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Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (11/15/22)

Bron VS Von! Rose VS Fyre!

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NXT White 'n' Gold Era

The top two titles are on the line!

Tonight, both the NXT and NXT Women’s Championships are on the line as Bron Breakker takes on his largest opponent yet in Von Wagner, and Rose VS Fyre goes LAST WOMAN STANDING! Will the landscape change a month out from NXT Deadline?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • NXT Championship: Bron Breakker VS Von Wagner w/ Robert Stone; Bron wins and retains the title.
  • Indus Sher VS George Cannon & Ariel Dominguez; Indus Sher wins.
  • Apollo Crews VS JD McDonagh; Crews wins.
  • Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen w/ Fallon Henley VS The Dyad w/ The Schism; The Dyad wins.
  • Tatum Paxley w/ Ivy Nile VS Indi Hartwell; Indi wins.
  • NXT Women’s Championship Last Woman Standing: Mandy Rose VS Alba Fyre; Rose wins and retains the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

NXT Championship: Bron Breakker VS Von Wagner w/ Robert Stone!

The Big Booty Nephew has faced legends and peers but had the physical advantages of size and strength. That advantage now goes the other way against Vicious Von! Will that tip the scales and make this Wagner’s to win? Or can Bron break through against the odds once again?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see if Bron survives Wagner’s World!

The bell rings and Von throws STONE at Bron! Bron throws Stone away, but Von BOOTS Bron! Von throws hands on Bron in the corner! Then he bumps Bron off buckles! Von stomps a mudhole in, digs his knee in, but the ref counts. Von lets off at 4, and he stalks Bron to ropes. Von whips to ELBOW Bron down! Fans boo but Von talks smack on Bron. Von CHOKES Bron on the ropes but lets off as the ref counts. Fans rally for Bron but Von whips him to ropes. Bron slides under the boot and comes back to run Von over! Von gets up, into an EXPLODER! Fans bark as Bron whips Von and RANAS! Fans fire up with Bron while Von flounders!

Stone coaches Von up but Bron headlocks. Von endures and fights up, but he can’t power free. Fans rally but Von powers up and puts Bron on ropes. Von then steps over the ropes to HOTSHOT Bron! Von gets in to CLUB Bron, YANKS the arm, and runs Bron over! Von drags Bron up to run him over again! Von CLUBS Bron’s arm more, Stone coaches Von, and Von hammerlocks before the scoop and SLAM! Bron writhes and fans boo but Von doesn’t care. Von drags Bron up, snapmares him down and drops an elbow! Cover, TWO! Bron clutches his arm but he’s still in this. Von drags Bron up to CLUB the arm more.

Von whips Bron to ropes, but Bron turns that around into a suplex! Bron holds Von up and fans fire up before the SLAM! Bron kips up and fans bark. Bron headlocks, Von powers out but Bron ducks ‘n’ dodges and CLOBBERS Von! Fans fire up as Von goes to a corner. Bron barks at Von while NXT goes picture in picture.

Bron and Von stare down, but Von keeps cool. They reset, circle again, and tie up. VOn knees low! And CLUBS Bron down! Von CHOKES Bron on the ropes again, but lets off to then bend him back! The ref counts, Von lets off at 4, and Bron sputters. Stone talks trash and Von drags Bron up to YANK the arm again. Von wrangles Bron into a chinbar but Bron endures. Von keeps Bron down but Bron fights up, only for Von to wrangle him back down! Von keeps on the bad arm but Bron fights his way up. Von KNEES low, whips Bron to ropes, but Bron slips around to headlock and takeover! Von rolls it to a cover, ONE!

Bron grinds the hold, shifts around, then goes back to the headlock. Von headscissors back and holds tight! Bron endures, kips free, and he headlocks for another takeover. Von keeps his shoulders up, fights to his feet, and powers out. Von KNEES Bron down! Von then hauls Bron up to throw him with a headlock takeover. But Bron headscissors back! Bron holds tight, even as Von kicks around. Von reaches out with a leg but Bron shifts to facelock. Bron gator rolls Von from the ropes, then back the other way! Von stands up but Bron headlocks. Bron hits another takeover and NXT returns to single picture.

Fans rally for Bron, but Von fights his way back up. Von powers out, but Bron gets around again, only for Von to hit a BIG back suplex! Both men are down but Bron crawls his way out of the ring. Von goes out after Bron and RAMS him into the steel steps! Fans boo but Von pulls the steps apart. Stone says, “You do you, Von! You do you.” Von goes after Bron as fans boo more, and Von brings Bron over to choke grip, and CHOKE SLAM on the steps!! Bron writhes while fans lose their minds! Von then puts Bron in the ring and covers, TWO!! Bron survives, showing the toughness of a two-time NXT Champion!

Von snarls and Stone is furious, but Von drags Bron up into double underhooks! BUTTERFLY SUPLEX! Von hauls Bron up again to scoop SLAM! Von drags Bron up a third time to POST HIM! Then he reels Bron in, for a BIG back suplex! Cover, TWO!! Bron survives again and Von is fuming! Von looms over Bron, and drags him up into a BEARHUG! Bron endures as fans actually duel, “Let’s Go, Breakker!” “Let’s Go, Wagner!” Von drags Bron into a cobra clutch and thrashes him around! Bron endures, but Von throws him down. Stone wants the ref to call this but Bron crawls to the ropes.

Von storms up on Bron, hauls him up to the top rope, and throws haymakers! Von climbs up after Bron, but Bron blocks the suplex! Bron throws body shots, Von staggers away, and Bron FLYING LARIATS! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Stone panics as Von sits up in a daze. Von throws a haymaker but Bron counter punches! And again! Bron ducks ‘n’ dodges to start throwing big shoulder tackles! Bron dodges again, then catches Von’s leap for a SPINEBUSTER! Fans bark it up and Bron climbs up top. FLYING BULLDOG! Bron roars and fans fire up more! Bron goes to the corner, he runs in at Von, but into a fireman’s carry! DEATH VALLEY DRIVER! Cover, TWO!!!

Von and the fans can’t believe Bron survives! Stone throws off his jacket while Von gets in the ref’s face! Von argues the count but the ref says it was fair. Bron rises and brings down the straps! Stone tries to tell Von but Von shoves him down! Bron lifts Von! But Von slips off, fireman’s carries, but Bron slips off and SPEARS! Cover, Bron wins!

Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall (still NXT Champion)

Von was bigger, but Bron was still stronger! Bron’s beaten those more experienced, more sadistic and more massive than him, who will ever take this title from him?

 

Alba Fyre speaks.

“Mandy Rose, the only reason I stand here today without the NXT Women’s title is because of your two best friends. Now I’ve taken out Gigi Dolin and I’ve taken out Jacy Jayne. You don’t have the numbers anymore. All you have is this fire keeper burning a hole in your soul. Everything that you hold close to you will go up in flames, and your Toxic Empire will burn. Mandy, the fear you’re experiencing is real. And tonight, anything goes as I stand over you the Last Woman Standing, and NEW NXT Women’s Champion!” Will Fyre burn the Rose to a crisp to finally take that title from her?

 

Bron returns backstage.

He takes a seat with the title, only for JD McDonagh to walk over. “Congratulations, champ. You know you’re never going to be done with me, right?” JD then leaves before Bron can respond. Will the Irish Ace come back around to pick apart what’s left of Bron?

 

Zoey Stark goes to the ring.

She may not be NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion, but the Sin City Soldier doesn’t seem upset at all. But that’s because she beat down Nikkita Lyons, putting all the blame for losing on her! Stark gets the mic to say, “Oh, man, does my back feel so much lighter not having to carry Nikkita Lyons for another week. See let me tell you a story. Nine months ago, I was out on the shelf. I was on the shelf for nine MONTHS! And when I came back in July, I came in like a bat outta hell! I tore through 19 other women to earn an opportunity against Mandy Rose for the NXT Women’s Championship.

“And I was ready. Boy, was I ready. And then… I get called into a meeting. And in that meeting, everything changed. See, in this meeting, I was told they were gonna hold a tournament for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, and they wanted me to team with Nikkita Lyons. You guys, they chose us over more established teams like Toxic Attraction or the champs, Kayden & Katana. I knew I was gonna have to do a lot of the heavy lifting, but that was fine, I took pride in knowing that we were going to represent NXT. But as we all know, we didn’t get to make it to that part, because after my match against Mandy Rose at Heatwave, I wasn’t medically cleared.

“As I was in the medical room, Nikkita Lyons, she walks in. She puts her hand on my shoulder, and she looks me dead in my eyes and tells me, ‘Zoey, it’s okay. Accidents happen. I’m not mad at you.'” Stark laughs! Lyons wasn’t mad at Stark? Stark is the weak link? NO! Stark didn’t get hurt during training or doing stupid TikTok videos! She got injured wrestling, working with one of the top, dominant females, one of the best champions ever in Mandy Rose! And what did Starks do when she returned again? She put Lyons on her back and carried her ass! Stark carried Lyons through training, the tape study, all of it!

And all Stark asked was that Lyons take a fraction of the work to lighten the load. But no. All Stark got was endless apologies instead of results! Stark was angry, but she’s not anymore. When she had the tag titles in her hands, which should’ve been hers, Stark knew exactly what she needed to do. And she did it: she CLOBBERED Lyons with them! Stark says she tried her hardest to help Lyons! And the new recruits, the new athletes! The more she helped, the more time she gave, the more they just clung and leeched off of her! Stark is done with that. She is tired of it! She tried to be part of the solution.

But now, Stark will be a huge part of the problem! Stark didn’t get famous posing on the beach, doing some stupid dance on social media, no! She did it all in the ring, busting her ass! For all of them clapping and cheering her on, “Screw you!” They are all the same people who go on social media and like those dance videos! They’re the same people who look at Lyons with all of her “assets,” and them dream about her all night. So just screw all of you! Fans boo but Stark says the way she sees it, NXT is no longer about the future. It’s about ZOEY STARK. And Stark is UNDENIABLE!! Stark is the hunter! And everyone in the back? They are the prey!

 

NXT checks in with Chase U.

Andre Chase is impressed by Thea Hail’s recent test results, she got it 100% right. Duke Hudson then walks in, as Chase wanted to meet with him. Yes, have a seat, Duke. Duke sits with Chase and Chase wants to know: Why did Duke throw in the towel? Did he want to see Chase lose? Well, that’s a good question, given Duke’s track record. But if Chase wants the truth, then the truth is… Duke saw Chase was in so much pain and he couldn’t stand to watch. Chase’s health is far more important than one wrestling match.

Chase is a fantastic teacher, but he knows nothing about quitting, he doesn’t know the meaning of the word! That is why Duke threw in the towel: so that Chase could live to fight another day. Imagine if Charlie Dempsey did permanent damage to Chase’s shoulder. If Chase goes down, Chase U goes down. If Chase is on the shelf, the entire school is on the shelf, so that is why Duke threw in the towel. If people want to say Duke cares too much about Chase U, that he bleeds black ‘n’ red, then guilty as charged! Chase says okay. But then in walks Thea. Chase wanted to go over a paper? Duke gives up his seat and takes his leave.

Thea says Duke’s kinda growing on her. Chase seems to agree. Will Duke Hudson prove he is the Ace of Chase U?

 

Apollo Crews finds Bron in the locker room.

Apollo reminds Bron that he’s back in NXT for one reason and one reason only: the NXT Championship. ANd Apollo knows Bron is sore and tired, but just watch what Apollo does. Where one challenge ends, the next begins. Later, champ. Bron’s challengers clash later on, who comes out as the #1 contender?

 

Indus Sher VS George Cannon & Ariel Dominguez!

Veer & Sanga have reunited, and they look to start where they left off! Will these tigers tear apart the NXT Tag Team Division until they are the kings of the jungle?

The teams sort out and Sanga starts against George. They tie up, and Sanga SLAMS George down! Sanga drags George up to SLAM him down again! And then Sanga scoops George to LAWN DART HOTSHOT! Sanga waits on George to stand, then he full nelson SLAMS him down! Tag to Veer, Sanga stands George up, and they SANDWICH him! George sputters, Veer stands on his foot to keep him from getting away! Veer then RAMS him into the corner! Veer dares Ariel Dominguez to tag in! Fans say “NO! NO! NO!” but Veer makes him tag George! Veer then TOSSES this guy across the ring! Fans are stunned seeing that!

Veer looms over Ariel and hauls him up. Ariel SLAPS Veer, but that was a mistake. Veer RAMS Ariel into his chest! Then he tags Sanga, and they SANDWICH Ariel! Sanga smirks as he drags Ariel up with one arm, and SLAMS him! Sanga then drags Ariel up again, scoops with one arm again, and SLAMS him again! Tag back to Veer, and Veer drags Ariel around. LEAPING ELBOW DROP! Veer tags Sanga back in because they’re still not done! They drag George up, Sanga runs as Veer holds him up, DRAPING BOOT!! Ariel is in a corner, Sanga SPLASHES him! Sanga drags Ariel over, tags in Veer, and Indus Sher coordinate.

Veer goes up, Sanga scoops, FLYING LEG DROP SIDEWALK SLAM!! Cover, Indus Sher wins!

Winners: Indus Sher, by pinfall

The tigers toyed with their prey, but they feasted on every last bit of them! They then get the mics to say, ‘Creed Brothers. We have a great respect for you. The NXT Universe has a great respect for you. But they don’t respect us!” In India, they are celebrities. Here in America, they are not appreciated. Sanga & Veer no longer stand for it! The only way to gain respect is by destroying the Creeds! And unfortunately for you, Julius & Brutus, that is what Indus Sher will do to you!

The Creed Brothers are watching backstage.

Julius says, “Respect? After these dudes jumped us? They’re delusional! We’re going to maul ’em.” Brutus says Indus Sher did just maul their opponents, but if they’re trying to make a name of Diamond Mine… Julius says if they wanna hit the Creeds, the Creeds will hit harder. Step up, get thrown down! Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley walk in. Ivy says not to sweat Indus Sher. Diamond Mine is finally past Damon Kemp, the reason they’re not the tag team champions. Time to circle back. Just worry about Pretty Deadly. Yeah, but Indus Sher is calling them out! This isn’t something they can just let go unchecked. They started it, too.

Ivy won’t argue, she has to go help Tatum prepare. But if it were her, this is the wrong fight. Ivy & Tatum head out, the Creeds say that if they’re to go after Pretty Deadly, they gotta handle Indus Sher first. Will the Creeds be able to withstand the might of Sanga & Veer?

 

Backstage interview with Wendy Choo.

McKenzie Mitchell brings up Cora Jade’s comments aimed at Wendy, so what is Wendy’s response? “Cora Jade is always going to be a salty and petulant child. She’s never gonna change. She said some things about me last week that just aren’t true. But she did say some things about me that I haven’t heard since high school. She’s trying to open old wounds. The fact is, I am a little wacky. I just like to be fun and not so serious. So Cora and anyone else who disagrees just need to take a long hard look in the mirror. But in Cora’s case, I want her to wait a week, because I want her to look at herself in the mirror after I give her two black eyes.”

The Queen of Comfort looks to play rough with #GenerationJade, will Choo humble Cora herself?

 

Apollo Crews VS JD McDonagh!

Both men have said their piece to Bron Breakker, but now they must back it all up with actions. Will Apollo’s vision of the future come true? Or will the Irish Ace trump all that to get another shot?

NXT returns as Crews makes his entrance. The bell rings and Crews circles with JD. They tie up, Crews waistlocks and SLAMS JD! JD slips out of the facelock to get an arm but Crews slips through to wrench back. They switch, JD headlocks for a takeover but Crews rolls to a cover, ONE! Fans applaud that opening exchange as the two reset. They feel things out, knuckle lock, and then JD kicks low! JD CLUBS Crews, has him in a corner, and whips him corner to corner. Crews goes up and over and handsprings to then arm-drag! Crews has the armlock but JD endures. JD moves around, stands up and whips, but Crews slides under.

Crews headlocks, JD powers out, but Crews RAMS JD. Crews runs again, but into JD’s arm-drag! JD armlocks but Crews kips up, only to run into another arm-drag! JD tries again but Crews headscissors. JD kips free, and he fakes out the takeover to drop an elbow on Crews! Fans applaud this exchange, and JD drags Crews up. JD CHOPS and stomps and punches Crews to a corner. JD stomps a mudhole then digs his boot in, but lets off as the ref counts 4. Fans boo JD, but Apollo CHOPS him back! And CHOPS! JD ducks a chop but Crews DECKS him with a right! Crews whips JD corner to corner, then back drops JD on the rebound!

Fans fire up and JD wants mercy! But then he kicks! Crews blocks it and spins JD to then duck, dodge and CLOBBER JD! JD flounders right out of the ring! Crews pursues but JD leads him on a cat ‘n’ mouse. They get in the ring but then JD slips right out, only for Crews to moonsault away! Crews blocks the Penalty Kick to YANK JD off the apron! Crews cradles JD, to then SLAM him on the announce desk! JD writhes and Crews flexes as NXT goes to break.

NXT returns again and JD has a SLEEPER on Crews! But Crews climbs a corner?! For a SUPER BACKPACK SENTON! Crews is free, but JD rises again! JD has the SLEEPER back on!! Fans fire up and rally as Crews hurries to his feet again! Crews powers free, and he puts a SLEEPER on JD! But JD hits as BIG back suplex! Fans fire up while both men are down! Crews and JD stir, and Crews crawls to the ropes. JD goes to the other side, he runs in, but Crews TOSSES JD up and out! JD hits the floor, Crews goes out and MOONSAULTS! Fans fire up as Crews knocks JD down again! Crews hurries to put JD in the ring as fans chant for “NXT! NXT!”

Crews dodges JD’s haymaker to mule kick and run for a BOOT! And a LARIAT! JD sits up in a daze, Crews takes aim from a corner. JD flounders to a corner, Crews runs in and SPLASHES! JD is down again but Crews goes right up! Crews SENTONS but has to roll through! JD gets up, into a BOOT! Crews underhooks and lifts, TIGER BOMB! Then a deadlift to a SIT-OUT BOMB!! Cover, TWO!! JD survives and fans fire up as this one continues! Crews drags JD up, fireman’s carries and then puts JD up top. Crews climbs up after JD, but JD throws hands! They brawl up top, Crews gets the edge, and he tries again.

Crews goes to the very top, but JD slips out to trip Crews up! JD puts Crews in the Tree of Woe to CLUB him down out of it! Fans duel and JD stomps Crews down. JD drags Crews up, CHOPS him, then whips corner to corner. Crews reverses but JD tumbles up and around! JD flops to the apron, but he DUMPS Crews out! JD aims to PENALTY KICK! A glancing blow, but then JD ASAI MOONSAULTS! Direct hit as JD proves he can fly like Crews! JD puts Crews in the ring now, catches his breath, then snarls as he goes up a corner. But Crews springs up after him! SUPER OLYMPIC SLAM!! Fans are thunderous as both men are down!

Fans rally up as JD and Crews stir. A standing count starts, and reaches 5 of 10 as JD and Crews sit up. The count is 7, but both men stand at 9! Crews CHOPS! JD CHOPS back! Crews CHOPS, ROCKS and facelocks to suplex! JD knees free and cradles! TWO!! Crews has it, TWO!! JD has it back, TWO!! Crews has it again, TWO!! Crews ducks ‘n’ dodges, but into a SPANISH FLY!! Fans are thunderous again and JD drags Crews right up, but Crews KNEES! JD HEADBUTS! Ripcord, but Crews sunset flips! And deadlifts, but JD SUNSET BOMBS! Cover, TWO!!! Crews escapes and no one can believe it!

“This is Awesome!” as JD rises again. JD goes to a corner, he grits his teeth and he aims at Crews. Crews slowly rises, rushes in, but JD slips out! JD HOTSHOTS Crews down, goes up top again, to MOONSAULT! But he has to roll through as Crews dodges! Crews hits a MILE HIGH SPINEBUSTER!! Cover, Crews WINS!

Winner: Apollo Crews, by pinfall

The Irish Ace went all in but went bust! Apollo looks like the frontrunner going after Bron’s title, and Bron appears to stare him down! Will NXT soon be under Crews’ control?

 

Backstage interview with Mandy Rose.

Tonight’s NXT Women’s Championship match is under a Last Woman Standing match, but Fyre- Rose stops McKenzie there, we all heard what Fyre said. But the world needs to listen to Mandy now. “For the last year, I have heard every prediction in the book. Mandy’s not ready, the stage is too big, Mandy can’t wrestle, she’s outmatched. Oh, the best one: She can’t carry this title. Every flash in the pan, flavor of the month, one hit wonder, international ranker, and every cliché you can think of that has been thought of and promoted as the woman who could beat me. Well here I stand, still as your NXT Women’s Champion.

“And not because you’re looking at a cliché, but because you’re looking at a one in a BILLION superstar! Listen, I know Alba Fyre is gonna bring it tonight. But with or without my girls, this title is staying with me. Because after tonight, I will be the Last Woman Standing. You can get outta here.” McKenzie leaves, but will the Toxic Goddess make her promise a reality?

 

Backstage interview with Javier Bernal.

McKenzie says Javier requested this time to speak, what’s on his mind? He has a lot on his mind! He knows he’s the new kid on the block, but he’s learned that he can’t wait for opportunities to come to him. no no, he is going to seize them. So instead of people telling him who he is facing, he’s going to be the one to issue a challenge. Who will it be? The guy Javier’s going to face, the guy who will bring out the best in him and really push him: Axiom! Axiom is a hell of a competitor, so- Wait, Axiom? Yes. Didn’t he see what happened last week? Axiom isn’t medically cleared to compete.

Well who is McKenzie to doubt Axiom? He’s a professional! You can sell him short but- NO one disagrees, Javier, but Axiom is hurt. Well, okay, fine. Then maybe the former NXT UK Champion, Ilja Dragunov! Big Body Javi VS The Mad Russian! They’ll tear the house down! They’ll build it up and t- No, he’s also injured, back in Germany rehabbing. Well, if Big Body Javi challenged him, he’d go back to German, too. Ok, let’s get serious. Javi wants someone from Gallus! Let’s see how rough and tough you boys are! McKenzie can even pick one of them! Uh, Gallus is still suspended. Doesn’t he know that?

Javi sighs. Well here is what he knows. McKenzie is part of the problem! She’s holding back one of the greatest NXT superstars from unlocking his potential! That’s just to right. Javi heads out, but it sounds like Javi has his wires crossed. Will he actually step up and challenge someone he knows can fight back?

 

Booker T is in the ring.

“What up~? Guys, I’m so excited because next week, we have a match for the NXT North American Championship! At this time, I give you the challenger. He is flanked by Trick Williams. He is a two-time North American Champion. Give it up for Carmelo Hayes!” Hayes comes out in a deep purple suit, Trick by his side, and he goes to the ring. Booker continues to say, “And without any further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the NXT North American Champion, Wes Lee!” The Must-See Kid makes his way out now, and everyone takes their seats at the table.

Booker says he is excited. But first, he must say, he’s a fan of both of them. Melo says before getting to “this sucker,” he wants to say one thing. Melo says as a “lower case g to a big G,” it is an honor to be part of Booker’s fave five. It really is. Real recognizes real. Booker says he did say that. But his thing is, no diss to the champ… Wes says that’s all fine. But everyone has to accept that Melo is no longer The A Champion. He’s the X Champion. But Melo can hold onto his accolade as much as he wants, it’s all fine.

Booker says he is excited for this contract signing, but first, some questions. Melo is on the precipice of becoming a three-time- Trick adds, “THREE TIME~!” Booker sighs. He finishes by saying Melo could become a three-time North American Champion. His thoughts? Melo says he IS, but Wes, there’s no doubt that Wes will go to his absolute limits to retain the title. But what Wes should understand is that his absolute limit is where Melo pulls up and starts from. Melo is relentless about being The A Champion, and Wes only just got it so he wouldn’t understand.

So next week, the 15 minutes of sympathy and attention, the best time of Wes’s life and the worst time of Melo’s, it ends! It’s over! Trick says, “Over, Wes!” Booker says then it’s fair that Melo is feeling real confident. Trick tells Booker that Wes is good, he’s a great athlete, but he don’t got nothing on Melo! And no ladders for Wes to climb, either! This will be Wes’s first and last title defense! Booker says he was going to bring that up to Wes. This is his first singles title defense in his first reign. The question is: What is Wes willing to do to make sure he walks out still NXT North American Champion?

Wes says, “Booker, everyone knows how hard I worked in order to earn this. If you had told me a year ago that I’d be sitting here, having this conversation with you, I wouldn’t have believed you. But I took the hand that the universe dealt me, and I played it really, really well. I found some inner peace knocking Trick’s ass out.” Fans cheer that! And from the ashes, Wes climbed up to become a champion. Now he solidifies the man he has become as he becomes the new standard as champion! Wes will risk everything to keep it! Shucky ducky quack quack~! Let’s get this signed right now! First, the challenger, Melo.

Melo says he prefers, “The Future Three-Time North American Champion.” But Melo signs his part. Wes promises Melo that his attitude and arrogance will be his downfall. The contract is then passed to Wes, and Wes likes hearing himself be called the champion. Wes signs on the line now, and there we have it! The contract is signed and sealed, and next week it’ll be delivered! Next week, it’ll be on. Wes says it feels great to have this moment right here. Trick says no one cares how Wes feels. How did it feel when Wes’s head was smashed into a locker? Wes tells Trick to SHUT UP! This is between Wes and Trick’s meal ticket!

Melo says he is at the point where he will “First 48” Wes in front of witnesses, and nobody will do a damn thing! But then Booker tells them all, “WHOA! Wait a damn minute!!” Booker says it ain’t going down like this! Ain’t nobody dropping nobody tonight, going through no tables! Both of them can save the drama for their mamas, because next week, the world will see the finest NXT has to offer! Who will be North American Champion? We’ll just see! NOW CAN YOU DIG THAT, SUCKAAAAA?!

 

We hear from the mysterious man once again.

“The truth is never simple. Until I’m sitting across the table. At that point, you have two choices: give me the truth, or I beat it out of you. NXT is a soft society, but soon, that will change. Because I am not a product of my environment. My environment is a product of me. And hard justice is on its way.”

 

Odyssey Jones, Malik Blade & Edris Enofe hang out backstage.

Jones says he can’t lie, these past few weeks with them have been great! And they’re going to keep it going tonight! Yeah! But before, uh, what’s up with the sweater vests, Malik? Well, it’s about his best friend, his dad. Malik’s father was a pastor, and he used to wear the best clothes around. He went to a store called Lookin’ Good. And every time Malik’s dad pulled up, the store owner would have a custom order book ready for Malik’s dad to pick out the craziest designs. And the first thing he ever ordered out of that book for Malik was a sweater vest.

But then his dad passed away. And up in the attic, there were so many sweater vests wrapped in plastic. So that’s why Malik rocks the vests! To honor his dad and follow his advice! Edris knows this one, too. “Either you drip or drown, and I’m gon’ drip!” Jones loves it! Now, let’s have some fun! Will Malik, Edris & Jones bring the drip to NXT?

 

Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen w/ Fallon Henley VS The Dyad w/ The Schism!

The good ol’ boys are back in action, hoping to rope themselves another shot at the NXT Tag Team Championships. But will this be a Sunday drive or a wild rodeo as they take on the grizzled Rip Fowler & Jagger Reed?

The teams sort out and Jensen starts against Rip. They circle, tie up, and Rip cravats to then headlock. Jensen powers out but Rip runs him over. Things speed up, Rip whips Jensen but Jensen turns hip toss into hip toss! And then he step-up RANAS Rip away! And then he DROPKICKS Rip down! Cover, ONE! Rip gets up, but Jensen wrenches to wristlock. Rip pulls hair and then the waistband. Tag to Jagger, he and Rip mug Jensen, then Reed ROCKS and CLUBS Jensen! Reed shoves Jensen but Jensen hurdles and tags Briggs before the BULLDOG! Reed staggers up, into Briggs’s big shoulder!

Briggs fires up, he tags Jensen back in, and they hand off the wrench to a wristlock. Jensen grinds the armlock and he wrangles Reed. Reed gets up, works on his escape, but Jensen wrenches and headlocks. Reed powers out but Jensen runs him over! Tag to Briggs, they whip Reed onto ropes, then they run, slide and DOUBLE HAYMAKER! Fans fire up with the country boys and Briggs pushes Reed over. Tag to Jensen, Jensen CLUBS Reed, then headlocks. Reed powers out while tagging Rip. Jensen hurdles Reed but Rip trips Jensen! Rip drags Jensen out but Jensen DECKS him! But then Ava Raine stands in Jensen’s way.

Jensen tells Ava to back off, but Reed DIVES! Direct hit and Reed even hits the desk! But the Schism is fired up as they have control and put Jensen on the apron. Rip cravats Jensen and SLAMS him into the edge! Jensen checks his chin but Rip stands him up to ROCK him! But Jensen fights back! He throws big elbows and haymakers, but Rip keeps him from Briggs! Jensen CLUBS Rip away and hot tags Briggs! Briggs rallies on The Dyad with big haymakers! And then a TIGER BACKBREAKER for Rip! BOOT for Reed! Rip bails out, Briggs goes to the apron and FLYING SHOULDERS Rip down! Reed comes around, but gets the pop-up LARIAT!

Fans are thunderous as Briggs goes up to FLYING LARIAT Rip! Briggs scoops to SIDEWALK SLAM and SPLASH! Fans fire up but Kiana James storms out here to yell at Fallon?! She wants that bar! She swings on Fallon, Fallon dodges, and Fallon DECKS Kiana into Jensen! Jensen is a gentleman, but he’s still a man. He’s all flustered, Briggs gets distracted, and Rip tags Reed. The Dyad dodges Briggs to then DOUBLE CODE BREAKER!! Cover, The Dyad wins!!

Winners: The Dyad, by pinfall

Jensen is beside himself as he let this one slip away! The Schism stands tall thanks to the chaos, but will their dystopian order take over NXT soon enough?

 

Shawn Michaels speaks!

“NXT is a brand focusing on developing the superstars of tomorrow, but also a brand focused on innovation. On Saturday, December 10th, at NXT Deadline, we will present to you a revolutionary new match never done before in WWE history: The Iron Survivor Challenge. There will be two Iron Survivor Challenges at NXT Deadline, one for the men and one for the women. Five superstars will compete in this unique 25 minute match. They will battle each other, and the clock. Two superstars will start the match. Every five minutes, a new superstar will enter, until all five are in the ring. The goal of the match is have the most falls when the clock hits 25 minutes.

“Falls can be won at any time via pinfall, submission, or disqualification. When a superstar wins a fall, they will earn one point. However, when the superstar loses a fall, they must pay the penalty. They are forced out of the ring and into the Penalty Box for 90 seconds. Once the 90 seconds are up, that superstar can reenter the match. The superstar who has scored the most falls when the clock hits 25 minutes will be named the Iron Survivor, and become the #1 contender to the NXT (and NXT Women’s) Championship. The superstars competing in this one of a kind, first-time-ever match will be announced in the coming weeks. Thank you and we’ll see you Saturday, December 10th, at NXT Deadline.” A complex but historic match, who will come out as the inaugural Iron Survivors?

 

Tatum Paxley w/ Ivy Nile VS Indi Hartwell!

The Diamond Mine’s prospect is back in action, hoping to impress NXT management and get a golden opportunity. But so is #IndiWrestling, who is all about her, herself and Indi! Who will be the more impressive and perhaps even get a spot in the coming Iron Survivor Challenge?

The bell rings and wait, the lights go weird. Indi isn’t distracted, she knees Tatum low then bumps her off buckles. Tatum turns things around but Indi throws body shots. Indi scoops and SLAMS Tatum, then scoops again. Tatum slips off, waistlocks, but Indi bucks her away. Indi storms up but into a dropkick to the leg! Tatum then dropkicks Indi down! Tatum hurries to cover, ONE! Indi is in a corner but Tatum ROCKS her! Tatum whips, Indi blocks and she whips Tatum right into buckles. Indi then shoves Tatum to ropes, Tatum goes to counter the hip toss with a hip toss, but Indi blocks that!

Tatum throws a body shot, then gets a leg up to flip around! Indi CLOBBERS Tatum for it! Fans rally for Indi as she smirks at Tatum. Indi drags Tatum up, EuroUppers, and then EuroUppers again! Indi short arm LARIATS, then covers, TWO! Indi clamps onto Tatum with a chinlock but Tatum endures. Fans rally, Tatum fights up, but Indi wrangles Tatum down! Tatum still endures as Ivy coaches her, but Indi pushes Tatum to a cover. TWO, but Indi clamps back on with the chinlock. Tatum fights up as fans rally again, but Indi EuroUppers her down! Cover, TWO! And back to the chinlock!

Fans rally, Tatum endures and fights up, and she throws body shots! But Indi kicks low, CLUBS Tatum then DECKS her! Tatum crawls to the apron but Indi drags her up through the ropes. Indi swings but misses! Tatum trips Indi up! Ivy tells Tatum to hustle and she ROCKS Indi! Indi grabs the face brace! Tatum KICKS Indi away, and bumps her off buckles! Tatum bumps Indi off more buckles, then rallies with lariats and forearms! Tatum turns Indi to a NECKBREAKER! And STANDING MARIPOSA! Cover, TWO!! Indi is still in this, but Tatum isn’t giving up, either. Tatum fireman’s carries but Inti pulls the brace off!

Indi CHPO BLOCKS the leg, then STOMPS Tatum’s arm! Fans boo as Indi tosses the brace aside, to SLIDING FOREARM!! Cover, Indi wins!

Winner: Indi Hartwell, by pinfall

That was impressive, and pretty savage all at once. Ivy guards Tatum from anything more happening, but will Indi worry about bigger fish to fry?

 

SCRYPTS leaves another message.

“Your cameras couldn’t catch me. I got past your guards with ease. Now that I’m here, everything after this will only be a breeze. Because I’m fast as lightning, smarter than you think. Moves are incredible, you miss it if you blink. Next week, you will see that you and I aren’t the same. So tell me, who’s first to play a little game? Sincerely, SCRYPTS.”

 

Roxanne Perez finds Indi backstage.

Indi sighs and rolls her eyes. What is it this week, Roxie? Roxie just wanted to congratulate Indi. Well, thanks, it does feel good to string some W’s together. But uh, doesn’t Indi think that was a little too far, taking off Tatum’s face mask? And there it is. There can never just be a congrats from “Little Ms. Perfect.” Roxie is just saying, that could’ve rebroken Tatum’s nose. Does Roxie think Tatum would care if Indi’s nose was broken? Indi is just doing what she has to in order to get into the Iron Survivor match. Well, Roxie wants in, too. Everyone does! So Indi has to break someone’s nose, that’s just what she’ll do! Indi is getting savage, but will it pay off come Deadline?

 

NXT Women’s Championship Last Woman Standing: Mandy Rose VS Alba Fyre!

For over one year, the Toxic Reign has poured down upon NXT, adding name after name to a star-studded list. But it wasn’t without help from the Toxic Followers, Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne, now and again. Mandy is all alone with the furious fire keeper, but can she keep from being burned? Or will from the ashes of a Rose rise a brand new reign?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who is standing when the smoke clears!

The bell rings and Fyre storms up, only for Rose to bail out. Mandy says she’s champ, she makes the rules. Uh, no, she doesn’t. But Fyre rushes out to chase Rose back into the ring! And Fyre blocks the knee! To hook Rose up! Rose bails out of the Gory Especial and then back out of the ring. But Fyre DIVES and takes Rose out! Fans fire up with Fyre and she pulls the desk apart! Fyre drags Rose up and over, hooks her up again, but Rose flails free! Rose whips Fyre into the apron! And then whips again, but Fyre reverses to POST Rose! Fyre RAMS Rose into barriers, too! And then brings her up to whip her into more barriers!

Fans fire up more as Fyre goes under the ring to bring out a chair. Fyre JAMS Rose, puts the chair aside, and then she brings out the toolbox! Fyre dumps it out, and she has herself a steel rod! Fyre brings out another chair, puts that down, and scoops. But Rose slips out to scoop and SLAM Fyre on the chair! Rose gets away and the standing count starts. Fyre sits up at 4 and stands at 5. Fyre slides in, fans duel with “MAN~DY!” “SUCKS!” Fyre rises, Rose runs in and kicks her low! Rose kicks al eg out, then runs in, but the knee hits a CHAIR! Rose clutches that knee, and Fyre trips her up! Fyre has the rod, and she uses it as part of a HALF CRAB!!

Rose can only endure as there are no tap outs in this match! Fyre thrashes the leg as NXT goes picture in picture, but Roes reaches out to get the ropes! But no ropebreaks, either! Rose still endures, she turns over and she kicks Fyre away! Rose flops out of the ring while Fyre steadies herself. Fyre builds speed to DIVE into a trash can! Rose tosses the can into the ring and slides back in. Rose grabs the can to SMACK Fyre on the back with it. And again! And again! Rose lets off so the ref can count. Fyre is down at 5, but she rises at 6, so Mandy fires off on her! Rose grabs that rod and shows it off. She then steps up to Fyre, but she CLUBS her with her forearm.

Fyre kicks back! Fyre fireman’s carries but Rose slips off to shove and SPINEBUSTER! Fyre writhes and the count starts again. Rose hobbles a bit, her leg now bothering her. Rose snarls as she stalks Fyre and throws more haymakers. Rose CHOKES Fyre on the ropes, lets off to go grab the rod, and she looms over Fyre. Rose CLUBS Fyre in the side with the rod! And then PULLS Fyre back in a iron rod chinlock! NXT returns to single picture as Fyre endures and fans boo! Fyre has the iron bar in her MOUTH, but she fights up! Fyre arm-drags free, and she CLOBBERS Rose! And again!

Rose swings, into a spin, and a GOURD BUSTER! Fyre then PENALTY KICKS Mandy, and KICKS again! Rose goes to a corner, Fyre ROCKS her, then hits a TORNADO DDT! Rose avoids the trash can and she flounders out of the ring. Fyre runs and goes up, up and SUPER CANNONBALLS! A risky move but both women are down! Fans fire up as the count begins. Fyre sits up at 4, stands at 6, but Rose sits up. Rose slowly rises but is up at 8! Fyre goes looking under the ring again, and she brings out a LADDER! Fyre RAMS Rose down with it! Fyre then sets the ladder up against a corner before she stalks Rose.

Rose stands, Fyre whips her, but Rose reverses! Fyre hits the ladder and steps! She falls over, Rose THROWS the ladder down! Fyre barely avoids disaster! Rose snarls as she RAMS the ladder into Fyre! Fans rally and duel as Rose keeps hitting Fyre with the ladder! Fyre is still down at 6, but she drags herself up at 7 to stand at 8! Rose storms over to put Fyre back in the ring. Rose sets the trash can in the middle of the ring and she drags Fyre up. Rose ROCKS Fyre, scoops her, but the bad leg gives out! Fyre fireman’s carries in return, WIDOWMAKER on the trash can! Rose is down and the count begins again!

Fyre stands at 5, Rose crawls at 6. Rose hobbles at 8 and then drops to a knee. Fyre storms over, but Rose TOSSES her up and out! Fyre hits the floor hard! Fyre sits up at 3, but Rose drags her up at 4. Rose TOSSES Fyre into the gap between barriers and fans! And then Rose jumps on Fyre to fire off forearms! Fyre hits back and it’s a brawl in front of the fans! Fans are thunderous as Fyre drags Rose up! But Rose fights the suplex with body shots! Rose TOSSES Fyre at the steel steps! Fyre bounces off the edge and the count is climbing! Fyre drags herself up at 7, and stands at 9.5!! Rose is fuming, but she LEAPS, into a SUPERKICK!

Rose wobbles, “This is Awesome!” as Fyre GORY BOMBS Rose to the apron! Rose is down again and the count begins again! Rose sits up at 5, stands at 6, and Fyre has her baseball bat! HOME RUN to the ribs!! Rose sputters, Fyre brings the ladder back around. Rose manages to stand at 6 but Fyre is on her with forearms! Fyre pushes Rose onto the desk, and fans fire up as Fyre climbs that ladder! Fyre grins as she rises higher, but then ISLA DAWN appears!? BLACK MIST!!! She SHOVES Fyre down, and Fyre falls through the desk!! The Wicked Witch of NXT UK is here in NXT and she may’ve just screwed Fyre over!!

The count is 6! Rose has to get up, too! Her bad leg is slowing her down but she stands! Fyre is down, Rose wins!!

Winner: Mandy Rose (still NXT Women’s Champion)

Fyre took out Gigi & Jacy, but who could have guessed that ISLA DAWN would help the Toxic Goddess survive? Rose gets away with the gold, but who will be the Iron Survivor that comes for her? And as for Isla, is she going to extinguish Fyre once and for all?


My Thoughts:

A very good NXT that went a lot harder than it probably needed to for a random Tuesday in November. Opening with the men’s title was a bit of a surprise, but I figured Bron was going to win anyway, so he and Von got their match out of the way. It was a really good match, honestly, and I like that we got the opposite of the usual Heel distraction. Stone ends up costing Von by just trying to help. I feel like this could lead to Von firing Stone as his manager. And we got an awesome match out of JD and Crews, and it would seem Apollo is unofficially the #1 contender with that win and with Bron walking out to stare him down.

Then the Last Woman Standing match closes, and it was some awesome stuff, too. But I’m very torn on how they chose to do the finish. On one hand, I’m happy that Isla Dawn is in NXT cuz she was doing great stuff in NXT. But on the other, C’MON, ISLA! Wait until Fyre has won and then you go after her!! Sometimes, Heels don’t think far ahead enough and would rather just keep the wrestler(s) they hate down instead of going for two birds with one stone. But I suppose this means Fyre and Isla can have it out as part of the Iron Survivor Challenge for NXT Deadline.

And wow, that is a really complex match. It does stem a bit from the Gauntlet Eliminator that William Regal introduced to NXT, which was really a downsized Aztec Warfare from Lucha Underground. But all that about the Penalty Box is going to be a lot to keep track of. I can’t wait to see who gets in it, and then who wins it. Indi does make a good case for herself with that win over Tatum, but I bet Roxie gets in for story reasons, and to possibly take the win. Roxie won the Breakout Tournament but Cora screwed her out of that, so this could be Roxie’s way back to a title shot and she’ll get a slightly more fair chance at Mandy.

Indus Sher mauled those two randos, prolonging it longer than they had to just because they could. They also had a good promo calling out the Creeds. The Creeds had a good response, and while Ivy has a point that they should worry about Pretty Deadly, the Creeds would probably have to face Indus Sher to get that title shot, so they might as well feud and get it done. That said, I feel like Indus Sher is going to get that upset victory and finally go for titles like they were likely meant to before Sanga spoiled Keith Lee VS Adam Cole to the world and got suspended for it.

Briggs & Jensen VS The Dyad was a really good match, and it was clever for them to have Kiana James be the distraction that costs Briggs & Jensen rather than something The Schism did. Kiana VS Fallon for the rights to the bar has to be on its way. We also got a good promo out of Chase U, with Duke continuing to put on this Face persona. This has to be a long con of some kind, but I can’t be sure of the endgame. And Wendy had a good promo to respond to Cora and set up a match between them. They’re going to have a good match next week, and the winner could even be part of the Iron Survivor Challenge.

Zoey Stark had a good promo, but I feel like the crowd took out a lot of the Heel heat she was supposed to have because they aren’t as onboard with Nikkita Lyons as NXT wants them to be. Stark really tried to get the fans mad at her, but they either respected what she said, or just trolled her with “Oh~ Zoey is Angry~!” I don’t know how well this feud between Stark and Lyons will work out, maybe they’ll have to call an audible and turn Stark back to Face while Lyons ends up more like if Lana’s TikTok influencer character could actually fight.

Dijak had another good promo, and his talk of “hard justice” makes me think he’s returning as a Heel. He’ll go after those he thinks are in the wrong per his standards. And SCRYPTS is already just boring. This week’s promo sounded like if Muhammad Ali and Jigsaw fused. But I loved the origin story of Malik’s sweater vests. I hope he, Edris and Jones rise up the ranks and go for some gold in the new year.

The contract signing segment tonight was great stuff, especially with Booker coming off as not even wanting to deal with Trick. Booker showed great authority as he told Wes and Melo to stand down, too. Melo VS Wes is going to be awesome stuff, but I would think Wes retains so that Melo can move up to the top title. Melo could even make a meal out of that Iron Survivor Challenge, racking up points like crazy depending on where he lands. Then he can go after Bron and be the guy to dethrone him so that Bron can move up to RawDown. Then Melo can spin that as him truly becoming THE A Champion.

My Score: 8.5/10


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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; wins and advance to WrestleMania.
  • Last Woman Standing: Becky Lynch VS Nia Jax; wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Jey Uso is here!

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

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

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

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

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

 

Adam Pearce is on the phone.

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winners: DIY, by pinfall (advance to WrestleMania)

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

 

Judgment Day meets backstage.

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

Winners: Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell, by submission

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

 

Cody Rhodes makes his way to the ring.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Nia Jax speaks.

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

 

Cody Rhodes returns backstage.

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

 

Dominik Mysterio w/ JD McDonagh VS Ricochet!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Ricochet, by pinfall

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

 

Sami Zayn is backstage.

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

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

 

Adam Pearce is in the ring.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Sami confronts Gable now.

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

 

CM Punk speaks.

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

 

Drew McIntyre is here!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Becky Lynch speaks.

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

 

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

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

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

 


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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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