Coverage

Mitchell’s Ring of Honor Report! (2/24/18)

Published

6 years ago

March 2, 2018

Steven Mitchell

ROH WRESTLING TELEVISION, Episode 336

All images courtesy of the Fite.TV app and streaming service.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

SoCal Uncensored’s Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky VS The Young Bucks; the Young Bucks win.
ROH World Television Championship: Silas Young w/ Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas VS Kenny King; King wins and becomes the new ROH WTVC.

PLAY BY PLAY

Last Week on ROH TV…

The ROH World Six Man Tag Team Championships were on the line between the Bullet Club’s Hung Bucks and the trio known as SoCal Uncensored. The referee was distracted by action on the outside, causing him to miss Christopher Daniels tap out moments later. It was then that Scorpio Sky used one of the title belts as a weapon to knock out Matt Jackson! Daniels covered, and the SCU won! Or so they thought.

The new Enforcer, Bully Ray, came out to correct this “Wild Wild West” attitude Daniels and friends have. Bully came to a consensus with the fans, and they decided that this match would restart! The Hung Bucks struck with triple Superkicks, and officially retained their World Six Man Tag Championships! The SoCal Uncensored and all of the ROH Roster learned, there’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s a Bully.

Speaking of, Bully Ray is already in the ring.

And he catches those up who missed it, he is officially The Enforcer in Ring of Honor. “And there’s always been one thing that stuck out to me about this wrestling company.” That one thing was the word itself: Honor. “The honor of the pro-wrestling that takes place in this ring” makes Bully proud to be the Enforcer of the “best pro-wrestling company on the planet.” Atlanta agrees to that with a chant of “ROH! ROH!” “For everybody here,” Bully thanks them for supporting this company, and he thanks everybody at home watching for supporting this company. “We’re going to give it to you, tonight is about all thriller, no filler!” The fans love the sound of that, let the show begin!

SoCal Uncensored’s Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky VS The Young Bucks!

The Heavy Metal Rebel and the King of Sting are here, but where is the Fallen Angel? For that matter, two-thirds of the ROH World Six Man Tag Team Champions are here without their third. Given the antics from last week’s title defense, it might be a decision from The Enforcer that this stays just 2v2.

That aside, the Code of Honor is not upheld as Kaz & Scorpio both sucker punch–and kick–The Bucks! The bell rings and fans boo while Kaz & Scorpio keep up the unfair attack. They whip Matt & Nick into opposite corners, then run in for corner clotheslines. Fans chant “Too Sweet! Woop Woop!” while SCU whip the Bucks at each other. However, Matt becomes a step stool and Nick leaps off him to flying forearm Scorpio down. Then Kaz gets caught in a drop toehold and the pop-up dropkick. Kaz rolls out of the ring, the Bucks whip Scorpio and double hip toss him down. The Bucks backflip and double low dropkick him, then headscissor dropkick Kaz off the apron. Atlanta applauds while The Bucks pace about, but then really fire up when they see the American Nightmare walking out!

Cody applauds his Bullet Club friends from the stage, and the fans give him an ovation as he heads down to commentary. ROH’s highest paid wrestler enjoys the attention while we go to break.

ROH returns and to Cody giving thumbs-up but Matt being brought into the SCU corner. Kaz tags in and clubs Matt in the back. Scorpio joins in on mugging Matt while Cody insists “Bullet Club is Fine.” The fans chant “Young Bucks! Woop Woop!” while Scorpio whips Matt into a corner. Kaz runs in but Matt uppercuts him away. Matt boots Scorpio then says “You’re dead!” with a corkscrew cutter! He then dodges Kaz and tags in Nick! Nick shoulders into Kaz, then slingshots over. Nick dodges Kaz and even gives him an extra kick into the buckles.

Scorpio returns and Nick goes after him with a swift roundhouse kick. Nick back elbows Kaz while he’s hung up on the ropes, then goes after Scorpio again. Scorpio puts him on the apron, but gets another kick from Nick. Nick slingshots and double stomps Scorpio, then drives Kaz down with a draping backstabber! Cody and the fans love what they’re seeing, as does brother Matt. Nick tags Matt and both Bucks go over to Kaz. They bring him up then Matt whips Nick in, but Kaz puts Nick on the apron. Matt runs in but Kaz turns things around to hoist him up to the top rope. Nick slingshots but Kaz hangs him up, then Kaz rocks Matt with a leaping enziguri! Kaz slingshots at Nick and DDT’s him into the apron!

Scorpio returns to leaping SUPER STEINER Matt outta nowhere! Matt lands on that troubled back, but Scorpio keeps going. He runs and FLIES onto Nick!

Nick crumples under Scorpio, and Cody grows concerned. The fans fire up, though, they like this. Scorpio and Kaz return to Matt, assisted tilt-o-whirl DDT! Kaz struggles to drag Matt over for a cover, TWO! Kaz takes his frustrations out on the fans with spit and cussing, then tags in Scorpio. Matt stands up but he’s still alone against them both. Scorpio puts Matt in SCU’s corner but Matt fights out! He’s still only one against two, so SCU double whip him, but he comes back with a Spear on Scorpio!

Kaz gets Matt with a kick then gives him a stiff haymaker. He whips Matt but Matt uses that to hit Scorpio with a wrecking ball dropkick! Kaz dropkicks Matt while he’s in the ropes, then slingshots to headscissor Matt down. Cody is again very concerned, but Nick returns to Penalty Kick Kaz from the apron! But then Scorpio hops up to give Nick an apron cutter!

Everyone is down, even Scorpio, but Cody coaches The Bucks from commentary. Scorpio stands up and trash talks Cody, but he doesn’t see Matt up on the stage. Kaz and Scorpio regroup and see him too little too late, Matt FLIES onto them both!

Cody is reassured by his Bucks, and the fans chant “Too Sweet! Woop Woop!” Matt grabs Scorpio and puts him back in the ring. Matt walks it off and fires up, with the fans chanting “Superkick!” now. However, Scorpio blocks the kick, swings a kick but misses. Matt gets the takedown but Scorpio shoves him away to the apron. Matt shoulders Scorpio back but Kaz returns, rocking Matt with a haymakers. Kaz slingshots Matt into his own cutter! Nick returns and springboards, but Scorpio catches him with another cutter! Then Kaz & Scorpiop get The Bucks in double dragon sleepers!

Fans boo and jeer while Cody desperately coaches the Bucks. The Bucks endure and power their way to their feet. The fans rally while the Bucks snapmare out, then double takedowns for double sharpshooters! Now Kaz & Scorpio endure while the fans chant “The! Elite! The the Elite!” Kaz & Scorpio endure, but we have to go to break!

ROH returns to Kaz & Scorpio whipping the Bucks at each other again. The Bucks do-si-do and go to Superkick, but are blocked again. Double roll up, double TWO! Cody protests, “Who’s legal?” Kaz & Scorpio swing but the Bucks duck to stereo SUPERKICK!

Fans fire up and the Bucks target Scorpio for a double SUPERKICK! Nick calls for it already as Matt grabs Kaz, but Kaz kicks his legs. Matt staggers back and Kaz slips onto the apron. Matt rushes back in but Kaz catches him with the guillotine legdrop! Nick comes in and tells Kaz “You’re dead!” with a triangle dropkick! Scorpio returns but Nick shoulders in, and says “See ya!” with the slingshot facebuster, to then hit Kaz with the cartwheel asai moonsault! Fans fire up with Nick as he calls for it again. Matt brings Scorpio up, scoops him into the tombstone, and Nick springboards for the FIVE STAR Meltzer Driver!

Cody knows “Nobody gets up from that”, and the Young Bucks win!

But as you can see, the Almighty Daniels finally appears from behind! He goes right after The Bucks with a cheap shot and an STO. Kaz drags Nick out of the ring while Cody stays seated at commentary. Cody calls for security to come to the Young Bucks’ aid but that leaves Matt vulnerable to Daniels’ wicked dragon screw! Cody is indecisive about helping his allies, but thankfully Hangman Page appears, armed with a chair!

Hangman successfully runs SoCal Uncensored off, and then Cody gets in the ring. Cody is still furious with the referee for letting the sneak attack happen, but doesn’t seem that bothered by being slow to stopping it. Is the Bullet Club really fine from top to bottom?

ROH takes a look at the recent World Television Championship history.

The Last Real Man’s pal in the Beer City Bruiser helped him out in the Final Battle Fatal 4 Way title match to take the gold away from the K I N G. However, when Silas went to help Bruiser and new pal, Brian Milonas, Kenny King decided to even the numbers! Things would erupt into chaos, and then when the order was restored, it was a Six Man Tag. King and Team Coast 2 Coast would overcome the trio of “real men”, giving King momentum going into their WTVC rematch.

However, after ROH went off the air, Bruiser and Milonas found King backstage. They taunted King with how “something’s missing”. Right, King was missing the ROH WTVC! King reminded them that they lost, and then wanted them to pass a message along to Silas: the next time they meet, King will take everything from him. King will take that title and force Silas to #BendtheKnee and kiss his feet. Well why doesn’t King tell Silas that himself? Because Silas comes in with a blindside attack!

Silas keeps on King with more clubbing forearms and heavy haymakers. He even boots Kenny all the way into another room. The bullying continues, and Silas whips King into a sliding steel garage door! Bruiser & Milonas would pick King up for Silas, and Silas mocks him, “You look like a real king now, don’t you!?” More like a peasant! Silas agrees to give King his rematch because he’s more than happy to give it to him. Silas would then emphasize it with a boot right to King’s face, taking leave with his buddies to grab some beers. What shape will the former champion be in by the time he faces the current champion in tonight’s main event?

ROH takes a look at the World Tag Team Championship scene.

The Briscoes sent a message to Motor City Machine Guns, both verbally and physically. Jay & Mark would beat down Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley during an ROH WTTC defense against Best Friends. They would make Shelley watch as Jay gave Sabin a Jay Driller onto a chair.

Then they would explain later that they’re at a point in their careers, “where we don’t care about our opponents’ well-being.” The Briscoes are “the baddest tag team to ever walk this planet”, and would continue to brutalize the MCMG. It’s nothing personal against them, because #DemBoyz have a vendetta against everybody. MCMG are the tag team champions, but those titles are the Briscoes’ property. Jay & Mark are coming to take those titles back at the 16th Anniversary Show, will Shelley & Sabin even survive?

ROH’s WOH Championship Tournament rolls on!

And to continue on, The Gatekeeper, Kelly Klein, and “Bonesaw” Jesse Brooks sit down to tell us about themselves.

Kelly knows we already know all about her, but the “Pretty Badass” reminds us that she’s “the most dominant woman in wrestling”. She was never pinned or submitted for over 800 days, so she is a favorite to be the inaugural WOH Champion. However, Bonesaw thinks the “Pretty Badass” is nothing compared to her, the “Baddest Woman on the Planet.” Brooks is a product of the ROH dojo, and both women have wanted this match for so long. It’s because of how very much alike they are. Kelly enjoys having a formidable tournament, and Brooks is just happy to have a chance to destroy everyone on the roster.

Kelly is aware of what it takes to defeat someone like Brooks, but Brooks vows to be a bracket buster. The Baddest Woman and the Gatekeeper face each other for the first time. They’ll bring everything they’ve got to this match, but who’s “everything” is more than the other’s?

ROH takes a glimpse at Klein VS Brooks.

The full match is available via ROH’s official website. From the highlights, Brooks and Klein hit hard, but in the end it was The Gatekeeper who kept her word. Kelly Klein advances to the quarterfinals to face the Exotic Goddess, Mandy Leon!

Now Deonna Purrazzo and Holidead have their turn.

The Virtuosa helped “rebirth” ROH’s women wrestling into the WOH Division with its inaugural match. Meanwhile, the charismatic enigma of Holidead is still a mystery to everyone but her. Deonna respects Holidead, being unknown is an asset in itself. Holidead defends that she is simply “misunderstood”, and is “The Ugly Truth”. People use make-up to cover up who they are, but Holidead uses it to reveal her true self.

Deonna has always wanted to be champion, she’s wanted to change women’s wrestling, so excuse her for getting very emotional at just the thought of this inaugural WOH Championship tournament and her part in it. She’s living a dream, and will be proud of whoever wins. Deonna grew up watching wrestling with her twin brother, and saw so many powerful women do such an intense sport. She dreamed of doing this herself, and is living the dream even now. Deonna and her fellow WOH show the world that “women aren’t just eye candy” or “side shows”, they’re main-event wrestlers and role models.

Holidead counters by saying “Everyone always counts out the dark side.” The Dead won’t stay down so easily. Deonna has dreamed of this moment for so long, but nothing will stop her or the Ugly Truth from becoming the first-ever WOH Champion. Of course, only one can advance to the quarterfinals, will a dream die? Or will it become immortal?

ROH also takes a glimpse into Purrazzo VS Holidead.

This match’s entirety is also available on ROH’s official website, but we come in as Holidead gut wrench lifts Deonna into a dominator torture rack, aka the Canadian Backbreaker. The Virtuosa fights out with elbows, then tries an arm-drag. Holi blocks but Deonna runs to tilt-o-whirl into the Fujiwara armabar! Deonna pumps it up, Holidead taps! Deonna keeps her dream alive to advance to the quarterfinals! She awaits the winner of a major Stardom match-up, HZK VS Mayu Iwatani! The WOH Tournament will return to ROH TV in two weeks, what will the bracket be like by then?

ROH announces a major Grudge Match for the 16th Anniversary Show!

Cody believes “Arrogance is a Kingdom without a crown.” Matt Taven has had a throne, a harem, the walking stick, and even stole Cody’s one true Ring of Honor. However, Taven is still king of NOTHING.

Taven responds by saying “The American Melvin” and “the epicenter of the cancer that infests Ring of Honor” better thank God that their match gets to be on PPV because now the whole world gets to watch Cody pucker up and #KissTheRing.

The Motor City Machine Guns respond to The Briscoes.

If Jay & Mark wanted title shots, all they had to do was ask. But instead, #DemBoyz made it personal, so now they will just have to wait and see what the MCMG does in return. Jay & Mark have been in ROH for 16 years, but there won’t be a 17th after this.

Another major match announcement!

“Anniversaries are supposed to be about celebration.” The Villain knows that all this will be for the Purple Mist is #ASpotofBother. But Martinez responds, letting Scurll know that in Sin City, “the world finds out that the so-called Villain is just my next victim.”

And of course, the 16th Anniversary will have an ROH World Championship match!

Live on PPV, Jay Lethal will show everyone why it’s his chance to get back “what is rightfully mine!” But The Peacock responds by saying he’s very excited. His belly is all shook up, but “don’t be confused.” Castle will still hit Lethal with everything he’s got to make sure he is still ROH WHC. All these great matches and more await Las Vegas on March 9th! Who will hit the jackpot? And who will completely bust?

ROH World Television Championship: Silas Young w/ Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas VS Kenny King!

It is finally time to see if the K I N G can take back his throne! If he does, he easily walks into his home of Sin City the champion for the 16th Anniversary Show. Can he keep the Last Real Man from screwing him when he now has two bulky buddies ringside?

The belt is raised high, and surprisingly the Code of Honor is upheld as Silas and King shake hands. King ignores the words Silas says during it, and the bell rings. Silas mockingly applauds while he circles with King. They tie up, King gets the waistlock but Silsa pries his way out to a wristlock. King reverses that into a hammerlock, but Silas reverses it back. Silas headlocks then snapmares, then things speed up. Silas still gets the headlock takeover, but King gets the headscissors.

Roles reverse as Silas pops out, runs into King’s headlock, then counters with a headscissors of his own. King pops out and then gets a waistlock but Silas bucks him off. Silas ducks the spinning heel kick and rolls King up, but King rolls through and double dropkicks deflect each other. King handsprings and the fans applaud.

Brian and Bruiser hover close so King swings to back them off. King returns to circle with Silas, and a heckler tells Silas, “You’ve Got Nothing!” Silas tells him to “Shut Your Mouth!” He and King tie up again, Silas gets the headlock. King powers his way out, but Silas runs him over with a shoulder. Silas mocks King with applause but fans say “Silas Sucks!” Things sped up again, King drop toeholds and rolls into a headlock. Bruiser and Milonas coach Silas as he stands up and powers out. King runs him over, does his dance, then runs but Bruiser trips him! The referee just missed it, but he still keeps King back from swinging on Bruiser. Bruiser & Milonas egg him on, giving Silas time to recover.

However, the Enforcer feels the need to return!

Bully walks right over to Bruiser & Milonas, and tells them he knows exactly what they get up to at ringside. He tells them bluntly to GTFO! Bruiser & Milonas protest but the fans love it! Bully starts a “Get Out!” chant as he ushers Bruiser & Milonas away, but Silas uses this distraction to pounce on King! He thanks Bully, because “you just did my job for me!” Silas brings King up in a hammerlock, but King spins out to a Japanese arm-drag. King gets another arm-drag and now things are even without distractions.

Silas stands up out of the armlock and forearms King, so King forearms back. King whips but Silas reverses for a stiffer forearm. Silas says, “That’s what you get, boy!” then runs, only for King to respond with another forearm of his own! King says, “that’s what [censored] get”, then he runs, but Silas tosses him over and out to the floor. King crash lands and Silas rests with the 20 count. Silas comes out to fetch King after all, kicking him while he’s down. He drags King up and into the ring, and mocks the fans applause. He slingshots over for double stomps, and we go to break.

ROH returns again, to find Silas running in to King’s rolling roundhouse! King gets back to his feet while Silas stirs, and the fans rally for the challenger. He throws jabs on Silas, then ducks the counter punch to punch back. Silas ends up out of the ring, so King takes aim. King slingshots and spins but Silas slides back in. Silas builds speed, King gets out of the way but Silas tumbles to the apron. He kicks at King but King evades to get around behind, Eddy Gordo kick! Silas slumps off the apron, but King brags too long, Silas sweeps the legs!

King lands face-first on the apron then falls to the floor. Silas drags him up, then whips him at barriers, but King just hops from rail to stage and then back at Silas!

He takes out Silas and the fans fire up! Then King goes up into the crowd for selfies. He returns to the ring, and the “Selfie King” climbs up top. He takes aim at Silas in the ring, flies and hits the crossbody! Cover, TWO, but King keeps his focus. The fans cheer him on as he brings Silas back up. Silas powers him to a corner and rams in shoulders. Silas whips but King reverses and breaks, but Silas blocks the kick. He also blocks the second Gordo kick, but King blocks the low blow and flips Silas! Yet Silas lands on his feet! But then runs right into a spinebuster! Cover, TWO!

King feels some shock and frustration, but he calms down to tell everyone, “Time to cash out.” He drags Silas up, fireman’s carry, but Silas slips out. Silas evades in a corner then fireman’s carry for King. King slips out and shoves Silas to ropes, but Silas holds onto them. Silas boots King, but runs into another fireman’s carry. This time Silas not only slips out, but rakes King’s eyes! King is blinded but still swings, only to end up in the full-nelson knee strike! Silas lifts King in the fireman’s carry and spins, but King counters with a crucifix! TWO, but so close! King keeps moving, but runs into the backbreaker and lariat! Silas keeps going, lifting King for the draping, swinging neckbreaker!

Silas crawls to the cover, TWO! Now Silas feels some shock and frustration, but the fans applaud. The fans rally for King as Silas drags him up. Silas lifts King in the fireman’s, then hits the rolling senton, and he drums before having a headstand on the top buckle. But King revives to give him a hard right! Then King catches Silas in the fireman’s, spins him out but Silas small package counters! TWO! Silas stands up, King avoids the kick and drags Silas around into Last Chancery!

A shout-out to the Greatest Man(ager) That Ever Lived but Silas endures. He reaches, crawls, and gets the ropebreak. King lets him go and Silas slips out of the ring. The 20 count begins but Champion’s Advantage is on Silas’ side. King knows this and pursues. He brings Silas back in, but Silas rolls all the way to the other side. Silas rolls out again, but King won’t let him. He brings Silas back in again, because this is a fight. Silas distracts the referee with his wrist tape, so that he can kick the middle rope! Indirect low blow on King!

Silas hits another rolling senton, then headstand for the Plunge, aka triangle Arabian Moonsault! Direct hit and cover, TWO!? Silas cannot believe it, but the fans love it! They cheer Kenny on while Silas argues and belittles the referee. King stirs and shakes his head at Silas. The two trash talk right into each other’s face, and trade forearms. King hits, then Silas, and they stand up for more. Silas goes to whip but King blocks, so Silas hits him again. King hits back with haymakers, then whips corner to corner. Silas blocks and reverses to throw his own haymakers. He whips King but King goes up and over for a sunset flip! KING WINS!! Silas is furious but King still got him! Will King keep his throne all the way through the 16th Anniversary?

My Thoughts:

A damn good episode of ROH this was. Bully Ray really makes his presence known as The Enforcer, but perhaps he wasn’t 100% accurate in saying no filler. The WOH updates were rather filler, giving us highlights and the results instead of at least one of these matches in full. I’m sure they’re just trying to get it all in before the Anniversary Show, and it is great that they have their website to give these matches On Demand for those who want to see all of the action, but I was a little disappointed personally given how Kelly Klein and Deonna Purrazzo are major players in the WOH Division. Then there’s the string of Anniversary Show promos to plug the card, that Grudge Match is really going to be something, and can even plug some of the “Bullet Club is (Not) Fine” story when Cody doesn’t get help.

Bucks VS Kaz-Scorpio also plugged that story expertly. Cody was constantly cheering the Bucks on, but when it came time to help, he was trying to find reasons not to get involved. This could easily turn into everyone else turning on Cody, similarly to how everyone turned on Adam Cole when his ego got too big. Hangman VS Daniels will be the response match and that should be good as the go-home to the Anniversary Show, before the ROH Six Man Tag Championship “Las Vegas Street Fight” settles things. King VS Silas was great because of all the story involved. This match could’ve gone either way but I’m pleasantly surprised to see King take the belt back to be a rare two-time ROH WTVC. I’m sure Silas will want his rematch, and I bet that would make a great addition to the card.

My Score: 8.5/10

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/26/24)

It’s Draft Day!

Published

16 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Steven Mitchell

And with the first overall pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects…

The WWE Draft returns for 2024, the first four rounds being right here on Friday Night SmackDown! With champions protected, who ends up where to challenge them?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo; Rey & Dragon win.
Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander; Bron wins.
WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton; No Contest.
Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes; Cody wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Backstage interview with Paul Heyman.

Kayla Braxton is with the Wise Man and says that here on night one of the Draft, there are already rumors circulating, including those about The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Heyman will clarify these are not rumors regarding The Tribal Chief, Roman… Reigns. These are facts! Ladies and gentlemen, Your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, has voluntarily withdrawn from eligibility for this year’s Draft. That is not a negative but a positive. Who built SmackDown since the Pandemic? Roman Reigns. Who is the biggest star in the entire industry? Roman Reigns. Why would Roman Reigns hog the number one draft pick spotlight when he won’t be returning in the immediate future?

Read into his words, Kayla, that is not what a real Tribal Chief would do. Instead now, the pressure is on Nick Aldis. Because if Roman Reigns isn’t the first draft pick, then who is? The first two picks make history in a brand new era. And Heyman doesn’t know about you, but he is intrigued. No Tribal Chief up for grabs, who gets their opportunity to shine in the spotlight?

SmackDown throws it to the NXT Performance Center.

Jackie Redmond says the emotion down here is palpable! There is excitement, hope, and a little bit of nerves. But for these NXT Superstars, tonight is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work, dedication, a little bit of luck and a whole lot of self-belief. It was just last year that the NEW WWE Tag Team Champion, Grayson Waller, was hoping his name would be called. And it is funny this is NXT, but time to buy a vowel, throw in an E! Who is next? We find out tonight! The draft pool is deep, who rises to the top of the list?

Corey Graves is in the ring.

Corey welcomes Cincinnati and all of us at home to night one of the 2024 WWE Draft. Understandably, the GMs have their hands full, so Corey will be moderating the contract signing for the WWE Championship match that takes place next Saturday for Backlash: France. Without further ado, it’s the #1 contender, The Phenomenal AJ Styles! Styles makes his entrance, taking a seat at the table on camera right. And now, the Undisputed WWE Champion, the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes! Cincy fires up and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~!” as Cody makes his entrance and gets his pyro before joining everyone in the ring.

Styles looks over the contract, absolutely tuning out the fans going wild for “CODY! CODY!” Styles then gets the mic to say before he signs, he doesn’t know if we realize that we’ve got two Georgia boys about to mix it up for the first time, and for the biggest prize in the game. Styles understands why they boo, but they gotta know that he doesn’t respect LA Knight, LA Knight got under his skin. He accepts that. But that’s why Styles lost at Mania. But what happened? Styles got his composure back and realized that he is Phenomenal. Styles BEAT Knight to earn the right to face Cody Rhodes at Backlash.

Now unlike Knight, Styles does respect Cody. They hadn’t crossed paths yet, but they’ve been down the same roads. They had to prove themselves outside of the WWE. And Styles is willing to believe that the same man who gave him advice a long time ago gave Cody the same advice, on how to stand on their own two feet and be the men they are today. That man was The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. The fans cheer for “DUSTY! DUSTY!” Styles learned a lot from Dusty. Styles gets a little emotional thinking about Dusty, he was a good man. Dusty taught Styles how to carry himself, and to carry the weight of a championship.

And Styles looks at this WWE Championship here. The weight of this isn’t just the leather and gold. And at Backlash, we see if Cody can carry it. Styles goes back to his table, signs the contract, and then hands it off to Corey. Corey brings that to Cody, and Cody picks up his mic. “So… Cincinnati…! Whadda we wanna talk about? Certainly, we can talk about respect. There is not a locker room on Earth that you’ll find where everyone in it, every single person, they all respect AJ Styles. Last week, I went on to say you are the modern day Excellence of Execution. I respect the roads that you have traveled down to get here, the parallel paths that perhaps you and I have.

“Mutual respect, much respect. But that respect goes by the wayside at Backlash. I can feel it in your words to a degree. You’ve been here before. And it seems you’re implying that I cannot carry the weight of that championship. Well, good thing the man who trained me not far from where I sit now used to tell me all the time, it’s not about winning the title, it’s about keeping it.” The fans cheer that. Cody says boy does he respect Styles’ familiarity with Cody’s last name. But when you put C O D Y in front of it on this paper, that means they’ve never touched before. That means Backlash is a level playing field.

That means no matter how Phenomenal Styles is, this isn’t a dream match for Cody. It’s a must-win! Cody signs while the fans cheer, and it is official! Cody even throws the pen to the crowd as a free souvenir. Cody then offers a handshake, and Styles says y’know what? It was a beautiful thing to see Cody #FInishTheStory and win the title. But it’s a shame that Cody’s title reign will end at Backlash. Styles still shakes Cody’s hand, and then walks away. Cody picks up the belt and holds it high, will he get to hold it high again in Lyon, France?

Triple H is here!

Just as Cody was on his way to the back, The Game makes his way out here! HHH raises Cody’s hand, then invites him over to the podium. HHH welcomes us to the first round of the 2024 WWE Draft. It is a night that changes the landscape of the WWE going into the future, and things are a bit different this year. As the GMs ponder their next steps, they have to understand it is about protecting the roster they have as it is making the roster they want. Meaning that when they use their picks, they have just as much of a chance gaining a superstar as they do losing one they already have.

HHH just felt that since champs are protected and Cody will be staying here on SmackDown, maybe Cody could help read the SmackDown picks and HHH can read the Raw picks. And since SmackDown goes first, Cody reads first. Cody takes the card to say that with the first pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… The E S T, Bianca Belair! The stongEST, fastEST, roughEST, toughEST stays on Friday nights! HHH reads that for the second pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects… YEET! JEY USO! Monday nights will still have Main Event Jey Uso! And the fans “YEET!” Cody says for the third pick, SmackDown selects… NXT’s Carmelo Hayes!

The fans fire up as SmackDown manages to snag… HIM! The former NXT Champion makes history again by being the first NXT superstar to be chosen this high in the Draft! HHH says that’s a hell of a pick. But then the fourth and final pick of this first round, Raw selects… SETH! FREAKIN’! ROLLINS! It is still going to be Monday Night Rollins as the Visionary stays on the red brand! Cody and HHH shake hands, and then Melo makes his way out! Melo has the mic to say when they talk about who’s next up, about who’s the hottest out, they don’t call them “the hottest out,” they just call him “Carmelo Hayes.”

The fans chant “WHOOP DAT TRICK!” to remind Melo how he’s leaving NXT. Melo says okay, okay. But then to Cody Rhodes, ever since Cody won the title, he’s been talking about “If you aim for the king, you best not miss.” Well, funny how that works. Because when Melo shoots, Melo don’t miss. And as a first round draft pick, what better way to shoot his shot on SmackDown than to shoot it right at Cody? Melo leaves the mic with Cody but Cody picks it up to say, “Fortune certainly favors the bold, but I dunno. You folks don’t wanna see me in action tonight, do ya?” The fans go wild! Oh, but what if Cody forgot his gear?

Oh that’s right! He didn’t forget his gear! And this title right here, for Cody, means absolutely 100%, Melo’s on! They shake on it, and we’re about to see a huge first-time-ever showdown! But will this bold first move work out for… HIM?

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo!

The LWO is still not convinced Legado Del Fantasma had nothing to do with the beating that took the Boy Wonder out ahead of WrestleMania. Will the King of Lucha help get to the bottom of things? Or will Angel & “Berto” make it as easy as ABC, 1-2-3?

The teams sort out, Dragon runs up on Humberto but Humberto LARIATS him down! Humberto drags Dragon up, tears the shirt away and CHOPS! Humberto whips, Dragon ducks ‘n’ dodges to RANA! Humberto tumbles out, Dragon builds speed and FLIES! Direct hit and down goes Humberto! The fans fire up as Dragon pushes Humberto into the ring, goes up a corner, and then CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Dragon facelocks to drag Humberto up, but Humberto wrenches out to CLUB Dragon down. Humberto waistlocks but Dragon throws elbows. Angel tags in as Humberto shoves Dragon. Dragon ducks but Angel holds ropes open, and Dragon tumbles to the floor!

The fans boo and LWO hurries to check on Dragon! Angel & Humberto just soak up the heat as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and both Dragon and Humberto are down! They crawl, hot tags to Angel and Rey! The fans fire up as Rey ducks ‘n’ dodges and tilt-o-whirl RANAS! Angel ends up in a corner, he puts Rey on the apron, but Rey ROCKS Angel! Rey goes up to SEATED SENTON! Rey keeps moving, wrenches and kicks, then hops on! CODE RED! Cover, Humberto breaks it! The fans boo but Humberto hauls Rey up. Rey fights and RANAS Humberto up and out! But Angelo kicks, scoops, but Rey slips free! Angelo kicks low, reels REy in, and underhooks, but Rey fights those to RANA Angel onto ropes! Rey dials it up to 619!

Tag to Dragon and he takes aim! Angel stands, into the tilt-o-whirl, PROJECT DRAGON!! Cover, LWO wins!

Winners: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee, by pinfall

Carlito and Zelina hug it out with the team, but then Santos Escobar & Elektra Lopez walk out here. Santos says whoa, whoa, whoa, hold that celebration. Because Santos is many things, but a liar is not one of them. And when Santos said he did NOT attack Dragon that night before Mania, he meant it. Elektra has been working for weeks to track down the security footage from that night. And Rey… Oh, Rey. What you’re about to see, you will find very, very interesting. The footage plays, and it was CARLITO!! Carlito throw Dragon around backstage! No one can believe it, because of how well Carlito fooled even Dragno.

Speaking of, Carlito RAMS Dragon into Rey, then hits a BACKSTABBER! Never has that move’s name been more fitting! Carlito runs away in a panic, and Rey stands back up in a rage! Santos says he told Rey that he was right all along. They were supposed to be family, and yet look how that turned out. How will the LWO recover from this shocking development?

Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander!

The Big Bad Booty Nephew has been making a case for himself ever since showing up on SmackDown, and he’s already bringing the straps down! Is he going to break PRIMED Alexander while also breaking match time records? Or will Cedric prove he’s too fly for Bron?

The bell rings and Cedric dodges Bron to CHOP and ROCK! Cedric whips, Bron reverses and Cedric handsprings, into a SPEAR!! Cover, Bron wins!

Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall

Well, hard to say if that’s an all-time fast match, but that was a fast match! QR Code stuff going on, but will we all see Bron take the world by storm?

Nick Aldis heads out.

And waiting is Tiffany Stratton. She asks if he saw what she did last week. Wait, of course he did. Because she is the Center of the Universe. She dropped Naomi and Bayley, where is her title match? Aldis tells Tiff to look at his watch. It is NOT set to #TiffyTime. And he was this close to sending her to the back of the line. But then someone convinced him otherwise, good for her. Tonight, she goes 1v1 with Naomi again, and the winner faces Bayley for the title at Backlash. Whose stupid idea was that?! Bayley says DING DONG, it was hers. It is a win-win situation here. If Naomi wins, she gets the match she got cheated out of.

And if Tiff wins, then she’ll find out when she attacks the Role Model. Tiff gasps as she has a #TiffanyEpiphany. Bayley should be ringside for that match so she can see Tiff do what Bayley couldn’t, and that’s beat Naomi. Tootles. Tiff leaves, but will the only thing she gets is to #FeelTheGlow?

Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson are here!

One is a former WWE Women’s Champion, the other is a WWE Hall of Famer, but they’re both here to present Draft picks! Michelle says with the first pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… The Viper, Randy Orton! SmackDown will still have to watch out for an RKO outta nowhere! Torrie says that with the second pick of the second round, Raw selects… BRON BREAKKER! We just saw Bron make quick work of opponents here on SmackDown, but now he’s gonna be rampaging on Raw!

Michelle says that with the third pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… NIA JAX! The Irresistible Force may have to change targets from the Women’s World to the Undisputed Women’s title, but will she be unstoppable all the same? And with the fourth and final pick of this round, Raw selects… LIV MORGAN! The Revenge Tour will still be part of Monday nights, will we watch Liv rise to the top?

The Bloodline arrives backstage.

Paul Heyman is there to greet them and open the door to the SUV. He apologizes for not being faster about that, but Solo Sikoa asks The Bloodline if they’ve been drafted. Not yet. Then give Solo the details. Okay, well, Roman Reigns withdrew right before the show began, and then Solo keeps adding members, so no one really knows what they’re getting if they draft The Bloodline! Solo sighs, and here comes Tama Tonga. Heyman asks they be patient but Solo wants Heyman to repeat that for him. Heyman gets scared, but then KEVIN OWENS jumps in! Kevin fires off on Tama, security and refs rush in to stop it!

The Prizefighter wants Solo’s “MFT” to bring the fight like he did last week! Security still drags Kevin away, but will he get that fight he wants?

Kayla Braxton is on stage.

SmackDown returns and Kayla welcomes us back to the show. And please welcome out the first overall pick, Bianca Belair! The fans fire up as The EST walks out on stage, and Kayla congratulates her on being the first overall pick. But let’s talk Backlash. Breaking news, Bianca and Jade Cargill are going to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, against the Kabuki Warriors. How satisfying would it be to dethrone them on the stage of this magnitude? Bianca says so satisfying. She really hopes Jade gets drafted to SmackDown because given all this history with Damage CTRL, all the partners by her side, Bianca has never been the one to finally end it with them.

For everything they’ve done to her and this division, Bianca feels Jade is the perfect woman to help her end this. Now, DMG CTRL is falling apart piece by piece, and that final piece is the tag titles. So once Bianca & Jade take the gold at Backlash, the Kabuki Warriors won’t even have a reason to come back to SmackDown. But wait, they’re here now! Asuka & Kairi walk out here and Kayla moves aside. The Empress of Tomorrow and the Pirate Princess taunt the EST, but here comes The Storm! Jade makes her way to stand right by Bianca’s side. The four shout and argue, but this will be settled on May 4th!

WHOA! Tama and Kevin are brawling their way out here! The ladies move aside so the gentlemen can brawl all the way down to ringside! Tama hits low, gets in the ring, but Kevin pursues! Kevin TACKLES Tama, but Solo CLOBBERS Kevin! The fans boo as The Bloodline beats Kevin down! The refs hurry out here but clearly Solo’s Bloodline won’t listen! Tama DECKS producers, DECKS guards, HEADBUTTS them, throws hands and even THROWS the guards! Tama and Solo beat Kevin down again, but here comes Randy Orton! The Viper is still on SmackDown and he’s still pals with Kevin, so here he comes!

Orton DECKS Tama, fires hands on Solo, then RK- NO, Solo gets free and gets away! Orton wants to pursue, almost runs Jamie Noble and refs over to do it, but the Bloodline has gotten away! The fans cheer Randy on, and KAevin even hugs him! But then Kevin and Randy try to give chase! Security stops this, when and where will we see #RKKO strike down Solo and Tama?

The Dudley Boyz are here!

The fans fire up as Bubba Ray & D-Von are both here for the next round of picks! Cincy chants for “E C DUB! E C DUB!” Bubba and D-Von look at the cards, it’s hard to read. So out come the glasses! Bubba says with the first pick of the third round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… L A KNIGHT! YEAH!! The Mega Star stays on Fridays! D-Von says with the second pick of the third round, Raw selects… RICOCHET! Mondays still has the One and Only, is Ricochet going to bring that WWE Speed Championship home to Raw, too?

Bubba says with the third pick of the third round, SmackDown selects… THE BLOODLINE! That means Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Paul Heyman are staying right here on Friday nights. And D-Von says with the final pick of this round, Raw selects… SHEAMUS! The Celtic Warrior just got back, but he won’t have to worry about going anywhere else but Monday nights.

WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton!

It’s time to run it back once again! The Glow got robbed by the Spoiled Rich Girl, but supposedly, it’s #TiffyTime. Will Naomi prove there’s no such time on the clock? Or will Bayley be the one feeling the Backlash over giving Tiffany one more chance?

The bell rings and Naomi hits a THESZ PRESS! Naomi rains down fists, Tiffy shoves her away and goes to ropes, but Naomi gets up in Tiff’s face. Naomi whips, Tiff holds ropes to bail out and fans boo. Naomi scowls, runs in and WRECKS Tiff with a dropkick! Naomi then gets Tiff up, SMACKS her off the apron, and then SMACKS her off it again! And again! Naomi puts Tiff in, goes up a corner, but Tiff gets under the jump! Naomi runs back up but Tiff YANKS her into ropes! Tiff runs to HIP ATTACK! Naomi sputters, Tiff scowls and drags Naomi up, to then put through ropes. But Naomi RAMS into Tiff!

Naomi reels Tiff in, for a HEATSEEKER! Tiff flops to the floor, and then Naomi SPLIT LEG DROPS! Naomi says it’s #NaomiTime, but SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Naomi runs, but into a SPINEBUSTER! High stack, TWO! Naomi survives and Tiff is frustrated but the fans rally up. Tiff drags Naomi up, whips her to a corner, but Naomi goes up and sunset flips! TWO! Tiff escapes, knees Naomi low, then whips. Naomi slides under the lariat to then mule kick! Then she headscissor SPIKES Tiff down! Cover, TWO! Tiff survives but barely, and Naomi keeps her cool. Naomi headlocks, but Tiff shoves her into buckles! Tiff runs, but Naomi follows, DOUBLE RUNNING FACEBUSTERS take them both down! The fans fire up as the two rise!

Naomi KICKS, ROCKS and ROCKS Tiff again! Naomi fires shots again and again but Tiff knees low! Tiff reels Naomi in, but Naomi wrenches out to ENZIGIRI! And then BUCKLE BULLDOG! But then NIA JAX attacks Bayley!? Nia SMACKS Bayley off buckles, rains down fists, and this momentarily distracts Naomi. Naomi refocuses, but by now, Tiff’s slipped away! Nia KICKS Bayley in the side, so Naomi goes out to ROCK her! Nia POSTS Naomi and that throws the match out!

No Contest

The fans boo as Nia ruins the fun, then runs Bayley over! Nia smiles as she blows kisses to Cincy. Tiff smiles, she drags Naomi up and puts her in the ring. Then she drags Bayley in! Tiff wants a repeat of last week as she puts them side by side in the drop zone! Tiff then goes up and up for the PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Tiff says it’s her time, but the #1 contendership is still in question. Who gets their shot at the Role Model at Backlash?

B-Fab and the Street Profits meet up backstage.

Angelo Dawkins has a “WHO-DEY” sign, but Montez Ford is wondering where Bobby Lashley is right now. B-Fab says calm down, he’ll be here. Byron Saxton walks over and apologizes for interrupting. He doesn’t know what the Draft destination for this group will be until Monday Night Raw, but we do know that The Profits will challenge A-Town Down Under for the WWE Tag Team Championships. YESSIIIIIIR~! B-Fab says it doesn’t matter where they get drafted. The Profits are going to take down A-Town Down Under and take those titles. Then they’ll have their first class tickets right back to SmackDown.

SmackDown? Did someone say SmackDown~? In walk Austin Theory & Grayson Waller, showing off the titles. And Theory says you can’t have SmackDown without the GREATEST undefeated tag team of all time. And sorry, Dawkins, but these are championships, something the Bengals know nothing about! B-Fab keeps Dawkins back, but then in steps Bobby Lashley! The All Mighty scares Theory & Waller right off, and Dawkins says see y’all next Friday! Will there be nothing keeping these Profits down the night before Backlash?

The Final Testament speaks.

Karrion Kross says good evening. What’s going on here? You guessed it! More random acts of violence! Just follow him. Kross & Scarlett lead the way to show The Authors of Pain beating down New Catch Republic! Rezar beats down Pete Dunne while Akam victimizes Tyler Bate! Paul Ellering says they will know about sacrifice! Kross says whether they get drafted to Raw or stay on SmackDown, the violence will continue until they get what they want! So sayeth The Final Testament!!

Teddy Long and JBL are here!

The Hall of Famer General Manager and the Hall of Famer WWE Champion are both here, ready to give us the fourth and final round of picks tonight! Teddy gets right to it! The first pick of the fourth round, SmackDown selects… AJ STYLES! The Phenomenal One is really an obvious choice, because one way or another, the WWE Championship stays with SmackDown! JBL says the second pick of the fourth round, Raw selects… THE ALPHA ACADEMY! Raw keeps Chad Gable, Otis, Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa, A THANK YEW~!

Teddy says with the third pick of this round, SmackDown selects… ANDRADE! A big move as now El Idolo will be part of Friday nights. And with the final pick of this fourth round, Raw selects… NXT’S Kiana James! The Calculator, the former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion, has the Raw hat to put on, and after a quick hype package, Jackie Redmond is there to interview her. Kiana, congratulations! You are heading to Monday Night Raw! How much does this mean to her? This means the world to her. She is filled with gratitude, but also knows every decision she has made up to this point has been by design to get her here.

Kiana is so proud of her time in NXT, but she’s ready to show Raw why she is the One Percent. Was she surprised? Of course she was! HBK is here to wish her luck and congratulations. Is Kiana going to start the hostile takeover of the Raw Women’s Division?

Backstage interview with Nick Aldis.

Kayla is with the SmackDown GM and says that with night one in the books, how does he feel about SmackDown’s selections? He feels really good about them. SmackDown’s future is bright, he can’t wait for the new recruits to show up and show out for the blue brand. But he also wants to turn attentions to Backlash, because he’s got some new matches to announce! The first PLE in France, this is exciting stuff, Kayla. Aldis says that the WWE Women’s Championship will now be on the line in a Triple Threat! Bayley VS Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton! Will the odds make it that much harder for the Role Model to succeed?

There’s one more match to announce, but Aldis will let the GM GOAT take it from here. Teddy Long steps in, and don’t forget. We’ll talk about this tag team match. The Bloodline VS Kevin Owens & Randy Orton! Holla, players. Solo & Tama will have to face The Viper and the Prizefighter, will #RKKO strike fast and strike hard?

Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes!

The American Nightmare just put pen to paper for his match with the Phenomenal One, but he isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. The former NXT Champion is shooting his shot, but will this be nothing but net? Or will it be a frustrating airball?

The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, the fans rally for Cody as he puts Melo in a corner then arm-drags him away. Melo runs up, Cody headlocks, Melo powers out then drops. Melo hurdles, but Cody kicks low to RHODES UPPERCUT! Melo staggers to ropes, the fans fire up, but then melo throat chops and springboard FLYING LARIATS! Melo says that’s why he’s a first round pick! But then Cody CLOBBERS him! Cody asks if Melo’s ready for this, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns once again and Cody has a headlock. Cody hits a takeover, Melo flails and kicks around, but Cody grinds him down. Melo pushes with his forearm, then headscissors, but Cody kips free. Melo CHOPS, the fans “WOO~!” but Cody brushes himself off. Melo pie faces Cody! Cody fires forearms on Melo, then whips, but Melo reverses. Melo ELBOWS Cody, then runs up to KICK him in the side! Melo fires forearms and CHOPS in a corner, then throws body shots. Melo digs his boot in, the ref counts, and Cody goes to another corner. Cody eggs Melo on, Melo storms up, but Cody puts him in the corner to CHOP!

Cody swings, Melo dodges and CHOPS! Cody turns things around to CHOP! The fans rally, Cody whips corner to corner, then he back drops Melo away! Melo staggers up, Cody runs, and he rallies on Melo with forearms! Cody goes up and over in a corner but Melo tilt-o-whirls, LA MYSTICA! Melo springboards, FADE AWAY! Cover, TWO! Cody survives that flying DDT, but we see the NXT roster all fired up watching Melo take it to the champ. Melo sits Cody up, drags him into a facelock, but the fans rally for Cody. Cody fireman’s carries but Melo slips free to dragon sleeper! Melo grins, but Cody cradles! TWO!!

Melo swings, Cody boots, then Cody springboards to BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! Melo flips inside-out, Cody covers, TWO! Melo is still in this and he snarls up at Cody. Melo gives a forearm, Cody gives it back, and the fans rally up. Cody scoops Melo, storms around, and then hits a RUNNING POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Melo survives and Cody grows frustrated. Cody pounds the mat, the fans rally up, and then Cody goes to ropes. Cody springboards again, CODY CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Melo survives yet again, proving why he’s a former NXT Champion, on top of NXT North American Champion! But then Cody drags him up!

Cody back suplexes, Melo lands out of it, then FIRST 48! Doe goes Cody and Melo goes up! Melo is setting up for the game winner! NOTHING BUT- NO, Cody avoids the flying leg drop! Melo rolls through, Cody dodges to SUPERKICK! Cody brings Melo around, but Melo gets free! They both run, both springboard, but completely miss each other, and Cody takes a rough landing! Melo drags Cody up, reels him in, but Cody wrenches out to dragon sleeper! CROSS RHODES!! Cody shakes out the bad arm but still makes the cover, and Cody wins!

Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall

Melo took his shot but it was blocked! Even so, Cody sits Melo up to show him respect and tell him he’s still the future. But did this match end up more of a trap game for Cody after that crash landing? Or will he be alright in time for Backlash and his phenomenal opponent?

Speaking of, Styles sneaks right into the ring! Cody sees him in time and Styles stays back. Cody and Styles stare down, but Styles says it was that close. Styles offers a handshake, and Cody takes it. There’s still respect here, for now. But will nothing stop Styles from turning Cody’s story into a tragedy after all?

My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown to open the WWE Draft but to also set up Backlash. To recap, SmackDown took Bianca, Melo, Orton, Nia, LA Knight, The Bloodline, Styles and Andrade while Raw took Jey, Rollins, Bron, Liv, Ricochet, Sheamus, The Alpha Academy, and Kiana. Many of those choices made sense, as picks won’t be wasted on keeping champions on brands, and just need to be used to keep most stories alive and change up a few others. Kiana is perhaps one of the more surprising moves, but well-deserved. She has been a solid character and solid in-ring performer almost from the start, she’s a solid addition to Raw.

Bron of course demolished his opponent tonight, it’s just a shame it was Cedric and not local enhancement talent. But Bron will also be a good addition to Raw, but maybe he can move past his squash match phase and get right to story. Melo being a first round pick was great stuff, and he had a great promo with Cody to give us tonight’s main event. That double springboard whiff was definitely a timing problem, but at the same time, a Fade Away countered into a Cody Cutter would’ve been way too epic just for TV. Cody with a great win, and we got a really good contract signing segment, but you can bet Cody retains.

Really good tag match from LWO VS Legado but naturally Rey & Dragon won. I knew it was only a matter of time before Carlito was outed, and how he handled being exposed was pretty good. And with Andrade being drafted to SmackDown, you just know that means Andrade joins the LWO. The Final Testament attacking New Catch Republic was a wild moment, I almost thought Ellering was going to use the pliers in his hands to grab at fingers. Maybe we get that next week for SmackDown in France. Good promos from A-Town Down Under and the still technically unnamed faction of Bobby Lashley’s. As great as The Profits are, it feels like Theory & Waller will cheat to retain.

Really good promo with Tiff and Bayley to set up Naomi VS Tiff round 3, but I did not think Nia Jax would disrupt all that. A Triple Threat at Backlash is good stuff, it will protect Bayley if she loses, but can also protect Naomi and Tiff if Bayley uses them against each other to win. Good promo from Bianca that then turned into the shouting match of Bianca & Jade with Kabuki Warriors. Their tag title match is official, and I’m pretty sure Bianca & Jade win. I also liked that this segment ended up having Kevin and Tama brawl right through it. Orton saving Kevin was a great move, RKKO VS Solo & Tama is going to be awesome stuff, I can’t wait to see it.

My Score: 8.8/10

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Coverage

Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.25.2024

We just got done with Rebellion, and Under Siege is two weeks away! Gotta see how these dots connect!

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2024

Andrew Balaz

Rebellion had quite a few returns, Mike Santana, Sami Callihan and Broken Matt Hardy. All three of these guys could easily be main event players, and its nice to mix up and expand what felt like a rather small pool of potential challengers.

Under Siege is only like 2 weeks out, so we’ll see how the dots connect in such a short period of time.

.@AJFrancis410, Rich Swann, and rap legend @BunBTrillOG are IN THE HOUSE Meanwhile, @joehendry announces he will deliver an apology to Fir$t Cla$$ NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT! pic.twitter.com/4GNe2xWfyU

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Ratings:

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz: Santana wins via Spin the Block – ** 1/2
#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander: Josh wins via Grapevine Ankle Lock – ***
ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside: Xia wins via School Girl Roll-Up – ** 3/4
Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands: Sami Callihan wins via Cactus Driver ’97 – SQUASH
Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth: Eddie wins via Boston Knee Party – *** 1/4

Results:

Did @NicTNemeth say BROKEN? @MATTHARDYBRAND has arrived in the iMPACT Zone! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/HbkUangt6e

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

A weird opening that is just framed to put Nemeth and Hardy together against The System. Feels a little awkward, but who knows how it will play out.

.@JordynneGrace vs @miyu_tjp NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT will now be for the Knockouts World Championship! pic.twitter.com/YnKZjb9yjx

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz

Ahh I didn’t really pay attention to Santana’s theme at Rebellion, but its pretty damn cool. Good stuff.

Rascalz blindside Santana early, but the heel advantage doesn’t last more than a few moves. Santana whips Myron from corner to corner, hits a few Hip Attacks before Myron finally dodges one and starts using his unique offense and agility to his advantage. Matrix dodge, into an Leaping Outside Back in Slingshot Codebreaker. Some more offense and Santana powders to the ramp, Myron jumps over the rope and tries a Flying Cutter, but Santana blocks it, turns things around, gets pushed forward and hits the Rolling Cutter. Santana takes out the Rascalz, heads back into the ring, Myron tries to catch him unawares but eats the Spin the Block off the rope run! Santana wins fairly quickly.

Maclin’s music hits, he tries to employ the help of The Rascalz to attack Santana, but as soon as Maclin positions himself to get in, The Rascalz bail and flip off Maclin. Maclin makes it out of the confrontation relatively unscathed, but at least we know where he’s going for Under Siege probably.

OH FUCK ME WITH RUSTY KNIVES. Because Cardona is hurt Kon is paired with SDL, and she just challenges Jordynne and PCO to a tag match. WHY!? STOP IT. This is hot garbage.

Josh Alexander comes out…I wonder who’s Super Finisher he’s gonna conveniently kick out this time? Brian Myers? Frankie Kazarian? Rich Swann? Because yes, I’m still annoyed that Hammerstone has been in TNA for half a sandwich, he already connects with a Super version of his finish on tacks, and that’s not a finish. Oh Kaz’s music hits. Okay, so time for Josh to kick out of Fade to Black or Flux Capacitor. Kaz talks smack, says he won his match too so he should have a say in who’s number one contender. Josh challenges him, Kaz says not right now, but a referee runs out and says the match is official.

#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander

Kaz throws his jacket on Josh’s head, and attacks him with some strikes before Josh fights back and throws Kaz out. Commercial break, we see Kaz misses his Apron Guillotine, Josh goes for the Low Crossbody but Kaz dodges and Josh goes flying. Kaz starts throwing some chops and claws at the cauliflowered ears of Josh. Russian Leg Sweep from Kaz for a near fall. Josh swings wildly and Kaz ducks the strike and levels Josh with a Lariat.

Josh blocks a Vertical Suplex attempt, but Frankie pulls off a Fisherman’s Suplex after a few overhead strikes for a near fall. Josh stands up and connects with a straight right, rocks Kaz, Back Body Drop, into a Charging Forearm, Rolling Senton, 2 count! C4 Spike attempt countered into a Back Stabber and then Chicken Wing, but Josh fights it off, rolls through and into an Ankle Lock, Kaz kicks off and into a Head and Arm Cradle for a near fall and then the Guillotine Leg Drop into Slingshot DDT spot from Kaz for another 2 count!

Fade to Black, but its fought off, Big Boot but then Kaz counters the next move with a Power Slam into the Springboard Guillotine Leg Drop, but Josh grabs the Ankle Lock! Locomotion German Suplex time from Josh, Halfhatch Suplex after the Germans, floats over for a 2 count! C4 Spike attempt again, but Kaz fights it off, dumps him over the top rope, slingshots him in and into the Cutter for a near fall for Kaz! After the 2 Kaz grabs a chair and chain, the referee stops the chair of course, so he tries the chain, EY runs down and grabs the chain so Kaz pulls the Eddie Guerrero and the referee admonishes EY, but doesn’t DQ Josh. So as Kaz is busy laughing at EY, Josh picks the ankle, Ankle Lock with the Grapevine, Kaz taps.

Tensions are sky-high between @alexhammerstone and @JakeSomething_! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/LLCUJOCy7H

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside

Both are jawing at each other and then throw hands before Xia gets the upper hand with a Headscissors from the Top Turnbuckle, Charging Knees, a Flurry of Kicks, but when the ref forces some space in the corner, ASH is finally able to dodge and work over Xia with her Twisting Body Splash, a few choking moves, a corner Stomp into a Snap Suplex for 2. ASH is in charge elegantly, but the referee keeps forcing space on both of them when they go for corner attacks. Xia manages to take advantage a little, but ASH regains control, kicks Xia up the ramp and then lands her Cartwheel Back Elbow up the ramp. It actually looks pretty cool executed like that.

Headlocks and Hair Pulling to keep Xia down and using energy to kick out. ASH is getting frustrated but Xia is remaining persistent. ASH goes back to the Headlock, but Xia fights up, Jawbreaker, Back Elbow, Kick to the gut and Drop Toe Hold sends ASH face first into the middle buckle. Xia rips off 4 Double Knee Smashes to the back of ASH’s head into her Flying Crossbody for a close 2! Xia pulls her up, but ASH spins out, then Xia slips it, but ASH kicks her in the chest and deposits her to the outside and demands a count from the referee. Iceman puts Jeweled Knuckles/Rings on ASH’s hand, the referee catches her, removes the stuff from her fingers and Xia hits the School Girl Roll-Up for the flash win.

Fraud has thrown the Ballot Box Battle into chaos, but also paved the way for an explosive showdown between @TheTreyMiguel and @The_Ace_Austin NEXT WEEK to determine the #1 Contender for the X Division Championship! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/lYHrtgNrc3

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands

So the Good Hand Jobs are about to do their job to Sami. I’m just gonna assume Sami beats the hell out of both and wins with a Cactus Driver ’97. If anything interesting happens I might actually cover it, but come on now.

.@SteveMaclin has a proposition for @FrankieKazarian #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/XY6lMdmSWo

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Kaz makes a Metallica reference with the “Wash Your Back So You Won’t Stab Mine”…and Sweet Amber is the only good song on St. Anger. So…I ain’t mad.

Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth

A little early ground wrestling and headlocks for control from both men. Nothing super flashy to start until we get to the rope run and Nemeth goes for the Flying Body Press to drop Eddie. Before Nemeth can follow up, Lish grabs his foot. Nic does have his brother Ryan in the crowd, trying to get chants going and do the old school ‘power up the babyface’ thing, but Eddie has been in control since Lish got involved. Simple offense, chokes, strikes, Snap Suplexes, Knee Drops, simple yet effective. But then Eddie ducks his head too early, Nemeth kicks him in the face, bounces his head off the buckles a few times, Dropkick sends Eddie reeling to the corner, Nemeth starts the 10 Count Punches but Myers hits the apron to distract and Eddie manages to slip the situation and push Nemeth to the floor.

Commercial break happens, Nemeth is trying to fight back with Chops, but a Kitchen Sink from Eddie puts Nemeth on the floor again! Clubbing blow from Eddie, but Eddie then misses the Hip Attack in the corner and Nemeth counters with the Rude Awakening into the 10 Count Rain of Elbows. Fame Ass-er miss, Eddie tries something but Nemeth turns it into that hesitation DDT for 2! Tuning up the band starts to build and Eddie powders to avoid it. Nemeth throws Eddie back in, goes to the top, but Eddie crotches him, rises up and hits the Superplex into Tiger Driver for 2! Eddie starts mocking with Tuning Up the band but Nemeth hits his own Superkick into an Olympic Slam for 2!

Both men just trade strikes Fighting Spirit style, Eddie says “Always Trust the System” and Nemeth shuts him up with a Headbutt. Danger Zone is blocked, Boston Knee Party gets ducked, they level each other with Lariats! Myers and Ryan Nemeth start fighting to distract the referee, Moose hits the ring and hits Nemeth with the belt. Eddie lands Boston Knee Party and The System wins again!

Overall Score: 6/10

A lame opening segment, a squash match, ASH by Elegance getting her first loss, and a weird way of just pulling the number one contender out of mid air makes for an awkward show. Also Kon still be involved in, literally anything, is negative. However, I can say there was a ton of stuff thrown at the wall this episode, so there’s a chance that some things landed better with other people than myself. The ballot segments were amusing, they overused the “I need to talk to you Santino” gimmick a bit much and personally I feel like having Jake versus Hammerstone is booking yourself into a weird corner.

But hey, the main event was fun, Nemeth getting laid out to the point that there could be a story reason to take him out of the Under Siege match. Kaz with the Metallica reference was pop worthy and I guess its a lot of ‘let’s see where it goes’ kind of angle creation. So it wasn’t complete trash, but its definitely a wait and see episode.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!