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Mitchell’s WWE WrestleMania 39 Results & Report! (4/1/23)

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WrestleMania is ready for its close-up.

WWE is ready for the spotlight as WrestleMania Goes Hollywood! Austin Theory opens night one, but will he still be The Now after facing John Cena?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • WWE United States Championship: Austin Theory VS John Cena; Theory wins and retains the title.
  • Men’s WrestleMania Tag Team Showcase Fatal 4 Way: The Street Profits VS The Alpha Academy VS The Viking Raiders VS Braun Strowman & Ricochet; The Street Profits win.
  • Seth Rollins VS Logan Paul; Rollins wins.
  • Six Woman Tag: Becky Lynch, Lita & Trish Stratus VS Damage CTRL; Becky, Lita & Trish win.
  • Rey Mysterio VS Dominik Mysterio; Rey wins.
  • SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair VS Rhea Ripley; Rhea wins and becomes the new SmackDown Women’s Champion.
  • The Miz VS Pat McAfee; Pat wins.
  • Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: The Usos VS Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn; Kevin & Sami win and become the new Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions.

PLAY BY PLAY

It’s the WrestleMania Kickoff Show, part 1!

Join Kayla Braxton, Wade Barrett, Booker T and Peter Rosenberg in discussing, analyzing and predicting all the action for this opening night of WrestleMania’s Hollywood weekend!

 

Backstage interview with Johnny Knoxville.

Cathy Kelly is with the Jackass lead man and brings up Sami & Kevin VS The Usos. What is Johnny feeling watching that match? Johnny still can’t stand Sami “snake in the grass, wolf in a creep’s clothing.” So the hatchet has not been buried? Nope, the hatchet has not been buried. Johnny wants to bury that hatchet into Sami’s back. Johnny thinks Kevin is gonna be dragged down by Sami. Well, maybe Kevin and Sami buried their hatchet, but Johnny says the Usos are gonna bang on Sami like the bottom of a Heinz 57 bottle. Well, thanks for joining the preshow, enjoy the night.

 

Here to sing America the Beautiful: Becky G!

 

Hollywood has its leading man.

There’s only one person on Earth distinguished enough to open tonight. The international intrigue, the biggest name with a smaller-than-average frame… Hey! The voiceover’s gonna do him like that? Good thing it’s just a voice or he’d get a boot and leg drop, brother. Ladies and gentlemen: Kevin Hart! As a storyteller, he’s here to tell a story. A Once Upon a Time in Hollywood type legend, full of legends. WrestleMania’s near four DECADE long legacy, the greatest show in live entertainment, now takes over Tinsel Town.

“Tonight, everybody’s going Hollywood. And I mean everybody!” Trailer after trailer, reference after reference, star power upon star power, action and adventure, romance, and always room for more. “Welcome, world, to WrestleMania Goes Hollywood.” What’s the pyro budget on this thing?

 

The Miz and Snoop Dogg are in the ring!

The Hollywood A-Lister, the host of WrestleMania, is here with the #DoggFather and WWE Hall of Famer, and Miz welcomes us to WrestleMania! “Tonight, my friend, Snoop, D O Double G, Snoop Dogg, the Dogg Father of WrestleMania and I are the perfect tag team to kick off WrestleMania Goes Hollywood, because believe it or not, we have a lot in common.” Snoop is a multi-time platinum recording artist, the King of Hip Hop, and Miz was in WrestleMania the Musical. Snoop has been in over 80 movies, and The Miz has been in the last four The Marine movies! Snoop is a WWE Golden Champion, and Miz is a TWO-TIME Grand Slam Champion!

So what Miz is saying is, he and Snoop are the same? Yep! Well, check it out, dawg, this isn’t about these two champions. It’s about the champions in the audience. Miz says Snoop is correct. Tonight, we will see some of the best of the best in a sold out SoFi Stadium! LA, Hollywood, worldwide, are you ready!? Tonight, you will see Charlotte Flair VS Rhea Ripley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship! The Usos VS Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn for the Undisputed Tag Team Championships! Miz told Snoop the pop would be good. And those are just a taste of how awesome tonight is gonna be.

But no more talk! Time to get to the action! Snoop says “Let’s fire it up!” And starting off this already massive weekend is…

 

WWE United States Championship: Austin Theory VS John Cena!

The Youngest WWE United States Champion in WWE history says he is The Now of WWE. But he is facing the SIXTEEN TIME World Champion! Cena already said that Theory was not ready for WrestleMania, but will he prove it? Or will Austin prove he isn’t just a theory?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see if The Now is still the future!

The bell rings and fans rally behind Cena. Theory and Cena circle, feel things out, and knuckle lock. Cena goes for a leg, Theory gets away, and Cena smirks. The two go again. tie up collar ‘n’ elbow, and Theory headlocks. Cena powers up and powers out to run Theory over! Theory gets up in a huff and Cena dusts himself off. The two go again, tie up, and Cena chinbars to wrangle Theory down. Theory gets up but Cena headlocks. Cena headlocks for a takeover, fans rally, and Theory fights up. Fans duel, “Let’s Go, Cena!” “Cena Sucks!” Theory pries the hold open, wrenches to headlock back, but Cena powers out, to run Theory over!

Theory scrambles to ropes and Cena smirks as he dusts himself off again. They tie up, Cena puts Theory in the corner, and Cena lets off as the ref counts. Theory huffs and puffs, he and Cena go again, and Cena powers Theory back. Theory turns things around, he has Cena in the corner, and he BITES Cena’s ear! Cena gets pissed but Theory runs away. Cena protests to the ref but Theory CLOBBERS him! Fans boo as Theory rains down fists, then Theory talks trash. Cena sits up, Theory brings him into a facelock and snap suplex. Cover, TWO! Theory smirks as he stands over Cena. “This is the past!”

Theory brings Cena up to snap suplex again. Cover, TWO! Theory grins, “You think he’s still got it? No!” Theory soaks up the heat from all the booing fans, then he brings Cena back up. But Cena blocks the suplex to suplex back! Fans fire up while both men are down! Cena and Theory stand, Cena ROCKS Theory but Theory ROCKS Cena! Cena fires off more hands, whips Theory to a corner, then runs in, into an elbow! Theory somersaults to BLOCKBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Theory grows frustrated but he gets his smirk back as he paces around. Theory goes out to the apron and climbs up the corner.

Theory soaks up the heat as he poses, and then he goes back to the apron. Slingshot, somersault, SHOTGUN! Cover, TWO! Cena is still in this and Theory grows further frustrated. Theory goes back out, climbs up the corner again just to taunt the fans, then he reloads. Slingshot, somersault, but Cena dodges! Cena drags Theory into the STF! Theory flails and fans fire up! Theory pries at the crossface, and BITES Cena’s hand! The ref counts, Cena lets go, and Theory CLOBBERS Cena! Fans boo more but Theory just mocks the “You Can’t See Me.” Theory taunts the fans, he mocks Cena, and he ROCKS Cena with haymakers.

Theory says Cena is wrong, and so are the people. Theory ELBOWS Cena down and then stands on him with cocky cover. TWO, but Theory grins. Theory brings Cena up to snapmare and stomp! Fans boo as Theory continues to mock Cena. “You’re gonna believe in me!” Theory brings Cena up to snapmare and stomp again! Theory dusts his boot off, taunts the fans with it, then mocks the shoulder shimmy. Theory snapmares, and stomps, but Cena blocks! Cena stands, fireman’s carries, but Theory flails! Theory gets free to DDT! Cover, TWO! Theory argues the count, saying it was more like five, but the count was fair.

Theory waits on Cena to stand in the corner. Theory runs in to clothesline! Cena falls, Theory flexes, but fans boo more. Theory does laps in the ring, “That’s All Day!” Theory runs in at Cena, but Cena dodges! Theory hits buckles, Cena ROCKS him with a haymaker! Theory hits back, they go haymaker for haymaker! Cena whips, Theory reverses and Theory puts on a SLEEPER! Cena flails, but he starts fading! Theory squeezes tight, but Cena gets a second wind! Theory jumps onto Cena to be a backpack! Cena drops to a knee, but fans rally and Cena gets a third wind! Cena rises and RAMS Theory into buckles!

Fans fire up as Cena gets free. Cena runs, and he throws those SHOULDER TACKLES! Theory swings, into the SPIN-OUT BOMB! Fans fire up, because “YOU CAN’T SEE ME~!” Cena runs to FIVE KNUCKLE SHUFFLE! Theory staggers around, into the fireman’s carry! But Theory grabs ropes! Cena yanks Theory away but they knock the ref over! Drop toehold, STF!! Theory is caught but the erf is down! Theory taps and Cena thinks he’s won, but he didn’t realize what happened to the ref! Theory LOW BLOWS!! Fireman’s carry, A-TOWN DOWN!! Cover, THEORY WINS!!

Winner: Austin Theory, by pinfall (still WWE United States Champion)

Fans boo but there’s nothing that can be done! Theory cheated the living legend to get the biggest win in his career! Is this proof Cena was right? Was Theory not ready? Or is this a sign of Theory’s veteran savvy?

 

Titus O’Neil is here!

The WWE Global Ambassador and Real Deal is on commentary because he knows a bit about tag teams!

 

Men’s WrestleMania Tag Team Showcase Fatal 4 Way: The Street Profits VS The Alpha Academy VS The Viking Raiders VS Braun Strowman & Ricochet!

Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins, Chad Gable & Otis, as well as Erik & Ivar, have all been teams for a considerable amount of time. However, the Monster of All Monsters and the King of Flight have been on a roll since forming their team. Will Braun & Ricochet prove that they are truly a winning combination? Or will another duo stand out under the bright lights?

In this type of Fatal 4 Way, only two teams are legal at one time. Gable starts against Ricochet, they circle but are wary of the other teams. Ricochet shoots in to roll Gable up, TWO! Gable swings, misses, Ricochet handsprings but into an ANKLE LOCK! Ricochet scrambles, reaches out, rolls and throws Gable away! Gable avoids the Profits, Ricochet headlocks for a takeover, Gable headscissors. Ricochet kips free, rolls reverse, Gable kips free and whips Ricochet, Ricochet stops from going tot he Viking corner. Ricochet tackles Gable, jackknifes, but Gable bridges up and spins to a backslide, ONE!

Ricochet stands but into a kicks! Gable points to Otis, “A Thank Yew!” Gable whips, Ricochet reverses, Gable goes up and over but Otis tags in. Gable sunset flips, Ricochet rolls through, Otis CLOBBERS Ricochet! Otis tags back to Gable, the Academy whip and CLOBBER Ricochet! “SHOOOSH~!” Fans boo, but Ricochet hurdles Gable! Hot tag to Braun! But Otis steps to him! But so do Dawkins and Ivar! The biggest men get in, but then so do their teammates! All eight men are in the ring, the ref wants order, but it’s just a brawl! Fans fire up as Ivar fires off on Dawkins, Erik has Gable, Braun has Otis and Ricochet has Ford!

Braun ROCKS Otis, but Erik KNEES Braun, then Ivar HEEL KICKS! Braun falls out, Erik CLOBBERS Dawkins! Ivar KNEES Gable, then feeds Gable to Erik’s KNEE! Ricochet runs in, into a pop-up, and LARAIT GERMAN SUPLEX COMBO! Ford returns but the Vikings mug him, then lift him up! RAGNAROK!! The Viking Raiders stand with “Valhalla” Sarah Logan, but Braun creeps up behind them! Fans fire up and the Vikings turn around, into a DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLE! Fans fire up with the Monster, but Gable waistlcosk him!? Braun elbows free, scoops Gable, but Gable scoops free and goes to the corner! CHAOS THEORY!!! Bridging cover, TWO!!

Fans are thunderous while Gable is shocked! Gable is shocked he didn’t win, but we’re all shocked he pulled that off! Gable goes to the corner, climbs up, “A THANK YEW~!” But Dawkins tags in. Gable DIVING HEADBUTTS but flops! Dawkins goes up, but Ivar tags in! Dawkins SWANTONS, but FLOPS! Ivar goes up, and Valhalla says put a twist on it. Ivar turns around to WARBEARD MOONOSAULT! But he FLOPS, too! Braun goes up top!? MONSTER SPLASH!! Cover, EVERYONE breaks it! Hollywood is going wild for that one! Otis roars and he brings Braun up to scoop, WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM!!

Otis tears off the shirt and gets the truffle shuffling. Otis goes to a corner, goes up top, but Ford GAMANGIRIS him first! Otis falls, Ricochet tags off Braun! But Ford GAMANGIRS Ricochet, too! Gable trips Ford, he and Erik go up after him. Otis and Ivar join in, and then Ricochet joins in! We get a TOWER OF DOOM!! The Double Electric Chair Superplex Crossbody makes everyone lose their minds! Fans are thunderous as Dawkins tags back in. Braun DECKS Dawkins first, then looks outside. Braun gets on the tracks! The Strowman Express TRUCKS Gable, TRUCKS Erik, Dawkins hides so Braun TRUCKS Otis!

Round two! Ivar, Gable, Dawkins POUNCES Braun!!! Dawkins is fired up as he derails the Strowman Express! Dawkins and Erik brawl, Ricochet SPRINGBOARD SHOOTING STARS them down!! LA is electric as Ricochet puts Dawkins in! GAMANGIRI, and then Ricochet goes up top! For the SHOOTING STAR, onto knees! Dawkins keeps Ricochet in place, as Ford comes in FROM THE HEAVENS!!! Cover, PROFITS WIN!!

Winner: The Street Profits, by pinfall

Dawkins & Ford celebrate, they just took down the dynamic duo of Braun & Ricochet! With this big win, will the Profits be waiting on the other side of Usos VS KO & Sami for another shot at the tag titles?

 

Xavier Woods is backstage.

Woods welcomes us to the set of UpUpDownDown, and he’s got Liv Morgan, Tyler Breeze, Pete Dunne & Ridge Holland here ahead of Seth Rollins VS Logan Paul. They used WWE 2K23 to sim the match to see who has the best chance of winning tonight. They like the entrances, the very accurate recreations of the gear, and the expansive moveset each man has. According to the sim, Rollins wins 58% of the time. But will that be how it plays out in real time? Liv thinks so but the proof will be when that bell rings.

 

Seth Rollins VS Logan Paul!

The Visionary, the revolutionary, the Architect does NOT like the ImPAULsive Influencer. Logan just wants fame and fortune, but Rollins feels Logan can do that by staying in his lane. Will Rollins force Logan to do that by running him off the road? Or will #OneLuckyPunch be all it takes for Logan to go from influencer to legit?

“City of Angels, I’m back. Did you miss me?” Logan is lifted into the air and recreates HBK’s iconic zipline entrance, because it’s Logan’s birthday! And then he has a Prime energy drink mascot dancing around to walk with him to the ring. Meanwhile, Hollywood musical conductor, Jasper Randall, helps lead the fans in singing, “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~!” before the “BURN IT DOWN!” Rollins then struts down the ramp in a massive red jacket and shining red pants. Rollins takes a moment to revel in the Los Angeles choir singing, and then the bell rings. Rollins and Logan stare down, and the two circle.

The two tie up, Rollins headlocks and laughs, then shifts around to hammerlock and shove Logan away. Fans cheer and Rollins revels in it again. Logan shrugs it off, and the two go again. They tie up again, Rollins headlocks again, but Logan wrenches free to a top wristlock. Logan headlocks, Rollins works on the escape, and he powers out. Things speed up, Rollins hurdles but then redirects to run Logan over! Fans fire up but Logan is right back up. Rollins dodges to mule kick, run, but Logan avoids the stomp! Logan kips up and the two stare down again. They tie up, Rollins headlocks, but Logan powers out.

Things speed up again, Logan hurdles and drops, then hurdles again, to TOSS Rollins up and out! Flashback to the Royal Rumble! Fans boo but Rollins keeps cool, even as Logan mocks the singing. Rollins returns to TACKLE Logan! Rollins throws hands, Logan shoves him away, they end up in a corner. Rollins goes after Logan but he gets out, only for Rollins to drag him up by his hair! Logan HOTSHOTS! ROUNDHOUSES! Slingshot, BUCKSHOT! Logan grins and taunts Rollins. Rollins rises, Logan prepares that metal fist, mocking Roman Reigns’ lock ‘n’ load. BODY SHOT! Rollins falls, but Logan fires off more shots!

The ref has Logan back off with Rollins on the ropes. Logan comes back, whips, and kitchen sink knees! Fans boo but Rollins writhes. Logan paces, gets the legs, and he stomps Rollins in the stomach! Logan digs his heel in, lets off, then waits on Rollins. Rollins stands, Logan fireman’s carries, but Rollins fights free! Rollins shoves Logan toa  corner, runs in, but Logan dodges! The splash hits buckles, and Logan springboards, CROSSBODY! STANDING MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Another cover, TWO! Logan is annoyed and covers again, TWO! Rollins is frustrated now, mostly in himself.

Fans sing for Rollins again but Logan kicks low. Logan whips, Rollins reverses and ROCKS Logan with a forearm! And again! But Logan turns things around to a RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP, into a GROUND OCTOPUS! Rollins endures, fans rally, and Logan pushes up to put on the pressure! Rollins powers up, gets one leg off of him, and he CHOPS Logan down! Logan elbows back! Rollins CHOPS, Logan ELBOWS! Fans keep signing, the brawl on the mat continues, and Rollins gets the edge with the CHOPS! And a fishhook of Logan’s nose! Rollins swings, into a GUT WRENCH SLAM! Cover, TWO!

Logan rains down fists on Rollins but fans boo. The ref reprimands, those are closed fists, so Logan lets off. Logan watches Rollins stir, and he goes to the corner. Logan box jumps up, MOONSAULTS but FLOPS! Rollins avoids a bit of disaster, and Logan crawls to ropes. Rollins runs in and forearms! And he fires off furious fists! The ref backs Rollins off, but fans fire up with Rollins. Logan swings! Rollins dodges, and he rallies with clotheslines! Rollins doesn’t let Logan rest! “You wanna play with the big boys? C’mon, bitch!!” Rollins TOSSES Logan out, revenge for the Rumble, but that’s just the start.

Fans sing, Rollins builds speed, and he DIVES! Direct hit on Logan into barriers! Rollins reloads, to DIVE again! And then Rollins DIVES again! The hattrick is complete and fans are thunderous! Rollins is all fired up and he glares down at Logan. Logan crawls toward Mr. Prime, but Rollins runs in to STOMP the hand!! Logan clutches his punching hand, and Rollins grins. Rollins and Logan both get in the ring, and Rollins kicks low. Rollins reels Logan in, underhooks the arms, but Logan lifts Rollins up! Rollins sunset flips, TWO! Logan stacks Rollins, TWO! Rollins sunset flips! TWO, cradle! TWO, ghost pin, TWO!

ONE LUCKY PUNCH!!! But Logan clutches the hand! Rollins is still down, Logan crawls to the cover, TWO!?!? Rollins survives and Hollywood is loving it! Logan goes to a corner, the fans are singing, but Logan runs in! CURB- NO! SIT-OUT POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO!! Logan escapes in time, and both men go to the corners. “This is Awesome!” as Rollins aims again. But Mr. Prime drags Logan to safety? Because it’s KSI!! Logan’s business partner and best friend! But Rollins WRECKS Logan with a dropkick! Rollins gets in KSI’s face, but Logan POSTS him! Logan and KSI celebrate, then clear off the Spanish announce desk!

Logan drags Rollins over, puts him on the table, and KSI has a phone out. Logan wants to revisit Crown Jewel, but Rollins puts KSI on the desk!! VLOG SPLASH through KSI!! Rollins puts Logan in, brings him in, underhooks and PEDIGREE!!! Cover, TWO!??!? Logan survives and no one can believe it! It is a standing ovation in every section of SoFi! Rollins goes to the corner, he watches Logan rise, and the singing returns. Rollins runs in, ROLLING ELBOW! But Rollins keeps Logan up to turn him, DREAM SMASHER ELBOW! Logan is down and Rollins resets in the corner. Rollins aims, runs in, but Logan fireman’s carries!

Logan hits a GO TO SLEEP!! A shout out to another guy Rollins isn’t really into these days, and Logan hurries up top! FROG SPLASH!! Cover, TWO!!! Rollins survives and Hollywood is shocked again! Logan stomps Rollins to a corner, stomps him a little more, then goes to the adjacent corner. Logan climbs up, to go COAST2COAST into a SUPERKICK!! Fans are thunderous again as Logan flounders! Rollins is electric as he runs in, CURB STOMP!!! Cover, ROLLINS WINS!

Winner: Seth Rollins, by pinfall

Happy birthday, Logan! Here’s your song: “OH~ OHH~ OHHHH~!” Blow out the candles and make a wish, but just remember who won at WrestleMania! Will this victory bring the Visionary back to the top of the mountain?

 

Six Woman Tag: Becky Lynch, Lita & Trish Stratus VS Damage CTRL!

The Man has been dealing with the Role Model, #CobraKai and the Evil Genius since SummerSlam back in August, beat them at WarGames, but nothing has stopped them from messing with her. So now, as a WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion with one “extreme daredevil,” and bringing in “the blonde bombshell” to even the odds, will this story finally have its Big Time finale? Or will Bayley, Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky be the ones with the last say?

The trios stare down, and then they start brawling! Fans fire up, Lita kicks Sky out, Trish does the same ot Dakota and Becky does the same to Bayley. Then Becky runs to WRECK Kai with a dropkick! Becky puts Kai back in, the bell rings, and Becky dodges a boot to clinch. Kai fights the Manhandle Slam! Sky slides in but slips away as Becky rushes over. Kai SCORPION KICKS then fires off on Becky in the corner. Tag to Bayley, Bayley fires off, then tag to Sky. Sky digs her boots in, swings and DOUBLE KNEES! Bayley talks trash, Sky covers, TWO! Sky drags Becky up and around, whips her, but Becky reverses to put Sky int he ropes.

Becky CLUBS, UPPERCUTS, but Sky blocks the sobat to trip her! SPRINGBOARD MISSILE DROPKICK! Cover, TWO! Fans rally while Sky drags Becky back up. Tag to Bayley, then tag to Kai. DMG CTRL brings Becky around, DOUBLE BACK SUPLEX NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Kai grows frustrated but she smiles as she stands over Becky. Kai mocks Becky to reach for her team, then hip drops her down. Kai drags Becky up, bumps her off buckles, then kicks the legs out. Kai goes side to side to BOOT WASH! Cover, TWO! Kai drags Becky over, tags Bayley, and Bayley hip drops Becky now.

Bayley taunts Lita, brings Becky up, but Becky JAWBREAKERS! Kai tags in before Becky TOSSES Bayley. Kai runs in but Becky DROPKICKS her first! Both women are down, they crawl for their corners, and Kai grabs Becky’s foot. Bayley trips Trish! No tag, Kai bumps Becky off buckles! Tag to Sky, she and Kai double whip. Kai & Sky set up but Becky KICKS Kai and CLOBBERS Sky! All three women are down, Becky crawls again, but Kai keeps her from Lita! Kai whips Becky to a corner, runs in, but Becky puts her on the apron! Kai stumbles, Becky crawls, but Kai just runs at Lita! Lita DECKS Kai, then tags in!

Lita rallies on Sky, BLASTS Bayley, goes after Sky more, then whips, Sky reverses, Lita tilt-o-whirls and ranas Sky away! Lita whips, Sky goes up and over, but Lita goes upside-down to DEADLY NIGHTSHADE! Fans fire up, Lita runs in to KNEE Sky in the back! Lita waistlocks, Sky switches, but Lita elbows and CRAVAT DRIVERS! Cover off “Vertigo,” TWO! Fans rally as Lita brings Sky back up. Lita whips, Sky reverses, but Lita elbows her away. Then headscissor SLAM! Lita goes back up but Bayley distracts! Lita DECKS Bayley, BOOTS Sky, but Kai ENZIGURIS! Lita falls, Sky covers, TWO!!

Sky drags Lita over, tags Kai, and Kai tags Bayley. DMG CTRL surround Lita, count it out, TRIPLE SUPERKICK! Cover, TWO!! Lita survives and Bayley is furious! Bayley mocks Trish now, bumps Lita off buckles, and DMG CTRL gets away with mugging Lita. Bayley stands on Lita, DMG CTRL poses together, and fans boo. The ref counts, Bayley steps off, and then Bayley tags Sky. Sky has Lita against ropes and bends her back! Sky talks trash in Japanese, Bayley talks trash in English, but the ref reprimands them all. Tag to Kai, she CHOKES Lita on the ropes! Kai lets off as the ref counts, then covers, TWO!

Lita is hanging tough but DMG CTRL keeps focus. Kai drags Lita up, bumps her off buckles, and tags Bayley. Bayley tags Sky, they bring Lita around to double lift, but Lita slips through! DOUBLE DDT! Fans fire up as all three women are down! Kai panics, but Lita crawls her way over, hot tag to Trish and Kai! Trish dodges Kai, BOOTS Bayley, fires off on Kai, but Sky runs in, Trish SMACKS Sky, whips Kai and hits a THESZ PRESS! Fast hands! Kai pushes Trish away but Trish bumps her off buckles. Trish CHOPS, CHOPS, and puts some stank on it before she CHOPS again! Trish headlocks, gets Bayley involved, DOUBLE TAKEOVER!

Fans fire up as Trish dodges Kai to hit a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Fans fire up as Trish whips Kai to a corner. Trish runs corner to corner, but into an elbow! Kai goes up, but Trish headscissors! Kai pushes Trish away, no Stratusphere here! Kai adjusts, but Trish ROCKS her! Bayley & Sky drag Trish down, Trish fights them off! FLYING FOREARMS from Becky and Lita! They give Trish the boost, to SUPER STRATUSPHERE onto DMG CTRL! Fans are thunderous as the heroes put Kai back in! Trish baits Kai in, into a SPINEBUSTER! High stack, TWO!! Kai survives but Trish drags Kai around.

Trish bumps Kai off buckles, tags in Lita, and the old rivals whip Kai to the corner. They set up, POETRY IN MOTION! Tag to Becky, the legends double snapmare Kai so Becky can drop THE MAN’S LEG! Cover, TWO!! But into the DISARM-HER!! Lita & Trish intercept DMG CTRL but Bayley gets free! KNEE for Becky! DROPKICK for Trish! Bayley drags Kai to the corner, tags herself in, and she says, “This is who you love, huh?! The Man?” Bayley drags Becky up but Becky SLAPS her! Becky eggs Bayley on, Bayley DECKS Becky! BLINDSIDE LARIAT! ROSE- NO, Becky body shots to a SAIDO!

Becky clinches, MAN- NO, Bayley slips out, shoves Becky at the ref! The ref dodges, Sky SHOTEIS! ROSEPLANT!! Cover, Lita breaks it! Fans fire up as Lita says no no no. Lita TOSSES Sky, Kai BOOTS Lita down! Trish gives Kai some STRATUSFACTION! But Bayley hits a BAYLEY2BELLY! But Becky rolls Bayley, TWO!! Becky SPEARS Bayley to the floor! Sky goes up the corner! For the OVER THE MOONSAULT onto everyone!! Fans fire up with all six women down on the outside! The ring count is climbing , though! We’re at 8 of 10! All six women spring in at 9.5!! The teams regroup and Becky stares Bayley down.

Bayley talks trash on Becky, but she tags Sky. Lita tags in, then she tags Trish. Sky tags Kai, and now all six women brawl again! Sky puts Trish in a corner, Kai avoids Twist of Fate! Lita gets Sky to TWIST OF FATE her! Kai runs in, to get a CHICK KICK! Lita goes up, she gets the LITASAULT on both Kai & Sky!! Bayley FLAPJACKS Becky, hoists her up top, then climbs up after her! But Becky turns things around into a SUPER MANHANDLE SLAM!! Cover, Becky’s team wins!!

Winners: Becky Lynch, Lita & Trish Stratus, by pinfall

The Man and the legends conquer DMG CTRL! Will this mean Becky & Lita can finally move on from Bayley and her buddies? Or will there still be a sequel coming?

 

Bad Bunny is here!

The hit rap artist and host of Backlash in Puerto Rico this year is here to watch this lucha libre family affair.

 

Rey Mysterio VS Dominik Mysterio!

Just a year ago, this father and son were tag team champions together. But something, or rather someone, dark corrupted Dominik and turned him against his lucha libre legend father. Rey tried so hard not to lose his temper, but Dom would not stop pushing him. Now, this blood bond becomes a blood feud. Will Rey quite literally smack some sense into his son? Or will Dom end his father’s Hall of Fame career with his own two hands?

“Ex-Con Dom” has a video package dramatizing his time in prison, and making it as if he’s being transported directly from there to the arena. In fact, a police escort brings the correctional facility van to ringside. And many more officers exit the van before Dom hops out, wearing a version of his father’s purple Phantom mask! Fans boo the disrespect as Dom is being brought to ringside in cuffs. And mother and sister ringside are even more disappointed. As for Rey, he comes out with Snoop in a low rider! “Da game is to be sold, not to be told.” And then it’s EDDIE GUERRERO’S THEME!! Fans fire up for that Latino Heat!

Rey high-fives Snoop, hops out, and now Rey’s theme of Booyaka 619 plays. Rey is cosplaying The Flash, will he look to finish this match as quickly as possible? Rey and Dom stand face to face, the ref has the bell ring, and fans fire up. Dom shoves Rey, but Rey nods. They circle, Dom flexes, but Rey just sighs. The two tie up, Dom uses his height to push Rey back but Rey puts Dom on ropes. Dom turns that around, Rey powers Dom away, and Dom arm-drags Rey away. Fans boo as Dom soaks up the heat. Dom and Rey reset, Dom soaks up the heat some more, and the two tie up again. Dom waistlocks, SLAMS Rey down, then keeps on him.

Rey moves around, Dom holds on tight, and the two stand. Rey throws elbows, then runs to throw Dom out of the ring! Fans fire up, Rey eggs Dom on, and Dom gets frustrated. Dom slides in, storms up on Rey and shoves him. Rey shoves back! Dom headlocks, Rey powers out, but Dom runs him over! Dom SPLASHES, runs, but Rey drops. Dom kicks low, whips, but Rey reverses and follows to RANA! Dom flounders to a corner and wants a timeout, Rey flexes now. Fans fire up and Rey revels in the cheers. Dom gets flustered but he gets back up. Dom and Rey circle, fans rally behind Rey, and that annoys Dom.

Dom and Rey feel it out, but Dom SLAPS him! Dom whips, Rey reverses then runs in, tilt-o-whirl rana POSTS Dom! Rey takes off his belt! Rey SPANKS Dom with the belt! Dom flops out of the ring and fans fire up! Dom is upset, and he asks mom, “You gonna let him do that to me?” Mom says “YES!” Dom takes his sister’s drink and SPLASHES her with it! Rey keeps Aalyah from getting in, and Dom CLOBBERS Rey! Dom CATAPULTS Rey into the POST! Aalyah is upset but she has to stay on that side of the barriers. Dom goes after Rey, puts him in the ring, and does the Latino Heat. Fans boo, so Dom just soaks it up.

Dom slingshots to SENTON! Cover, TWO! Dom puts Rey on the ropes and CHOKES him! The ref counts, Dom lets off, and Rey goes to a corner. Dom RAMS into Rey, then whips him corner to corner hard! Rey bounces off buckles, and Dom climbs up to soak up all the heat. Dom then kicks Rey around, brings him up, and hooks him up in the Cobra Twist. Dom mocks Rey to give up, but Rey endures. Fans rally up, Dom digs his elbows in, but Rey fights. Rey hip tosses free! Rey runs, Dom drops, Rey slides under, and then Rey arm-drags Dom! Dom wrenches to kick low and ROCK Rey! Dom goes up and up to FLYING ARM-DRAG!

And Dom holds onto the knuckle lock to reel Rey back in! MICHINOKU DRIVER! Cover, TWO! Rey survives but Dom talks more trash. Dom kicks Rey around, brings him up and runs with him, to BULLDOG HOTSHOT! Rey falls, Dom smirks at his mom and sister, and then goes back to Rey. Dom YANKS Rey out to the floor! Dom talks some trash on mom and sister, saying they won’t do anything. Mom SLAPS Dom!! Rey POSTS Dom! Rey kisses Angie and fans cheer more! Rey puts Dom in the ring, then climbs up the corner. Dom stands, into the SEATED SENTON! Rey keeps moving, springboard CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO!

Rey drags Dom up, whips him to the ropes, but Dom KICKS back! Dom whips Rey to the corner, but Rey goes up an dover to sunset BOMB! Cover, TWO!! Dom survives but Rey gives us some Latino Heat and fans fire up. Rey paces around Dom as fans chant for “EDDIE! EDDIE!” Rey eggs Dom on, Dom wants mercy, but Rey kicks low. Dom RAMS Rey into the ring! Wait! Damian Priest and Finn Balor are here! Dom runs in but Rey BOOTS him! Rey whips Dom, Dom reverses, but Rey reverses back. Dom reverses again, Rey goes up and over then runs in, but Dom ALLEY OOP BOMBS Rey into buckles!!

Judgment Day is all fired up for that! Dom drags Rey to a cover, TWO!! Rey survives but Dom gives more Latino Heat. Dom brings Rey up, to snap suplex! Uno Amigo! Fans boo as Dom continues, Dos Ami- NO, Rey slips free! Rey CLUBS Dom, goes up and over and RANAS Dom onto ropes! Rey dials it up, 619!! Fans are thunderous as Rey goes up the corner! But Finn distracts the ref! Priest grabs at Rey, but Rey kicks him away. Dom DECKS Rey! Priest takes off his jacket while he coaches Dom up. Dom and Rey rise, Dom drags Rey up, and Dom whips Rey hard into a corner. Dom then Electric Chair Lifts, but Rey throws hands!

Rey RANAS Dom and himself out of the ring! They’re at Finn’s feet, but Priest joins him. Fans boo, but here comes LWO!! Cruz, Wilde and Escobar beat up on Judgment Day! Fans fire up, Priest fights off Cruz and Wilde, LARIAT for Wilde and BOOT for Cruz! But Escobar DIVES! Priest hits the desk! Rey and Dom get in the ring, Dom LARIATS Rey! Dom gets the legs, CATAPULT! Rey is on the ropes, Dom dials it up! Fans boo for Dom’s 619!! Dom goes to the corner, climbs up top, and hits the FROG SPLASH!! Cover, TWO!?!? Rey survives and Dom can’t believe it! The fans are thunderous, though, as Rey survives!

Dom blows snot at the fans, then unties a crossbar! The ref reprimands as Dom completely bares the buckle. The ref has Dom back off, then tries to fix the situation. But Dom goes to Priest’s jacket, and he brings out a CHAIN! The ace in the hole! Dom aims, but Bad Bunny snatches the chain! Rey DROPKICKS Dom onto ropes! Redial, 619!! Rey goes up top, for the FROG SPLASH!! Cover, Rey wins!!

Winner: Rey Mysterio, by pinfall

Bad Bunny helps out as justice is served! Rey celebrates with his wife and daughter while Finn & Priest get Dom outta there. Will there ever come a time when Dom returns to his senses? Or is this only going to push him further into the darkness?

 

SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair VS Rhea Ripley!

As the Queen said herself, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Three years ago, Charlotte won the Royal Rumble to challenge a champion, in one NXT Women’s Champion, Rhea Ripley. But now, Rhea won the Rumble and is going after champion Charlotte. Will Rhea eradicate Charlotte’s reign this time? Or will the Queen still have her crown?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who reigns over SmackDown!

The bell rings and fans fire up already. Rhea and Charlotte stare down, Rhea smirks, and the two circle. Charlotte tests the ropes and grins back as fans “WOO~!” Rhea and Charlotte approach, tie up, and go around. Charlotte goes for an arm, wristlocks, and slaps Rhea around! Charlotte headlocks but Rhea powers out. They RAM shoulders, Rhea rebounds and she runs Charlotte over! Rhea says ‘SUCK IT!” then things speed up. Charlotte blocks hip toss to get a leg up and flip around. Rhea swings but misses, and now Charlotte runs Rhea over! Charlotte clotheslines Rhea up and out! Fans “WOO~!” while Rhea scowls.

Charlotte eggs Rhea on, Rhea slides back in, and the two reset. Rhea shoves Charlotte, “You think you’re the queen, huh?” Charlotte says she is. They shove each other, then Charlotte CHOPS! Rhea RAMS Charlotte to a corner, RAMS into her more, but lets off as the ref counts. Rhea tells the ref to shut up, but Charlotte ROCKS Rhea! And ROCKS her again! Charlotte whips, Rhea reverses, but Charlotte goes up and out. Charlotte BOOTS Rhea, hurries up a corner, and CROSSBODIES! Charlotte bounces off the cover, brings Rhea up, but Rhea elbows her! And again! Charlotte GAMANGIRIS in return!

Charlotte puts Rhea’s leg on the ropes, but Rhea stops the knee drop! Electric Chair SNAKE EYES! Fans rally, Rhea stomps and kicks Charlotte around, then smacks her off the mat. Rhea hip drops Charlotte down, then she soaks up the cheers and jeers. But Charlotte ROCKS Rhea! And again! Rhea kicks low, bumps Charlotte hard off buckles, and Charlotte falls tot he mat. Rhea drags Charlotte to a cover, TWO! Rhea kicks Charlotte, CLUBS her, then CLUBS her again. Rhea wraps on a body scissor and she puts on the squeeze. Charlotte endures, Rhea pulls hair but the ref reprimands. Rhea lets go of hair to focus on the squeeze.

Rhea CLUBS away on Charlotte’s back, makes it a full rear mount, and she taunts Charlotte while digging her face into the mat. Rhea keeps on the squeeze, pulls hair, but then Charlotte pulls hair! Charlotte rains forearms down, Rhea kicks her away, and Rhea gets up, only for Charlotte to roll her up! TWO, Charlotte swings into a spin. Rhea ROCKS Charlotte with a forearm to the back! Then another one! Rhea seethes, she ROCKS Charlotte again! Charlotte drops to her knees while Rhea seethes and fans fire back up. Rhea brings Charlotte up, whips her again, but Charlotte elbows Rhea away!

Charlotte BOOTS, but Rhea ducks the chop! GERMAN SUPLEX! Cover, TWO! Rhea grows annoyed with Charlotte but she looms over her. Rhea taunts Charlotte, brings Charlotte up and short arm LARIATS! Rhea stands Charlotte up again, for another short arm LARIAT! Rhea grins and fans rally up as Rhea drags Charlotte back up. But Charlotte swings, only for Rhea to ripcord. But Charlotte ROCKS and ELBOWS Rhea! Rhea runs in, into a BACKBREAKER and BUCKLE SHOT! Rhea flounders away but Charlotte takes aim! Charlotte rallies with lariats on Rhea! Fans fire up, Charlotte brings Rhea up and CHOPS!

Charlotte CHOPS more, and fans “WOO~!” CHOP after CHOP against the ropes, Rhea end s up in a corner but Charlotte just CHOPS more! The ref counts, Charlotte stops, but then CHOPS one more time to top it off. Charlotte then puts Rhea’s leg on the ropes, to KNEE DROP the knee! Rhea screams and scrambles away while clutching that knee! Charlotte revels in the cheers and jeers, runs in but Rhea puts her on the apron. Charlotte ROCKS Rhea first, then bumps her off buckles! Rhea staggers away, Charlotte fires herself up and climbs the corner. Charlotte CROSSBODIES again! But Rhea rolls through!

Rhea picks Charlotte up, but Charlotte throws elbows! Charlotte gets free, but Rhea pump handles! RIP- DDT!! Cover, TWO!!! Rhea survives the sudden counter and Charlotte is shocked! Charlotte refocuses, goes for legs, but Rhea kicks her away! And again! Then Rhea cradles, TWO!! Charlotte escapes, but DOUBLE BOOTS take both women down! Fans are thunderous as Rhea and Charlotte both sit up in a daze. Rhea slaps some sense into herself, and she crawls her way over to Charlotte. Rhea throws a forearm, but Charlotte gives it back. They stand, Rhea CLUBS Charlotte, but Charlotte ROCKS her back!

Charlotte counter punches again and again but Rhea kicks low! Rhea stomps a foot, smashes Charlotte off her knee, but swings into a scoop! EXPLODER! Both women are down again, but Charlotte kips up! Fans fire up, Charlotte feeds off the energy, and she sees Rhea in the drop zone. Charlotte steps on Rhea on her way to the corner, then climbs up top. But Rhea springs up behind her! Charlotte fights Rhea off, but Rhea returns! SUPER GERMAN SUPLEX!! Cover, TWO!!! Charlotte survives and Rhea is beside herself! Rhea snarls, drags Charlotte back up, and she back suplexes, only for Charlotte to land on her feet!

CHOP BLOCK! NATURAL SELECTION! Cover, TWO!!! Charlotte is stunned, but Rhea bails out. Rhea crawls, Charlotte makes her way over to ropes, but the ring count is climbing. Charlotte goes out after Rhea, runs in, but Rhea sends her into steel steps! Charlotte clutches her shoulder, but Rhea puts her back in. Rhea hurries to drag Charlotte up! Atomic FACEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Rhea is again stunned, and she snarls as she stalks Charlotte. Rhea drags Charlotte up, pump handles, RIP- NO, Charlotte slips free to GERMAN SUPLEX! Rhea flounders away to a corner, but Charlotte waistlocks again!

Rhea holds the buckle pad, Charlotte gets her to let go, and she GERMAN SUPLEXES again! Charlotte still holds on, she brings Rhea back up but Rhea elbows her! And elbows again! Rhea is free, she switches and GERMAN SUPLEX Charlotte completely upside-down! Rhea drags Charlotte up again, “This is Awesome!” as Rhea ROCKS Charlotte and waistlocks again. Charlotte fights the waistlock, throws elbows, and Rhea lets go. Charlotte BOOTS Rhea down! Cover, TWO!! Rhea survives and Charlotte checks her jaw. The fans rally up as Charlotte gets Rhea’s legs. Charlotte steps through, but Rhea kicks at Charlotte!

Rhea throws forearms, Charlotte lets go and stumbles away. Charlotte’s got some blood in her mouth but she just ignores that. Rhea is on the apron, Charlotte runs over to BOOT Rhea down! Charlotte then goes to the apron, but has a devious idea on her mind. Charlotte climbs the corner! Fans fire up as Charlotte ARIHARA MOONSAULTS! Direct hit at the ramp and Charlotte is all fired up! Charlotte puts Rhea back in, hurries after Rhea and tackles her! But Rhea kicks Charlotte away! Charlotte run sin, but is almost sent into the ref! Rhea HEADBUTTS Charlotte! Pump handle, RIPTIDE!!! Cover, TWO?!!??!

Fans cannot believe that Charlotte survives, and neither can Rhea! Rhea pleads with the ref, but no, that was still just two! Rhea snarls, she drags Charlotte back up, and uses a chinlock to stretch her out! Rhea throws Charlotte back down, then drags her back up, but Charlotte cradles! TWO!!! Rhea escapes in time, and grabs the legs! PRISM TRAP!!! Charlotte endures the inverted Cloverleaf and fans are thunderous! Rhea thrashes Charlotte around as she hangs off the mat! Charlotte claws her way forward, reaches out, and manages the ROPEBREAK! Rhea won’t let go, but then Charlotte rolls to send Rhea into the ref!

Rhea apologizes to the ref, and turns around into a SPEAR!! Cover, TWO!!! Now Rhea shocks Charlotte! Charlotte is flabbergasted and upset, but she says, “You want my place? You want me?!” Rhea and Charlotte start throwing forearms! They go back and forth, faster and rougher, again and again! Fans are loving this as Rhea ROUNDHOUSES! But Charlotte BOOTS! And she gets the legs! But Rhea scrambles to the ROPEBREAK!! Charlotte is frustrated but lets go at 4. Rhea drags herself to the apron while Charlotte sits and seethes. “This is Awesome!” as Charlotte mutters to herself about Rhea’s defiance.

Charlotte drags Rhea up, POSTS her, then climbs up the corner. Charlotte drags Rhea up to join her, but Rhea fights with elbows! Rhea is free, but Charlotte CHOPS! Rhea wobbles, but she SMACKS Charlotte off the top of the post! Charlotte is slumped up there, an d Rhea grins an evil grin! Rhea says this is HERS now! Rhea climbs up, pump handles Charlotte, SUPER RIPTIDE!!! Cover, RHEA WINS!!!

Winner: Rhea Ripley, by pinfall (NEW SmackDown Women’s Champion)

The brutality makes the dream a reality! Rhea almost can’t believe it, but she really has dethroned The Queen! And yet, Charlotte smiles? Is she oddly proud of the woman who took her title? Will Rhea make sure every Friday is now Judgment Day?

 

Backstage interview with Austin Theory.

Byron Saxton is with The Now, and says some “nefarious” tactics gave Theory a win over the GOAT, John Cena. Where is Theory’s head at right now? “I said it, I did it, and I made John Cena believe. Do you believe in Theory now?” Theory laughs and leaves, but will anyone accept this reality?

 

The Miz and Snoop Dogg are back in the ring!

Miz says what an incredible first night it has been! Ladies and gentlemen, tonight’s attendance is… 80,497!! Snoop says the only thing better than that would be if Miz had a match tonight. Wait, what? Yeah, Miz should’ve had a match tonight. Well, Miz does agree with him. So Miz sent out a text, an email, posted to Twitter, Instagram and even MySpace. He put out an open challenge, but no one responded! Everyone knows Miz is the toughest man in the WWE! Why? Because he’s the Miz! And heeeeee’s… AWESOME! But wait, what? PAT MCAFEE IS HERE?!? And it ain’t no April Fool’s, either!

Corey Graves is upset but Michael Cole is pumped! McAfee gets in the ring, he gets himself a mic, and he says, “Hello, beautiful people~! Sup, Snoop? Sup. Legend Dogg! Bets Dogg! Hello, Miz. I think I speak for all of us, and I think I live on social media, I’ve been on the Twitter, I’ve been on the Instagram, I’ve been on the Facebook. None of us saw this alleged open challenge that you set. But good news: This is my WrestleMania tank top. I see nothing but space and opportunity, magic on the horizon. If you would still like a match, why don’t you let me beat your ass right here, right now?”

Miz asks the fans if they wanna see Miz VS McAfee right here and now? They do! Miz takes off the jacket, and says there is nothing that he would rather do than whoop McAfee. But he is the host, and he cannot make matches official. Uh, what? Miz, your tiny balls are showing. “TI-NY BALLS! TI-NY BALLS!” Fans echo that and Miz gets annoyed. Snoop asks wait, what? Well, if Miz can’t make this official, there are 80,497 people here. Someone has to be able to make a match official, right? Snoop says as the Dogg Father and cohost, he can make that happen! We got a ref, we got Miz and we got Pat, let’s do it!

The Miz VS Pat McAfee!

Miz says wait! But Miz said he wanted to. Snoop gets outta the ring, the bell rings, and Miz turns around! Pat fires off hands! The ref counts, Pat lets off and fans fire up. Miz staggers, but he runs in, into a SPINEBUSTER! Fans fire up as Pat stands on the corner. Pat then storms up on Miz, puts him on the top rope, and he goes up to join him! Miz fights back, shoves Pat away, but Pat flips to land on his feet! Miz leaps, into a SUPERKICK! Miz flounders out of the ring in a daze, and Pat waits on him. Fans chant “TINY BALLS!” while Miz flounders up. Pat mocks Miz and his meat. Corey tells Miz to think big!

Miz says to hell with it. Miz goes to leave while fans boo, but then he sucker punches George Kittle! But that just pisses Kittle off! He hops the railing, Pat distracts the ref, and Kittel CLOBBERS Miz!! Fans fire up and Kittel tells Pat to go up. Pat goes up, he aims at Miz, SUPER CANNONBALL! Fans fire up, Pat and Kittle high-five and put Miz in the ring. The ref reprimands Kittle, but Pat aims from the corner. Fans fire up with Pat and he unlocks the leg. PUNT!! Cover, Pat wins!

Winner: Pat McAfee, by pinfall

Fans cheer as Pat humbles the Hollywood A-Lister! Will we get even more big surprises on night two?

 

Lil’ Uzi Vert is here!

Fans fire up as Vert performs live, I Just Wanna Rock. And that’s all to cue up #WeTheOnes!

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: The Usos VS Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn!

For over 620 DAYS, Jimmy & Jey have been the ones in the WWE Tag Division. But because of Bloodline’s family drama full of manipulation, deception and betrayal, they are now facing two men as close as brothers who both have a reason to stop the madness. Will the Prizefighter and Great Liberator accomplish both goals of winning gold and helping the Usos break away from The Tribal Chief? Or will Jimmy & Jey put “WrestleZAYNIA” on lockdown?

The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see if night one has either a happy or tragic ending!

The teams sort out and Jimmy starts against Sami. Fans fire up as Jimmy talks smack on Sami. Fans sing “OLE~, OLE OLE OLE~!” for Sami while Jimmy talks with Jey. Jimmy fires Jey up, and tags him in. Fans fire up as now Jey and Sami circle. They tie up, are in a deadlock, but then Jey shifts to headlock. Sami powers up and out, but Jey runs him over. Jey eggs Sami on, then raises the finger. Fans are torn but Sami keeps cool. Sami and Jey circle, tie up again, and they’re in another deadlock. Jey headlocks again, but Sami powers up and out again. Sami drops, then CLOBBERS Jey! Sami rains down fists from all sides!

Fans fire up as Sami paces around Jey. Sami stands Jey up, ROCKS him, then whips. Jimmy tags in and Jey reverses the whip. Sami ducks but Jimmy dumps him out! Jimmy waist on Sami to stand up, then CLOBBERS him! Jimmy eggs Sami on, brings him up and POSTS him! Jimmy stalks Sami, refreshes the ring count and tags Jey. Jimmy then holds Sami for Jey to DIVE! Direct hit and Sami hits barriers! Kevin storms over but the ref has him stay back. The Usos talk trash on Sami, Jey brings Sami up, and snap suplexes to the floor! The ring count is climbing, Jey refreshes it again, and he drags Sami into the ring.

Jey stands Sami up, ROCKS him with a right, and Sami sits down. Jey pie faces Sami to ropes, then CLUBS away on him! The ref counts, Jey let off, but Jimmy BOOTS Sami down! Fans boo but Jimmy soaks up the heat. Jey holds up the finger, but Sami lurches for Kevin! Jey drags Sami back, tags Jimmy, and Jimmy stomps Sami down. Jimmy then sucker punches Kevin! The ref reprimands but Jimmy taunts Kevin. The ref has to stop Kevin from rushing in, and Jimmy stands Sami up. Jimmy CHOPS Sami, and Sami staggers into the Uso corner. Tag to Jey, Jimmy holds Sami in place for the forearm smash! Cover, TWO!

Jey keeps his eyes on Kevin, and he keeps Sami from him. Jey wraps on a chinlock, fans rally up, and Sami fights up. Sami throws body shots, reaches for Kevin, but Jey whips Sami away. Sami holds ropes, BOOTS Jey, then he DECKS Jimmy! Jey runs in but Sami TOSSES him! Fans fire up as Sami crawls his way over! Hot tag to Kevin! Kevin goes up the corner to SUPER CANNONBALL the Usos! Kevin drags Jimmy up to POST him! Then he CLOBBERS Jey! And he CLOBBERS Jimmy! Kevin puts Jey in, then FROG SPLASHES Jimmy on the floor! Kevin goes up top, FROG SPLASH on Jey! Cover, TWO!

Jey survives but Kevin aims at him. Jey stands, Kevin kick slow, but no stunner! Jey POP-UP NECKBREAKERS! Cover, TWO! Jey stalks Kevin, puts him in the Uso corner, then snarls as he storms up. Jey puts Kevin up top, climbs up after him, but Kevin fights back! Jimmy tags in, but Kevin fights him off, too! Kevin HEADBUTTS Jey down! Kevin adjusts, SWANTON BOMBS but onto knees! Jimmy USO SPLASHES! Cover, TWO!! Kevin survives and fans fire up! Kevin crawls to a corner, Jimmy aims from the opposite. “UCE! SO! UCE! SO!” Jimmy runs in, but Kevin avoid the hip attack! SUPERKICK! ANOTHER SUPERKICK!

Kevin runs corner to corner, “SUCK IT!” CANNONBALL! Fans fire up and Kevin goes up top again! But Jey anchors him! Kevin fights Jey, Sami gets Jey with an APRON BRAINBUSTER!! SWANTON BOMB!! Cover, TWO!?!? Jimmy survives and the fans can’t believe it! Sami hurries to the corner, Kevin tags him in! Sami goes up top now, he aims at Jimmy, and he raises the finger! SAMI SPLASH!! Cover, TWO!!! Jimmy survives Sami’s take on the Usos’ favorite move! Sami shakes his head, and fans sing for him again. Sami drags Jimmy up, but Jimmy blocks the lift! Jimmy CLUBS away on Sami, and SUPERKICKS Kevin!

Sami shoots around, to BLUE- NO, Jimmy still fights it! Jimmy HEADBUTTS, tags Jey, but Sami BLUE THUNDER BOMBS Jimmy! Jey SUPERKICKS! Jey drags Sami up, whips him and SUPERKICKS him down! Cover, TWO!! Jey snarls, he tells Sami to get up, and Sami sits up. SUPERKICK! Jey pushes Sami back down, then he takes off his shirt. Jey throws the shirt at Sami, tags in Jimmy, and Jimmy SUPERKICKS! Jey SUPERKICKS! The Usos DOUBLE SUPERKICK! Cover, Kevin breaks it!! Jey SUPERKICKS Kevin! Kevin flops out of the ring, Jimmy says it’s time to execute. Tag to Jey and the Usos stalk Sami.

Jey sits Sami up and tells him this is it. The Usos DOUBLE BLINDSIDE SUPERKICK!! Cover, TWO?!?! Jey is growing further frustrated but the fans rally up. Sami feebly grabs at Jey but Jey pushes him away. Jey talks with Jimmy, and Jey tags Jimmy back in. Sami sits up but then flops over. Sami tries again, he’s on his knees, and the Usos SUPERKICK SANDWICH!! Cover, TWO!?!?? How is Sami doing this!? The Usos are pissed with the ref but the count is the count! Tag to Jey again, they circle Sami like sharks, and they bring him back up. The Usos say this is what he gets, and they double whip, but Kevin trips Jimmy!

Sami sunset flips Jey, TWO!?!? Jey escapes, but Kevin SMACKS Jimmy off the desk! And again and again and again! Kevin clears off the desk, drags Jimmy up onto it, and reels him in! But Jey hurries to save Jimmy! Jimmy UPPERCUTS then SUPERKICKS! Kevin wobbles, the Usos hurry up onto the desk with him, DOUBLE UREANGE through the OTHER table!! Jey says that’s what he gets! “Look at you now!” The ring count climbs, but the Usos leave Kevin behind to go back to Sami. Sami sits up in a daze, Jey tags Jimmy. Jey reels Sami in, ONE AND DONE!!! Cover, TWO!?!?!? IS SAMI EVEN HUMAN!?!?

Jimmy and Jey are in utter disbelief, but Jimmy tags Jey back in. Jey taunts Sami as Sami flounders to the corner. Why won’t Sami quit? HUH!? WHY!? Jey SLAPS Sami and wants a response. Sami mutters and mumbles as Jey keeps SLAPPING him! Jey throws forearms now! The ref counts, Jey UPPERCUTS Sami! Sami leans against the buckles, and Jey backs away. Jey watches Sami flop in the corner, drag himself back up, then flop down again. Fans rally for Sami as hard as ever, but Jey runs in, to HELLUVA KICK!!! Sami falls against Jey, and Jey says this is what they do. Sami should’ve never left-

EXPLODER INTO THE CORNER!! Sami had one last gasp in him!! And somehow, Kevin is back!? Kevin’s just as inhuman as Sami! Sami crawls his way, to hot tag Kevin! Jimmy rushes in, but Kevin dodges, to POP-UP POWERBOMB! POP-UP POERBOMB for Jey!! Kevin calls to Sami, Sami runs in to HELLUVA KICK Jimmy! Kevin STUNNERS Jey!! Cover, TWO!?!? Jey survives and Kevin can’t believe it! All four men are down, exhausted, and the fans are thunderous! “This is Awesome!” as Sami and Kevin regroup on one side of the ring and the Usos go to the other. Kevin helps Sami stand, the Usos help each other.

Kevin and Sami stare down with Jimmy and Jey. Fans fire up all over again, and Kevin shouts, “LET’S END IT!” THE BRAWL IS ON! SUPERKICK for Sami! SUPERKICK for Jimmy! SUPERKICK for Jey! Kevin whips, Jimmy tags Jey and Jey leap frogs! SUPERKICK! SUPERKICK! DOUBLE SUPERKICKS!! DOUBLE SUPERKICKS for Sami! The Usos set Kevin up in the drop zone and the Usos each take a corner! DOUBLE USO SPLASH!!!! Cover, TWO?!?!?!?! THIS IS UNHEARD OF!!!! The Usos have no explanation for how Kevin and Sami have lasted this long! Kevin drags himself up with the ropes, but Jey is right on him.

Jey stands Kevin up, to then back off and tag Jimmy. The Usos run in, DOUBLE SUPERKICKS!! Kevin slumps right down, and Jimmy says to finish this with “a big one.” Tag back to Jey, they hoist Kevin up top, but Sami drags Jimmy out! Sami TOSSES Jimmy, Kevin hits the SUPER FISHERMAN BUSTER!! Jey flounders around, Sami hurries back over! Kevin crawls, to hot tag Sami! The hottest tag ever! Sami glares right at Jey, and then he runs in to HELLUVA KICK!!! Jey falls against Sami now, and Sami says, “I’m sorry, Uce.” He sets Jey up for another HELLUVA KICK!!!! Jey is wobbling, Jimmy returns, into a STUNNER!!

Sami sets Jey up for a THIRD HELLUVA KIIIIICK!!!!! Cover, SAMI & KEVIN WIN!!!!

Winners: Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens, by pinfall (NEW Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions)

621 days, and DONE! The Hollywood ending comes true for Kevin and Sami! They are not only tag team champions for the first time in either man’s WWE career, they are finally tag team champions TOGETHER! Jimmy & Jey are no longer the ones, that title, and the tag team titles, belong to Kevin & Sami! Is this only the beginning of the Bloodline’s fall?


My Thoughts:

What an awesome first night for WrestleMania! Now, a two hour kickoff show where there’s no kickoff match is a bit much, and it seems they’re gonna do it again tomorrow, probably with more reactions to tonight than predictions, since they took care of most of that today. Though, we did get great stuff from all the celebrity guests, and I like that Knoxville stood by not liking Sami Zayn. And really good opening vignette from Kevin Hart, he’s always great.

Anyway, every match tonight was great from top to bottom, even that surprise appearance of Pat McAfee to face The Miz. Pat is hilarious, and he is kinda the perfect crossover celebrity since he’s also a big part of traditional sports talk. Plus, fans love seeing Miz be humbled so that was a good move there. But someone not being humbled is Austin Theory, as he cheats to win. But of course he was gonna do that, he’s the Heel. Theory inflates his ego more, though not as much as I was expecting, i.e. partying backstage the whole time. Being obnoxious to that level is still more a “Happy” Baron Corbin thing, I suppose.

The Showcase tag matches may have just been put together to get more teams on the shows and all that, but the whole match turned out to be great stuff. I’m a little disappointed there was no involvement from Maximum Male Models, but maybe MMM will find Otis on Raw to try and get it through to him to join them. And in terms of the win, I didn’t see the Profits winning, but fans love the Profits so that was fine. Nice plug for UUDD and WWE 2K23, and y’know what? Turns out they were right, Rollins won. Logan again impresses, regardless of what side he plays or if fans like him, but it was clever for him to have a buddy in disguise. But Rollins winning, he’s gonna do nothing less than MITB this year, can’t wait to see what happens for Backlash in a month.

Great Six Woman Tag, and I liked the Sin City comic book superhero stuff for the Face team entrance. And again, another “make the fans happy” move by having the Faces win, but from storytelling, it doesn’t seem right. What does DMG CTRL do other than break up? How are Kai & Sky supposed to get the titles like this? Granted, the Women’s Showcase is tomorrow, maybe Ronda & Shayna win so they can challenge Becky & Lita. Rey VS Dom was great stuff, especially in the storytelling department. Getting the rest of the family involved was logical, but wow, Dom splashing his sister with her drink. I was surprised Finn showed up with Priest, but great move for the new LWO, aka Legado, to show up and fight them off, and have Bad Bunny stop the cheating.

And of course, holy crap the final two title matches tonight. No wonder WWE was torn between the women’s title and the tag titles for main event. In the end, Charlotte VS Rhea goes before the tag titles, but they definitely gave us a main event performance just to show everyone what they can do. That was high level, they deserve to be in the conversation for match of the year. The tag titles main eventing does make sense on the level that it’ll parallel Cody VS Roman tomorrow. The story of the Bloodline’s dominance has, well, dominated the WWE for over a year, and this tag title match was definitely worthy of the spot. Great action, great storytelling, though quite a lot more false finishes than I expected. Kevin & Sami winning was the right call, and was definitely catharsis for Sami. And this will all definitely affect Roman tomorrow, can’t wait to see that main event.

My Score: 9.1/10


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Coverage

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

Talk about a Big Time Raw!

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Will The Man be the Last Woman Standing?

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

OFFICIAL RESULTS

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

PLAY BY PLAY

Jey Uso is here!

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

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

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

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

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

 

Adam Pearce is on the phone.

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winners: DIY, by pinfall (advance to WrestleMania)

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

 

Judgment Day meets backstage.

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

Winners: Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell, by submission

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

 

Cody Rhodes makes his way to the ring.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Nia Jax speaks.

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

 

Cody Rhodes returns backstage.

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

 

Dominik Mysterio w/ JD McDonagh VS Ricochet!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Ricochet, by pinfall

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

 

Sami Zayn is backstage.

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

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

 

Adam Pearce is in the ring.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Sami confronts Gable now.

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

 

CM Punk speaks.

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

 

Drew McIntyre is here!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Becky Lynch speaks.

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Liv Morgan confronts Becky Lynch.

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

 

Cody walks with his dog, Pharaoh, backstage.

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

 

Last Woman Standing: Becky Lynch VS Nia Jax!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Becky Lynch

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


My Thoughts:

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

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

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

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

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

My Score: 8.9/10


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

The semifinals are here!

Published

on

We’re just one step away from the Cup!

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

OFFICIAL RESULTS

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

PLAY BY PLAY

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

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

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

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

No Contest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: SANADA VS Hirooki Goto!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


My Thoughts:

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

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

My Score: 8.9/10


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