Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Monday Night Raw Report! (3/5/18)
All images courtesy of the WWE’s official Twitter.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Asuka VS Nia Jax; Asuka wins.
- The Revival VS The Bar; The Bar wins.
- Goldust VS John Cena; Cena wins.
- Bayley VS Mandy Rose w/ Absolution; Bayley wins.
- Falls Count Anywhere Symphony of Destruction match: Elias VS Braun Strowman; Strowman wins.
- Bray Wyatt VS Rhyno w/ Heath Slater; Wyatt wins.
- 3v2 Handicap: The Miz & Miztourage VS Seth Rollins & Finn Balor; Rollins & Balor win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Raw General Manager, Kurt Angle, heads to the ring.
Here to kick things off on Monday Night #Raw… none other than General Manager @RealKurtAngle! pic.twitter.com/GpfYYMmNNo
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
Milwaukee greets him with the usual chant of “You Suck!” as the Olympic Gold Medalist walks out. He stays serious and speaks on having to swallow his pride as GM time and again. As a GM, you do what’s best for business, “but last week went way too far.” Triple H sucker punched Angle, and he won’t stand in front of the world and pretend it’s okay. Angle calls out HHH! It doesn’t matter that he’s the COO, Angle wants HHH to be a man! But instead, we get the Raw Commissioner, Stephanie McMahon.
.@RealKurtAngle just CALLED OUT @TripleH…
…and here to answer is #RAW Commissioner @StephMcMahon! pic.twitter.com/8pd4phgamk
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
The Billionaire Princess walks into the ring and up to Angle to calm him down. For starters, HHH isn’t here yet, that’s the truth. And that aside, Stephanie brings up that Angle has four–no, five–kids, that one year old baby girl. Angle must want to buy her everything. This is his second wife, that means there’s some alimony, right? If we’re being honest…
Yes, Angle is an Olympic Gold Medalist, and he won with a broken neck, and is a WWE Hall of Famer. But Stephanie must ask, “Are those accolades paying the bills right now?” She already knows the answer is “no”. But being a general manager does, so just think for a moment: Angle almost ruined the biggest WWE contract signing in its history; Rousey put HHH through a table because of Angle. But HHH got his, so we’re all on the same side again. Know your role, make matches, and put the past behind you, okay? “Don’t let your ego get in the way here.” But then Ronda Rousey appears!
She has arrived. And she WILL be part of this conversation between @StephMcMahon and @RealKurtAngle! #Raw @RondaRousey pic.twitter.com/kunSFp9twj
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
The Rowdy Ronda of Raw is all smiles as she heads down to the ring. Ronda high-fives fans and then enters the ring. She hugs Angle and politely shakes hands with Stephanie. The fans cheer and chant, then she speaks up. “What you did to Kurt Angle last week was very… enlightening.” Seems the authority is not who she thought they were. But she’s had bully bosses and things, she’ll deal with it her own way. Bullying bosses? Stephanie understands not every employee understands the choices their bosses make, but they just accept orders. Fans boo and jeer as Stephanie says that Rousey understands she signed to the WWE, and to the part Stephanie oversees. But look at the bright side: Rousey will have her dream, as she gets to be part of Wrestlemania! Her debut is at The Grandest Stage of Them All! Rousey agrees, that is great.
But speaking of her contract, it says she gets to choose her opponent, doesn’t it? Yes, as long as it’s not one of the champions, and as long as that person is part of the active roster. In that case, Rousey chooses… Oh oh, big drum roll please! Rousey doesn’t wait for the drums, she chooses Stephanie!!
Who does @RondaRousey want to face at #WrestleMania?
…..Drumroll please…..#Raw Commissioner @StephMcMahon!!! pic.twitter.com/yzaA0dIIIB
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
And the fans go wild! And while Stephanie tries to reason her way out of things, HHH appears. He won’t let this happen, and tells Angle to do his job. Stephanie is an executive, the Commissioner of Raw. Oh what happened to HHH not being here yet? Surprise, HHH is here already. But don’ worry about him, worry about your job. Angle agrees, Stephanie is an executive. But, there’s still her WWE Superstar contract. And Angle makes matches, so Stephanie will face Rousey at Wrestlemania. Fans sure love that! But that’s not all, there’s another person with two contracts. And angle promised HHH that he’d be coming for him. So it won’t just be Rousey VS Stephanie, it’ll be Stephanie & HHH VS Rousey… AND ANGLE!
The fans love the sound of that, but the Authority doesn’t. Stephanie gets in Angle’s face, but then Rousey blocks the slap!
NOT SO FAST, @StephMcMahon! @RondaRousey #Raw pic.twitter.com/n8ZpLMKRg7
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
HHH wants things to calm back down, and helps Stephanie get away. But then Angle and HHH brawl! Angle gets the best of HHH, but HHH boots back. HHH runs out, but gets caught into the Ankle Lock! He shoves Angle away into buckles, but Rousey steps up. Stephanie returns for the sucker punch! That only pisses Rousey off. Stephanie runs away, Rousey glaring at her the whole way. Then she turns her attention to HHH. HHH sees Angle returning, and goes for the Pedigree, only to end up in the Ankle Lock!
Just when you think @RealKurtAngle is about to endure a #Pedigree…
…it's @TripleH who finds himself in an #AnkleLock! #Raw pic.twitter.com/7SbOTRqkcu
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
Angle grapevines it! Stephanie returns, reaches out and saves her husband. Only for Rousey to get her by her hair and yank her back in! Stephanie begs for mercy, but gets none! Rousey grabs the arm, fireman’s carry, and Samoan Drop!
She's NOT DONE with @StephMcMahon! @RondaRousey #Raw pic.twitter.com/Ytz1YtwOW3
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
Angle and Rousey stand tall over The Authority, will we see this again at Wrestlemania?
Asuka VS Nia Jax!
With her undefeated streak hanging in the balance, @WWEAsuka is tasked with facing @NiaJaxWWE RIGHT NOW on #RAW! pic.twitter.com/uwoNNiNnej
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
The Empress of Tomorrow’s Streak still lives after the Elimination Chamber PPV, but the Irresistible Force ran her over out of rage. This rematch gives Nia a second chance, can she take away Asuka’s main claim to fame before she challenges the Raw (or SmackDown) Women’s Champion?
The #IrresistibleForce @NiaJaxWWE is looking determined as ever tonight. #Raw pic.twitter.com/42gI41OZSY
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
The bell rings and the two circle. Nia lunges but Asuka strikes back. Nia puts her in a corner then flattens her twice, hip attack for the third time. Asuka crawls out of the corner but Nia is right back on her with a headbutt. Nia drags Asuka up to throw her to ropes. Asuka slips out of the ring, Nia lets her writhe out there. Meanwhile, Alexa Bliss & Mickie James have a backstage interview. The Goddess likes Nia’s chances of winning, because she is determined to win. Tonight is Nia’s night, and Asuka looks worried. The Empress’ luck runs out, because Nia will end both the streak and her career.
In the ring, Asuka tilt-o-whirls but into a side slam! Nia drags Asuka back up but then Asuka puts on an Octopus Stretch! She has Nia locked in, but Nia powers her way out. Asuka tries to roll Nia but Nia drags her up by her colorful hair. Nia shoves Asuka back into a corner while fans cheer Asuka on. The referee checks on Asuka, but Nia stomps her out. Nia drags Asuka up but Asuka fights back. Asuka tries to whip but Nia reverses. Asuka hops up, NIa gives her a rocking right hand, to then throw her with a spinning crucifix! Nia watches Asuka roll out of the ring while we go to break.
Raw returns to Nia thrashing Asuka around in a cobra clutch. Asuka fires up and fights out, then runs to hip attack Nia down. Cover, TWO, and with force! Asuka won’t let that scare her off, she goes after Nia agani. Nia powers Asuka to a corner and rams in a shoulder. She rolls Asuka to the center of the ring, then runs her over again! Cover, TWO, and Nia grows annoyed with Asuka. She drags Asuka up for the fireman’s carry, but Asuka fights out.
Nia throws Asuka to ropes, fireman’s carry and Samoan Drop hits! Nia crawls to a cover, ROPEBREAK! And Nia can’t believe it! She swipes at Asuka with both hands, then drags her up again. Another fireman’s carry, trophy lift, and a drop! Nia adds the leg drop, but Asuka evades! Asuka recovers while Nia crawls over, suddenly armbar! Nia endures, reaches, then sits up, but Asuka shifts into the Triangle!
Nia lifts, powerbomb! The hold stays on! Asuka squeezes and pulls as hard as she can but Nia pushes against her. No cover so another lift, and buckle bomb! Asuka keeps holding on, even after two more bombs! She brings Nia down again, but Nia keeps trying to get out. Nia tries another cover, but Asuka wont’ let her shoulders come down. Another deadlift, rebound to takedown! The armbar is on in full, and Nia endure. Nia taps out, and Asuka wins again!
The streak lives to see another day. @WWEAsuka #RAW pic.twitter.com/TTEtt8qiyo
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
More than anyone, Alexa Bliss is the one worried by this result. If Nia can’t win after all that, can Alexa hope to survive?
#Raw #WomensChampion @AlexaBliss_WWE doesn't know WHAT to think after seeing @NiaJaxWWE suffer another loss to @WWEAsuka… pic.twitter.com/MC70B3lNwS
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
Nia stands up, and fans applaud the heart she showed. She hasn’t gotten any closer to the Women’s Championship, will she miss out on Wrestlemania completely?
The Revival VS The Bar!
If you mean it, you better tweet it. #RAW pic.twitter.com/h8ioTOelzJ
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
The Swiss Cyborg and Celtic Gladiator misspoke when they said “there’s no one left to beat” for the Raw Tag Team Championships. The #TopGuys have beaten all the same teams as the champions have, so if they win here, they get a match for the Raw Tag Team Championships at Wrestlemania!
There's a huge opportunity for #TheRevival @ScottDawsonWWE @DashWilderWWE on the line as they challenge #TheBar RIGHT NOW on #RAW! pic.twitter.com/mVSLoDeCvL
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
Sheamus and Scott Dawson start, tie up, and Sheamus elbows out of the waistlock to get the headlock takeover. Dawson grinds his way to a counter but Sheamus grinds back. Dawson powers out but Sheamus runs him over, and The Bar gloats. Sheamus brings Dawson up and tags in Cesaro, to go Super Saiyan kick. Cesaro taunts Dash, then tags in Sheamus, and The Bar mugs Dawson. Sheamus goes to put Dawson in the Bodhrain but Dash distracts, helping Dawson fight out and fight back with hyamkers and chops. Hotshot staggers Sheamus back, but Dawson runs into a lift. Dash saves Dawson then tags in, slingshot sunset flip for a clothesline, TWO. Sheamus tags in Cesaro and Cesaro runs in, but Dash lifts him to tag in Dawson, assisted gord buster.
Just a day in the life of the #TopGuys. @ScottDawsonWWE @DashWilderWWE #RAW pic.twitter.com/305FYrZ01v
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
Cover, TWO, and The Bar regroups. They take a breather while we go to break.
Raw returns, and Sheamus kicks Dawson to then tag in Cesaro. They hit the backbraeker elbow drop!
#TheBar @WWESheamus & @WWECesaro want to keep #TheRevival FAR from New Orleans! #RAW pic.twitter.com/jbKhd07VB1
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
Cover, TWO. Cesaro keeps on Dawson, tags in Sheamus, and Sheamus blasts Dawson with a knee. Sheamus grounds Dawson, covers, ONE. The Bar keeps focus as Sheamus wrenches, but Dawson jawbreakers free. Dash tags in and saves Dawson from a slam, covers, Sheamus, ONE. The Revival keep on Sheamus, tagging Dawson in to stomp one of Sheamus’ arm. COver, ONE, but Dawson keeps on Sheamus at the ropes, messing up the Mohawk. Sheamus hits back but Dawson hits, too. They brawl, Dawson grabs the arm and grounds Sheamus again.
Sheamus endures the armlock and fights back. He lifts and dumps Dawson to then tag Cesaro. Cesaro goes for the Sharpshooter, Dash comes in but Cesaro trips him up. Dawson kicks and DDT’s, cover, TWO! The Revival know they’re close, but Cesaro whips Dawosn to his corner. Tag to Shemaus, who takes out Dash then barrels into Dawson. Stiff knee strike, then the lift, tag to Cesaro. Cesaro goes up but Dash distracts. Dawson trips up Cesaro then dodges Sheamus! Sheamus hits post, Dawson tags in Dash, and they go after Cesaro! Dawson climbs up to Cesaro while Dash does on the adjacent corner. Superplex, to frog splash! TWO!
HOW did @WWECesaro just kick out of that?! #RAW @DashWilderWWE pic.twitter.com/jiGzAsUZJj
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
The Revival are furious that they didn’t get this yet. Dawson tags back in, but Sheamus intercepts with a Brogue. Dawson suplexes Sheamus but Cesaro kicks him, Neutralizer! The Bar wins! The champions turn away the #TopGuys as contenders, now there really isn’t anyone left to defeat.
They ARE The BAR… and they will NOT be facing #TheRevival in New Orleans. #WrestleMania #RAW @WWESheamus @WWECesaro pic.twitter.com/oGgBCH73xn
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
JOHN CENA is here!
NEVER. GIVE. UP. @JohnCena #RAW pic.twitter.com/2nsbx27A8s
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
The Face that Runs the Place and WWE free agent is back again. He went to SmackDown, as stated, and literally won his way into a WWE Championship match at Fastlane! So then why is he back on Raw? To talk to us about SmackDown. It is a difficult subject because of brand rivalry but he asks us to listen. He lets Milwaukee know he has found his Road to Wrestlemania, and even Kurt Angle recognizes the importance of Fastlane. Cena does not take his free agent status lightly, so there in lies the question, why is he here? Cena explains that because it is a Six Pack Challenge, his five opponents–Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and especially WWE Champion, AJ Styles– won’t let him speak his piece in peace.
Therefore, he is back on Raw to say “This is it.” Cena vows to break a 20-year record! He vows that this Sunday, he will win the WWE World Championship to become a 17 time world champion. All records are meant to be broken, because this is his “only Road to Wrestlemania.” Cena has been smothered with criticism, that he’s only here to “hold people back.” He was not given success, he was given a chance. Cena was given a chance and he used it to beat AJ Styles, 1 2 3.
.@JohnCena wants you to remember that he EARNED his opportunity at #WWEFastlane by defeating @AJStylesOrg ONE-TWO-THREE! #RAW pic.twitter.com/rPTKO4HMbR
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
He will never be one to hold someone else back. When Cena wins, critics will come out to say he’s “robbed” us of a Wrestlemania moment. No, Cena encourages Styles to make a greater moment by using his rematch clause to make things a triple threat: Shinsuke Nakamura VS John Cena VS AJ Styles! But wait, Goldust appears?
Hold up, @JohnCena. @Goldust has something to say… #RAW pic.twitter.com/SNKvUAfm57
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
The Bizarre One says “I coulda been a contender.” On the Waterfront, 1954. But movie quotes aside, we have our “leading man”, John Cena. Goldust has always dreamed of sharing “the silver screen” with Cena. He’s always dreamed of “soaking in the spotlight” at Wrestlemania. But that dream begins with Goldust stopping John Cena from going to Wrestlemania. Goldust explains that his dreams have never had that “perfect ending”, it’s all just taken from him. His pretty little rainbows have grayed with evil. “That ends today.” If Cena wants to go to Wrestlemania for the WWE Championship, that’s fine, that’s his dream. But Goldust is taking control of things, as Cena’s “director”. Tonight, Cena’s dreams will be SHATTERED! Goldust decks Cena! And we quickly go to break!
Don't underestimate just how quickly @Goldust can SHATTER your DREAMS! #RAW @JohnCena pic.twitter.com/Ej9utjxIju
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
Goldust VS John Cena!
Raw returns with this match already going, and Goldust has Cena down again. Goldust takes a deep breath, then drags Cena up for a punch. Cena blocks and counters with punches, but Goldust gives Cena the atomic drop. Goldust kicks then covers, TWO. The Bizarre One keeps his cool as he stalks Cena, knocking him back down to the mat. Cena crawls, but Goldust bings him up for another atomic drop. Cena dodges and double clotheslines bring them down. Both men stir, heading for ropes. Goldust and Cena stand up, and Goldust dodges Cena in a corner. Cena bounces off buckles, Goldust covers, TWO. Goldust keeps on Cena with hammering hands, and mocks the great John Cena. Then he digs his claws into Cena before taking another deep breath, but Cena hits back! Cena runs, but into the powerslam, cover, TWO!
Goldust gets frustrated but he stands up. He drops an elbow on Cena, then claws him again. Cena still stands up but GOldust is ready. Cena fakes out the slam to put Goldust in a sleeper hold! Goldust low blows behind the ref’s back! Cover, TWO! Goldust can’t believe his trickery didn’t work. But he keeps his cool as he stands over Cena. Cena crawls his way up, but Goldust is upon him while fans duel. He swings, Cena dodges and starts to rally with shoulder tackles! Spin-out powerbomb, then “You Can’t See Me!” Five Knuckle Shuffle hits, and Cena lifts Goldust, AA! Cena wins, and gains momentum towards Fastlane! Will Sunday see history made even before Wrestlemania?
Momentum is on @JohnCena's side as his Road to #WrestleMania takes him through #WWEFastlane THIS SUNDAY! #RAW pic.twitter.com/cuJOAxcAsV
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
Elias visits Angle in his office.
The Drifter knows the GM has had a busy night. Angle should just cancel the Symphony of Destruction match. It all sends the wrong message. Music should bring people together, not tear them apart. Angle will considered it. Decision made, he’s not cancelling it. Then whatever happens to Braun Strowman tonight is on Angle. That’s fine. But before Elias leaves, he should know that leaving ringside won’t do anything, because it will be a Falls Count Anywhere Symphony of Destruction match. Elias accepts, but can he survive the concert of carnage the Monster Among Men has waiting for him?
The newest WWE Hall of Fame inductee: Hillbilly Jim!
Congratulations to the newest #WWEHOF Class of 2018 Inductee, #HillbillyJim! #Raw pic.twitter.com/pnhGPfxhiS
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
Hulk Hogan took this big fan of the WWE under his wing and made him a certified superstar! Jim the “big ol’ country boy” was a big hit, and helped bring the WWE into the mainstream. “Good food, good meat, thank you Lord, cuz we gon’ eat.” He captured the hearts of fans all over the world, and lived the American dream.
Bayley VS Mandy Rose w/ Absolution!
The Hugger stood by her best friend for as long as she could, given how her friend treated her. She swerved The Legit Boss on a tag, and explains beforehand that this “surprising” action was- Well, no explanation, as the Glampire leads her girls down to the ring.
You may be impressed with @itsBayleyWWE's ability to stand up to @SashaBanksWWE, but @RealPaigeWWE believes there's STRENGTH in NUMBERS! #RAW pic.twitter.com/gsk8gpd7Wh
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
Paige congratulates Bayley for finally growing a backbone. Bayley’s a big girl now, but is still “a stupid little kid”. Sasha Banks is the only person who cares about Bayley, and there is strength in numbers. If you have no one, you have nothing. Can Bayley win all on her own when God’s Greatest Creation has her team ringside?
The bell rings, the two circle, and Bayley gets the waistlock. Mandy works her way out, elbow and a takedown, then cartwheels past Bayley before dropping her with a dropkick. Mandy taunts Bayley and they circle again. They tie up, Bayley gets the wristlock and yanks on Mandy’s arm. Bayley shifts to an armlock but Mandy whips. Bayley reverses, things speed up, Mandy picks Bayley up to put her in a corner. Mandy then scoops Bayley for a slam, cover, TWO. Bayley powers Mandy back now and rams in her shoulder. Bayley rolls back, wacky waving back elbow! She keeps moving, but Mandy bails out. Absolution regroups while we go to break.
Raw returns to Mandy squeezing Bayley in a chinlock. Bayley endures, even as Absolution taunts her. She sits up, and fans rally for her. She stands up and fights out, but Mandy kicks low and suplexes. Mandy holds Bayley up there, then brings her down for a forearm! Absolution applauds while she covers, TWO. Mandy keeps on Bayley, but Bayley hits back. Bayley slips under to backslide, ONE, but into a small package, TWO. Mandy evades and knee strikes Bayley right down! Cover, TWO, and Absolution grows frustrated. Mandy keeps on Bayley with a rain of rights, then covers, TWO. Mandy keeps focus as she stalks Bayley to ropes. She drags Bayley up, but Bayley shoves her away. Bayley throws Mandy out to the apron then hits her with the hotshot stunner!
Both women gasp for air, but Bayley is up to rally with double ax handles. She then tackles Mandy and unloads rights. She keeps going, bumping Mandy off buckles again and again and again. Saido suplex, then Bayley hops up. Sonya distracts but Bayley still hits a flying elbow on Mandy. Sonya tries again, Bayley knocks her down, Mandy tries a roll up, but Bayley slips out! Bayley rolls Mandy, Bayley wins! But Absolution pounces, hammering and kneeing Bayley on the mat. However, here comes Sasha!
#Absolution caused chaos in the wake of @itsBayleyWWE's victory, but @SashaBanksWWE wasn't about to sit and watch it happen! #RAW pic.twitter.com/npFuCkq4Z9
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
The Boss is still a friend as she tackles Sonya. Mandy goes after Sasha but Sasha hits back. Sasha sends Absolution running, then helps her friend to her feet.
#TheBoss @SashaBanksWWE raises @itsBayleyWWE's hand… but what's going through the mind of #TheHugger? #RAW pic.twitter.com/IGduYytVio
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
Sasha wants a hug, but Bayley refuses?! Bayley shakes her head and leaves by herself. Is their friendship on the verge of being done for good?
March is Women’s History Month, and WWE is proud to celebrate it.
WWE celebrates the achievements of Eunice Kennedy Shriver in honor of #WomensHistoryMonth! pic.twitter.com/l1Y4WpzEQl
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
WWE honors Eunice Kennedy Shriver for her fight to help those with intellectual disabilities. Shriver was a founder of the Special Olympic Games, which still thrives to this day. Her passion and dedication to public service and humanitarian work earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984, inspiring us all to care for all people.
Nia is backstage in the medical area.
She’s icing her arm after that match with Asuka, when Alexa Bliss & Mickie James come over. Alexa has Mickie leave her alone with Nia so they can talk.
Nia must be disappointed, losing to Asuka twice already. Alexa has never seen Nia give up like this, it must be embarrassing. But Alexa doesn’t want Nia to feel like a failure or that she’s let everyone down. She has friends, and even though they don’t get to face each other at Wrestlemania this year, there’s always next year. Don’t be ashamed of what just happened, be proud of yourself for everything you’ve overcome. Nia’s been an outcast, just because she was bigger. Even now, Alexa sees how others look at Nia. Alexa knows Nia is no quitter. Don’t let this stop you, Nia. “Because if you do, everyone will lose all respect for you.” Nia cries. Her arm aside, is her spirit broken?
Braun Strowman speaks.
“Elias, I know you’re sweating bullets, because tonight, you find out about my Symphony of Destruction.” The Monster Among Men isn’t finished with Elias. Elias will not only #GetTheseHands, but the keys, the drums and anything else. Tonight begins the countdown to Elias’ extinction! Can the Drifter survive the musical mutilation Strowman is about to bring?
Falls Count Anywhere Symphony of Destruction match: Elias VS Braun Strowman!
It's time for @BraunStrowman and @IAmEliasWWE to face ALL the music. ????#SymphonyOfDestruction #RAW pic.twitter.com/IsAV3n5fdS
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Elias.”
New sound, who dis? @IAmEliasWWE #SymphonyOfDestruction #RAW pic.twitter.com/gV76x8Y4iK
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
The Drifter is on the piano this time, tickling the ivories instead of plucking guitar strings. The Living Amongst The Dead breathes life into everything he does, touches and says. And as always, he must ask, “Who wants to walk with Elias?!” Milwaukee sounds pretty eager to. Symphonies are “classy, sophisticated”, the exact opposite of Milwaukee. It’s no surprise that Elias has mastered more than guitar. He is not a one trick pony, he moves over to drums. And he goes to his standard and says that the Monster Among Men lives in Elias’ World. And everyone in the world knows that WWE really means “Walk With Elias!” Pay close attention, Strowman, this song is for you. So please, silence phones, hold applause and shut mouths so he can begin.
“I’m out here again, it’s Monday night. I’m getting ready for Braun, getting ready for a fight.” Elias is gonna win, unlike the Brewers and Bucks.” One thing Elias loves about Milwaukee is that “this place sucks!” Elias is not afraid of The Monster Among Men, because there ain’t nothing he can do. He wants a proper introduction, so he has the lights go down to reintroduce him. But when the spotlight hits, Elias is running away!
Where are you off to in such a hurry, @IAmEliasWWE? #SymphonyOfDestruction #RAW pic.twitter.com/OOcPbLN93F
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
He slips backstage, glancing over his shoulder. Elias makes it to a car waiting for him, starts it up, but then looks in the back. Strowman is holding the car back with pure strength! So Elias gets out an runs! Strowman pursues Elias all the way back to ringside!
The bell rings and this match begins! Strowman kicks Elias all the way down the ramp and towards the ring. He bounces Elias off the apron then puts him into the ring. Elias knocks over his stool, and Strowman clobbers him towards a corner. Strowman throws Elias across the ring, then crushes him in a corner. He clubs Elias in the chest, and the fans roar triumphantly for him. Strowman stalks Elias, then scoops him up. Elias fights out of the slam then goes after the leg with chop blocks. Elias grabs his guitar and SMASHES it on Strowman’s back! He keeps going on Strowman with haymakers, then runs for a knee strike. Strowman’s down but Elias climbs up. Elias takes aim, leaps, and hits the Macho Elbow! Cover, ONE!!
Strowman gets to his feet but Elias is upon him. Elias tries but is denied his Drift Away, Strowman sends him out with an uppercut. Strowman stalks Elias again before kicking him up the ramp. Strowman drags Elias up and over to the announce desk! He clears it all off, then nods to the fans. Strowman lifts Elias up, but Elias rakes the eyes. Elias thinks he’s safe, but Strowman turns around to knock him into the LED wall! Strowman then bowls him through the spare guitars, and stalks him around the drum kit. Strowman clubs Elias down with a double ax handle, and then sees his old friend in the bass cello. The fans chant “YES! YES!” and Strowman SMASHES Elias with the cello! An encore from weeks ago, but the concert isn’t done yet.
Strowman slides Elias under the piano, then plays monster chords. Then, Strowman kicks the drums away, and lifts the piano, to slam it down on Elias!
No room for a duet, here. @BraunStrowman CRUSHES @IAmEliasWWE under the weight of a piano! #RAW #SymphonyOfDestruction pic.twitter.com/oSWL0neFJn
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
Elias is pinned down by the piano, but Strowman pulls it off to cover, Strowman wins!
A Monster Among MUSIC prevails in the first-ever #SymphonyOfDestruction Match! @BraunStrowman #RAW pic.twitter.com/1HG556Wn7B
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
The Monster Among Men played a beautifully painful piece for Elias, and leaves him laying on the stage. Elias does receive medical attention, and is stretchered out. Is this the night the Drifter’s music died?
WWE makes a MAJOR announcement!
Saudi Arabia will host the "Greatest Royal Rumble" at the King Abdullah Sports City on Friday, April 27! https://t.co/dRp66KLiKQ
— WWE (@WWE) March 5, 2018
Bray Wyatt VS Rhyno w/ Heath Slater!
The Eater of Worlds continues his Great War with WOKEN Matt Hardy, but first looks to use the One Man Band and the ManBeast as cannon fodder once more. This is also payback for last week when Bray didn’t even wait for things to be a match. Can the ECW original best the Face of Fear before the next battle with Hardy?
The bell rings and Rhyno goes right at Bray! He puts Bray in a corner and fires off furious right hands. The ref brings him back, Bray boots back and runs Rhyno over with a lariat. Bray then slithers upside-down to stare Slater down.
Oh, hey, @WWEBrayWyatt…? @HeathSlaterOMRB #RAW pic.twitter.com/zdHMzMle5X
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
He returns to Rhyno to rain down right hands, then reel Rhyno into Sister Abigail! Bray glares at Slater before covering, Bray wins!
.@WWEBrayWyatt takes down The #ManBeast @Rhyno313 in quick and devastating fashion! @HeathSlaterOMRB #RAW pic.twitter.com/1BaLk090s2
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
Swift but sinister, and scary as always as he stares Slater down, this even more disturbed Bray Wyatt calls Hardy out. “Come out and show your face, you coward!” The Great War is far from over, so Hardy does show his face.
“Bray Wyatt, I concur. The Great War is far from over~!” But if they are to clash, it cannot be contained within the realm of WWE. There is only ONE battlefield worthy of their cosmic combat: The Hardy Compound~~! The WOKEN Wisdom invites Bray to his battlefield, and dares him to prepare for ULTIMATE DELETION!
Will The ULTIMATE DELETION of @WWEBrayWyatt commence at The #HardyCompound?! @MATTHARDYBRAND #RAW pic.twitter.com/ipUkeo1Aud
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
It’s the Third Annual Mizzies Awards Show!
You have been cordially invited to the most must-see award show in @WWE, the 3rd annual #MizzieAwards! @mikethemiz #RAW pic.twitter.com/INU7dWBIex
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
The Most Must-See Superstar in all of WWE brings us the “cherished institution” that recognizes true greatness. Otherwise The Shape of Water wouldn’t have won over The Marine 5. Get Out is what Angle should’ve done as GM. But enough about The Oscars, Miz honors the best of WWE. The first category: The Superstar Best at Patting Themselves on the Back.
The first #Mizzie of the night is… A TIE between @FinnBalor and @WWERollins! #RAW #MizzieAwards pic.twitter.com/DNBVVvg57Y
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
The nominees are: Seth Rollins for bragging about lasting 65 minutes before losing; Kurt Angle for being a good father to his illegitimate son 29 years late; and Finn Balor for being the inaugural Universal Champion for only 24 hours, and failing to keep his promise of getting it back asap. Miz himself is 55 days away from being the (total) longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time. And the winner is: a tie! Rollins and Finn win, but cannot accept the award because they weren’t invited to the show.
The second category: Worst Decision by a Raw General Manager.
The SECOND #Mizzie has been unanimously awarded to… your current #Raw General Manager, @RealKurtAngle! #RAW #MizzieAwards pic.twitter.com/hJyPvbZUqk
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
The nominees are: Kurt Angle for bringing his “bastard son” to Raw; Kurt Angle for letting Rollins & Finn both be in the Elimination Chamber match; and Kurt Angle for failing to name a proper opponent for The Miz at Wrestlemania. And the winner is: by unanimous vote, Kurt Angle! But he can’t accept the award, he’s sucking up to Ronda Rousey. At least this will help his resume when out looking for a new job. Especially when Angle loses to Stephanie & HHH.
This third award is a Lifetime Achievement Award, for the “workhorse of the WWE”. This superstar makes wherever he is on the Wrestlemania card “the main event.” However, Seth Rollins appears!
The third award of the night goes to…. an undetermined winner, as @WWERollins has emerged mid-Mizzie! #MizzieAwards #RAW pic.twitter.com/iSOiJypIKW
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
Rollins was enjoying the show, but Milwaukee was practically begging for someone to play Miz off. But it’s not just Rollins, here comes Finn Balor!
Looks like @WWERollins isn't the ONLY one who thinks the #MizzieAwards have gone on for too long… @FinnBalor @mikethemiz #RAW pic.twitter.com/7YjFD8BgeJ
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
Finn is all smiles but Rollins brings up how he keeps interrupting. Is he here to follow Rollins again? No, he’s here to do Rollins one better. Miz does them both one better. Angle said those matches might determine who faces Miz at Wrestlemania, because neither of them deserves it. Rollins always loses. “Nobody makes losing look better than you.” Except for maybe Finn. What has Finn done since giving up the title? Yet he’s “over”? This isn’t Japan, this is the WWE! You have to bust your butt each and every day. To be “over”, you need more than “a hand-sign that’s not even yours.” But these two think they’re so special just because they beat Miz in a handicap match? How about we do something really big? A 3v2 handicap, The Miztourage VS Rollins & Balor! The fans want it, challenge accepted!
3v2 Handicap: The Miz & Miztourage VS Seth Rollins & Finn Balor!
The Hollywood A-Lister had strong words for the Architect and Extraordinary Man, but now he’ll have to back them up. Can he, Bo Dallas & Curt Axel best the two men who bested Miz consecutively last week?
Finn starts against Axel with the bell. They tie up, Finn gets the wristlock, then the arm wrench. He snapmares Axel then wrenches the arm more. Axel stands up and puts Finn against ropes to knee and club. Axel whips but Finn reverses, Axel sunset flips but Finn rolls through to dropkick! Cover, TWO, but Finn is back on Axel’s arm. Rollins applauds, then offers a tag. Finn takes it, and Rollins climbs up to flying ax handle Axel’s arm. Axel kicks back, then bumps Rollins off buckles. He tags in Bo, and The Miztourage whips Rollins. Rollins kicks them away and throws Axel out before hip tossing Bo down. Bo gets up, Rollins dropkicks him down, then Rollins swipes at the creeping Miz. Bo pounces and stomps Rollins out.
Tag to Miz, and the Intercontinental Champion boots Rollins in the face. Cover, ONE, but Miz keeps on Rollins. He tags in Axel, and snapmares Rollins for Axel’s neck snap. Cover, TWO, so Axel puts Rollins in an armlock and chinbar. Rollins gets up as fans rally, but Axel knees low. He whips Rollins and stiffly dropkicks him down, then gloats while Miz and Bo cheer him on. Axel tags in Bo, they mug Rollins to the mat. Cover, TWO, but Bo wraps on a chinlock. Finn gets the fans to rally for Rollins, and Rollins fights back. He chops Bo, but Bo whips him away from the tag. Rollins boots Bo, then dives to tag Finn!
Finn rallies on The Miztourage, take down to double stomp! Bo gets to a corner while Finn flexes. Finn scares off Miz, then gives Bo a running chop.
Watch out, @mikethemiz. #RAW @FinnBalor pic.twitter.com/qBwQSKahGF
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
Corner to corner and another chop. Finn tires a third but Bo reverses, only for Finn to go up and over. Bo boots Finn, then hops up, but Finn swing kicks Bo down. Finn stalks Bo, drags him up but Miz distracts. Finn chases Miz, sees Axel coming but not Bo, Bo runs Finn over. The Miztourage is in control while we go to break.
Raw returns and Finn jawbreakers out of the chinlock. Axel shoves Finn back to forearm him on the rebound, but Finn hits back with a Pele! Both men are down but Finn gets the hot tag. Hot tag to Miz, but Rollins hits the springboard flying clothesline! He hops up but jumps over Miz, to enziguri Miz down. The fans fire up with Rollins as he goes corner to corner to clothesline Miz. Suplex and float over to Falcon Arrow!
The gear says it all. @WWERollins is on ??? tonight! #RAW pic.twitter.com/RZSZDCYkAT
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
Cover, TWO! Rollins keeps his cool as he stalks Miz. He tunes up the band then takes aim, mule kick but Bo gets in the way. Rollins knocks Bo down, but Miz gets the full nelson! Miz lifts, Rollins rolls to counter, TWO! Mule kick hits again, cover, but Axel breaks it. Rollins throws Axel out, then evades Miz to build speed and DIVE! Direct hit on both Bo & Axel!
Rollins returns in the ring, clotheslines Miz out, then Rollins takes aim again. He watches them regroup, but Finn tags in! Finn and Rollins argue it out, but The Miztourage flanks them. Rollins takes Bo & Axel out, Finn hits Miz. Finn builds speed to FLY onto Bo & Axel! He flexes while Miz gets back in the ring, Slingblade! Then, blasting dropkick! Miz goes down, Finn climbs up, but Rollins tags in! Rollins curb Stomps Miz! Cover, Rollins & Balor win! While they both win, the Architect pinned the champion. What does this mean for the IC Championship? Kurt Angle appears to clear that up.
Angle has a match for ‘Mania, time to announce Miz’s. He won’t be competing against Rollins, or against Balor, he’ll be competing against them both in a Triple Threat! “It’s true, it’s damn true.” Wrestlemania is 43 days away, will Miz be denied history a couple weeks short?
Oh, it's true. Per @RealKurtAngle, #ICChampion @mikethemiz will defend his title against @WWERollins AND @FinnBalor in a #TripleThreatMatch at #WrestleMania! #RAW pic.twitter.com/QAniC8hQ18
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
The Advocate, Paul Heyman, is here!
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the advocate for your #UniversalChampion, @BrockLesnar… @HeymanHustle! #RAW pic.twitter.com/zQEQaoV8dQ
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
And as he is carrying the belt for the “reigning, defending, undisputed Universal Heavyweight Champion, BROCK LESNAR” with him, he is here to “deliver a message on behalf of my client.” Heyman is here to “set the record straight.” He is here, resting the title down in the ring, “because Brock Lesnar allows” Heyman to touch it. And after Lesnar successfully defends this title, April 8th at Wrestlemania against Roman Reigns, assuming he chooses to defend again at Summerslam, Heyman will come out and lay the title down again, and right next to it will be the UFC world heavyweight title as well. Roman had a lot to say about The Beast, he took it upon himself to criticize Lesnar’s schedule.
Heyman asks Roman, what’s the biggest victory of your career? Defeating the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Good for Roman, because he is only one of two men to do that. Did anyone bring up Undertaker’s schedule? No, because if anyone did, it would be “bullshit”! The Undertaker is the Undertaker 365 days a year, so good for Roman. Lesnar is Lesnar 365 days a year, but no one will beat Lesnar nor take that title from him. If Roman doesn’t like hearing this, then next week, Roman can meet Lesnar on Raw. And “Afa” that, Roman can “Sika” new title to challenge for, because the Universal title belongs to Lesnar.
Paul @HeymanHustle's message to @WWERomanReigns: The #BigDog simply CAN'T HAVE @BrockLesnar's #UniversalChampionship! #RAW pic.twitter.com/VYihk7iYoo
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
And while Heyman is still here, he recalls Roman calling Lesnar “a bitch.” The title is Lesnar’s “bitch”, as in she belongs to Lesnar. Roman is eyeing Lesnar’s girl, but he can’t have her. Roman wants to be Universal Champion because of his bloodline, but the Universal Championship is a bloodline. You don’t pry the title out of Lesnar’s cold dead hands, you try to take them from his hot living ones.
Lesnar’s always wanted to be Number One, so Heyman will spell it out: this is not a belt, not a strap, prop, or anything else; this is a declaration that you are Number One in the Universe. This belt lets someone tell their children that daddy is better than everyone, “the biggest dog in the biggest yard”, the number one on Earth and in the known universe. It’s not how bad you want the title, it’s how bad the title wants you.
"It's not how bad you want the title… it's how bad the TITLE wants YOU!" @HeymanHustle #RAW #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/bhIf4yzv0r
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
This is the sacrifice you must make to be Universal Champion: the Saturday night before Wrestlemania and you get a phone call that something really bad happened to your father, you can’t. That’s because this title needs you to defend it. Then after defending it, you still can’t fly away to family, because then there’s the Raw after ‘Mania and the title needs to be shown off. And then maybe if you don’t go to SmackDown, then and only then do you go home. The title needs you more, loves you more, and lusts for you more, because it is everything that you are and you are everything that is the title. Roman Reigns, if you still want to meet Lesnar on Raw in Detroit, go ahead, and say whatever you want. Because you don’t want to shoot with Heyman, or shoot with BROCK LESNAR.
However, Roman Reigns appears!
The #BigDog has heard ENOUGH! @WWERomanReigns #WrestleMania #RAW pic.twitter.com/L9ucVH1Lxb
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 6, 2018
Heyman stays in the ring, belt on the mat, while Roman enters the ring. Roman lets Heyman pick the belt up before speaking. “Milwaukee, this is what I’m talking about.” Roman said a lot of stuff, harsh but true, and yet what does Lesnar do? He sends Heyman for the rebuttal. “Brock really is a bitch, isn’t he?” Roman isn’t asking for anything other than Lesnar to show up. The fans ask for the same thing. But that’s still not enough. Lesnar should want to be here. Roman keeps it simple: if Lesnar is in Detroit next week, so is Roman. And Heyman can tell Lesnar that Lesnar can say whatever he wants, but don’t come looking for a promo segment, come looking for a fight!
.@WWERomanReigns wants to make sure @BrockLesnar is ready for a FIGHT next week when The #BigDog and #TheBeast are both at #RAW! @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/DrRJD7UH1l
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2018
Roman lets Heyman leave with his message. What will the fallout be when Beast and Big Dog truly come face-to-face?!
My Thoughts:
A pretty good episode right here. We get the Rousey plans finally established, and they’re upped to a mixed tag match for her debut. Not quite the best thing, as Stephanie is just using this to include herself in the fun, but this is probably the most fun option for it since it’ll have Angle and HHH joining in. Not sure what the build will be, but I’m kind of hoping we get videos of HHH training Stephanie back into wrestling shape. Opening with the Asuka VS Nia rematch was a nice surprise, and this match was a really gritty step up from Elimination Chamber. Asuka of course wins to keep her Streak and momentum alive, but what was really impressive was Nia’s reaction. Her segment with Alexa was some grade A given how expertly veiled all of Alexa’s mean comments were, and how Nia cried on cue.
I’m not sure what The Bar gains by not having Wrestlemania opponents, even if their match proved they can do what The Revival does as good as The Revival. Perhaps with no clear contender, there will be a huge series of matches to determine who The Bar faces and how. Cena being back on Raw so soon makes some sense, and his match with Goldust was a great “impromptu” moment, but I was kinda hoping either he would stay on SmackDown or at least have a slightly longer match with Goldy. Bayley meanwhile has a real fun match with Mandy, but the development between her and Sasha is the real meat of the segment. It may not be that Bayley is going Heel, but she might never side with Sasha again. And while Elias is great, Strowman is greater, and their entire segment was gold, these guys need gold.
Speaking of gold, ULTIMATE DELETION better be pure BROKEN Brilliance or WWE will truly disappoint fans. Then the Intercontinental Championship getting a Triple Threat is great, and it makes it so it’ll be a little bit harder to predict who wins. Rollins getting it would be great so that The Shield members are all Grand Slam Champions, while also ruining Miz’s history-making moment. Ending on the Universal Championship segment was good, and continuing to keep Lesnar away is really helping the story. More fans are slowly shifting to Roman’s side, not because it’s Roman but because it’s the full-timer over the part-timer. I just hope next week’s face-to-face doesn’t turn into tug-of-war like it did before WM31, but into a brawl like it always should.
My Score: 8/10
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Could this be the biggEST and strongEST SmackDown of the year?
SmackDown in Knoxville sees the returns of Bianca Belair, Cody Rhodes and John Cena, along with some final Money in the Bank qualifiers!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Jade Cargill VS Naomi VS Nia Jax; Naomi wins and advances to Money in the Bank.
- R-Truth VS JC Mateo w/ Solo Sikoa; Mateo wins.
- Rey Fenix & Je’Von Evans VS Los Garza w/ Santos Escobar; Los Garza win.
- Zelina Vega VS Alba Fyre w/ The Green Administration; Zelina wins.
- Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Carmelo Hayes VS Andrade VS Jacob Fatu; Andrade wins and advances to Money in the Bank.
PLAY BY PLAY
Bianca Belair is here!
Knoxville fires up for their strongEST, fastEST, quickEST, toughEST, roughEST, and greatEST hometown hero as she struts out to the ring. Bianca high-fives and hugs fans along the ramp, as well as mom and dad at ringside. Bianca then grabs a mic to say, “Man, it feels good to be in Knoxville!” The fans cheer and chant for “EST! EST!” Bianca says she loves them so much. And she couldn’t come out here without singing Rocky Top! Y’all ready? The fans cheer, and the music plays! Bianca conducts the fans as they sing for the University of Tennessee. In fact, the Lady Vols softball team is playing in the Super Regionals right now!
Bianca smiles and says this city is so special to her. Not just because it is her hometown, but because it is her safe space. She has her love and support from mom ‘n’ dad, and has all the fans who show up and show out for her. With everything Bianca’s been going through, losing at Mania, getting injured, losing tag titles and friends along the way, she just wanted to come back home to her safe space. The fans cheer, and Bianca says she came home to heal. While she’s not 100%, she is doing everything she can to get back to the ring and continue to show us why she is the EST of Tennessee and of WWE! The fans cheer that!
Bianca says with all that said, Knoxville, welcome to Friday Night SmackDown! But wait, she’s interrupted by Naomi! The fans boo but Naomi says, “Oh my gosh~! Finally! B, I am so glad you finally here on SmackDown!” Bianca says now is not the time, Naomi. Naomi asks Bianca to please hear her out. It has been way too long. Not a day has gone by when Naomi doesn’t think about what happened to them. What is there to talk about? What could Naomi say? What could she want from Bianca? The fans chant “YOU SUCK!” at Naomi, and Naomi says she just wants forgiveness. She is begging for it!
Naomi knows things go toff the rails, but she is here because she wants to fix it, she is trying to fix it, but she alone can’t fix it. Months have gone by, and Naomi has tried to communicate, to say the past can be the past and that they can move forward. Bianca has not responded back to Naomi once. Naomi even visited Bianca’s parent’s house! But no one would answer! WHAT?! Mom ‘n’ Dad don’t know about that, but Naomi says no one was home, so she let herself in! Naomi looked through the photo albums, the one right on the front coffee table. And in those photos, Bianca looked so happy. It reminded Naomi of how they were as tag team champions.
Bianca stops Naomi there. Naomi, Bianca will make this perfectly clear. They were best friends, but Naomi betrayed Bianca’s trust. Naomi took their friend, Jade, and threw her onto a car, then lied about it for months! Bianca said she was done with Naomi, she meant that, and if Naomi ever comes near her family again, what Naomi did to Jade will be nothing compared to what Bianca does to Naomi. The fans fire up for that! Naomi gets emotional, but then she gets mad. “Y’know, Bianca, it wouldn’t be good for you and your mama to be in a wheelchair.” The fans boo as Naomi laughs maniacally. Naomi says she’d hate if something happened to Bianca here and now!
Naomi storms up on Bianca, but then JADE makes her way out here! Naomi is even angrier now, but this Storm starts throwing hands! The fans fire up as Jade BOOTS Naomi down! Bianca and Jade look to each other, neither really saying or doing anything. Naomi runs up but Jade TOSSES her out! Jade and Bianca look to each other again, but then here comes NIA! The Irresistible Force won’t be left out of this, especially when this is the Women’s Triple Threat Qualifier for the night! This match now opens the night, who earns SmackDown’s final golden ticket to the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match?
Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Jade Cargill VS Naomi VS Nia Jax!
SmackDown returns, this match is already going, and Naomi POSTS Nia! Naomi stalks Jade, rains down forearms, and the fans boo. Naomi stomps to BITE Jade’s hand! Jade still fights back, so Naomi has the arms to STOMP Jade down! Naomi flexes, the fans boo, and Naomi puts Jade in a corer. Naomi runs to DROPKICK Jade in the corner! Naomi SLAPS Jade, drags her into the drop zone, then goes up, up, and twerks! HIP DROP! Naomi covers, ROPEBREAK! Naomi is annoyed but she sits Jade up to stomp a mudhole in. But Nia runs up! Naomi dodges, the HIP ATTACK hits Jade! Naomi goes to the apron to ROUNDHOUES Nia!
Naomi reels Nia in for a HEATSEEKER! Nia flops to the floor, the fans rally for Jade, but Naomi kicks her around. Naomi goes up the corner, leaps, but Jade catches her! Jade FALL AWAY SLAMS Naomi, then kips up! Knoxville fires up with Jade and she runs up to LARIAT! And ELBOW! And SCRAPBUSTER! Cover, Nia breaks it! The fans boo but Nai huffs ‘n’ puffs and drags Naomi up. Nia whips Naomi, pops her up and HEADBUTTS her down! Then she SAMOAN DROPS Naomi! Nia soaks up heat, then lines the two up. Naomi grabs at Nia’s leg but Nia CLUBS her down! Nia stomps Jade for good measure, then drops a leg, brother!
Nia TOSSES Jade out, then goes up the corner. Nia SUPER LEG DROPS on Naomi!! Cover, TWO!!! Naomi survives and Nia is shocked! The fans rally while Nia stalks Naomi. Naomi clings to ropes as Nia pulls at her arm. Nia CLUBS Naomi, whips her to ropes, then SAMOAN DROP- NO, Naomi makes it a CRUCIFIX DRIVER! Ghost pin, TWO!! Nia survives the sudden turnaround, Naomi sees Jade crawling in, and Naomi goes after her as SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Naomi KICKS Nia while she’s down, then kicks her more. Naomi puts Nia in a corner, CHOKES her on the ropes, then clamps on with a SLEEPER! Nia THROWS Naomi away, then TOSSES her out. Nia soaks up heat, but Jade runs in and rolls Nia up! TWO! Nia stands, and she HEADBUTTS Jade down! Nia looms over Jade, drags her up, but Jade fires forearms! Jade backs Nia down, then runs, and she CLOBBERS Nia outta the ring! Jade fires up and has the fans with her. Jade drags Naomi up from the apron but Naomi fires hands. Nia is back to HIP ATTACK Jade against the POST! Nia soaks up more heat, then taunts Naomi.
Naomi stands on the apron, argues with Nia, but they apparently agree to mug Jade for both their benefit. They put Jade in the corner, Naomi digs her boot in, and then Nia sends Naomi in for a SPALSH! Nia adds a SPLASH of her own! Naomi snapmares Jade, runs, and SLIDING LARIATS! Jade sputters and Nia taunts her. Nia and Naomi soak up the heat together, but Jade fights back! Nia HEADBUTTS Jade down! Nia drags Jade up, and Naomi KICKS Jade low! They soak up more heat, talk trash on Jade, and SmackDown returns to single picture. Nia scoops and SIDEWALK SLAMS! Naomi runs to SPLIT LEG DROP! Cover, but Nia drags Naomi away!
Nia and Naomi argue again, and then Naomi rolls Nia up! ONE, and Nia grabs Naomi to shove her to a corner! Nia SPLASHES, then pushes Naomi down. Nia runs to SENTON! Nia grins while Naomi sputters and the fans rally up. Jade rises to fire forearms on Nia! Then she ELBOWS Naomi in a corner! She ELBOWS Nia, but then Nia follows Jade! Jade dodges so Nia SPLASHES Naomi! Jade then SUPERKICKS! Nia wobbles, Jade SUPERKICKS again! And SPINEBUSTERS! But Naomi METEORAS! Cover, TWO! Jade survives and the fans rally up. Naomi goes up, SPLIT- LEG MOONSAULT on Nia! But Jade has Naomi in the chicken wings!
Jade brings Naomi around, JADED!! Cover, Nia CLOBBERS them both! The fans rally while all three women are down! Nia climbs a corner, Jade is after her with forearms! Naomi joins in, drags Jade back, but now they trade shots! Nia DOUBLE CROSSBODIES! Cover on Jade, TWO! Cover on Naomi, TWO! Nia grows frustrated but the fans rally up again. Nia drag Naomi up, fireman’s carries, and she climbs the corner! The fans already anticipate what’s coming, SUPER SAMOAN DROP!! Cover, JADE FROG SPLASHES IN!! Cover, TWO!!! The fans fire up while all three women are down again! “This is Awesome!”
Jade rises, she clamps onto Nia, but Nia HEADBUTTs her! And HEADBUTTS Naomi! Jade BOOTS Nia down! Cover, TWO! Jade runs up on Naomi but Naomi BOOTS her! Naoim goes up top but Jade is right on her! They fight for control, but then Nia joins in! TOWER OF DOOM!! Nia double stacks her opponents, for a A-NIA-LATOR!! Naomi avoids it, Jade takes it all! Naomi ghost pins Nia, AND WINS!!
Winner: Naomi, by pinfall (advances to Money in the Bank)
Nia did a lot of the damage, but it is Naomi who wins out! Will everyone in the Women’s MITB Ladder Match now have to #ProceedWithCaution?
Solo Sikoa’s crew arrives.
Solo says they will win Money in the Bank together! Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa, whichever one wins MITB wins it fof the family! But then they hear R-Truth talking to… Lil’ Jimmy? Solo says Truth’s childhood hero beats him, and now he’s talking to ghosts. Truth taps Solo on the shoulder and asks if there’s something Solo wants to say. Solo says Truth is crazy touching him. JC Mateo steps up but Solo has him stand down. Truth says he wants to be honest. He’s never seen JC a day before in his life. Is this Solo’s son? He’s husky! Truth asks if he can teach Solo’s husky son a lesson in the ring. Solo says that sounds good to him.
Truth says he’ll go talk to Nick Aldis. “Boy, y’all big boneded!” Truth heads off, and Solo says don’t worry, they’ll take care of him. Let’s have fun. Fatu says keep it 100. They can have their fun, he’s got his own business to take care of. Yadada mean? The Imperial Unit against Truth, Samoan Werewolf in a qualifier, will everything go the family’s way?
Chelsea Green confronts Nick Aldis.
The Hot Mess hides behind a cardboard cutout of herself as she tells the SmackDown General Manager, “What happened on Saturday night was a deliberate-” Piper Niven has to direct Chelsea to point at Aldis, and Aldis says he can’t quite understand her from behind the cardboard mask. Piper holds the mask between Chelsea and camera, though we do get a glimpse of her fancy headgear. Chelsea repeats herself, but Aldis says she needs to be looking at him when they talk. Chelsea hides her face in shame, but she says it is still a deliberate hitjob put on by vicious Zelina Vega! Even her Secret Her-vice could not stop it!
Chelsea demands that Zelina be suspended, stripped of her title, and that Chelsea be reinstated as the champion! Chelsea, no need to be so ugly about this. Gasp! Aldis says what he means is, no suspensions, and we can talk a rematch down the road once Chelsea is medically cleared. Then he is doing nothing for what Zelina did to Chelsea?! Alba says if he won’t, then they will! Yeah, Zelina VS Alba! Tonight! Alba is a bit surprised, but Aldis says, “Chelsea knows best. Alba VS Zelina, I actually like the sound of that. I will make that official right now, if you do one thing for me. Please leave me alone.”
The Green Administration hurries away, but will Alba make sure Chelsea brand justice is served? Or will La Muneca just keep racking up the wins?
Backstage interview with Tiffany Stratton.
Byron Saxton is with the WWE Women’s Champion, and says that MITB is around the corner. Tiff successfully cashed in her own contract to become champion, but how is she handling the pressure of knowing the same thing could happen to her? Tiff says she can’t wait to see who wins MITB. Then she can handle the pressure by being prepared. Having this title makes her the top threat to the division, but let’s be fair. She’s always been the girl everyone has been obsessed with. So whoever wins, targeting her will be a big mistake. But then in steps Naomi.
Naomi says if Tiff thought Nia was a problem, then she ain’t seen nothing yet. Naomi vows to win MITB and cash in for Tiff’s title, wherever and whenever she wants. And in case Lil’ Miss Tiffy forgot, when Naomi was fighting for a championship, Tiff stayed in Naomi’s way. Wanna know what happens when people play with Naomi? Just ask Jade. Naomi heads out, and Alexa Bliss steps in. Alexa says she wouldn’t be so worried about Naomi. Be worried about Alexa. Alexa heads out now, Tiff clutches to the title a little bit tighter, who will be trying to run the clock out on Tiffy Time?
R-Truth VS JC Mateo w/ Solo Sikoa!
To Solo’s point, #RonCena could not make John Cena see the light at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and Truth might be relapsing if he’s talking to Lil’ Jimmy again. But will Truth relapse so far that we get the R-Truth that was once United States Champion? Or will a Tour of the Islands send Truth off the deep end?
SmackDown returns and JC makes his entrance, Solo backing him up. The bell rings and Truth runs up, only for JC to RAM him into a corner! JC RAMS Truth again and again, then lets off. JC whips corner to corner hard and Truth falls in a heap! JC whips corner to corner again just as hard, and Truth falls in a heap again. Solo talks trash but the fans rally behind Truth. JC runs up but Truth dodges! Truth SHOULDER TACKLES! JC stays up, so Truth runs and SHOULDER TACKLES! “What’s Up?” Truth runs, ducks ‘n’ dodges, and SHOULDER TACKLES! Then he hits the SPIN OUT- CROSSBODY! JC then gets up to GACHIMUCHI MOONSAULT!
JC smirks as he looms over Truth, and Solo says to finish this off now. JC runs to SENTON but Truth moves! Truth calls for it! “YOU CAN’T SEE ME!” FIVE KNUCKLE SHUFFLE! Truth fireman’s carries JC, but JC is too much! Truth falls over again! Solo laughs, JC whips, TOUR OF THE ISLANDS!! Cover, JC wins!
Winner: JC Mateo, by pinfall
Truth tried to be like John Cena of old, but it just wasn’t meant to be. JC beats up on Truth more, then stands him up for Solo! But here comes BIG Jim! Jimmy has a chair, he runs JC off, but Solo stands his ground. Solo says his brother wouldn’t hit him with that chair, would he? Jimmy steps to Solo so Solo steps out, but that lets JC CLOBBER Jimmy! But then Solo has JC stand down! They’re family! Solo and JC leave, leaving Jimmy wondering what this is about. Will Jimmy make it clear to Solo that Jimmy’s not the one who has to come to his senses?
The Street Profits are here!
The WWE Tag Team Champions walk through the smoke to be on stage and the fans cheer. Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford hold up the titles, walk to the ring, then step inside. The fans cheer as they hold up the belts again, then the Profits grab the mics. Ford says, “Knoxville, Tennessee, oh I love everything about you, and what I have, too. But lemme rap to y’all real fast. This tag team division that we’re a part of, the greatest tag team division on any brand, any promotion… It’s on fire right now.” Dawkins says, “Talk to ’em.” Ford says, “But just like how the gorilla fears us, make no mistake about it, let’s not forget who’s leading the charge right now: The Street Profits.”
The fans cheer, and Dawkins says hey, they got all the teams coming at ’em! DIY, Motor City Machine Guns, Fraxiom, and now… The Wyatts?! The fans cheer that, and Ford says that’s sick. But what big bro is saying, it don’t matter who it is, the Profits will defend against anybody. Well hold on, here comes Fraxiom! Nathan Frazer & Axiom go to the ring to stand with the Profits, and they have mics. Frazer says alright, since the Profits are talking about defending the titles, well, Frazer & Axiom didn’t exactly get a fair shake. Ford says, “Fraxiom, is it?” He congratulates them for being on a roll, but up until the Wyatt Sick6 got in the Profits’ business…
Yeah, the Profits had them beat. Wow, oh, okay. Sure, maybe… But maybe not. Thanks to the Wyatts, we’ll never know. And now that those shenanigans are behind us, it is fair to say that Fraxiom and the Profits need to run it back! The fans like the sound of that! But wait, here come the Machine Guns! Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin have mics, and Shelley says okay, hold on, sorry to interrupt. Fraxiom’s entire basis for a rematch is that the Profits never beat them. Well, last time Shelley checked, the Profits never beat MCMG! So if they’re handing out title matches, MCMG will take one. But naturally, here comes DIY!
Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, and Candice LeRae have their own mics, and the Poison Pixie says no no no no. She is pretty sure “you losers” have had a million chances, and “the nerds” just got here. Whoa, hold on? Just got here? Sounds like Candice just got back, so she should do us a favor and shut up. Gargano says you shut up, idiot! The reason DIY brought in Gargano’s beautiful wife is to even the odds against all of what this is! Everyone can see there is a conspiracy in the tag team division to hold down the BTTITW! And now with the Wyatts showing up- Ciampa has Gargano ixnay on the amily-fay.
Do not talk about you know who, scratch that, let’s get to business. All these teams have all KILLED the tag division that DIY built! Matter of fact, let us hold a moment of silence for the death of the SmackDown Tag Division. Everyone, stand up, bow your heads, and give a moment of silence… now. OH NO! The lights go out! All the teams panic, because when the lights turn on, UNCLE HOWDY is on the corner! Howdy laughs, because the rest of the Wyatts flank the ring! Erick Rowan drags MCMG out to DOUBLE LARIAT! Dexter Lumis is up top to CANNONBALL onto the Profits and Gargano! Joe Gacy is in, and he handsprings to bring Fraxiom to the UPSIDE-DOWN!!
Lumis then runs, POWERBOMB SENTON COMBO on Axiom! Ciampa freaks out, turns around, and Nikki Cross is there! CROSSBODY onto Candice! The fans fire up, and Howdy has Frazer for SISTER ABIGAIL! “We’re here!!” It is just as the Profits said, and now it is clear. Will some killer combination of the Wyatts go right after the gold?
Rey Fenix & Je’Von Evans VS Los Garza w/ Santos Escobar!
Worlds Collide is just over a week away, and all four of these men will be involved. The Immortal Firebird and the Young OG are going after the NXT North American Championship in a Fatal 4 Way while Legado Del Fantasma will be taking on AAA’s Pagano, Psycho Clown y El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. Who will be heading for Los Angeles with all the momentum behind them?
Speaking of that North American Championship, the champion is here! Ethan Page joins commentary and says what a year for him, to be honest. Wade says that title has never looked better than on Ethan’s shoulder. Fenix makes his entrance now, followed by Je’Von’s. The teams sort out and Fenix starts against Angel. Angel and Fenix circle, the fans rally up, and the two tie up. Angel fires a forearm, Fenix fires back, repeat! Fenix gets the edge but Angel shoves then drops down. Fenix cartwheels over the dropdown, then comes back, ducks ‘n’ dodges, and RANAS! Angel tumbles, the fans fire up, and Fenix somersaults, but into a fireman’s carry!
Fenix slips free, ripcords to ROUNDHOUSE, but Angel HEADBUTTS! Both men stagger back, tags to Berto and Je’Von! Je’Von dodges and springboards to BOUNCY~ roll-up! TWO, and Berto mule kicks! Berto CLUBS Je’Von, whips, but Je’Von reverses and slips around. Berto bucks the O’Conner, springboards and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Berto drags Je’Von up, but Je’Von kicks! Berto blocks, but the ENZIGIRI hits! Je’Von runs up, and BOUNCY~ RANAS! The fans fire up and Je’Von DROPKICKS! Berto bails out, Angel runs in, but Je’Von goes Matrix to dodge! Je’Von kips up, and STUNNERS! Angel flops back and the fans fire up!
Los Garza regroups, Je’Von tags Fenix, and they build speed, but have to dodge Angel first. Fenix SOBATS, Je’Von KICKS, and both men ENZIGIRI! Berto is up top, he leaps, but into DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! Cover, TWO! Fenix runs to basement CALF KICK! Cover, TWO! Berto stays in this for Los Garza while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Fenix drags Berto up to RAM him into the corner. Tag to Je’Von and they mug Berto. Berto fires hands back on Je’Von, but Je’Von headlocks. Berto powers up and out and Angel tags in. Berto drop toeholds Je’Von into Angel’s KNEE at the ropes! Angel TEARS OFF HIS PANTS! Angel drapes those over Je’Von before he KICKS Je’Von in the side! Angel stalks Je’Von to the corner, tags Berto, and they shove Je’Von for a double hip toss, TU LO SABE! Then DOUBLE SUPERKICK! Berto covers, TWO! Berto argues the count but the ref defends it. Berto shoves Je’Von to ELBOW him down! Berto then DUMPS Je’Von down to be under the ropes.
Tag to Angel and Berto sits Je’Von up on the apron. Angel runs to KNEE Je’Von down! Santos joins in with Los Garza as they soak up the heat, and Angel drags Je’Von back in. Angel stands Je’Von up, hoists him to the top rope, then climbs up behind him. Angel CLUBS away on Je’Von, mocks the clapping, and he THROWS Je’Von down. Angel KICKS Je’Von in the arm and Je’Von clutches his hand. Angel drags Je’Von to the ropes, CHOKES him, and the ref reprimands. The ref counts, Angel steps off at 4, and Berto BOOTS Je’Von down. ANgel clamps onto Je’Von with an armlock and chinbar but Je’Von reaches for Fenix.
Angel keeps hold of Je’Von but Je’Von fires hands! SmackDown returns to single picture as Je’Von dodges the lariat, leaps, but Angel catches him! Angel puts Je’Von in a corner and through ropes. Angel pulls an arm and leg against the ropes, but stops as the ref counts. Angel runs to KNEE Je’Von in the ribs! Je’Von slumps to the apron, and Angel sucker punches Fenix! Angel goes back for Je’Von but Je’Von fires body shots! Angel blocks a kick, slips around and Gory Especials! Angel walks over, tags Berto, and Berto slingshots, GARZA ESPECIAL! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up for Je’Von but Berto clamps onto him with a chinlock.
Je’Von endures, even as Berto traps an arm. Je’Von fights up, pries the hold open, and he arm-drags Berto! Je’Von leaps but Berto grabs a leg! Ethan laughs from commentary, but Je’Von kicks free to SUPERKICK! Both men are down, Je’Von and Berto crawl, hot tags to Angel and Fenix! The fans fire up as Fenix rallies on Angel with forearms! Fenix then dodges a shot to springboard and FLYING ARM-DRAG, to a DOUBLE STOMP! Fenix fires off KICKS on Berto, then fires up with Knoxville! Fenix uses Berto to jump up and RANA Angel! Fenix then goes corner to corner to JUMP SOBAT! Fenix fires hands, shoves Angel aside, then goes up.
Fenix springboards to QUEBRADA! Cover, Berto breaks it! Berto whips Fenix, Fenix goes Spider-Man, and Je’Von tags in! Fenix says HASTA LA VISTA, BABY! Angel is up, he pops Fenix up to KICK him! But Je’Von springboards to FLYING LARIAT! The fans fire up, Berto springboards to FLYING CHUCK! All four men are down and the fans fire up again! “This is Awesome!” as Angel and Je’Von crawl. Angel CHOPS Je’Von, Je’Von CHOPS back, and the fans “WOO~!” Angel CHOPS again, so Je’Von CHOPS again! Angel fires a forearm, Je’Von fires back, and they go around with forearm after forearm! The fans fire up, Angel CHOPS, a
nd Je’Von SUPER PUNCHES!
Je’Von runs, BOUNCY- NO, Angel makes it a SIT OUT POWERBOMB!! Cover, TWO!! Ethan is surprised and the fans rally up. Angel hoists Je’Von up top, tags Berto in, and they hoist Je’Von up even higher! But Fenix SHORYUKENS Angel down! Je’Von fires hands on Berto and SHOVES him down! Fenix climbs up to join Je’Von now, and ADIOS AMIGO DOUBLE STOMPS for Angel! Je’Von adjusts, to SUPER DUPER SWANTON onto Los Garza! Ethan says don’t get closer, keep this in the ring! He taunts both his challengers, Fenix and Je’Von stand down to put Los Garza in the ring. The fans rally up, but then Ethan CLOBBERS Fenix & Je’Von!
Ethan TOSSES Fenix over the desk! But Je’Von SUPERKICKS Ethan down! The fans fire up, Je’Von hurries in, and he dodges Angel! But Berto rolls Je’Von up, TWO!! Je’Von dodges Berto, rebound and RED DOT!! Berto is down, Angel gets up, but Je’Von DECKS him! Je’Von goes up, up, but Santos distracts the ref! Ethan SHOVES Je’Von down! The fans boo but Berto tags Angel! Los Garza hoists Je’Von up for M T Y!! Cover, Los Garza win!
Winners: Los Garza, by pinfall
All Ego grins as he screws over two of his three challengers, and now Legado is rolling towards Worlds Collide. But will these rudos get everything they deserve in LA?
The Wyatts speak.
“We won’t stop. Not until we get what’s owed.” A simple yet ominous threat, are the tag titles only the beginning?
Zelina Vega VS Alba Fyre w/ The Green Administration!
La Muneca held onto the WWE Women’s US Championship by smacking The Hot Mess in the face with a foot, and obviously Chelsea is not happy with it. But will Alba get payback on behalf of her fearless leader? Or will things only get uglier for the Green Regime?
The bell rings and Piper distracts Zelina so Alba can CLOBBER her! Alba fires off hands, then bumps Zelina off buckles. Alba bumps Zelina off more buckles, then more buckles! And then the fourth corner! Chelsea says Zelina should’ve never messed with her! Alba fireman’s carries but Zelina fights free. Zelina KICKS Alba, KICKS again, then KICKS, but Alba CLUBS Zelina. Alba whips, scoops, and- NO, Zelina swings through to RANA! Cover, ONE! Zelina headlocks but Alba fights up and lifts Zelina. Zelina holds on but Alba powers up and out to RUN Zelina over! The fans boo but Chelsea cheers as Alba stalks Zelina.
Alba ROCKS Zelina, whips her to ropes, but Zelina wheelbarrows and arm-drags! Zelina then runs up on Alba in the corner and rains down fists! Alba shoves Zelina away at three, but Zelina comes right back to rain down more shots! Alba stops Zelina at four now, but Zelina wants another go! Alba stops Zelina at four again, and RAMS her into the corner! The fans boo but Alba grins. Zelina BOOTS Alba, goes up, and FLYING RANAS! Alba tumbles out, Piper helps her up, and Zelina goes to the apron. Alba trips Zelina up, spins and ROCKS Zelina, then gets her up. Gory Especial, but Zelina flips through to arm-drag Alba onto ropes!
The fans fire up as Zelina dials up, but Chelsea is on the apron! The ref argues with Chelsea while Zelina redials, but Piper trips her up! The fans boo but Alba SUPERKICKS Zelina! Alba salutes to Chelsea, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Alba stands on Zelina’s hair while pulling Zelina’s arms! The ref reprimands, Alba steps off, and she drags Zelina up to suplex for the GOURD BUSTER! Cover, TWO! Zelina stays in this and Chelsea argues with the ref. The ref says the count is fair, so Alba clamps onto Zelina with a COBRA CLUTCH! Zelina endures, the fans rally, and Zelina fights up. Zelina fires body shots, Alba ripcords and wrenches to SUPERKICK! Zelina rebounds to SHINING WIZARD! Both women fall and the fans fire up! Piper coaches Zelina, the fans rally up, and both women rise up. Alba is on Zelina and brings her to a corner, but Zelina buckle bumps Alba first!
The fans rally as Alba stalks Zelina, but Zelina bumps her off buckles again! Alba tries again, but Zelina ELBOWS Alba away. Then BOOTS her away! Zelina fires forearms on Alba, backs her down, then whips. Alba reverses but Zelina dodges to LARIAT! The fans fire up as Zelina LARIATS again! Zelina blocks a kick, ELBOWS Alba, but Alba blocks the saido. But Zelina keeps Alba from running, SNAP SAIDO! The fans rally for Zelina as she runs corner to corner, METEORA! Zelina pushes Alba out and goes up top! The fans cheer for some Latina Heat, and METEORA! Cover, TWO! Alba survives and Chelsea is relieved.
Zelina grows frustrated, but she goes back for Alba. Zelina reels Alba in, suplexes, but Alba blocks! Alba knees low, suplexes, but Zelina hits STUN DOG MILLIONAIRE! Alba is down, Zelina goes up, MOONSAULT FLOPS! Alba goes up now, and she SWANTON BOMBS! Cover, TWO!?! Zelina survives and shocks Alba! Chelsea is upset again but Alba hurries to bring Zelina up. Alba KICKS Zelina out, and now Chelsea takes off her face mask?! She tells Piper to stand Zelina up! Piper does as told, and Chelsea takes a swing, but Zelina ducks! The face mask SMACKS Piper!! Chelsea is shocked, then furious, and then she chases after Zelina!
Zelina slips into the ring, Chelsea gets on the apron, but Zelina sends Alba at her! They almost collide, and then Zelina rolls Alba up! Zelina hops on, CODE RED!! Cover, Zelina wins!!
Winner: Zelina Vega, by pinfall
Chelsea tried so hard to screw Zelina over that she just screwed up her own team! Zelina survives again, will no one take down the Vega Administration?
The Miz pep talks Carmelo Hayes.
Melo looks good, and he just has to follow the plan. If Melo follows that plan, with no mistakes, they will win. Melo says he knows what he’s doing. Miz asks if he really does. Because Miz has taken Black Mass after Black Mass, sacrificing himself for Melo. Does Melo understand? Miz gave up this chance at MITB for Melo! Miz has already done it twice! If Melo wins this match tonight, Miz will guide Melo to make sure “we are Mr. MITB.” Wait, we? Miz says, “Who do you think got you in this position?” Melo says Melo did. Melo appreciates everything Miz has done for him, from sacrificing to taking hits for him, and helping him win the Andre the Giant Battle Royal.
But nobody told Miz to do that. Melo will run the play exactly as Miz designed it, but what brought Melo to the dance is Melo’s talent. Melo goes out there and does it better than anybody else. Melo puts up 40 points on a bad day, because he is H1M. And Miz just needs to let Melo be H1M. They good? Miz nods, and Melo says okay, let’s do the thing. They are Melo Don’t Miz and they are Awes-H1M. Miz still nods, but he doesn’t seem genuinely happy. Will Miz let Melo be Melo? Even if that means letting H1M fail?
Giulia speaks.
“Throughout my entire career, even back when I started in Japan, I had one goal… It’s not to be ‘the best.’ Everyone says that. It’s hollow and empty. My goal is to be indisputable. You can love me or hate me, admiration or disgust, it means nothing. But I’m impossible to deny. My opponent doesn’t matter, because I only view them as an opportunity to build my legacy. Evidence you cannot refute. SmackDown, you will see. I will hit harder, move faster, think sharper, and conquer everything, just like I’ve always done. The question isn’t, ‘Who’s going to let me?” It’s, ‘Who’s going to stop me?'” She adds in Japanese, “If you can stop it, stop it.”
Will SmackDown and all of the WWE soon succumb to The Beautiful Madness?
Zelina returns backstage.
She refreshes for a second, but Giulia is there! And Giulia says she sees Zelina, but she also sees that title more. Zelina scoffs and leaves. Could Giulia be aiming for everything once she becomes Ms. Money in the Bank?
Damian Priest is here!
Knoxville cheers as The Archer of Infamy heads to the ring, victorious from Saturday Night’s Main Event and that brutal Steel Cage match. Priest grabs a mic to tell Tennessee, “Ever since I beat Drew on Saturday, it’s like I’m breathing in fresh air. Y’know, there was a time when I lived on the street, if we were beefing with another street, that war could go for years. But in WWE, you have a beef with somebody, you have a match and it’s over. But with Drew and I, we went well over a year, and that’s not normal. But we took that beef into a cage. Now, I can feel it, you can se it on my face, we went to war.
“At the end of this war, at Saturday Night’s Main Event, I gave him a Con-Chair-To, I walked out the door, and I put his ass in the past.” The fans cheer that. Priest says now he knows Drew is somewhere recovering from his scrambled brains, but he knows Drew is watching, so this is for Drew. “I still can’t stand yo ass. But the Drew McIntyre that stepped in that cage wasn’t the guy that hides behind his phone on social media. That was the old Drew, the warrior, and I appreciate that.” The fans applaud, and Priest says he won’t ask what is next for himself, he’ll just tell us all. And it is the same thing he wanted when he came to SmackDown: Championships!
The fans cheer, and Priest says this war with Drew cost him an opportunity at being in MITB. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his eyes on a certain champion. Somebody who he has unfinished business with, and a champion he considers the most badass. The fans know that means Fatu, and he knows they know! Priest calls out Jacob Fatu! Priest respects Fatu. Priest knows where Fatu came from, what Fatu had to live through, how it feels to stand in this ring as a champion. Real talk, Priest is proud of Fatu, he congratulates Fatu, that’s real. But what Priest doesn’t respect is the crew that follows him around.
Wait, check that. What Priest doesn’t respect is the crew Fatu follows around. Priest knows at some point, they will get in this ring, handle business, but that’s for them. As for Fatu’s so-called family, if they wanna get involved, they can catch a fresh one, too. Priest won’t make it just a nickname or moniker, he wants this to be fact! Priest is and forever will be EL CAMPEON! The fans cheer that! But will the Archer soon take aim at the Samoan Werewolf? Well, speaking of, Fatu makes his way out here for tonight’s other Triple Threat Qualifier! Fatu nods to Priest, but if Fatu wins his way into the ladder match, will this showdown have to wait a little longer?
Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Carmelo Hayes VS Andrade VS Jacob Fatu!
SmackDown returns and El Idolo makes his entrance, followed by H1M. The bell rings and Miz distracts Fatu and Melo attacks! Fatu ELBOWS Melo away, Andrade is on Melo with forearms, and then Fatu adds a LARIAT! Fatu looms mover Melo but then turns to stare down Andrade. The fans rally as these two step up. Andrade fires forearms but Fatu SHOVES him to a corner. Fatu runs up, Andrade dodges then whips. Fatu reverses, Andrade goes up and out to then ROCK Fatu! Andrade goes up, up, and CROSSBODIES! Cover, ONE! Melo CLUBS Andrade, TOSSES him out, and then CLUBS away on Fatu!
Miz says that’s the way! Melo HAMMERS and CHOPS, then whips, but Fatu blocks! Fatu whips Melo, Melo springboards, but into an UPPERCUT! The fans fire up and Fatu sees Melo go outside. Fatu builds speed, but Miz trips him up! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, but Fatu drags Miz into the ring! Melo goes to roll Fatu up but Fatu stays up! Fatu YANKS Melo up, scoops, but Melo slips free! Melo SUPERKICKS and Miz DUMPS Fatu out! The fans boo but Melo builds speed, only for Andrade to LARIAT! The fans cheer, and now Miz sees he is in trouble. Fatu snarls, but Andrade DIVES, into a HAYMAKER!
Fatu then SUPERKICKS Miz! Fatu THROWS Miz into barriers! The fans fire up and Fatu grins. Fatu runs in, HIP ATTACK against the barriers! The Samoan Werewolf has dominated three men at once and the fans fire up while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Miz sputters and Fatu leaves him behind to go around the way. Melo is there to kick Fatu, RAM Fatu, but Fatu blocks another whip! Fatu ROCKS Melo and Melo staggers away. Fatu stalks Melo, Melo checks on Miz, but Fatu ROCKS Melo! Andrade goes after Fatu now, but Fatu THROWS Andrade into barriers! The fans cheer as Fatu lets Andrade go to the ring. Fatu brings Melo up, SMACKS him off the desk, then pushes him down. Fatu clears the desk off, but Melo CLUBS Fatu against the desk! Melo storms into the ring, brings Andrade up, but Andrade RAMS Melo into the corner! Andrade RAMS Melo, CHOPS Melo, then stalks Melo.
Andrade whips Melo, Melo reverses and Andrade hits buckles hard! Melo CHOPS Andrade down! Melo brings Andrade up, soaks up some heat, then makes it Latino Heat. But Andrade blocks the suplex to suplex Melo! Andrade hangs Melo out to dry, and Melo flops to the apron. Fatu is back but Andrade fires forearms first! Andrade whips, Fatu reverses, and Fatu BODY CHECKS Andrade! Fatu geeks out and the fans are with him while he stalks Andrade. Fatu drags Andrade up to HEADBUTT him into the corner. Fatu shoves Melo off the apron, then he HEADBUTTS Andrade again. Andrade sputters but Fatu is all fired up.
Fatu CHOPS Andrade, UPPERCUTS, and HEADBUTTS him again! Andrade CHOPS in return! SmackDown returns to single picture and Andrade CHOPS, CHOPS, CHOPS! Fatu UPPERCUTS and Andrade falls back! Melo stomps Andrade in the corner, then tells Fatu to come on in. Fatu runs up, but Andrade gets away! Hip attack hits buckles! Melo ENZIGIRIS Fatu, Andrade runs to dodge Melo and FLYING FOREARM! The fans fire up as Andrade kips up! Andrade has targets in the corners, and he rallies the fans with “SI! SI! SI!” CIEN KNEES for Fatu! CIEN- NO, Melo tilt-o-whirls and LA MYSTICA! Cover, TWO!
The fans rally, Melo runs to stomp away on Fatu, then he brings Andrade up. Fatu stands to CLOBBER Melo! Andrade SUPERKICKS Fatu! The fans rally, Melo brings Andrade up and springboards, but Andrade stops him at the ropes! SECOND ROPE SPANISH FLY! But Fatu SENTONS Andrade! The fans fire up as Fatu SENTONS Melo! Fatu drags Melo to a drop zone, then goes to the corner! The fans rally for Fatu as he goes up, up, but Andrade YANKS him down! Andrade goes up top, MOONSAULT DOUBLE!! Cover, Melo breaks it! The fans rally while all three are down! “This is Awesome!” as the three stir.
Melo brings Fatu and Andrade around, and he fires forearms on each of them. Andrade fires back on Melo, then Fatu UPPERCUTS! Andrade ROCKS Fatu, but Fatu UPPERCUTS Andrade! The fans rally as the three rise, and Melo springboards! DOUBLE FADE AWAY DDT!! Cover on Andrade, Fatu breaks it! Melo and Fatu stare down, and they run up! Melo dodges to hit the FIRST 48! Andrade adds a POISON-RANA! Melo slips around Andrade to KNEE and suplex, CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Andrade survives and Melo grows frustrated. The fans rally for Fatu while Melo shakes his hands out. Andrade is on the apron but Melo rises.
Melo brings Andrade up but Andrade trips Melo! They go out to brawl, and Melo SUPERKICKS Andrade down! But Fatu SUPERKICKS Melo! The fans fire up for Fatu as he lines up a shot. Fatu gets the fans even more fired up, then he geeks out! Fatu runs in the full length, but Andrade & Melo move! HIP ATTACK through barriers!! The fans go nuts as Fatu crashes into the timekeeper’s area! Fatu sputters as SmackDown goes back to picture in picture.
Fatu stirs while Andrade and Melo go to the ring. They roll in, Melo grabs at Andrade and vice-versa. Melo fires a forearm, then goes back outside. Andrade goes to the opposite end while Melo looks under the ring. Melo makes Knoxville happy by bringing out a table! But then Melo makes them mad by dropping it! Melo goes after Andrade but Andrade ROCKS him first! Andrade brings out a chair! Andrade aims, but Melo dropkicks the legs out! Andrade crawls, Melo shakes his head, and he grabs the chair now. Melo aims, but Andrade kicks Melo low! Andrade and Melo go into the ring, and Andrade puts Melo in a drop zone.
Andrade goes up the corner, but Melo trips him up! Andrade is stuck up top and Melo hits the SLINGSHOT PLEX! Melo flexes, then decides to step through on the legs! Andrade cradles that, TWO! Melo and Andrade stand, DOUBLE LARIATS collide! Both men fall and the fans look for Fatu. SmackDown returns to single picture as the fans rally, Melo and Andrade sit up, and Melo CHOPS! Andrade ROCKS Melo, then rolls away. Melo hurries to clamp onto Andrade with a facelock, but Andrade RAMS him into a corner! Andrade puts Melo up top but Melo fires forearms. Andrade drops back, Melo aims, but Andrade GAMANGIRIS!
The fans still want tables but Andrade climbs up to get Melo. They’re on the very top, but Fatu is back! Fatu makes the SUPER SPANISH FLY part ROCKER LAUNCHER!! The fans are thunderous as Fatu goes up now! SWANTON BOMB onto Melo! Cover, Andrade breaks it!! The fans rally up again and still want tables. Fatu runs at Andrade to SPLASH! Then Fatu runs at Melo, but Melo BOOTS him! Melo runs up, but into a pop-up! Melo fights the Samoan Drop, and Andrade adds the SHADOW ELBOW! But Melo makes it a ghost pin! Andrade adds a stack, TWO!!! Fatu survives the double cover, but here come Solo & JC!
The fans boo as Solo is here to coach Fatu up. Melo and Andrade trade forearms, then Melo dodges to springboard, FLYING LARIAT! Cover, Fatu breaks it! Fatu snarls, drags Melo up, and he HEADBUTTS Melo! Fatu finally notices Solo & JC, but Fatu puts Melo up top. Fatu CHOPS Melo, then he fireman’s carries Andrade. Fatu adds Melo to this, but Melo slips free. SAMOAN DROP for Andrade, and then Fatu goes to the corner. Solo says Fatu’s got this now! BEST MOONSAULT EVER FLOPS and Melo hits NOTHING BUT NET!! Cover, ANDRADE BREAKS IT! Andrade underhooks Melo, THE MESS- NO, Melo RANAS through! Cover, TWO!!
Andrade has a cover, TWO! Melo has a cover, TWO! Andrade has it, TWO! Both men stand, SHADOW ELBOW! FIRST 48!! SHADOW ELBOW AGAIN!! All three men are down and the fans are thunderous! Fatu crawls, Melo rolls to a corner, and Andrade stirs. Fatu rises, he brings Andrade up, IMPALER DDT! Then Fatu has Melo to RAM him into a corner. Fatu runs and HIP ATTACKS Melo! Andrade is up, Fatu hits him with another IMPALER DDT! Fatu puts Andrade in the drop zone, and he hits the BEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Solo says yeah, do that again! The fans boo but Fatu glares at Solo. JC says do what Solo is saying, Fatu!
But wait! Jimmy YANKS JC down, and SUPERKICKS him! The fans fire up, and then Melo RAMS Fatu into Solo! Then FIRST 48! But Andrade rolls Melo into THE MESSAGE!! Cover, ANDRADE WINS!!
Winner: Andrade, by pinfall (advances to Money in the Bank)
Solo just screwed things up for Fatu! Solo does his best to keep the peace between Fatu and JC, but the point is: Andrade is headed to Los Angeles! Will he make this El Idolo in the Bank?
Backstage interview with LA Knight.
Byron Saxton segues from congratulating Andrade for qualifying to welcoming in someone who already has qualified, but The Mega Star says, “My gawd. What is it with punching tickets around here? Everybody talks about punching tickets. WWE Instagram, punched tickets. Commentary, punched tickets. You’re talking about punched tickets. I guess I punched my ticket to MITB, it’s only eight days away. A few other guys who punched tickets, who are they? You got Andrade, you got Penta, you got what’s his name, Seth Rollins. You got Solo Sikoa! They’re all in it! They all punched their tickets!
“And everybody’s gonna be climbing that ladder, trying to get up, put everything on the line that they can. Now, if this was a one-on-one match, I’d go ahead and call my shot, and I’d say I’m gonna run up there, grab the case, and cash it in. But you gotta understand, this is my third year in a row, so I understand what this is. You can call me the vet in this match. Some people say maybe that Seth is the vet in this, but they would be wrong. For three years in a row now, you’re talking about the most robust and the most recent experience, YEAH. And what that means is now it’s anybody’s game. Anybody can come out with it, and I understand that.
“But with or without the case, what you need to understand is that the WWE title, the world title, they’re all in my future. With the way I’ve been running, at this point, they should be in my past, maybe even my present. Why don’tcha go ahead and punch that ticket? While we’re talking about-” Knight stops himself when he spots someone walking in. It’s Aleister Black! And Aleister says that win was supposed to be his. But he tells Knight, “You’re welcome, though.” The Dark Father lets the Mega Star shine, if only for now. Will LA win big in LA when we finally reach MITB?
Fatu and Solo regroup backstage.
Solo wants Fatu to listen. He was just trying to help. Fatu tells Solo to listen. For the last time, Fatu does not need his help! Fatu storms off, JC steps in, but Solo has nothing else to say. Is the Samoan Werewolf going to break away from this dysfunctional “family?”
Cody Rhodes is here!
Knoxville fires up and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~!” Cody gets his pyro, high-fives fans along the ramp and the front row, and even signs autographs. Cody goes to the ring, grabs a mic, and he hears the fans chant his name. Cody fires the fans up more, then hears them sing, “Cody! Cody Rhooodes~! Cody! Cody Rhooodes~!” Cody says, “So, Knoxville! Whaddya wanna talk about?” The fans cheer, and Cody says, “I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that we could talk about the record crowd here this evening!” The fans cheer that, too! Cody says he loves them, too, thank you very much.
Cody says they could also talk about WrestleMania 41. The fans boo, but Cody says after WrestleMania 41, he went home, he drowned his sorrows, might’ve touched the “Tennessee Cough Syrup” a little bit, and he had a moment of doubt. He reached out to a friend. A friend who helps him prepare to wonderful audiences like this one here, or speaking to everyone at home. Cody asked him, “Was I a good champion?” The fans cheer for that, but Cody says the friend told him wasn’t quite as simple as yes or no.
The friend told him, “With everything that you faced here in the ring in front of all the fans, and with everything that you faced behind the scenes, being pulled in different directions, the waters that you had to navigate that no champion has ever had to navigate, yes, I feel that you were a good champion.” Cody says he felt good hearing that, it turned into a hopeful moment, the silver lining on a dark cloud. Cody looked back on his whole year. He thought about AJ Styles faking retirement to get the drop on him. Cody thought about his friend, Kevin Owens, sucker punching him against his bus while Cody’s family slept inside.
Cody thought about his boss, Triple H, who pushed Cody to the limit, and sees something in Cody that Cody doesn’t even see in himself. Cody even thought about The Final Boss, how he asked Cody for his soul, and the entire world wondering what that meant. As preposterous as that sounded, The Rock was 100% serious. No matter how many times Cody said no, the offer still stands. And Cody also thought about John Cena. The fans initially boo, but the “Let’s Go, Cena!” “CENA SUCKS!” starts up. Cody takes a moment, and then he says, “I thought about John Cena doing exactly what he said he was going to do. He forced me to make a choice, and I hesitated.
“I don’t know if John Cena is going to ‘ruin’ professional wrestling. But if he does, then I’m partially to blame. Now, I know, I’d love to say this to John Cena’s face. Not sure if he’s going to come out here right now, but if you are listening, if you are listening, Champ, I need you to know that I will never hesitate with you again!” The fans cheer that, and Cody says no matter how much Cena will tout the amount of days he has left, how much Cena will talk about what remains before he absconds with the WWE Championship and leaves all of us forever, that is NOT Cena’s expiration date! That is on the other side of Cody’s corneas, and it will burn Cena’s ass up!
The fans fire up for that, and Cody calms it down. Cody apologizes for that. This is his first night back on SmackDown, he is getting worked up. He thought so much about what he could do, what he could do for the fans. Hell, how about a surprise? The fans already “YEET! YEET! YEET!” so Cody says they’re hungry for it. Let’s yeet. Well, hold on, that’d be a very big surprise. That’d be the biggest surprise. That’d be Cody’s partner riding into battle for MITB, and hell YES he is here! Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the World Heavyweight Champion, MAIN EVENT JEY USO! The fans go wild as Jey makes his way in from the pavilion!
The fans sing along with Day One Ish and bounce for that YEET! Jey makes his way down through the crowd to ringside, one verse at a time, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Jey joins Cody in the ring now, mic in hand. Cody and Jey hear the fans want an encore, so we get even more YEET! But then John Cena makes his entrance to ruin the fun! The fans sing “JOHN CENA SUUUCKS~!” even though he wears that University of Tennessee orange and white. Cena goes to the ring, towel draped over his head, then grabs a mic before he joins Cody and Jey in the ring. Cena hears the fans boo, and he says, “I’m upset, too. If it isn’t professional wrestling’s biggest wannabes!” Cena tells Cody he is nothing more than a Cena Wannabe, and that Jey is nothing more than a Cena Wannabe.
The fans boo but Cena says they both wanna be Cena so bad, it makes him sick! Cody wants Cena’s fame, Jey wants Cena’s money, but they will get neither because Cody is too desperate and Jey is too lazy! There is only ONE other human being in the WWE who embodies hustle, loyalty and respect, and he’s got the fortune, fame and followers to back that up! Surprise, losers! Cena’s partner is here, too! The fans boo already, because “EY YO~!” Logan Paul IS here! The Maverick swaggers his way out, and Cena gives him a proper introduction. “Oh, you mad? You’re mad because Logan Paul does WWE better than any professional wrestler?”
Cena says Logan doesn’t need to pay his dues, because he is paying Jey’s mortgage! Everybody in this building did NOT come to see Jey! They came to see John Cena and Logan Paul! Logan asks, “What the hell you crying about, Knoxville? Look! I could walk on water, and y’all would still find a way to tell me it’s because I can’t swim! John Cena speaks the language of Logan Paul, and that is the truth! The truth! It is right in front of you! You deny it all you want, but look around, you stupid, stupid, simple Tennessee people! This is a moment in history! All of you get to witness the moment that John Cena stood side-by-side in the ring with Logan Paul.
“And look, all of you will live long, pathetic, miserable lives. But at least you will get to say that you saw that.” The fans tell Logan to STFU, and Cena tells Logan to ignore it. Logan says yeah, yeah, they’re so ungrateful. They don’t know what’s good for them. There is one problem, though. This does seem too perfect. The problem is… Logan should be standing next to THE WWE Champion as THE World Heavyweight Champion! Logan should’ve been the one to leave Saturday Night’s Main Event with that title around his waist. But look at him, Jey. Jey got lucky. Jey got lucky! He knows it, Logan knows, it, the fans know it, CODY knows it!
Jey needed Cody to save him! When Cody interfered with the match cuz these two cheaters can’t do a single thing in this business without it being handed to them! “These two nepo babies were born on third, thinking they hit a triple.” Logan points to himself and says, “Self-made man!” He points to Cena and says, “Self-made man!” Five years ago, nobody every would’ve believed Logan Paul would be a WWE superstar. And they certainly never ever would’ve believed that he’d be teaming with the Greatest Of All Time! But look at Logan now. He’s not just a superstar, he is THE superstar! His time is now! Cena told us that his time is almost up!
Cena is the Last Real Champion, Logan is the inevitable face of the WWE! So Jey, Cody, at MITB, if you want some, come get some. Jey tells Logan they don’t gotta wait! They can handle this right now! UH UH, YEET!! The mics drop, Cena and Logan talk this out, and Logan wants to throw hands while Cena wants to leave. Cody asks what they’re arguing about. They gonna go to the back so Logan can polish Cena’s Peacemaker? Now it’s a fight! The fans fire up as the hands are flying! Logan TOSSES Jey, Cena picks Cody up! Cody slips free, Jey is back to SUPERKICK! Cody hits the DISASTER KICK! Cena bails out, Jey PLANCHAS out onto him!
Logan goes to the apron, slingshot and- NO, Cody dodges the “Snapshot” Lariat and Jey SUPERKICKS Logan! Then Jey sets Logan up for the CODE D!! The fans fire up as Cody picks up the WWE Championship! Will Cody and Jey make it through Logan and Cena to then clear a path for the American Nightmare’s redemption? Or will Cena & Logan ruin wrestling together?
My Thoughts:
A very good SmackDown, but maybe with some wheel-spinning. As fun as Chelsea Green continues to be, can’t we move on from her and Zelina? Or are we about to do that with tonight’s win over Alba and then Giulia confronting her? Ironically, that seems to give away Giulia isn’t winning MITB. Giulia had a good promo video right before but they undercut it by giving us that confrontation. That said, Giulia deserves to be all the champions, but I suppose starting with the Women’s US Championship would be a good route. Very good promo from Bianca and Naomi to not just have Bianca’s homecoming, but to keep the feud between them alive.
The Women’s Triple Threat had a slow start but it turned out to be a very good match. Great win for Naomi, and good promo from her, Tiffany and Alexa to tease potential MITB winners. Great stuff in the tag match to build Worlds Collide just a touch. We only got one moment of Berto being passive aggressive towards Santos, and then Ethan Page screwing the Faces over, but that was still enough for the North American Championship. Of course, it depends on how many fans watch not just Raw and SmackDown but also NXT so that the fans already understand the story. But as someone who does, I do appreciate they’re bringing NXT story onto SmackDown.
Good promo from Priest to give some shoot respect to Drew and Fatu, but Priest wanting after the US title kinda gave away what was happening with the Men’s Triple Threat. It was a great Triple Threat, but of course Solo & JC cost Fatu. That team is just one moment away from breaking up, and it might be at MITB when Solo just expects Fatu to help him win the briefcase and Fatu refuses. And Fatu VS Priest will still be awesome whenever it happens. Good promo from Knight, and a good bit from Aleister with him, which I suppose means that’s the next feud for them. Was kinda hoping for Aleister VS Nakamura but that really depends if Nakamura is sticking with WWE or going home to Japan via Pro-Wrestling NOAH as rumored.
R-Truth relapsing to talking to Lil’ Jimmy is certainly a choice. I kinda wish he’d keep up the “Ron Cena” stuff, or they’d let Jeff Cobb do his own John Cena bit from NJPW, but I guess some things in WWE still won’t change. And closing with a big promo segment was also certainly a choice. Cody still did a good job, and nice surprise to have Jey show up. Not sure they needed to take a commercial break for Jey’s entrance, especially when they were obviously going to let Jey do his YEET encore. And Cena really must be brainwashed to put Logan over as if Logan’s on par with peak Cena. But naturally a brawl happened and the Faces stood tall.
Don’t count this as go-home math yet, they could easily revisit this on Raw and even next week on SmackDown. Even then, I still feel like Jey and Cody should win at MITB to properly set up Cody VS Cena 2 at SummerSlam. Raw on June 9th is still the move for the World Heavyweight Championship, but there’s also Saturday Night’s Main Event in July, who knows if Jey makes it to SummerSlam as champion.
My Score: 8.7/10
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
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THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
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SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
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Coverage
Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 5.29.25
Stuff happens, maybe it doesn’t, Dreamer and Delirious can’t book.

Well Trick Willie is the new TNA champ and this is the first iMPACT since his win…so let’s just hear him talk about it.
"TNA turned into TRICK-NA. Lets talk about it"@_trickwilliams #WWENXT
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/GrBQpdX5g5 pic.twitter.com/StU4pmi3oy
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) May 30, 2025
Ratings:
- The Rascalz vs Fir$t Cla$$ vs Laredo vs The System: Rascalz win via Meteora – ***
- Raj Singh vs Mustafa Ali: Ali wins via…No Shit – Squash Garbage
- ASH by Elegance vs Lei Ying Lee: Lei wins via Spinning TKO – ** 3/4
- Mance Warner w/SDL vs Jobber: Mance wins via Hit the Pay Winda – Squash
- Santino Marella & Arianna Grace vs Robert Stone & Victoria Crawford w/Tessa: Team Robbie wins via shenanigans – **
- International Championship: Steve Maclin (c) vs Matt Cardona: Maclin retains via KIA – ***
Results:
The Rascalz vs Fir$t Cla$$ vs Laredo vs The System
Octagon got jumped by The System earlier so Laredo is fighting alone. Another backstage jumping is getting a little dumb.
Laredo and Trey start. Typical Indie start with Simultaneous awful Dropkick spot and bad counters, AJ blind tag runs the smaller guys over, tags out to KC and the Rascalz instantly get the moment. KC is rocked, tags in Laredo and Laredo takes out the System before Lish gets on the apron and grabs Laredo. The referee kicks out Lish and Rehwoldt on commentary points out it’s a No DQ match so that’s dumb.
KC gets tossed at AJ, he catches him, Rascalz Dive and do their taunt as we go to commercial. We come back, Tennessee Whiskey into a KC tag in for the near fall on Laredo. Corner combo, Snapmare into Flip Forward Neck Breaker, KC is on a roll. AJ tags Laredo and starts talking crap to KC, they swerve and go Finger Poke of Doom, but it’s not a legal pin. Suddenly tornado attacks, System and Rascalz go for broke, AJ hits the Senton to break the eventual pin, Laredo counters AJ’s Chokeslam attempt. Trey clears out The System, Wentz sends himself and KC over and out, Laredo with a Corkscrew Moonsault, which looked cool but it’s the pile of morons waiting to get hit spot.
AJ hits the Down Payment on Laredo, but Trey blind tagged AJ. Meteora on AJ, Trey pins Laredo and Rascalz win.
Raj Singh vs Mustafa Ali
Raj looks like shit in the gear he came down in…and he wrestles equivalently. I would rather anyone else comeback…give me Anarquia.
Ali murders Raj, Instant Dropkick, Rolling Neckbreaker, Corkscrew Standing Moonsault, it’s not close. Raj tries to counter things but Ali Bellclap, a little Duck the left, connect the right. Raj even does a terrible looking Punch Combo, he’s in bad shape, a bad looking Ushigoroshi, Raj with a sloppy looking something, 450 ends it.
Fire Raj as quickly as you brought him back. You don’t need a comedically pathetic job guy when the roster is like 4 guys getting pushed and everyone else sucks. Stop being stupid. Ali still hates women too.
This Injury Report is the dumbest segment in the history of wrestling. Stop treating fake shit as “serious business”.
ASH by Elegance vs Lei Ying Lee
ASH mocks karate stuff, Lei throws a few Rising Crane kicks as ASH bails and then things slow down a little. But a Pump Kick, Sliding Kick and Low Dropkick cause ASH to cower and claim her tooth broke. It’s a bait to pull Lei into the turnbuckles and them get in a few stomps. Ash keeps Lei in the corner, Suplexes her ankles into the buckles and then Ash throws a few Booty Shots/Hit Attacks then starts a grounded stretch, Lei Headscissors her down, still sells the hips and ankles, but dodges and fires, combination strikes into the 10 Count Down Strikes. T-bone Suplex, into the pinfall, for only two.
Cheapshot into Running Meteora from ASH for two. Ash goes for the Miz Yes Kicks and Lei No Sells and asks for more. Gorgeous Capture Suplex into Thunder Struck and TKO with flair. My baby has a better finish now! Yay!
Mance Warner w/SDL vs Jobber
Hannifan cursing and being pissed at Trick for not even showing but is more entertaining than a squash match. Not that Mance’s offense is bad, but 2 out of 3 job matches is stupid.
.@milanmiracle and @AriannaGraceWWE make history as the first father/daughter tag team in TNA!
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/GrBQpdX5g5 pic.twitter.com/3s8OhtYFPv
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) May 30, 2025
Santino Marella & Arianna Grace vs Robert Stone & Victoria Crawford w/Tessa
Marella tries to tie up with Robbie, but he bails and tags out to Victoria so Arianna comes in and aside from Alicia Fox’s silliness, the tie up was decent with Arianna and Victoria. Tessa interferes and the Referee throws her out. Victoria comes back in and aside from a slight miscommunication with how Arianna does her punches, Alicia Fox is making her look…pretty good. Transition moves, okay brawling and Arianna looks amazing in her outfit.
Rob and Santino distract the referee and Victoria hits a Figure Four into her Northern Lights Suplex, only for 2. Arianna finally Back Body Drop to find the tag, Santino and Rob, Santino does his split dodge into the Standing Headbutt, Arianna Cross Body onto Victoria. Rob pulls out the ref, then shoves the ref into Santino, Santino into the steps and Arianna attack but Alicia and Lish, the fix is in, Arianna eats the pin.
International Championship: Steve Maclin (c) vs Matt Cardona
A few quick brawl moves, Shoulder Tackles, Strikes, Back Breakers, Cardona does get dumped out and eats a SCUD. Maclin bounces Cardona’s face off the apron and hits an Elbow off the apron to keep Cardona reeling, but a dodged tackle sends Maclin into the steps. Cardona tries to Piledriver Maclin on the ramp, but Back Drop counter, into commercial.
Formulaic commercial etiquette of Cardona still in control, throws Maclin into the ropes, Diving Shoulder Tackle lays both dudes out and they get up by 8. Fighting Spirit spot, Cardona hits ropes and gets hit by Maclin twice, Thesz Press, Ground and Pound, Back Elbow and Olympic Slam has Maclin rolling. Splash into Lariat for two. Maclin has been all gas no brakes. Cardona tries to take a few shortcuts that turns into a Straight Jacket Takedown. Cardona to the top, Maclin cuts him off, Superplex spot. 1-2-kick out!
Maclin goes topside for a Jar Headbutt, Cardona hits the ropes so Maclin crashes into the corner, 2 Reboots connect, the third gets caught, counter into Busaiku Knee, Jar Headbutt. In and out, Cardona uses the middle rope for the Low Blow, Killswitch from Cardona but Maclin kicks out. Cardona dodges and shoves Maclin towards the ref, he puts the brakes on, Radio Silence! 1-2-Kick out! Maclin catches a top rope move, Power Bomb, Corner Splash, Tree of Woe, Caught in the Crosshairs, KIA and Maclin retains!
Overall Score: 4.5/10
Boring paint by numbers show, no Trick, System has one move, Robert Stone is a scumbag, too long to introduce new girls, lots of throw away segments and Rosemary sets up YET ANOTHER Monster’s Ball match. These aren’t interesting when there’s one every 3 months. So we can have terrible Monster’s Ball matches quarterly, Barbed Wire Massacre and Clockwork Orange House of Fun…BUT NO LOCKDOWN!?
Go home TNA, you’re drunk.
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
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