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Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (9/13/22)

Happy 2.0 Anniversary!

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NXT celebrates one year in the new era!

It has been one year of NXT 2.0, and there are big surprises planned tonight! Who will Carmelo Hayes defend the North American Championship against?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • NXT Tag Team Championships Steel Cage Match: Pretty Deadly VS The Creed Brothers; Pretty Deadly wins and retains the titles.
  • Fallon Henley VS Lash Legend; Fallon wins.
  • Quincy Elliot VS Sean Gallagher; Quincy wins.
  • Tony D’Angelo & Channing Lorenzo VS Cameron Grimes & ???; Grimes & Gacy win.
  • Kiana James & Arianna Grace VS Nikkita Lyons & Zoey Stark; Lyons & Stark win.
  • Javier Bernal VS Hank Walker; Hank wins.
  • NXT North American Championship: Carmelo Hayes w/ Trick Williams VS Solo Sikoa; Sikoa wins and becomes the new NXT North American Champion.

PLAY BY PLAY

NXT Tag Team Championships Steel Cage Match: Pretty Deadly VS The Creed Brothers!

As announced last night on Raw, these two teams will be sealed inside the steel structure so that no one can interfere! Will Kit Wilson & Elton Prince prove to the world that they can win big on their own? Or will Julius & Brutus make them pay for Damon Kemp’s betrayal?

The introductions are made, the belts are raised and the cage is up! Will there be any escape for the champions against the Creeds?

The brawl is on at the bell and fans fire up! Julius keeps Elton from running away and Brutus keeps Kit from doing the same. Pretty Deadly keeps trying but the Creeds keep bringing them down. Kit goes for the door! Brutus waistlocks and drags him back in! Kit throws elbows, but Brutus and Julius tackle them both down! The Creeds CATAPULT them both, but Pretty Deadly uses that to get up the walls! Julius and Brutus hurry to stop them! They all climb up, Brutus SMASHES Kit on the top of the cage! Julius grabs Elton’s arm to keep him from dropping to the floor! Julius drags Elton back up and in while Brutus throws hands on Kit.

Elton gets a HOTSHOT off the ropes! Brutus suplexes Kit up and over! Julius RAMS Elton into a corner but Elton hammers away on him! Pretty Deadly now whip and send the Creeds at the walls! The Creeds stop themselves, and then send Pretty Deadly into the steel! The cage is shaking but they just RAM Pretty Deadly into steel again! Kit flounders around, Brutus RAMS him into more steel! Julius CLUBS Elton, KNEES him in the side, and Brutus KNEES him back. They pinball Elton but Kit CLOBBERS Brutus! Julius ROCKS Kit with big forearms, then he hurries after Elton.

Elton elbows Julius away and Kit goes up to join him! FLYING CODE BREAKER!! Cover on Julius, TWO! Brutus grabs Elton to keep him from going to the top! Brutus brings Elton down for a RUNNING POWERBOMB into the steel! Fans lose their minds over that one! Brutus then drags Kit up and fireman’s carries, only for Kit to slip off. Kit BOOTS Brutus from a corner, goes up the wall, but Brutus pursues! Brutus grabs at Kit and they’re both up top again! Kit and Brutus throw hands, fans fire up, and DOUBLE FOREARMS cause both men to slump back into the ring. Elton is up top now as Brutus and Kit SMASH each other!

Julius dribbles Elton into the wall! “Hey, Wade, watch this!” SUPER SPANISH FLY, and Julius lands on his feet!! Fans are thunderous as NXT goes picture in picture!

Julius is all fired up and he drags Elton into a cover, TWO! Julius swings on Kit but is sent into the wall! Brutus gets up but Kit kicks him in the leg. Kit CLUBS away on Brutus then climbs up on top of him! Kit uses Brutus to get to the door! The door opens, but Brutus hurries to crawl under Kit and SLAM the door closed! All four men are down and fans fire up! Elton DROPKICKS Brutus! And DROPKICKS Julius! Kit DROPKICKS Brutus! Elton CLOBBERS Julius in the corner! Then he hold Julius in for Kit to BACK ELBOW! Kit runs at Brutus, RAMS him into the corner, and Elton BACK ELBOWS him now!

Julius TACKLES Elton! But Kit CLOBBERS Julius! Pretty Deadly mugs Julius until Brutus RAMS into Elton! Brutus has a BEARHUG! Elton CLUBS away and hits a DDT! Elton drags Julius up to CLUB him back down and stomp him down. And drop a leg! Kit soaks up the heat while Elton drags Julius up. Pretty Deadly mugs Julius, then Elton digs Brutus into the steel! Julius runs at Kit but only gets buckles! Pretty Deadly mugs Julius more, and Kit has a SLEEPER on Julius! Elton goes up the corner, but Julius arm-drags free! Julius hurries up after Elton! Julius CLUBS Elton, NXT returns to single picture, and Kit CLUBS Julius!

Julius keeps after Elton as he reaches the top but Kit climbs up. Kit CHOPS Julius, then CHOPS him again! Julius keeps fighting but that’s 2v1 up there! Kit CHOPS again, then Elton facelocks. Julius throws body shots but Kit gets Julius up top. Pretty Deadly mugs Julius but fans rally for the Creeds. Pretty Deadly gives Julius a SUPER DUPER PLEX!!! Fans lose their minds as Julius flounders and writhes! “This is Awesome!” as all four men stir. Pretty Deadly sit up, the Creeds stand. Brutus CLOBBERS Elton, CLBOBERS Kit, then OVERHEAD Belly2Belly suplexes Elton! Brutus KNEES and CLUBS Kit then gut wrench suplexes him!

Kit goes to a corner, Brutus runs and SPLASHES! Brutus then climbs, but Kit ROCKS him first! Kit climbs up to get Brutus but Brutus fights. Elton joins in, but then Julius gets Pretty Deadly in a double Electric Chair! Brutus goes up, DOUBLE BUTTER BALL DOOMSDAY!! Fans are thunderous as all four men are down again! Fans are loving “NXT!” but Damon Kemp runs in! He jumps up the cage, and he has handcuffs!? Julius intercepts Kemp, fires off hands, kicks at Kemp’s legs, and he makes Kemp back off! Kemp climbs down to get away. But wait! Julius is CUFFED! Kemp’s plan was a success after all!

Brutus CLOBBERS Pretty Deadly at the same time! He RAMS Kit into the wall! He RAMS Elton into a wall! Brutus POUNCES Kit, POUNCES Elton, then OVERHEAD suplexes Kit! Fans fire up and Brutus sees Julius’ arm is cuffed. Brutus hurries to help his brother, they start kicking at the wall to try and bust it loose! But Pretty Deadly goes for the door! Julius tells Brutus to hurry! Brutus FLYING CANNOBALLS them both down!! Cover on Kit, TWO!! Elton is crawling! Brutus gets the legs! Brutus drags Elton back in! Elton clings to the steps and the frame, but then Kit goes after Brutus! But Julius grabs Kit! The Creeds drag Pretty Deadly back in!

Brutus has Elton in an ANLKLE LOCK! But Kit gets free to RAM Brutus into the wall! SPILT MILK!!! Cover, TWO!?! Brutus survives and shocks everyone! Julius shouts to Brutus but Kit stomps Brutus down! Pretty Deadly stomps Brutus against the wall, then they haul Brutus up. They RAM Brutus into the wall, then the other wall! Julius is still cuffed to the cage, but Pretty Deadly KNEE Brutus into steel! And RAM him into more steel! They SMASH Brutus into the steel again and again! Julius furiously tries to get the cuff to break but SPILT MILK spills again! Cover, Pretty Deadly wins!

Winners: Pretty Deadly, by pinfall (still NXT Tag Team Champions)

Did Kemp help them win last time? #YESBOY! Did Kemp help them win this time? #YESBOY! But will Pretty Deadly ever admit to it? NOPE! Will Kemp face the consequences of his actions soon enough?

 

NXT goes backstage to Wes Lee, Von Wagner & Joe Gacy.

McKenzie Mitchell stands with these three, as they are the options for facing Carmelo Hayes tonight. Who did the fans decide should face Melo for his title? WES LEE! Von is pissed but Wes is fired up! The Must-See Kid is very grateful to the fans voting him in. But it comes with a great responsibility that he has to walk out as the NEW North American Champion. Gacy congratulates Wes and accepts the result of this vote. Oh, okay. Thanks, Gacy. They shake hands, and Wes heads to his locker room to get ready. Gacy says it is okay. There is more important work to be done tonight. What did Gacy mean by that? And will Wes be able to dethrone Melo as The A Champion?

 

Fallon Henley VS Lash Legend!

These two have been trying to settle the score for a long time, and what better time to end this than on the one year anniversary episode of NXT 2.0! Will the Cowgirl finally ride off into the sunset? Or will Lash grow her legend to finally fit her ego?

Accompanying Fallon is not just the good ol’ boys, Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen, but one of the Connor’s Cure Thrivers, Mason “The Night Howler” Ramirez! The bell rings and Lash rushes in to knee Fallon down! Lash CHOPS Fallon, brings her around and whips her to ropes, but Fallon dropkicks back! Fallon dropkicks again and Lash goes to a corner! Fans fire up and Fallon runs in, but is put on the apron. Fallon CHOPS back! Fans fire up more, but Lash BOOTS Fallon down! Lash talks trash while Fallon gets up. Lash goes out to POST Fallon, then drags her up to RAM her into the apron!

Lash puts Fallon in the ring, KNEES Her low again, but fans rally up. Lash KNEES Fallon, whips her to ropes, and KNEES Fallon down! Lash drags Fallon up, gut wrenches her to a Canadian rack, and thrashes Fallon around. Fallon kicks and pushes off the corner to get free! Then she kicks Lash’s leg out! And KICKS her from below! Lash staggers, but she runs at Fallon, Fallon dodges, ROCKS Lash with forearms, then roars and runs in to back elbow! Fallon runs, ducks the boot and springboards to wheelbarrow and BULLDOG! Fans fire up more and Fallon aims from a corner, RUNNING GAMANGIRI! High stack, Fallon wins!

Winner: Fallon Henley, by pinfall

Fallon stepped it up and she took down the Legend! Will Fallon fight as strong as the kids at Connor’s Cure fight cancer?

 

Yulisa Leon comes back from the trainer’s room.

She torn her knee. She’ll be out nine months. Valentina Feroz comforts Yulisa, and Sanga says he is very sorry this happened. But now they must turn this negative into a positive. This is now Feroz’s time to shine as a singles wrestler. Leon agrees, but then Robert Stone walks in to say this is depressing. They’re upset, Von’s upset. Von should be the challenger to Melo’s title tonight! That’s damn- Watch your language around a lady? What the hell was that, Sanga? Sanga won’t tell Von again. Stone tells Von to save it. Will the Giant Gentleman teach Von that this isn’t his world?

 

Fallon, Briggs & Jensen are fired up!

Big win for Fallon, but then OMG Toxic Attraction! Jensen takes off his hat as he tells Mandy Rose he saw her Instagram post last week. She looked amazing. Her tit- TITLES! Those looked amazing! He was looking at her titles. Wow, in your dreams, kid. Wait, how does she know she’s been in his dreams? Uh, okay, enough show ‘n’ tell, Jensen. Keep dreaming. Fallon says that’s enough from Mandy. Uh, excuse you? You don’t talk to the champ like that! Well you don’t talk to Jensen like that. It doesn’t matter who you are or how long you’ve been champion, Fallon ain’t afraid. Oooh~! Aw, Mandy remembers how she felt after her first win, too.

Oh yeah?! Well yeehaw, bitch!! The boys keep Fallon from firing off on Toxic Attraction, but will Fallon get her chance to humble the champ? As for Toxic Attraction, they’re headed for gorilla.

 

NXT returns with Toxic Attraction in the ring.

Fans are torn as the three have a mic, and Mandy starts with, “I’m back from vacation, feeling good and looking even better. And at Worlds Collide, I called my shot. I said I would unify the titles, and that is exactly what I did. I took out the two best women in NXT UK history. And y’know what? When NXT Europe begins, if I choose to, I’ll run that, too.” Jacy says it’s so fitting that on the one-year anniversary of NXT 2.0, the three biggest stars on the brand are right here! Because they ARE the super group of all super groups! Gigi says when you think of NXT, you think of Toxic Attraction. No vote needed to decide that!

Jacy & Gigi elevated the Women’s Tag Titles to be the most important tag titles in the entire industry! “Kayden & Katana, those titles are on a loan to you. You’re welcome.” As for Ivy & Tatum, they can pop-off on social media all they want, but Toxic Attraction will prove to them what they have proved to everyone the past year: There’s Toxic Attraction, and then there’s everybody else. Mandy says they said they are the baddest bitches in the room. And in 365 days, they’ve proven that! Two-time and soon to be three-time NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions in Gigi & Jacy, and Mandy is on her way to becoming the longest reigning Women’s Champion in NXT history!

And y’know what? Bron and Melo are great, but they haven’t been carrying a title as long as Mandy. If there is one thing people should’ve learned this past year, it’s to put some damn respect on Mandy’s name! Wait! ALBA FYRE heads to the ring! And she tells Mandy Rose, “You may have unified both titles, but you know nothing about where I come from. Y’see, in Scotland, we don’t brag on and on just because we like the sound of our own voice. We let our hard work do the talking for us. And Mandy, when you look into my eyes, you see a battle tested warrior, spawned from generations of fire keepers. You see your demise.

“And most importantly, you see the NEW NXT Women’s Champion!” Alba backs Mandy down with her bat, but then CRACKS Gigi and Jacy with it! Mandy swings the belt, misses, and gets a SUPERKICK for it! And then a Gory Especial, to the GORY BOMB! Fans fire up with Fyre as she climbs the corner! But Gigi & Jacy get Mandy to safety before the Swanton. Toxic Attraction retreat, but will there be no running from the fire inside Alba?

 

“I didn’t change, you just never knew me.” – Cora Jade.

Cora Jade says the last year wat about her finding herself. She came to NXT wanting to make an impact, she was obsessed with impressing people and making them like her. She wanted fans to go, “Damn, Cora Jade is the next big superstar here in NXT!” Natalya said Cora was the future, “but the future is bleak.” Cora let that get in her head and it cost her the title. But that match with Natty made it all click. Cora lost, but she left that ring with Natty’s respect. And Cora said, “Screw what people think, I’m a star!” And her best friend was coming into NXT. But Cora won’t waste time on that trash. You all know the story.

Everyone loves Roxie, even though she proved she’s a loser. Back to the more important things here, like Cora. Cora’s living her best life, not needing anyone’s approval, and especially not the fans. Have you heard these fans? They have the brains of second graders. As for the locker room, Cora doesn’t care what Zoey Stark thinks. Cora’s shoes have more personality than Stark. Nikkita Lyons is way too cocky, and she ain’t that good. Lash is annoying, Indi is lost, Alba’s just weird, and Toxic Attraction… Cora still doesn’t like them, but at least now, she understands them. And Wendy Choo? She makes Cora laugh.

Wendy’s like a human stuffed animal. It’s sad. She doesn’t belong in the ring. She belongs in the corner of a baby’s play room. Okay, thanks, guys. Can’t wait to do this again next year, because the Generation of Jade is only going to get bigger, she’ll only shine brighter, and this time next year, she will be the number one woman in the industry. Cora is cocky, but will someone come along and humble her?

 

Backstage interview with Wendy Choo.

McKenzie asks Wendy’s reaction to what Cora just said. To Wendy, Jade is jealous. Who lives in the Generation of Jade anyway? Not Wendy. Wendy is in an apartment. She might live in Cora’s world if it were rent free. Nah, Cora’s so jelly that she’s iced everyone else out. But see, Wendy may dress like this, but she smart person. Lash says no no no. Did we not see what happened to Lash in her match? Wendy says wait a minute. Lash is NOT going to interrupt her interview. Excuse me? No, excuse you! She is Lash- the one and only, you can’t clone me, WE KNOW. The last time a bimbo came up at Wendy, she turned her lights OUT! OKAY~!?

Wendy leaves and leaves Lash speechless. How will Lash respond should these two meet in the ring?

 

Quincy Elliot VS Sean Gallagher!

The Super Diva arrives and fans are already fired up. Will Quincy drop it like it’s hot right on his opponent in his NXT 2.0 debut?

The bell rings and Quincy swaggers, then hits the Nae Nae! Gallagher isn’t sure what to make of that, but he wrenches an arm to a wristlock. Quincy uses that to get down, roll, break free, then blow a kiss! Gallagher swings a haymaker, but Quincy shrugs that off to fire off his own haymakers! Quincy runs and CLOBBERS Gallagher! Fans fire up with Quincy and he gets Gallagher’s arms. Quincy drags Gallagher to the corner, climbs up, and fans chant “SUPER DIVA!” as he gives us a deep breath and a BANZAI DROP! Cover, Quincy wins!

Winner: Quincy Elliot, by pinfall

Quincy even gives the ref a spin and a dip! Is this just the beginning of a new legend in NXT?

 

Trick Williams finds Wes Lee backstage.

Trick says Wes should just give up now. The people may have voted Wes in, but they both know Wes has no chance. Trick, if you don’t get your- Melo BOOTS Wes down! Trick SLAMS Wes into lockers! They both stomp and kick Wes around, then Trick puts Wes in a locker. Melo SLAMS the door shut!! Refs finally get in here but Melo SLAMS the door again! Did Melo just make sure he has no challenger here tonight?

 

Backstage interview with Cameron Grimes.

McKenzie wants to know who Grimes’ partner will be against Tony D’Angelo & Stacks. Grimes says this isn’t the first time his mouth’s gotten him in trouble, and it won’t be the last. But a few weeks ago, Grimes told Gacy he didn’t need The Schism. So why would Tony D think Grimes needed him? Grimes’ partner is the one man he can trust out there, and that’s himself! Whether he’s a man down or a man up, he is the man that’s going #ToTheMoon! Will Grimes come to regret trying to take on The Don all alone?

Tony D’Angelo & Channing Lorenzo VS Cameron Grimes & ???

NXT returns as Grimes makes his entrance, and he starts against Stacks. Grimes and Stacks circle, tie up, and go around. Stacks powers Grimes back, but Grimes switches around to waistlock and SLAM Stacks! Stacks gets Grimes’ leg but Grimes headlocks. Stacks powers out but Grimes runs him over! Things speed up, Grimes slides under and kitchen sink knees Stacks down! SLIDING BOOT! Stacks scrambles away and tags in Tony. Fans boo but Grimes ties up with Tony. Tony CLUBS Grimes down while fans chant “YOU SUCK!” at him. Tony fires off hands, whips Grimes corner to corner, but Grimes goes up and over to KICK Tony!

Grimes KICKS again and again in the corner, and fans fire up! But Tony smacks Grimes off buckles! Tony whips Grimes, Grimes sunset flips! Fans rally but Stacks tags in! Grimes finishes the sunset on Tony but Stacks KICKS him in the back! Stacks KICKS Grimes down, then stomps him to the corner. The ref counts, Tony counts in and he stomps away. Stacks tags in, he drives knees into Grimes! Fans boo but Tony tags in. Tony & Stacks double whip to DOUBLE ELBOW Grimes down! Tony scoops Grimes to SLAM him! Tony talks trash, but here come The Schism! Gacy says he’s going to be Grimes’ tag partner?

Tony stomps Grimes in the corner, tags Stacks, and Stacks drags Grimes up to EuroUpper! Grimes wobbles, Stacks CLUBS him in the corner! Stacks talks smack to Gacy but Grimes BOOTS him! Grimes back drops Stacks away! Grimes sees Gacy and fans want him to tag! But Tony tags in and he mugs Grimes with the facelock and body shots. HALF HATCH! Cover, TWO! Tony smirks while Grimes clutches his back. Tony taunts Grimes to taunt Gacy, and Gacy holds his hand out. Fans rally and Grimes throws hands. But Tony RAMS Grimes into the corner. Stacks tags in, he and Tony double whip, but Grimes ducks, shoves Stacks into Tony, then DOUBLE RANAS!

Fans fire up as Grimes has a clear path! But will he tag Gacy? Fans fire up as Grimes gets up and looks that way. Stacks gets around to CLUB Grimes down! Stacks back suplexes, Grimes lands on his feet, and Gacy tags himself in! Gacy rallies on the D’Angelo Family! URENAGE for Stacks! Gacy rolls and DROPKICKS Tony! Gacy runs in to SPLASH Stacks, for another URENAGE! Fans fire up with Gacy but Grimes gets in to ask Gacy what he’s doing out here! Grimes doesn’t need help! But then Tony drags Grimes out of the ring! Stacks clamps on a SLEEPER! Grimes chases Tony into the ring, he gives Stacks a COLLISION COURSE! And Tony gets a CAVE IN!

Gacy handsprings to LARIAT Stacks! Cover, Gacy & Grimes win!!

Winners: Cameron Grimes & Joe Gacy, by pinfall

Grimes didn’t want it, but Gacy’s help did win him the match. Gacy hugs Grimes but Grimes pushes him away. Grimes says he doesn’t need them! He doesn’t want them! Gacy says it’s okay, they can hug this out. Grimes says he’s not going to accept them, so The Dyad CLOBBERS Grimes! Fans boo, but They give Grimes a TICKET TO MAYHEM! Then they stand Grimes up and Gacy says that was his last chance. HANDSPRING LARIAT! Fans boo as Gacy puts a smiley face sticker on Grimes’ chest. Will Grimes survive with enemies on all sides?

 

JD McDonagh speaks.

“Find me a young gentlemen and I will show you an excellent skincare routine. Personal grooming for me isn’t just a luxury, it’s an absolute necessary. Hygiene and the cleansing process is of paramount importance. Isn’t that right, Gabe?” JD’s personal barber says yes, sir. Good man, Gabe. Now look at the NXT Championship scene. JD “cleansed” it of Tyler Bate, and it is no longer tainted by the imperfections of the Big Strong Boy. Gabe cuts a little close and apologizes as he draws blood. JD says that brings him to Bron. Bron thinks JD is scared but he is sadly mistaken. This cat ‘n’ mouse game of theirs is coming to an end real soon.

JD dismisses Gabe, and looks at the blood on his hand. It may be his blood now, but will JD have someone else’s blood on his hands when he finally takes the NXT title for his own?

 

Vic Joseph has a sit-down interview with Bron Breakker.

To get right to it, Vic says it was one year ago that Bron had the very first match on NXT 2.0, just a year removed from college. What was going through his mind? Bron admits, he was scared sh*tless. All these emotions were running wild, but as soon as he got in front of the fans, Bron felt it was right. Fast forward to Bron VS Ciampa at Halloween Havoc and the NXT Championship. Everyone thought Bron would win, and so did Bron. Maybe Ciampa thought Bron was going to win. But it didn’t happen. And that was the best thing for Bron because it taught him how to deal with adversity and failure. Who knows if his title run would’ve been as good as it’s been if he’d won it then.

Fast forward again to New Year’s Evil to when Bron won the title. What was it like to have the gold around his waist? It was unbelievable. That was a great moment for Bron and for his family as his father, Rick Steiner, got to be there live to see it. That was the first time a member of their family held a WWE singles championship. Bron got to induct his dad and uncle, the Steiner Brothers, into the WWE Hall of Fame. What was that like for the entire family? That Friday night, Bron inducted the Steiners, it was surreal. And then the next day, Stand & Deliver, Bron lost the title to Dolph Ziggler. It hurt, really.

But then during WrestleMania, Bron sits thinking to himself, “I can’t leave Texas without the NXT Championship.” The Raw after Mania, Bron has his rematch with Ziggler, and he wins the belt back. Bron flies home late at night, it’s time for NXT, he has a war with Gunther. Bron survived, but he proved he can be the leader of NXT. Then there was Joe Gacy. It wasn’t a battle of strength and power but of mind games and emotion. That taught Bron how to handle himself mentally and physically. Bron’s been growing, from facing Grimes, JD and the historic unification match with Tyler Bate. Did Bron think a year ago he’d be here as a history maker?

Bron isn’t sure what the future holds, but he’s very much in the present. He doesn’t look six months, nine months ahead. As champion, his job is to uphold the standard set before him night in and night out. Then we all look forward to what’s next for Bron Breakker.

 

Backstage interview with Tyler Bate.

McKenzie notes Tyler asked for this time to speak, what is on his mind? “Bron Breakker has had an incredible first year here in NXT. Don’t get me wrong, but respectfully, I’m looking for a rematch. Now the NXT title remains for me an adventure untook, and no adventure is complete without its obstacles. A familiar face in JD McDonagh stands between myself and my divine purpose. Now we have history in the UK, which he reignited last week. And if he wants a shot at the NXT title, he’s gotta get through me first. Peace.” Will the Big Strong Boy and the Irish Ace throw down to see just who is next for Bron Breakker?

 

Kiana James & Arianna Grace VS Nikkita Lyons & Zoey Stark!

The Calculator has criticized how her opponents present themselves, and she went as far as to recruit the Pageant Queen to her mission. But will the brains and beauty really be able to beat the power and the heart of Nikkita & Zoey?

The teams sort out, Stark starts against Kiana. They circle, tie up, and Stark hits a headlock and takeover. Kiana headscissors but Stark kips free to headlock again. Kiana tries to pry free but she slips out the back to get Stark in a headlock. Stark powers Kiana down and wrenches out. Stark whips, Kiana reverses but Stark goes up and over to arm-drag Kiana around! Stark has the armlock, then she tags Lyons in! Fans fire up as Lyons headlocks Kiana, spins around and hammerlocks to headlock again. Fans rally, Kiana powers out but Lyons blocks the hip toss to body shot and FISHERMAN BUSTER! And then kip up!

Kiana bails out and is furious! She grabs her bag, Grace stops her from throwing it at Lyons, and the ref does his best to keep the peace while NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Grace has Lyons down with a double wristlock. Fans rally and Lyons fights up. Lyons fireman’s carries and SAMOAN DROPS! Fans fire up and Lyons rolls to CLOBBER Grace in the corner! Lyons shoves Grace out then CLOBBERS her again! And BOOTS her! Cover, TWO!! Grace survives but Lyons clamps on with a facelock. Lyons drags Grace over, tag to Stark, and Stark wrenches to DECK Grace! And again! And then SUPERKICK! Grace staggers into the HALF NELSON TOSS! Fans fire up again but Grace backs away to tag Kiana! Kiana can’t even but Starks smirks. Kiana wants Stark to understand it was just business.

Stark CHOPS Kiana! And CHOPS again! And then CLOBBERS her! And DECKS her with that running forearm! Fans fire up but Kiana bails out. Stark hurries after but Kiana CLOBBERS Stark at the ramp! Kiana taunts Lyons, then drags Stark up and into the ring. Kiana stomps Stark, covers, TWO! Kiana clamps on a chinlock and she thrashes Stark around. Stark fights up, throws body shots, and then ROCKS Kiana. Kiana KNEES low, whips Stark and scoops for a BACKBREAKER! High stack cover, TWO! Kiana drags Stark from Lyons, then DECKS Lyons! Kiana runs in, but into a back drop! Fans fire up while both women are down!

Hot tag to Grace and she brings Stark up to whip. Stark holds ropes, KICKS Grace back and CLOBBERS her! And again! And then ROCKS, ELBOWS and MULE KICKS! Fans fire up with Stark and she runs, SLIDING KNEE! Stark SUPERKICKS Kiana off the apron, but Grace BOOTS Stark! Cover, TWO! Grace hurries to drag Stark up but Stark flips her, Z 360!! Tag to Lyons and she SPIN KICKS Grace back down! LYONS DEN! Cover, Lyons & Stark win!

Winners: Nikkita Lyons & Zoey Stark, by pinfall

No wonder this duo was originally mean to enter the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament! Is NXT seeing a new top tier team in the making?

 

Edris Enofe & Malik Blade are in the parking lot.

They’re telling the guy in the red hoodie that no, Joe Gacy is not the 2.0 Superstar of the Year. Even if you voted for him 1000 times, he won’t win! Schism talks about being inclusive but after what they just did to Grimes, that goes against everything they preach! Bur The Dyad storms in to say that Grimes brought that upon himself. This world needs change, and if you don’t see that, they’ll show you! THEY BRAWL! Security rushes in to stop this, and Hank wants to help, but he has his match to worry about. Will Edris & Malik show The Dyad they don’t need the kind of change Gacy speaks of?

 

NXT, get ready for the freshest flavor!

Once known as Oliver Carter, the Hottest Superstar Under the Sun in NXT UK is coming to NXT 2.0 as “Oro Mensah!” Will he still be just as hot and just as fresh now that he’s made the move?

 

It’s time to announce the Superstar of the Year!

But Grayson Waller interrupts McKenzie’s announcement to accept the award. Well, he could be the winner. But the final four are: Toxic Attraction as a faction, Carmelo Hayes, Nikkita Lyons and… GRAYSON WALLER! Thank you for making him a finalist! We did it! No, it’s Bron Breakker. He is among the final four, Waller is eliminated. Oh, Waller’s eliminated? Then fine! Fans suck! They don’t know what it’s like to see real talent! They got excited for Apollo Crews coming back, and probably that new guy, Oro. But Waller is the face of NXT! Bron’s been ducking Waller all year because he knows when Waller gets his shot, HE becomes NXT Champion!!

 

Javier Bernal VS Hank Walker!

“Big Body Javi” has been more like a jackass since moving up from Level Up to 2.0. Will he be humbled by big boss Hank?

The bell rings and fans are fired up for “HANK! HANK! HANK!” Hank and Javi circle, but Javi calls for a knuckle lock. Hank takes it, but Javi wrenches to a wristlock. Hank breaks free but Javi smirks. Javi and Hank circle, then Javi waistlocks to SLAP Hank. Fans boo as Javi eggs Hank on. Hank runs in but into a headlock. Javi grinds the hold but Hank endures and powers up! Hank carries Javi, and puts him in a corner! The ref counts, Hank lets off slowly, but Javi SLAPS him! Hank is pissed now! Hank grabs Javi around the face and TOSSES him into the corner! And then TOSSES him across the ring!

Fans fire up as Hank eggs Javi on now. Javi gets up, Hank runs in but into a dropkick! Hank staggers, fans chant “JAVI SUCKS!” as Javi KICKS Hank in the leg. And again! Hank ROCKS Javi! Javi dropkicks the leg again! Hank clutches the knee, but Javi grinds him down with a facelock. Hank fights up, and he TOSSES Javi away! Javi sputters to the corner, Hank runs in but into an elbow! Javi goes to bump but Hank blocks! Hank SMACKS Javi off buckles! And then scoops him, only for Javi to slip off into a SLEEPER! Hank endures and fans fire up. Hank throws body shots but Javi knees low. Javi whips, Hank reverses and hits a THESZ PRESS to fast hands!

Hank throws off the shirt! Fans fire up as Hank runs in to SPLASH at the corner! Whip and SPALSH again! Hank runs to CLOBBER Javi! Cover, HANK WINS!

Winner: Hank Walker, by pinfall

Big bad Hank just won in his NXT in-ring debut! Did Hank just earn himself a spot on the roster with this one?

 

Sol Ruca speaks.

“I live moment to moment, wave to wave. I enjoy fun in the sun, but I’m not afraid to test my limits. I don’t take life too seriously, but when I get to NXT, I can promise the Women’s Division it won’t be another day at the beach.” Sol Ruca is coming in, will she ride a wave of momentum to the top?

 

BREAKING NEWS for NXT next week!

Not only will we see Wendy Choo face Cora Jade 1v1, but we will see Tyler Bate VS JD McDonagh in an NXT Championship #1 Contender’s match! Who proves themselves worthy of the next title opportunities in 2.0?

 

The results are in!

Who is THE Superstar of the Year? It’s BRON BREAKKER! Another accolade for the Big Booty Nephew, what more historic moments will be heaped onto his shoulders?

 

Carmelo & Trick speak.

After a highlight reel of big entrances in NXT, Melo wants to talk about Wes making an entrance off that medical table. Trick says Wes’ head is probably still ringing. Melo says you can’t buy greatness. This ain’t a game, and you gonna find out! But then, if Wes can’t compete, who will step up to the A Champion in the main event?

NXT North American Championship: Carmelo Hayes w/ Trick Williams VS ???

NXT returns as Melo makes his entrance with Trick by his side. They get the mics to say this is the one year anniversary of 2.0, and the same things they said a year ago still stand today. They are too good to be this humble! That’s why Trick & Melo are still at center stage. Melo says let’s get to it. Wes Lee ain’t gonna make it out here. But to be honest, Melo did Wes a favor. Melo knows guys like Wes. Wes can’t handle this! Wes ain’t built to be The A Champion. Everyone in the back is praying for Melo’s downfall. They don’t wanna see him win. There are people from other brands coming trying to take what Melo built.

“Heavy lies the head that wears the crown, and Melo has the biggest crown and heaviest head in NXT.” That’s all it is, that’s all it’s- WAIT! Is that SOLO SIKOA?! The Street Champion has returned from SmackDown to take this spot! Fans are fired up but Melo is beside himself. Melo says Solo doesn’t go here anymore, he should go away! But fans chant, “HE’S GOT NEXT!” Solo tells Melo that like he said before, “I got next!” And then he DECKS Melo! And he TOSSES Trick! Fans fire up as the ref gets in! No need for introductions are raising the belt, we see if The Bloodline runs all the brands!

The bell rings, Melo rushes Solo but Solo DECKS him! And ROCKS him again and again and again! Solo fires off at the ropes, lets off as the ref counts and whips, to then back drop Melo high! Melo flounders, drop toeholds, but Solo stays up! Melo throws hands, CHOPS, but Solo snarls. Melo whips but Solo blocks! Solo whips Melo then CLOBBERS him! Fans fire up and Solo whips Melo to a corner. Solo runs in to clothesline! Melo sits down, fans chant “UCE! OH!” and Solo runs in! Melo bails out, but Solo is there to SLINGSHOT in him back in! And then he TOSSES him out onto Trick! Fans fire up and NXT goes picture in picture.

Melo flounders and Solo holds up the finger, #HetheOne! Melo gets in, but then bails out again with a fresh ring count. Solo is patient and he wants on Melo. Melo goes around the way, paces as he cools off, and slides in again, to slide back out. Solo gets annoyed and slides out after Melo. Melo is too busy talking trash, but Solo turns him around to ROCK him! Solo SMACKS Melo off the steps, then again! Melo staggers away but Solo keeps after him! Melo hurries but can’t get away! Solo smacks him off the other steps! Solo puts Melo in the ring, but Melo CLOBBERS Solo! Melo rains down fists then kicks Solo around.

Melo runs and KICKS Solo in the side! Melo paces around, clamps onto Solo with a facelock, and he stands Solo up to CHOP him! And CHOP! Solo kicks back, HEADBUTTS Melo down, then sits Melo up to KICK him in the back! Melo grits his teeth but Solo clamps on as NXT returns to single picture. Melo endures the claws in his shoulders, and fans fire up. Melo fights up to his feet and he throws body shots. Melo BOOTS Solo, then runs, into a HEADBUTT! Melo is dazed and fans fire up! Trick is stressing out as Melo bails out. Solo pursues, and he turns Melo around to ROCK him with an uppercut!

Melo staggers, Solo puts Melo in, but Trick gets the bad leg! Trick SLAMS the leg on the apron! Fans boo but Melo springboards to FLYING LARIAT! Melo gets the legs, stomps the bad knee and CLUBS it, then KICKS it! Melo checks his face but he’s fine, and he gives the bad leg a DDT! Melo drags Solo up, Trick mocks #WeTheOnes, but Solo throws body shots on Melo! Solo shoves, Melo rolls off Solo’s back and CHOP BLOCKS! Melo drags Solo to a cover, TWO! Melo keeps hold of the leg to pull on the knee! Solo endures the modified heel hook and fans rally behind him. Melo CLUBS the leg and pulls, but Solo hammers Melo’s other leg.

Melo kicks the bad leg, turns Solo over and has a HALF CRAB! Melo sits deep but Solo punches his own face to ignore the pain! Solo reaches out, but Melo drags Solo from ropes to stomp away on the leg! Melo turns Solo back over for more HALF CRAB! Solo endures and fans rally hard as ever, and Solo gets the ROPEBREAK! Melo lets go at 4, fans rally for “UCE! OH!” as Melo grabs the legs. Solo BOOTS Melo away! Both men are down, fans fire up, and Solo stands. Melo runs in, but no Code Breaker! Solo tosses Melo away, blocks a haymaker to ROCK Melo! And again! And again! And body shot after body shot!

Solo whips to SUPERKICK Melo, then SAMOAN DROP! Melo goes to a corner and Solo fire sup! The fans chant again, “UCE! OH!” HIP ATTACK! Solo fights through the pain in his leg to drag Melo right up to a fireman’s carry! Trick distracts and Solo drops Melo to glare. But he turns around into a CODE BREAKER! Solo stays up, Melo runs, into a POP-UP SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO!! Fans are thunderous as Melo survives! Trick is on the apron but the ref tells him to get down. Solo watches Melo writhe, Solo SUPERKICKS Trick down! Melo springboards, into an URENAGE!! Solo turns things around and he heads up top!

Fans are thunderous as Solo aims, FLYING SOLO!! Cover, SOLO WINS!!

Winner: Solo Sikoa, by pinfall (NEW NXT North American Champion)

Fans are electric! The 2.0 Anniversary ends with a NEW A Champion!! From the Tribal Chief to Solo’s own brothers, Jimmy & Jey Uso, and now The Street Champion of the Island! The Bloodline has gold in their veins and around their waists! Is their dominance in the WWE inevitable?

 

HBK closes the episode with this message.

“NXT has been and always will be about developing the superstars of tomorrow. But we will always reflect and acknowledge the past. NXT is constantly evolving, with a focus on the future. Superstars develop and move on, but our message to our passionate fans will never change. We Are N X T.” A bright, shiny new take on the logo is the closing shot, is this 2.0 no more? Is this JUST the new era of NXT?


My Thoughts:

A great NXT, but because this was the “anniversary” show, they did a lot of retrospective packages that I didn’t bother with. Still all well-made, but whatever. Opening with the tag title match was great, and while I have no idea what the other options were, they made the steel cage stipulation work well. And of course Kemp was going to get involved, so they did it in a clever way by having him handcuff Julius to the top of the cage. I almost thought the Creeds were going to break off that cage wall but they can’t do that with fans so close. But because Kemp interfered, of course Pretty Deadly retains and will move on to another team for Halloween Havoc or something.

Great little moment for Fallon to have a Connor’s Cure kid in her corner, and great win for her off Lash Legend. Then we got a good interaction between Fallon and her boys with Toxic Attraction, and while I don’t see Fallon taking the title from Mandy, if they could build her up to be a title contender, that could be really good stuff. At the same time, Alba Fyre got in Toxic Attraction’s face, she might be Mandy’s Halloween Havoc opponent. I’m hoping Alba takes the title off Mandy, but I have a bad feeling she won’t. At the same time, why shouldn’t someone beat Mandy at Halloween Havoc, where Mandy won the belt in the first place?

Good promo from Cora to hype herself up, and good response from Wendy Choo. But while Wendy and Cora are having the match, I have a feeling Lash goes after Wendy after their interaction. On the flipside, Roxie can go after Cora, we could end up with a tag match. We got a very good tag match from Lyons & Stark VS Kiana & Grace, and I figured Lyons & Stark would win. Maybe they’ll build up towards the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships so that it isn’t just Toxic Attraction going right after KC Squared. And good debut win for Quincy Elliot. He has Goldust meets Viscera vibes, and the live fans clearly love the Super Diva, so Quincy’s going to go far.

Also a great debut win for Hank Walker, because certainly in kayfabe, you wouldn’t expect him to win when he’s “just a security guard.” I did appreciate Wade Barrett on commentary blending work and shoot, where Hank is a prospect but he’s in security to pay his dues. Javi will surely want payback for this loss, he and Hank can have a good feud as we get to know Hank. Sol Ruca had a good vignette promo to show her moves both on land and in water, I wonder if she’ll clash with Tiffany Stratton as they’re both athletes from one sport who moved into pro-wrestling. And a shame to hear about Yulisa Leon, but it will be interesting to see Feroz on her own. Also, that segment worked to set up Sanga VS Von, and that should be great, too.

Good to see Oliver Carter making the move to NXT now that NXT UK has shut down. Of course he gets a WWE name, even though “Oliver Carter” wasn’t his legal name. But “Oro Mensah” isn’t the worst name, and “Mensah” is common and recognizable surname from Ghana, so it is a way for Oliver/Oro to reference his heritage. And of course Waller gets upset that A) he isn’t the NXT Superstar of the Year, and B) there is another new name coming to the brand. Waller VS Mensah will be some good stuff, and this will be an extension of the Oliver Carter story from NXT UK where he is finding out how to be a solo star without Ashton Smith by his side.

Good stuff from Grimes, Gacy, The Dyad and even Edris & Malik. Grimes wanting to take Tony D & Stacks on alone was a bit surprising but of course he went and did it. Gacy joining in was great because it was like the greatest Face turn tease we could’ve gotten. Grimes doubles down on not being interested in joining The Schism, so The Schism loses interest in him. The Dyad also gets in the faces of Edris & Malik to help bring them back into this story, I expect a Six Man Tag of Grimes, Edris & Malik VS The Schism, and who knows if or how Tony D & Stacks get involved. Maybe Tony gets a new third man to replace Two Dimes so we can get a huge WAR GAMES blow-off.

Good promos from JD McDonagh, Tyler Bate and Bron Breakker. Bron’s was a retrospective disguised as an interview, but it just shows me how quickly they pushed Bron to the top. Bron’s really good, but I still doubt he should’ve been the two-time NXT Champion that then became Undisputed NXT Champion. I do appreciate that we’re getting JD VS Bate in a contender’s match, and then that winner will face Bron at, again I would think, Halloween Havoc. And whether we get Bron VS JD II or Bron VS Bate II, I really feel like the time’s come for Bron to drop the title and then move on to RawDown.

And of course, great stuff for the North American Championship story. I had a feeling Wes Lee was going to win that poll, but what a twist that Melo & Trick beat the crap out of Wes to deny him the title match. But then a great twist back that Solo returned despite being on SmackDown with The Bloodline. Solo continues his story here on NXT by finally taking Melo on 1v1 and finally taking the title! What a great move, and it really adds some depths to the dynamic of The Bloodline. Solo comes off as Heel against McIntyre, but he’s clearly Face here. It could be seen as Solo isn’t really a Heel on SmackDown, since he is just defending his family.

I bet on Friday, we see Solo raise the North American Championship alongside Roman and the Usos, and that will only add to things going on with The Bloodline and Sami Zayn. Sami will feel the pressure of needing a title, and if he doesn’t get the Intercontinental Championship soon, he’ll get kicked out of the group.

My Score: 8.6/10


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Coverage

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

Talk about a Big Time Raw!

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Will The Man be the Last Woman Standing?

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

OFFICIAL RESULTS

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

PLAY BY PLAY

Jey Uso is here!

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

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

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

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

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

 

Adam Pearce is on the phone.

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winners: DIY, by pinfall (advance to WrestleMania)

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

 

Judgment Day meets backstage.

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

Winners: Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell, by submission

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

 

Cody Rhodes makes his way to the ring.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Nia Jax speaks.

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

 

Cody Rhodes returns backstage.

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

 

Dominik Mysterio w/ JD McDonagh VS Ricochet!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Ricochet, by pinfall

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

 

Sami Zayn is backstage.

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

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

 

Adam Pearce is in the ring.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Sami confronts Gable now.

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

 

CM Punk speaks.

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

 

Drew McIntyre is here!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Becky Lynch speaks.

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Liv Morgan confronts Becky Lynch.

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

 

Cody walks with his dog, Pharaoh, backstage.

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

 

Last Woman Standing: Becky Lynch VS Nia Jax!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Becky Lynch

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


My Thoughts:

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

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

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

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

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

My Score: 8.9/10


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

The semifinals are here!

Published

on

We’re just one step away from the Cup!

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

OFFICIAL RESULTS

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

PLAY BY PLAY

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

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

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

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

No Contest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: SANADA VS Hirooki Goto!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


My Thoughts:

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

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

My Score: 8.9/10


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