Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Backlash Results & Report! (5/6/23)
Backlash lives Boricua!
Just how bad is Bad Bunny?
WWE Backlash is in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and a hometown hero takes on a hometown villain! Will Bad Bunny get payback on former friend, Damian Priest?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair VS Iyo Sky; Bianca wins and retains the title.
- Seth Rollins VS Omos w/ MVP; Rollins wins.
- WWE United States Championship Triple Threat: Austin Theory VS Bobby Lashley VS Bronson Reed; Theory wins and retains the title.
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley VS Zelina Vega; Rhea wins and retains the title.
- San Juan Street Fight: Bad Bunny VS Damian Priest; Bunny wins.
- Six Man Tag: Matt Riddle, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn VS The Bloodline; The Bloodline wins.
- Cody Rhodes VS Brock Lesnar; Cody wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
It’s the Backlash Kickoff Show!
Join Jackie Redmon, Matt Camp and Pete Rosenberg in discussing, analyzing and predicting all the action in San Juan, Puerto Rico!
“Listen…” Bad Bunny says the Backlash is coming.
When Bunny was a boy, he dreamt of something bigger, badder, louder. Tonight, on his island, revenge is the soundtrack. Between the American Nightmare and The Beast. Between The Bloodline and their problems. And between Bad Bunny and Damian Priest. Because sometimes, it feels good to be bad. Who suffers the backlash of their actions?
Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair VS Iyo Sky!
San Juan fires up for the RawEST, but will she be the longEST reigning women’s champion of this modern era? Or will the Evil Genius find a way to beat even the EST of WWE?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who is truly the B E S T!
The bell rings and the fans are fired up already. They circle, feel things out, tie up, and Bianca powers Sky back. The ref counts the break but Sky turns things around, only for Bianca to push Sky back. Fans rally up, Bianca wrenches Sky but Sky spins and wrenches back. Bianca powers the hold into a scoop! Sky kicks and fights free, but Bianca headlocks for a takeover! Sky moves around, Bianca shakes the headscissors off, but Sky pushes her into the hold. Bianca kips free and wags her finger. Sky headlocks for her own takeover, but Bianca headscissors! Sky moves around and kips free!
Fans fire up but Bianca trips Sky to a cover, TWO! Sky tries to roll Bianca but Bianca handsprings through. Bianca runs Sky over, taunts Sky, then runs. Sky drops., Bianca handsprings over, but Sky ducks ‘n’ dodges and handsprings back! Bianca dodges, pops Sky up but Sky victory rolls! Bianca gets away, elbows from a corner, then goes up to go over! And DROPKICK! Bianca eggs Sky on but fans are starting to boo Bianca. Bianca scoops and SLAMS Sky, then eggs her on. Bianca scoops again for another SLAM! Fans rally for Sky as Bianca scoops again, and Sky fights free! Sky fishhooks Bianca’s face!
Sky gets to the apron and HOTSHOTS an arm! Sky then goes up and reels Bianca in by her hair! Sky HANGING STRAITJACKET STRETCHES! The ref counts, Sky lets off at 4, and then stands up. DOUBLE STOMP to an arm! Bianca flounders and writhes and fans rally behind Sky. Sky grins, storms up and gets the bad arm! Sky wraps it on ropes but Bianca kicks her away. Sky comes back with stomps, then she wraps the arm around ropes again. The ref counts, Sky lets go at 4, and fans rally. Sky gets Bianca’s arm, wrenches and top wristlocks. Bianca endures, powers Sky back, but Sky throws Bianca down!
Sky has the top wristlock on the mat but Bianca kicks around. Bianca rolls back, stands up, and she scoops to SLAM Sky! Bianca shakes out the bad arm and brings Sky up. Bianca whips, Sky reverses and hammerlocks the arm to fire off forearms! Bianca blocks the lift but fans rally behind Sky. Sky pulls on the bad arm, and RAMS Bianca into buckles! Bianca flounders again and Sky stalks her. Sky grabs the bad arm, fans sing for “I~YO! I~YO!” Sky uses a dragon sleeper to drag Bianca down, then she turns Bianca over for knee drops on the arm! Bianca writhes, fans rally, and Sky watches Bianca go to the corner.
Sky stomps Bianca, CLUBS her, puts her back in the corner, and she goes corner to corner. Fans fire up, all aboard, but Bianca avoids the double knees! Sky comes back but into an ELBOW! Sky tries again, but Bianca slips out! Sky hits buckles, Bianca shoulders in and jumps to chicken wing! But Sky victory rolls, STOMP 182! Fans fire up with the Genius and she covers, TWO! Bianca is the toughEST for a reason, but Sky keeps her cool. Sky sits Bianca up to forearm, but Bianca gives it back! Sky throws another shot, Bianca gives it back! Sky forearms, Bianca forearms, then Bianca gest the edge!
Bianca fires off shot after shot, shoves but sky dodges to tilt-o-whirl, only for Bianca to block! BACKBREAKER! Both women are down and fans fire up! Bianca goes to a corner and fans rally as Sky stirs. Sky stands, Bianca runs in, and Bianca rallies with clotheslines! And a DROPKICK! Bianca brings Sky around, suplexes, stalls then SLAMS her down! Bianca kips up and fans are torn! Sky goes to a corner, Bianca runs in and RAMS into Sky! Bianca climbs up, and she rains down fists! Fans count all the way to DIEZ, but Sky shoves Bianca away! Sky goes up but Bianca ROCKS her first!
Bianca trophy lifts Sky off the corner, even with the bad arm! Then with ONE arm! SLAM!! Sky checks her face, Bianca handsprings to MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO!! Sky survives and Bianca can’t believe it! The fans are thunderous, though, as the Evil Genius shows her own toughness! Bianca drags Sky up, scoops again, but Sky slips out to get the bad arm in a hammerlock! Bianca snapmares free with the good arm, runs in, but hits buckles! Sky then ROCKS Bianca, ROCKS again, and again! Sky wrenches the bad arm, knuckle locks, and she goes up, up and HOTSHOTS the arm!
Bianca staggers away, fans fire up and Sky takes aim! SPRINGBOARD MISSILE DROPKICK! Bianca flops all the way out but Sky kips up! San Juan is thunderous again as Sky goes up the corner! But Bianca shoves her back down! Bianca grits her teeth, climbs up top herself, and 450EST onto KNEES! AND CROSSFACE!!! Sky has Bianca caught but Bianca moves around! Bianca breaks the hold, slips around, and brings Sky up, but Sky turns it into a FACEBUSTER!! Sky pushes Bianca over for a cover, TWO!!! Sky is beside herself and pulls at her hair, but the fans are loving this all the same!
Bianca and Sky go to opposite corners. Fans fire up, because all aboard the SHINKANSEN! And then Sky underhooks the arms, TIGER- NO, Bianca slips out to chicken wing! But Sky victory rolls, but the stomps miss this time! Bianca spins Sky around, torture racks, but Sky ARM-DRAGS free! Bianca falls out of the ring and fans fire up as Sky rises! Bianca trips Sky first, but Sky BOOTS her away! Sky hurries out after Bianca, tosses her to the ropes and KNEES her in the stomach! Bianca sputters and Sky says time to fly! Sky goes up the corner, Bianca stands, ARIHARA MOONSAULT!! Direct hit!
Sky fires up while the fans lose their minds! Sky puts Bianca in, covers, TWO!!! Bianca is still the toughEST, and Sky wonders what she has to do to end this. Bianca crawls to a corner, Sky runs in to RAM into her! And again, and again! Sky puts Bianca up, “This is Awesome!” as she climbs up to join her. But Bianca shoves Sky down! Sky tumbles to the apron, but hurries back up. SHOTEI! Sky climbs again, stands, and SUPER- NO! Bianca blocks the Steiner to drag Sky up! Sky keeps trying, Bianca keeps blocking! Bianca stands up for a SUPER POWERBOMB!!!! But she has to crawl to the cover!! TWO!!!!
San Juan is electric and this is just the beginning of Backlash! Bianca is beside herself, what can she do to end this? Wait, here comes DMG CTRL! Bayley & Dakota couldn’t help themselves, but Bianca swipes at them! Sky gets the hair! Bianca uses it to reel Sky in and ROCK her! Then torture rack! But Dakota distracts! Bianca SMACKS her with Sky’s feet! But Sky SUNSET FLIPS through!! TWO!?!? Bianca escapes and even she is shocked! Bianca staggers around, hurries after Sky, but Bayley reaches out to her. Bianca drags Bayley in! To TOSS her into ropes and out of the ring! The ref reprimands, Dakota GAMANGIRIS Bianca!!
Sky hurries up top, but Bayley is holding Bianca’s hair! The ref stops her, OVER THE MOONSAULT flops!! Torture rack! KISS OF DEATH!!! Cover, Bianca wins!!!
Winner: Bianca Belair, by pinfall (still Raw Women’s Champion)
DMG CTRL tried to help Sky, but it might’ve backfired! Bianca sets history as THE longEST reigning women’s champion in this era! Will Sky have something to say about Bayley doing too much?
Bad Bunny prepares in a private room.
Rey Mysterio checks in on him. This match tonight is going to be big, Rey is proud of Bunny. Bunny thanks Rey for that, and Rey says he brought a friend. SAVIO VEGA! Bunny is amazed to see him here, and he is gifted a Puerto Rican flag kendo stick. Savio says that Bunny is gonna represent tonight! Will Bunny brand Priest with that kendo stick?
Seth Rollins VS Omos w/ MVP!
The Visionary wants to prove he is worthy of the NEW WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and that means proving he can take on and defeat anyone put against him. Will Rollings be able to #BurnItDown in Puerto Rico? Or will the Nigerian Giant be the one heading for the title?
Rollins revels in the fans singing “OH~ OHH~ OHHHH~!” for him. After a few times through, Omos BOOTS Rollins! Fans boo but the ref reprimands Omos. The ref then checks on Rollins, and Rollins scowls. Rollins throws off his jacket, the bell rings and Omos CLOBBERS Rollins! Omos mocks the fans, then he runs at the corner to SPLASH! Rollins falls over and MVP is enjoying this. Omos stands on Rollins but the ref counts. Omos steps off at 4, the fans keep singing, but Omos whips Rollins to a corner hard! Rollins falls back and Omos pretends he can’t hear the fans. Fans boo but Omos storms up on Rollins.
Omos stands Rollins up, but Rollins HOTSHOTS him! Rollins springboards, but Omos body shots him out of the air! Omos mockingly conducts the choir and fans boo again. Omos drags Rollins up, puts him in the corner, and he SQUEEZES Rollins’ head! The ref counts, Omos brings Rollins out of the corner to SHOVE out of the ring! Omos again mocks the choir but the fans boo. MVP taunts Rollins but Rollins snarls at him. Omos goes out to scoop Rollins, carry him around, but Rollins fights free to POST Omos! Rollins gets in the ring, builds speed, and Rollins DIVES! Direct hit but Omos just staggers!
Rollins gets in again, keeps moving, and DIVES, into Omos’ hands! APRON CHOKE SLAM! Fans boo but MVP says that’s how it’s done! Omos drags Rollins up, talks trash, and scoops him to trophy lift! Omos TOSSES Rollins into the ring! Rollins flounders to the far side as Omos storms back in. Rollins staggers up and Omos scoops him again, to SNAKE EYES! And then a BOOT! Omos talks more trash but the fans keep singing. Omos soaks up the heat while Rollins sits up in a daze. Omos drags Rollins up, scoops him, but Rollins slips into a SLEEPER! But Omos TOSSES Rollins away! Omos runs in, blocks a boot, but not the ENZIGURI!
Rollins hurries to springboard, FLYING KNEE! Omos staggers around so Rollins KICKS away on the legs! Omos shoves Rollins, Rollins ducks ‘n’ dodges and dropkicks the legs out! SUPERKICK! Rollins reels Omos in, underhooks the arms, but Omos powers out with a back drop! Omos was kneeling and that was still a powerful toss! Rollins crawls to a corner, Omos runs in, but Rollins moves! Omos hits the buckles! Fans rally up and Rollins SMACKS Omos off the post! Omos staggers, Rollins goes up, and Rollins reels Omos in for a TORNADO DDT! Rollins hurries back up the corner while Omos is down!
Fans fire up and Rollins FROG SPLASHES!! Cover, ONE?!?! Omos tosses Rollins away and Rollins is shocked! But MVP fires up and coaches Omos back up. Rollins winds up and throws forearms while Omos is still kneeling! But Omos choke grips! Rollins breaks free to ROLLING ELBOW! Rollins goes up a corner, FLYING FOREARMS! Omos is down and fans fire up again! Rollins aims from a corner as Omos sits up again, CURB- NO! Omos blocks with pure strength! Omos choke grips, and CHOKE SLAMS! Cover, TWO!!! Rollins survives and MVP is the one shocked! Omos scowls and he looms over Rollins.
Omos waits as Rollins rises. MOUNTAIN- NO, Rollins fights free of the grip! Omos shoves, scoops, but Rollins slips into the SLEEPER! Omos RAMS Rollins into buckles! Rollins goes up to get the SLEEPER again! Omos flails, reaches, slaps at Rollins but he’s fading already! Rollins squeezes tight, but Omos gets a second wind! Omos brings Rollins around, SIDEWALK SLAM! Both men are down and Rollins crawls to a corner. Fans rally but MVP gets on the apron. The ref tells MVP to get down, but Rollins runs in, to CURB STOMP!! And then he SUPERKICKS MVP down!! And then Rollins reloads!
Omos sits up again, CURB STOMP!!! Cover, TWO!?!? Omos survives after taking multiple stomps!? Rollins is even more shocked than before! The fans keep singing, and Rollins watches as Omos sputters and sits up again. Rollins goes to the apron, then climbs up the corner. Fans fire up and Rollins FLYING STOMPS!!!! Cover, ROLLINS WINS!!
Winner: Seth Rollins, by pinfall
San Juan serenades Seth with his song, and the Visionary is rolling towards Raw! Will it be almost guaranteed that Rollins takes the new World Heavyweight Championship?
WWE United States Championship Triple Threat: Austin Theory VS Bobby Lashley VS Bronson Reed!
The Now has been riding high on his WrestleMania Hollywood win over John Cena, though don’t bring up that he cheated to do it. But Theory has only ever survived The All Mighty, and now there’s the wild card of Auszilla! Will Theory no longer be golden? Or will he find a way to survive two behemoths at once?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see if the numbers spell disaster for Theory at Backlash!
The bell rings and Theory rushes Lashley, only to get run over! Lashley fires off in a corner, but then Reed goes after Lashley. Lashley fires off on Reed now, then clotheslines int he corner! Theory runs in, but into an ELBOW! Lashley RAMS Theory into a corner, then sends him at Reed. LARIAT DDT COMBO! Lashley stands tall and fans fire up! Lashley brings Reed up, but Reed wrenches and swings, into the full nelson! But Theory slingshot somersault and SHOTGUNS them both! Theory shoves Reed out so he can rain down fists on Lashley! Fans boo but Theory talks a lot of trash to Lashley.
Theory drags Lashley up, flexes, but Lashley suplexes! Fans fire up as Lashley holds Theory up, with one arm! And then Lashley SLAMS Theory down! Theory flounders to ropes, but Reed returns. Lashley runs in, Theory dodges then trips Lashley, and Reed SPLASHES Lashley down! Theory smiles, and he tells Reed to keep on him. Reed whips Lashley to a corner, SPLASHES, and then Theory adds a clothesline! Theory and Reed work together to mug Lashley! Fans boo but then Theory and Reed coordinate. Theory snapmares Lashley, sits him up, and Reed ROLLING CANNONBALLS!
Theory stomps Lashley, he and Reed drag Lashley back up and put him in a corner. Theory tells Reed to follow his lead. Theory clotheslines Lashley, but Reed CLOBBERS Theory! Theory’s mouth got him in trouble and Reed clotheslines Theory in a corner! But then Lashley MILE HIGH SPINEBUSTERS Reed!! And then he MILE HIGH SPINEBUSTERS Theory!! Theory staggers, into a SPEAR!! Cover, Reed drags Lashley off it! They are outside the ring, Reed dodges to SUPERKICK!? Reed hurries up the apron, then the ropes, to VADER BOMB!! Direct hit and down goes Lashley!
Reed drags Lashley up, puts him in the ring, and he climbs the corner. Fans rally, but Theory trips Reed up! No tidal wave just yet! Theory hurries in, drags Lashley up, fireman’s carries, A-TOWN- NO!! Lashley slips out, gets half the nelson! Then the full! HURT LOCK!!!! Theory flails, reaches out, but he’s so red right now! Theory powers up, goes to ropes, and pushes back! Cover, TWO!! TSUNAMI!!! Cover, THEORY BREAKS IT!! All three men are down and fans fire up! The three men stir, Theory stands first and he hobbles over. Theory brings Reed up, but Reed pushes back. Theory ELBOWS then ROCKS Reed!
SOMERSAULT BLOCKBUSTER! Theory calls his shot, but is he serious!? Theory fireman’s carries Reed!? But Reed slips off to ripcord and POWERSLAM! Theory flounders and Reed roars! Fans fire up as Reed goes up the corner. MOONSAULT FLOPS as Theory moves! SPEAR from Lashley!! But Theory TOSSES Lashley out!! Cover on Reed, Theory wins!!!
Winner: Austin Theory, by pinfall (still WWE United States Champion)
Theory survives again!! Lashley is furious with how close he was, but will The Now always find a way to stay The Now?
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley VS Zelina Vega!
The Eradicator took Queen Charlotte’s throne at WrestleMania, but La Muneca is the inaugural Queen of the Ring. Puerto Rico is Zelina’s homeland, but will she reign again? Or is nothing going to stop Rhea Bloody Ripley now?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who is mami now!
The bell rings and everyone is behind Zelina. Rhea is a bit upset by that, but she just glares at Zelina. Rhea says all these people are going to be disappointed, but they boo. Rhea rushes in, Zelina dodges, and Rhea fumes again. Fans sing “OLE~ OLE OLE OLE~!” but Rhea creeps on up Zelina. Zelina jukes but gets caught, only to slip away to the apron! Zelina shoulders in, then gets the CHANCLA!! Everyone knows what that is! Zelina TOSSES it at Rhea! Rhea rushes at Zelina, Zelina dodges and WRECKS her with a dropkick! Zelina puts Rhea in, goes up the corner, and leaps to RANA, but Rhea blocks!
Reha brings Zelina up, to POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO!! Zelina survives but Rhea soaks up all the heat. Rhea tells San Juan to “SUCK IT!” Rhea CLUBS Zelina, mocks Zelina’s family and then SLAMS Zelina down. Fans rally up and Zelina throws hands but Rhea CLUBS her down. Rhea bumps Zelina off buckles and insults the fans. Rhea RAMS into Zelina again and again, then lets off as the ref counts. Rhea whips Zelina corner to corner hard and Zelina falls. Rhea gives some Latina Heat but the fans boo. Rhea tells them to “SUCK IT!” again! But then Zelina fires off forearms! Rhea knees low then whips Zelina hard into another corner!
Fans boo but Rhea storms up on Zelina. Rhea stands Zelina up, talks trash, and whips her corner to corner again. Zelina bounces off buckles and Rhea smirks. Rhea picks Zelina up out of the corner, carries her around, and hits a BACKBREAKER! Fans rally again but Rhea CLUBS Zelina, gut wrenches, and Canadian Racks! She puts Zelina in a modified Gory Especial! Rhea mocks the “Boricua!” chants, and she bends Zelina back! Zelina endures, even as Rhea thrashes her around. Rhea continues to taunt the fans, but Zelina slips free! Rhea blocks the whip, reverses, and then runs in, but Zelina dodges! Rhea POSTS herself!
Fans fire up as Rhea grits her teeth. Rhea crawls towards Zelina, brings her up, but Zelina fires forearms! Zelina dodges the retaliation to fire off more forearms! But Rhea TOSSES Zelina to a corner! Zelina blocks and fires off more shots! Zelina runs to LARIAT! Rhea wobbles, Zelina LARIATS again! Rhea is still up, and she HEADBUTTS back! Rhea grins and says she’s smarter than that. Rhea pump handles, RIP- DDT!!! The same counter as a couple weeks ago! Fans fire up as Rhea ends up on ropes, and Zelina dials it up! 619!!! Rhea flounders and Zelina goes up the corner! Latina Heat before the METEORA!! Cover, TWO!!!
Fans can’t believe it but Rhea is still in this! Zelina is also beside herself, and she fires off forearms! But she runs into an EDDY GORDO KICK! Rhea drags Zelina up, pump handles, RIPTIDE!!! Cover, Rhea wins!
Winner: Rhea Ripley, by pinfall (still SmackDown Women’s Champion)
Zelina gave it all she had, but the reign continues! Will anyone ever stop Rhea from running the division? As for Zelina, she stands back up, and Puerto Rico cheers her on. This may be a loss in the ring, but this will always be a win in her heart. When and where will Zelina go for gold again?
San Juan Street Fight: Bad Bunny VS Damian Priest!
Former friends, former tag team partners even, but they’ve been torn apart because of the Judgment Day. Bunny was just doing the right thing, but he ended up on Priest’s bad side. Will the Punisher put Bunny down once and for all? Or will nothing stop the hometown hero from beating the bad guy?
Priest wears all white, because he believes he is the hero of this story. Bunny makes his entrance, already armed with a kendo stick and chain. The fans sing along with the song and fire up with the pyro! But then Bunny says hold on, hold on. SURPRISE! He has a shopping cart full of goodies! More kendo sticks, some pipes, some chairs, and even a trash can! The bell rings and fans are thunderous already as the two stare down. Priest is stoic but Bunny is feeling jumpy. Bunny steps up to Priest and fans fire up even more. But then Priest shoves Bunny down! Priest raises his hands and soaks up the heat.
Bunny stands back up, paces around, and he gets in Priest’s face again. So Priest shoves him into a corner! Priest fakes punch, and he laughs as Bunny puts up his guard. Priest pats Bunny on the head, so Bunny SLAPS Priest! Priest swings, Bunny dodges and scoops to MICHINOKU DRIVER! Cover, TWO!! Priest is furious now but Bunny slips away! Bunny goes to his cart! Bunny gets double kendo sticks! Priest rushes out, Bunny dodges, and he taunts Priest. Bunny winds up, Priest runs in and gets under the swing to RAM Bunny into a corner! Priest ROCKS Bunny and fans boo. Priest scowls as he picks up the kendo stick.
Priest SMASHES the stick! But Bunny ROCKS Priest! Priest ROCKS Bunny! Priest scoops Bunny to SLAM him! Fans boo but Priest just soaks it all up. Priest kicks Bunny around, talks trash, but fans rally behind Bunny. Priest says “SUCK IT!” then he wrenches Bunny’s arm. Priest talks more trash, but Bunny ROCKS Priest! Priest wrenches the arm again, but Bunny throws another hand! Priest CLUBS Bunny, but Bunny rakes eyes! Bunny fires off hands! But Priest knees low! Fans boo while Priest steadies himself. Priest storms up, but Bunny JAWBREAKERS back! Bunny storms up in the corner and climbs!
Fans fire up as Bunny rains down fists! But Priest stops him at tres! Bunny sunset flips, TWO! Bunny flounders, gets up, but Priest blocks the haymaker. BELL CLAP! FOREARM! Bunny flops into a corner, Priest runs corner to corner, and Priest hits a BIG back elbow! And then a choke grip, for the SOUTH OF HEAVEN SLAM!! Cover, but Priest picks Bunny up!? Fans boo as Priest plays with his food. Fans rally for Bunny but Priest goes to check out the cart. Priest pulls out an ax handle! Priest goes to the ring, taunts Bunny and the fans, then he throws the ax handle away. Priest runs, but Bunny CHUCKS a chair at him!!
Priest staggers and Bunny looks under the ring. Kendo stick! Bunny fires off on Priest but Priest RAMS him into the corner! Priest runs in, but into a BOOT! Bunny reels Priest in, TORNADO DDT! Priest staggers back up, Bunny runs to clothesline Priest out of the ring! Fans fire up again as Bunny hurries to a corner! Bunny is up top, Bunny CROSSBODIES! Direct hit at the ramp! Fans are thunderous again as the ref checks Bunny. Bunny is okay, and he gets back to his feet. Fans rally up and Bunny brings out the trash can lids. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! Bunny has Priest on his knees, and then CYMBAL CRASHES him!
Bunny grabs another kendo stick, fans fire up as he goes to the ring, and Bunny SMACKS Priest around some more! Priest blocks a shot, TOSSES Bunny, and now he has the kendo stick. Fans boo but Bunny ELBOWS Priest in a corner! And then BELL CLAP in return! Bunny reels Priest in, to suplex and FALCON ARROW!! Cover, TWO! Priest survives and Bunny is shocked! Fans rally up as both men stir. Priest bails out of the ring again, and he sees there’s blood in his nose! Bunny’s given him a bloody nose! Bunny eggs Priest on, and he draws the line in the sand. Priest says screw it, and turns to leave.
Fans boo but Bunny storms up after Priest! Bunny gets the trash can, and he runs up, only for Priest to BOOT the can into him! Priest grins as he lure Bunny into a trap! And then Priest SMACKS Bunny with the can! Priest then gets those trash can lids, and he SMACKS Bunny on the back! Bunny writhes and flounders away while Priest gets the Savio Vega kendo stick! Priest swings and SMACKS Bunny on the back! Bunny flounders against the barriers as Priest says that’s a homerun. Priest drags Bunny up and TOSSES him into the timekeeper’s area! Bunny flounders, the ref checks him, but Priest soaks up all the heat from the fans.
Priest drags Bunny up to ROCK him, and they go into the crowd! Fans fire up more as Bunny ROCKS Priest! Priest ROCKS Bunny, and Bunny crawls away. Priest drags Bunny up but Bunny ROCKS him again! Priest ROUNDHOUSES Bunny! Bunny leans against road cases, but Priest scoops him. Priest puts Bunny on top of the cases, then climbs up to join him! Priest throws off his shirt, drags Bunny up, but Bunny throws hands! Priest wobbles as Bunny fires off! Priest UPPERCUTS back! Priest suplexes, BROKEN ARROW through tables!!! Fans lose their minds as both men are down in the wreckage!
Adam Pearce rushes out to check Bunny, and Priest stands up on his own. Fans boo and the officials tell Bunny to hold on. Priest says Bunny’s not done, because HE’S not done! Priest drags Bunny up, scoops him, and carries him back to ringside! He DUMPS Bunny over the barriers, then sits him up to KICK him back down! Priest waits on Bunny to get up, and Priest KICKS Bunny back down! Bunny stands up, Priest is cocky, and he spins, only to kick POST! Bunny hurries as Priest hobbles in, and Bunny has a kendo stick! Priest hobbles, Bunny SMACKS the bad leg! And again! Priest DECKS Bunny but he still hobbles.
Both men are in corners, but Bunny runs in, into a BOOT! But he blocks it! KNEE JAMMER!! Priest shouts in pain and clutches his knee! Priest says this is not good, his knee is not okay! But Bunny gets the leg! And he fires off on it and Priest! Then he SLAMS the leg against the post! Bunny shows no mercy, just as Priest did! Bunny ROCKS Priest, then SLAMS the leg into the post again! Bunny gets the CHAIN!! Fans are thunderous as Bunny LASHES Priest with the chain! And then Bunny wraps the leg up. Priest says wait, but Bunny SLAMS the leg into the post again!! And then, Bunny gets a CHAIR!
Fans fire up, Bunny takes aim, and he SMACKS the leg against the post!! Priest hobbles, flounders, begs for mercy but Bunny brings the chair into the ring. Fans fire up and Bunny says Priest isn’t done because HE’S not done! But Priest begs Bunny to stop! Bunny hesitates, he never wanted it to come to this. But then Priest BOOTS Bunny! Another trap! Priest still hobbles, but he gets the chair. Bunny LOW BLOWS Priest!! That’s what Priest gets! But here come Dom and Finn! Bunny JAMS Dom, but Finn DECKS Bunny! The Judgment Day stomp away on Bunny and fans boo! Finn has the chair and he wedges it into the corner!
Dom stomps Bunny more, but here comes REY MYSTERIO! Rey slides in, ROCKS Dom, DECKS Finn, but Dom knees low! Now Rey gets mugged! So here comes CARLITO!? Fans can’t believe it, but CARLITO IS LWO!! Carlito slides in, he DECKS Finn! And DECKS Dom! Repeat! Carlito TOSSES Dom, SUPERKICKS Finn, and then Rey RANAS Finn! Carlito reels Finn in, BACKSTABBER!! Fans are thunderous as Carlito shows us what is cool! Carlito takes a bite out of his apple! But Dom CLUBS Carlito! Dom whips, Carlito reverses, and Rey drop toeholds Dom onto ropes! 619 for Dom!! And then the APPLE SPIT!!
Carlito & Rey chase Finn & Dom outta the ring, and then SAVIO VEGA meets them at the ramp! Savio is LWO, too! Finn & Dom laugh, though, they don’t think Savio’s serious. Oh, he’s serious. Fans are thunderous, “VIVA SAVIO!” Savio says he’s not alone, too. Here comes the REST of the LWO! Escobar, Cruz & Joaquin all rush in, and the Judgment Day gets mugged at the ramp! Especially Dom! Finn scurries away, but he forgot about Savio! Savio BRAIN CHOPS! And BRAIN CHOPS! And UPPERCUTS! And then a wrench and HOOK KICK! Fans are thunderous again as Savio gives the same to Dom!
The LWO finally runs Finn and Dom to the back, and now Priest is all alone with Bunny. Bunny loved all that, but he turns around! Priest’s bad leg stops the spin kick, though! Bunny trips Priest, has the leg, and ties it up in a FIGURE FOUR!! Priest endures, shouts and flails, but Bunny puts on more pressure! Priest’s shoulders are down, TWO as he sits up! Priest scowls, but Bunny HAMMERS the bad leg! Priest endures, Bunny thrashes around, but Priest choke grips! Priest drags Bunny off the hold, SOUTH OF- VICTORY ORLL! TWO!! Priest escapes and hobbles, but Bunny gets to a corner.
Priest runs in, Bunny dodges, Priest hits the CHAIR! The chair he put there from earlier! Bunny cravats, SLICED BREAD!! Cover, TWO!?!? Priest survives but Bunny won’t stop there! Bunny gets another chair, he brings that in, and he SMACKS Priest on the back! And again! And again! And again, and again, and again! Priest trips Bunny but Bunny won’t stop! Bunny has Puerto Rico turn it up to 11, and then kicks low, to reel Priest in! BORICUAN DESTROYER!!! Cover, Bunny wins!!!
Winner: Bad Bunny, by pinfall
San Juan is rocking with that victory! Bunny brings down the bad guy and the LWO returns to celebrate! Will the fiesta last all weekend now?
Six Man Tag: Matt Riddle, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn VS The Bloodline!
The Original Bro, Prizefighter & Great Liberator have been “problems” for The Tribal Chief, to say the least. But rather than handling it himself, he’s put all the pressure on his cousins. Jimmy & Jey Uso lost the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships, and they’re starting to lose the trust of Roman Reigns and their own brother, Solo Sikoa. Will the Bloodline hold it together tonight? Or will it all come crumbling down at Backlash?
The trios sort out and fans sing “OLE~ OLE OLE OLE~” for Sami. As such, Sami starts for his team. There’s some tension as Jimmy and Solo step aside for Jey to start. Fans chant “UCE! SO!” and Jey circles with Sami. They tie up, are in a deadlock, but Jey gets the headlock. Sami powers out, Jey runs him over, and then Jey storms up to raise the fingers. Jimmy says this is too easy for the best tag team ever! Jey says they’re in this together, and the fans sure chant along, “UCE! SO!” Sami and Jey tie up again, Jey headlocks again, but fans sing “OLE~ OLE OLE OLE~!” Sami powers up and out, things speed up, and Sami CLOBBERS Jey!
Jey scrambles away to his corner, and the ref keeps Sami back. Jey tells Sami to get back, and Sami steps away. Jey tags Jimmy, and fans sing a new song. Sami looks to Kevin, offers the tag, and fans fire up. Kevin tags in and he circles with Jimmy. Kevin kicks low and he fires off hands! Kevin stomps away on Jimmy, then tells Solo to “SUCK IT!” Kevin throws hands but Jimmy UPPERCUTS! Jimmy whips, Kevin reverses and CLOBBERS Jimmy, to then SENTON! Fans fire up with Kevin but Solo is stoic. Kevin tags Riddle and he brings Jimmy up for forearms! Riddle whips, Jimmy reverses, but Riddle goes up and over!
Riddle KICKS Jimmy down, brings him up, and gut wrenches for the suplex! Tag to Sami, he brings Jimmy up to bump off buckles. Sami snapmares, then bumps Jimmy again! Sami goes up top, leaps and AX HANDLES! Jimmy scrambles away and Sami steps back again. Fans rally and taunt the Bloodline, and Solo tags himself in! Jimmy says okay, go ahead. Solo and Sami circle, they tie up, and Solo powers Sami to the corner. The ref counts, Solo throws hands but the ref has to back him off! Solo storms back up to HEADBUTT again and again! Fans fire up with Solo as Sami flops down.
Solo stands Sami up, whips him to ropes and CLOBBERS him! Solo stands Sami up again, throws him to the corner, then snarls as he offers a tag. Jimmy says that’s how you do it! Jimmy tags in, RAMS into Sami, and again, and again! Jey tags in, Jimmy corners Sami for Jey to forearm smash! Jey pushes Sami down, but fans chant, “We Want Roman!” The Tribal Chief chose not to show up, though. Jey stands Sami up, but Sami throws hands! Jey RAMS Sami into the corner, Jimmy tags in to ENZIGURI! Fans boo but then Solo tags back in. Jimmy says okay, so long as everyone does their part.
Solo drags Sami away from his corner to stomp in the stomach! Solo CLUBS Sami to ropes, talks trash, and then CHOKES Sami on the ropes! The ref counts, Solo lets off at 4, and Jimmy gets a cheap shot in! Riddle and Kevin protest and the fans boo, but the Bloodline gets away with that. Solo drags Sami over, tags Jimmy, and they split the wishbone! Cover, TWO! Jimmy wraps onto Sami with a chinlock but the fans rally up. Sami fights to his feet, reaches out, but Jimmy holds on. Sami throws body shots but Jimmy throws him down! Jimmy SUPERKICKS Riddle, taunts Kevin, then whips Sami, but Sami goes up and over!
Jimmy turns around and Sami LARIATS him down! Fans fire up, Sami and Jimmy crawl, hot tag to Jey! Sami dodges Jey and Jey tumbles out of teh ring! But Jey hurries and trips Kevin up! And then SLAMS Kevin onto the steel steps! Riddle rushes in but the ref backs him up! The Bloodline CHOKES Sami in their corner! Jey taunts Sami, but Sami throws hands on them all! Fans fire up, Sami powers his way towards his corner, but Jey holds him back! Jey whips and SAMOAN DROPS! Cover, Sami keeps one shoulder up! The ref checks Sami but he’s still okay to continue. Jey tells Solo okay, and tags him in.
Jey and Solo sit Sami up to mug him, then Solo stalks Sami to a corner. Solo HEADBUTTS Sami, talks some trash, then throws hands. Solo puts Sami up top, but Sami throws hands! Sami kicks away on Solo’s face! Fans fire up as Sami TORNADO DDTS Solo down! Sami and Solo crawl, hot tags to Jimmy and Riddle! Riddle rallies on both Usos with kicks and forearms! Spin and PELE for Jimmy! Kip up, dodge, ripcord and FINAL FLASH for Jey! Forearm smash for Jimmy! Forearm smash for Jey! Another for Jimmy, before the BROSPLODER! Forearm smash and BROSPLODER for Jey!
Fans fire up as Riddle BROTONS Jimmy, then BROTONS Jey! The Stallion keeps moving, he goes out to PENALTY KICK Solo! And then springboard FLOATING BRO onto the whole Bloodline!! Riddle puts Jimmy in, slingshots, but into a SUPERKICK! Cover, TWO! Riddle is still in this but Jimmy goes to a corner. Jimmy climbs up, but Riddle jumps up after him! SUPER OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY!! Fans fire up again and Kevin rises! Kevin reaches out, and gets the hot tag! Kevin climbs up, SWANTON BOMB!! Cover, TWO!! Jimmy survives but Kevin goes to ropes. Kevin kicks Jimmy but Jimmy blocks the stunner!
Kevin blocks the superkick to SUPERKICK! Kevin whips,. Jimmy tags Jey! Kevin dodges and the SUPERKICK hits Jey!! Kevin then SUPERKICKS Jimmy and SUPERKICKS Solo! Whip and POP-UP POWERBOMB for Jey!! Cover, TWO!!! Jey survives the chaos but Kevin keeps focus. Kevin goes back to the corner, climbs back up top, and he SWANTONS onto knees! Jey saves himself but a bit double-edged there. Fans rally up, both men rise, and Jey throws a forearm! Kevin throws it back! Jey throws a haymaker, so Kevin gives it back! Jey throws another, so Kevin HEADBUTTS!
Jeys taggers, comes back, but Kevin fires off fast hands! It’s a hockey fight! Kick, but no stunner! Jey SUPERKICKS Kevin! Kevin SUPERKICKS Jey! Jey SUPERKICKS Kevin again! Kevin LARIATS Jey down!! Fans are thunderous as everyone is down at ringside! And Sami returns! Jey and Kevin crawl, hot tags to Jimmy and Sami! Sami gets around Jimmy to BLUE THUNDER BOMB! Cover, TWO!! Sami doesn’t let that bother him, he just goes up the corner! But Jimmy GAMANGIRIS first! And GAMANGIRIS again! Jey tags in and the Usos go after Sami together. Jimmy says this will end it, but Sami fights back with haymakers and elbows!
Sami sends Jimmy down, he HEADBUTTS Jey away, and then he leaps, into DOUBLE SUPERKICKS!! Jey covers, TWO!! Jey is beside himself, this is just like WrestleMania and the rematch on SmackDown! Jey stalks Sami to a corner and says he’s tired of Sami! Sami broke the family up! “It’s your fault!” Jey SLAPS Sami, SLAPS him again, but the ref reprimands. The fans boo as Jey keeps blaming Sami. Jey throws his shirt at Sami, then raises the finger to the sky. Sami sits up, Jey says “UCE! SO!” But Solo tags in!? Solo isn’t letting Jey handle this? But then Jey tags himself back in!!
Fans fire up as the brothers glare at each other! Jey says this is HIS problem, HE has this. Solo steps out, but Sami runs in! Jey dodge, the HELLUVA KICK hits Solo! Jey returns, into a BUCKLE EXPLODER! Sami resets, fans fire up and Sami runs in, HELLUVA KICK!! Cover, Solo breaks it!! The Enforcer makes sure this isn’t over yet! Fans rally up, Solo stands and he looks at Jey, and then at Sami, and back again. Which one is the bigger problem to him? Solo steps towards Jey! Riddle runs in to FLASH KNEE! But Jimmy SUPERKICKS Riddle! Kevin STUNNERS Jimmy! Solo SUPERKICKS and SAMOAN SPIKES Kevin!
Jey grabs Solo’s shoulder, and Solo grabs Jey!! Solo is gonna spike Jey!? Jey shouts at Solo what’s going on here! They’re BROTHERS! But then Sami CLOBBERS Solo! Jey rolls Sami with tights! TWO!!! SUPERKICK! Jey hurries to a corner, USO SPLASH onto knees!! Sami rolls Jey, TWO!!! SUPERKICK! Riddle tags in to fire off on Jey! Jey ducks the roundhouse to SUPERKICK! But Riddle FINAL FLASH KNEES! Solo sneaks a tag before Riddle hits BRO DEREK! But Solo hits a SAMOAN SPIKE!! Cover, Bloodline wins!!
Winner: The Bloodline, by pinfall
The Enforcer of the Island does his part! Jimmy grins, but he clearly didn’t see what almost happened between Solo and Jey. Surely the Tribal Chief did, watching at home. Will Roman have something to say about what’s happening to his own family? Or is getting the win good enough?
Cody Rhodes VS Brock Lesnar!
The American Nightmare thought he was going to #FinishTheStory at WrestleMania. But he underestimated The Bloodline’s ability to protect their Head of the Table. And then, he was tricked by The Beast into thinking he could trust The Beast, only to be betrayed and brutalized. Will Cody make it through this adversity? Or will a trip to Suplex City be too much even for him?
Cody DIVES on Lesnar as he gets to ringside! Cody stomps away on lesnar, then RAMS him with the desk cover! And then ROCKS him at the barriers! Cody hurries to get steel steps, and he RAMS Lesnar with them! And RAMS him again! Payback for that betrayal with a THIRD ramming! And then Cody gets the chair! And he SMACKS Lesnar! And SMACKS him again! And again! Lesnar hobbles away but Cody SMACKS him again! Lesnar hurries into the ring, Cody follows but the ref stops Cody from going further. The bell rings and Cody ROCKS Lesnar in the corner! And again! But Lesnar RAMS Cody corner to corner!
But Cody rolls to RHODES UPPERCUT! And DISASTER KICK! Lesnar wobbles, Cody springboards, another DISASTER KICK! Lesnar drops to his knees and fans fire up with Cody! Cody springboards, into a GERMAN SUPLEX!! Fans chant for “Suplex City!” already as Cody crawls out of the ring. Lesnar storms over, but Cody HOTSHOTS him! And CHOPS! And KICKS! Lesnar staggers away, Cody goes up the corner and CROSSBODIES, but into Lesnar’s arms! FALL AWAY SLAM! Lesnar still has power to spare, even after Cody’s assault. Lesnar smiles, then storms up on Cody.
Lesnar drags Cody up, for a GERMAN SUPLEX! Lesnar grins as he watches Cody writhe. Cody sits up, Lesnar brings him up, and Lesnar GERMAN SUPLEXES again! That’s three! Lesnar roars and fans fire up while Cody goes to a corner. Lesnar’s back is red, but he kicks Cody around. Cody writhes but Lesnar kicks him more. Lensar hears the fans chanting “Suplex City!” and Lesnar obliges, a FOURTH GERMAN SUPLEX! Lesnar looms over Cody, then kicks him in the side. Lesnar brings Cody up again, to standard suplex! And then another one! Lesnar looms over Cody again after reaching half a dozen suplexes total.
Lesnar stalks Cody to a corner, Cody holds onto a buckle pad but it comes loose as Lesnar GERMAN SUPLEXES! The pad flies away, free souvenir for a fan. Lesnar stalks Cody, drags him up, and BEARHUGS him! Cody fights the hold but Lesnar squeezes tight! Cody throws elbows, Lesnar BELLY2BELLY suplexes! Cody flops against ropes and Lesnar is having a laugh now. Lesnar stalks Cody to a corner but fans rally up. Lesnar stands Cody up in the corner to RAM him in! And again! Lesnar lets off, then pushes Cody into the bare steel buckle! The ref reprimands, Lesnar runs in, but Cody drop toeholds him into the steel!!
Lesnar sits up, and he’s bleeding already! CODY CUTTER!! But Cody isn’t done there and fans fire up with him! Lesnar stands, Cody springboards, DISASTER KICK! That’s three, but Cody rains down fists on the bloody forehead! The blood gets on Cody’s own body and Cody PUNTS Lesnar down! Fans fire up, Cody springboards again, CODY CUTTER!! Cody is feeling it as the blood paints the canvas! Cody drags Lesnar up, CROSS RHODES!! But he holds on! ANOTHER CROSS RHODES!! Cover, TWO!?!? Lesnar survives and Cody is stunned. But Cody sees Lesnar sputtering with the crimson mask and he fires back up!
Fans rally behind Cody as he waits on Lesnar. Lesnar rises, Cody reels him back in, but Lesnar slips free! Fireman’s carry, F5!!! Cover, TWO!!! Cody survives and fans fire up again! Both men are down, and the ref wipes up some of Lesnar’s blood. More blood is coming, though, as Cody throws hands on that forehead! Lesnar gets an arm! KIMURA!!! Cody endures, pushes up, but Lesnar pulls on that arm! Cody pushes Lesnar to a stack! CODY WINS!!!!
Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall
The American Nightmare took the fight to The Beast, and he took the win from The Beast! Lesnar is stunned, but it isn’t as if Cody didn’t feel the pain. If Cody can pull one over on Lesnar, can he win the World Heavyweight Championship and #FinishTheStory?
My Thoughts:
A great Backlash here, especially because of the crowd being so fired up the entire night. Now, while the status quo (in terms of the titles) was kept, and while I’ve said that can be okay when done right, this didn’t feel like that tonight. And it isn’t even the fault of anyone in that ring, because all three title matches were great stuff, it is the fault of whoever screwed things up in the WWE Draft. I won’t outright say it was Vince, but the last time a WWE Draft swapped show branded titles, such as the women’s titles, Vince was in charge. As such, that ruined the unpredictability in all three title matches.
First, Bianca VS Sky was a great opening match, and this was the one match that still could’ve had some unpredictability since both Sky and Bianca are on SmackDown. But as many figured would happen, including myself, Bayley did cost Sky the title. There’s a good chance Sky now costs Bayley the women’s tag titles at payback and DMG CTRL implodes. Rhea VS Zelina was great stuff as of course the fans were holding out hope that their favorite would win. But in the end, Rhea wins not because of story but because she is on Raw with the SmackDown title and Bianca is on SmackDown with the Raw title. Get ready for that title swap on Monday.
Similarly in the US Championship, while that was still a good Triple Threat, there was no real drama because we knew one man was out of the running from the start. Bronson Reed should’ve been moved to SmackDown with Lashley and Theory, but he stays on Raw. And with the Intercontinental Championship now on Raw, one brand wasn’t going to have both midcard titles. So in the end, it was only going to be between Lashley and Theory. And in the end, Theory continues his opportunistic ways and wins because Lashley took Reed out for him. But I suppose the silver linings are that for Reed, now he can go after the Intercontinental and even World Heavyweight title. Lashley can even get in on the SmackDown side of the WHC tournament.
As for Theory, there are still plenty of possibilities for contenders on SmackDown that could dethrone him. It should happen sooner rather than later because Theory was already getting stale before he faced John Cena at Mania, and it is only gonna get worse. Maybe the LWO members build off tonight’s momentum to go after gold. Bunny VS Priest was great stuff, especially getting Puerto Rico icons like Savio Vega and even Carlito in on this. Bunny winning was of course the natural move, but I’m really surprised this wasn’t the main event. In fact, they tried selling us on a “double main event,” but didn’t have the two matches back to back, so what good is that?
I mostly say this should’ve been THE main event because of how fired up the fans were, and how Bunny, the icons and the LWO celebrating could’ve closed things out. Instead, the Six Man Tag was between the Street Fight and the main event of Cody VS Lesnar. Speaking of the Six Man, that was great stuff, too, especially the tension between Solo and mostly Jey. Jimmy seemed to be in denial about it all, but the Bloodline did win so that seems to make things okay between them. I’m sure Roman will be okay with Solo since he finished it off, but there has to be something that still makes Roman look down on the Usos to keep that part of the story going.
Rollins VS Omos, for being made out of nowhere and therefore having little time to build, turned out to be a very good match, maybe even Omos’ best. Rollins was having to deal with just how truly big and strong Omos was, but he found a way to overcome with that awesome stomp from the top rope. Rollins winning of course helps set him up for the World Heavyweight Championship, and he keeps pace with Cody. Cody VS Lesnar was really good stuff, and I’m pretty sure Lesnar ended up bleeding hard way from that buckle. There was not enough time to have cameras look away for blading or whatever, and you usually don’t see a towel brought in for worked blood.
But that finish was awesome, it was almost like when Kurt Angel beat Taker even though he was in the Hell’s Gate Triangle. Cody survives but still wins, he’ll be going into the WHC tournament with momentum, maybe Rollins VS Cody is the “Raw Finals” on Monday, but maybe they shock us and one loses in a Triple Threat. Of the two, it feels more likely Rollins falls short given how hard they wanna push “Finish The Story” for Cody.
My Score: 8.8/10
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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; wins.
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: The New Day VS The Alpha Academy; wins and advance to WrestleMania.
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: The Awesome Truth VS Indus Sher; win(s) and advance to WrestleMania.
- Last Woman Standing: Becky Lynch VS Nia Jax; wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Jey Uso is here!
North Carolina State University fires up and bounces along with Main Event Jey, and Pat McAfee plays a dangerous game standing on the armchairs! From Bret VS Owen to Matt VS Jeff, we’re about to get Jey VS Jimmy in the third-ever Brother VS Brother WrestleMania grudge match! Jey gets the mic as fans chant “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Jey welcomes us to Monday Night Raw, and wants us to check this out. He knows his brothers are somewhere in the building. He knows The Bloodline’s in the building. He knows how the Bloodline rolls! SO Big Brother Jimmy, where you at?! Where you at, Uce!?
Jey waits for someone to show up somewhere, and the crowd spots them first! Fans boo as Jimmy & Solo make their way from the back of the stands. Jimmy gets a mic and goes to the apron while Solo paces around the outside. Fans chant “YEET! YEET! YEET!” again as Jey puts the sunglasses aside. The Usos stare each other down, the fans now chant “UCE! OH! UCE! OH!” Jey wants to say something, hesitates, but then says these two would always get to it but they always knew how to shake right back to this. But now it’s different. Regardless of what happened, the bad blood between them, Jey misses his brother. He does.
Jey knows Jimmy will say what he wants, but Jey doesn’t talk to him no more, doesn’t ride with him no more, doesn’t even see him no more! Jimmy can just come back. Jimmy says he never left! He protected Jey! Jey’s so dumb, he can’t see it! Jimmy is protecting Jey! It was Jey’s idea to leave The Bloodline, but Jimmy helped because he is Jey’s brother. So yeah, Jey leaves, and what happens? Lil’ Bro becomes the BIGGEST star on the Raw roster! Lil’ Bro becomes the top merch seller! Lil’ Bro goes off to become a tag team champion without Jimmy, but with CODY RHODES!? Who left who, Uce?
Jey forgot Jimmy! Everything Jey did that was big was cuz of Big Bro Jimmy! Everything! So listen loud and clear. The biggest moment in Jey’s career, the BIGGEST moment, is because of Jimmy! Jimmy stares Jey down, but Jey says no. Jey’s biggest moment in his career is going to be his dream match at WrestleMania 40: Jey VS Jimmy, and Jey knocks the yeet out Jimmy’s ass! Jey DECKS Jimmy, DECKS Solo off the apron, but then Jimmy SUPERKICKS Jey down! The fans boo but now Solo storms in and looms over Jey. Solo drags Jey up so Jimmy can look him in the face and tell him that Jey needs to get it right! JIMMY made Jey!
But here comes Cody Rhodes! The fans fire up as Cody DECKS Jimmy, then gets in to springboard and CODY CUTTER Solo!! The American Nightmare said he was gonna be a Bloodline Hunter, and he made sure they didn’t take out Jey! Cody tells The Bloodline it is only a matter of time before they lose it all at WrestleMania! Will Jey prove that younger or older doesn’t matter when he is the BETTER brother?
Adam Pearce is on the phone.
He’s telling Nick Aldis to stop being a hypocrite, telling Pearce to keep his roster in check when this is happening. But then Paul Heyman walks over and Pearce says he’ll call Aldis back. Pearce then asks Heyman what was all that, and Heyman says he owes Pearce an apology. He is sorry. That was not authorized by The Final Boss nor The Tribal Chief, and certainly not by Heyman. Jimmy & Solo went into business for themselves so Heyman apologizes. But listen, Pearce knows that there have been flight delays all day. Even private jets like theirs. Heyman is barely even dressed for TV, let alone has his make-up!
Pearce says those two were ready. Yeah, well, they got in on a different flight. But Roman Reigns is a chief of his word. Those two are already gone, out of the arena, and Pearce has Roman’s word. Call his bluff, put out a search party. Pearce knows Heyman is here on official business, which Heyman will handle, and then be gone. That is it. But when Heyman does his official business… everyone will be caught off guard. “And Mr. Pearce, sir, that’s not a prediction. That’s a spoiler.” The Wise Man heads out and calls Roman, but just what is Heyman teasing?
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: #DIY VS The Creed Brothers!
Unlike SmackDown’s mini-tournament, Raw and Adam Pearce say it’s win and you’re in! Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano want one more shot at Judgment Day, but so do Julius & Brutus! Will the Sicilian Psycho & Johnny Wrestling prove that when it comes to Mania Moments, you gotta do it yourself? Or will the Creeds be bringing golden tickets to the Diamond Mine?
Raw returns as The Creeds make their entrance. The teams fist bump to show respect, then the teams sort out. Julius starts against Ciampa, they circle and tie up. They’re in a deadlock, Ciampa goes for a waistlock but Julius facelocks. Julius wrangles Ciampa to the mat, flips him over, ONE, and Ciampa keeps moving. They trade facelocks, gator roll, and Julius gets another lateral press. ONE, but Julius gator rolls Ciampa around. Ciampa fights up, puts Julius on ropes, and the ref counts. Ciampa lets off, then CHOPS! Julius shoots in for the takedown! Julius has a leg, Ciampa fights but Julius turns him for the ANKLE LOCK!
Ciampa scrambles to the ROPEBREAK, and Julius lets off cleanly. Ciampa bails out, shakes it off, and he gets back in. They go again, Julius hits a fireman’s carry takeover! Tag to Brutus, and Julius feeds Ciampa to another fireman’s carry takeover! Brutus cording holds but Ciampa endures. Ciampa fights up, but Brutus facelocks. The fans rally as Brutus switches and rolls Ciampa. Ciampa fights up, headlocks, then ROCKS Brutus! Brutus DECKS Ciampa, then whips him to ropes. Ciampa ducks ‘n’ dodges, tag to Gargano! Ciampa slides, CHOPS, Gargano LARIATS and Ciampa JAWBREAKERS! Wrench and LARIAT!
Julius runs in, Gargano kicks and Ciampa gives him the boost for SLICED BREAD! The Creeds bail out, but DIY DOUBLE PLANCHA! Down go the Creeds, and DIY applaud and pat themselves on the back. The fans fire up and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Ciampa has Julius in a chinlock. The fans rally, Julius fights up to throw body shots, but Ciampa hits a back suplex! Julius lands out of it, but Ciampa elbows him away. Ciampa drop toeholds Julius, gets legs, but Julius BOOTS Ciampa away! Hot tags to Gargano and Brutus! Brutus rallies on DIY, TOSSES Gargano, then blocks Ciampa’s kick to get under and POWERBOMB him! Brutus sees DIY regroup, then he runs in to SPLASH them both! O’Conner on Ciampa, but Gargano runs up! NORTHERN LIGHTS! Brutus has a DOUBLE BRIDGE, TWO!! Tag to Julius and he gut wrench SLAMS Brutus on Ciampa!
Brutus helps Julius flip up and over to SPLASH onto Ciampa! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up as Julius drags Ciampa up. Ciampa throat chops! A bit dirty but Ciampa wants that win! Ciampa storms up on Julius, but Julius basement stalling suplexes!! The fans are thunderous, Gargano runs in, but Brutus intercepts! Brutus suplexes Gargano now, stalls, and then the Creeds SLAM and kip up! Then they both STANDING MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Ciampa stays in this for DIY but the Creeds keep cool. Julius stomps Ciampa, tags Brutus, and they KNEE Ciampa around! Then they DOUBLE GUTBUSTER! Ciampa sputters but Brutus tags Julius in.
Julius drags Ciampa up, tags Brutus back in, and Brutus climbs. Julius Electric Chair Lifts, but Gargano makes the save! Gargano ROCKS Julius, Brutus ROCKS Gargano! Ciampa BOOTS Brutus, Gargano swings on Julius but is sent into Ciampa! Ciampa pushes Gargano back so he can ELBOW Julius! DIY set up again but Brutus stops the Sliced Bread! Julius DECKS Ciampa, KNEE into the WIDOWMAKER! Julius scrapes Gargano out, Brutus POUNCES Ciampa over the desk! Pat fires up with Brutus and so do the fans! The Creeds say they run this now, and then Brutus drags Ciampa up while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Julius has Ciampa in a chinlock. Ciampa fights up, and he JAWBREAKERS free! Ciampa ELBOWS Brutus down, BOOTS Julius, then runs up, only for Julius to catch him and toss him back! But then Ciampa catches Julius for a REVERSE DDT! The fans fire up while both men are down and crawling! Hot tag to Gargano! Gargano slingshots to KICK Julius, then he CLOBBERS Brutus! ENZIGIRI for Julius, then he runs to DOUBLE KNEE Brutus! BULLDOG LARIAT COMBO! The fans fire up with Gargano while Julius ends up in another corner. Gargano runs in but is put on the apron!
Gargano GAMANGIRIS Julius, SUPERKICKS Brutus, then SLINGSHOT SPEARS Julius! Cover, TWO! Julius survives but Gargano puts him in a corner. Gargano CHOPS, then hoists Julius up top. Tag to Ciampa, Ciampa CHOPS Julius while Gargano DIVES onto Brutus! Ciampa CHOPS Julius again, goes up top, and fireman’s carries! Ciampa then tucks Julius in for the SUPER AIR RAID CRASH! Cover, TWO!! Julius survives again and shocks Ciampa! The fans are just as stunned, but Ciampa and Julius sit up. Ciampa stands, and he CHOPS! And CHOPS! Julius sits back up as Ciampa puts some stank on the CHOP!
Julius brings the straps down! Julius fires a forearm, Ciampa hits back, and the fans fire up as the shots keep going! They go faster and faster, harder and harder, meaner and meaner! The fans fire up as this just turns into a brawl of haymakers and SLAPS! Ciampa then gets around, ripcord and HAYMAKER! ROLLING- TACKLE from Julius! And then the ANKLE LOCK!! Ciampa reaches out, moves around, but Gargano runs up! Julius kicks him, then gets him up with one arm to POWERBOMB! Then it’s back to the ANKLE LOCK on Ciampa! Brutus gets in to get Gargano for an ANKLE LOCK of his own!
The fans are thunderous as DIY endures! Ciampa and Gargano fight, turn things over, SICILIAN CROSSFACE and GargaNO Escape!! The fans are thunderous as The Creeds power up and lift both DIY! They fireman’s carry, then TOSS DIY into each other!! The fans are thunderous as Julius goes up to MOONSAULT onto Ciampa! Brutus MOONSAULTS, too! Cover, TWO?!?! Ciampa survives and the fans are loving this! Julius tags back in, Brutus climbs up! “This is Awesome!” as Julius Electric Chair Lifts Ciampa! But Ciampa VICTORY ROLLS to get under the Brutus Ball!! Cover, Brutus tips it! Gargano TOSSES Brutus then SUPERKICKS Julius!! Ciampa has the cover, DIY WINS!!
Winners: DIY, by pinfall (advance to WrestleMania)
Julius can’t believe it! He kicked out at 3.1, but a loss is a loss! And for the first time ever, DIY is going to Mania! Will Philadelphia soon be historic for a DIY championship victory?
Judgment Day meets backstage.
Rhea Ripley is with Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor & JD McDonagh, but also Andrade. Dom says he’s always liked Andrade’s style, but things have changed since the last time he was in the WWE. The Judgment Day runs Raw now. Rhea says yeah, and they don’t extend invitations to just anyone. Judgment Day is very exclusive. JD says very exclusive. But if Andrade continues to impress them, they’ll see about making things happen. And Finn says he just heard that Andrade has a match next week, so the Judgment Day will be watching him. Sounds good. See you next week. But then in steps Damian Priest.
The Punisher says hello to El Idolo, and El Idolo says hello to Senor Dinero. Andrade heads out, will he quite literally win his way into the club? But as for Priest, Finn asks him what he was up to. Priest was getting a closer look at that DIY VS Creeds match. DIY won, but whatever, they can handle those guys. But JD, they thought he could handle Ricochet last week, and run the gauntlet, and then go to WrestleMania to bring even more gold back to Judgment Day. JD says he did he belonged in there. But also, he battered Ricochet, who got lucky at the end there. Right, Finn? Finn hesitates, and Rhea says Priest is right on this one.
Ricochet made a fool out of JD! A fool? Yes. A fool? Yes. That’s why tonight, Dom will make it right. Right, Dom? Yeah, Mami. Let’s go talk to Pearce to make it official. Dom & JD head out, and the others are confident Dom’s got this. But does he, though? Or will the One and Only have two wins over Judgment Day in as many weeks?
Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance!
The Poison Pixie certainly lived up to that name last week when she bullied Maxxine Dupri as part of beating her and Ivy Nile last week. Will Candice’s toxic tongue strike again? Or will the party not be stopped by her harsh vibes?
The teams sort out and Candice starts against Kayden. Candice rushes up, Kayden gets around and O’Conner Rolls, TWO! Kayden springboards to basement dropkick! Cover, TWO! Kayden stalks Candice, Candice ELBOWS her away then tags Indi. Kayden dodges Candice to SUPERKICK, but Indi BOOTS Kayden! Cover, TWO! Indi drags Kayden up, tags Candice back in, and they mug Kayden. Candice CLUBS away on Kayden, fires off furious fists, then covers. TWO, and Candice grows frustrated already. The fans rally, Candice steps up but Kayden avoids the senton! Tags to Katana and Indi! Katana blasts past Indi, comes back and BULLDOGS!
Katana keeps moving, ducks ‘n’ dodges, then SHOTGUNS Indi to a corner! The fans fire up as Katana stomps away on Indi! Indi shoves Katana, Katana runs corner to corner to A-LIST LARIAT! Katana shoves Indi down, runs up, but into a back suplex! Katana lands out, but her leg jams! The ref and Kayden check, then the ref keeps Indi back. Indi says okay, and she stays by Candice. But Candice tags in to WRECK Kayden! And she SLAMS Katana’s leg into the post!! HALF CRAB and DEEP! Katana taps, Candice & Indi win!
Winners: Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell, by submission
Candice smiles and celebrates with Indi, but Indi doesn’t want to. Candice says a win is a win, but just what is going on in her toxic mind?
Cody Rhodes makes his way to the ring.
NC State fires up again as The American Nightmare walks down the ramp, and this time the fans can sing along with the song, “WHOA~ OH~!” Cody gets his pyro then gets the mic. “In less than three weeks time, I will stand opposed for the second year in a row, in the main event, with the lights on brightest, I will challenge for the WWE Undisputed Championship, against the greatest champion in all of sports, The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. And this Friday on SmackDown, Roman and I are going to have a little conversation, if you will. But there are… complications. Factors, elements, combustible elements, namely… The Rock.”
Fans boo but Cody says The Rock took to Instagram on Friday, and followed it up with “extremely entertaining” concert. Too bad The Rock didn’t wanna be here tonight. Something Cody took from the Instagram post: The Rock referred to himself as “Our Favorite Heel.” A bit of an inside term, but we’re not dumb, we know that means he’s the “bad guy.” Cody has known Heels. Bobby Heenan, Arn Anderson, Michael Hayes, “Superstar” Billy Graham, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair! Fans “WOO~” and Cody says he doesn’t think The Rock is a Heel. He’s just an assh*le. The fans go nuts hearing that!
Cody doesn’t want Rock getting upset, he doesn’t want the “seven bucks team” to get upset, he doesn’t want anyone getting emotional. Cody knows how Rock feels about emotions, he poked fun at Cody tearing up at discussing “finishing the story” with good friend, Michael Cole. There’s no crying in pro-wrestling, Jimmy Dugan, we get it. But hasn’t The Rock been crying behind the scenes this whole time? Once that hashtag came out, once fans chanted something else, The Rock cried to his buddies on the TKO board and said “Hey, this is gonna be some good PR for The Rock! I need to save WWE!” God knows, look at this house. They sure needed “saving,” huh?
The fans cheer but Cody says Rock wanted great PR. Until it wasn’t. TKO said OMG yes, put on the Gucci shirt, get those muscles looking big. It’s because they are Yes People, they are enablers, they won’t dare tell The Rock like it is, so Cody’s going to. Cody tells The Rock, “You’re a lot of things. You’re a lot of wonderful things. You are the Braham Bull, you are The Great One.” Cody still has shoes with The Rock’s logo on it! The Rock is the only guy Cody honestly feels is a Mount Rushmore wrestler. But he is also a terrible salesman, a carny succubus, and for those who don’t get what that means, The Rock is “a whiny b*tch!”
Fans lose their minds again but Cody says The Rock has been convinced otherwise. But don’t think that for two seconds this locker room needs The Rock more than The Rock needs it! That’s a rule of wrestling, nobody is bigger than the business! And sure, Cody brought up his mom, so it is fair game for The Rock to use that. But Cody knows The Rock’s mom. Here’s what Cody will tell us about The Rock’s mom. She is a wonderful lady, salt of the earth, she helped Cody chop Kevin in a dark match. Cody has nothing but respect for The Rock’s mom, something The Rock should’ve echoed back towards Cody’s mom.
But see, The Rock was talking about whipping Cody, handing a bloody weight belt to Cody’s mom, and normally someone as powerful as The Rock, Mama Rhodes would tremble. But The Rock doesn’t know Cody’s mom. Cody was more scared than she was, because she ain’t scared of nothing. This is the same woman who once jumped out of her chair at a Willie Nelson concert and beat up an undercover cop! She ain’t afraid of The Rock! Cody has been asked, April 6th, biggest tag match of all time, Rock & Roman VS Cody & Seth. Seth Rollins, the World Heavyweight Champion, a man The Rock should respect because that man has carried The Rock’s company!
How will Cody get past that match? How will April 7th look? Will it be a fair fight? Cody can tell us honestly… He doesn’t know. Cody does not know if it will be Bloodline Rules or not. Hell, he might not #FinishTheStory. “But Dwayne… What do you know? How can you be so sure of your own self, right?” The Rock hasn’t been in the ring in real action in years! April 6th, the bell is gonna ring, and what happens then? Is The Rock gonna bring The Great One, the hero we all had growing up? Is he bringing that #BigDwayneEnergy? Or is it gonna be LDS, Little D*ck Syndrome?! The fans chant “L D S! L D S!”
Cody says The Rock has referred to himself as The Final Boss. Kudos for that nickname, maybe he really is that. Maybe Cody is too naive to see it. But at WrestleMania, Cody doesn’t think The Rock will be The Final Boss. At WrestleMania, he’s just Roman’s side chick. But then ladies and gentlemen, his name is Paul Heyman, and he serves as The Wise Man to Your Tribal Chief, the reigning! Defending! Undisputed! WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion, Roman… Reigns! And as Special Counsel to the Bloodline, Heyman is here to say to Cody that the ideals that Cody and Heyman share are far greater than the interests on which they conflict.
By example, don’t you hate it when someone comes out to demand an apology? Not that Cody’s done that, but Heyman is still going to do that. Heyman came out here with some “friends” of his, and he apologized. For a Wise Man, that was pretty freakin’ stupid. One: because it didn’t work. Two: because it was just dumb. And for that, Cody, to you and the fans, Heyman humbly apologizes. Cody says whoa, whoa, whoa. He didn’t ask for an apology, and he certainly knows Heyman wants permission to be in the ring. Heyman is a Hall of Famer starting this year, if he wants into the ring, be Cody’s guest.
Heyman thanks Cody for that but he’s fine on the apron. He carries with him a message from The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Talk about Heels… You may think of Heyman anything negative you want, and that might be understanding the obvious. Heyman is not trustworthy, but Roman is a chief of his word. Heyman assures that this Friday on SmackDown, Roman will be face to face with Cody. American Nightmare, Tribal Chief, challenger and champion. And when they are face to face, there will not be a single other member of The Bloodline in sight. Except for Heyman, but he is no physical threat.
Heyman holds the title belt, the beads, whispers things in Roman’s ear, such as his love and respect. But Cody has Roman’s word that if he shows up on SmackDown, Roman will show up alone. Cody says Roman shows up alone, no Bloodline outside of Heyman, it’s a deal. They good? Heyman has some jet lag, he forgot one little point. And don’t boo him, he’s talking to Cody! Cody says yes they’re booing, and he’s about to go full Homelander and rip Heyman’s throat out if he doesn’t get to the point. Fans like the reference. Heyman composes himself and says if Roman Reigns shows up alone this Friday on SmackDown, then Cody must show up to SmackDown alone, too.
Cody steps closer to Heyman and Heyman is a bit nervous. Cody tells Heyman, “Deal!” They shake hands, and Heyman smiles. The Wise Man negotiated a purely one-on-one meeting between his Tribal Chief and American Nightmare, but can we trust Heyman was telling the truth about Roman telling the truth?
Nia Jax speaks.
“You know what I’ve realized? Becky Lynch has never beaten me. And after tonight, she never will. Because after I break her face again, I will be taking her spot at WrestleMania. I will finish business with Rhea Ripley, and not only will I walk out the Last Woman Standing, but I will become Women’s World Champion.” The Irresistible Force is ready for the Big Time, but will she A-Nia-late her?
Cody Rhodes returns backstage.
And Jey says there he go! But real quick, Cody can’t be going to SmackDown alone. Cody says he gave them his word. But The Bloodline isn’t gonna play fair! They’re all gonna be there! If Cody needs Jey, Jeys’ got him. Cody hears that, but he knows what he’s dealing with. They shake hands and Jey heads out. Will Cody be able to have that fair, one-on-one meeting? Or does Jey have a point about The Bloodline?
Dominik Mysterio w/ JD McDonagh VS Ricochet!
It seems Pearce agreed to the idea that Dirty Dom should try and clean up The Irish Ace’s mess. Will Dom be able to get revenge on Ricochet? Or will Ricochet be the One and Only person holding their head high tonight?
Raw returns and Dom has made his entrance. The bell rings, Dom and Ricochet circle, and they tie up. Ricochet waistlocks, Dom fights the lift and grabs ropes. The ref counts, Ricochet lets off, but Dom ELBOWS him away! Dom fires hands, soaks up the heat, then storms up, but into haymakers! Ricochet CHOPS, kicks then flexes on Dom. Ricochet whips, Dom reverses, but Ricochet goes up and over. Ricochet ducks ‘n’ dodges to then handspring back elbow! The fans fire up while Dom bails out! JD is there to coach Dom up, but Ricochet runs in! JD gets Dom to safety, but Ricochet handsprings to hero land!
The fans fire up, Ricochet then goes to ropes to TORNILLO PLANCHA! Direct hit on Dom and Ricochet tells JD to back off. Ricochet puts Dom in, Dom distracts the ref, but JD grabs Ricochet’s leg! Ricochet kicks JD away, but then Dom WRECKS Ricochet with a dropkick! Dom soaks up the heat and Raw goes to break.
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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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