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Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (12/3/21)

The Beast is back!

Published

2 years ago

December 3, 2021

Steven Mitchell

Brock Lesnar returns to SmackDown tonight!

The suspension was lifted, and now the Beast Incarnate, BRRROCK, LESNARRR, returns to Friday Night SmackDown to make it #BrockFriday!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Sasha Banks VS Shayna Baszler; Sasha wins.
The Viking Raiders VS Los Lotharios; Los Lotharios win.
Jey Uso w/ Jimmy Uso VS Xavier Woods w/ Kofi Kingston; Woods wins, by disqualification.
Sheamus VS Cesaro; Cesaro wins.
WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman VS Sami Zayn w/ Brock Lesnar; Roman wins and retains the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

BROCK LESNAR opens SmackDown!

No more indefinite suspension for the “alpha male of our species,” he’s back on Friday nights! Lesnar gets the mic as fans chant for “Suplex City!” Lesnar sees they’ve caught on that his suspension’s been lifted. But he’s here for one reason and one reason only: The Universal Championship. Now, you might wonder how he got the suspension lift. But here comes Sami Zayn! Sami says this is great! At long last, their paths are crossing! It’s been a long time coming. In so many ways, they’ve paralleled each other. Minus the UFC Heavyweight Championships and WrestleMania main events. But other than that, there are similarities.

Sami wants fans to give him a second, he’s talking to Brock. They’re Canadian alpha males doing their thing, and no disrespect or funny business, but man to man… Sami’s a fan. He respects Brock’s body of work, and this look he’s got? Awesome! The top knot? Should’ve done that years ago. Brock tells Sami to shut up. Brock is a bit confused. He hasn’t got the slightest idea who the hell this is. Pardon his ignorance, but Sami’s a fan of Brock? Sami is also the “Master Strategist” and the elder statesman- Shut up. Sami’s sure got a lotta balls coming out here and interrupting Brock.

See, Brock lives in Saskatchewan and so he’s from Canada. He hunts things in Saskatchewan and kills them, then eats them in Saskatchewan. So tell Brock, “Who the hell you think you are, and why I haven’t ripped your… head off!” Valid questions, and Sami will give answers. Sami is the elder statesman and locker room leader, but also the #1 contender to the Universal Championship! Against all odds, Sami won a battle royal and is now the first in line to face Roman Reigns at WWE Day 1! So then, Brock wants to get this right. Brock gets suspended, and Sami ends up #1 contender. Yeah, it is kinda funny, right? Not a knee slapper but it’s good.

So yes, Sami is #1 contender. And once Sami wins, he will roll out the red carpet for- Oh, Sami’s taking on Roman at Day 1? Yes, and then we can have Sami VS Lesnar, no questions asked! Sami means it! He’ll happily do that for Brock. Oh silly Brock. It’s all coming together. “They’re playing you.” Well, yeah, they have been. There’s a whole conspiracy. But how is it they’re playing him? Well why wait until Day 1? Why not do it tonight? Here in San Antonio! Fans like the sound of that! Brock can see it now! Sami- It is Sami, right? Yes. Sami Zayn VS Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship! Great idea, but to be honest, Sami’s dreamed of winning the title, just not in Texas.

The fans boo hearing that, but Brock says he’s the fan now. Sami thanks Brock for that. There’s another thing. Sami needs to mentally compare, and there’s a thing in his hip- Brock suggests Sami should fight Roman tonight. C’mon! Sami nervously laughs, says it’s not a bad idea, he just needs to prepare. Sami, listen to Brock. Shut up and listen. Sami should fight Roman Reigns tonight. Sami keeps trying to reason with Brock, Brock’s kinda crowding him. But that’s fine. Do it tonight. But- Tonight. Sami thanks Brock for the advice but says no thanks. Then he puts a hand on Brock’s shoulder. Sorry, that’s on Sami. Brock bends Sami’s hand back and asks, “So tonight it is?”

YES! YES! Sami spares himself the pain and Brock says, “I knew you had it in ya! Go get ’em, kid!” And to top it off, Brock promises to be by Sami’s side to witness it first hand. He’s got Sami’s back. Oh, okay. Then you’re gonna see a new Universal Champion, TONIGHT! Is Brock genuinely going to make sure The Great Liberator dethrones the Tribal Chief? Or is the Beast the one playing Sami now?

Sami finds Sonya Deville backstage.

He wants to know if Adam Pearce is here so he can talk with both of them. Apparently not, he has travel issues. But she can help him. Well, the thing is, Sami kinda put his foot in his mouth and agreed to challenge Roman here tonight. But to be honest, he wants to wait until- Oh, hey, Brock! Sami was just saying how they should do things tonight. But Pearce isn’t here- Well Sonya can still make the match. And it’d be a great main event. It’s official! Awesome! And then Lesnar faces the winner at Day 1? Yep. They’re all winners! High five! Sami gets his chance, but he’s basically stuck between a Brock and a hard place!

Sasha Banks VS Shayna Baszler!

It’s #BossTime in San Antonio as Sasha goes 1v1 with the Queen of Spades! But will Sasha’s friendship with Naomi come back to bite her against Sonya Deville’s favorite wringer?

The bell rings, Sasha dodges Shayna to ROCK her with a forearm and bump her off buckles. Sasha CHOPS Shayna, knuckle locks and goes up, up, but jumps into a KIRAFUDA! Sasha arm-drags free, Shayna KICKS her down! Shayna drags Sasha, isolates the arm, but Sasha avoids the stomp! Sasha goes up and around to arm-drag again and Shayna bails out! Sasha builds speed but Shayna avoids the baseball slide to ANKLE LOCK! Sasha hops around then rolls to send Shayna into the LED apron! Sasha then runs to 619 Shayna from the apron! The ring count climbs, Sasha METEORAS Shayna down at the ramp!

Sasha gets Shayna up and in, covers, TWO! Fans rally behind Sasha as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns, Sasha slips out of a corner and shoulders into Shayna. Sasha runs Shayna side to side and bumps her off buckles, then swings in to DOUBLE KNEE! Sasha runs but Shayna follows to KNEE her down! Shayna drags Sasha up to gut wrench SLAM! Cover, TWO! Sasha is still in this but Shayna paces. Shayna taunts the fans cheering Sasha on, then she kicks Sasha around. Shayna taunts Sasha, “Give me pyro, see what happens. Give me jewelry, see what happens.” It’s not that stuff fans don’t like, it’s Sasha! But then Sasha SLAPS Shayna and everyone liked that! Sasha throws CHOPS, forearms, then knuckle locks to go up, up and FLYING ARM-DRAG!

Shayna staggers up, Sasha blocks the kick to KNEE her back! Shayna goes to a corner, Sasha runs in but she blocks Shayna’s boots to ROCK her! STOCK DROP KNEES! Cover, TWO! Sasha keeps on Shayna and brings her up in the corner. Shayna stops the tornado before it starts to KICK Sasha down! Shayna runs in, but into NIGHTSHADE! Sasha drags Shayna back up, TORNADO DDT! Cover, TWO! Sasha can’t believe it, but she keeps her cool as fans rally up. Sasha drags Shayna up, reels her in, but Shayna drops to kangaroo kick then boot Sasha to a corner. Shayna runs in, only gets buckles! Sasha wheelbarrows but into the KIRAFUDA KLUTCH!!

Shayna has Sasha caught, but Sasha pushes back to a cover! ONE, but Shayna gets the clutch again. Sasha rolls back to another cover, TWO! BANK STATEMENT CROSSFACE! Shayna fights up, powers out, blocks a kick and throws Sasha down to then KNEE her down! Sasha is folded back! Shayna drags Sasha back up, gut wrenches but Sasha RANAS to a cover! Sasha wins!

Winner: Sasha Banks, by pinfall

The Boss snatches victory from the jaws of defeat! Will this help Sasha get back up and be a #LEGIT contender?

Sonya Facetimes with Pearce.

She confirms, Brock is in the building and has convinced Sami to cash in his title opportunity tonight, and then the winner faces Brock at Day 1. So there’s a title match tonight? Yes. Main event, obviously. Well, maybe it’s for the best that Pearce isn’t there. No, Brock’s in a good mood! Pearce will be fine. Yeah, Brock’s in a good mood, he got reinstated without Pearce’s say-so. Pearce doesn’t want to disrupt anything, so he will “remember the Alamo” tonight. What?! Tonight of all nights? Upper management won’t like that. Yeah, well, upper management will like it less if something happens again so thanks, bye. Oh c’mon!

But then Drew McIntyre walks in. He wants to get to the point. Who is responsible for him not being in the Black Friday Battle Royal last week? Well Pearce made the list so ask him about the snub. Of course, Pearce isn’t here so you can’t. Okay. Then tell Pearce that McIntyre is looking for him and would like a word. The sword makes McIntyre’s point, will Pearce take that “under advisement?”

SmackDown presents an all new edition of Happy Talk!

Yes, “Happy” Corbin & “Mad Cap” Moss are back. And they’re going to host another episode of their talk show, after the break.

SmackDown returns as Corbin & Moss sit in their armchairs. Corbin welcomes us back, and “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.” But what makes Corbin happy was that battle royal. Yeah, they had a ton of fun eliminating guys. Moss was throwing out left and right, and then Corbin had that hilarious prank when he threw Moss out. Moss frowns, but then laughs and says it was great. Yeah, but it wasn’t so great for Jeff Hardy. Hardy’s fried so many brain cells over the years, he couldn’t remember that Sami Zayn was never actually eliminated! So please, tell Corbin there’s a Jeff Hardy joke. Of course!

“What would you call Jeff Hardy if he were a woman with child? A Swanton MOM!” Only Moss and Corbin laugh. Corbin says that was incredible. And then, there’s Drew McIntyre. “That gigantic crybaby was so upset he didn’t make the cut for the battle royal, that he came running out here with a giant sword, swinging it around and trying to cut people! Drew has got to stop about worrying and become happy.” Moss has one: What do you call Drew McIntyre checking a battle royal list? A Scottish Worrier. But time for them to worry about McIntyre as he storms out with the sword! Moss hurries out to be the bouncer, but McIntyre points the sword at Corbin.

Corbin turns around, into a TWIST OF FATE! Moss goes after Hardy, but Hardy gives him a Twist of Fate! McIntyre gets in to CLAYMORE Moss down! And kip up! McIntyre and Hardy throw their shirts away and fire up with San Antonio! They even take some of Corbin’s hats! Will Moss & Corbin no longer be laughing when the Scottish Warrior and the Charismatic Enigma kick their asses?

Xia Li shares volume 3 of her journey.

“The starry night sky drapes over me on a peaceful walk back home. The only sound are my boots on the gravel. And then, something else. Deep breaths of anticipation. They creep from the shadows and skitter like rats to me. One blocks my path. the other lunges for my bag. I hate vultures. They see life through foggy lenses. Mistake women for weak, and the small for the disempowered. They never see me for me.” Xia Li is the defender of the vulnerable, destroyer of the oppressors. The Protector finally arrives next week!

The Viking Raiders VS Los Lotharios!

Erik & Ivar are here to bring the raid to San Antonio! Meanwhile, Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo want to bring the love to the ladies. But they both want to be at the top of the SmackDown Tag Division! Which duo gets one step closer to The Usos and the SmackDown Tag Team Championships?

SmackDown returns and the charismatic cousins make their entrance. The teams sort out and Erik starts against Garza. Garza takes his pants off, but Erik catches him before he can throw them, and hits a SPINEBUSTER! Erik DECKS Carrillo, drags Garza up and puts him in the corner to tag in Ivar. Erik feeds Garza to Ivar’s scoop SLAM! Then Erik scoops Ivar to SLAM him on Garza! Ivar fires up, tags Erik back in then SPLASHES Garza in a corner, to feed to Erik’s KNEES! Ivar runs in but Carrillo saves Garza from the Viking sized Bronco Buster! Erik grabs Carrillo, drags him up and in to SLAM him down! Carrillo gets up, dodges Erik and DIVES to hit Ivar!

Garza SUPERKICKS Erik! Tag to Carrillo, he Chanceries Erik and Garza talks trash before- Wait, someone is rocking out? Where did Boogs and Nakamura come from!? Erik gets free of the chancery, DECKS Garza, but Carrillo rolls Erik with tights! Los Lotharios win!!

Winners: Los Lotharios, by pinfall

The Viking Raiders still lost! Nakamura’s revenge plan backfired! The Viking Raiders go out and say they get this was meant to help and screw Los Lotharios over. Boogs makes it up to them by playing the Viking Raiders’ theme. Everyone’s ready for the raid, but will these four all get revenge on Garza & Carrillo?

Backstage interview with Toni Storm.

Kayla Braxton welcomes the Lightning From Down Under and Toni knows, after last week, she is now “Toni, the girl who got two pies thrown in her face.” That should be her intro. But Charlotte Flair can try and embarrass Toni as much as she wants, but that won’t stop Toni from going after what she wants: a title match. Toni is not afraid of Charlotte, she is not intimidated by Charlotte, and despite all those accolades and championships and fancy robes, Toni is not impressed by Charlotte. Charlotte tries to embarrass Toni because Toni already embarrassed her. Toni predicted that Charlotte would lose to Becky Lynch at Survivor Series, and that she would unravel when she did.

Toni knows Charlotte has more experience than Toni, but Toni is in Charlotte’s head. Charlotte may think Toni isn’t on her level, but when she accepts the challenge, Toni will prove Charlotte dead wrong. Toni may be “Two Pie Toni,” but she’s setting her sights on a better nickname: Toni Storm, SmackDown Women’s Champion. Toni heads out, is her time drawing near?

Jey Uso w/ Jimmy Uso VS Xavier Woods!

The Right Hand Man knows he’s got to get ’em! But King Xavier wants to get his revenge on The Bloodline, so he’ll start at the bottom! Will Woods be able to exact vengeance for Kofi Kingston’s leg and the destruction of his regalia? Or will he be put in the Uso Penitentiary?

SmackDown returns as the Usos get the mics. They raise their fingers because #WeTheOnes, and San Antonio chants, “UCE! SO!” The Usos get fired up hearing that. Jey tells Sami Zayn, “What’s wrong with you? Challenging the Head of the Table to a championship match, Uce?” Jimmy says, “That’s a bad look for you, Sami Zayn.” But what’s worse? What? Having Brock Lesnar intimidate you and being all scared. Last time Jimmy checked, there’s only one man to fear here on SmackDown. Who’s that? The same man who gonna smash Sami tonight, then smash BRROCK. LESNARRR. At Day 1!

Oh you don’t know who they talking about? Who? The head of the Table! The Universal Champion! ROMAN! REEEEIGNS! #WeTheOnes! But Jey will finish business. They smashed the crown, now to smash Woods’ spirit! The King of the Ring makes his entrance and has a mic of his own to respond. “So the Usos don’t like surprises, huh? Like that surprise earlier tonight of one Samuel Zayn getting the upper hand on Roman Reigns.” Well then they won’t like this surprise tonight. Yes, Woods’ crown is shattered, for now. But Woods always brings a gift to the party. So without further ado, Woods brings to us… “Who? Who? Who?” THE HAND OF THE KING! SIR KOFI KINGSTON!

Yes! Kofi is back! His knee is all better and he’s backing Woods up! Will this reinvigorate Woods and help him get the win?

The bell rings, Jey kicks Woods and CLUBS away already. Jey whips Woods hard to a corner, Woods bounces off buckles and falls to the mat. Jey taunts Woods, stomps him down, then drags him up to waistlock. Woods elbows free, Jey reels him in to back suplex NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Woods gets to a corner, Kofi and Jimmy talk some smack but Jey talks smack, too. Jey gets the fans to go “UCE! SO!” Jey runs in but Woods dodges the hip attack! Jey hits only buckles, Woods CHOPS him then ROCKS him! And CHOPS him, whips him, and LEG LARIATS! Woods whips Jey corner to corner but Jey reverses, only to run into a BOOT! HONOR ROLL!

Fans fire up with Woods as he aims, runs in, dodges and ducks to then slide under and ROLLING ELBOW! Woods hurries up top, but Jimmy YANKS him down!

Winner: Xavier Woods, by disqualification

Kofi LEAPS and CLOBBERS Jimmy for that! Kofi keeps after Jimmy but Jey goes after Kofi! Jey throws Kofi into the ring, but Kofi spins him for TROUBLE IN PARADISE! Woods is back up, Jimmy dodges Trouble only for Woods to RAM him into a corner! The New Day club away on Jimmy, then stomp him, but Jimmy gets Jey out of the ring! The Usos go running, will this only prolong the revenge Woods & Kofi seek>

Roman is watching from his suite, and is not happy.

The Tribal Chief sees Kofi is back. Heyman says, “Yes, my Tribal Chief.” Pearce isn’t here tonight. “Correct, my Tribal Chief.” There’s a lot of things Roman doesn’t know about right now. Did Heyman know Brock would be here tonight? Heyman was as surprised as Roman was. Did Heyman know Brock was going to be in Sami’s corner tonight? That also caught Heyman by surprise. Surprise, huh? “Wiseman.” “Yes, my Tribal Chief?” “Here’s something you should know. I’m gonna go out there and I’m gonna defend my Universal Championship, because I’m gonna smash Sami Zayn. And if Brock comes anywhere near me tonight, I’m gonna smash Brock Lesnar, too.”

The Head of the Table is in a foul mood, but will he make himself feel better by destroying his contenders?

The New Day talk with Aliyah backstage.

There was Linda, Laticia, Felicia, everyone was there! Aliyah congratulates them, the band’s back together. Woods sees the “town gossip” and allows her to approach. Aliyah excuses herself with a curtsy and Woods will hand this off to Kofi. Kofi tells Kayla that the Bloodline tried to end Kofi’s career, but they failed! But Kofi did have to watch from the sidelines as they crushed and destroyed the crown of King Woods. However, in the Kingdom of New Days, it is an eye for an eye! Just as the Bloodline destroyed the crown, so shall the New Day destroy the Usos’ title reign at WWE Day 1! They will become the NEW, W! W! E! World! Tag! Team! CHAMPIONS~ once again! They can’t wait! Will it be a New Day on New Year’s Day?

Charlotte Flair is here!

The SmackDown Women’s Champion struts her way to the ring, and she will address Toni Storm’s challenge, after the break.

SmackDown returns, Charlotte has the mic and says, “San Antonio, Texas! Wow, that feisty Toni Storm sure had a lot to say. I’m not sure where to begin. Actually, I do. We can all agree that the only way to get noticed in this women’s division is by challenging Charlotte Flair, the most decorated woman in Sports Entertainment history!” So whether that’s bringing up her name every five seconds in an interview, or begging for a title shot, Charlotte knows exactly what Toni is doing. Number one doesn’t talk about number two, six or even 10. Acknowledging Toni gives her too much credit.

Toni should thank Charlotte for doing her a favor. Toni was the talk of the town because Charlotte smashed not one, but two pies in Toni’s face. “You’re welcome.” Charlotte thought it was funny and is sure the fans all thought it was funny. So here’s the thing: Toni can shower off the pie, but she can’t rinse the stink of embarrassment off her. If it was that easy, then imagine what Charlotte could do to her in this ring! So we all know Charlotte is about uplifting the others in the locker room. But Toni not being on Charlotte’s level isn’t mean or conniving, it’s just fact, like 1+1 = 2. But Toni demanding a title shot doesn’t add up.

So Charlotte came all the way out here to show some respect, and that she did consider the challenge. But do you want to know what the answer is? “NO!” Charlotte smiles and soaks up the reaction from the fans. But will Toni find a way to make The Queen change her mind? Oh wait, here’s one way: Toni’s creeping up with a big ol’ pie! Charlotte turns around and BLAM! Right in the kisser! Charlotte is freaking out and Toni is having the last laugh! Will Charlotte have no choice now but to give Toni her time?

Sheamus VS Cesaro!

It’s the battle of The Bar! Former teammates, now fierce rivals, but The Fella is fighting to show his protégé how it’s done! Will the Celtic Warrior crush the Swiss Cyborg and still be a hero to Ridge Holland?

SmackDown returns and Cesaro makes his entrance. The bell rings and the two tie up. Sheamus shoves Cesaro, they tie up again, Sheamus headlocks and hits the takeover. Cesaro headscissors, Sheamus kips free but Cesaro gets around to waistlock. Sheamus powers Cesaro back into a corner, then throws back elbow after back elbow! The ref counts, Sheamus lets off at 4, Holland is watching backstage as Cesaro starts throwing EuroUppers! Sheamus throws body shots and EuroUppers, but then Cesaro EuroUppers back. Sheamus throws more EuroUppers then reels Cesaro in for the IRISH CURSE BACKBREAKER! Holland is liking what he sees as Sheamus drops knees on Cesaro.

Sheamus says to the camera, “Are you watching, Ridge?” He stands Cesaro up against the ropes for Beats of the Bodhrain! Sheamus stops because the fans are counting, then he CLUBS Cesaro to fireman’s carry and ROLLING SENTON! Cover, TWO! Cesaro shakes his head, Sheamus stomps him and knocks him down. Sheamus gives Cesaro the Dublin Smile with those fish hooks! The ref reprimands, Sheamus lets off, but he wants to try again> Cesaro blocks that and powers up to headbutt back and fire off forearms from all sides! Fans fire up as Cesaro fires off fast hands in the corner! Cesaro then clotheslines Sheamus out of the ring!

Cesaro goes out and comes around the side to EuroUppers Sheamus into the timekeeper’s area! Cesaro roars and fans are fired up as Cesaro brings Sheamus around. Cesaro smacks Sheamus off the desk, then again, then again! Cesaro puts Sheamus in at 7 of 10, BOOTS him, then gets in, only for Sheamus to KNEE Cesaro down! Cover, TWO! Cesaro is still in this and he rolls away to ropes. Sheamus drives knees in again and again but the ref has him back off. Sheamus drags Cesaro up, “You were never in my league! Ridge Holland is 10 times the man you ever were! You held me back for to long!” But then Cesaro shouts back, “You were like a brother to me!”

Cesaro CLOBBERS Sheamus then DOUBLE STOMPS! Cesaro gets Sheamus up, but Sheamus back drops out of the Gotch. Cesaro lands on his feet, but Sheamus dodges him in the corner! BROGUE OUTTA NOWHERE! Cover, Sheamus wins!

Winner: Sheamus, by pinfall

The Celtic Warrior puts the Swiss Cyborg away in an instant, but surely this battle is far from over! Will Cesaro prove to Sheamus that he was never the weak link in The Bar?

Sonya Deville is on the phone.

She says “Of course I have it handled,” but then Naomi walks in. Naomi says she couldn’t even enjoy her win last week with Sonya ringside. All Naomi could think of was what Sonya has tried to do to kill the glow. But Naomi will ask for a match against Sonya and only Sonya. Is Sonya scared or not? Sonya says fine, she’ll give Naomi the match. When Sonya decides to take off the suit. And Sonya will break this down for Naomi, be really transparent on this so there’s no confusion. If Sonya has her ring gear on, that’s one thing. But as long as Sonya wears the suit, she’s a WWE official and Naomi’s boss.

So if Naomi puts even one neon green painted fingernails on her, Sonya will make it so that Naomi doesn’t get the match she wants, and she no longer has a paycheck. Do you feel that? So is that accepting the challenge or not? Sonya SLAPS Naomi!! Naomi wants to hit Sonya so bad but Sonya smiles and says, “Yes, I am.” When and where will Sonya give Naomi the fight so that this can finally be settled? Turns out, it’ll be NEXT WEEK!

WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman VS Sami Zayn w/ Brock Lesnar!

It doesn’t really who wins here tonight, The Beast is the real winner because he’s still going to WWE Day 1! But will Lesnar make sure the elder statesman of SmackDown gets his fair fight and take this title off the Head of the Table? Or will the Reigning, Defending, Undisputed, Uncontroverted WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion still be the Tribal Chief?

SmackDown returns, and Sami wants to speak first. “Tonight might very well be the biggest match of my career, and this is something I feel I just have to say.” Texas is Sami’s favorite state of America. And he never dreamed of winning his first Universal Championship here. But once in a great while, a guardian angel whispers something in your ear that you never would’ve thought of. Tonight, that was Brock Lesnar. So tonight, Sami is going to do something that hasn’t been done in a long time. Sami will shock the world the way it hasn’t been in a long time! Sami is gonna upset Roman Reigns, defeat Roman Reigns, and walk out of San Antonio the NEW Universal Champion!!

And when Sami does, he has none of the fans to thank. He doesn’t have to thank any fan, because they’ve never supported him in the conspiracy! The only one he has to thank is Brock Lesnar! And Lesnar makes his entrance! He’ll be in Sami’s corner, just as promised. Sami says, “There he is! Make some noise for BROCK! LESNARRR! Truly a man of his word.” Sami wants to tell Brock that Brock isn’t really out here to help him, not that he should, wink wink nudge nudge. Go tit? But at Day 1, it’d be easier against Sami than Roman. That’s not Sami selling himself short, but Lesnar’s track record against Roman hasn’t been great.

No, wait, that’s not… Don’t listen to the fans. This isn’t disrespect. Sami isn’t saying Lesnar can’t beat Roman, just that at Day 1, it will be Sami VS GERMAN SUPLEX! Sami should’ve just shut up, because he’s another GERMAN SUPLEX! San Antonio is now Suplex City, here’s a THIRD GERMAN SUPLEX! Lesnar grins as he looms over Sami, drags him up, and fireman’s carries for an F5! Lesnar grins as fans chant, “One More Time!” So Lesnar gets Sami up for ANOTHER F5!! Lesnar tells the ref it’s fine. He drags Sami up, puts him up in the corner, pats him on the shoulder, and gives him a thumbs up. Has Lesnar just guaranteed he’ll get Roman on New Year’s Day?

SmackDown returns one more time, and now Roman makes his entrance. He has Heyman and The Usos with him, they raise their belts for the pyro on stage, then again in the ring. Sami’s a heap in the corner, the Usos get him back up. As Pat McAfee says, it’s like Weekend at Sami’s, and the bell rings! “OOAH~!” SPEAR!! Then the GUILLOTINE!! Sami taps, Roman wins!!

Winner: Roman Reigns, by submission (still WWE Universal Champion)

Fastest win for Roman yet, but largely in part thanks to Brock Lesnar! Roman still gloats like he did it all, but all he’s done is given us an epic rematch for WWE Day 1! We will get another chapter of Roman VS Brock, who writes their name down as Universal Champion?

My Thoughts:

A very good SmackDown, but a crying shame for Sami. He is #1 contender for a week just to be fodder for the Roman VS Lesnar story. He gets pressured into facing Roman tonight and not in a month, and sure he insults Lesnar but he gets slaughtered and then beaten in under a minute. Sami is a great talent, he should’ve had an actual match, but whatever, there’s just as much talk that Sami will move on from WWE as there is for Kevin Owens, who knows if he’ll ever really get more than midcard title reigns here. Brock VS Roman, Day 1, who knows how things go for such a blandly themed PPV that just wants to be on a holiday. At least Sami and Brock had good comedic chemistry.

Sasha VS Shayna was a great opening match for being fairly quick, Sasha wins to stay strong in the title standings. Naomi getting in Sonya’s face and Sonya again abusing authority was good, but I’m surprised we’re getting their match so soon instead of one more way for Sonya to dig at Naomi first. But maybe Sonya waits for as long as she can to put on her ring gear so that she can use her authority to make this match really one-sided or something. Toni had a good interview promo, Charlotte had a good response, and then Toni getting Charlotte with the pie was pretty good stuff. Pretty sure this confirms we’re getting Charlotte VS Toni at Day 1 to make that PPV bigger.

Of course, it’s already getting big with adding the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Woods VS Jey ended up being the vehicle for that, and we’re definitely getting a hot tag match there. Sadly, much like the Women’s Division, the current state of the Tag Division is that it is top heavy. The title stories are a lot of fun, anything else sucks. Viking Raiders losing to Los Lotharios because Nakamura & Boogs are too much of a distraction for the Faces was lame. I hope the way we get around that crap is for a big tag contender’s match with those three teams, and apparently Corbin-Moss or McIntyre-Hardy. Happy Talk set up a match for those guys, I would think McIntyre & Hardy win to shut Corbin & Moss up.

What was lowkey very special was how things went during Sheamus VS Cesaro. For one, they shot Holland watching TV using normal angles, as we’ve seen NXT 2.0 bring in. Though at the same time, we had too many shots of Holland watching, in that we got a second one. Just show us the one time, it’s established, only go back to Holland if there’s an interview planned. Sheamus VS Cesaro could’ve been a longer match, but I really like that we got the arguing and Cesaro letting out that line, “You were like a brother!” That gives some great depth to the story of The Bar that was never outright said during their time together, I hope we get a much more passionate and powerful rematch for like a holiday or go-home SmackDown.

My Score: 8.1/10

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

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Mitchell’s NJPW WTL x BOSJ Results & Report! (12/3/21)

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

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

Published

8 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Andrew Balaz

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

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

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

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

Ratings:

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

Results:

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

Little Guido w/New FBI vs Hammerstone

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

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

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

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

LSG vs Joe Hendry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

Rosemary w/Havok vs Jody Threat w/Dani Luna

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall Score: 6.5/10

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

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

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

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

Coverage

Mitchell’s ROH Results & Report! (4/18/24)

Time to Man Up!

Published

12 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Steven Mitchell

Will the Ivy League MVP earn a title shot?

The NEW ROH World Champion, Mark Briscoe, is here to step onto the Proving Ground with one of Maria Kanellis’ baby boys, Griff Garrison! Will Griff make Maria proud? Or will he reach for the sky?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Bryan Keith VS Aaron Solo; Keith wins.
Six Man Tag: Lance Archer & The Righteous VS Jon Cruz, Savion Truitt & Damian Chambers; Archer & The Righteous win.
Lee Johnson VS JD Drake; Lee wins.
Abadon VS Allysin Kay; Abadon wins.
The Infantry VS The Iron Savages w/Jacked Jameson; The Infantry wins.
Six Woman Tag: Diamante, Leila Grey & Taya Valkyrie VS Kiera Hogan, Leyla Hirsch & Trish Adora; Kiera, Leyla & Adora win.
The Beast Mortos VS Nick Comoroto; Mortos wins.
Lady Frost VS Marti Belle; Frost wins.
The Dark Order VS Zak Patterson & Frank Milano; The Dark Order wins.
ROH World Championship Proving Ground Match: Mark Briscoe VS Griff Garrison w/ Cole Karter & Maria Kanellis; Mark wins and denies Griff a title match.

PLAY BY PLAY

Mark Briscoe speaks.

“Now House of Black, I’ve been doing this dance with y’all a little while now, and I’m starting to understand how y’all operate. Starting to understand y’all’s M-O. You try to intimidate me. You try to strike fear into the hearts of men. Well I done told you, I fear no man, I fear no evil. And ancient wisdom says the violent take it by force. Now lemme tell you, Eddie Kingston, Adam Copeland, and Mark Briscoe, we some violent men! And at Dynasty, we bringing the violence, babeh! So heed my advice, House of Black! Be afraid, be very afraid!” The Sussex County Chicken is ready for a fight, will he, the Rated R Superstar and Mad King tear down The House of Black once and for all?

Bryan Keith VS Aaron Solo!

The Bounty Hunter is still looking for a prize, but he’ll gladly fight to earn his shot. Will Keith be heading for a golden opportunity on the other side of Dynasty? Or will Solo shoot first?

The Code of Honor is upheld with sarcastic enthusiasm by Solo, and Keith shoves him away. The bell rings and Solo SLAPS Keith! Keith TACKLES Solo and rains down fists! The fans fire up, Solo gets away then knees Keith low. Solo ROCKS Keith, whips him to a corner, but Keith comes back to run Solo over! Keith scoops to SLAM Solo, then stands on Solo’s face! The fans fire up for the KNEE DROP! Keith then SLAPS Solo! The fans rally for “BK! BK!” Solo storms up but Keith kicks low. Keith reels Solo in, suplexes, and he holds Solo up! Keith marches around, then SLAMS Solo down! Solo bails out and the fans fire up as Keith aims.

Keith builds speed, slides, but Solo ducks! Solo sends Keith into steel steps! The fans boo as Solo leaves Keith behind. The ring count starts, fans chant “SOLO SUCKS! SOLO SUCKS!” Solo counts along but wants it to go faster. Keith stands at 8 of 20, slides in, but Solo stomps and HAMMERS away! The fans boo more, but Solo stands Keith up to bump him off buckles. Keith CHOPS in return! Then CHOPS again! The fans “WOO~,” then Keith ROCKS Solo with a forearm. Keith CHOPS in the corner, but then Solo dodges. Solo tries but Keith dodges the chop to CHOP Solo down! The fans fire up while Solo is stinging.

Keith whips Solo, Solo reverses and CLOBBERS Keith! Cover, TWO! Keith grits his teeth but Solo knees him in the back! And again! The fans rally, Solo taunts them, and then ELBOWS Keith in the head. Solo stalks Keith to a corner, digs his boots in, but again the fans chant “SOLO SUCKS!” Solo stomps away on Keith, digs his boots in again, but Keith fights up! The fans fire up as Keith fires forearms! Keith fires forearms again and again and again, winds up, but Solo dodges! Solo comes back, but Keith ROCKS him after all! The fans fire up as Keith runs in to BOOT! Solo sputters, Keith runs, but then Solo SUPERKICKS! Keith just roars!

Solo swings, but into a T-BONE SUPLEX! Cover, TWO! The fans rally as Keith keeps calm. Keith waits on Solo as fans rally behind him. Solo staggers into a fireman’s carry, but he fights free! Solo shoves, goes to a corner, but then Keith comes back. Solo ELBOWS Keith, whips, but Keith reverses! Solo goes up but gets caught, for an USHIGOROSHI! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up again as Keith slashes his throat and aims his finger gun! Keith underhooks, but Solo fights the lift! Solo back drops, Keith sunset flips but Solo stays up to DOUBLE STOMP! Solo then runs up, catches Keith and hits a T-BONE! Cover, TWO!

The fans fire up but Solo hurries to a corner. Solo climbs fast, and DIVING DOUBLE STOMPS! Cover, TWO!! Keith survives that coup de grace and Solo isn’t sure what to do. Solo kicks Keith around, drags him up and reels him in to underhook. Keith fight that lift, Solo CLUBS away on him, but Keith Alabama Lifts! Solo grabs ropes so Keith lets him down, and ENZIGIRIS! But Solo SCREW HIGH KICKS! Solo goes up top, but Keith RISING HEADBUTTS! The fans fire up with Keith and he climbs! Keith reels Solo in, for DIAMOND DUST!! Cover, Keith wins!

Winner: Bryan Keith, by pinfall

A big win for BK! And he gives back that sarcastic handshake. Will the Bounty Hunter be hot on the trail of a championship after AEW & ROH pass through the Gateway City?

Mark Sterling speaks.

“If you ask AI to create the perfect professional wrestler, it wouldn’t even come close to you. If wrestling is a body business, then you’re a multinational corporation. Biology defying symmetry, no fat, all muscle, no waste. As functional as you are aesthetic. High-flying? You got it. Ground ‘n’ pound? You got that, too. Striking, brawling, submission, technical, there is not a single style you have not perfected. For the last 20 years, you’ve been one of the most consistent and proficient wrestling specimens for any company that’s been willing to throw money at you and begged you to stay. And now, it’s time for them to beg for mercy.

“You are Tony Nese, and you are a Premier Athlete.”

Now Mark Sterling & The Premier Athletes are here in person.

They stand backstage, Sterling’s guys in matching tracksuits, and he says the last time he looked into the camera, he told everyone he had a plan. The very next day, they enacted that plan. Sterling took them off the road, they entered a professional fight camp. They got the best coaches, best trainers, best doctors, and these three started to do what they do best: go to work. Supercard of Honor, against two former ROH TV Champions, PA got an impressive victory. Fruits of their labor. Ariya Daivari is back better than ever. Josh Woods is bigger and better than he was when he won the National Championship. And Tony Nese is in the best shape of his life, which is saying something.

In fact, what’re we even talking about? These three are the most underappreciated athletes in the company. They walk like stars, they move like stars, they present themselves like stars, and by the end of this year, they will be champions. Supercard was just phase one of this plan. Phase two… starts tonight. Then just what happens when the Premier Athletes start making moves?

Lee Johnson VS JD Drake!

Even though he lost at Supercard, Big Shotty stays positive! He got close to the ROH World Television Championship, will he get back there for another shot? Or will Scrap Metal be another speedbump in Lee’s momentum?

The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings, and the fans rally as the two circle. They tie up, JD HIP TOSSES, and Lee scrambles to ropes. JD flexes and fans cheer, which surprises JD. Lee gets up, he and JD reset. They tie up, JD arm-drags, but Lee gets up. Lee keeps calm while JD talks some smack. They circle, tie up again, and JD scoops! JD carries Lee around, with one arm! Then SLAM! JD dusts off his hands and the fans fire up more. Lee is a bit frustrated, but he fires himself up. The fans rally with him, he and JD circle to tie up. Lee goes to hip toss, but JD blocks! JD tells Lee he knows that’s not gonna work!

JD goes to hip toss but now Lee blocks! Lee arm-drags, then he goes to feint, but JD blocks with a headlock. Lee shoves JD, tries another arm-drag, but JD blocks that. JD whips Lee, Lee ducks ‘n’ dodges and arm-drags again! The fans fire up as Lee tries to scoop, but JD’s too hefty! JD SLAPS Lee, ROCKS him, then whips him to ropes. Lee ducks ‘n’ dodges again, shoves JD and hurdles! Lee drops, then DROPKICKS! JD staggers to a corner, Lee fires up, and the fans fire up with him! Lee runs up on JD in a corner to CHOP! JD barely flinches! JD puts his arms back and dares Lee to try again. Lee CHOPS, but JD puts Lee in the corner!

JD swings, Lee dodges and CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! Lee whips, JD reverses but Lee ELBOWS back! Lee runs up but into a lift, and FLAPJACK off buckles! Lee falls, the fans rally up, and JD dusts himself off. JD storms back up on Lee, brings him up, and the fans rally. JD ROCKS Lee, stands him up in the corner, and CHOPS! The fans “WOO~!” while Lee sputters. The fans want that “One More Time!” so JD stands Lee up. JD winds up, to JAB! The fans boo JD trolling them, but JD stands Lee up to CHOP him after all! Lee is stinging, but JD brings him up. Lee throws body shots but JD ROCKS Lee!

JD whips, Lee sunset flips! JD stays up, but Lee avoids the hip drop! Ghost pin, TWO! JD gets up, kicks low and whips, to SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Lee stays in this and the fans rally up. JD sits Lee up, KICKS him in the back, then paces around. The fans rally for Lee but JD pie faces him around. Lee rises, JD brings him up and Lee CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS again! JD throat chops! The ref reprimands, JD claims he jabbed to the chest. JD then scoops and SLAMS Lee, to then FALLING HEADBUTT! Cover, TWO! Lee is still in this but JD CHOKES him! The ref counts, JD lets off, claiming he was just checking the pulse.

JD clamps on a chinlock, digging his knee into Lee’s back. Lee endures, the fans rally up, and Lee fights to his feet. Lee throws body shots, but JD knees low! JD suplexes but Lee slips free! Lee ROCKS JD, ROCKS him again, but JD CHOPS! JD runs, but Lee SUPERKICKS! JD flops out of the ring and the fans fire up! The fans rally as Lee builds speed, to FLY! Direct hit at the ramp and the fans fire up even more! Lee puts JD in, climbs a corner, and JD stands. JD staggers around, into the CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! JD stays in this but then bails back out. Lee thinks on what he has to do and the fans rally up.

Lee runs, to slide, but JD gets under! JD pops Lee up to CLOBBER him! JD puts Lee in, aims from a corner, and Lee goes to the opposite end. JD runs up, but Lee moves, CANNONBALL hits buckles! Lee hurries up while JD is down! The fans cheer as Lee aims, FROG SPLASH, but JD moves! Lee rolls through, runs back at JD but JD puts him on the apron. JD ROCKS Lee, goes up, and he brings Lee around. The fans fire up as JD brings Lee up, but Lee fires body shots! Lee GAMANGIRIS, then climbs! Lee sunset flips for the POWERBOMB! The fans fire up and Lee climbs back up, FROG SPLASH!! Cover, Lee wins!

Winner: Lee Johnson, by pinfall

Big Shotty’s got range, and he hit the mark! Will Lee take this momentum and turn it into another chance at a championship?

Abadon VS Allysin Kay!

Speaking of second chances, The Living Dead Girl got screwed out of the ROH Women’s World Television Championship when Mercedes Martinez & Diamante conspired against her. And while AK Don’t Play, she knows the OG Badass well. Can Abadon prepare for revenge by taking down Martinez’s greatest rival?

The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings, but Abadon holds on, to BITE Allysin’s arm! Abadon then laughs, dodges Allysin to HEADBUTT low, HELL STAB, then mule kick! Abadon runs to SHOTGUN BOOT! Allysin goes to a corner while the fans rally up and Abadon shrieks! But Allysin BOOTS Abadon down! Allysin rains down fists, covers, ONE!! Abadon sits up but Allysin brings her around to fireman’s carry. SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up, Allysin drags Abadon up to TOSS her to a corner! Allysin fires body shots, then she CHOPS! Allysin whips corner to corner hard and Abadon bounces off buckles!

Allysin takes a bow, puts pinkies up, and SPLASHES in the corner! Allysin CHOPS, whips, and runs up again, but Abadon BOOTS her! Abadon runs to BULLDOG! The fans rally as Abadon slithers out to the apron then climbs up the corner. Allysin crawls, Abadon aims, CROSSBODY! Abadon runs to KNEE Allysin back down! Abadon storms up on Allysin, reels her in, BLACK DAHLIA! Cover, Abadon wins!

Winner: Abadon, by pinfall

Abadon smiles, then shrieks into the night! Will Mercedes Martinez make sure to stay far, far away from the frightening Living Dead Girl?

Backstage interview with Taya Valkyrie.

Lexi Nair is with La Wera Loca and brings up her trios match alongside Diamante and Leila Grey. But this is also the first time we’ve seen her since Supercard, where Johnny TV lost to Dalton Castle. The question is: where is Johnny? Uh, recovering from that vicious attack by Dalton Castle and his “special boy,” Paul Walter-Whatever! Taya is gonna call up Fran Dreischer to file a complaint! For someone so TV Ready, Castle and Paul sure don’t look it. So yes, Johnny is rehabbing. Wait he’s in rehab? Ew, no, who do you think they are? Johnny is rehabbing the abs! This is an aesthetics business so he has to look amazing!

So tonight, Taya will carry the weight of the TV Family in trios action. So run along, Lexi, Taya has things to do. Uh, this is Lexi’s interview space. Oh, well, her apologies. Taya bumps Lexi on the way out, but will Taya’s team win some major points in the title chase tonight?

The Infantry VS The Iron Savages w/Jacked Jameson!

Captain Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo may not be the ROH World Tag Team Championships, but they are not deterred. Will they get through the jacked ‘n’ juicy juggernauts to go after The Undisputed Kingdom once again?

The teams sort out, #BadNewsAndTattoos starts against Beefcake Boulder, and they keep the Code of Honor. They tie up, Bravo tries but can’t push Boulder back, but Boulder pushes Bravo back! Bravo resets with Boulder, beefs up, and they tie up. Bravo wrenches to wristlock, but Boulder WRINGS Bravo out! Boulder talks smack on Dean and Bravo, but Bravo pie faces. Boulder scoops Bravo, but Bravo slips free to DROPKICK! Boulder stays up, runs up, but Dean is there to GAMANGIRI! Bravo tags Dean while Boulder throws a fit, but DOUBLE DROPKICKS send him reeling! Bulk Bronson tags but runs into a DOUBLE HIP TOSS!

The fans fire up as the Infantry crisscross and SPLIT the wishbone! Bravo gets fans going with “OORAH!” Dean runs to JUMP ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Bronson bails out, Boulder is there to help him, and Dean builds speed, only for Jacked Jameson to stand in the way! He wants Dean to sip the Savage Sauce! Dean says no thanks, but in comes Bronson! EXPLODER! Bravo protests but Bronson drags Dean to a cover. The ref is busy arguing, he finally sees the pin, TWO! Bronson is annoyed, but he mocks Bravo’s air machine gun. Bravo then tags Boulder before he brings Dean up. The fans rally but the Savages still hit a SHOULDER TACKLE SUPLEX COMBO!

Bronson flexes, Boulder taunts Bravo, and then Boulder whips Dean to the corner. Boulder wraps Dean’s arms around ropes to HEADBUTT again and again and again! Tag to Bronson, he brings Dean around, and they visit #TIDDYCITY! But Dean reverses, it’s Bronson who dives in! Boulder panics, runs up, but Dean DUMPS him! Bronson swings, misses, hot tag to Bravo! Bravo rallies on Bronson with big forearms! Bravo whips, Bronson reverses, but the CARLIE CROSSOVER takes Bronson down! Boulder gets up, Bravo fakes him out to SCISSOR KICK! Bravo then kicks Bronson, and manages a FALCON ARROW! Cover, TWO!

The fans rally, Bravo pounds the mat, but now Jameson wants Bravo to sip! Bravo says no, get outta here! Bronson runs up again, Bravo dodges, and Bronson barely avoids hitting Jameson! Bravo aims, Bronson dodges, the SUPERKICK hits Jameson! Jameson spews sauce! Boulder catches Jameson, Dean goes up, and Dean CROSSBODIES to wipe them both out! But Bronson rolls Bravo up! TWO, and Bronson grabs Bravo, only for Bravo to kick low! Bravo reels Bronson in, tags Dean, and TORNADO- NO, Bronson stops the DDT! Dean gets in, Bronson scoops, but Dean slips free! Feed to a SUPERKICK!

The Infantry coordinate, for BOOT CAMP! Cover, Infantry wins!

Winners: The Infantry, by pinfall

Dean & Bravo redeem themselves from Supercard and are ready to get back on track! But wait, The Premier Athletes make their way out here! Is this what Smart Mark was talking about for phase two? Daivari & Nese rush the ring and start throwing hands with The Infantry! Woods tips the scales as he DECKS Dean, then DECKS Bravo! But wait! Here comes Dalton Castle! The Peacock won’t stand for there to be bullies, and he takes off his sandals to weaponize them! The Premier Athletes dare him to, but wait! Here comes Mark Briscoe, Bryan Keith and Lee Johnson! They run The Premier Athletes off!

Sterling shouts, “Who do you think you are?!” but he’s shouting at THE ROH World Champion and many other big names around here! Will The Peacock, the Chicken and the rest of ROH humble Sterling’s stable once and for all?

Six Woman Tag: Diamante, Leila Grey & Taya Valkyrie VS Kiera Hogan, Leyla Hirsch & Trish Adora!

The Cuban Diamond has staked her claim at challenging for the ROH Women’s World Television Championship, but so has The Hottest Flame. But let’s not forget The Last Baddie Standing, La Wera Loca, the LEGIT One and The AfroPunk! Billie Starkz still sees herself above all six of these women, but which trio takes the lead in the title chase with a win tonight?

The teams sort out, Taya starts against Kiera and the Code of Honor is upheld. The bell rings, the two tie up, and Kiera gets around to waistlock. Taya pries the hold, backs Kiera into a corner and throws elbows! Taya stomps away on Kiera, then says who’s the hottest now? Taya snapmares, covers, ONE!! Taya drags Kiera up, whips her to ropes, but Kiera holds ropes to BOOT back! Taya runs up again but Kiera drop toeholds her onto ropes! HIP ATTACK! Taya flounders, Kiera runs to step-up and LEG DROP! Cover, TWO! Kiera keeps cool as she brings Taya up, but Taya ROCKS Kiera then throws her by her hair!

Taya tags Diamante, they stomp Kiera, then Diamante sucker punches Leyla! Diamante runs in to DROPKICK Kiera, then drags her to a high stack cover, ONE!! Kiera is tougher than that but Diamante says it’s just a matter of time. Diamante runs, PLANKING SPLASH flops as Kiera moves! Hot tag to Leyla! Leyla gut wrenches Diamante to GUT WRENCH SUPLEX! Tag to Adora, then Leyla wrenches so she can hand it off to Adora. Adora WRINGS Diamante’s arm, drags her up and wrenches again, but Diamante ROCKS her! Adora swings, Diamante dodges to tilt-o-whirl and RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Diamante snarls and pushes Adora down to rain down fists!

Diamante storms around, brings Adora up and CHOPS her on the back! Tag to Grey and she NECK SNAPPERS Adora! Cover, TWO! Adora is tougher than that but Grey rains down fists! Grey drags Adora up, bumps her off buckles, then tags Taya. Taya and Grey dig their boots in, then Taya stomps a mudhole. Taya sits Adora down to METEORA! Tag to Diamante and she stomps a mudhole! The ref reprimands but Diamante tags Taya back in. Taya steps over Adora and mockingly has Adora reach out to her corner. The ref has to keep Hirsch back so Grey gets shots in, then Taya drags Adora up.

Taya again mockingly holds out Adora’s hand but the fans rally up. Adora fights up, but Taya pulls her into the motorcycle stretch! Adora endures the knee in her back, fights up to her feet, and then arm-drags Taya away! Taya gets up, ducks ‘n’ dodges and mule kicks! But Adora ducks the buzzsaw to BASEMENT GERMAN! The fans fire up while both women are down! Adora and Taya crawl, hot tags to Kiera and Diamante! Kiera rallies on Diamante with big forearms, then a SUPERKICK! Turn and NECKBREAKER! Kiera goes up a corner while Diamante flounders around. Diamante stands, into a MISSILE DROPKICK!

Diamante flounders, Grey tags in but Kiera dodges to fire off forearms! Grey shoves back, but Kiera returns to SHOTGUN! Grey flounders, Kiera fires up, and says kiss this! HIP ATTACK in the corner! She sits Grey back down to run and BOOT WASH! Kiera drags Grey to a cover, Diamante breaks it! Diamante gets Grey outta there, and Taya tags in. Taya runs up to mule kick, KNEE LIFT and wrench Kiera, into a BLUE THUNDER BOMB! Cover, TWO! Leyla also gets in, she pushes Taya around. Leyla drags Taya up but Diamante runs in. Leyla gets around to SAIDO! Taya gets Kiera up but Kiera SUPERKICKS!

Kiera brings Taya over, tags Adora, and they feed Taya to the BUBBA BOMB! Body scissor and GEDO CLUTCH! TWO!! Hot tag to Grey, she runs up, ducks ‘n’ dodges, then SLINGBLADES! Cover, TWO! Grey is frustrated but she gets Adora up. Underhooks, but Adora breaks that to fireman’s carry! Adora storms over, tags Hirsch, but Grey slips free! Leyla dodges Leila and feeds her to Adora’s BOOT! Then GERMAN SUPLEX! Cover, TWO!! Grey survives but Hirsch tags Kiera. Kiera runs, but Taya trips her up! Diamante distracts so the ref misses that! But then Leyla DIVES onto Taya! Diamante CANNONBALLS Leyla!

LARIAT TUBMAN from Adora to Diamante! Kiera dodges Grey to ROUNDHOUSE! And then “That’s all, PERIODT!” FACE THE MUSIC!! Bridging cover, Team Kiera wins!

Winners: Kiera Hogan, Leyla Hirsch & Trish Adora, by pinfall

It was fast ‘n’ furious in the end there, but the Hottest Flame burns it down! Will she be first up to strike a match with Billie Starkz?

Backstage interview with Maria Kanellis, Griff Garrison & Cole Karter.

Lexi is with the First Lady of Wrestling and her baby boys, the Diamond in the Rough wearing the stolen mask from Serpentico. Lexi congratulates them on their win over Spanish Announce Project at Supercard, but it seems there might be some unfinished business. Are they ever going to give Seprentico his masks back? Karter takes the mask off to say hell no! Griff says Serpentico’s masks mean a lot to him and his lucha libre culture. But uh, they don’t care! It got them the attention that they deserve, and those wins have been a stepping stone in this company.

If Serpentico wants his masks back, he doesn’t need to trick them into a match. They’re happy to beat the crap outta him anytime, anywhere! Maria loves the confidence, and says Griff will need it in his Proving Grounds match against THE ROH World Champion, Mark Briscoe. Griff is all fired up, will the Ivy League MVP pass the test with flying colors? Or will he fail to #ManUp?

The Beast Mortos VS Nick Comoroto!

Black Taurus has evolved into something even more menacing than before, and he is looking to stampede all the way to the top of ROH! But Mr. Freak Beast has changed a lot about himself, too, in hopes of finding success. Whose transformation will prove to be for the better as these behemoths collide?

The Code of Honor is upheld reluctantly, the bell rings, and the fans rally up. The two tie up, go around, and Comoroto shoves Mortos down! Mortos gets up in a huff, gets in Comoroto’s face, but Comoroto pie faces him. So Mortos SLAPS Comoroto! Comoroto runs up, Mortos dodges, and they RAM shoulders! Mortos ducks ‘n’ dodges and jumps to RANA! Comoroto goes to a corner but Mortos runs in to UPPERCUT, CLOTHESLINE, and GAMANGIRI! Mortos wrenches and hits an ARMBAR CODE BREAKER! Comoroto staggers, but he blocks the whip! Comoroto shoves Mortos, runs up, but Mortos dodges to then roll off Comoroto’s back!

Mortos tries to hip toss but Comoroto blocks! Comoroto LARIATS Mortos down then rains down fists! Fans are torn as Comoroto huffs ‘n’ puffs and stomps Mortos around. Comoroto digs his boot into Mortos’ face, lets off to soak up heat, then he drags Mortos up. Comoroto scoops to SLAM, then he runs to JUMP ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! The fans rally as Mortos pounds the mat in frustration. Comoroto slashes his throat, but Mortos throws body shots. Comoroto CLUBS Mortos, Alabama Lifts, but Mortos sunset flips! Comoroto stays up, hauls Mortos up, but Mortos JAWBREKAERS, KNEES and ROCKS Comoroto!

Mortos goes to suplex but Comoroto’s a big guy, too! Comoroto suplexes Mortos, but Mortos knees free! Mortos goes to a corner, Comoroto runs in but Mortos dropkicks the legs out! Comoroto hits buckles, then Mortos runs in, CORNER 619! Comoroto staggers away and Mortos climbs, to MISSILE DROPKICK! Cover, TWO! Comoroto still has power to spare and he storms up on Mortos. Mortos UPPERCUTS first! Mortos goes to whip but Comoroto blocks again! Comoroto whips Mortos to a corner, runs up, but Mortos slips out to the apron! Comoroto hits buckles, Mortos goes up, and the fans rally! MORTOS TWISTER! Cover, Mortos wins!

Winner: The Beast Mortos, by pinfall

Comoroto is big and bad but this is a beast of a different breed! Will nothing stop the modern day minotaur from making ROH his domain? Will Jacoby Watts’ teachings ever pay off for Comoroto?

Backstage interview with Nick Comoroto.

Lexi is with Mr. Freakbeast as he returns backstage, and she asks him what his strategy will be moving forward after this tough loss. Jacoby Watts walks in to say, “Turn the page. Start a new chapter. Nothing changes if nothing changes, Nick. It’s a harsh reality. But I am your answer. Your beacon of hope in the darkness. Follow me and I will lead you into the light! For I am Jacoby Watts, the one and only, praise be to he, and he is me.” Watts waxes poetic while making himself the focus, but will Comoroto accept his guidance?

ROH World Championship Proving Ground Match: Mark Briscoe VS Griff Garrison w/ Cole Karter & Maria Kanellis!

The Sussex County Chicken won this title after a war with Eddie Kingston at Supercard, and those two are still going to be friends taking on The House of Black this Sunday! But will Mark be able to focus on tonight with Dynasty on the horizon? Or is this where Maria’s baby boys start building their kingdom?

Mark shows off the belt and its new camouflage patterned leather! The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings and we’re on the clock. The fans cheer on Mark as he circles with Griff. They tie up, Griff headlocks, but Mark powers up and out. Griff sunset flips, but Mark rolls through to drop on the headlock! Griff moves around, fights up, and powers up, but Mark holds tight! Mark hits the takeover, Griff headscissors, but Mark kips free. Roles reverse as Griff headlocks for the takeover, and Mark headscissors. Griff kips free, but Mark shows Redneck Kung-Fu stance and Griff scrambles away! The fans cheer but Maria coaches Griff back up.

Griff cools off, he and Mark reset, and the two circle again. They knuckle lock but Griff kicks low. Griff UPPERCUTS, UPPERCUTS again, then whips corner to corner. Mark goes up and out, SWATS the haymaker to REDNECK KUNG-FU UPPERCUT! Then Mark gets in to BOOT Griff down! Griff is on ropes, Mark runs in to BOOT WASH him right outta the ring! The fans fire up as Mark builds speed, and he DIVES onto Griff! Not the cleanest landing but Mark borrows a hat to put it on! The fans fire up with Mark, he gives the hat back, then drags Griff up to DECK him! Mark drags Griff up again, to scoop and SLAM!

Griff sputters, Mark goes to the apron, and the fans fire up as Mark takes aim. But then Karter and Maria stand in the way! The fans boo, Mark sighs and steps inside, and Maria coaches Griff up. Griff flounders up, the fans rally behind Mark but then Karter and Maria each get on the apron! The ref is busy arguing with Maria but Karter distracts Mark. Griff sneaks in to CLOBBER Mark! Griff fires forearms while the fans boo, but then Griff stomps a mudhole into Mark. The ref counts as Griff digs his boots in, but Griff lets off at 4. But then that lets Karter CHOKE Mark behind the ref’s back!

The fans boo as Karter gets away with one, and Griff drags Mark up. Griff UPPERCUTS, but Mark CHOPS! Griff sputters, Mark CHOPS again! Griff knees low, whips Mark to a corner, but runs into an ELBOW! Mark runs up, into a BOOT! Cover, TWO! Griff clamps onto Mark with a chinlock and he grinds Mark down. The fans rally as Mark endures and fights up. Mark throws body shots, then fires up to CHOP! CHOP! And CHOP! Mark runs, but into the ROLLING ELBOW! Griff then torture racks for the TOWER HACKER BOMB! High stack, TWO! Mark survives and Griff is frustrated but Maria coaches him up.

The fans continue to rally behind Mark as Griff aims again. Griff goes up but Mark REDNECK UPPERCUTS! Griff gets caught up in ropes, Mark lets him loose so he can fall to the floor. Karter hurries over, but Mark goes up to PLANCHA both baby boys! The fans are thunderous, and Mark cracks open a can of WOOOOO Energy! Mark chugs it, bangs the can against his head, then gets Griff in the ring. The fans fire up as Mark runs corner to corner, but Griff BOOTS him! Mark comes back to LARIAT! The fans fire up, Mark reels Griff in, but Griff wrenches out, only for Mark to LARIAT! Mark hauls Griff up again for underhooks!

Mark lifts, for the JAY DRILLER!! Cover, Mark wins!

Winner: Mark Briscoe, by pinfall (denies Griff Garrison a title opportunity)

Maria is upset but there’s nothing she can do, her baby boy wasn’t man enough to stop the NEW ROH World Champion! Will Mark continue to carry on his brother’s legacy and become one of the best champions in ROH history?

My Thoughts:

A very good episode of ROH for being 92 minutes. I still skipped some very clear filler, but Marti Belle got a good showing in her loss to Frost and The Dark Order got a good match out of Zak & Frank. Cruz, Damian & Savion got an okay showing but c’mon, they were against Archer & The Righteous, those guys have been running through everyone. It hasn’t really led them to anything yet, but maybe after we get undisputed AEW & ROH World Trios Champions after Dynasty, Archer & Righteous challenge the winners. And real good wins for Bryan Keith and Lee Johnson, each guy looking good towards midcard titles at some point.

Really good match from Infantry VS Savages, with the Savages being a bit more Heelish this time. Good win for Infantry, but I didn’t think The Premier Athletes would be going after them first. And I didn’t expect Faces like Keith, Lee and Briscoe to run out to get at them. Maybe the Premier Athletes can also position themselves to go after the trios titles after Dynasty. If The Acclaimed win, they’ll need Heel opponents. Archer & Righteous can play either side, but fans really like Archer so I kinda want him and Righteous to be Faces when facing Bang Bang Gang.

Good match and good win for Abadon over Allysin. Good win for Kiera, Leyla & Adora, though things got a little sloppy in the middle, Leyla’s timing wasn’t quite there. Athena & Billie are both Heels, so while Queen Aminata is in the mix, the champion she doesn’t choose still needs a good Face challenger so you can take your pick of the winners from tonight. Really good match from Mortos and Comoroto, and Mortos winning also helped serve Comoroto’s story with Watts. Watts keeps insisting he’s the answer, but this has to lead to Comoroto breaking free and beating Watts up for his arrogance.

Good promo from Maria, Griff & Karter, and they just kinda copy-pasted Mark Briscoe’s promo from Collision that same Saturday. Really good match for Griff against Mark but of course Mark wins. Mark getting involved with Premier Athletes, maybe Woods or Nese get a shot at Mark only to lose and be Mark’s solid first defense. Not sure who could be a more prolonged feud with Mark, but there are plenty of possibilities, and I’m just happy to see him showing up on ROH TV as the ROH World Champion should.