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Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (5/1/23)

The Draft wraps up!

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WWE finishes up the new rosters!

The WWE Draft finishes up tonight, and Backlash is this Saturday! Plus, BROCK LESNAR is in town! Will he and Cody Rhodes cross paths tonight?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez VS Bayley & Dakota Kai; Bayley & Kai win.
  • Braun Strowman & Ricochet VS The Alpha Academy w/ Maxxine Dupri; Braun & Ricochet win.
  • Matt Riddle w/ Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn VS Jimmy Uso w/ Jey Uso; Riddle wins.
  • Omos w/ MVP VS Anthony Alanis; Omos wins.
  • Mixed Six Tag Match: The Judgment Day VS The Latino World Order; The Judgment Day wins.
  • Seth Rollins VS Solo Sikoa w/ Paul Heyman; Rollins wins, by disqualification.

PLAY BY PLAY

Triple H is here!

Just as he did on Friday Night SmackDown, The Game is here to open night two of the WWE Draft! But this time, he has the NEW WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt by his side at the podium. HHH says it is sold out and LOUD in the arena! Fans cheer, and HHH welcomes us to Monday Night Raw and the last night of the 2023 WWE Draft. “Now this Friday night on SmackDown, things got a little crazy and shook the WWE right down to its foundation. Tonight, I’m sure will be no different. But before we get into the fun, let’s set some ground rules.

“All remaining undrafted WWE superstars on Raw and SmackDown are subject to the possibility of transferring to other brands. Half the roster was drafted on Friday, the remaining half will be drafted here tonight.” Fans cheer that, too. HHH says, As a result of the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns, being drafted to SmackDown, we will be crowning a new World Heavyweight Champion. That title and it’s holder will be exclusive to Monday Night Raw.” Fans like the sound of that. And HHH says out of everyone eligible tonight, we could see a new champion emerge.

Tonight’s draft pool is: Akira Tozawa; The Alpha Academy; Los Lotharios, Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo; Asuka; Austin Theory; Baron Corbin; Braun Strowman & Ricochet as a dynamic duo; Bronson Reed; Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin as a tag team; Charlotte Flair; Dana Brooke; Elias; Emma; Johnny Gargano; The Judgment Day as a unit; Karrion Kross & Scarlett; Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn as a unit; LA Knight; Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez as a unite; Nikki Cross; Piper Niven; Rick Boogs;  Riddick Moss; Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler as a unit; Seth Rollins; Shotzi Blackheart; Tamina; Tegan Nox; The Brawling Brutes as a unit; The LWO as a unit; The New Day as a unit; The Usos as a unit; Trish Stratus; and Xia Li.

HHH continues to say that before we get started, there is one superstar that is NOT eligible to be drafted tonight in Brock Lesnar. Fans boo but HHH says earlier today, Lesnar renegotiated his status as a free agent, and can appear on any brand at any time. Superstars from NXT are also eligible tonight, and these new rosters go into affect next week, May 8th, after Backlash. But enough about the rules, let’s get to it! Are you ready? No, no, ARE! YOU! READY!? Then with the very first pick of night two, Raw selects… THE ERADICATOR, RHEA RIPLEY! The SmackDown Women’s Champion stays on Raw to counter SmackDown taking Bianca Belair.

SmackDown uses their pick to select… THE NOW, AUSTIN THEORY! The United States Champion now goes to SmackDown as a counter to Imperium and the Intercontinental Championship coming to Raw! Raw now selects… THE VISIONARY, THE REVOLUTIONARY, SETH FREAKIN’ ROLLINS! That’s right, we are still watching Monday Night Rollins! Fans sing “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~!” and HHH nods along. To finish up the first round, SmackDown selects… THE QUEEN, CHARLOTTE FLAIR! Charlotte stays on the Blue Brand, will SmackDown continue to bow down?

And now, HHH introduces the Wise Man, Paul Heyman. Fans boo as Heyman walks out on stage, and he shakes his head while chuckling. Heyman and HHH shake hands, and HHH walks him to the podium to show him the World Heavyweight Championship. Heyman says it is beautiful. Heyman continues on to the ring, what will he have to say about all the Bloodline’s business heading towards Backlash? Heyman gets the mic to say, “Ladies and gentlemen. My name is Paul Heyman. I serve as Special Counsel to YOUR Tribal Chief, Roman…! Reigns!

“The Tribal Chief has asked me to address a number of business items for the entire WWE Universe to just revel in my wisdom. Item number one: The Draft. Roman Reigns, Solo, and Paul Heyman have been drafted to Friday Night SmackDown. Which leaves tonight for us to determine the fate of the Usos. The Usos, who did not, NOT, NOT win back their tag team titles this past Friday from Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn.” Fans cheer that but Heyman says he will address the Usos in private later tonight. But the Usos will address their problems this Saturday at Backlash in Puerto Rico when they team with the problem solver, Solo Sikoa, against Kevin, Sami and of all people, Matt Riddle.

“Now these items will not only be addressed by your Wise Man tonight, but one week from this Friday, on SmackDown, live, and I don’t even know what city we’re in, so long as it’s not in the state of Texas.” fans boo, but Heyman says the Tribal Chief will take care of all business items. As a preview, one is that hunk of beautiful gold up on that podium right now. Guys, c’mon. Wouldn’t that title look relevant around the waist of Your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns? Fans boo, he already has titles. But here we are, almost 1000 DAYS into a title reign!

Talk about Undisputed! Not one, not two, but three! You create a championship, and Roman Reigns will dominate that title to the main event of WrestleMania! But Roman can’t compete for it, because Roman is not here on Raw anymore. Fans cheer that. But the worst thing about that is that all the “children” in the locker room who think that they’re men are running around, flapping their gums, about the Tribal Chief. Those are people who should know better. Men who need to start acting like men! Men who are freakin’ jokers! Men who are freakin’ jokes. Men who are freakin’ clowns! Who are-

“BURN IT DOWN!” Rollins interrupts Heyman! Fans sing “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~!” as Rollins makes his way to the ring. Rollins joins Heyman, and Rollins smiles as he motions to the chorus. Heyman shakes his head and Rollins laughs. Rollins says, “Pauly! Good to see you! Why the long face? C’mon, man.” Today is Christmas for Heyman! Roman Reigns is drafted away to SmackDown, and Rollins is still on HIS show! Which means Roman doesn’t have to run away from Rollins anymore. And Heyman doesn’t have to waste all that energy pulling strings backstage to make sure Rollins never gets a title match again.

Heyman can use all that extra energy to make sure The Bloodline doesn’t go POOF, right in his face. Heyman’s a “spoiler” guy, right? Loves a good spoiler, right? Here’s a spoiler for Heyman: At Night of Champions, ROLLINS wins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship! Fans love the sound of that! And the entire world will see what a real champion looks like. Heyman gets his phone out to call Roman. Fans boo and Rollins says it’s gonna be hard for Heyman to have a phone conversation with all this singing. “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~!” Heyman shouts, “I can’t hear My Tribal Chief!!” That just makes fans sing more.

Heyman finishes up talking with Roman, and tells Rollins, “You’re pissing off your Tribal Chief.” GASP! Aww… Well, if Roman’s upset now, he’s really not gonna like this one. Texas, Rollins has ha question! How long do you think it’d take for Rollins to get Heyman down on the mat so he can stop that big bald head into it? Would it take five seconds? No! Four? NO! Three? NO! Two? NO! But wait, here comes Solo Sikoa! The Enforcer of the Island is storming out to ringside to defend the Wise Man, but Rollins just smiles. Heyman still has Solo stand down. Here’s a spoiler: All the strings are being pulled at this moment!

And after the break, the match will be made for Fort Worth! Seth Rollins VS Solo Sikoa!! Rollins says they don’t need to wait! Solo wants to fight tonight? “YOU’RE ON! HAHAHAHAHA!” The Visionary is not afraid, will he put Solo down as we prepare for Backlash?

 

Adam Pearce talks with Cody Rhodes backstage.

Pearce wants Cody to know, this is a huge night, and it’d be nice if it didn’t spiral into chaos. Cody sighs and heads out. We know Lesnar is going to be here tonight, will the American Nightmare be able to wait for Backlash?

 

The NXT roster is having another watch party!

Indi Hartwell, Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn were drafted on Friday, who will be the lucky ones to be chosen tonight?

 

Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez VS Bayley & Dakota Kai!

The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions can go on any brands, so they don’t sweat the Draft. But DMG CTRL is all on SmackDown now. Will the Role Model & #CobraKai earn themselves a title opportunity to match the Evil Genius’ shot at Bianca Belair’s belt?

The teams sort out, Kai starts with Liv and the two circle. They tie up, Kai headlocks, but Liv powers out. Liv dodges Kai, gest around her, O’Conner Rolls, TWO! Kai rolls Liv up, ONE! Liv ducks a kick, Kai ducks the enziguri, and Kai waistlocks! Liv booty bumps and victory rolls, TWO! Liv SHOTGUNS Kai down! Fans fire up, but Kai HOTSHOTS Liv! Tag to Bayley, and she drags Liv up to scoop and SLAM! Liv avoids the elbow drop, tag to Raquel! Raquel scoops, Bayley slips out, and Bayley SLAPS Raquel! Big Mami Cool is mad now! She RAMS Bayley into the corner, RAMS her more, then tags Liv.

Liv taunts Kai, Raquel whips her in to back body block Bayley! Then Liv RANAS Raquel into Bayley! SHINING WIZARD added on! Cover, TWO! Liv keeps Bayley from Kai, Kai tags a foot but she was away from the corner! The ref stops Kai but that allows Bayley to rake Liv’s eyes! Bayley throws Liv out, tags Kai, and Kai BOOTS Liv down! DMG CTRL takes control as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns and Bayley BOOTS Liv in the corner! Tag to Kai, she goes side to side to BOOT WASH! Cover, TWO! Kai grows frustrated, she drags Liv to the corner, and she stomps away on Liv! The ref counts, Kai lets off at 4, but Bayley pulls hair! Liv still BOOTS Kai and ELBOWS Bayley! Liv then goes up and over, Kai hits buckles! Fans fire up as Liv crawls, but Kai CLOBBERS her first! Liv fights Kai off but Kai gets the arm! Kai keeps Liv away then DECKS her! Kai laughs but Liv blocks a kick! Liv rolls Kai, then hot tags Raquel! Fans fire up as Raquel rallies on Kai! Kai ducks the lariat but not the SOUTHPAW!

Raquel scoops Kai to FALL AWAY SLAM! Bayley gets Kai out of the way to take the SPLASH! But Raquel just FALL AWAY SLAMS Kai again! TWISTING VADER! Cover, TWO!! Kai survives but Raquel drags her back. Tag to Liv and Liv climbs up onto Raquel! But Bayley trips Raquel! That throws off the senton, and Kai gets her KNEES up! Bayley drags Raquel out and RAMS her into the apron! Kai mule kicks Liv, hops on, KAI-ROPRACTOR!! Cover, Raquel breaks it in time! Bayley gets in but Raquel TOSSES her out! Bayley holds Raquel in place, kai BOOTS Raquel! But Kai turns around into a CODE BREAKER!

Bayley sneaks a tag! ObLIVion for Kai! Sunset flip from Bayley! DMG CTRL WINS!

Winners: Damage CTRL, by pinfall

Bayley snuck that one from the tag team champions! Will DMG CTRL take control with all the gold once again?

 

The guest speakers are here tonight!

Booker T is here for Raw, but his Queen, Sharmell, is here for SmackDown! The Royal Couple of WWE heads to the stage, who will Raw and SmackDown choose next?

 

Adam Pearce finds Brock Lesnar backstage now.

Pearce knows Lesnar knows Cody is here, and as big as tonight is, Pearce would love if they kept the peace. Lesnar laughs. “Good luck with that.” The Beast isn’t promising anything, will tonight end up like that night almost a month ago?

 

Booker T & Sharmell make their entrance!

They go to the podium, and he asks, “What up, D Town?” With the first pick of the second round, Raw selects, the UNDISPUTED TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn! The Prizefighter & Great Liberator stick together one way or another! Sharmell says SmackDown selects… THE USOS! Jimmy & Jey stay with The Bloodline on SmackDown, but will they still be on the Island of Relevancy? Raw selects… JUDGMENT DAY! Finn Balor, Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio stick close to Mami! SmackDown finishes the round by selecting… LATINO WORLD ORDER! They get Santos Escobar, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde, Zelina Vega AND Rey Mysterio!

 

Braun Strowman & Ricochet VS The Alpha Academy w/ Maxxine Dupri!

The dynamic duo didn’t win on SmackDown in that massive Triple Threat Tag, but perhaps they’ll make an impression on Raw here tonight. Or will Chad Gable & Otis (Otise?) make them SHOOOOSH?

Raw returns and The Alpha Academy make their entrance. The teams sort out and Gable starts against Ricochet. They tie up, Gable waistlocks, wrenches and wristlocks. Ricochet rolls, kips up and flips to slip through to wristlock! Gable rolls, bridges, handsprings and wrenches to break and trip Ricochet to a cover! ONE, Ricochet trips Gable to a cover, ONE! Gable CHOPS! Fans “WOO~!” but Gable “SHOOSH!” Gable whips, Ricochet rolls off his back, rolls under then handsprings back to headscissor and DROPKICK! Fans fire up with Ricochet and he runs in again. Gable blocks a kick, waistlocks, but Ricochet switches.

Gable switches, Ricochet elbows free but Gable GERMAN SUPLEXES! Ricochet lands on his feet! Gable rushes in, Ricochet goes up and out to GAMANGIRI! Ricochet springboards, Gable gets under, and he wiastlocks to O’Conner Roll and CHAOS THEORY! Fans fire up while both men are down, and they crawl, hot tags to Otis and Braun! Fans fire up as these titans shove each other! Otis dodges, fires off hands, and he puts Braun in a corner! Otis runs side to side to SPLASH! Maxxine loves it! But then Braun CLOBBERS Otis! And keeps moving, breaks through the lariat, and CROSSBODIES?!

Fans fire up as Braun’s shirt comes off but Maxxine is upset. Braun scoops and SLAMS Otis! Fans fire up more as Braun tags Ricochet! Ricochet climbs up onto Braun, MONSTER SWANTON!! Cover, Braun & Ricochet win!

Winners: Braun Strowman & Ricochet, by pinfall

The dynamic duo does it again! Speed and strength combined, but will they stay together? And on what brand?

 

The next guest speakers are headed to gorilla.

Shawn Michaels is back to select for Raw, and Adam Pearce is going to select for SmackDown! The third round of the night goes down after the break.

 

Shawn Michaels makes his entrance!

NXT goes nuts for their General Manager, and then Adam Pearce makes his entrance. HBK gets right to it by saying Raw’s- OH SNAP, BROCK LESNAR?! That’s not the pick because HHH said earlier that he’s a free agent. But because Brock’s a free agent, he’s doing what HE wants! Pearce tries to tell him not to do this, but Lesnar just stares at him and Pearce backs off. Lesnar goes to the ring, he gets the mic, and while fans boo, Lesnar says, “Fort Worth, Texas. How does it feel to be looking at the only real cowboy in the state?” Fans boo but Pearce brings security out now. Lesnar was asked politely, the Draft trumps everything, so please, leave peacefully.

With all due respect- Oh, with all due respect, it’s gonna take more men than these. So Pearce calls on even more security. Lesnar has about twenty guards telling him to leave, but then CODY RHODES makes his entrance! But from BEHIND! Cody CLOBBERS Lesnar! The brawl is on and fans go nuts! Security rushes in to stop this, Lesnar slips away and taunts Cody. Cody fights his way free, but gets caught again at the ropes! Cody still hammers guards away, but the other half tells Lesnar to stand down. Lesnar smirks and takes his leave. Perhaps Lesnar got what he wants, but Cody didn’t. Cody shouts, “MAKE ME EARN IT!” Will that happen at Backlash?

 

Raw returns and HBK is back at the podium.

“Alrighty. I think we’re gonna try this again, shall we?” With the first pick of the third round, Raw selects… THE WWE WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS, Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez! And without Pearce here, HBK reads the SmackDown choice! SmackDown selects… THE EMPRESS OF TOMORROW, ASUKA! Will Fridays not be ready for Asuka? Raw selects… THE NEW~ DAY~! Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and even Big E get to bring the Power of Positivity to Mondays! And SmackDown closes out the round with… THE BRAWLING BRUTES! Sheamus, Ridge Holland & Pete Dunne stick together on Friday Fight Night!

 

Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn talk at gorilla.

Kevin looks at the blue SmackDown Tag Team Championship belt. Kevin & Sami are both on Raw, but obviously as tag team champions, they should be able to go to SmackDown, too, right? Matt Riddle finds them and says this is the best week ever! Kevin & Sami beat the Usos and retained the titles, and they’re all on Raw! they can hang out together all the time! Plus, Backlash and the Six Man Tag means they’re gonna put the hurt on the Bloodline! And Riddle gets to do that tonight against Jimmy Uso! Riddle pats them both on the back, Sami is excited but Kevin isn’t so sure about this.

Matt Riddle w/ Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn VS Jimmy Uso w/ Jey Uso!

The Original Bro has the Prizefighter & Great Liberator watching his back here tonight, will they be rolling into San Juan, Puerto Rico? Or will the Riddle be solved one way or another tonight?

The bell rings and the two fire off fists! Riddle gets the edge, whips, but Jimmy reverses. Riddle holds ropes, BOOTS Jimmy, but Jimmy distracts and Jey ENZIGURIS Riddle down! Fans boo but Jimmy CHOKES Riddle at the ropes! KO & Sami get at Jey but Jimmy sees that. Jimmy focuses on Riddle with haymakers, but then Kevin falls over? And Sami SMACKS a chair against the desk! To then toss it to Jey! They’re playing some Latino Heat on Jey! The ref sees what he thinks he sees, and Jey is stunned! Jey is mad, he didn’t do nothing! But the ref EJECTS him anyway! Fans fire up and Jimmy protests, but the decision is final!

Riddle joins Kevin and Sami in having a laugh as Jey has no choice but to leave. Now things are in their favor as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns and Riddle fires off forearms on Jimmy! Riddle runs, but into a SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO! Riddle is still in this but Jimmy puts him in the corner. Kevin tells Corey Graves not to spread disinformation on commentary, Jey really did hit him. Jimmy throws hands in the corner but Riddle counter punches! And again! And again! Riddle fires off palm strikes, a BOOT, and then spins Jimmy for a PELE! Jimmy staggers, Riddle kips up and he forearm smashes in the corner! Then he runs side to side to SMASH! And BROSPLODER! And BROTON onto knees! Jimmy saves himself and Riddle goes to a corner.

Jimmy runs in but into an ELBOW! Riddle goes up, but Jimmy SHOVES him off the top! Riddle hits barriers on the way down! Kevin checks on Riddle, coaches him up, but Jimmy goes out to SUPERKICK Kevin! That really did happen! Jimmy puts Riddle in, but Riddle gets around to ripcord. Jimmy breaks free, Riddle blocks the kick but not the DRAGON WHIP! Jimmy SUPERKICKS Riddle down! Cover, TWO!! Riddle survives and Jimmy grows frustrated. So he SUPERKICKS Riddle again! Cover, TWO!! Riddle survives and Jimmy might be getting flashbacks to Friday and how Kevin kept surviving.

Jimmy puts Riddle on the ropes, the ref checks on him, but Jimmy pulls at a buckle pad! Sami protests to the ref but the ref just argues with him, so Kevin SMACKS Jimmy off the buckles! Jimmy staggers into a FINAL FLASH! Riddle goes up for the FLOATING BRO!! Cover, Riddle wins!

Winner: Matt Riddle, by pinfall

Turnabout IS fair play! Riddle, Kevin & Sami use numbers against Jimmy to get even, but will this work out the same way at Backlash? Or will facing the full Bloodline be a different story?

 

The next guest speakers are…

ERIC BISCHOFF for Raw!! And Rob Van Dam for SmackDown! Elias & Boogs are there to geek out over him being here, they all do the “R! V! D!” thumbs. Will Elias & Boogs be picked in the fourth round? And if so, by which side?

 

Heyman talks with Solo Sikoa backstage.

The Wise Man says The Tribal Chief has so much faith in The Enforcer to take out “this clown,” Seth Rollins, with his big nose and floppy feet. The Tribal Chief wants Solo to take Rollins out! Heyman tops it off with some Samoan, but then Jey walks in. He has a quick question. Why wasn’t Solo ringside tonight? The brothers stare down but Heyman says Solo is “pent up.” Roman has assigned him the extermination of one clown here on Raw, so he had to stay focused on that. Jey accepts that. Is there something else? Oh, Jey wants the room! Introspection after last Friday. Heyman understands.

Heyman says he and Solo can leave the room to Jey. The Tribal Chief loves you, by the way! Loves! #WeTheOnes! Jey is a bit confused now. Just what games are being played by the Tribal Chief now?

 

Eric Bischoff makes his entrance!

The WWE Hall of Famer and former General Manager of Raw is back! But then so is the One of a Kind! Fans join in on “R! V! D!” and Eric asks if the fans are ready. He’s been ready for this! RVD hears the fans chanting for him and says he loves them, too. Okay, the first pick of the fourth round, Raw selects… THE WWE HALL OF FAMER, TRISH STRATUS! Stratusfaction comes to Raw! And SmackDown selects… MR. & MRS. DOOMSDAY, KARRION KROSS & SCARLETT! Will the clock continue to count down on Fridays? Raw selects… THE BADDEST WOMEN ON THE PLANET, SHAYNA BASZLER & RONDA ROUSEY!

SmackDown finishes up with… THE MEGA STAR, L! A! KNIGHT, YEAH!! And that’s not an insult, that’s just a fact of life, dummy!

 

The Miz is here!

And the Hollywood A-Lister welcomes us to the Most Must-See WWE Talk Show, MizTV! What a draft it has been, and Raw is stacked! They’ve got Cody Rhodes! The title Miz made prestigious again in the Intercontinental Championship is back on Raw with the addition of Imperium! A women’s champion in Rhea Ripley! And someone Miz can’t stand but everyone else loves, Seth Freakin’ Rollins. But the biggest acquisition was none other than yours truly, THE MIZ! Fans boo but Miz says tonight’s guest is someone who was drafted to Raw for the first time ever. It is the KING OF STRONG STYLE, SHINSUKE NAKAMURA!

Fans fire up and even Miz rocks out to Nakamura’s classic theme song as Nakamura makes his way out. Nakamura and Miz bow, and just in time for the long chord. Miz says he is the first to welcome Nakamura to Monday Night Raw! They take their seats, and Miz notes Nakamura has done a lot in the WWE: NXT Champion; United States Champion; Intercontinental Champion; Royal Rumble winner; and here on Raw, he could become the inaugural NEW WWE World Heavyweight Champion! Does Nakamura think he has a chance? Nakamura says, “Hai.” Hi? Hello, yes, we did introductions.

Maybe Nakamura doesn’t wanna answer that question. But when HHH said he wants this title to be on a workhorse champion, he clearly meant Miz. The TWO-TIME Grand Slam Champion! He main evented Mania! Always up for whatever, from press conferences to media appearances! Miz is the epitome of a workhorse! Nakamura chuckles, and Miz says he’d be a great number two. They can help each other out! Think about it! They could be a partnership, a merger! They could be #Mizuke! Fans boo that idea but Miz says things are different on Raw. You need someone to watch your back, and who better than the Face of Mondays?

Look, bottom line is Miz helps Nakamura, Nakamura helps Miz, what does he say? Nakamura says thank you, and Miz has more experience in the WWE, but Nakamura knows Miz has… “Chisai kintama.” What? Chisai kintama? Yes! That sounds positive! Is it awesome? Kinda… Miz takes pride in saying “CHISAI KINTAMA!” They say it together! Nakamura does his best not to laugh but the fans join in. Miz says it sounds amazing. What does it translate to? It means… Tiny balls. Miz is no longer happy. But now fans really love it! “TINY BALLS! TINY BALLS!” Miz takes a swing, but Nakamura dodges!

Nakamura kicks Miz’s legs out, then hits the KINSHASA!! The King of Strong Style is Raw, but will he soon be World Heavyweight Champion?

 

Omos w/ MVP VS Anthony Alanis!

As of this moment, The Nigerian Giant is a free agent, just like Brock Lesnar. Will he continue to make a huge impression no matter where he goes?

The bell rings and Alanis rushes in with fast hands! But Omos swats him down! Alanis gets up and throws a BIG right! He asks how that tastes, then he kicks and whips. But Omos blocks, reels Alanis in, and scoops to SNAKE EYES! Then BOOT! Fans rally up as Omos drags Alanis up again, for the MOUNTAINTOP CHOKE BOMB! Cover, Omos wins!

Winner: Omos, by pinfall

Alanis sank like Atlantis, and Omos grinds his boot in harder! Will nothing stop Omos from decimating Seth Rollins this Saturday?

 

BREAKING NEWS on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship!

A tournament is in the works! Superstars will compete starting next Monday on Raw, and all of this culminating at Night of Champions! Who will make the cut to head for the gold?

 

The next guest speakers are…

Molly Holly is here for Raw, and Road Dogg is back for SmackDown! What big moves will happen this late in the draft?

 

Oh you didn’t know?

You better call somebody! The Road Dogg makes his way out first, followed by Molly Holly! Molly starts us right off with Raw’s first pick of the fifth round: BRAUN STROWMAN & RICOCHET! The superpowers stick together and are here on Raw! SmackDown selects… THE BALLSY SHOTZI BLACKHEART! Will she turn Fridays into TankDown? Raw continues by choosing… THE COLOSSAL, BRONSON REED! And SmackDown finishes the round with… well, HBK won’t like this. PRETTY DEADLY, Elton Prince & Kit Wilson! #YesBoy~! And they’re at the Performance Center celebrating, especially since they survived sleeping with the fishes…

 

The Judgment Day is here!

Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio and of course Rhea Ripley head to the ring together, staying on Raw despite Rhea having the SmackDown Women’s Championship. They get the mics, and Priest says, “All Rise for the Judgment Day staying united right here on Monday Night Raw! And all rise for tonight’s first draft pick, your champion, our champion, RHEA RIPLEY!” Rhea says, “Was there really any doubt who the first draft pick would be, huh? Mami’s always on top. And you guys thought you could get rid of us that easily? Nuh uh! Because I said it before and I’ll say it again, The Judgment Day, we run Monday Night Raw!”

Rhea says this Saturday, Zelina Vega will regret everything she’s done to her on SmackDown when Rhea pretzels her and reminds us all why Rhea is the most dominant champion in the WWE! Finn says that’s right! Zelina gets rolled up like snot and flicked! And they have some bad news for Bad Bunny: Damian is gonna tear Bunny apart and leave fluffy little pieces all over Puerto Rico! Tell ’em, Damian. “Bad Bunny. I want you to listen to my words very carefully. Because I choose them very, very carefully.” Priest then fires off in Spanish that he is the best Puerto Rican wrestler!

And while he knows that Bunny is a big star in the music world, this is the world of wrestling. That means Bunny can try to be a wrestler, but he’s not better than Priest. There is nothing Bunny can do against Priest, and the fans aren’t going to help, either. Priest tells “Bonito” that in front of his fans, his friends and his family, in his home of Puerto Rico, he’s done. In Puerto Rico at Backlash, Bunny receives his punishment. Dom starts to speak but then all the fans boo. Finn says to ignore all that and speak anyway. Dom says he can’t wait. But then the fans boo more! Dom tries again, but still gets more boos.

The boos just get louder and louder, so Dom shouts that he can’t wait until Mami and Priest DOMINATE at Backlash! Fans chant “YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!” Dom just smirks as the fans keep booing. He repeats what he said: He can’t wait until Mami & Priest DOMINATE at Backlash! Just like they’re gonna dominate Santos, Zelina and his “deadbeat dad,” Rey! And since the LWO got drafted to SmackDown, this will be the last night Dom gets to embarrass his dad and his “loser friends.” They’ll go run away and hide on Friday nights! But then here comes Rey and the Latino World Order!

Fans fire up as Rey tells Dom, “No one’s running or hiding anywhere. We were selected by SmackDown to compete Friday nights. That’s how the Draft works. Don’t you get that, son?” But Rey is glad that they’re being separated. If Dom thought getting whooped at Mania with a belt was bad, the next time, it would’ve ben LA CHANCLA! Fans fire up for that, and Rey says he can’t wait to see Zelina leave with Rhea’s belt around her waist! And he is looking forward to watching Bad Bunny beat down Priest and anyone else from the Judgment Day who is stupid enough to get in his way! “But before all that, the Judgment Day is gonna get smacked right now by the L! W! O!”

The tension rises again as we get what could be the final fight between father and son! Who rolls into Puerto Rico? We see, after the break!

Mixed Six Tag Match: The Judgment Day VS The Latino World Order!

Raw returns and the bell rings as Rey starts against Dom. But then Rhea tags right in, and she taunts Rey. Rhea pie faces Rey, but Rey helps Zelina hit the RANA! Rhea flounders, Zelina runs up, dodges, but Rhea BOOTS her down! Rhea talks smack, drags Zelina up and pump handles, but Zelina DDT- NO, Rhea counters the counter to a suplex! Zelina knees free, but Rhea grabs her by the hair! Zelina JAWBREAKERS free, Rhea stumbles back and Priest tags in. Escobar steps up but Priest kicks him low. Priest whips, Escobar ducks ‘n’ dodges and CLOBBERS Priest! Priest goes to a corner, fans count along, “Uno! Dos! Tres!” DOUBLE KNEES!

Escobar brings Priest around, throws hands, CHOPS and ROCKS and repeat! Escobar whips, Priest reverses but Escobar kicks him back! And again! Escobar runs, but into a BIG forearm! And then Priest DECKS Rey with a sucker punch! Fans boo but Judgment Day applauds. Priest glares at Zelina but she backs away. Priest drags Escobar up, runs, but Escobar KNEES Priest first! Dom runs in, but into a BACKBREAKER! They both bail out, Rey tags in, SEATED SENTON for Priest! Rhea protects “Dom-Dom” but Rey goes into the ring to pose with Escobar and Zelina. Fans fire up and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Priest ROCKS Escobar! Escobar goes to a corner, Priest runs in to clothesline! And then another clothesline! Priest wants uno mas, but Escobar DROPKICKS him down! Fans rally up as both men crawl, hot tags to Dom and Rey! Rey dodges Dom to DECK him! And DECK him again! Rey whips, Dom reverses but Rey tilt-o-whirls to RANA Dom! Dom staggers around into the corner, and Rey goes after him with fists! Fans fire up but Dom slips out to CLUB Rey! Dom whips, Rey KICKS, and then Rey returns to springboard CROSSBODY! Cover, but Rhea breaks it!

Zelina runs in but Rhea DECKS her! The ref reprimands but Rhea stalks Rey! Rhea fireman’s carries, lifts, but Zelina 619s low!! Rhea staggers, runs back in, but Zelina dumps her out! Rey drags Dom up but Dom DROPKICKS! Hot tag to Priest! Priest runs in at Rey, but Rey dodges! Priest POSTS himself! Rey then dropkicks Priest onto ropes! Dial it up, 61- NO, Finn distracts the ref as Dom trips Rey up! Fans boo but Escobar DIVES onto Dom! Escobar then hurries up, but Rhea DROPKICKS him! Zelina FLYING METEORAS Rhea to the floor! Priest mule kicks Rey, drags him up, crucifix for the RAZOR- NO, Rey slips free!

Rey RANAS Priest onto ropes! Redial, but Finn takes the shot!! SOUTH OF HEAVEN SLAM!!! Cover, Judgment Day wins!

Winners: The Judgment Day, by pinfall

The LWO couldn’t finish this off all because The Prince was a wild card! Will all this momentum help Rhea retain her title and Priest “punish” Bad Bunny? Or will there be shocker after shocker in San Juan?

 

Backstage interview with Cody Rhodes.

Cathy Kelly catches Cody on his way out and asks him if Lesnar is in his head after tonight. Cody admits, Lesnar is in Cody’s head. He’s been in Cody’s head ever since the Raw after WrestleMania. And now, Lesnar has negotiated his “free agent status,” where he can come and go as he pleases, on either Raw or SmackDown. Lesnar gets what Lesnar wants. “Just not on Saturday. Not at Backlash.” The most decorated combat sports athlete, and Cody has made sure to point that out, but here is what we found out tonight: Doomsday bleeds. Lesnar is human. And Lesnar doesn’t even need to win this match. It’s Cody who HAS to win!

Because if Cody doesn’t… The whole idea of Cody finishing his story ceases to exist. And then he moves to the back of the line. And Cody refuses to do that. He won’t be the back of the line now, not ever. Cody thanks Cathy, and heads out. Will there be no stopping the American Nightmare from making a dream come true?

 

The next guest speakers are…

JBL is back, ready to represent for Raw! And for SmackDown, it’s Teddy Long, player! Will the sixth round be the biggest one yet?

 

Backstage interview with Bianca Belair.

Byron Saxton is with the RawEST Women’s Champion, and asks her initial reaction to finding out she was drafted to SmackDown. She says it doesn’t matter what brand she’s on, so long as she’s able to represent the WWE Universe to the best of her ability. And that means retaining this title on Saturday. Even though she’ll rep blue from now on, she still has love for Monday nights. So best believe she’s sending Iyo Sky along emptyhanded. But in come DMG CTRL, Bayley and Kai chuckling. Good one, Bianca.

But Bayley has a question for Byron: Why is he here interviewing Bianca when he should be talking to the top three draft picks in the WWE? Did you see that Bayley & Kai are the future WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions? And Iyo Sky is gonna give Bianca a real reason to be blue, when she beats you for that title! Get it? Blue like sad. Bianca says what actually makes her sad is that she has always been impressed by Sky. In fact, when Sky showed up at SummerSlam last year, Bianca knew Sky would be the unique, talented and competitive athlete this division needed. Bianca was excited to see what Sky was gonna do next.

But what’d she really do? Went and got influenced by two chicks who have done nothing but hold her back. Yeah, that’s what she said. So hopefully Saturday gives Sky a taste what it feels like to finally step out on her own and shine. After Bianca beats her, that is. Sky says in Japanese that Bianca will not leave Backlash champion after Sky gets through with her! Bianca says Kai doesn’t need to translate that. They understand each other. DMG CTRL leaves, but will they be able to take control away from The EST?

 

Teddy Long walks on stage!

Fans cheer for the Hall of Fame SmackDown General Manager, and then here comes John Bradshaw Layfield! They tease each other, and JBL says with the first pick of the final round, Raw selects… SHOOOOSH! The Alpha Academy, Chad Gable & Otis! But will this only prolong the push and pull of Alpha Academy and Maximum Male Models on Otis? Teddy says SmackDown selects… “THE MEAT MOUNTAIN,” RICK BOOGS! Fridays are about to rock! Raw selects… NXT’s KATANA CHANCE & KAYDEN CARTER! KC Squared is about to face Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn for the NXT Women’s Tag titles, what’s gonna happen now?

As for SmackDown, the final pick of this final round of the 2023 WWE Draft, they select… CAMERON GRIMES! SmackDown is finally going TO! THE! MOON~! The rest of the picks will be part of Raw Talk tonight on Peacock, who will avoid being left in the void of undrafted and unsigned free agency?

 

Xavier Woods speaks.

“Ooooh~! It’s Xavier Woods here, and it looks like ya bois, the NEW~! DAY~! Just got drafted to the red brand. They said, ‘Hey, we need you to inject a little life back into Monday nights.’ So USA Network, get ready. BECAAAUSE~! NEW! DAY ROCKS!”

 

Seth Rollins VS Solo Sikoa w/ Paul Heyman!

The Visionary saw through Paul Heyman’s not so subtle message earlier and responded in kind, only for The Enforcer of the Island of Relevancy to respond right back. Rollins is preparing for Omos at Backlash while Solo is going to join his brothers against Kevin, Sami & Riddle. Will Rollins #BurnItDown tonight? Or will Solo “exterminate” on behalf of the Tribal Chief?

Raw returns and Rollins makes his entrance. The fans sing along again, “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~!” as Rollins swaggers in his fur coat. The bell rings and Rollins stares Solo down. They circle, approach, but then Rollins dodges to revel in the singing. Rollins grins at Heyman, then circles with Solo. They tie up now, and Solo powers Rollins to a corner. The ref counts, Solo lets off at 4, but then swings! Rollins avoids the sucker punch, and the singing continues. Solo works to tune out the “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~!” Solo and Rollins tie up, Solo headlocks but Rollins powers out. Things speed up, Rollins hurdles then redirects!

Rollins slides out and he uses the singing to get on Solo’s nerves. Solo rushes out but Rollins slides in to keep the trolling. Solo slides in, but then quickly slides out to avoid the Curb Stomp! Rollins says it was that close. Solo storms into the ring, they approach but Solo kicks low! And HEADBUTTS! Solo fires off on Rollins in the corner, the ref counts, but Solo lets off with a furious roar! Fans boo but Rollins fires haymakers in return! Solo shoves Rollins away, runs in, but Rollins dumps him out! Rollins WRECKS Solo with a dropkick, then builds speed! But Solo intercepts Rollins with a WHEEL KICK! Solo solved that problem while Raw goes to break.

Raw returns once more and fans sing as Rollins throws body shots! Rollins runs, but Solo fireman’s carries! Rollins fights free, dodge the clothesline and PELES! Solo staggers to ropes and Heyman looks worried. Rollins goes to a corner, Solo runs in but only gets buckles! Solo staggers around again, and Rollins CHOPS! And ROCKS with a haymaker! And CHOPS again! And another haymaker! Rollins repeats, fires off fists from all sides, and fans fire up! Rollins whips, Solo reverses but Rollins reverses back to ROCK Solo with a forearm! And LARIAT! Solo stays up so Rollins LARIATS again!

Solo still stays up so Rollins tries again, but Solo catches him into a clinch! Rollins fights with elbow after elbow, gets free, and he mule kicks! And front kicks! And DISCUS LARIATS! Fans fire up and Rollins is feeling it while Solo bails out. The fans sing, Rollins builds speed, and Rollins DIVES! Direct hit and Solo hits the desk! Rollins gets back in, he builds more speed, and he DIVES again! Another hit and Solo is on the desk! Rollins slides back in, builds more speed and he DIVES again! The hattrick sends Solo tumbling over the desk! Fans fire up and sing some more, and Rollins brings Solo back into the ring.

Rollins aims from the apron, springboards in, but Solo gets under! Rollins comes back, into a SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO! Solo grows frustrated, and Heyman is muttering into his phone. Another call to Roman? Solo storms up on Rollins, drags him up, and clinches, for the SPINNING- NO, Rollins slips free to roll Solo up! TWO!! SUPERKICK! Solo wobbles, into the ROLLING- SPINNING SOLO!! Cover, TWO!! Solo is shocked that Rollins survives! Solo stands Rollins up, but Rollins SLAPS him! Rollins laughs and eggs the “big boy” on! “Is that all you got? Or are you just Roman’s little b*tch?”

Solo drags Rollins right up for a SPINNING SOLO!! But Solo isn’t done, he rains down hammer fists! The ref reprimands, Solo storms up on him, but Heyman has him stand down. Solo pursues Rollins out of the ring, around the way, and SMACKS him off the desk! Rollins staggers around, Solo scoops him, but Rollins slips off! Rollins POSTS Solo! They both slide into the ring, and Rollins SUPERKICKS! Solo wobbles, into the ROLLING ELBOW! But THE USOS ATTACK!

Winner: Seth Rollins, by disqualification

But here come Riddle, Kevin & Sami! They all brawl with the Bloodline! Rollins joins in to mug Solo, and Raw is going off the air! Which side will even make it to SmackDown this Friday in Puerto Rico?


My Thoughts:

A really good Raw, but this still had a bit of that Go-Home Syndrome with a lot of video packages to hype up superstars, even those staying on Raw. As for the Draft, HHH overhyped it by quite a bit. This didn’t really shake WWE to its core. We got the same dumb change Vince pulled: move the women’s champions to force them to trade belts. That means with Rhea staying on Raw and LWO staying on SmackDown, Rhea keeps the title. And after a really good Mixed Six, the Judgment Day finds a way to beat the LWO again, so how is Zelina supposed to believably beat Rhea? I will say, Priest had a great promo (and Fort Worth was stupid to “What” him just cuz it was in Spanish), but with Priest being the one standing tall, pretty sure Bad Bunny wins that Street Fight.

On the flipside, Bianca and DMG CTRL all being on SmackDown means there’s a tiny chance Iyo Sky can get the Raw Women’s title, and then she trades belts with Rhea. And good match from Bayley & Kai VS Liv & Raquel, and good win for DMG CTRL. Now, them challenging for the belts make sense, but I don’t see Bayley & Kai winning them, because the logical move is that DMG CTRL is falling apart and Bayley will be to blame. But Ronda & Shayna are on Raw to be on the same brand as Liv & Raquel, so pretty sure they’re still going to give us that feud and that will get Ronda & Shayna the titles.

Another title outcome ruined by the Draft is the US Championship. Bronson Reed is staying here on Raw, so he’s immediately out of the running since Theory and Lashley are on SmackDown. And it’d be a shame if Theory retained because of another Triple Threat. And Sheamus no longer gets a chance at the Intercontinental Championship because the Brawling Brutes stay on SmackDown. But at least that means they can feud with LA Knight, which could actually be a lot of fun. Asuka going to SmackDown is also a little odd, if only because she already feuded with Bianca and DMG CTRL. Why not give us Asuka VS Rhea on Raw?

Also a little disappointed there wasn’t more thought put into Pretty Deadly getting called up. NXT showed them supposedly being drowned, but there could’ve been something that showed them surviving and making it back in time to be picked here tonight. And then Kayden & Katana being called up when they’re facing Alba & Isla on NXT tomorrow night, what good is that? Who are supposed to be the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions after next Monday? But at least Cameron Grimes is going to resurface on SmackDown. He’d been off NXT TV so long, I wasn’t sure what was going on. He should’ve been called up sooner, really.

Good match from Braun & Ricochet VS Alpha Academy, good win for Braun & Ricochet, but surprising everyone ends up on Raw. Where’s the drama of Gable not getting to stick with Otis to keep him from going full Otise? Or is that going to finally play out after Backlash, where Otis has to choose? Of course Lesnar is a “free agent”, and he had a great segment with Cody with that ambush and haymaker. But Omos is a Lesnar-esque free agent? What? I suppose it’s fine, as he’ll move to whatever brand needs a big monster for some kind of build. And I actually like that Boogs got picked but Elias hasn’t been. Kinda humbles Elias a bit, doesn’t it?

Really good stuff out of Miz and Nakamura, and I knew right away where Nakamura was going with “chisai kintama.” With word of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship having a tournament (which replaces the King of the Ring tournament for the time being), I bet Nakamura beats Miz to have an easy first round win. And again, great stuff out of The Bloodline stories. Great interaction between Heyman and Rollins to set up Rollins VS Solo, and great stuff from Riddle VS Jimmy, especially the very complex Eddie Guerrero play where Kevin played hurt and Sami did the reporting. And of course Rollins wins by disqualification. This keeps Solo strong where his only clean loss was against Cody Rhodes, and we get a great brawl to close.

My Score: 8.6/10


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Coverage

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

Talk about a Big Time Raw!

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Will The Man be the Last Woman Standing?

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

OFFICIAL RESULTS

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

PLAY BY PLAY

Jey Uso is here!

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

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

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

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

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

 

Adam Pearce is on the phone.

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winners: DIY, by pinfall (advance to WrestleMania)

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

 

Judgment Day meets backstage.

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

Winners: Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell, by submission

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

 

Cody Rhodes makes his way to the ring.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Nia Jax speaks.

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

 

Cody Rhodes returns backstage.

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

 

Dominik Mysterio w/ JD McDonagh VS Ricochet!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Ricochet, by pinfall

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

 

Sami Zayn is backstage.

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

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

 

Adam Pearce is in the ring.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Sami confronts Gable now.

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

 

CM Punk speaks.

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

 

Drew McIntyre is here!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Becky Lynch speaks.

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Liv Morgan confronts Becky Lynch.

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

 

Cody walks with his dog, Pharaoh, backstage.

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

 

Last Woman Standing: Becky Lynch VS Nia Jax!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Becky Lynch

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


My Thoughts:

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

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

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

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

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

My Score: 8.9/10


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

The semifinals are here!

Published

on

We’re just one step away from the Cup!

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

OFFICIAL RESULTS

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

PLAY BY PLAY

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

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

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

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

No Contest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: SANADA VS Hirooki Goto!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


My Thoughts:

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

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

My Score: 8.9/10


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