holds but Ciampa endures. Ciampa fights up, but Brutus facelocks. The fans rally as Brutus switches and rolls Ciampa. Ciampa fights up, headlocks, then ROCKS Brutus! Brutus DECKS Ciampa, then whips him to ropes. Ciampa ducks ‘n’ dodges, tag to Gargano! Ciampa slides, CHOPS, Gargano LARIATS and Ciampa JAWBREAKERS! Wrench and LARIAT!
Julius runs in, Gargano kicks and Ciampa gives him the boost for SLICED BREAD! The Creeds bail out, but DIY DOUBLE PLANCHA! Down go the Creeds, and DIY applaud and pat themselves on the back. The fans fire up and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Ciampa has Julius in a chinlock. The fans rally, Julius fights up to throw body shots, but Ciampa hits a back suplex! Julius lands out of it, but Ciampa elbows him away. Ciampa drop toeholds Julius, gets legs, but Julius BOOTS Ciampa away! Hot tags to Gargano and Brutus! Brutus rallies on DIY, TOSSES Gargano, then blocks Ciampa’s kick to get under and POWERBOMB him! Brutus sees DIY regroup, then he runs in to SPLASH them both! O’Conner on Ciampa, but Gargano runs up! NORTHERN LIGHTS! Brutus has a DOUBLE BRIDGE, TWO!! Tag to Julius and he gut wrench SLAMS Brutus on Ciampa!
Brutus helps Julius flip up and over to SPLASH onto Ciampa! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up as Julius drags Ciampa up. Ciampa throat chops! A bit dirty but Ciampa wants that win! Ciampa storms up on Julius, but Julius basement stalling suplexes!! The fans are thunderous, Gargano runs in, but Brutus intercepts! Brutus suplexes Gargano now, stalls, and then the Creeds SLAM and kip up! Then they both STANDING MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Ciampa stays in this for DIY but the Creeds keep cool. Julius stomps Ciampa, tags Brutus, and they KNEE Ciampa around! Then they DOUBLE GUTBUSTER! Ciampa sputters but Brutus tags Julius in.
Julius drags Ciampa up, tags Brutus back in, and Brutus climbs. Julius Electric Chair Lifts, but Gargano makes the save! Gargano ROCKS Julius, Brutus ROCKS Gargano! Ciampa BOOTS Brutus, Gargano swings on Julius but is sent into Ciampa! Ciampa pushes Gargano back so he can ELBOW Julius! DIY set up again but Brutus stops the Sliced Bread! Julius DECKS Ciampa, KNEE into the WIDOWMAKER! Julius scrapes Gargano out, Brutus POUNCES Ciampa over the desk! Pat fires up with Brutus and so do the fans! The Creeds say they run this now, and then Brutus drags Ciampa up while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Julius has Ciampa in a chinlock. Ciampa fights up, and he JAWBREAKERS free! Ciampa ELBOWS Brutus down, BOOTS Julius, then runs up, only for Julius to catch him and toss him back! But then Ciampa catches Julius for a REVERSE DDT! The fans fire up while both men are down and crawling! Hot tag to Gargano! Gargano slingshots to KICK Julius, then he CLOBBERS Brutus! ENZIGIRI for Julius, then he runs to DOUBLE KNEE Brutus! BULLDOG LARIAT COMBO! The fans fire up with Gargano while Julius ends up in another corner. Gargano runs in but is put on the apron!
Gargano GAMANGIRIS Julius, SUPERKICKS Brutus, then SLINGSHOT SPEARS Julius! Cover, TWO! Julius survives but Gargano puts him in a corner. Gargano CHOPS, then hoists Julius up top. Tag to Ciampa, Ciampa CHOPS Julius while Gargano DIVES onto Brutus! Ciampa CHOPS Julius again, goes up top, and fireman’s carries! Ciampa then tucks Julius in for the SUPER AIR RAID CRASH! Cover, TWO!! Julius survives again and shocks Ciampa! The fans are just as stunned, but Ciampa and Julius sit up. Ciampa stands, and he CHOPS! And CHOPS! Julius sits back up as Ciampa puts some stank on the CHOP!
Julius brings the straps down! Julius fires a forearm, Ciampa hits back, and the fans fire up as the shots keep going! They go faster and faster, harder and harder, meaner and meaner! The fans fire up as this just turns into a brawl of haymakers and SLAPS! Ciampa then gets around, ripcord and HAYMAKER! ROLLING- TACKLE from Julius! And then the ANKLE LOCK!! Ciampa reaches out, moves around, but Gargano runs up! Julius kicks him, then gets him up with one arm to POWERBOMB! Then it’s back to the ANKLE LOCK on Ciampa! Brutus gets in to get Gargano for an ANKLE LOCK of his own!
The fans are thunderous as DIY endures! Ciampa and Gargano fight, turn things over, SICILIAN CROSSFACE and GargaNO Escape!! The fans are thunderous as The Creeds power up and lift both DIY! They fireman’s carry, then TOSS DIY into each other!! The fans are thunderous as Julius goes up to MOONSAULT onto Ciampa! Brutus MOONSAULTS, too! Cover, TWO?!?! Ciampa survives and the fans are loving this! Julius tags back in, Brutus climbs up! “This is Awesome!” as Julius Electric Chair Lifts Ciampa! But Ciampa VICTORY ROLLS to get under the Brutus Ball!! Cover, Brutus tips it! Gargano TOSSES Brutus then SUPERKICKS Julius!! Ciampa has the cover, DIY WINS!!
Winners: DIY, by pinfall (advance to WrestleMania)
Julius can’t believe it! He kicked out at 3.1, but a loss is a loss! And for the first time ever, DIY is going to Mania! Will Philadelphia soon be historic for a DIY championship victory?
Judgment Day meets backstage.
Rhea Ripley is with Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor & JD McDonagh, but also Andrade. Dom says he’s always liked Andrade’s style, but things have changed since the last time he was in the WWE. The Judgment Day runs Raw now. Rhea says yeah, and they don’t extend invitations to just anyone. Judgment Day is very exclusive. JD says very exclusive. But if Andrade continues to impress them, they’ll see about making things happen. And Finn says he just heard that Andrade has a match next week, so the Judgment Day will be watching him. Sounds good. See you next week. But then in steps Damian Priest.
The Punisher says hello to El Idolo, and El Idolo says hello to Senor Dinero. Andrade heads out, will he quite literally win his way into the club? But as for Priest, Finn asks him what he was up to. Priest was getting a closer look at that DIY VS Creeds match. DIY won, but whatever, they can handle those guys. But JD, they thought he could handle Ricochet last week, and run the gauntlet, and then go to WrestleMania to bring even more gold back to Judgment Day. JD says he did he belonged in there. But also, he battered Ricochet, who got lucky at the end there. Right, Finn? Finn hesitates, and Rhea says Priest is right on this one.
Ricochet made a fool out of JD! A fool? Yes. A fool? Yes. That’s why tonight, Dom will make it right. Right, Dom? Yeah, Mami. Let’s go talk to Pearce to make it official. Dom & JD head out, and the others are confident Dom’s got this. But does he, though? Or will the One and Only have two wins over Judgment Day in as many weeks?
Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance!
The Poison Pixie certainly lived up to that name last week when she bullied Maxxine Dupri as part of beating her and Ivy Nile last week. Will Candice’s toxic tongue strike again? Or will the party not be stopped by her harsh vibes?
The teams sort out and Candice starts against Kayden. Candice rushes up, Kayden gets around and O’Conner Rolls, TWO! Kayden springboards to basement dropkick! Cover, TWO! Kayden stalks Candice, Candice ELBOWS her away then tags Indi. Kayden dodges Candice to SUPERKICK, but Indi BOOTS Kayden! Cover, TWO! Indi drags Kayden up, tags Candice back in, and they mug Kayden. Candice CLUBS away on Kayden, fires off furious fists, then covers. TWO, and Candice grows frustrated already. The fans rally, Candice steps up but Kayden avoids the senton! Tags to Katana and Indi! Katana blasts past Indi, comes back and BULLDOGS!
Katana keeps moving, ducks ‘n’ dodges, then SHOTGUNS Indi to a corner! The fans fire up as Katana stomps away on Indi! Indi shoves Katana, Katana runs corner to corner to A-LIST LARIAT! Katana shoves Indi down, runs up, but into a back suplex! Katana lands out, but her leg jams! The ref and Kayden check, then the ref keeps Indi back. Indi says okay, and she stays by Candice. But Candice tags in to WRECK Kayden! And she SLAMS Katana’s leg into the post!! HALF CRAB and DEEP! Katana taps, Candice & Indi win!
Winners: Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell, by submission
Candice smiles and celebrates with Indi, but Indi doesn’t want to. Candice says a win is a win, but just what is going on in her toxic mind?
Cody Rhodes makes his way to the ring.
NC State fires up again as The American Nightmare walks down the ramp, and this time the fans can sing along with the song, “WHOA~ OH~!” Cody gets his pyro then gets the mic. “In less than three weeks time, I will stand opposed for the second year in a row, in the main event, with the lights on brightest, I will challenge for the WWE Undisputed Championship, against the greatest champion in all of sports, The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. And this Friday on SmackDown, Roman and I are going to have a little conversation, if you will. But there are… complications. Factors, elements, combustible elements, namely… The Rock.”
Fans boo but Cody says The Rock took to Instagram on Friday, and followed it up with “extremely entertaining” concert. Too bad The Rock didn’t wanna be here tonight. Something Cody took from the Instagram post: The Rock referred to himself as “Our Favorite Heel.” A bit of an inside term, but we’re not dumb, we know that means he’s the “bad guy.” Cody has known Heels. Bobby Heenan, Arn Anderson, Michael Hayes, “Superstar” Billy Graham, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair! Fans “WOO~” and Cody says he doesn’t think The Rock is a Heel. He’s just an assh*le. The fans go nuts hearing that!
Cody doesn’t want Rock getting upset, he doesn’t want the “seven bucks team” to get upset, he doesn’t want anyone getting emotional. Cody knows how Rock feels about emotions, he poked fun at Cody tearing up at discussing “finishing the story” with good friend, Michael Cole. There’s no crying in pro-wrestling, Jimmy Dugan, we get it. But hasn’t The Rock been crying behind the scenes this whole time? Once that hashtag came out, once fans chanted something else, The Rock cried to his buddies on the TKO board and said “Hey, this is gonna be some good PR for The Rock! I need to save WWE!” God knows, look at this house. They sure needed “saving,” huh?
The fans cheer but Cody says Rock wanted great PR. Until it wasn’t. TKO said OMG yes, put on the Gucci shirt, get those muscles looking big. It’s because they are Yes People, they are enablers, they won’t dare tell The Rock like it is, so Cody’s going to. Cody tells The Rock, “You’re a lot of things. You’re a lot of wonderful things. You are the Braham Bull, you are The Great One.” Cody still has shoes with The Rock’s logo on it! The Rock is the only guy Cody honestly feels is a Mount Rushmore wrestler. But he is also a terrible salesman, a carny succubus, and for those who don’t get what that means, The Rock is “a whiny b*tch!”
Fans lose their minds again but Cody says The Rock has been convinced otherwise. But don’t think that for two seconds this locker room needs The Rock more than The Rock needs it! That’s a rule of wrestling, nobody is bigger than the business! And sure, Cody brought up his mom, so it is fair game for The Rock to use that. But Cody knows The Rock’s mom. Here’s what Cody will tell us about The Rock’s mom. She is a wonderful lady, salt of the earth, she helped Cody chop Kevin in a dark match. Cody has nothing but respect for The Rock’s mom, something The Rock should’ve echoed back towards Cody’s mom.
But see, The Rock was talking about whipping Cody, handing a bloody weight belt to Cody’s mom, and normally someone as powerful as The Rock, Mama Rhodes would tremble. But The Rock doesn’t know Cody’s mom. Cody was more scared than she was, because she ain’t scared of nothing. This is the same woman who once jumped out of her chair at a Willie Nelson concert and beat up an undercover cop! She ain’t afraid of The Rock! Cody has been asked, April 6th, biggest tag match of all time, Rock & Roman VS Cody & Seth. Seth Rollins, the World Heavyweight Champion, a man The Rock should respect because that man has carried The Rock’s company!
How will Cody get past that match? How will April 7th look? Will it be a fair fight? Cody can tell us honestly… He doesn’t know. Cody does not know if it will be Bloodline Rules or not. Hell, he might not #FinishTheStory. “But Dwayne… What do you know? How can you be so sure of your own self, right?” The Rock hasn’t been in the ring in real action in years! April 6th, the bell is gonna ring, and what happens then? Is The Rock gonna bring The Great One, the hero we all had growing up? Is he bringing that #BigDwayneEnergy? Or is it gonna be LDS, Little D*ck Syndrome?! The fans chant “L D S! L D S!”
Cody says The Rock has referred to himself as The Final Boss. Kudos for that nickname, maybe he really is that. Maybe Cody is too naive to see it. But at WrestleMania, Cody doesn’t think The Rock will be The Final Boss. At WrestleMania, he’s just Roman’s side chick. But then ladies and gentlemen, his name is Paul Heyman, and he serves as The Wise Man to Your Tribal Chief, the reigning! Defending! Undisputed! WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion, Roman… Reigns! And as Special Counsel to the Bloodline, Heyman is here to say to Cody that the ideals that Cody and Heyman share are far greater than the interests on which they conflict.
By example, don’t you hate it when someone comes out to demand an apology? Not that Cody’s done that, but Heyman is still going to do that. Heyman came out here with some “friends” of his, and he apologized. For a Wise Man, that was pretty freakin’ stupid. One: because it didn’t work. Two: because it was just dumb. And for that, Cody, to you and the fans, Heyman humbly apologizes. Cody says whoa, whoa, whoa. He didn’t ask for an apology, and he certainly knows Heyman wants permission to be in the ring. Heyman is a Hall of Famer starting this year, if he wants into the ring, be Cody’s guest.
Heyman thanks Cody for that but he’s fine on the apron. He carries with him a message from The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Talk about Heels… You may think of Heyman anything negative you want, and that might be understanding the obvious. Heyman is not trustworthy, but Roman is a chief of his word. Heyman assures that this Friday on SmackDown, Roman will be face to face with Cody. American Nightmare, Tribal Chief, challenger and champion. And when they are face to face, there will not be a single other member of The Bloodline in sight. Except for Heyman, but he is no physical threat.
Heyman holds the title belt, the beads, whispers things in Roman’s ear, such as his love and respect. But Cody has Roman’s word that if he shows up on SmackDown, Roman will show up alone. Cody says Roman shows up alone, no Bloodline outside of Heyman, it’s a deal. They good? Heyman has some jet lag, he forgot one little point. And don’t boo him, he’s talking to Cody! Cody says yes they’re booing, and he’s about to go full Homelander and rip Heyman’s throat out if he doesn’t get to the point. Fans like the reference. Heyman composes himself and says if Roman Reigns shows up alone this Friday on SmackDown, then Cody must show up to SmackDown alone, too.
Cody steps closer to Heyman and Heyman is a bit nervous. Cody tells Heyman, “Deal!” They shake hands, and Heyman smiles. The Wise Man negotiated a purely one-on-one meeting between his Tribal Chief and American Nightmare, but can we trust Heyman was telling the truth about Roman telling the truth?
Nia Jax speaks.
“You know what I’ve realized? Becky Lynch has never beaten me. And after tonight, she never will. Because after I break her face again, I will be taking her spot at WrestleMania. I will finish business with Rhea Ripley, and not only will I walk out the Last Woman Standing, but I will become Women’s World Champion.” The Irresistible Force is ready for the Big Time, but will she A-Nia-late her?
Cody Rhodes returns backstage.
And Jey says there he go! But real quick, Cody can’t be going to SmackDown alone. Cody says he gave them his word. But The Bloodline isn’t gonna play fair! They’re all gonna be there! If Cody needs Jey, Jeys’ got him. Cody hears that, but he knows what he’s dealing with. They shake hands and Jey heads out. Will Cody be able to have that fair, one-on-one meeting? Or does Jey have a point about The Bloodline?
Dominik Mysterio w/ JD McDonagh VS Ricochet!
It seems Pearce agreed to the idea that Dirty Dom should try and clean up The Irish Ace’s mess. Will Dom be able to get revenge on Ricochet? Or will Ricochet be the One and Only person holding their head high tonight?
Raw returns and Dom has made his entrance. The bell rings, Dom and Ricochet circle, and they tie up. Ricochet waistlocks, Dom fights the lift and grabs ropes. The ref counts, Ricochet lets off, but Dom ELBOWS him away! Dom fires hands, soaks up the heat, then storms up, but into haymakers! Ricochet CHOPS, kicks then flexes on Dom. Ricochet whips, Dom reverses, but Ricochet goes up and over. Ricochet ducks ‘n’ dodges to then handspring back elbow! The fans fire up while Dom bails out! JD is there to coach Dom up, but Ricochet runs in! JD gets Dom to safety, but Ricochet handsprings to hero land!
The fans fire up, Ricochet then goes to ropes to TORNILLO PLANCHA! Direct hit on Dom and Ricochet tells JD to back off. Ricochet puts Dom in, Dom distracts the ref, but JD grabs Ricochet’s leg! Ricochet kicks JD away, but then Dom WRECKS Ricochet with a dropkick! Dom soaks up the heat and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Dom has Ricochet up top. Dom climbs but Ricochet throws body shots! The fans rally behind Ricochet as he sends Dom staggering. Ricochet hops down as Dom comes running back, and Ricochet GAMANGIRIS him away! Ricochet then springboards, but Dom trips him up! Ricochet flops to the mat, then Dom kicks and FACEBUSTERS! Cover, TWO! Ricochet is still in this and JD argues the count. Dom looms over Ricochet, scuffs him around, then mockingly cheers him on. Fans boo but Dom brings Ricochet up. Dom gives some Latino Heat, then suplexes! Uno Amigo, but fans boo.
Dom gets Ricochet up but Ricochet suplexes Dom instead! And then fireman’s carry, DYNAMITE KICK! Cover, TWO! Dom is still in this and JD coaches him but the fans rally for Ricochet. Ricochet stands, storms up on Dom, but Dom shoots around to roll him up! With tights! TWO, Ricochet blocks a kick and KICKS Dom down! Ricochet hurries up top, the fans fire up, but Ricochet has to bail out of the 450 as Dom moves! Dom runs in again, but into a SUPERKICK! JD gets on the apron, so Ricochet triangle jump DROPKICKS! But then Dom DROPKICKS Ricochet onto ropes! Dom dials it up but Ricochet ducks!
Dom spins around, into the RECOIL!! Cover, Ricochet wins!
Winner: Ricochet, by pinfall
But then JD runs in! Ricochet dodges, goes up and around, BOOTS JD away, then BOOTS him again! Ricochet even flips up and out of the ring at the same time! Ricochet gets the better of Judgment Day again, just how disappointed is Mami going to be in her Latino Heat this time?
Sami Zayn is backstage.
He finds Chad Gable and wants to talk with him. Last week’s match, that was an honor. Sami hasn’t been pushed like that in a long time, it could’ve gone either way. Gable says yeah, it was great. Thanks. Is Gable alright? Yeah, he’s fine. Kinda feels like not… Gable says he’s fine, so leave it at that. C’mon, man, how many years have they known each other? Sami knows when something’s bothering Gable, so he should just say it. Gable says look, last week, the WrestleMania opportunity, the whole thing, it just meant more to him. Sami says he’s been hearing Gable say that for weeks, and it is really unfair.
Does Gable really think he’s the only one this title opportunity matters to? Sami has a family, too! Sami’s kid cries when Papa loses a match, too. Sami has people he’s let down and is trying to make proud. After all the years put into this, Gable can’t tell Sami what matters more because he doesn’t know Sami like that. Gable has Sami calm down, and says he knows all that. But it isn’t all about that. Then what is all this? Gable says Sami can’t beat Gunther. Gable then leaves, and Sami is at a loss for words. Is this bitter side of Gable only going to get worse as we go down this Road to WrestleMania?
Adam Pearce is in the ring.
Raw returns with the GM by a table, and he welcomes us to a contract signing to make official the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship for WrestleMania! The fans cheer, and Pearce introduces first, the challenger, Sami Zayn! The Great Liberator makes his entrance and the fans sing along with his song. Sami still looks troubled by what Gable said just moments ago, but he still high-fives fans and gets in the ring. Then Pearce introduces the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time, Der Ring General, GUNTHER! The fans boo as Gunther walks in, having reached Day 647!
Gunther smiles as Sami watches him make his way down the ramp and into the ring. Pearce says we know how this works, but Gunther says before we proceed, let us call this what it is: the most important contract signing for the most important match in the history of this championship. And why, why, why is the challenger dressed no better than any of the bums in the audience? Fans boo but Sami just shrugs that off. Sami gets a mic to say that Gunther keeps sitting there all smug, and it’s really starting to piss Sami off. Gunther thinks this is just another day at the office, that he’ll steamroll through Sami like any other contender.
But with all respect to Gunther, he really has. He has beaten everyone that has come his way, and has done it on his own. Gunther doesn’t believe Sami can do it. A lot of people didn’t believe Sami at many points in his career. They didn’t believe he’d even make it to WWE, let alone win championships and main event a WrestleMania. And if you ask The Usos, they didn’t believe Sami would be one of the guys to end the longest tag title reign in WWE history, but he did! And one year later, he will make history again by ending the longest Intercontinental title reign in WWE history! Sami signs his part and pushes the contract over to Gunther.
The fans cheer Sami on but Gunther waits it out. Gunther tells Sami, what Sami should do is listen to his new friend, Gable. Gable doesn’t believe Sami can win. The people here cheer Sami, they probably even love Sami. But even they don’t believe Sami can win. And y’know, when Gunther looks Sami in the eyes, and if Sami was honest with himself, even Sami doesn’t believe he can win. So what Sami is doing right now is standing on Gunther’s doorstep and begging him to get the beating of a lifetime on the Grandest Stage of Them All! So whatever Sami has to do, from training to believing, just keep doing that. Because at WrestleMania, Sami’s dreams will meet reality.
Gunther grins and signs his part, and it is now official! Gunther then stands, title on his shoulder, and takes his leave. The fans boo, but then Sami tells Gunther to wait. Gunther steps back inside to hear Sami as Sami turns around. Gunther looks in Sami’s eyes and believes Sami doesn’t believe? Sami stands to get in Gunther’s face and dares him to look again. Get a good long look, because these are the eyes of the man who will take you down at Mania! The fans fire up, and now Sami leaves first. Gunther still just grins, but will Sami use a Helluva Kick to wipe that smile off his face?
We follow Sami as he storms backstage, right past DIY and The Awesome Truth. Truth asks what’s up with Sami, but The Miz says that is the mindset of WrestleMania right there. That’s what they need. DIY wishes Awesome Truth luck. Awesome Truth knows DIY is into the ladder match, and they are gonna have their own qualifier. Miz & Truth just need to beat… Indus Sher. Jinder Mahal tells Veer & Sanga to warm up for the match. They head out, and Truth says he feels sorry for whoever has to face those guys. Miz stares at Truth, and he has DIY hold off. Miz will explain. The Awesome Truth heads to gorilla, their match is next!
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: The Awesome Truth VS Indus Sher w/ Jinder Mahal!
Miz wants a remix of the theme song but Truth says to just follow his lead. NC State knows what’s up, but will the Awesome Truth finally reach the top of the tag division 13 years after they first teamed? We’ll see, after the break!
Raw returns as Indus Sher makes their entrance, the Modern Day Maharaja by their side. The teams sort out and Truth starts against Sanga. The fans echo “WHAT’S UP?!” but Sanga roars! Truth is scared now so he tags Miz. Truth fires Miz up, Miz runs up and dodges Sanga to fire off haymakers! Miz kicks, whips, but Sanga blocks! Sanga whips and CLOBBERS Miz! Jinder nods as Sanga then scoops Miz and brings him over. Veer tags in, Sanga SLAMS Miz, then Veer ELBOW DROPS! Indus Sher say “NAMASTE!” but the fans say “WHAT’S UP!?” with Truth. Veer HIP DROPS Miz, then looms over him.
Veer eggs Miz on, drags him up with shoulder claws, and then steps over Miz for the neck wrench! Miz endures as Veer still digs a claw into his shoulder. The fans rally for Miz, Miz fights up and throws body shots! Miz reaches out but Veer knees low! Veer SHOVES Miz to the corner, runs in, but Miz BOOTS! Miz ELBOWS Sanga, but Veer catches him! Veer puts Miz back int he corner, but Miz ducks the boot to tag Truth! Truth dodges Veer and starts up the shoulder tackles! Truth gets around Veer to SPIN-OUT BOMB! The fans fire up as Truth shouts out Cena with “You Can’t See Me!” Truth runs to Five Knuckle Shuffle!
Jinder is not happy now as Truth fireman’s carries! But Veer slips free! Truth drop toeholds to the STF!! The fans fire up but Sanga stomps Truth! Miz fires off kicks on Sanga, then body shots! Truth joins in, they mug and whip Sanga, to DOUBLE DROPKICK! Sanga staggers around, Veer runs up, but into a full nelson! Truth and Miz combine for a SKULL CRUSHING LIE DETECTOR!! But Sanga whips Miz away! Miz WRECKS Jinder with it, but Sanga runs up! Sanga knocks Miz down, Miz anchors Sanga, Sanga ELBOWS Truth, Truth falls onto Veer for the cover! Awesome Truth wins!!
Winners: The Awesome Truth, by pinfall (advance to WrestleMania)
The fans fire up, and Truth doesn’t even realize what happened! Miz celebrates with Truth and Truth puts it together! They’re now one of the six in the ladder match! Will this combination of teamwork and luck be just what they need to take those titles from Judgment Day?
Sami confronts Gable now.
Sami tells Gable to tell him why. Why what? Why does Gable think Sami can’t beat Gunther? Well you just saw why! With Gunther, it isn’t just physical, it is mental. Sami made his career out of being the underdog that crawls his way out of any hole he’s in, right? Just like last week! Sami found the window of opportunity to get out of a bad situation any time he can. Gunther’s on a different level! You gonna sit and wait for that window to appear? It doesn’t happen with Gunther! He’s a different beast, a different animal. If Sami doesn’t change his mentality, then he can’t beat Gunther. Gable leaves Sami with a lot to think again. Is there a way Sami can change enough to defeat Der Ring General?
CM Punk speaks.
“Do I plan at being in WrestleMania? WrestleMania is in Philadelphia, what’re the first four letters in Philadelphia? Phil. You can’t have WrestleMania Philadelphia without Phil. Whether I’m invited or uninvited, Punk will be there.” And next week in Chicago, Punk returns to Raw! Will the Second City Saint find a way to be part of the biggest WrestleMania ever?
Drew McIntyre is here!
The Scottish Terminator, or as his new shirt says, “The Savior of WrestleMania,” makes his way to the ring, NC State a bit torn about seeing him. But then Seth Rollins is here, too!? McIntyre is upset but the fans sing along, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” as The Visionary struts his way out. Rollins swaggers right past McIntyre in his green storm pattern suit, and steps into the ring first. McIntyre frowns as he follows Rollins in, and sits in a corner. The fans continue to sing, which Rollins revels in for a moment. Rollins has the mic to then say, “RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA~! Welcome to Monday Night Rollins~!
“And Drew, hah, sorry, I didn’t even see you there. I was too busy, uh, y’know, soaking up the spotlight, right?” McIntyre has a mic to say, “Alright, here we go.” Here goes what, Drew? McIntyre says no, no, get it all out of your system, he knows Rollins has more! McIntyre can stay in the back while Rollins enjoys the spotlight, because after WrestleMania, that spotlight’s all McIntyre’s. Hey, hey, c’mon. Rollins is here with an honest cause. Rollins doesn’t like McIntyre, he thinks he’s stupid, a hypocrite, has said a lot of dumb things lately, but Rollins is here to admit that one thing McIntyre said is absolutely right and he wants to say it to McIntyre’s face, right here in Raleigh, in front of the fine people.
Now, they always say the first step to recovery is the hardest, so bare with Rollins. He has been working on this all week, but… “My name is Seth Freakin’ Rollins, and I’m a spotlight junkie.” The fans chant “Spotlight Junkie!” and also sing, but McIntyre says everything is just a joke to Rollins, isn’t it? Look at Rollins! He’s a parody of himself at this point. But honestly, McIntyre doesn’t care. He tried reasoning, he gave the answers, and now he only cares about their match and the world title. And you wanna know the real punchline, funny man? “What?” McIntyre says they say that because they’re happy McIntyre sidelined Punk, thanks for remembering!
But the punchline is when McIntyre beats Rollins for that title. The fans chant for “C M PUNK!” but McIntyre says don’t be ridiculous. Punk’s waiting until next week to return because he’d never show up in a place like Raleigh. The fans boo but McIntyre says see, they’re booing Punk! Punk is only getting off his couch to be at his local arena. Rollins tells McIntyre to shut up already. Oh, seems McIntyre got Rollins’ attention. Rollins takes off the sunglasses to say yeah, McIntyre has his attention. Because this isn’t a joke! When Rollins says he is a junkie, it isn’t a joke! He’s been doing this for 20 YEARS! Just like McIntyre!
And every time Rollins comes out of the curtain, that’s his fix. And it gets better and better every single time. Rollins comes out here, lays it all on the line, and it just gets better and better! When he hears the fans sing the song so loud, Rollins can barely speak, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” That’s Rollins’ fix! That is the spotlight he craves, and y’know what? Rollins wants the spotlight as bright as it can possibly be. So yeah, McIntyre’s been busy online entertaining people with memes, so he hasn’t been listening to Rollins. So Rollins will get this through McIntyre’s thick skull: Night One, Rollins takes the biggest star in Hollywood and his side chick, and makes them his b*tches!
Then on Night Two, the biggest spotlight possible will be shined down on McIntyre and Rollins and the World Heavyweight Championship! McIntyre says all hail the savior, Seth Rollins! This is what McIntyre wanted! The passion and desire, not the stupid laughing and dancing. Rollins had McIntyre all the way to the finish. Rollins has done this 20 years, just like McIntyre. They’ve given their lives to this industry, and that is what the title is about! The wrestlers’ title, the workhorse championship! Rollins had McIntyre with him until he mentioned the bigger spotlight and how Rollins pins one of the biggest stars in the world.
Why can’t it just be about Rollins’ hard work to make that title, and all of McIntyre’s hard work to get this chance? Why can’t that be the reason they’re getting the biggest spotlight!? Rollins has had his priorities all backwards, McIntyre has been giving him all the answers. McIntyre said he is over the BS, and all he cares about is Rollins making it to the ring on Night Two. And if Rollins can’t walk, then McIntyre will wheel him down. If not, McIntyre will carry Rollins down. At Mania, McIntyre doesn’t get the moment he deserves. He gets the moment he has bloody EARNED. The fans do cheer that!
Rollins smirks and says, “Ah, Drew. There it is. That’s right, you wanna call me a spotlight junkie, but you want the spotlight just as bad as I do, don’t you? You’re an addict, just like I am. And you’ve been begging for spotlight for the past four years, because you won the WrestleMania main event. You did, back in 2020, in an empty warehouse. And all we’ve been hearing from Drew McIntyre for the past four years was how that wasn’t good enough. You’ve been whining and complaining and bitching and moaning that you deserve better, that you deserve more. The problem is, Drew, when everybody came back around, and the lights got bright again, what happened? You fumbled the ball.
“And that’s the difference between you and me. When the lights are the brightest, I shine, baby. I shine bright. And at WrestleMania 40, the lights are gonna be as bright as they have ever been. And you are gonna find out you are not as good as you think you are.” Rollins drops the mic, but this time McIntyre smirks. The verbal battle continues, but who will put their money where their mouth is once this one finally happens?
Becky Lynch speaks.
“I’m a wanted woman, and I don’t even have the title. Yet. But we’re less than three weeks away from WrestleMania, so why would I risk it all? Because I don’t know anything else. All I know is taking risks. All I know is fighting. And all I know is tonight, I’m gonna be the Last Woman Standing.” Becky is fired up to finally do what she hasn’t done in the most extreme way possible. Will she be the immovable object to Nia’s irresistible force?
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: The New Day VS The Alpha Academy!
Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods have been W, W, E, World, Tag, Team, CHAMPIONS~, but they’ve never been a part of a title match as big as this Six Pack Ladder challenge! Will they look to be part of history once again? Or will Akira Tozawa & Otis say “A THANK YEW~!” for this golden opportunity?
Raw returns as the Academy makes their entrance. The teams sort out and Woods starts against the tree trunk, Otis. The fans rally for “NEW! DAY ROCKS!” Otis and Woods tie up, but Woods kicks low then headlocks. Otis powers up and out then runs Woods over! Otis storms up on Woods, GUT RAMS him back down, then brings him back up. Otis GUT RAMS Woods again, then runs to CLOBBER Woods! Otis swivels his hips, the fans echo “Oh~ yeah!” Otis tags Tozawa and the Academy mugs Woods. Tozawa brings Woods around but Woods CHOPS! Woods tags Kofi, he and Kofi double whip Tozawa but Tozawa holds ropes!
Tozawa fires hands, dodges Woods then BOOTS Woods down! Kofi kicks low, whips Tozawa to a corner, but Tozawa BOOTS Kofi away! Tozawa goes up to FLYING RANA! The fans fire up as Tozawa sees New Day regroup outside. Tozawa runs to DIVE! Direct hit on both New Day, and Otis joins in for “A THANK YEW~!” The Academy stands tall as Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Tozawa fights a chinlock. Tozawa reaches for Otis but Woods back suplexes. Tozawa lands out to then DROPKICK Woods down! The fans rally as Woods and Tozawa crawl, hot tags to Otis and Kofi! Otis CLOBBERS Kofi, CLOBBERS him again, then whips him to ropes. WRECKER ELBOW! Woods runs in, Otis dodges, to LARIAT! Otis sees Kofi leap off the corner, and catches him for a WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM! Otis rips the shirt off, winds up the hips, and then starts up the CATERPILLAR! ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Kofi survives but Otis hurries to step on him! Tag to Tozawa, and Otis goes up!
Otis VADER BOMBS but FLOPS as Kofi moves! Tozawa hurries up top while Kofi SUPERKICKS Otis! Kofi turns around into the CROSSBODY from Tozawa! Cover, TWO! Tozawa SUPERKICKS Kofi but Woods tags in! Woods GAMANGIRIS Tozawa, then steps in to TORNADO DDT! Cover, TWO! Tozawa toughs it out but Woods grits his teeth as he goes to the corner. Woods climbs, but Tozawa rises! Tozawa throws body shots, Woods CLUBS Tozawa! Tozawa throws more hands and climbs up! The fans rally as they brawl up top! Tozawa brings Woods up but Woods fights the lift! Woods throws body shots in return!
Woods shifts position to get under Tozawa for a fireman’s carry! But then Tozawa pops up to SUPER STEINER!! Tozawa rips off his shirt, climbs back up top, SUPER SENTON!! Cover, Kofi breaks it! The fans fire up but Otis drags Kofi out! Otis whips Kofi at steps, Kofi goes up and jumps off the steps to TORNADO DDT to the floor! Kofi hurries back up to the apron but Tozawa SCREW HIGH KICKS him down! Tozawa dodges Woods, pop-up, but Woods blocks the rana to then SPINNING POWERBOMB! Woods sees the WrestleMania sign, hurries up the corner, and he tightrope walks! LIMIT BREAK ELBOW!! Cover, New Day wins!
Winners: The New Day, by pinfall (advance to WrestleMania)
The New Day are the ones saying A THANK YEW~ as they put their names down for the Six Pack Ladder Match! Will they once again climb to the top of the WWE Tag Team Division and bring home those championships?
Liv Morgan confronts Becky Lynch.
Becky asks if she’ll have to watch out for Liv as well. Well, you should always #WatchMe, but no, not tonight. Nia is all Becky’s. Liv just wants Becky to kick Nia’s ass. Liv leaves, will Becky kick ass and then some?
Cody walks with his dog, Pharaoh, backstage.
Rollins finds him and brings up Friday. One on one? One on one. Rollins nods and says he loves Pharaoh’s bandanna. The Visionary trusts the American Nightmare can handle himself, but will we be able to trust The Tribal Chief?
Last Woman Standing: Becky Lynch VS Nia Jax!
From the origins of “The Man” in WWE to the aftermath of Elimination Chamber: Perth, these two have battled, but never as brutally as this! They’re able to go anywhere and do anything, but who will be the Last Woman Standing this close to WrestleMania 40?
The bell rings and the two rush in! Becky DROPKICKS Nia and Nia goes to a corner. Becky runs in but Nia puts Becky on the apron. Becky ROCKS Nia, goes up a corner, then leaps to MISSILE DROPKCIK! Nia stumbles and tumbles out of the ring, so Becky WRECKS her with another dropkick! Becky then goes to the apron for a FLYING FOREARM! Nia stays up, Becky tries again, but Nia dodges! Fireman’s carry and Nia POSTS Becky, to then SAMOAN DROP her into barriers! The ref counts as Becky is down, but she stands at 4 of 10. Nia CLOBBERS Becky and wants the count! The count climbs but Nia is impatient.
Nia clears off the desk, Becky stands at 5 of 10, and she leans against barriers. Becky comes back with body shots and haymakers, but Nia ROCKS her with a forearm! Becky staggers away as Raw goes to break!
Raw returns and Becky is bringing out a table! The fans fire up as Becky sets that up ringside. There’s been a lot of chaos during the break according to commentary, from chairs to kendo sticks to even a copy of Becky’s book, The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl! But Nia storms over to stop Becky and SMACK her off the desk! Nia puts Becky in the ring, takes that table for her own and sets it up. The table doesn’t cooperate and fans boo, but Nia goes for chairs instead. She slides those in the ring, Becky manages to stand at 7 of 10, and she grabs at those chairs. Nia ditches the table, it just doesn’t wanna work.
Nia storms in but Becky JAMS her with a chair, SMACKS her with it, then clinches! Nia fights the slam, fireman’s carries Becky, and FULL METAL SAMOAN DROPS!! Becky writhes from hitting chairs but Nia looms over her. Nia soaks up the heat as she counts along. Becky flounders to ropes and drags herself up at 7! Nia sits a chair up, fans want a table, but Nia scoops Becky. Becky slips around to a SLEEPER! Nia RAMS Becky into buckles again and again until Becky lets go. But then Becky BULLDOGS Nia off the chair! Nia is down for the count now, and Becky leans against ropes to stay up herself.
Nia stirs at 5, stands at 8, but Becky is up top! Becky leaps, into a CHAIR SHOT! Nia SMACKS Becky again and again and again! The fans boo but Nia finally stops. Nia puts that chair aside and goes out to get some kendo sticks! Nia puts those in, but Becky grabs one! Nia snatches it from her to SMACK! And SMACK! And SMACK! Becky sputters and staggers, Nia clinches and scoops! Nia SLAMS Becky onto chairs! Then Nia runs to drop the leg, brother! Nia wants the count and the count begins! Becky sputters as we reach 5 of 10. Becky grabs that kendo stick but Nia SMACKS Becky with a chair! And again!
Nia kicks Becky around, then uses the chair to take a seat on Becky’s body!! The fans boo as the count begins, but Becky SMACKS Nia with the kendo stick! And again and again and again, even in the butt! Nia stands up, into more shots! Becky stands and she fires away until Nia scurries out of the ring! Becky pursues but Nia CLOBBERS her! Nia pulls the steel steps apart now, and takes that top half to RAM Becky down! Becky flounders, Nia hauls her up and puts her in the ring. Becky’s on the apron and Nia takes aim! Nia runs up, APRN LEG DROP only gets apron! Becky avoids disaster, then has Nia by the steps! DDT onto the steel!
Nia is down again and the count begins. Nia stirs at 5 of 10, sits up at 6, but Becky SMACKS her off steps! Nia falls over again and the count resets. Becky hurries to go looking for things while Nia rises again. Becky has a new table! The fans fire up as Becky gets that in the ring. Nia stands at 7, staggers after Becky, and Raw goes back to break.
Raw returns once again and Nia mugs Becky against barriers! Nia puts Becky on a table, and surprise! There’s a ladder set up now! Nia climbs the ladder?! She also demands Pat support the ladder. But Becky gets off the table so now Nia has no reason to be up there. Nia storms after Becky, but gets a FIRE EXTINGUISHER BLAST!! The fans fire up as Becky cools Nia off, then JAMS her with the canister! Becky puts Nia in the ring, and there’s a table waiting in a corner! Becky lines up the shot, and runs in, but Nia SAMOAN DROPS Becky through the table!!! Both women are down in the wreckage and the count begins!
Nia flounders away from the wreckage but she still needs to stand. Nia is up at 5, and she isn’t satisfied with this! She drags Becky all the way to another corner and puts her in the drop zone! Nia climbs up, for the A-NIA-LATOR!! Nia shouts for the count, the count begins, and Nia storms around as she points to the Mania sign. Becky is still down at 5 of 10, only starts stirring at 7, and she slumps out of the ring to stand up! Nia is furious, goes out after Becky, and kicks things aside to keep after her. Nia asks if Becky’s vision is blurry. Nia fireman’s carries Becky up the steel steps and along the apron, aiming for that other table!
The fans freak out but Becky fights with elbows! Becky CLUBS away on Nia and the fans are thunderous! Becky then clinches, for a MANHANDLE SLAM through the table!!! Both women are down int he wreckage again, and the count begins! Becky sits up at 4 while fans are still losing their minds! We pass 5 of 10, then 7! Nia sits up at 8 and stands at 9! But then she slumps back over! The count starts again, Nia flounders around and stands at 5. Becky goes up the ladder! Becky sees Nia approaching the desk, and then SUPER MAN’S LEG DROP through the desk!!! The fans lose their minds again while both men are down in more wreckage!
The count is 5 of 10! Becky flounders and crawls, drags herself up at 9, but Nia is still down! BECKY WINS!!
Winner: Becky Lynch
The Man conquers truly one of the most intense challenges in her career! But then here comes one of the most intense champions! The fans fire up as Rhea Ripley makes her way out, Women’s World Championship in hand. She goes right to the ring and looks at Becky. Rhea “congratulates” Becky for winning, but then Becky gets in Rhea’s face! The fans fire up, and now there are no obstacles in the way of Mami VS The Man! Who will be the champion after WrestleMania 40?
My Thoughts:
A great Raw right here, though the in-ring action kinda dipped down until that awesome Last Woman Standing main event. This is one of the times I wish they’d done picture in picture so we as the TV audience could see even more action. Great win for Becky, of course, but I also like that Becky had a moment with Liv just before, and of course she had a moment with Rhea to close out the night. Great promos with Sami and Gable that also blended into the contract signing from tonight. And I suppose Gable has a point that Sami, the comeback kid, can’t do that when Gunther has an arsenal of moves that would be “finishers” given all the different ways Gunther has won over the years.
And speaking of that contract signing segment, I really liked the segue they did in following Sami so that he’d cross paths with Awesome Truth at gorilla and we’d get their segment going into their match. WWE has been doing some really creative stuff in this newest era where Vince is truly out and apparently even Kevin Dunn has moved on. Awesome Truth had a really fun but also really quick tag match with Indus Sher, and then New Day VS Alpha Academy was solid stuff, but DIY VS Creeds was such an awesome match. For a moment, I thought Creeds were gonna take this one but DIY still found a way, and I like that DIY is in. Honestly, I’m liking that the HHH favorites are getting in, because we also have New Catch Republic on the other side that can still win into the match.
Judgment Day had good stuff tonight, too. Good group promo with Andrade to tease El Idolo possibly joining, but who knows if he does. Depends on how things go for Priest. He was watching the qualifiers, he’s not worried, but maybe he should be. Granted, he still has the MITB briefcase, he could go from losing the tag titles to taking the world title, who knows how the Judgment Day’s story is going to go as we move past Mania. Dom VS Ricochet was a really good match, and Ricochet winning was the right move to keep this feud going. I think there’s going to be Ricochet VS McDonagh next week as a rematch from the gauntlet, that’ll be great stuff, too.
Candice’s Heel turn slow burn continues as she takes advantage of the “hurt” leg. Indi also does a good job of being very conflicted about this. There’s a WWE YouTube exclusive where Ivy Nile confronts Candice so that’ll be a match, and then maybe when Candice again goes too far, Indi steps in and we get a match of Candice VS Indi at some point. Good little update promo from CM Punk, he’ll have a great homecoming moment in Chicago, but also probably McIntyre coming after him. McIntyre had a great promo segment with Rollins, and with all these continued moments where the other person gets the mic drop moment, it feels like McIntyre has to win the title.
And of course, great stuff with the Bloodline story even on Raw. Jey and Jimmy have great promos in their confrontation, and of course it turns into a brawl. Good segue from that to Heyman being here, and Heyman confronting Cody during Cody’s great promo segment. Cody really went off on The Rock, that was some wild stuff. But the supposed promise of “one on one and no one else aside from Heyman” might be kept, and we get a strong promo segment on SmackDown in a foreshadowing of the fair-and-square 1v1 match. Or it is a trap and that’s more a foreshadowing of Bloodline Rules where they can do whatever they want. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
My Score: 8.9/10
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
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
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!