Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Monday Night Raw Results & Report! (2/18/19)
Celebrate the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Bayley & Sasha Banks!
The Boss & Hug Connection bring the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships to Raw! Who will be the first team to challenge Bayley & Sasha Banks for the belts?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Tables Match: Baron Corbin VS Braun Strowman; Strowman wins.
- Ricochet & Finn Balor VS Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush; Ricochet & Finn win.
- Lucha House Party VS Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder; Lucha House Party wins.
- The Revival VS Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano; Ciampa & Gargano win.
- Drew McIntyre VS Dean Ambrose; McIntyre wins.
- Elias VS Aleister Black; Black wins.
- Raw Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey VS Ruby Riott w/ The Riott Squad; Rousey wins and retains the Raw Women’s Championship.
PLAY BY PLAY
WWE honors the memory of Pedro Morales.
Triple H is in the ring!
The Game wants the Cajundome to “feel it in the air.” The electricity can be cut with a knife as we grow ever closer to Wrestlemania. Elimination Chamber was proof enough when history was made. Sasha Banks and Bayley won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships! Finn Balor won the WWE Intercontinental Championship in a Handicap match! Kofi Kingston went the distance and captured the world’s hearts coming so close to winning the WWE Championship. Becky Lynch showed up and showed everyone that not even a suspension and a bad leg will stop her from getting at Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey. As a businessman, HHH has to warn Becky not to do that again or she’ll be arrested. But as a former wrestler, “that was pretty damn cool.”
And speaking of pretty cool things, ESPN let this loose this morning. The WWE Hall of Fame class 2019 starts with none other than Degeneration X! HHH, HBK, X-Pac, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, and yes, the Ninth Wonder of the World, CHYNA! But if that isn’t enough that it’s Wrestlemania season, HHH pours gas on the fire. HHH isn’t just an authority figure on Raw and SmackDown, he oversees WWE’s third global touring brand, NXT! Fans love NXT, so it is HHH’s pleasure to introduce us to some debuting NXT superstars, who will all be in action! And that starts with a man that has redefined aerial combat: The One and Only, Ricochet! For those unfamiliar, a highlight reel of Ricochet plays, including his time as NXT North American Champion.
But not only Ricochet, it will be the Embodiment of the End, the Dutch Destroyer, Aleister Black! A former NXT Champion and a prolific striker, Aleister will look to make his opponent #FadeToBlack! Then there will be Johnny Wrestling, the current NXT North American Champion, Johnny Gargano! Gargano has gone back and forth but has never lacked in match quality. Gargano was also in this year’s Men’s Royal Rumble match, but now he looks to make an impact on the main roster. And last but not least, the Psycho Killer, the Black Heart, Tommaso Ciampa! The current NXT Champion looks to make his mark on Raw tonight! HHH says the future is now, the future is tonight.
But all Hell is about to break loose, because it’s time for a Tables Match! It will be Baron Corbin VS Braun Strowman! The Monster Among Men wants retribution, will he get back at Corbin for Elimination Chamber’s assault?
Tables Match: Baron Corbin VS Braun Strowman!
Strowman and Corbin make their entrances, but Corbin makes sure to grab steel steps first. The Monster glares at Corbin while we go to break.
Raw returns with the bell and fans chant “Get These Hands!” Corbin runs but Strowman catches him! But those bad ribs keep Strowman from doing anything. Corbin grins but then Strowman shoves him out of the ring! Strowman throws uppercuts then throws Corbin into barriers! Strowman hurries and pulls a table out from under the ring, but Corbin clobbers him from behind! Now Corbin puts Strowman into barriers, ribs first. Corbin puts the table back under the ring, but Strowman rocks him with an uppercut! Corbin rams Strowman into barriers and again. Fans rally for Strowman while Corbin brings him around the corner. Corbin rams Strowman into barriers yet again! Corbin whips but Strowman reverses and Corbin hits barriers even harder!
Strowman drags Corbin up for a headbutt then throws uppercuts. Strowman fetches the table again and puts it in the ring. Corbin slides in from the other side while Strowman’s ribs slow him down. Corbin kicks Strowman on reentry and then clubs away on his back. He stomps and stomps Strowman then tears off the shirt. Corbin goes at the taped up ribs with hammering hands! Fans boo as Corbin mocks Strowman’s pain. Corbin kicks the table out of the ring while Strowman bails out the other side. Corbin follows Strowman and throws hands right on the ribs. And then he stands on Strowman’s side! Fans boo while Corbin gloats. Corbin rams Strowman into the apron! Corbin grins as he drags Strowman over and punches him in front of the fans.
Strowman denies Corbin’s suplex, to then suplex Corbin onto the ramp! Now Corbin writhes in pain, clutching his back. Strowman hobbles over and drags Corbin up. He shoves Corbin to the stage and then throws him into the LED wall! Strowman drags one table over, but he clears off the announce desk! Strowman fetches Corbin again and brings him over to the desk! Corbin slips out and throws Strowman into the desk, ribs first! Strowman and the desk fall over! Strowman’s in trouble while we go to break.
Raw returns and Corbin hits a corner splash on Strowman! He tries again but Strowman turns it around to splash him! Strowman runs in but misses, getting post! Corbin goes to throw Strowman at the table, but Strowman denies him. Strowman clubs Corbin down with one hand! Fans fire up and Strowman drags Corbin up. Strowman scoops but Corbin slips out. Corbin runs, slides past the table, and slides back in to clobber Strowman! Corbin rains down rights, then takes a moment to gloat. Strowman rolls to ropes but Corbin goes out after him. Corbin punches the ribs and bumps Strowman off the barriers. Corbin fetches a kendo stick, flashback to last night! He sits Strowman up to SMACK the bad ribs!
Corbin drags Strowman around to bounce him off the steel steps. Corbin gloats from the apron, then runs over, only for Strowman to ram him with steel steps! Strowman jams Corbin again! And again! Corbin staggers and Strowman dumps the steps. Strowman throws Corbin into more barriers! Strowman puts Corbin in the ring as fans fire up again. Corbin boots Strowman away then throws a big right hand. Strowman staggers but dodges Corbin. Corbin slides out and in, but is caught, MONSTER SLAM through the table!! Strowman wins!
Winner: Braun Strowman
The Monster Among Men gets revenge! Strowman toughs it out through bad ribs but now Corbin will be feeling sore. Will Strowman be able to recover those ribs and make a big run towards a title at Wrestlemania?
Strowman heads up the ramp and encounters Paul Heyman. The Advocate “congratulates” Strowman on the win, but Strowman grabs him by the shoulder! Heyman begs for mercy but fans want another table destroyed. Strowman shows Heyman mercy and leaves. Heyman composes himself and clears his throat. But it’s a bit tricky to get his usual introduction out, so we go to break.
Raw returns to Heyman in the ring.
“I can’t say that I’m surprised by Braun Strowman’s actions.” Everyone should be jealous of Heyman’s client. His client is the most dominant champion in WWE and MMA history. That is why, at Heyman’s own expense, he has put together an “educational” video to teach us about the “reigning, defending, undisputed Universal Heavyweight Champion and the main event, BROCK! LESNAR!” Footage rolls with Heyman introducing “the story of a real life Beast.” Lesnar prepares to defend his title at Wrestlemania 35. Why is this year different? The hero, Seth Rollins, has no hope of winning. That’s not a knock on Rollins but a plus for Lesnar. Lesnar was made strong by his life on the farm and he became NCAA Champion. The WWE came knocking and Lesnar defeated The Rock to become the youngest world champion ever.
Lesnar dominated the entire roster in under two years, so he moved on to a new field: UFC. He would dominate Randy Couture to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion. But then Lesnar even grew bored of UFC. The WWE field had regrown, so Lesnar went after The Streak. He was the 1 in 21-1, but that was only the beginning. The video ends and Heyman reminds everyone that Lesnar defeated Undertaker at Wrestlemania 30. Fans don’t like it, but there’s not a thing anyone can do about it. Heyman takes a survey: How many fans actually believe that Seth Rollins will win at Wrestlemania and become Universal Champion? Everyone does! But Heyman says there’s not enough fire to burn Suplex City down. But wait, out comes Finn Balor! The NEW Intercontinental Champion heads to the ring but we go to break!
Raw returns and Finn has the ring alone.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve held one of these championships. And boy does it feel good!” Finn remembers watching Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, so it’s been a dream to hold the Intercontinental Championship. And he is proud to carry on that legacy! Finn plans on defending- Wait, here comes Lio Rush! But without Bobby Lashley, given how Lashley body slammed Lio after their loss. “You don’t deserve to be the Intercontinental Champion.” Lashley deserves that title. And Lashley attacks from behind! Seems they aren’t as broken up as we thought! Lashley stomps Finn out in a corner, then Lio comes in to add on. Lio stomps a mudhole into Finn and then Lashley hauls Finn up. Lashley scoop slams Finn and tells Lio to finish this. Lio climbs up, Final Hour splash! But wait, it’s Ricochet!
The King of Flight dodges Lio and goes right at Lashley! Then asai moonsault onto Lio! Ricochet springboards to dropkick Lashley out! Ricochet and Finn stand together, ready for both Lio and Lashley! We go to break as things sort themselves out.
Ricochet & Finn Balor VS Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush!
Holla holla! The King of Flight joins forces with the Extraordinary Man to shut up and shut down the Rocky Mountain Machine and Man of the Hour! Will this impromptu dream team be successful in Ricochet’s Raw debut?
The teams sort out and Lio starts against Ricochet. Ricochet circles with Lio as fans rally up. Lio shoves but Ricochet shoves back. Lio grabs Ricochet in a headlock but Ricochet rolls him off. Ricochet gets a headlock and grinds Lio down. Lio fights back and powers out, and things speed up. Lio redirects himself then again, but Ricochet dodges him. Springboard huricanrana but Ricochet handsprings through! Lio is shocked but he kicks. Ricochet flips him, but Lio dodges and ducks. Ricochet rolls off Lio’s back to handspring huricanrana and dropkick Lio down! Lio scrambles to his corner and Lashley looks disappointed. Lashley tags in and now he circles with Ricochet.
Ricochet and Lashley tie up and Ricochet gets a waistlock. He shifts to a headlock but Lashley throws him down! Lashley looms over Ricochet and drags him up. Lashley wrenches the arm and shouts at Lio, “You see that?!” He yanks Ricochet’s arm and twists to make a point to Lio. Fans rally up and Ricochet gets up. Ricochet rolls and handsprings and back flips to break free and hit back. Ricochet throws more forearms, then whips. Lashley blocks and whips Ricochet to a corner. Ricochet enziguris Lashley back! Somersault dropkick! Lashley tumbles out, Ricochet builds speed, but Ricochet fakes Lashley out tot he superhero landing! Fans fire up while Lio regroups with Lashley. Lio wants Lashley to keep clam and focus while Ricochet smiles.
Lashley returns to the ring and Lio wants back in. Lashley tags Lio and he says he’s done with Ricochet. Lio wants Finn. Fans want Finn so Ricochet obliges and tags out. Finn and Lio circle and tie up. Finn puts Lio in a corner, but Lio dodges the haymakers. Lio and Finn circle again but Lio keeps his distance. He tags out to Lashley and fans boo. Lashley clobbers Finn and puts him in a corner. Lashley stomps and suplexes Finn! Cover, TWO! Lashley drags Finn into a chinlock, but fans rally as Finn endures. Finn feeds off the energy but Lashley drags him back down. Lashley grinds Finn but fans rally up again. Finn stands and pries his way out. He throws forearms but into a complete shot! Lashley covers, TWO! Lio wants back in, so Lashley tags.
Lio stalks Finn at the ropes and stomps him down. He chokes Finn but lets up at 4. Lio flexes but fans boo and jeer. Lio waits for Finn to stand before hitting him more. He whips but Finn reverses. Lio sunset flips but Finn rolls through for a dropkick! Both men are down but Finn stands first. Finn stalks Lio now but Lio crawls for Lashley. Finn toys with Lio before yanking him away. He puts Lio in the corner then trips him up to stomp away! Finn lets up at 4 then stares Lashley down. He drags Lio up again for a CHOP in the corner! Fans like the sound of that, so Finn whips corner to corner for another CHOP! Finn gives the fans what they want, a third CHOP on Lio! Finn whips again for yet another CHOP! Then the slingblade!
Fans fire up as Finn aims, shotgun dropkick blasts Lio into buckles! Lio is down in the drop zone and Finn climbs. But Lashley comes over, so Finn kicks him down. Lio chop blocks Finn on the apron! Finn tumbles down as he clutches his leg, Lashley tags in and throws Finn into barriers! Lashley talks trash to Ricochet before going back for more. Lashley puts Finn in the ring to clobber him. Cover, TWO! Lashley keeps on Finn with another chinlock. He shifts to a cobra clutch while fans rally up. Finn fights his way up but Lashley keeps him from Ricochet! Lashley throws Finn to the apron, but Finn shoulders back. Finn hits Lio, then slingshot sunset flips. Lashley holds on and stomps Finn! Lashley scoops and slams Finn hard! Cover, TWO! Finn lives and we go to break.
Raw returns and Lashley grabs Finn for another cobra clutch. Fans rally up as Finn endures again. Finn powers up and reaches for Ricochet! Finn throws forearms but Lashley whips him into the corner. Lashley runs into boots! Finn hits Lio but runs into Lashley’s lift! Lashley powers Finn to an open corner and rocks him with a right! Tag to Lio, and Lio goes after Finn with a facelock. Lio SLAPS Finn then dares him to get up. He slaps Finn more but Finn gets angry. Finn ducks the next slap for the elbow drop DDT! Both men are down and fans fire up! Finn crawls, as does Lio. Lio clobbers Finn to stop the tag! Lio rolls Finn all the way to the corner, tag to Lashley.
Lashley says this is for Ricochet as he hauls Finn up. Powerbomb lift, but Finn fights out! Finn trips Lashley, double stomps! Fans fire up all over again as Finn crawls for his corner! Hot tags to Lio and Ricochet! Ricochet rallies, rebound neckbreaker! Shoulder tackle in the corner, then a springboard missile dropkick! Triangle dropkick for Lashley! Ricochet takes aim, builds speed, and FLIES onto Lio! He puts Lio in but Lashley comes storming over. Ricochet dodges Lashley with a back flip to send him into barriers, and then Finn shotgun dropkicks to take Lashley down! Ricochet springboard back elbows Lio to take him down, then climbs up high! 630!! Cover, Ricochet and Finn win!
Winners: Ricochet and Finn Balor, Ricochet pinning
An incredible Raw debut for the NXT superstar! Is Ricochet going to revolutionize the Red Brand from here on out?
Natalya talks with Triple H backstage.
But Drew McIntyre interrupts. McIntyre couldn’t help but notice HHH rolling out the red carpet for NXT superstars. McIntyre said he’d do whatever it takes to prove himself. He wants Seth Rollins and main event Wrestlemania! But Dean Ambrose comes along instead. Ambrose isn’t busy, what about him? And he SLAPS McIntyre! HHH wonders if McIntyre still wants Rollins. “Change the damn match.” The Scottish Terminator and the Lunatic Fringe look to settle things on the Road to Wrestlemania!
Lucha House Party VS Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder!
The reunited Major Brothers want to finally get back on a winning track, but Hawkins feels like he’s cursed. Will a miracle happen in the Cajundome?
Teams sort out and Hawkins starts against Gran Metalik. They tie up and Hawkins shifts from headlock to hammerlock and back again. Hawkins gets a headlock takeover but Metalik headscissors. They both kip up and things speed up. Hawkins dodges the handspring and runs Metalik over! Cover, ONE! Hawkins keeps on Metalik and brings him over. Tag to Ryder, and they Russian Leg Sweep STO combo! Cover, TWO! Ryder drags Metalik up and bumps him off buckles. Ryder whips but Metalik reverses. Metalik runs into knees, and Ryder dropkicks Lince Dorado down! Metalik SUPERKICKS Ryder out, then tags Lince. The Golden Lynx huricanranas Ryder into barriers! Lince puts Ryder in to cover, TWO! Lince keeps on Ryder with a half camel clutch.
Fans rally up for Ryder. Lince powers him to the corner and tags in Metalik. Ryder fights back but is isolated. Lince and Metalik double CHOP and double mule kick, then double dropkick! Metalik covers, TWO! Tag to Lince and they drag Ryder up for a double suplex. Ryder slips through for double neckbreakers! Ryder crawls for the corner, hot tag to Hawkins! Hawkins rallies, rocking Metalik with a right! He throws rights on Lince then whips. Lince reverses but Hawkins runs him over! Hawkins dropkicks both luchadores and fires up! Lince swings into Hawkins’ backslide! TWO, and Lince kicks back. Lince suplexes, but Hawkins cradles! TWO, and Hawkins scoops Lince for a Michinoku Driver! Cover, but Metalik breaks it!
Ryder clotheslines Metalik out! Lince dropkicks Ryder out, but Hawkins Peles Lince! Hawkins gets to a corner and takes aim. Hawkins clobbers Metalik but Lince huricanranas to a cover! The Lucha House Party wins!
Winners: Lucha House Party, Lince Dorado pinning
The fiesta continues, as does Hawkins’ losing streak. Ryder and Hawkins regroup, but can they break that bad streak?
Heavy Machinery is here!
Charli Caruso interviews Tucker Knight & Otis Dozovic on stage, and notes how they’ve competed on both Raw and SmackDown. What can fans expect from them? They’re #BlueCollarSolid and get the job done. They aren’t afraid to work hard, work out even harder, and then eat up a big plate of red meat. #SteaksAndWeights, baybay! As the Raw Tag Team Division heats up, which team are they after first? They’ve got each other’s backs, nothing more than that. But wait, Lacey Evans walks out! The Model Soldier classes things up as she heads down the ramp, strutting her stuff. But then Tucker & Otis do the same! And with a belly bump! Lacey isn’t impressed by their marching, but she is amused. Which brand will Lacey finally choose as her main roster home?
Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano talk backstage.
Each of them clutches their respective championship belt as they prepare to show the world what NXT is all about. But then Bobby Roode and Chad Gable come by! They congratulate their NXT compatriots, but are a little confused as to why Ciampa and Gargano are the ones facing The Revival and not them. It’s great to see fresh talent, and Gable remembers DIY being great. Gable won’t bring up that Gable’s old team beat them in the past, that was then and this is now. Raw gives everyone a fresh start, where you work from the bottom up. But again, a little confusing that they’re getting another match when it should be Roode & Gable. Well considering Gargano & Ciampa have ran NXT for the last two years, they’re here to take over.
The Revival comes by and show off their Raw Tag Team Championships. Oh how great is it to see Gargnao and Ciampa again. Yeah, they had classic matches in NXT. But they’re not here for respect, they’re here to make an impression at the Top Guys’ expense. But good luck out there. Dash & Dawson don’t need luck, they’re The Revival. See you out there.
The Revival VS Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano!
Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder finally have the Raw Tag Team Championships after finally defeating Roode & Gable fair and square. But now they’ll be tested already against some familiar NXT foes. Will the reunited DIY prove they can still get it done as a tag team? Or has it been too long since they’ve been apart?
The teams sort out and Dash starts against Johnny Wrestling! They tie up and Dash wrenches the arm. Dash brings Gargano to the mat but Gargano fights his way up. Gargano rolls and reverses with a drop toehold. He gets a facelock and holds on as Dash rolls around. Gargano rolls Dash to a cover, TWO! Gargano drags Dash over and tags Ciampa. Ciampa gets the hand-off and snapmares Dash to a chinlock. Ciampa rams elbows in then gets Dash in a facelock. Roode and Gable watch backstage while Dash chops Ciampa. Ciampa CHOPS back then tags in Gargano. Ciampa feeds Dash to Gargano’s boots. Gargano grabs Dash but Dash scoops and rams Gargano into the Revival’s corner! Dash tags Dawson and Dawson bumps Gargano off buckles!
Dawson clobbers Gargano in the corner then stomps and CHOPS him. The referee counts and Dawosn backs off, but Gargano turns it around to CHOP Dawson. Dawson CHOPS Gargano, then whips him corner to corner. Gargano goes up and over but Dawson runs him over. Things speed up and Gargano huricanranas Dawson out. Dash runs in but gets an enziguri. Gargano builds speed and DIVES onto Dawson! Dash runs into Ciampa’s haymaker! Gargano SUPERKICKS Dash and Ciampa throws Dash into steel steps! Ciampa pats himself on the back while we go to break.
Raw returns as Dash grinds Gargano in a chinlock. Gargano fights his way up and out, but Dash shoves and rams a shoulder into Gargano. Tag to Dawson and Dawson fireman’s carry. Dawson helps Dash suplex but Gargano slips out! Gargano enziguris Dawson while giving Dash the tornado DDT! Gargano and The Revival are down but Gargano heads for the corner. Fans rally up, hot tag to Ciampa! Ciampa rallies on Dawson and whips, but Dawson whips back. Ciampa kicks him away, then hits a German Suplex! He holds on for another German! Dash runs in but is flapjack’d onto the ropes! Ciampa finishes the hat trick on Dawson! Ciampa runs, Psycho Knee! Cover, TWO!! Dawson survives but Ciampa keeps focus.
Ciampa drags Dawson up but Dash saves Dawson from another German. Dawson tags Dash and they combine, flying European Uppercut German Suplex! Dash jackknife covers, TWO! Ciampa escapes and The Revival grows frustrated. Fans rally up for Ciampa as Dash tags Dawson back in. Dawson drags Ciampa up but Ciampa throws forearms. Ciampa chops, chops, and CHOPS, but spins into a right hand! Tag to Dash and the Revival double whip. Gargano SUPERKICKS the Shatter Machine apart! Ciampa jackknifes, TWO! Ciampa hip tosses Dash to the buckles! Tag to Gargano, slingshot DDT! Cover, TWO!! Dash lives and DIY can’t believe it! Dawson trips up Ciampa and throws him into barriers! Gargano rolls Dawson for the school boy kick! Dash back suplexes but Gargano crossbodies, TWO!
Dash scoops but Gargano cradles, TWO! Gargano runs but is put on the apron. Slingshot Spear gets a knee! Dawson tags in and The Revival coordinate, bulldog doomsday device! Cover, but Ciampa breaks it in time! All four men are down but the teams regroup. Dash goes after Ciampa but gets thrown out. Dawson clubs Ciampa out and goes back to Gargano. Dawson drags Gargano up and suplexes, but Gargano lands on the apron. Gargano swing kicks Dawson, SUPERKICKS Dash, but Dawson rocks Gargano! Dawson runs but into the slingshot spear! Tag to Ciampa! They aim at Dawson, DIY VICE!! Cover, DIY wins!!
Winners: Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano, Ciampa pinning
They pin the Raw Tag Team Champions on their debuts! Ciampa and Gargano run NXT, will they be running Raw soon enough?
Backstage interview with Finn Balor and Ricochet.
Finn just won the Intercontinental Championship and then kept Lashley and Lio at bay with the help of his new friend. Finn had a great night last night, but tonight was about The One and Only. He officially welcomes Ricochet to Raw, and Ricochet says that “you can envision how you arrive to your dreams”, but it’s never exactly how you plan. But once you live the dream, it’ll feel better than anything you could ever imagine! Ricochet could go on forever, but he will say this: you’ve only seen the beginning for the One and Only. When and where will we see Ricochet in a Raw ring again?
Kevin Owens speaks.
“Just a few more weeks’ time before my return, so I figured it was time for another update.” Nothing much has changed, but Kevin almost drops his phone. Kevin’s still rehabbing, training, relaxing with family, watching the shows every week. He knows what he needs to do, and he’s never been hungrier. Speaking of, he has some popcorn with Owen. Where’s the soda? No idea. But Kevin gave him a $20… Well, that aside, Kevin has new perspective. He was reminded why he fights. And he’s ready to fight again.
Sasha Banks & Bayley head to the ring!
The inaugural Women’s Tag Team Champions are here and ready to celebrate! The Cajundome lets them know “You Deserve It!” Bayley and Sasha thank the fans for that, and are still feeling the emotions from last night. They still can’t quite believe they’re in this moment. Because it means they are the first ever WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions!
This feels like a dream, but it’s real. They did this! The fans did this! We all did this! It’s so crazy to think how far they’ve come. From NXT’s history making matches to the history-making matches on Raw. They’ve had matches against each other, with each other, hating to loving, and everything else in between. It’s because they have the same dream, the same vision, and they can’t imagine doing this without anyone else. They were legit born to do this. And it took them going to war with each other to finally realize that together, they can change the world.
Fans can trust them that this is just the beginning! They plan on being champs for a very long time. They’ve put their hearts and souls into the Women’s Tag Division, and plan on defending against anyone past, present or future, Raw or SmackDown, or even NXT! Because most importantly, Bayley and Sasha recognize and respect how important the Women’s Tag titles are to everyone! “Trust us when I say that when I say there is no stronger connection than the Boss & Hug Connection!” #BankOnThat! But in saying that, here comes the Samoan Dynasty!
Nia Jax and Tamina are sick of all this. No one wants to sit in the love fest. Nia does congratulate Bayley and Banks for being the first, and it’s all cute being matching and stuff. But Nia doesn’t get it. She won’t ruin the celebration, because this is the only one they’ll get. But everyone knows Sasha is all about Sasha. And history proves that any time Sasha has a title, she loses it the first time out. Tamina wants them to face it: they got lucky. The luck runs out tonight. Nia and Tamina rush the ring but get dropkick’d right back out! Nia tries again but ends up in a Bank Statement! Tamina saves Nia, and the champs stand tall! Will the first challengers to the #LegitHuggable champions be the powerhouses of the Women’s Division?
Drew McIntyre VS Dean Ambrose!
The Scottish Terminator called out The Architect, but it was the Lunatic Fringe that responded. Ambrose is either bored, or he’s actually standing up for his Shield brother again. Whatever the reason, McIntyre’s in for a fight! Will he run through Ambrose or be sidetracked from his real target completely?
The bell rings and Ambrose goes right at McIntyre! He forearms McIntyre to a corner but McIntyre shoves him away. Ambrose comes back for more but gets the Glasgow Kiss! McIntyre rains down rights on Ambrose then finishes with one big one. He drags Ambrose up for a CHOP! Ambrose drops to his knees, so McIntyre kneels to CHOP him again! McIntyre eggs Ambrose on and slaps him for the slap earlier. Ambrose CHOPS back, but then runs into McIntyre’s arms. McIntyre shifts and suplexes Ambrose but Ambrose lands on his feet. Ambrose elbows from a corner, then dumps McIntyre out. Ambrose boots McIntyre back down, then DIVES! Direct hit sends McIntyre into barriers! Ambrose puts McIntyre in, dodges, and hits a neckbreaker! Ambrose hurries up top quick, but has to leap over McIntyre. CLAYMORE!
But McIntyre doesn’t cover, he wants to hit Ambrose again. He aims from the corner as Ambrose stands, a second CLAYMORE! Cover, McIntyre wins!
Winner: Drew McIntyre, by pinfall
The Celtic Colossus makes Ambrose pay for getting in his way. Will McIntyre move on towards Seth Rollins and Wrestlemania?
Paul Heyman’s Brock Lesnar documentary continues.
The Beast decided to own the title. Lesnar took John Cena to Suplex City and conquered him to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. “The harvest had begun.” From Randy Orton to AJ Styles to Daniel Bryan, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Goldberg, Braun Strowman, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns… And now “Seth Freakin’ Rollins.” Things come full circle.
Rollins claims he’ll get up every time, even though he’s in pain, smashed, and dominated. Rollins is willing to lose it all to win it once, which will make him the most dangerous opponent for Lesnar. Lesnar will have to think back to when he was in the same position as a young man. Lesnar won’t just have to knock Rollins down, he’ll have to put him down. And this is not a prediction, this isn’t even a spoiler. “It’s the end of the story of a man named Seth Rollins.”
Backstage interview with Seth Rollins.
After seeing Heyman’s videos, are there any regrets? Heyman is a lot of things, but he’s telling the truth about Lesnar. But Rollins doesn’t have a death wish, he’s accepting his fate. Lesnar needs to accept his fate. Wrestlemania ends it for The Beast. The reign of terror is done. And Rollins’ fate, whether walking out on his own or carried out on a stretcher, he leaves the Universal Champion. Dean Ambrose comes by all sore from fighting McIntyre. Where was Rollins out there, man? What? Has Ambrose completely lost his mind? Or maybe just his memory…? Ambrose shrugs and leaves again. Ambrose’s confusing behavior aside, is Rollins ready to write his own destiny?
Ladies and Gentlemen: Elias.
The Drifter is in the Cajundome, and he won’t play his guitar? He is fed up with the way he is treated. Elias is the most talented, most charismatic and most important superstar in a long, long time. Elias is certainly the most hygienic person to be in the “swamp land” of Lafayette. ANd yet he is constantly disrespected and interrupted! He is a musical genius! You are blessed to be in his presence! Fans are excited about all the new stars, but that won’t change the Living Truth. Elias makes magic with his music, so he’ll sing his song. It’s not for the fans, it is a song for himself. Elias hopes he can meditate so deep, he forgets the fans even exist. But first, silence cell phones, hold applause, and shut your mouths! But here comes Aleister Black!
The Embodiment of the End rises from the shadows and heads to the ring! Elias gets out of the way as Aleister slingshots in. Aleister paces, and he takes up the mic. “If silence and deep sleep is what you seek, then allow me to help you. For tonight, you will Fade to Black!” A referee joins them in the ring, and we have a match!
Elias VS Aleister Black!
The bell rings and they tie up. Elias knees low and chops Aleister, then throws forearms. Elias throws Aleister to ropes but Aleister rebounds easily! Aleister sends Elias out then fakes him out! Aleister sits down again and stares Elias down while we go to break.
Raw returns and Elias yanks Aleister into the ropes! Aleister gasps to a corner but Elias is on him with hammering hands! The ref backs Elias off but he comes back to stomp Aleister down! Elias throws more forearms but Aleister hits back. Elias whips and runs Aleister over. Cover, TWO! Elias keeps his cool as he looms over Aleister. He drags Aleister up and wraps on a chinlock. Aleister endures and fans rally up. Aleister arm-drags Elias but Elias holds onto Aleister’s hair! Elias drags Aleister into the chinlock again and grinds him down. Elias puts his weight on Aleister then hooks the nose! The ref reprimands Elias and Aleister powers up. Aleister fights with body shots but Elias knees low. Elias throws hands but Aleister counter punches!
Elias shoves Aleister but Aleister comes back with knees and forearms. Aleister runs and runs Elias over! He blocks a kick to sweep the legs! Then drives in a knee! Aleister fires up, springboard quebrada! Cover, TWO! Aleister keeps his focus as he fires up again. He runs in but Elias puts him into buckles. Aleister rocks Elias but Elias rocks Aleister. Aleister boots Elias, then leaps, into Elias’ knee! Cover, TWO! Elias grows frustrated but Aleister was former NXT Champion, after all. Elias shouts at the “Cajun yokels,” then drags Aleister up. He reels Aleister in but Aleister spins through, BLACK MASS! Cover, Aleister wins!
Winner: Aleister Black, by pinfall
Aleister practically won by knockout! Elias fades out and the Embodiment of the End has made his mark. Will Aleister stay on Raw? Will he move to SmackDown? And who will he make #FadetoBlack next?
Raw Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey VS Ruby Riott w/ The Riott Squad!
The Squad failed to be golden on Elimination Chamber night, but the Squad Leader has a second chance. Rowdy Ronda loves defending her belt the Raw after a Pay-Per-View, so will Ruby take advantage of having her friends ringside this time?
Introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we begin! Ruby goes at Ronda but Ronda throws her right down! Ronda throws her again, and throws hands. Ronda toys with Ruby even as she swipes then backs off. Ruby bails out and regroups with Liv and Sarah. Ronda waits despite being angry over what Becky Lynch did to her last night. Ruby returns and gets Ronda’s ponytail, but Ronda throws knees. Ruby still STO’s Ronda down! Cover, ONE! Ruby kicks Ronda while she’s down, then goes after the back. Ronda resists so Ruby hammers away. Ruby kicks Ronda again and the Squad mocks Ronda’s pain. Ruby stands Ronda up for double knuckle locks. Fans rally up but Ruby monkey flips Ronda. Ronda catches Ruby’s roll into a triangle! Ruby makes it a cover, TWO! Ronda glares at Ruby while we go to break.
Raw returns once more, and Ruby has Ronda’s bad arm in a wrench. Fans rally up for Ronda as she endures. Ronda fights her way up, but Ruby rocks her with forearms. But then Ronda scoops and tosses Ruby with an Exploder! Ruby bails out but Ronda pursues. Ronda puts her in the ring, but Ruby SPEARS Ronda! Cover, TWO! Ronda survives but Ruby puts her in a headlock. They roll around but Ruby holds on. Ronda throws Ruby off and throws hands. Ronda rocks Ruby with an uppercut, then fires up! Fans fire up with her as she throws Ruby around! Ruby flounders to a corner and Ronda hits a forearm smash! Ronda runs back in, but into a buckle shot! Ruby hops up, stage-dive senton! Cover, TWO!! Ronda survives again but Ruby keeps on her.
Ruby drags Ronda up, toys with her, but Ronda grabs the foot to spin Ruby around. Ruby dodges, but runs into the fireman’s carry! She slips out, headbutts, RIOTT KICK! Cover, TWO!! Ronda survives Ruby’s best! Liv and Sarah are just as shocked as Ruby is, but they trust Ruby can do this. Ruby fish hooks Ronda’s mouth as she trash talks her. Ruby drags Ronda back up, for a big knee! She wants another spear but Ronda catches it! Gut wrench suplex! Ronda drags Ruby over to a corner and climbs up. Sarah distracts but Ronda swipes at her. Liv does the same, and Ruby kicks Ronda down! SUPER Riott Kick! Cover, TWO!! Ruby is almost in tears as Ronda survives again.
Ruby pushes Ronda to a drop zone and climbs up again. Fans rally for Ronda while Sarah and Liv cheer Ruby on. Ruby leaps, SUPER SENTON into the armbar!! But the Squad saves their leader! So Ronda climbs up top, and LEAPS onto them all! Ruby gets clear and hurries into the ring. Ronda pursues, but runs into headscissors. She denies Nightshade, to Alabama Slam Ruby into buckles! Then leaping armbar takedown! Ruby taps, Ronda wins!
Winner: Ronda Rousey, by submission; still Raw Women’s Champion
The Baddest Woman on the Planet wins again, but then she has to fight off Liv and Sarah! Piper’s Pit for Liv, judo throw for Sarah! Ronda stands tall, will she run through Charlotte Flair at Wrestlemania?
My Thoughts:
A good Raw tonight, but Lafayette sure was tired for some reason. I expected better reactions for all four surprise NXT stars appearing. It seemed like the fans didn’t know what to make of Gargano and Ciampa, they probably thought it was going to be Velveteen Dream joining Aleister and Ricochet. But the fans aside, each of the NXT superstars had great matches tonight.
I didn’t expect Ricochet to help out Finn, but I’m hoping that means Ricochet will challenge for the Intercontinental Championship if he’s not going to challenge for the NXT North American Championship at TakeOver. Finn and Ricochet worked well together, so I bet they’d have an amazing match against each other. Aleister’s was definitely just filler to annoy Elias, but DIY did great against The Revival. I would love if their first thing on Raw was to truly revive their rivalry with Dash & Dawson from NXT, the Raw Tag Division needs some instant classics to compete with what SmackDown was doing with The Usos and New Day.
We did not need more Baron Corbin VS Braun Strowman. It was great for Strowman to win and Corbin to not have his pack help him, but this didn’t need to happen 24 hours after the No Disqualification match. Corbin can gloat, talk some trash, and Strowman could show up to scare him, and then we save their rematch for later. Heyman’s tributes to Brock Lesnar were well-produced, and Rollins’ response was great. Ambrose was also great for being inconsistent as a character, because that’s how a Lunatic should be. McIntyre VS Ambrose was good, and McIntyre wins to stay strong towards whatever his Mania goal is. He wants Rollins, but I don’t think he’ll get him. McIntyre should go after Cena again and they have a match at Mania.
Ryder & Hawkins got a match tonight, but also another loss. Their story is slowly building, but ironically, Hawkins finally winning can’t be a Wrestlemania moment. He and Ryder need to win to even come close to that match card, and that win would have to happen before that, like at Fastlane. Heavy Machinery and Lacey Evans both have a filler moment just for laughs as they strut on the ramp. Again, I’m thinking Lacey should go to SmackDown to freshen things up and get a title match with Asuka. Honestly, she should’ve just been Ronda’s opponent tonight. Ronda already buried the Riott Squad, tonight was just piling on. Granted, Ruby looked better tonight, but Ronda was just made stronger because she survived two forms of Ruby’s finisher.
Of course, the Riott Squad aren’t getting to challenge Sasha and Bayley first, Nia and Tamina are. I know there was the stretch where it seemed like Sasha and Bayley were only ever facing the Riott Squad, but it’s not like there isn’t a lot of matches where Sasha and Bayley also faced Nia or Tamina. Sasha and Bayley saying they’ll go to all brands, including NXT, I guess that means the way these belts work is that they’ll be multi-branded. Hopefully that means a SmackDown team will challenge them at Fastlane instead for something fresh. That or the Sky Pirates of NXT, Io Shirai and Kairi Sane. Though, I wouldn’t want Sane & Shirai challenging until they were guaranteed to get those belts. Bayley and Sasha are sure to retain all the way to Wrestlemania for something really big.
My Score: 8/10
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Wrestling Dontaku is covered in gold!
The IWGP Heavyweight Tag titles, NEVER Openweight title, IWGP Global Heavyweight title, and yes, THE IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, as Jon Moxley defends against the Souled Out Ren Narita!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Frontier Zone – Togi Makabe & Katsuya Murashima VS Jet Wei & Naoki Sakurajima; Makabe & Murashima win.
- Tiger Mask & Shoma Kato VS TMDK; TMDK wins.
- Yuya Uemura & DOUKI VS Great-O-Khan & Francesco Akira; Khan & Akira win.
- Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman VS Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita; ZSJ & Fujita win.
- 8 Man Tag: Shota Umino, El Desperado, El Phantasmo & Hikuleo VS The House of Torture; Shota, Desperado, ELP & Leo win.
- Hiroshi Tanahashi & Boltin Oleg VS Taichi & Taka Michinoku; Tanahashi & Oleg win.
- Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS Bullet Club War Dogs; LIJ wins.
- IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Bishamon VS KENTA & Chase Owens; Kenta & Chase win and become the new IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.
- NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi VS Gabe Kidd; Takagi wins and retains the title.
- IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Nic Nemeth VS David Finlay; Finlay wins and becomes the new IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion.
- IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Jon Moxley VS Ren Narita; Moxley wins and retains the title.
PLAY BY PLAY
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Bishamon VS KENTA & Chase Owens!
Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi took these titles off Fang Revived & The Crown Jewel at Sakura Genesis, but Bullet Club is looking to take them right back! Will Kenta & Chase be the ones to #TurnItAllAround? Or will it be Lights Out here in Fukuoka?
The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see who wins the sequel!
The teams sort out and Goto starts against Chase. The two circle, feel things out, but then Kenta gets in to CLUB Goto down! Chase BLASTS Hashi, then Chase and Kenta stomp away on Goto! The ref reprimands, Kenta backs off, but Chase bumps Goto off buckles. Chase throws body shots, then headlocks for a punch! The ref reprimands, but Chase whips. Goto holds ropes, BOOTS back, then Hashi gets in! Bishamon runs Chase over! Then ZANMAI! Kenta runs in, Goto kicks low and reels him in. Goto snap suplexes Kenta onto Chase! The fans cheer and Goto CLUBS Chase. Goto puts Chase in a corner then whips corner to corner.
Goto runs in, but Chase BOOTS back! BUCKLE SHOT, STO, and SENTON! Fans applaud the string of moves, then Chase drags Goto up. Chase bumps Goto off buckles, tags Kenta, and Bullet Club mugs Goto. The ref reprimands but Chase pretends to be trapped so he can’t let off. Kenta puts Goto in the corner and RAMS into him! Kenta RAMS Goto again and again, then he smothers Goto! The ref reprimands, Kenta tags Chase, and Chase brings Goto out to wrench and BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Chase tries again, TWO! Another cover, TWO! The fans applaud as Goto is still in this, but Chase argues the count.
Chase kicks Goto, stands him up, but Goto CHOPS! And CHOPS! Chase CHOKES Goto and puts him in the corner! The ref counts, Chase lets off to argue with him, and that lets Kenta pull Goto’s hair. The ref sees that and reprimands, but Chase tags Kenta in. Kenta stomps Goto, brings him around, and whips to ropes. Kenta then ELBOWS Goto down, BLASTS Hashi for good measure, then goes back to Goto. Kenta drags Goto up but Goto ROCKS Kenta! Kenta staggers back but BLASTS Hashi again! Kenta then blocks a kick to CLUB Goto’s leg! Kenta whips, Goto reverses and runs in, but into a BOOT!
Kenta runs, but Goto follows and LARIATS Kenta down! The fans fire up while both men are down and crawling for their corners. Hot tag to Hashi! Chase runs in but gets run over! Kenta forearms, Hashi CHOPS! Hashi sends Kenta into Chase, CHOPS Kenta, then mule kicks Chase! Hashi hits a NECKBREAKER on Chase and the fans fire up with him! Hashi runs at Kenta, clotheslines in the corner, then brings Kenta out to suplex, and hold him! The fans cheer and Hashi SLAMS Kenta down at ten! Cover, TWO! Hashi keeps cool and the fans continue to rally. Hashi drags Kenta up, reels him in, and brings him up, only for Kenta to fight free!
Hashi takes a swing, but Kenta spins him around! Hashi goes to suplex again but Kenta knees free! Kenta blocks the superkick to URAKEN! URAKEN! Kenta runs, ducks ‘n’ dodges, but Hashi LARIATS first! Both men are down and the fans rally back up. Hot tags to Chase and Goto! Goto LARIATS Chase first! Goto runs in at the corner to fire forearms, then he whips corner to corner. Goto runs in, MURAMASA, then SAIDO! Cover, TWO! Chase stays in this but the fans rally behind Goto. Goto drags Chase up, fireman’s carries, but Goto fights free! Chase ROCKS Goto, but Goto ROCKS Chase! Chase snarls and comes back to ROCK Goto!
Goto comes back and ROCKS Chase in return! Chase fires another shot, Goto fires a flurry! Chase fires a strike fest, runs, but Goto runs him over! The fans rally, but Kenta runs in with a title belt! The ref reprimands but Goto TOSSES Kenta out first! But Chase has the belt! BELT SHOT!! Cover, Hashi breaks it!! The fans cheer, but Kenta TOSSES Hashi out! Chase gets Goto up, hammerlock and JEWEL HEIST! Cover, Hashi barrels in to break it! Another save from the Head Hunter but Kenta tosses him out! Kenta goes out to CLUB and CHOP Hashi! Chase tucks Goto in, but Goto resists the lift!
Chase still tries, but Goto fights the driver! And then back drops free! Kenta keeps Hashi out as Chase runs to C-TRIGGER! Then fireman’s carry, T K O, THEN CUTTER!! Cover, TWO!! Goto survives and the fans fire up! Chase slashes his throat, vowing to end this now! Chase sits Goto up, POINT-BLANK C-TRIGGER!! Goto falls over from that execution shot, but Chase isn’t done! Chase tucks Goto back in, for a- BLOCKBUSTER from Hashi!! Kenta gets in, spins Hashi around, DDT! Kenta hauls Goto up to fireman’s carry, but Goto slips free! Goto shoves, fireman’s carries, USHIGOROSHI! The fans fire up while all four men are down!
The fans rally as Chase and Goto slowly sit up. Chase crawls over to Goto, brings him around, and fires a forearm! Goto fires one back! Chase fires another forearm, so Goto fires back! Chase throws a haymaker now! Goto throws a forearm, and then both men stand. The forearm skeep going, then Chase BACK ELBOWS! Chase lines up a shot, but Goto blocks the knee! Hashi SUPERKICKS! Goto fireman’s carries Chase, Hashi adds on for FIERCE FLASH into position, but Chase fights free! Chase ELBOWS Hashi, C-TRIGGERS Goto, but Hashi waistlocks! Chase grabs the ropes, and the ref, too! Chase turns Hashi around so Kenta can CHAIR SHOT Hashi!!
The fans boo as Hashi goes down in a heap and slumps out of the ring. Chase runs up on Goto to BOOT him! Goto wobbles, but Chase runs, only for Goto to follow! Chase PELES knowing that! Goto roars as he stays up, but Chase dodges the lariat, and Kenta gets in to BOOT Goto down! Bullet Club drag Goto up, double whip, but Goto breaks their double clothesline to DOUBLE LARIAT back! The fans fire up as Goto grits his teeth and rises again! Chase is in a corner, Goto runs in, but into BOOTS! Goto roars, Chase runs in, into the HIDDEN GAP! Goto then LARIATS Chase inside-out! Hashi BLASTS Kenta!
Goto drags Chase up, fireman’s carries, G T W! Hashi is on defense while Goto covers, TWO!! Chase survives but the fans fire up! Bishamon drags Chase back up, gets him in position, but Kenta is back with another belt! Chase kicks Hashi away, slips free of Goto’s grip to LOW BLOW!! BUSAIKU KNEE from Kenta! ROLLING JACKKNIFE from Chase! BULLET CLUB WINS!!
Winners: Kenta & Chase Owens, by pinfall (NEW IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions)
By hook and by crook, Kenta & Chase pull off another heist! But now, that makes them and Bishamon 1-1 this year. Will we get a trilogy over these titles as a Summer blockbuster?
Wait, hold on here! The NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions show up! TMDK’s Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls storm right up and tell Bullet Club it’s time to go belts for belts! Anyone else getting deja vu about this scenario? Wait! Now El Phantasmo & Hikuleo show up! They’re the former NJPW Strong Openweight AND former IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions! And they want all those belts back! Things have escalated, and Young Lions do their best to get in here and keep the teams apart. So instead of a trilogy, instead of a remake with new actors, are we going to get a massive, star-studded instant classic?
NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi VS Gabe Kidd!
The Rampaging Dragon has redeemed this championship by saving it from The King of Darkness! However, The Mad Man of the Bullet Club War Dogs claims NJPW has lost its way and that he will help right the ship! Is Gabe simply chasing his own Moby Dick? Or will he be able to tear down Takagi and bring back what made NJPW the king of pro-wrestling?
Gabe continues to parody Takagi, sporting a brand new hooded robe to copy Takagi’s. He also tries to intimidate Takagi by being right up in his face. The ref tells them back down, but they don’t go far. Gabe even pushes Takagi! The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who truly embodies NEVER!
The bell rings and the fans fire up as the two run in! They RAM shoulders, then fire forearms back and forth! Kidd gets the edge, runs and RAMS Takagi, but Takagi rebounds to RAM Kidd! Kidd rebounds to RAM Takagi, and they RAM shoulders again and again! They both flex and roar, and the fans fire up! Kidd forearms, whips, and runs in to clothesline! Kidd snarls then whips but Takagi reverses. Takagi runs in, blocks a boot, and clotheslines through! The fans rally up and Takagi fires JABS and CHOPS on repeat! JAB, JAB, JAB, but Kidd steps into the shots! Kidd CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS, but Takagi pushes him back!
Takagi catches Gabe’s haymaker to spin him, but Kidd suplexes first! The fans fire up while both men are down! Kidd gets up first and BOOTS Takagi right outta the ring! Kidd then goes out after Takagi to HEADBUTT! Kidd CHOPS Takagi, whips him to railing hard, then storms around. The fans rally for Takagi but Kidd storms over to him. Kidd SMACKS Takagi off the apron, but Takagi ELBOWS back! Takagi kicks Kidd, SMACKS him off apron, then CHOPS! Kidd frowns, eggs Takagi on, so Takagi fires a forearm! Kidd fires back, they brawl back and forth, then Takagi ROCKS Kidd with a right hand!
Takagi whips Kidd, Kidd reverses! Takagi hits railing so hard, he messes up the camera on that end! But Takagi just shakes the railing in anger! Kidd hurries to find chairs under the ring! Kidd throws one to Takagi but the ref says no, that’s not this kind of match! But Takagi brushes the ref aside and grabs the chair! He and Kidd CLASH chairs like swords! Kidd disarms Takagi, JAMS him low, then aims to HEADSHOT! Takagi drops back, Kidd hauls him up to EXPLODER to the floor! Takagi and Kidd are both down but the fans fire up! Kidd rises, the ring count starts, and Kidd storms around. Kidd rolls in at 5 of 20, Takagi is still down at 10.
Kidd sits like Shibata while Takagi flounders up to his feet. Takagi staggers in the wrong direction! He’s outside at 17! 18! Takagi slides in safe at 19! But Kidd’s right on him for a suplex, and BRAINBUSTER! Cover, TWO!! Takagi survives and the fans fire up! But Kidd whips Takagi, only for Takagi to fall over in a heap! The ref checks Takagi and Kidd wants this called! The fans rally up for Takagi while he clutches his head. Kidd goes out, gets in Desperado’s face on commentary, but then backs off as Desperado stands up. Kidd goes back to the ring, knowing Desperado can’t do anything to him.
Kidd then brings Takagi up, and CHOPS! Kidd still stares Desperado down, then CHOPS Takagi again. Kidd scuffs Takagi, kicks at him, but Takagi eggs him on. Kidd stands Takagi up to CHOP again! Takagi just gets in Kidd’s face! Kidd CHOPS, Takagi snarls, and Kidd eggs him on. Takagi winds up to CHOP! Kidd staggers away from that shot! The fans fire up and both men steady themselves. Kidd asks via the camera if Clark Connors sees this. Kidd comes back to CHOP! Takagi does feel that one and Kidd eggs him on. Takagi CHOPS and Kidd drops to his knees! Takagi kicks at Kidd now, and Kidd gets up in a huff to CHOP!
Takagi eggs Kidd on, so Kidd CHOPS him on the back! Takagi RIDGE HAND CHOPS! And CHOPS, and CHOPS! Kidd CHOPS, but Takagi just fires up! Takagi CHOPS, Kidd CHOPS, repeat! The fans rally with every CHOP going back and forth! The CHOPS just keep going, but both men are slowing down. Kidd grits his teeth to CHOP again! Takagi JABS! JABS! And JABS! Then CHOP! Kidd growls and feints to BITE Takagi’s forehead! The ref reprimands, the ref tells everyone off, but Takagi LARIATS him down! The fans fire up, and Takagi stands back up. Takagi brings Kidd up to whip and KNEE against ropes!
Takagi runs, Kidd dodges, but into an ELBOW! JAB! YUKON feint to DDT! The fans fire up again and Takagi stands Kidd back up. Takagi suplexes high and hard! Cover, TWO! Takagi looks around, finds the camera, and he says “TOKI GA KITA!” The fans fire up now that it’s time, and they join in on “OI! OI! OI!” Takagi drags Kidd up, but Kidd BITES his forehead again! Kidd tells off all the fans, but Takagi BITES Kidd back! The fans fire up, Kidd runs up but into an ELBOW! JAB! YUKON- SAIDO!! Kidd turns that around and both men are down again! And we’re just 10 minutes into this!
The fans rally but Kidd sits up first. Kidd has a sinister grin as he stands. Kidd winds up, runs, but Takagi gets under the Rebounder to SAIDO! Kidd is back up though! SAIDO! Takagi staggers up, but he gets around! Kidd CLUBS away to stop the suplex, but Takagi runs to ropes and uses those to help the SAIDO! Kidd is dazed and the fans fire up while Takagi rises again. Takagi shakes out the arms, runs in and clotheslines in the corner! Takagi fires up, the fans are with him, and he puts Kidd up top. But Kidd CLUBS Takagi! Takagi climbs to throw headbutts, but Kidd gives them back! Kidd fires more forearms, then has a HANGING GUILLOTINE!!
The ref counts, Kidd drops Takagi to then get him up, for another BRAINBUSTER!! Cover, but Kidd lets up!? Kidd shakes his head and wags his finger. Is this not good enough for him? Kidd puts Takagi in a corner, to ROCK him with a haymaker! Kidd then hoists Takagi up top, to CHOP! Kidd climbs, CLUBS away on Takagi, then goes to the very top! The fans start to worry as Kidd brings Takagi up, for a SUPER DUPER PLEX!! Takagi writhes and Kidd grimaces, but then Takagi rises?! Kidd runs up to BOOT, then runs again, into a BOOT! Kidd swings, into a knee and MADE IN JAPAN!! Cover, TWO!! Kidd survives and the fans are thunderous!
The fans rally while both men are down again. Takagi and Kidd stir, and it’s Takagi that makes his way over to Kidd. Takagi drags Kidd up, pump handles, but Kidd fights the rack! Both men fall back and go to corners. The fans rally as both men slowly rise. Takagi headbutts the buckles to fire up, and Kidd eggs him on! They both run in, DOUBLE LARIATS collide! Neither falls, so DOUBLE LARIATS collide again! And DOUBLE LARIATS collide again! Takagi fires off RIDGE HAND CHOPS, then short arm LARIATS! Kidd stays up!? And he short arm LARIATS in return! Takagi stays up, Kidd talks trash, but Takagi LARIATS!
Kidd still talks trash as he LARIATS back! Takagi LARIATS, Kidd eggs him on, but Takagi’s running out of steam! The fans rally, Kidd LARIATS and LARIATS and LARIATS! Kidd runs, but Takagi follows to LARIAT! Takagi runs, DOUBLE LARIATS collide again! But Takagi ELBOWS! And JABS! Kidd HEADBUTTS! Takagi HEADBUTTS! Kidd PALM STRIKES, Takagi JABS, Kidd DISCUS LARIATS! Cover, ONE?!?! Kidd doesn’t question it, he just runs! Into a LARIAT! Takagi runs, to PUMPING BOMBER!! Takagi roars and the fans are thunderous! Takagi hauls Kidd right up, to pump handle, but Kidd turns that into a PILEDRIVER!! Takagi SLIDING D?!!?
The fans are thunderous as both men are defying expectations! Takagi and Kidd sit up and give junkyard dog headbutts. Kidd then forearms, but Takagi responds. They start throwing SLAP after SLAP, but Takagi gives HEADBUTT after HEADBUTT! Takagi brings Kidd up for boxing elbows! The fans rally with every shot, but Kidd SLAPS, SLAPS and SLAPS with those palm strikes! Kidd still talks trash about fighting spirit, and dares Takagi to show him, so Takagi DECKS him!! Takagi roars, drags Kidd up, and pump handles, for the LAST- NO, Kidd slips free to ripcord and PALM STRIKE!
Kidd HEADBUTTS, but both men stagger around! Kidd reels Takagi back in, PILEDRIVER!! But he’s too dizzy to cover!! Kidd wobbles and hobbles and flops over again! The fans are thunderous as Kidd flounders, finds Takagi and covers, TWO!!! Takagi is still in this, perhaps saved by the delay! The fans rally as both men stir, Kidd drags Takagi up but then staggers away. Kidd shakes his head, refusing to let his own body fail him. Kidd storms up on Takagi as we pass 20 minutes, and he brings Takagi up. Kidd DOUBLE CHOPS Takagi on the back, but that awoke the Dragon! Kidd SLAPS him! And lifts, but Takagi RANAS free!!
Takagi ELBOWS! Kidd UPPERCUTS! Takagi JABS! And HEADBUTTS!! Then SLIDING LARIAT! Kidd’s right up!? He and Takagi run, dodge, REBOUNDING BOMBER?!? Takagi gets Kidd with his own move, then tucks him in for a TAKAGI DRIVER 98!!! Cover, TWO?!?!? Kidd survives and the fans are thunderous again! Takagi roars and the fans fire up again! Takagi drags Kidd up, but Kidd shoves him back, and SPITS at him! So Takagi SLIDING D! Then Takagi hauls Kidd up, pump handle, LAST OF THE DRAGON!!!! Cover, Takagi wins!!
Winner: Shingo Takagi, by pinfall (still NEVER Openweight Champion)
Kidd got the fight he wanted, as both men NEVER gave in! But in the end, it was still Takagi’s win! Kidd may not be the one restoring NJPW to what it was, but will Takagi carry that banner for him?
IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Nic Nemeth VS David Finlay w/ Gedo!
The Wanted Man won the dream match he always wanted by trumping President Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi, but then The Rebel had to ruin the fun! Nemeth gave Finlay this match so they could settle things once and for all, will Nemeth have two wins in one weekend? Or will Finlay get what he wants in taking this title back?
As Nemeth makes his entrance, Finlay attacks! They brawl on the ramp and fans fire up! Nemeth runs Finlay down the ramp, SMACKS him off the apron, but Finlay kicks him low! Finlay reels Nemeth in but Nemeth back drops him away! The ref reprimands them both but Nemeth sends Finlay into railing! Finlay flounders away but Nemeth gets him up to POST him! Finlay staggers and falls back while Nemeth takes off his jacket. Nemeth stands Finlay up to ROCK with a haymaker, but Finlay kicks low and throws hands back! Finlay RAMS Nemeth into railing! The ref tells them to get this in the ring but Finlay ROCKS Nemeth!
Finlay comes back but Nemeth throws body shots! Nemeth puts Finlay in and fans cheer as this is finally a match. Finlay stands but Nemeth scrapes laces off his face! Finlay flounders away, Nemeth has him in a corner, then SCRAPES Finlay’s face on the ropes! The ref reprimands, Nemeth throws body shots in a corner, then he HEADBUTTS Finlay. Finlay sits down, the fans cheer, and Nemeth drags Finlay up to again scrape laces off the face! Nemeth then CHOKES Finlay on the ropes! The ref counts, Nemeth throws Finlay away, and the fans cheer again. Nemeth looms over Finlay, brings him up, then bumps him off buckles.
Nemeth throws forearms on Finlay, then a ROLLING- FLAPJACK off buckles! Finlay turns things around as Nemeth now writhes. Finlay rains down fists but the ref counts. Finlay lets off but shoves the ref down! The fans boo while Finlay taunts them and says he DGAF! Finlay TOSSES Nemeth out, throws up the Too Sweet, then goes out to RAM Nemeth into the railing! No Man’s Land disappears, but then Finlay RAMS Nemeth back in! The fans rally for Nemeth while Finlay looms over him. The ref reprimands, Finlay says okay, he’ll get this inside. Finlay puts Nemeth in the ring, the fans applaud, and then Finlay covers, ONE!
The fans cheer, but Finlay digs his knuckles into Nemeth’s ribs! The ref counts, Finlay lets off, and Nemeth flounders to ropes. Finlay storms up on Nemeth, CHOKES him in the ropes, then CLUBS him down! Gedo likes it but the fans boo. The ref has Finlay back off, and Nemeth sits up. Finlay drags Nemeth up to whip him hard into a corner! Nemeth falls back, Finlay stacks for a cover, TWO! The fans rally for Nemeth but Finlay stalks him to ropes. Finlay drags Nemeth up to suplex and BROKEN ARROW! Nemeth writhes, Finlay flexes and mocks the HBK pose. The fans boo so Finlay flips them off from the corner.
Finlay watches Nemeth go to a corner, and he hops down. Finlay barks and runs corner to corner to UPPERCUT! Then clothesline! Finlay reels Nemeth in, but Nemeth slips free of the Irish Curse for the OLYMPIC SLAM! The fans fire up while both men are down! Nemeth and Finlay writhe, and Nemeth rises first. The fans rally but Gedo coaches Finlay. Nemeth fires off on Finlay with fast and furious fists, then HEADBUTT after HEADBUTT! The ref gets Nemeth to stop but the fans fire up with him! Nemeth bumps Finlay off buckles, brings him around, and bumps him off more buckles! The fans applaud and Nemeth CLAWS Finlay’s face!
The ref counts, Nemeth lets off at 4, then he brings Finlay around, to bump off even more buckles! Nemeth SPLASHES then turns Finlay for a NECKBREAKER! Nemeth then drops ELBOW after ELBOW after ELBOW! The fans clap along with every ELBOW! Nemeth goes to nine, then aims to JUMPING ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Nemeth drags Finlay over to a drop zone, then goes outside. Nemeth climbs up the corner, and MACHO ELBOWS! Cover, TWO! Finlay survives but he coughs and sputters for air. Nemeth stalks Finlay, brings him back up, and whips. Finlay reverses to TACKLE Nemeth out of the ring!
Both men are down on the floor and the fans rally up again. The ref checks, both men are able to continue, and Finlay drags Nemeth up. Finlay fireman’s carries, to TOSS and POST him! Nemeth tumbles away but Finlay stalks him. The ref reprimands Finlay and wants this in the ring, but Finlay takes a lap around the ring to come in red hot! But Nemeth moves and Finlay CRASHES through the gate! The fans go wild seeing Finlay tumble, and then insult to injury, some railing falls over on his face! The ref checks, both men are still able to continue, so a ring count starts. Nemeth and Finlay stir at 5 of 20, and Finlay crawls over to ringside at 10.
Nemeth flounders around, drags himself up with railing at 13, but both men are still outside at 15! Finlay is crawling, Nemeth is floundering, we hit 18! Both men spring in at 19.5! The fans cheer as this match will continue! Nemeth and Finlay stir, and Gedo pounds the mat. The fans rally, too, and both men grab at each other. Finlay throws a haymaker, Nemeth gives it back! They go back and forth, rising to their feet with each shot. Finlay UPPERCUTS, but Nemeth HAYMAKERS! UPPERCUT! HAYMAKER! UPPERCUT! HAYMAKER! Finlay rebounds to forearm, Nemeth fires off a flurry! Nemeth eggs Finlay on so Finlay SLAPS him!
Finlay runs and LARIATS! Cover, TWO!! Nemeth survives but Finlay hurries INTO OBLIVION!! Cover, TWO!?! Nemeth survives and Finlay is furious, but the fans are fired up! Finlay drags Nemeth up, reels him in, and hoists him up, but Nemeth slips free to a SLEEPER! Nemeth has the body scissors, he’s a backpack on Finlay weighing him down! Finlay drops to his knees, then to the mat! Finlay is flailing, fading, and Gedo is freaking out! Nemeth thrashes around, the ref checks Finlay! The arm drops once! But then Finlay comes back to life! Finlay rises, crawls to a corner, ROPEBREAK, but he keeps climbing!
The fans rally as Finlay goes up higher and higher! SUPER BACKPACK SENTON! Finlay is free but both men are down! The fans rally again as both men stir. Finlay spots Nemeth, crawls his way over, and then drags him up. Nemeth is dead weight, but Finlay just tries again. Finlay says Nemeth is done, and he lifts for a POWER- FAMOUSER!! Cover, TWO!! Nemeth stuns Finlay but Finlay surprises Nemeth, and the fans rally up again! Nemeth runs up, but Finlay bucks the Danger Zone! But Nemeth ducks the boot! The ROLLING ELBOW hits, but Nemeth SUPERKICKS in return!! Cover, TWO!!! The fans fire up again as Finlay survives Superkick 101!
Finlay and Nemeth flounder as we pass 15 minutes. Finlay goes to ropes, stands back up, DANGER- BUCKLE BOMB! Finlay reels Nemeth in for a POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO!! Nemeth survives but Finlay doesn’t let off! POWERBOMB!! And then a flip over, into OVERKILL!!! Cover, Finlay wins!!
Winner: David Finlay, by pinfall (NEW IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion)
The Rebel redeems himself by taking back the belt made just for him! Gedo personally brings the belt back to him, and Bullet Club has more gold in the treasury! Will Finlay prove he’s the Goatslayer by taking down more greats from around the world?
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Jon Moxley VS Ren Narita!
The Maniac shocked a lot of people when he came out of the Windy City Riot on top of NJPW’s mountain. And while he made it past “Powerhouse” Will Hobbs in AEW, he’s following through on his promise to accept all challenges, from the young and the old! The House of Torture’s #SOULEDOUT Son of Strong Style took Moxley up on that, will Moxley regret being a fighting champion? Or will he still head towards Resurgence and a showdown with Shota Umino?
Moxley makes his entrance from the crowd as usual, only to get attacked but Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Sho at ringside! The House of Torture always has to have the upper hand, even if it’s through underhanded means! The fans boo but Narita laughs. Narita goes out after Moxley, but Shota shows up to fight off the House! But the numbers are still in the House’s favor, and Kanemaru WHISKEY MISTS Shota! Narita has a facelock on Moxley while Kanemaru & Sho mug Shota, then Narita SMACKS Moxley off the apron! Kanemaru & Sho drag Shota to the ramp while fans tell them to go home, and Narita grabs a chair so he can CHOKE Moxley with it!
Red Shoes does what he can to get this madness to stop, and Narita lets off. But wait, Sho & Kanemaru are handcuffing Shota! Narita stomps Moxley, Kanemaru stomps Shota! Sho has a chair, and he HEADSHOTS Shota! Shota flops over, Kanemaru and Narita mug Moxley in the ring! Sho joins in on that, and then Sho & Kanemaru double whip! But Moxley DOUBLE LARIATS! Narita has the chair, Moxley kicks low first! Moxley then takes the chair to CHUCK it at Shota! Now the bell rings, and this main event is officially underway! Moxley goes out, brings Narita around, and whips him into railing! And then more railing!
The fans rally as Moxley uses a facelock to drag Narita into No Man’s Land, then DECKS him into the crowd area! The fans fire up as Moxley rains down fists on Narita, right in front of them! Moxley BITES Narita’s forehead! Moxley lets off, drags Narita up, and Young Lions have fans be careful as Moxley drags Narita back to ringside. Moxley RAILING BACK SUPLEXES! Narita hobbles, Moxley puts him in the ring, and the fans cheer. Moxley climbs up in a corner, and he rains down fists! The fans count along, and Moxley goes all the way to TEN, then to SIXTEEN! The fans cheer, and Moxley drags Narita to the apron.
We see Young Lions carrying the handcuffed and unconscious Shota to the back, he won’t be able to help anymore tonight. Moxley has Narita in, but Sho’s still here! Sho anchors Moxley, Red Shoes reprimands, but then Moxley SLAPS Sho down! But that lets Narita BOOT Moxley down! Narita then runs to FLYING KNEE STOMP! Narita grins while fans boo, and Narita whips Moxley hard into railing! Moxley staggers out into No Man’s Land, leans on some railing, but Narita snatches that away to JAM him and SMACK him with it! Moxley staggers away, back to ringside, and Narita puts him in the ring for some stomps.
Moxley eggs Narita on, even SPITS at him, but Narita CLAWS the eyes! Red Shoes reprimands, Narita lets off, and Narita stands Moxley up to SCRAPE along the ropes! Red Shoes reprimands but Narita goes all the way to another corner before he lets off. Narita CHOPS Moxley, then CHOPS again! Moxley eggs him on, Narita CHOPS! Moxley CHOPS and fires forearms! Moxley even puts Narita’s shirt over his face so he can’t see the CHOP! Moxley pulls the shirt up and over so he can CHOP again, and again! Moxley whips corner to corner, Narita reverses, Moxley hits buckles and drops down, so Narita KNEE DROPS right on him!
Narita takes his shirt completely off, throws it down at Moxley, then drags him up. Narita suplexes high and hard! Cover, TWO! The fans rally while Moxley grits his teeth. Narita drags Moxley up, TOSSES him out, and Moxley goes to railing. Narita goes out and CLAWS Moxley’s eyes, then whips him into railing! Moxley slumps down, Narita stands him back up, and Narita brings him out to the crowd again. The Young Lions have fans move aside as Narita CLUBS Moxley. Narita BOWLS Moxley into chairs! Not quite a strike, but Narita picks up the spare as he BOWLS Moxley again! Narita then leaves Moxley behind while fans rally.
Moxley takes a fan’s water bottle to drink and even splash himself with. Moxley stands and staggers his way towards ringside, but Narita JAMS him up with a chair! And SMACKS him on the back! The fans boo while Moxley hobbles his way back to ringside, but Narita taunts him. Narita grins as he pushes Moxley into the ring, then drags him onto the apron. Narita CLUBS away on Moxley, then goes up to stomp him. Narita KNEE DROPS, then gets in Red Shoes’ face. This lets Sho & Kanemaru CHOKE Moxley! The fans boo but The House gets away with another one. Narita then has the legs for a ROPE GUILLOTINE!
Moxley coughs and sputters, Narita shoves him around, then Narita covers. Red Shoes refuses, too many shenanigans! The fans cheer but Narita is upset! Narita goes back for Moxley, drags him up and CLUBS him on the neck! And CLUBS him again! Moxley snarls, Narita fires a forearm, but Moxley fires back! Narita fires another forearm so Moxley fires back! Narita fires a flurry and Moxley wobbles! Narita ROCKS Moxley, runs, but Moxley TOSSES him out! The fans fire up but Narita hurries back in, into a CURB STOMP! Shoutout to the Visionary! Moxley sits down while Narita flops to the floor.
Moxley gets up, says a quick prayer, and then DIVES! Direct hit and Narita goes over railing! The fans fire up while even Moxley is stuck on the railing, and messing up a camera feed. Red Shoes checks, both men are okay to continue, and the fans rally up. Moxley has the title belt right in front of him, that motivates him to rise to his feet! Moxley snarls, goes looking under the ring, and he brings out a TABLE! And then another table! Moxley sets those tables up ringside, and surely American fans would be loving this! Moxley hobbles around, he may have taken more damage from that dive than he thought. But he just gets mad and finishes setting the tables.
Moxley hobbles his way back to where he left Narita, drags him up and over railing, and then uses a facelock to bring him over to the tables. Moxley throws hands to make Narita rest back. Moxley DIGS his fingers in, then ROCKS Narita. Moxley hobbles, grimaces, but fires up as the fans rally again. Moxley goes up a corner, but Kanemaru distracts Red Shoes so Sho can attack! Moxley grabs at Sho but Narita ROCKS Moxley first! Narita goes up after Moxley, Desperado is about to leave commentary at this rate, but Moxley CLAWS Narita’s back! Moxley ROCKS Narita, both men go to the apron, but Narita catches MOxley!
Moxley fires elbows to fight the clinch! Moxley clinches, and he URENAGES Narita through the tables!! The fans and commentary all lose their minds, and Moxley flips Narita off! The House protests but what do they know about fair? Moxley gets back in the ring as the fans rally and the ring count starts. Narita is conscious in the wreckage but even he seems unsure if he can move. Moxley doesn’t let the count get past 7 before he goes out to drag Narita from the wreckage, and he puts Narita in. The fans cheer the savagery and the sportsmanship, and Moxley takes a moment to breathe before he gets back inside the ring.
Narita flounders all the way to the far corner, but Moxley pounds the mat. The fans rally up again as Moxley runs in, but into a BOOT! Moxley clotheslines! Moxley runs but Narita follows to JUMP KICK! Narita runs back in, into a KING KONG LARIAT! The fans fire up while both men are down! Kanemaru & Sho coach Narita as he stirs, but Moxley rises first. Moxley slaps some sense back into himself but he still clutches his side. Moxley gets Narita up for the X PLEX! Cover, TWO!! Narita is still in this but Moxley says fine! Moxley tells the House to watch this! DRAGON STOMPS! Shoutout to Bryan Danielson and the fans fire up!
Moxley seethes, we pass 15 minutes, and Moxley calls his shot. Moxley drags Narita up, underhooks, but Narita wrenches out! Narita CHOKES Moxley, and brings him down to the mat! Red Shoes reprimands and counts, Narita lets off at 4. Narita falls back to the blue corner, and he grabs his push-up bar! Red Shoes reprimands, the fans boo, but Narita shoves Red Shoes away! Moxley dodges the push-up bar shot to have a SLEEPER!! Narita flails, grabs at Red Shoes, shoves him to a corner then RAMS Moxley into Red Shoes! And then the House attacks! The fans boo as Sho & Kanemaru stomp him down!
Desperado has had it! He gets off commentary and grabs a piece of wood! Despy SMACKS Kanemaru with it, then blocks Sho’s attack with the same piece of wood! Then Desperado SMACKS Sho in the head with the wood! The Rogue Luchador clears the ring of Heel Master and Murder Machine and the fans cheer! Desperado even headlocks them both to bring them away! Now Moxley and Narita are alone, but Narita has the push-up bar! PUSH-UP BAR SHOT!! The fans boo as Narita still gets away with one! Narita laughs as he gets Red Shoes back in and covers Moxley, TWO!!! Moxley survives and the fans are thunderous!
Narita is furious with Red Shoes’ count, but then vows to end it now! But Moxley hits a CUTTER!! Outta nowhere like a Viper! The fans rally up again as Moxley rises. Moxley storms up on Narita, slaps him around, eggs him on, and Narita stands. Narita fires a forearm, so Moxley gives it back! Narita fires another, but Moxley fires back! They go back and forth, forearm for forearm! Moxley gets the edge as he ROCKS Narita again and again! Narita CHOKES Moxley, but Moxley breaks free to ROLLING ELBOW! Moxley runs, but into a SLEEPER! Moxley fades, but then fires back up! The fans rally as Moxley reaches out!
Moxley works towards ropes but Narita shifts things into a COBRA TWIST! Moxley endures, the fans rally, but Narita thrashes around! Moxley keeps fighting forward, ROPEBREAK! Narita lets go in frustration, we hit 20 minutes, and Narita waistlocks! Moxley still holds ropes, so Narita CLAWS the eyes! Then GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!! Narita growls and storms back up on Moxley to clinch, BLIZZARD PLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!! Moxley survives again and Narita seethes. Narita BOOTS Moxley down, then laughs as he goes outside. Narita climbs a corner, takes aim, but Moxley runs up to ROCK him first!
Moxley climbs, throws hands, then CLAWS Narita’s back! Moxley then brings Narita right up for a SUPERPLEX! Both men are down and the fans fire back up! Moxley crawls his way over, covers, TWO!! Narita is still in this but Moxley hasn’t lost his focus yet. Moxley throws HAMMER ‘N’ ANVIL ELBOWS! The Blackpool Combat Club special! Moxley then clamps on a SLEEPER, but Narita powers him right into a corner! Red Shoes got outta the way in time! Moxley turns things around to snapmare and BULLY CHOKE!! But then the lights go out!? Oh no, the House is at it again! Fans boo as we can’t see anything!
When the lights come up, Red Shoes is down! Evil & Dick Togo are here, and they mug Moxley! Fans boo as they stomp Moxley down! Evil soaks up the heat while the fans tell them to go home! Evil & Dick then go back for Moxley, drag him up, and hit MAGIC KILLER!! The fans boo while Evil goes looking for things, and Dick uses the SPOILER CHOKER on Moxley! Moxley says you’re not gonna take him alive! Evil gets a chair, and he runs up to JAM Moxley low! Moxley sputters and coughs, but wait! SHOTA’S BACK! Shota SHOTGUNS Dick, but Evil kicks and whips! Shota stops himself to drop toehold Evil onto ropes!
Shota hurries over, SLINGSHOT DDT to the apron! Then Shota goes up to MISSILE DORPKICK Dick! Then he goes outside to CANNONBALL Evil! The fans fire up with Shota as he tells Moxley-shishou to stand and fight! But Narita runs up with his push-up bar! Shota dodges, then feeds Narita to a DDT! The fans fire up as Moxley drags Narita back up! We pass 25 minutes as Shota helps Red Shoes back in! Moxley hits a DEATH RIDER!! Cover, Moxley wins!!
Winner: Jon Moxley, by pinfall (still IWGP World Heavyweight Champion)
The Roughneck helps his Maniac mentor thwart the House of Torture! Will Narita have to learn the hard way that cheating doesn’t pay? The House retreats, with Evil giving a lingering glare to Shota, who is still wearing the cuffs! The chain is gone, and Desperado confirms, he used bolt cutters to break the chain.
As for Moxley, he shakes his protege’s hand, and is then presented the belt by Hayato Maeda. Moxley bows in respect, then holds up the belt. Moxley also does photo ops with Maeda, and even gives him a noogie and pretend punches. After that, Moxley gets the mic. The fans cheer, and he takes a moment to bow deeply in thanks to everyone. “Fukuoka, I love you all. But I promise you one thing. No matter what happens out here, no matter what the odds, no matter what the challenge, no matter how bad the odds are stacked against me like tonight, I will fight until my dying breath!” The fans cheer, the streamers fly, and Moxley is ready for Shota and Resurgence!
Moxley makes sure Shota understands, there is respect, but there will also be no holding back. Shota nods and they will meet in one week’s time, in the Toyota Arena in California! Will Moxley hold onto the gold in the Golden State? Or will it be the moment Shota brings about his own Paradigm Shift?
My Thoughts:
A great night two for Wrestling Dontaku, lots of matches on this one. I did not expect Kenta & Chase to take the tag titles back, but then they also threw more challengers at this than I expected. They had a Triple Threat for the Heavyweight and Openweight tag titles, this clearly looks to be a Fatal 4 Way in the making. If this were WWE or AEW, it might be in a Ladder match, but even a standard Fatal 4 Way would be amazing given the four teams here. And at this point, any team could win this, but it’d feel silly if Bishamon just won everything back. I’d personally want to see TMDK get all the gold as they’ve put in great work for years now.
Awesome match from Takagi and Kidd for the NEVER title. I thought Kidd was going to win that belt given how much he was shouting about restoring NJPW’s strong style spirit, but it also makes sense for Bullet Club to split even tonight. Kenta & Chase won, Kidd lost, because then Finlay won. That was a bit surprising to me, too, as I thought Nemeth was going to keep his reign going. But at the same time, it was surprising Finlay lost it in the first place. That makes Finlay and Nemeth 1-1 so maybe we get another rematch down the line. And then great main event, but of course The House of Torture interfered, and of course Moxley retained even with that.
Now Resurgence is coming, and I said before that it feels like Shota is being skyrocketed to the top, but who knows. I suppose Moxley could keep the belt and face more AEW stars, but all those matches would be foregone conclusions. I just feel like NJPW and AEW have used their partnerships in hopes of getting both more recognition in the other’s market, but it also feels like they’ve booked themselves into a corner.
My Score: 8.8/10
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Will Backlash be truly phenomenal?
Cody Rhodes’ first defense of THE WWE Championship could also be his last, because he is up against The Phenomenal A J STYLES! Will The American Nightmare have finished his story only for the next chapter to be cut short?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Randy Orton & Kevin Owens VS Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga w/ Paul Heyman; turned into…
- Street Fight Tag: Randy Orton & Kevin Owens VS Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga w/ Paul Heyman; Solo & Tama win.
- WWE Women’s Championship Triple Threat: Bayley VS Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton; Bayley wins and retains the title.
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest VS Jey Uso; Priest wins and retains the title.
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: The Kabuki Warriors VS Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill; Bianca & Jade win and become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
- Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes VS AJ Styles; Cody wins and retains the title.
PLAY BY PLAY
It’s the Backlash in France Kickoff Show!
The countdown to showtime is on! Join Jackie Redmond, Big E and CM Punk as they discuss, analyze and predict what happens at the first-ever Premium Live Event to ever air from France!
BREAKING NEWS!
Make sure to watch the Kentucky Derby’s kickoff show on NBC today, right after Backlash, because there will be news about WWE WrestleMania 41!
Backstage interview with Jey Uso.
Byron Saxton brings up that Jey Uso was Raw’s number one draft pick. Now he can build on that by becoming the NEW World Heavyweight Champion. How is he feeling? Jey says he’s got goosebumps, Uce. You can’t see ’em, but he’s got ’em. He appreciates Byron being there from day one on Jey’s career, to tonight. This is a career defining moment. Damian Priest is a beast, but Jey’s gotta prove he can stand on his own two feet. And by the end of tonight, Lyon, France and the world will YEET with the new champion, Main Event Jey Uso! Gimme a yeet. Byron says “YEET!” and says we could be looking at the new WHC. Will Jey finally have his moment?
Backstage interview with Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill.
Byron is now with the strongEST duo, and says they are going after Damage CTRL and the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. Bianca immediately says she is so tired of talking about DMG CTRL. She is done, ready to be done with Kairi, with Asuka, with Iyo, with Dakota, and even Bayley. Taking those titles means DMG CTRL gets stuck on Raw. Why does she have to keep repeating herself? She is tired of hearing herself talk about it! She wants to be done! Jade steps in and says they’re just excited to be NEW WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. They don’t have time for this, they gotta go. Jade & Bianca head out, will they soon be the newEST champions?
WWE shares a special interview with AJ Styles.
Kayla Braxton sat down with The Phenomenal One, and wanted to talk about his new attitude since returning. Styles seems confused as to that phrasing, and she asks what brought this on. New attitude? No, this is focus. He was out, got his mind right, dialed in, that’s where he’s at right now. Then to her next question, he hasn’t been world champion in six years. Is frustration over that what brought this change about? Styles says he looked back and realized he’d gotten complacent. So again, he got his mind right and focused himself. Kayla knows Styles and Cody have never faced each other. Styles says he still respects Cody, but that won’t stop him from beating him.
Then to add to that, these two have been ships in the night. Styles comes into WWE, Cody makes his way out. Does this match resonate on a personal level? Styles say sit isn’t personal, it’s business. But he also takes this business personally. He doesn’t wanna beat Cody, but he has to. Then what happens if he doesn’t? That possibility isn’t in Styles’ mind. He doesn’t want this, he needs this, and he needs it much more than Cody. It took Cody two YEARS to get this title, but it’ll only be 27 days when he loses it. Will Styles bring about a phenomenal end to The American Nightmare’s dream?
Now this is cinema.
Time to make hot, new headlines, and to start some new stories. When the stakes are this high, the world tunes in, and the superstars turn it up. “When one good story ends, an even better one begins.” Are you ready? Ready for war!? History is being made before your eyes as WWE is live from France! Welcome to Backlash!
Randy Orton & Kevin Owens VS Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga w/ Paul Heyman!
The Viper and the Prizefighter have proven to be a powerful duo, and they’ve both had their beef with The Bloodline, plus they have initials that line up, so this just seemed like a natural move! Will #R-KO #JustKeepFighting until they’ve torn down the Enforcer and the Good Bad Guy? Or will The Wise Man’s warning from last night come true?
The fans chant “WE WANT ROMAN!” but Solo tunes that out. The teams stare down, the ref wants them to sort out, but Kevin gets righ tin Tama’s face! And then the brawl is on! The fans are thunderous as the hands fly fast and furious! Tama and Kevin tumble out one side, ORton and Solo on the other! Kevin fires off fists on Tama against the desk! Then he dumps Tama over barriers! Orton SMACKS Solo off the apron, throws more hands, then brings SOlo over to the desks! Solo stops that, SMACKS Orton,m and Tama fires hands on Kevin! Refs and produers rush out here to try and get this intno a match but the fans want to “LET THEM FIGHT!”
Security now has to get involved, this is just like last night at the end of SmackDOwn! Kevin and Tama are in the ring, Kevin hits a sTUNNER on a guard! STUNNER again! Kevin grabs at Tama, Tama grabs at Kevin! Nick Aldis storms out here as SmackDown GM, and tells his superstars to stop it already! But alright, if they wanna disregard rules, throw out stunners, then fine! Do whatever you want! Thi sis now a STREET FIGHT!!
Street Fight Tag: Randy Orton &
The fans are thunderous as the bell rings and the brawling continues! Tama CHUCKS the Prime at Kevin! Orton and Solo brawl in the crowd! Kevin fires hands on Tama against the French commentary, then SMACKS him with a bottle! Kevin CHUCKS the Prime jug, shoves the cart over, then SMACKS Tama with the Prime sign! Kevin then SPITS on the sign, throw sit down, and keeps after Tama. Meanwhile, Solo and Orton have brawled up into the bleachers! Solo HEABUTTS Orton, throws up the one, but Orton pokes him in the eyes! Kevin and Tama brawl their way through the crowd, Kevin JAMS Tama up with a fan’s chair!
Kevin SMACKS Tama with the chair, then grabs some railing to SMACK him with that, too! Orton has Solo down, but drags him back up to return to ground level. The fans are thunderous for “K O! K O!” as Kevin keeps after Tama. Solo DECKS Orton in return but then Kevin runs over to attack Solo! We’re getting picture in picture of the same beating! Kevin rains down fists and fans count all the way to TEN, or whatever that is in French. But then Tama grabs Kevin in a SLEEPER! Orton is looking for him in the wrong place! The Bloodline mugs Kevin, the fans taunt them, but Orton doubles back!
Solo whips Kevin into barriers, but then Orton attacks him and Tama! Orton HEADBUTTS, but you never headbutt a Samoan! Solo UPPERCUTS Orton down, but Kevin SUPERKICKS Solo! Kevin TOSSES Solo to ringside! The fans are thunderous again as Kevin gets up on the barriers. Kevin walks along, to then FROG SPLASH Tama on the floor! Orton goes up!? Then he hops down. Orton brings Tama up to SMACK him off steel steps! Orton drags Tama along, back to the desks! The fans fire up for the DESK BACK SUPLEX! Tama writhes on top of the French team’s monitors, but then Orton brings Tama to DESK BACK SUPLEX on the English commentary table!
Kevin SMACKS Solo off steel steps, then pulls the steps apart so he can DDT Solo on the steel! Orton goes looking under the ring, and fans cheer! They bring out trash cans and their lids! Lyon wants tables but they’ll have to wait a moment. Orton SMACKS Tama down with a trash can! Solo staggers up, staggers his way over, and Kevin SMACKS him with the lid! The fans cheer for “E C DUB!” as Orton gives Kevin a kendo stick! Kevin SMACKS, JAMS, then SMACKS Solo again! Solo staggers around, into a TRASH CAN SHOT! The fans are still thunderous as Kevin drags Tama up to put him on the desk. Orton SMACKS Tama! And SMACKS him again!
Orton SMACKS Solo off a desk, throws hands, then he and Kevin go looking for something more. The fans are electric as they each bring out a TABLE! “OUI! OUI! OUI!” echoes out as Orton puts his in the ring while Kevin sets his up ringside. Orton throws hands down on Solo, Kevin fetches Tama, and Kevin drags Tama over to the ring. Tama fights back with fast hands! Kevin SMACKS Tama off the apron, then puts him on the table! Orton finishes setting his table up at the center of the ring, and Kevin goes up to the apron! “SUCK IT!” FROG SPLASH through the table!! Kevin roars right in Tama’s face!
Orton gets Solo in the ring and the fans are loving all of this! Orton grins as he brings Solo up, but Solo UPPERCUTS! Orton wobbles, Solo fireman’s carries! SAMOAN DROP through the table! Orton writhes out of the wreckage but Kevin hurries in! Solo stands, roars, but turns around into haymakers! The fans fire up as Kevin kicks, but no stunner! Solo LARIATS Kevin inside-out! The fans boo and taunt Solo, but Solo tunes that out to call to Tama. Tama rises, he and Solo beat Kevin down. Kevin kicks back but Tama fires stomps and fists! Tama just hammers away on Kevin, then rains down HEADBUTTS!
The fans boo and Tama finally lets off. Solo tosses a kendo stick in, Kevin grabs for it but Tama takes it from him! The fans tell Tama off, but Tama SMACKS Kevin! Solo steps in, Tama hands him the stick. Solo stalks Kevin, then SMACKS him in the ribs! Kevin sits down in a corner, Solo rains down fists on him! The fans rally for Kevin but Tama has a trash can lid. Solo lines up a shot first, and he goes corner to corner for the HIP ATTACK! The fans boo as Solo roars, but now Tama takes his turn. Tama SMACKS Kevin with the lid! And then SMACKS him again! And again! Solo has him stand down, then Solo throws down hands!
Tama returns with a trash can, but Kevin TACKLES him first! Solo SMACKS Kevin with the can! And again! Kevin grabs at the kendo stick but Solo takes it from him to SMACK away again and again! The fans boo as Solo holds up the one. Solo tells Tama to fetch more things, and Tama looks under the ring. Tama brings out another TABLE! The fans cheer the table but The Bloodline is setting it up. Kevin manages to stand while the table is propped up in a corner. Kevin BOOTS Tama then TOSSES him out! But Solo ROCKS Kevin back! Solo gets in Kevin’s face and grins a sinister grin before he throws HEADBUTT after HEADBUTT!
Solo brings Kevin around, whips him corner to corner, but Kevin reverses! Solo crashes through the table!! But Tama LARIATS Kevin back down! The fans rally for Randy, wherever he’s disappeared to, but Tama brings in chair after chair. Tama stalks Kevin as he goes to ropes, but Orton returns! Tama hears the fans cheering and turns around. Orton and Tama stare down, they circle, and Tama fires up! Tama swings, Orton dodges! LARIAT! LARIAT! Orton then dodges to SNAP POWERSLAM! The fans are electric again, and Orton puts Tama through ropes! The fans cheer for the DRAPING DDT!
Even with 11 THOUSAND cheering him on, Orton hears those voices now! R K O!! Cover, Solo breaks it!! Solo throws HEADBUTTS until Orton tumbles out of the ring! Solo goes after him, SMACKS him off the desk, then clears it off! English commentary might end up off the air as Solo drags Orton over. The fans chant “SOLO SUCKS! SOLO SUCKS!” but Solo ignores that again to stand Orton up. Solo HEADBUTTS Orton onto the desk, then climbs up after him. Solo drags Orton up, powers up the thumb, RKO ON THE DESK!!! The fans are thunderous as The Viper strikes outta nowhere! But it was also double-edged given the landing!
Kevin drags himself back up in the ring and the fans fire up as he has Tama to himself! Kevin grabs a chair, “This is Awesome!” as Kevin SMACKS Tama on the back! Kevin sets that chair up, SMACKS Tama with another chair, then sets that chair up. Kevin SMACKS Tama with a third chair, then sets that one up. And then SMACK with a fourth chair, and another SMACK, and another SMACK, before the chair square is complete! The fans are thunderous again as Kevin makes Tama recline back on all those chairs! Kevin goes up, but Tama goes after him first! Tama fires hands, then grabs at Kevin. Kevin fires hands in return!
Kevin ROCKS Tama, adjusts position, but Tama goes up after him! Tama fires HEADBUTT after HEADBUTT, then goes to the very top! But Kevin turns that around! SUPER FISHERMAN BUSTER through the chairs!!! The fans are absolutely losing it as both men are down in the wreckage! Kevin crawls to a cover, but TANGA LOA drags the ref out of the ring?!? Tama’s brother is here?! Since when!? The Silverback has the steel steps, and he CLOBBERS Randy!! And then he CLOBBERS Kevin! Solo hits an URENAGE on a chair!! The fans boo as Solo drags Kevin up, to SAMOAN SPIKE!!! Cover, Bloodline wins!!
Winners: Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga, by pinfall
Just when the Bloodline looked like they were at their most dangerous, they got even MORE dangerous! Solo leads the OG Guerrillas of Destiny forward in the WWE, is there going to be no stopping them now?
WWE Women’s Championship Triple Threat: Bayley VS Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton!
They say all people are created equal, but when a champion is in a Triple Threat, their odds drastic go down! The Role Model only just got this title off Iyo Sky at WrestleMania, but now things have gotten complicated. Bayley and Naomi are friends, and Tiffany is anything but. Will Bayley survive to bring this belt back to the States? Or will there already be a new Women’s Champion on SmackDown?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see if the numbers spell disaster at Backlash!
The bell rings and the fans sing for Bayley. But Tiffy stays it is still Tiffy Time, and the fans join in on that, too! Then Tiff kicks Naomi, swing son Bayley but Bayley dodges to arm-drag! Bayley runs up on Naomi but Naomi arm-drags! Naomi blocks Tiffy’s arm-drag, whips her away, then splits, but Tiffy handsprings over! The fans cheer this opening exchange, and ‘TIFFY TIME!” echoes out. Bayley shoves Tiff, rolls her up, but Naomi rolls Bayley! Tiff rolls Naomi, but Bayley breaks it! The fans cheer, “That was Awesome!” Bayley runs to ELBOW Tiff in the back, then SLIDING LARIAT from the front! Naomi runs up, into a sweep! Cover, TWO!
Bayley keeps going, she ELBOWS Naomi, but Naomi catches the sliding lariat to a ghost pin! TWO, Bayley cradles, TWO! Tiff gets a DOUBLE JACKKNFIE! TWO!! The fans cheer this second exchange as all three women cool off. Bayley smiles, digging the energy from the fans, and then Bayley and Naomi both kick Tiff! They double whip but Tiff KICKS Bayley! Naomi waitslocks, Tiff elbows free, then Tiff sends Bayley into buckles! Tiff whips Naomi, Naomi slides under, then mule kicks back! Naomi runs but Tiff dodges, Naomi SHOTGUNS Bayley! Tiff kicks Naomi, bumps her off buckles, then runs corner to corner to handspring and BACK ELBOW!
The fans fire up as Tiff snapmares Naomi, runs, but Bayley DECKS her! Bayley runs at Naomi, sunset flips, but Naomi stays up! But Tiff SHOTGUNS Naomi, then STOMPS Bayley! Cover on Bayley, TWO! Tiff covers Naomi, TWO! Tiff is annoyed but the fans are still loving this. Tiff TOSSES Naomi out, brings Bayley up to bump her off buckles. Tiff wrenches and whips then ELBOWS Bayley down! The fans applaud and Tiff brings Bayley up. Tiff CLUBS Bayley, CLUBS her again, but fans sing for Bayley again. Tiff puts Bayley in ropes to CHOKE her! And she doesn’t have to let off in a Triple Threat!
Tiff YANKS the ropes to jam Bayley up, but Bayley fires body shots and forearms! Bayley runs, but Tiff LARIATS her down! Cover, TWO! Tiff is annoyed again but the fans continue to cheer. Tiff stomps Bayley, ROCKS her, and Bayley goes to ropes. The fans rally for Bayley as Tiff CHOKES her again! The erf reprimands but that’s all he can do. Tiff brings Bayley around but Bayley fires body shots! Bayley fires forearms but Tiff knees low! Tiff whips but Bayley goes up and over the corner to roll Tiff up! TWO and Tiff CLOBBERS Bayley! Cover, TWO! The fans have not stopped chanting as Tiff brings Bayley up and around.
Tiff whips again, Bayley ends up in the corner. Tiff then handsprings, but Bayley catches her! For a BIG back suplex, but Tiff lands out! Cartwhele and Alabama SLAM! High stack, TWO! Naomi CLOBBERS Tiff, too! The fans are still thunderous like they have since last night on SmackDown, and Naomi whips Tiff. Tiff holds ropes, BOOTS back, but Naoim comes back to SPEAR Tiff through the ropes! Naomi fires up and the fans fire up again, too! Naomi fires forearms on Tiff, then brings her around to whip. Tiff reverses and Naomi hits barriers! Tiff runs and handsprings to BACK ELBOW! Tiff SHOVES Naomi over into the timekeeper’s area!
Tiff says it’s Tiffy Time, but Bayley DIVES onto her! The fans are thunderous as Bayley rains down fists! Bayley finds Naomi, brings her up, but Naomi ROUNDHOUSES her! Naomi goes up onto the barrier, and then BLOCKBUSTERS to the floor! The fans cheer as Naomi finds Tiff and puts her in. “This is Awesome!” as Naomi KICKS Tiff in the ropes, then twerks right on her! HEATSEEKER! Naomi then hits the SPLIT-LEG MOONSAULT! Cover, Bayley breaks it! All three women slowly rise, and Naomi mule kicks Bayley! Naomi then runs Bayley to BUCKLE BULLDOG in the corner!
Naomi puts Bayley up top, climbs up after her, but Bayley fires hands! Tiff YANKS Naomi down, then climbs up after Bayley! Bayley fights with body shots again, and then Naomi CLUBS Tiff! Naomi brings Tiff out for a POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO!! Into the BUTTERFLY STRETCH!! Tiff endures, but Bayley MACHO ELBOWS!! Cover on Naomi, TWO!! Bayley hurries to cover Tiff, TWO!! The fans continue to rally, all three women rise up again. Bayley has targets in both corners, so Bayley sunset BUCKLE BOMBS Naomi! Bayley runs to sunset Tiff, but she sits on it!! TWO!! Tiff swings, into a BAYLEY2BELLY!! Cover, TWO!!
Tiff survives, the fans continue to chant and cheer, and Bayley is beside herself. Bayley CLUBS Tiff, stomps her to a corner and fires off fast hands! The fans cheer, Tiff shoves Bayley away, then POSTS her! Bayley is stuck in the ropes, Tiff drags her back out and fireman’s carries! ROLLING SENTON! Tiff goes up but Naomi YANKS her down! Naomi drags Tiff to the floor and rains down fists! Tiff BOOTS Naomi into barriers, then cartwheels for the ALABAMA- NO, they cartwheel more and more! Tiff has Naomi back up, ALABAMA SLAM on the desk!! The fans are thunderous as Tiff drags Bayley out for an ALABAMA SLAM on the French desk!!
Tiff puts Naomi in the ring, then puts Bayley in. Tiff has them lined up like weeks before, PRETTIEST MOONSAULT- NO, Tiff rolls through as both opponent move! Naomi & Bayley hit a ONE D!! The fans are thunderous, “This is Awesome!” as Bayley and Naomi stare down. They are friends but this is about the title! They fire off forearms back and forth, and Naomi gets the edge! Naomi ENZIGIRIS Bayley down! Then Oklahoma Roll, TWO! Bayley cradles, BAYLEY WINS!!
Winner: Bayley, by pinfall (still WWE Women’s Champion)
The Role Model snatches victory away and certainly stuns a portion of the fans! But with how fast this match was moving, will Bayley have to keep up the pace if she wants to stay champion?
Jey Uso prepares backstage.
Solo walks over, as do Tama & Loa. They don’t say anything, but the Bloodline heads out. And then Heyman walks over, shakes his head, then walks on. Can Main Event Jey keep the drama out of his head to YEET the World Heavyweight Championship right off Damian Priest? We find out, because that match is next!
WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest VS Jey Uso!
Senor Money in the Bank became El Campeon at WrestleMania, but that’s about the only thing that’s gone well for him. The Judgment Day is looking lost without Mami, is this title match going to be another loss? Or will The Punisher make sure Main Event Jey doesn’t have his crowning moment?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see just who’s getting fed to who!
The bell rings, the fans fire up again and the two stare down. “YEET! YEET! YEET!” echoes out, and Jey gets the fans to bounce again, on all four sides of the ring! The fans cheer, and then they all join in, but Priest grabs Jey’s neck! Jey fires haymakers, but Priest TOSSES Jey to a corner! Jey dodges to then fire off haymakers, “YEET! YEET!” Jey whips, Priest reverses, Jey goes up and over, then “YEET!” The fans cheer again but Priest is getting annoyed. Priest runs up but Jey DUMPS him out! Jey then builds speed, but has to stop as Priest moves aside. Priest cools off, but Jey goes out to LEAP from the apron! Only for Priest to catch him!
Priest runs and RAMS Jey into barriers! Priest brings Jey around to ROCK him, but the fans rally for “USO! USO!” Jey gets in the ring, Priest storms in after him, and the “UCE! OH!” echoes out now. Priest stands Jey up but Jey fires body shots! Priest DECKS Jey! Priest soaks up the cheers and jeers, then waits on Jey. Jey goes to a corner, Priest runs in, BACK ELBOW! Priest runs to CLOBBER Jey! Priest mocks the yeet bounce, covers, TWO! Jey stays in this and the fans stay fired up, but Priest grabs Jey’s arms. Priest has a motorcycle stretch and he digs his knee into Jey’s back! The fans rally for Jey as he endures!
Jey fights up to his feet, but Priest chinlocks. Jey throws body shots, “YEET!” But Priest BELL CLAPS! Jey falls, Priest shakes his head, and Priest says Jey is not next. The fans continue to rally as Priest kicks Jey around. Jey stands, into a KICK! And another KICK! And another, and another! But he ducks the discus to hit a BIG back suplex! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Jey and Priest slowly rise, Priest stands first. Jey grins as he hruns up to HAYMAKER! And counter punch! “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Jey pops ‘n’ locks then puts some stank on the HAYMAKER! Priest staggers, the fans fire up, and Jey whips.
Priest reverses, but Jey slips free of the scoop to mule kick! And UPPERCUT! Priest wobbles, Jey kicks, but Priest blocks! Only for the DRAGON WHIP to hit! The fans fire up as Priest ends up in a corner! Jey goes to a corner, the fans “YEET! YEET! YEET!” and bounce along. Jey runs in, but Priest puts Jey on the apron! Jey GAMANGIRIS in return, then goes up top! Jey leaps, CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! The fans continue to rally and Jey catches his breath. Priest is outside, so Jey builds speed to DIVE! Direct hit and Priest hits barriers! The fans fire up again and Jey nods. Jey hears the ring count, brings Priest up and puts him in at 7 of 10.
But wait, Judgment Day rushes out here! JD McDonagh messes with the ropes to trip Jey up! Priest SPEARS!! Cover, TWO!! Jey survives and JD is furious that their plans still aren’t working! JD coaches Priest but Priest asks what he’s even doing here! Wait, JD is going rogue again? Priest says he doesn’t need any help here! Priest and JD argue, Jey runs up! Jey dodges Priest to SUPERKICK JD! SUPERKICK for Priest! Jey goes up top, USO SPLASH! Cover, TWO!! Priest survives and Jey is stunned, but the fans are still fired up! Jey and Priest sit up, and Jey throws a haymaker! “YEET!” Priest gives back a forearm, “BOO!”
Jey haymakers, “YEET!” Priest forearms, “BOO!” Both men stand, and then Jey UPPERCUTS! “YEET!” Jey shoves Priest, Priest comes back to ROCK Jey! “NO YEET!” “YEET! NO YEET! YEET! NO YEET!” Priest gets the edge, fires himself up, and swings, into an UPPERCUT! But then Priest UPPERCUTS! Jey SUPERKICKS! Priest ROCKS Jey again! Jey PELES! Priest JUMP KICKS! Both men fall and the fans are thunderous again! They stare each other down and the fans are so loud, this place is rumbling! Priest blocks a kick, kicks back, then gets Jey up for the RAZOR’S EDGE!! Cover, TWO!!
The fans continue to cheer while Priest cools off. Priest brings down the straps, powers up the hand, and waits on Jey. Jey rises slowly, turns around, into the choke grip! SOUTH OF- NO, Jey slips free, then ducks ‘n’ dodges to SPEAR!! Cover, TWO!! Priest survives and the fans are thunderous again! Jey thinks on what he has to do to keep Priest down, and the fans rally behind him as he goes back for a corner. Jey climbs, but now FINN BALOR is here! Finn gets on the apron, Jey SUPERKICKS! Jey then runs in at Priest, but Priest LARIATS! Priest staggers around, choke grip, and SOUTH OF HEAVEN!! Cover, TWO?!?
Jey survives Priest’s best shot and the fans are electric! Priest has no idea how, but he works to calm back down. “This is Awesome!” as Priest storms around. Priest fires himself back up, wants Jey to rise, and Jey slowly stands back up. Priest runs up to SPIN KICK! Jey flops back down but Priest tells him to get back up! Jey rises, the fans rally, and Priest SPIN KICKS again! Jey wobbles, drops to his knees, but Priest says one more time! Rise! The fans “YEET! YEET! YEET!” as Jey makes it back to his feet, SPIN- SUPERKICK!! Jey hits another SUPERKICK! And another SUPERKICK! The fans fire up with Jey as he runs in to SUPERKICK at the corner!
Priest wobbles, Jey runs, SPEAR!! Jey goes up a corner and the fans are thunderous! USO SPLASH!!! Cover, JD GIVES HIM THE ROPEBREAK!! Maybe Priest was wrong about needing the help! Jey is beside himself, it’s like being on the other side of Bloodline antics. The fans tell JD off, but JD and Finn both coach Priest back into this. The fans chant, “F U J D!” Jey DIVES onto JD! The fans fire up again and Jey hurries around. Finn runs up, into a SPEAR! Jey leaves The Prince behind to aim at the Punisher. Jey climbs, but Priest hits ropes to trip him up! Priest goes up after Jey, choke grips, SUPER SOUTH OF HEAVEN!!! Cover, Priest wins!!
Winner: Damian Priest, by pinfall (still WWE World Heavyweight Champion)
The Judgment Day didn’t plan this as a team, but they still won as a team to keep the gold with their man! And then Finn & JD have to add on by beating Jey down! That Priest does NOT approve of! He throws JD off, and shoves Finn back! Priest tells them that is enough! Jey’s done, they can leave. Finn & JD don’t understand, but they still listen to Priest. Are things (not) going to be fine with The Judgment Day?
Phillipe Chereau is in the ring.
He thanks the fans for being here this weekend, and for setting the LARGEST GATE of ANY ARENA SHOW in WWE history! Vive la France, vive la WWE!
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: The Kabuki Warriors VS Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill!
The Empress of Tomorrow & The Pirate Princess reunited under Iyo Sky’s Damage CTRL, and they took control of the Women’s Tag Division. However, the EST is about to lose control, and not in a good way! Will Bianca and Jade bring the storm that washes away the reign? Or will even the strongEST duo not be ready for Asuka & Kairi?
The introductions are made, the titles are raised, and we see who is truly in control!
The teams sort out and the fans cheer for “E S T! E S T!” as she starts against Asuka. They circle, tie up, and Bianca headlocks hard. Asuka pulls the braid and powers out of the hold, but Bianca RAMS her! Neither falls, Bianca fires up, and they start shoving! The fans rally and duel as the forearms go back and forth! Bianca gets the edge, but Asuka SOBATS! Asuka runs, but Bianca blows past her to run her over! The fans fire up and Bianca keeps moving, but Asuka drops. Bianca handsprings, and says kiss this! Asuka runs up, but Bianca bypasses her. Asuka turns hip toss into takedown, TWO! Asuka gets around, IRON OCTOPUS!
Bianca endures as Asuka pulls her arm and twists the wrist! Bianca powers Asuka around for a swinging GUTBUSTER! Asuka flounders away, Bianca runs up but ducks the kick! Asuka ducks a haymaker to drop toehold! Kairi runs up but Bianca DECKS her! Bianca dodges Asuka, reels her in, and suplexes! Bianca kips up again and the fans fire up! Jade reaches out, Bianca tags her in! The fans cheer as Jade and Kairi now face off. Kairi runs up, gets around, but Jade THRWOS her away! Jade flexes, Kairi runs up again, but Jade smothers the spear! Jade lifts, Kairi slips free and kicks Jade in the back! Kairi SLAPS Jade!
Kairi dodges the haymaker, but Jade picks Kairi up for a SWINGING BACKBREAKER! Jade then picks Kairi up for another BACKBREAKER! Kairi writhes, but Jade brings her over, tags Bianca, and they double whip to double hip toss, into a DOUBLE FLAPJACK! The fans fire up as Jade & Bianca say Wakanda Forever and Black girl magic! Bianca then handsprings to MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Kairi stays in this but Bianca stays cool. Bianca drags Kairi up, fires forearms, then whips. Bianca RAMS Kairi in the corner, then climbs up to rain down fists! The fans count all the way to TEN, but Kairi slips under to CLUB Bianca!
Kairi grabs the braid, the fans boo, but Bianca backflips and DROPKICKS! Kairi tumbles out and the fans fire up! Bianca PLANCHAS but Kairi dodges! Asuka ROUNDHOUSES Bianca, then Kairi goes up the corner! Kairi grins as she aims for a SUPER CROSSBODY! The Kabuki Warriors fire up while they stand tall! Kairi gets Bianca back in, covers, TWO! Kairi rains down forearms, then drags Bianca over. Tag to Asuka, Bianca fights back but the Kabuki Warriors mug her. They reel Bianca in but she wrenches out to fire forearms! Bianca runs, but into an ELBOW! Kairi adds a SLIDING D! Asuka adds the SLIDING KNEE! Cover, TWO!
Asuka drags Bianca up while the fans rally. Asuka CLUBS Bianca, kicks her around, then stands on her face. The fans boo, the ref counts, and Asuka steps away. Asuka kicks, Bianca blocks and ROCKS Asuka! Bianca reaches out but Asuka holds her back! Bianca fiefs a forearm but Asuka KICKS! And KICKS! Tag to Kairi, and the Kabuki Warriors double whip. Bianca is int he corner. Kairi sends Asuka in to ELBOW! Kairi runs corner to corner, SLIDING D again! The fans rally while Kairi goes up, FLYING KABUKI FOREARM! High stack cover, TWO!! Bianca survives and Kairi is annoyed, but she tags Asuka.
The Kabuki Warriors stand Bianca up, but Bianca ROCKS Kairi and dodges Asuka’s leap! Bianca hurries to crawl forward, but Asuka is in her way! The fans rally, Bianca JAWBREAKERS free! Roll up, TWO! Bianca stands, into a SOBAT! Asuka snarls, reels Bianca in, but Bianca suplexes first! Kairi hurries back up while both women are down! Bianca and Asuka crawl, hot tag to Kairi, Kairi uses Bianca as a step to BLAST Jade! The fans boo but Kairi smiles. Kairi drags Bianca up, SLAPS her around, but Bianca SLAPS back! Kairi whips, Bianca reveres, but Kairi holds ropes! Kairi ELBOWS Bianca, Asuka tags in! CODE BREAKER!
Asuka holds on, Kairi BLOCKBUSTERS! The fans fire up for the KABUKI SLIDING COMBO! Cover, TWO!! Bianca stays in this and the fans continue to rally. Asuka stomps away on Bianca, drags her around by an arm, and has a MOUNTED ARMBAR! Does Becky know Asuka’s using her move? Bianca endures, fights around, and lifts Asuka up! Torture rack, but Kairi tags in first! Kairi then saves Asuka from the Kiss of Death, and Asuka ROUNDHOUSES Bianca! Kairi goes up, Asuka has Bianca, but Bianca shoves Asuka away! Kairi leaps, Bianca gets under! Kairi hurries to grab the braid! Asuka waistlocks Bianca, but Bianca fights free!
Bianca reels Kairi in to short arm LARIAT! The fans are thunderous as Bianca and the Kabuki Warriors are all down! Hot tag to Jade! And she SPRINGBOARD CROSSBODIES! She gets both Asuka & Kairi! Jade runs, LARIAT for Kairi, BOOT for Asuka! Then a STINGER SPLASHY in one corner, STINGER SPLASH in the other, repeat! Asuka falls out, Kairi runs up, but into a SPINEBUSTER! Cover, Asuka breaks it! Jade is frustrated but she stays focused on Kairi. Jade drags Kairi up, wrenches and scoops, to then trophy lift! MILITARY PRESS SLAM! The fans fire up with Jade as she storm around. But Kairi BOOTS her back!
Asuka tags in, blocks a boot, and then URAKEN! URAKEN! SOBAT! KICK! MULE KICK! URAKEN! ROUNDHOUSE! Jade wobbles, Kairi tilt-o-whirls for DESTINO!! Cover, but Kairi forgets Asuka tagged in! Kairi still drags Jade around, but Jade UPPERCUTS her down! Jade herself thinks Kairi is still legal, but she whips! Kairi holds ropes, BOOTS back, and Asuka makes it clear this time. Asuka waistlocks, Jade throws elbows, but both women kick low! Jade SUPERKICKS! Asuka falls but Jade drags her back up. Jade reels Asuka in, but Asuka RAMS Jade into ropes! The ref counts, Kairi tags in!
Kairi gets around Jade, waistlocks, CLUBS her, but Jade choke grips! CHOKE SLAM! Jade staggers, maybe running out of steam, but she still gets Kairi up. Kairi trips Jade, pushes to a cover, TWO, into an ARMBAR!! Jade endures, Asuka catches Bianca! ARMBAR!! The fans rally while the strongEST team endures double submissions! Jade clasps hands, Bianca moves around, and then they both deadlift the Kabuki Warriors! STEREO POWERBOMBS!! All four women are down and the fans are thunderous! “This is Awesome!” as Bianca bails out, and Jade has both Kabuki Warriors! But they both kick back!
The Kabuki Warriors double whip, Bianca sneaks the tag! Jade KICKS Asuka, gets around Kairi, WHEELBARROW DDT GERMAN SUPLEX COMBO!! Cover, TWO?!?! Kairi survives all that and no one can believe it! Asuka is lurking behind Jade, too! Asuka YANKS Jade down, then sends her into steel steps! Bianca is furious, but Kairi rolls her up! TWO!! Bianca escapes, to SPINEBUSTER! Bianca runs at the corner, Kairi sends her into POST! Tag to Asuka, and they get Bianca up! InSANE DDT!! Cover, JADE BREAKS IT! The fans fire up and now the Kabuki Warriors are shocked! Kairi SLAPS Jade, then tags Asuka.
The Kabuki Warriors get Jade up, URAKEN! URAKEN! SOBAT! KICK! Kairi goes up but Jade blocks a kick to SUPERKICK! Kairi still leaps, but into Jade’s arms! Jade pops Kairi up and around, then into the chicken wings! JADED!! Bianca tags in, she gets Asuka in a torture rack! KISS OF DEATH onto Kairi!! Bianca covers, she and Jade wins!!
Winners: Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill, by pinfall (NEW WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions)
And the strongEST become the newEST! Bianca has a Triple Crown in the WWE, and Jade is already a champion just three matches in! DMG CTRL is now stuck on Raw, is this truly the last time Bianca has to worry about them?
WWE announces the opening round for The King & Queen of the Ring tournaments!
Monday Night Raw has decided on their brackets! First, in the Queen of the Ring: Ivy Nile VS Zoey Stark! Shayna Baszler VS Zelina Vega! Lyra Valkyria VS Asuka! Iyo Sky VS Natalya! And then for the Kings: Drew McIntyre VS Finn Balor! Kofi Kingston VS Rey Mysterio! Ricochet VS Ilja Dragunov! Gunther VS Sheamus! A star-studded show to be sure, but who will take one step closer to WWE’s return to Saudi Arabia?
Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes VS AJ Styles!
So much has already been said about this first-time-ever match-up over the last few weeks. Ships passing in the night, both men respecting each other but also both needing to win this match to solidify their legacies. Will the American Nightmare keep the dream alive? Or will The Phenomenal One end this new story before it even begins?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who is truly undisputed!
The bell rings and the fans are singing and jumping around so much, this place is practically shaking! Cody and Styles circle, tie up, and go around. They break, the fans fire up again, and the two reset. They tie up again, go around, and Cody puts Styles in a corner only for Styles to turn it around. They go along the ropes, into the corner, and they break again. Styles and Cody tie up again, Cody headlocks, and he hits a takeover. Styles keeps his shoulders up, pushes his way to a headscissor, but Cody pops free. The fans rally again as the two circle. Styles shoots in, gets a leg, but Cody rolls free.
The fans duel between Cody and Styles as the two reset again. The two feel it out, tie up, and Styles headlocks. Styles grinds the hold, hits a takeover, but Cody keeps his shoulders up. Cody pushes to a headscissor, Styles kips free, but Cody hits another headlock takeover! Styles headscissors again, Cody bridges, grabs at Styles, but Styles pulls thar arm down. Cody headstands, pops free, goes for the headlock, but Styles rolls through! Cody waistlocks, Styles waistlocks, they switch and switch, but Styles puts Cody in the corner! The fans cheer the exchange but Cody steps up. Styles shoves Cody, but Cody SLAPS Styles!
Styles staggers away as Cody gets him back for last night! The fans fire up behind Cody, and he resets with Styles. They tie up, but Styles knees low! Cody still puts Styles in a corner to CHOP! Styles CHOPS! Cody CHOPS! Repeat! The fans “WOO~” with every CHOIP, and Styles gets CHOP after CHOP! Styles headlocks, Cody powers out, then Cody drops, hurdles and DROPKICKS! The fans fire up and Cody cartwheels to give the Stardust to Styles! The fans are thunderous as the two reset again. The fans chant for “STARDUST! STARDUST!” The two knuckle lock, Styles kicks low then fires off CHOP after CHOP!
Styles whips and DROPKICKS Cody! Payback for the payback and the fans sing for the Phenomenal! Styles runs, but Cody back drops him away! Styles writhes and the fans fire up with Cody! Cody covers, ONE, but he clamps on with a chinlock. Styles endures, fights up, but Cody CLUBS the arm. Cody reels Styles in, suplexes, and holds Styles up! The fans cheer as Cody goes all the way to TEN before the GOURD BUSTER! Styles sputters, Cody looms over him, then Cody brings Styles up. But Styles RAMS him into a corner! Styles hammerlocks an arm and RAMS that shoulder into buckles! Styles wrenches the arm again, to hit a AMRBAR DDT!
The fans duel again as Styles brings Cody up. Styles wrenches the arm to WRING it out! Cody writhes, but Styles hammerlocks the arm to keep Cody down. Cody endures, fights up, and the fans rally. Cody throws forearms on Styles but Styles keeps the wristlock! Cody ROCKS Styles, runs, but Styles kitchen sink knees! The fans sing again, Styles brings Cody up to KICK him! And KICK him again! Cody crawls but Styles stalks him. Styles taunts Cody, kicks, but Cody blocks to hook Styles up, BACKPACK CRADLE! TWO, Cody tries again! TWO, RHODES UPPERCUT! But Styles PELES back!
The fans continue to rally while both men are down! Styles goes to ropes, stands up, runs back in, but Cody sends Styles into ropes! Styles gets jammed up and flops out of the ring! Cody builds speed and DIVES into a haymaker! Styles drags Cody out to SMACK off the English desk! The ring count starts, but Styles refreshes that. Styles drags Cody back up, to SMACK him off the desk again! Cody flounders around, Styles looks to the French desk. French commentary asks him not to, but he still clears their desk off! Styles brings Cody over, but Cody sends Styles into steel steps! Cody gets in the ring and the fans rally back up.
Cody drags himself up with ropes, Styles flounders to the apron, but Cody brings Styles up! Styles fires hands, Cody hits back, then Cody bumps Styles off buckles! Fans chant “Too Sweet! WOOP WOOP!” while Cody drags Styles up the corner. Styles throws body shots, but so does Cody! The fans fire up, and Cody lifts Styles! Stalling- NO, Styles slips free and YANKS Cody down! A hard landing for both men and Cody scrambles to a corner. Cody stands, but Styles storms up on him! Styles Electric Chair Lifts Cody, for a SLAM! Cody writhes on the Prime logo while the fans sing for The Phenomenal again.
Styles runs to LIONSAULT onto knees! Cody saves himself there, and both men are down! The fans cheer while Styles sputters and both men sit up. Styles drags himself to a corner and stands while Cody rises at center. Styles runs up but Cody counter punches! And counter punches again! And again! And again, and again! Cody whips, Styles reverses but Cody FOREARMS! Styles stays up, runs in at the corner, but Cody goes up and over! SNAP POWERSLAM! The fans fire up again and Cody feels it! The cameras are shaking from the power of the fans! Cody runs, springboard, BEAUTIFUL DISASTER KICK! Cover, TWO!
The fans continue to rally as Cody keeps his focus. Cody rises, the fans continue to sing, and Cody throws hands. Cody springboards again, but Styles catches him to another Electric Chair! But Cody victory rolls it, TWO! Styles fireman’s carries, USHIGOROSHI! Cover, TWO! Cody stays in this, the fans cheer, and Styles grits his teeth. Styles rises again, hobbling on that banged up leg. Cody rises, Styles runs up, but Cody dodges! BULLDOG! Both men are down again but Styles rolls to the apron. Cody steps out after him, “This is Awesome!” as Cody reels Styles in! But Styles suplexes first! APRON BRAINBUSTER!!
Cody sputters while on his feet, then flops over! Both men are down on the outside, the fans sing for The Phenomenal, and the ref checks Cody. Cody is somehow still in this, and the ring count climbs. Styles rolls in at 3 of 10, then goes back out. SLIDING KNEE, BLOCKED! Cody hits a POWERBOMB through the French commentary table!! The fans chant “OUI! OUI! OUI!” while both men are down again! The ring count starts again, both men are still down at 5 of 10! The fans count along, we pass 7, then 8! Both men stand at 9, and slide in safe at 9.5!! The fans are thunderous as this main event continues!
Styles flounders to a corner, runs up on Cody, DOUBLE LARIATS collide! Neither man falls, so they start throwing forearms back and forth! The fans are torn as the shots keep going! Cody fires hands, as does Styles, then both men ROUNDHOUSE! Both men fall and the fans fire up again! “This is Awesome!” as both men go to corners. Both men drag themselves up, fire up, and they both run in! They fire furious fists, then Cody throws body shots! Styles blocks to fire the PHENOMENAL BLITZ! Cody ducks the lariat to JAB, JAB, JAB! Flip! Flop! Fly and a little extra, BIONIC ELBOW! Cover, TWO! The fans are still electric as both men are down!
Both men sit up, Styles grabs at Cody but Cody kicks him away. Cody pounds the mat, the fans fire up with him, and Cody springboards! CODY CUT- NO, Styles dragon sleepers! Inverted suplex, into a gut wrench! Cody flips through to have Styles up! But Styles slips free! Cody runs in, into a BOOT! CORNER SNAP SUPLEX!! Cody slumps down the buckles and the fans sing for The Phenomenal again! Styles drags Cody up and around, scoops him and hits a BACKBREAKER! Cody is down in a drop zone and Styles goes to the corner. Styles aims from the apron, springboards, 450 SPLASH!! Cover, TWO!!
The fans are thunderous as Cody survives and Styles is frustrated. Styles stalks Cody, torture racks, and hits a BURNING HAMMER!! Cover, ONE?!?!? WHAT?!?! Cody punches himself and is all fired up! The fans are volcanic seeing this, but Styles KICKS, punches, repeat! Cody blocks a kick, spins him around, then springboards to CODY CUTTER!! Cover, TWO!!! Styles survives and Cody is beside himself! The fans rally as Styles crawls to the apron and Cody rises. The fans hope they “FIGHT FOREVER!” but this has to end somehow! Styles is in a corner now, Cody shakes his head. Styles tells him to bring it! They both run in, Cody LARIATS Styles down first!
The fans fire up again as Cody has a second wind! Cody storms around, calls his shot, and then dragon sleepers! CROSS- SNAPMARE! Styles ducks the lariat to PELE! Cody goes to a corner, Styles runs in, but Cody puts him on the apron! Styles ROCKS Cody and Cody staggers away! Elbow pad off, Styles springboards, PHENOMENAL- SUPERKICK!! Both men are down again and the fans continue to cheer! Cody drags Styles into a KIMURA!! Cody learned this from The Beast! Styles is caught in the body scissors, endures as Cody twists that elbow joint, and the fans duel as Styles fights up!
Styles manages to deadlift Cody off the mat, to SPINEBUSTER! Styles drags Cody up into position now, but Cody kicks free of the Clash! Cody BOOTS Styles, dragon sleepers, CROSS- NO, Styles turns things around again! Styles kicks, reels Cody in, STYLES- NO, Cody fights that off to back drop! Styles sunset flips, Cody sists on it! TWO!! Styles swings, Cody dodges to go up and up and SUPER CODY CUTTER!!! The fans are volcanic again as Cody rises! Cody says this is it! Dragon sleeper, CROSS RHODES!!! Cover, Cody wins!
Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall (still Undisputed WWE Champion)
That match was Just Too Sweet! A truly phenomenal match, but that just shows how The American Nightmare is undeniable! Will Cody keep writing this incredible “sequel” to his story?
My Thoughts:
I know “Phenomenal” has been used a lot because of how AJ Styles was on this show, but it is truly a fitting adjective for this year’s Backlash. Lyon, France as a crowd definitely proved they were the right location. They were non-stop energy between both last night on SmackDown and right here for Backlash, it added to everyone’s energy, including my own, so much fun. Opening with the Bloodline match was a bit surprising, but it was a great move given it turned into a Street Fight. And the surprise of the night happened here with Tanga Loa making a debut. I did not see that coming, I honestly thought he was still with NJPW, but here he is, and that’s awesome.
The Triple Threat was a great follow-up for that tag match, especially with how WWE has learned from other places how to book a Triple Threat that almost never slows down. They didn’t constantly boil it down to 1v1 pairings until closer to the end, and it was great seeing Naomi and Bayley take Tiff out with a tag team finisher to get there. Bayley’s quick pin win is great for everyone, we can definitely get some more of Bayley and Naomi 1v1 and same for Bayley and Tiff 1v1. Great promo from Jey with The Bloodline, because it was actually more powerful that they didn’t speak. It was just Jey knowing that The Bloodline is getting more dangerous and outta control, and in a way, it’s because Jey left at a pivotal moment.
Priest VS Jey for the world title was a great match, and a solid halfway point on the card. Turns out that Judgment Day can interfere on Priest’s behalf and not muck it up, but Priest still doesn’t like that they’re beating up on people when, in Priest’s opinion, it’s not needed. I’m still sensing that Priest could be leaving Judgment Day because he’s trying to do things in a respectable way and they wanna stay vicious, “pack of wild dog” Heels. Something’s gotta give, and either way, I’d love seeing Priest VS Finn for the title. Great picks for those King & Queen of the Ring brackets, but with McIntyre VS Finn in round one, I feel like so much of the tournament is determined right there.
Great Women’s Tag Team Championship match, though it got a bit wonky in the middle when ref and Kabuki Warriors lost track of who was what. But either way, great to see Bianca & Jade defying the go-home math. They stood tall with Naomi and Bayley last night, and they still won the titles here tonight. Bianca’s grudge against DMG CTRL didn’t cost them, and now with some teams moving around, we can get some fun, fresh match-ups for these titles. And then, the fans just never stopped losing their minds during Cody VS Styles, taking what was a great match and making it feel truly awesome. But I figured Cody would retain, he just got the belt and there is any number of match-ups for him to still do.
Maybe Styles’ story after this is sorting things out with The OC since they’re all still on the same brand. There are still plenty of factions they can feud with for the Summer, like The Pride, Legado, and the Logan-Theory-Waller friends. Maybe Styles also gets in on King of the Ring, as SmackDown’s bracket wasn’t announced yet.
My Score: 9.2/10
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