Coverage
Mitchell’s NJPW AXS TV Results: G1 Climax 29, Part 7!
This is it for B Block!
B Block reaches its conclusion!
The Golden Star represents A Block, but who will represent B Block in the G1 Climax 29 Finals?! Will it be the Death Rider, the Fierce Warrior, the Switchblade, or the leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Toru Yano VS Jeff Cobb; Cobb wins.
- Tomohiro Ishii VS Taichi; Taichi wins.
- Jon Moxley VS Juice Robinson; Robinson wins.
- Shingo Takagi VS Hirooki Goto; Takagi wins.
- Jay White VS Tetsuya Naito; White wins and meets Kota Ibushi in the G1 Climax 29 Finals.
PLAY BY PLAY
NJPW and AXS set the scene for the other penultimate Climax!
There’s a four-way fight to the finish to see who meets Kota Ibushi in THE G1 Climax Finals! Death Rider Jon Moxley was the front runner early, but has lost to the Switchblade as well as Chaos’ Fierce Warrior and Clown Prince! Now Mox, Goto, White and Naito are equals at 10 points! Moxley must determine his own fate in a non-title rematch against the Flamboyant Juice Robinson! Meanwhile, Goto faces a Muscle Dragon while White and Naito could surely determine the entire block on their own! Who survives the B Block traffic jam to meet the Golden Star?
Toru Yano VS Jeff Cobb!
The phrase “mathematically eliminated” means NOTHING to the jokester and the juggernaut! Who comes away with points of pride on the final night of B Block action?
The bell rings and fans cheer Yano. Cobb wants Yano to take his shirt off, though, so there aren’t any shenanigans. Wait what is that in his pants? The referee checks, and sees a lot of tape rolls. Yano admits he was sneaking them, but Cobb suspects something more. Wait there’s a fourth roll in Yano’s booty! Yano admits to that, to, but he wants Cobb double checked. There’s nothing extra to find! Yano says to check the booty and Cobb turns around, for Yano to roll him up! TWO, but Yano is right on Cobb by tucking Cobb’s arms into his own singlet! Cobb’s singlet is a trap! Yano rolls Cobb up again, TWO! Cobb tries to kip-up but with no arms, it doesn’t work. He gets up and pulls his arms back out, and fans applaud Yano’s ingenuity. However, Yano does apologize to Cobb and offers a handshake. Cobb takes it, but Yano’s death grip barely makes him flinch. Cobb’s grip makes Yano fall to the mat!
Cobb grins as he brings Yano up for a whip. Yano holds the ropes, then dodges to bail out of the ring. Yano goes out past the blue rails towards the fans. Fans cheer him on, so Yano returns ringside. The referee keeps Cobb back but Yano is egging him on. And then Yano goes for the buckle pad! Yano frees “Luke” but Cobb throws Yano back in! Cobb wants to help put “Luke” back on but Yano’s after “Tom”, the other pad! “Tom” is free but Yano kicks him aside as Cobb runs in! Cobb whips Yano but Yano stops himself! Yano dodges but Cobb stops himself before hitting bare buckles. Yano runs in but gets those buckles! And then gets thrown overhead! Cobb says no more shenanigans, time for forearms! He throws many forearms, then runs, but Yano grabs hair. Cobb gives more forearms then whips, but Yano reverses to belly2belly Cobb!
Fans fire up for Yano’s legit wrestling skills, but he takes too long with his #YTR taunt. Cobb runs in but somehow Yano ducks the clothesline! Yano smacks Cobb in the head, then runs, only to run into a lariat! Cobb looms over Yano while doing a #Gachimuchi version of the YTR taunt, then the standing moonsault! Cover, TWO! Yano barely survives and Cobb is a little shocked. Cobb blocks Yano’s low blow uppercut, but Yano dodges the clothesline to shove Cobb at the ref! Cobb stops himself in time, but also turns to stop Yano from another low blow attempt. Yano dodges, and has the ref as a shield! The ref reprimands Yano but Cobb runs at them both. Yano dodges and pushes the referee away, to low blow mule kick! But Cobb catches that, too! And uses it to spin Yano around for a SUPERKICK! Cobb takes Yano on a TOUR OF THE ISLANDS! Cover, Cobb wins!
Winner: Jeff Cobb, by pinfall
The Hawaiian Juggernaut finishes his G1 debut with a win because he took Yano seriously. Will Cobb only get stronger from here?
Tomohiro Ishii VS Taichi!
The Stone Pitbull and the World’s Sliest Wrestler meet again in hopes of finishing the G1 strong. Will Taichi not only end with a win but with a win over the current NEVER Openweight Champion? Or will Ishii deny Taichi two birds with one stone?
The bell rings and Taichi goes right at Ishii with an ax bomber! Then a saido suplex! Cover, TWO!! Ishii survives this shockingly aggressive opening, but Taichi isn’t letting up. Taichi tries to lift Ishii, and does, but Ishii fights out of the bomb. Taichi boots Ishii down and fans rally. Ishii blocks a new saido and clubs Taichi off. Taichi boots Ishii again and Ishii is down in a corner. Fans rally for Ishii as Taichi kicks at him. The referee backs Taichi off and Ishii slowly sits up. Taichi comes back to stomp Ishii and grind a foot into him. The referee again reprimands Taichi but Taichi drags Ishii up. Ishii flops down but drags himself up. Taichi has Ishii but Ishii headbutts, so Taichi kicks him down! Taichi whips Ishii to a corner but Ishii comes back with a shoulder! Taichi staggers back but returns with a shoulder of his own, and runs Ishii over!
Fans rally and duel now as Taichi looms over Ishii. Taichi kicks at Ishii, toying with him. Ishii sits up but Taichi stomps him back down. Taichi continues to toy with Ishii before he snapmares and swiftly kicks Ishii in the back! And again! Ishii sits up and those kicks just start to anger him. Ishii grits his teeth as he stands, only to get kicks to his leg! Taichi runs, but into a powerslam! Both men are down but fans rally up. Taichi and Ishii crawl to opposite ends, and Ishii runs in corner to corner. Ishii misses and gets an enziguri! Ishii drops down but Taichi won’t let up. The buzzsaw is blocked, Ishii ROCKS Taichi with a forearm then throws him with a German Suplex! Taichi crashes down and both men are again crawling to opposite ends.
Ishii fires up and runs in, but Taichi boots. Taichi kicks but Ishii eggs him on. Ishii chops, Taichi kicks, repeat! Neither man backs down, they only pick up speed! Taichi gets an edge and has Ishii hobbling. He whips Ishii but Ishii reverses to hit a BIG corner clothesline! Ishii drags Taichi up and hoists him to the top rope. Ishii climbs up to join Taichi, and fans fire up as Taichi resists. But Ishii still gets Taichi up for a stalling SUPERPLEX! Cover, TWO!! Taichi survives but Ishii is just fired up more. Ishii waits for Taichi to stand, and Taichi slowly rises. Ishii runs, but the lariat is blocked. Ishii dodges ax bomber to hit a back suplex of his own! But Taichi stands right up! Only to get an ax bomber from Ishii! Ishii drags Taichi back up and runs, Sliding Lariat! Cover, TWO!!
Ishii won’t stop, he drags Taichi back up. Suplex, but Taichi slips out to boot. Taichi throws Ishii into buckles then enziguris him in the back! Both men are down again but fans still rally and duel. Taichi sits up first while Ishii writhes. Taichi stands up first, but Ishii follows. Ishii blocks a clothesline with a clothesline, but Taichi dodges the enziguri! Taichi hits the buzzsaw! Taichi catches his breath before preparing his arm. Ishii stands and gets another ax bomber! Cover, TWO!! Ishii still lives but Taichi wants to end this. Taichi powerbomb lifts but Ishii back drops out! Ishii runs into a roundhouse, ax bomber to the back! Another enziguri! And now Taichi has Ishii, LAST RIDE! Cover, TWO!? Ishii survives and the fans are thunderous!
Both men hear the fans dueling again as they stir. Taichi is up and rips off the pants! He powers up and aims at Ishii. Ishii dodges but runs into an Alabama lift, only to fight out of Black Mephisto! Ishii lifts Taichi but Taichi slips out. Taichi’s kick is blocked by a clothesline! Ishii backs up to run in, but into a boot! He comes around from the left, but Taichi tanks the lariat! To ROCK Ishii with that right! Taichi tries another ax bomber, Ishii doesn’t budge! Ishii headbutts Taichi down! Ishii fires up as fans are thunderous again! Taichi slowly stands, Ishii runs, HUGE LARIAT! Cover, TWO!?! Taichi shocks Ishii now! But Ishii roars again as fans hit a fever pitch. Ishii suplexes, but Taichi fights out. Ishii spins Taichi around for another try but Taichi slips out to hook kick, then mule kick! ROUNDHOUSE! SAIDO!
Ishii staggers to his feet, ENZIGURI from Taichi! But he’s up again?! Taichi gives Ishii another saido! Cover, TWO!?! Is Ishii made of stone or steel?! Taichi still has one thing left to try. He aims from a corner, but Ishii blocks the superkick to give an enziguri! Taichi shakes it off, SUPERKICK! Alabama, BLACK MEPHISTO!! Cover, Taichi wins!!
Winner: Taichi, by pinfall
Miho Abe is so proud of him! Taichi not only gets one last win in the G1, but he just pinned the NEVER Openweight Champion, without cheating once! Can this Taichi be the one that shines brightest of all?
Jon Moxley VS Juice Robinson!
The first time these two met, it was for the IWGP United States Championship, and the Flamboyant One would lose the gold to the Death Rider. This is a non-title rematch, but perhaps Juice can be just like Taichi and secure a future title match with one more win in the G1. Or will Mox cross Juice off the list while keeping his G1 hopes alive?
The bell rings and fans are dueling already. Moxley and Juice circle and feel it out. Moxley wants Juice’s bad leg and Juice knows it. Juice stays out of Moxley’s grip but Moxley offers him a free shot. Juice takes it with a left forearm, but Moxley comes back with his right. They go back and forth already, but Moxley headbutts first. Moxley whips but Juice reverses to then hit a corner clothesline. But Moxely gets forehead to forehead with him! The brawling of forearms continues and picks up speed. Juice headbutts now, and whips, but Moxley reverses to hit his own clothesline. And Juice also gets forehead to forehead! Juice knees lows then suplexes, but Moxley fights that off. Moxley suplexes but Juice slips out, only for his leg to jam!
Moxley has Juice in the corner and grinds his forearms in, to then kick the bad leg! Moxley puts the leg on the ropes to attack more, running corner to corner to dropkick the knee! Juice hobbles away but Moxley stalks him to a new corner. Moxley puts the leg on the ropes to drop a knee on the knee! Juice rolls and writhes while fans cheer Moxley’s aggression. Moxley drops an elbow on Juice’s knee and wrenches on the leg. Juice endures the toehold as Moxley cranks and grinds. Juice headbutts but Moxley rams a knee into the leg. Moxley stalks Juice to kick the leg out! Moxley hooks the leg for a snapping deathlock! And another! Juice endures but Moxley gets up, winds it up, and flips the dirty birds before hitting a third! Juice gets the ropes and Moxley finally lets him go.
Moxley waits for Juice to stand, and Juice CHOPS back! Moxley CHOPS Juice, then kicks him down. Fans rally as Moxley grabs the leg to stomp Juice’s stomach. Moxley drops an elbow then covers, ONE! But Moxley has the legs for a Figure Four! Juice endures as fans rally up. Moxley and Juice sit up in the hold and start throwing SLAPS! Juice works to turn the hold over, and gets it! Moxley endures the hold now, but gets a ropebreak. The referee helps them come apart, and the two men stand. Juice elbows then fireman’s carries, but Moxley dodges Juice Box into a Cloverleaf! Juice is enduring all over again, but just misses the ropebreak by a fingertip! Moxley leans on the hold but Juice powers up! Juice turns it over and BITES Moxley’s ear! Moxely staggers off, and Juice reveals he took the earring! And he throws it to the crowd!
Juice glares at Moxley, as if to say they’re even now. Moxley runs and the two collide with clotheslines! And again! Juice dodges the third time to flapjack Moxley, then lariat him back down! Moxley gets to a corner but Juice is on him with hammering hands! Red Shoes gets Juice to let off, but he comes back with a BIG corner clothesline! Fans cheer as Juice goes corner to corner, CANNONBALL! But Juice doesn’t cover, he heads up top! Moxley stands as Juice reaches the top rope. Juice leaps for a big crossbody, but Moxley rolls through! Moxley wants the Figure Four again but Juice shoves him off. Moxley ends up outside, and Juice goes to follow, but he gets a chop block on the apron! Moxley tells cameramen to move as he goes around the corner. Moxley finds a TABLE under the ring! Juice slingshots to take Moxley down first!
Juice clutches his knee, but he eyes the table Moxley brought out. Juice brings Moxley up and whips him to the railing! Then he goes back to that table. Red Shoes reprimands Juice not to do anything with it, so Juice puts it back under the ring. Big thumbs up and cheers, but Moxley yanks Juice into the railing! Moxley gets in the ring to refresh the count, and then puts Juice in, to sling that bad leg into the post! And again! Moxley looks to Figure Four on the post, but thinks better of it. He swings the leg into the post a third time for good measure, though. Moxley goes back under the ring to bring out a chair! He brings that around, but Juice moves in time! Moxley SMACKS post and loses the chair. He grabs Juice’s legs, but Juice uses that to yank Mox into the post!
Juice stands up on the apron, for another CANNONBALL! Juice grabs the chair Moxley found, and sets it by commentary. Juice keeps clean as he puts Moxley in. Fans rally up as Juice climbs up. Juice leaps, BIG crossbody hits! But he bounces off and has to crawl back for a cover, TWO! Juice grits his teeth and clutches his knee, but he pumps up. Moxley throws a forearm, but Juice jabs. Moxley throws haymakers of his own, and fans start chanting “MOX!” It’s “JUICE!” against “MOX!” with every punch thrown! Juice gets the edge and staggers Mox, but Mox kicks the bad leg. Juice still comes back with a left lariat, but Moxley just tanks it! Moxley spins for a forearm, but Juice just powers up! Only to swing into another lariat! Moxley has the fans fired up as he drags Juice back up. Underhook, lift, but Juice fights it off.
Juice full nelsons, but Moxley breaks free. Juice has the chicken wings and spins Moxley around, but Moxley slips out to trip Juice to a heel hook! Moxley twists the leg as hard as he can but Juice refuses to quit! Fans rally and Juice drags himself over, but Moxley lets up to drag him away. Moxley hooks the leg in another deathlock, but he just hammers away on Juice’s head first! Then the crossface, for the STF!! Juice is turning red but fans are rallying as hard as ever! Juice is fading and Red Shoes checks on him. Red Shoes raises the hand, it drops once. Twice. But Juice comes to life on the third time! Moxley thinks he’s won, but Juice’s hand is gripping Red Shoes’ leg! Moxley argues with Red Shoes, but Red Shoes saw Juice survive. Moxley vows to end this, running Regal Knee! And then, suplex, X-PLEX!
Moxley wants Red Shoes to call Juice out now, but Red Shoes refuses. So Moxley flips Red Shoes off, too. Moxley goes looking for things, and brings in more chairs! Red Shoes hurries to get them out, but Moxley is throwing more things, like buckets and a camera and of course a table! Moxley gets in but Red Shoes warns him. Juice comes to life and rolls Moxley up! TWO!! Moxley ducks a Left Hand of God but not the RIGHT hand! Juice wants to finish it, but Moxley BITES him again!! Juice hits a right AND a left! And then another left! Chicken wings, PULP FRICTION! Cover, Juice wins!!
Winner: Juice Robinson, by pinfall
Revenge is sweet for Juice in the G1! He ruins Moxley’s run and has a way back to the IWGP United States Championship! What will the third time around for these two be like?!
Shingo Takagi VS Hirooki Goto!
With the Death Rider out of the running, the door might be open for the Fierce Warrior to get back to the G1 Finals! But can he do it against LIJ’s impressive Muscle Dragon?
The bell rings and fans are already fired up for this showdown. Shingo and Goto tie up and Goto pushes Shingo back. Red Shoes calls for the break and Goto honors it. Shingo comes back fast and now he has Goto on the ropes. Shingo also honors the break, only to CHOP Goto back! Goto headlocks Shingo but Shingo powers out. These two collide with shoulders but neither falls! Goto dares Shingo to go, so Shingo does. They collide again and still neither falls. Now they start throwing forearms, but neither man backs down. They are fast and furious already, and Goto gets an edge. Goto runs but Shingo dodges only for Goto to dodge. Goto bumps Shingo with a shoulder but Shingo rebounds to run Goto over! Fans cheer the younger Dragon finally having the veteran down.
Shingo drops elbows on Goto over and over, and a back senton! Cover, ONE, but Shingo has Goto in a rear bearhug. Fans rally and duel as Goto gets up. Goto gets to the ropes but Shingo throws in knees. Shingo whips and follows to knee Goto, then suplexes him high and hard! Goto winces but Shingo covers, ONE. Shingo keeps his cool and goes after Goto for a seated stretch. Shingo rams in elbows to bring Goto down. Goto gets up but Shingo starts toying with him. Shingo eggs Goto on and Goto blocks a kick only to get a forearm. But Goto deflects a boot to lariat Shingo down! Shingo bails out of the ring, and Goto catches his breath. Shingo takes his time returning despite Goto’s goading. Goto backs off and Shingo get sin, only for Goto to be right on him with stomps!
Goto hammers Shingo in the corner, then whips corner to corner. Shingo reverses and runs in, but Goto catches him to put him up top right away! Goto drags Shingo out, draping neckbreaker! Cover, TWO! Goto stomps Shingo while fans rally and duel again. Shingo holds the ropes but Goto just stomps him more. Goto clubs Shingo then snapmares for a swift kick! Cover, ONE, but Goto goes at Shingo with a chinlock. Shingo endures as Goto digs his knee into the back and drives an elbow into his face. Goto headscissor holds Shingo down but Shingo endures, even as Goto pushes up to squeeze tighter. Goto hammers Shingo’s chest, but Shingo uses long legs for a ropebreak. Goto lets up only to club and whip Shingo corner to corner. Goto hits a corner clothesline, but Shingo eggs him on, so Goto quickly clotheslines him again!
Fans rally as Goto brings Shingo up. Shingo breaks free but his bad shoulders slow him down. They start throwing forearms and CHOPS nonetheless, and Shingo puts some stank on the chops. Goto comes back with forearms, only to get a two hand CHOP! Shingo runs, Goto follows but Shingo intercepts the clothesline, to then SAIDO! Both men are down but fans rally up again. Shingo gets up first and drags Goto up again. Goto resists the bomb lift and back drops Shingo instead! Goto runs, but into a back elbow. JAB, LEFT LARIAT! Cover, TWO! Shingo keeps his focus as fans are dueling again. The chants for Shingo are pretty louder as he goes to lift Goto in the Gory underhooks. Goto resists, so Shingo spins him around, only for Goto to suplex Shingo! Both men are down again but head for opposite ends.
Goto runs in at Shingo for the wheel kick! Then gives Shingo his own saido! Cover, TWO! Goto drags Shingo back up and fireman’s carries but Shingo slips out. Goto fights off Shingo’s waistlock, but gets a rabbit lariat. Shingo runs but into a sleeper hold! Goto squeezes Shingo but Shingo backs him into buckles. Goto holds on but Shingo manages to arm-drag Goto off. Only to run back into the hold! Shingo starts fading but pumps himself back up. He backpack sentons Goto! Shingo gasps for air while Goto writhes. Shingo drags Goto up for the Sliding Lariat! Then the underhooks, NOSHIGAMI! Cover, TWO!! Goto still lives but Shingo has the fans on his side. Shingo drags Goto up and pump handles, but Goto resists. Goto elbows out, but gets a lariat! And another!
Shingo runs, but Goto follows to clothesline back! Shingo stays on his feet! Goto runs, but into a point-blank Pumping Bomber against the ropes! Shingo runs but Goto comes back and they both clothesline! Goto hits another clothesline outta nowhere! Then drags Shingo up, fireman’s carry, USHIGOROSHI! Cover, TWO!! Shingo survives but Goto grits his teeth! Goto drags Shingo up and kicks away on the chest. Then he brings Shingo up for an even bigger kick! Cover, TWO! Goto keeps going, dragon sleeper, but Shingo fights back. Shingo forearms then headbutts! It staggers both men, but Shingo runs into another fireman’s carry! Shigno slips out, pump handles, MADE! IN! JAPAN! Cover, TWO!?! Goto survives and the fans are back at that fever pitch!
Shingo runs in corner to corner for a BIG clothesline, then runs for PUMPING BOMBER! Cover, TWO!! Goto survives again and Shingo is starting to wonder what he has to do. But Shingo fires up, pump handles and torture racks, but Goto slips out! Goto has the dragon sleeper, but Shingo slips around to suplex! Goto resists and suplexes but Shingo fights out. Goto breaks free only to get a JAB! Shingo throws elbows from both sides over and over! Then Shingo swings, into Goto’s headbutt! Goto grits his teeth, brings Shingo around, Inverse GTR! Goto brings Shingo up and powers up, only to get another PUMPING BOMBER! Both men are down and fans reach that level beyond fever pitch! Shingo rises first and runs, only for Goto to dodge. Both men come back, only for PUMPING BOMBER to win out!! Cover, TWO!?!
Shingo is at a loss for words! He drags Goto up and pump handles again. Torture rack, LAST OF THE DRAGONS! Cover, Shingo wins!!
Winner: Shingo Takagi, by pinfall
The Last of the Dragons falls, and so does another contender! Goto won’t return to the G1 Climax Finals now, and Shingo has one of the biggest wins in his NJPW career! But now, the main event MUST have a winner!!
Jay White VS Tetsuya Naito!
The Switchblade wants to revive the Cutthroat Era. The IWGP Intercontinental Champion wants to realize his dual reign destiny. What movement takes that next step forward?
As always, Naito takes his time with his elaborate entrance attire. White himself knows how to play mind games so he isn’t annoyed by Naito’s. Naito finishes preparing and the bell rings. Fans are on Naito’s side not just because they hate the Switchblade. White plays his usual games and bails out of the ring. But just as White wasn’t bothered by Naito’s games, Naito isn’t bothered by White’s. White returns slowly and Naito gives him space. But then White just bails out again, and fans boo. Naito runs over, but he fakes White out to Tranquilo~! White runs back in but now Naito bails out to give White a taste of his own trolling. White applauds that, and lets Naito have his space. Naito rolls in but just rolls right back out. Now White gets annoyed and gives chase. Gedo comes by but Naito dodges and shoves him into White! Naito hits White then whips White into railing!
Naito comes by and mocks White’s pain before stomping him. Naito throws White into the apron then elbows him back. White staggers to railing but Naito bumps him off the apron again. Naito elbows White again and White staggers back into railing. Naito just keeps clubbing White before putting him back in the ring. Fans cheer that the action is finally in the ring. Naito stomps White then grinds him into the ropes. He whips but White holds ropes to bail out. Naito kicks him between the ropes, then rakes eyes. Red Shoes reprimands Naito but Naito kicks and forearms White into the corner. White wants a timeout but Naito whips him corner to corner. Naito runs in, but misses the kick to get a CHOP! And another! White grinds his forearms into Naito’s face before a third CHOP!
White throws knees and runs, but into Naito’s atomic drop! Then Naito gets White with the jump kick, but White throws Naito down on the apron by his hair! No combinacio cabron there as Naito slumps to the floor. White whips Naito into railing HARD! White drags Naito up to whip him the other way! White leaves Naito behind to mock the LIJ poses. Fans boo but White smirks as he fetches Naito into the ring. White watches Naito crawl while mocking Tranquilo. White hits a back elbow in the corner, then a DDT! Cover, TWO! Fans rally for Naito while White grows frustrated. White drags Naito back out to ram him into railing! Then the apron edge! Then the railing again! And then the apron! White continues to mock LIJ while Naito writhes.
Red Shoes reprimands White and there is no ring count. White puts Naito in to cover, but Red Shoes won’t until there’s been sufficient time after those questionable tactics. White puts Naito in a chinlock and drives his knee in. Naito endures and fans rally up. Naito reaches with his legs as White pulls back on the neck. Naito gets to his feet and fights free, only for White to throw him down again. White toys with Naito now, but Naito throws body shots! White CHOPS Naito again, then runs, but Naito kicks. Naito turns but into a forearm! White runs but into the shotgun boot! Both men are down but fans rally up. White and Naito stand and Naito fires off strikes. Naito whips but White reverses. Naito holds the ropes and boots White back, to then huricanrana him down! White ends up on ropes but Naito elbows him down to dropkick him in the back!
Fans rally again as Naito drags White up. Naito whips White corner to corner, COMBINACION CABRON! Naito does the LIJ pose proper now. He shakes out the cobwebs, too, and goes back to White. Naito stands White up, spins him around, backbreaker to neckbreaker! Cover, TWO! Naito keeps his cool as he stomps White. Naito cranks White’s neck in a mounted cravat. White fights his way up but Naito snapmares him down for a modified leg-based full nelson. Naito starts slapping White around but that only angers White. White tries to push to a cover but Naito slaps him around more. White reaches and kicks his way over for a ropebreak. Naito holds on until Red Shoes counts, which irritates White more. The two are separated but Naito waistlocks. White fights him off, only for Naito to club him down.
Naito waistlocks but White standing switches only to get an elbow. Naito spins White but White spins out to hit a complete shot! Then deadlift German Suplex! White drags Naito up again, but Naito resists the neckbreaker. White CHOPS Naito again, but Naito resists the urenage. Naito elbows away on White, but White fires off a strike fest, only to get an enziguri! Naito whips, White reverses, Naito leaps, but INTO the urenage! White fires himself up and drags Naito up for a fisherman. But Naito wriggles out of the Kiwi Krusher to hit a DDT! Both men are down and fans rally up again. Naito sits up first but White follows. Naito shakes out more cobwebs before dragging White up. Hammerlock, but White clubs Naito. Naito clubs back, then tries again. White pulls hair to resist Gloria, and then yanks Red Shoes into Naito!
Fans boo because Gedo has brass knuckles! Naito blocks the sucker punch to LOW BLOW Gedo! Naito blocks White’s low blow, spits on White then whips! But White reverses only to get the flying forearms! Naito keeps on White, GLORIA! Cover, TWO!! White lives but Naito says Tranquilo! Naito drags White up and wrenches, only for White to elbow Destino away. Naito hits a rolling heel kick, then tornado DDT with the ropes! Naito drags White up again, wrenches, but White shoves Naito at Red Shoes. Red Shoes gets clear, but White plays dead. White’s new tactic only gets him stomped by Naito. Naito drags White up by his hair, but White hits the SAIDO! White grins as he drags Naito back up. White throws Naito with another saido suplex! But now he fisherman’s, KIWI KRUSHER! Cover, TWO!!
Fans cheer but White is furious. He drags Naito up and slashes the throat. He has Naito in position, but Naito slips out to REVERSE RANA! Naito didn’t get all of it, but he tilt-o-whirls to DESTINO! Cover, TWO!? Naito is shocked that White survives! But fans are rallying, so Naito tires again, but White slips out of Destino for a Sleeper Hold Suplex! White drags Naito around and brings him up, BLADE- NO! DEST- No, no Destino! But Naito escapes Blade Runner again for a full nelson! White fights out, reels Naito in but Naito slips out again to suplex. White slips out, sleeper hold but Naito pops out, tilt-o-whirl, into another SLEEPER SUPLEX! White brings Naito up once again, BRAIN BUSTER! And then BLADE RUNNER!! Cover, White wins!!
Winner: Jay White, by pinfall; advances to the G1 Climax 29 Finals
Gedo brags right in Rocky Romero’s face, because he knew all along The Switchblade would pull it off! White mocks LIJ as he stands over Naito. Will White and Gedo be smiling after facing the Golden Star?
NJPW returns as Jay White takes the mic.
“Hey, Naito! Tranquilo!” Fans boo White as he laughs and says to “get that piece of sh*t out of here!” White notices fans already getting up out of their seats and mockingly asks where they’re going. “Did your hero fail you again?” White said he told us all that this was HIS G1! It still is! White told them all to believe what he says, and to Breath with The Switchblade. And now White is in the FINALS! White talks with Gedo and Gedo lets White have the ring alone. White calls out Ibushi! Fans want to see Ibushi, too, and so Ibushi appears! White wants Ibushi to be in the ring with him. Ibushi obliges, and White promises this is just a chat. The G1 Finals, Golden Star VS Switchblade, 1v1, NO GEDO. That surprises everyone, but White wants to prove he is worthy.
White offers a handshake, and Ibushi takes it. But Ibushi sees the cheap shot coming and almost gets White back! White laughs but Ibushi knows what to expect. But then Gedo gets Ibushi at the apron and White chop blocks the bad ankle! White rains down fists and stomps and dragon screws the leg! Gedo keeps Young Lions from getting in to help, and even throws in a chair! White takes the chairs, and puts one around the ankle! White takes the other chair to SMACK away on the trapped ankle!! Fans boo as hard as ever, but it doesn’t matter because the damage is done! “Ibushi, tomorrow at G1 Finals, you will breathe with the Switchblade!” Has White just ensured his victory?
NJPW Media backstage interview
Jay White grins as he says, “I’ll show you! I’m not just the best. I’m the best because I’m the smartest. Naito, tranquilo, buddy.” Everyone thought they could stop White, but White stopped destiny. As for White’s destiny, that is Ibushi! White has been counting down the days, and he’ll defeat someone even more popular than Naito. IT will be that much more enjoyable! What he did to Ibushi’s leg is just a sample. White doesn’t expect this to last even 10 minutes. He’ll make Ibushi infamous for the biggest embarrassment in G1 history! Is the Cutthroat Era’s return inevitable?
My Thoughts:
A really good two hours from NJPW and AXS again, but a lot harder to avoid spoilers since AXS waited all week for this one. But that aside, it was all still great stuff to set up THE G1 Climax Finals, which AXS will also have next Saturday. Yano VS Cobb was fast and fun, and of course Cobb wins to finish strong. We got some interesting parallels as Taichi and Robinson, and even White in the grand scheme of things, pin a current champion. This sets up a lot of stuff for following events, such as another Ishii VS Taichi for the NEVER Openweight and another Moxley VS Robinson for the United States Championship. Those will be a lot of fun since they’ll surely escalate from the incredible matches we got tonight. Takagi really does get one of the biggest wins of his NJPW career beating Goto, who himself is a multi-time Openweight Champion. This is a great preview of NJPW’s new generation that’s ready to step up in the next few years.
White VS Naito was really good given they each tried mind games, but also knew each other’s moves so well as to escape and counter and escape again like that. I suppose the expectation of Ibushi VS Naito III for the G1 Finals was reason enough to surprise us with White winning. At the same time, I’m reminded of hearing all of White’s booking is a substitute for Kenny Omega’s booking if he was still in NJPW right now and not part of AEW. I could definitely see this story told differently with Omega in there, beating Naito to then get his match with Ibushi while also possibly getting back to Okada. But now that it’s White, it really works to give someone just to hate as Ibushi goes back to back in the finals.
White saying “No Gedo” should’ve been a bad sign right away, and he gets great Heel points, but is this perhaps too much for Ibushi to believably overcome? Granted, WWE did just have Seth Rollins beat Brock Lesnar with wrecked ribs, but usually NJPW isn’t the kind to need a suspension of disbelief. Since this is all delayed by days, I of course know the results by internet spoilers, but I suppose there is still a way to make this match incredible partially because of the bad ankle being a spot of focus.
My Score: 9.3/10
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Quien es el mejor del mundo? Who is the best in the world?
WWE and AAA are now united, and to celebrate, they put together on an incredible card for Worlds Collide 2025 in Los Angeles, California!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Six Man Tag: Dragon Lee, Cruz Del Toro & Lince Dorado VS Aerostar, Octagon Jr. & Mr. Iguana; win.
- Six Man Tag: Legado Del Fantasma VS Pagano, Psycho Clown & El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr; win(s).
- Stephanie Vaquer & Lola Vice VS Dalys & Chik Tormenta; win.
- NXT North American Championship Fatal 4 Way: Ethan Page VS Je’Von Evans VS Rey Fenix VS Laredo Kid; wins and
- AAA Mega Championship: El Hijo del Vikingo VS Chad Gable; wins and
PLAY BY PLAY
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
SmackDown is going big in Bakersfield!
John Cena, Logan Paul, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, and ALL TWELVE Money in the Bank contenders, all here on the same night! Is SmackDown about to blow the roof off this place?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- JC Mateo w/ Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu VS Jimmy Uso; Jimmy wins.
- Bakersfield Brawl: Zelina Vega VS Piper Niven w/ The Green Administration; Zelina wins.
- LA Knight VS Aleister Black; Knight wins, by disqualification.
- Six Woman Tag: Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss & Stephanie Vaquer VS Naomi, Roxanne Perez & Giulia; Rhea, Alexa & Vaquer win.
- Andrade & PENTA VS The Creed Brothers w/ Chad Gable; Andrade & Penta win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Seth Rollins heads to the ring!
The Visionary is just one of the six men in this year’s Money in the Bank Ladder match, and he of course has Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker & “Big” Bronson Reed with him. The fans sing along, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” and Rollins revels in it as he stands in the ring in his all indigo suit with gold necklace. The fans also bark for Bron, and others get an “O T C!” chant and a “C M PUNK!” chant going. Rollins is handed the mic by The Wise Man to say, “Bakersfield… I am a Visionary. I am a Revolutionary. I am… SETH! FREAKIN’! ROLLINS!” The fans do cheer, and Rollins vows that tomorrow night, HE TAKES EVERYTHING!
Rollins points to the briefcases up above and the fans are torn. Rollins says when he wins the MITB contract, he will have ABSOLUTE POWER, and he will have TOTAL CONTROL over this entire industry! Rollins paces while the fans chant for “O T C! O T C!” Rollins says yeah, no, he can’t hear you. That guy is off on the Island of Irrelevancy where Rollins put him after WrestleMania! But that total control Rollins will have doesn’t just mean Raw. It will include SmackDown, as well! So they are here to deliver a message! Anyone who stands in their way will suffer the same fate as anyone who has already stood in their way.
“Sami Zayn stood in our way. He’s in the dirt. CM Punk stood in our way. POOF! Gone! Roman Reigns stood in our way, and he is Missing In Action. Roman Reigns is not coming to save you. Roman Reigns doesn’t care about you! Roman Reigns has never cared about you! But y’know who has?! You know who has?! SETH FREAKIN’ ROLLINS!” The fans are again torn, but Rollins says he will drag all of you, kicking and screaming if he has to, into the future because that is what Rollins does. Not just for himself, not just for his group, but for the entire industry! And there is NOBODY who can stop him!
Wait! Here comes Solo Sikoa and his “family.” The fans actually cheer as Solo, JC Mateo & Jacob Fatu head to the ring. Rollins and his faction stand their ground as Solo grabs a mic and leads the way for his rogues into the ring. The fans cheer on “FATU! FATU!” and Solo says, “You said that, uh, if anybody gets in your way, that you’re gonna lay ’em out?” Rollins says, “That’s right.” And that there is nobody here to stop him? That’s also right. Well, uh, Solo’s team is standing here right now. Oh, is that so? Solo says by the looks of it, Rollins has his own little “Bloodline” going on. Which one is Bron supposed to be? The Right Hand Man, Jey Uso? “YEET!”
Then does that make Bronson the “Honorary Uce?” After everything they’ve been through… Bronson was on Solo’s side for WarGames! And now, he no calls, then shows up and teams up with this guy? But Rollins even has The Wise Man. Speaking of, long time no see, Heyman. Rollins tells Solo to choose his next words very carefully. Solo laughs that off, and says let’s cut to the chase. All we know is, tomorrow night, Solo climbs the ladder, grabs the contract, and then all that power and control Rollins talked about will all be Solo’s. Rollins laughs that off and says he sees. This is Solo’s turf, he is pushing back.
Is Solo threatened because Bron Breakker is the future of this industry and Solo is not? Is he threatened that Bronson Reed could squash Solo like a bug at the snap of Rollins’ fingers? Well, Solo should be worried. But he should really be worried about the fact that Solo’s own family would rather stab him in the back than have his back. Rollins looks at The Samoan Werewolf, and says, “What’s up, Jacob? You look like you wanna say something. C’mon, take the mic from Solo. You gonna let Solo talk for you?” Solo tells Rollins to shut up. Rollins says Fatu is the werewolf, but there could be a new nickname for him, like “Solo’s B*tch.”
The fans fire up and Rollins says hey, in all seriousness, it took a lot of guts for Solo to come out here and talk to him. Solo is threatened by Rollins, while Rollins is threatened by one Fatu in here, and it ain’t Solo. Rollins smiles, the fans cheer Fatu on, but Solo takes off his jacket. Rollins takes off his jacket, but Bron steps up. So Fatu steps up! The sunglasses come off, but Rollins has Bron stand down. Rollins has his faction leave first, but will all these heavy hitters throw down soon enough?
Wait! Jimmy Uso CLOBBERS JC Mateo into Fatu! #BigJim snuck in from the crowd side! Solo bails but JC takes the SUPERKICK! The fans fire up and Rollins chuckles. Solo has Fatu calm down, Jimmy is the issue, not JC! Will JC take Jimmy on a Tour of the Islands? Or will that be a #NoYeet?
JC Mateo w/ Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu VS Jimmy Uso!
SmackDown returns and this match is underway as JC TOSSES Jimmy to a corner! JC mocks the No Yeet before he runs in, but Jimmy dodges! Jimmy UPPERCUTS, CHOPS, and CHOPS again! Jimmy climbs up, the fans fire up, and Jimmy rains down fists! The fans count along, but JC stops Jimmy at 7! JC DUMPS Jimmy to the apron, but Jimmy RAMS and GAMANGIRIS JC! Jimmy goes up, up, and CROSSBODIES! Cover, ONE!! JC is tougher than that but Jimmy clamps on with a chinlock. JC endures, fights up, and the fans rally. JC slips around, shoves Jimmy, and clinches for an EXPLODER!
The fans rally while both Jimmy and JC catch their breath. JC stands on Jimmy’s hand, then drags him up with a fishhook! JC makes Jimmy look at Solo, Solo says it is not too late. Jimmy can just come back home, unless he wants to get his ass kicked. Jimmy refuses, so JC hits a BIG back suplex! Solo eggs Jimmy on, JC stomps Jimmy, then JC clamps on a chinlock. The fans rally up and Jimmy fights to his feet. Jimmy fires body shots, JC shoves him away, and then JC ELBOWS Jimmy down! JC stalks Jimmy, CHOPS him against the ropes, then CHOPS him again! JC whips, Jimmy grabs ropes, and then Jimmy dodges to TOSS JC!
JC gets up but Jimmy UPPERCUTS him down! The fans fire up, Jimmy builds speed, and Jimmy DIVES! Direct hit into JC and the fans fire up again! Jimmy hurries to get JC up and into the ring. Solo asks Jimmy what’s going on here. They can still be family! Jimmy GAMANGIRIS JC instead! Jimmy goes up but Solo barks at him. The ref reprimands Solo, but JC DROPKICKS Jimmy to the floor! Solo says this is what he’s trying to tell Jimmy, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Jimmy sputters, the ring count climbs, but JC rolls out to fetch Jimmy. JC THROWS Jimmy into barriers! Solo talks trash, JC drags Jimmy up and SMACKS him off the apron. JC pushes Jimmy into the ring, stomps him around, then talks trash on the fans cheering Jimmy on. JC puts Jimmy on the ropes to CHOKE him! Fatu frowns, Solo talks trash, and JC stomps Jimmy again. JC HEADBUTTS Jimmy in the corner, then gets space. JC runs and HIP ATTACKS! Jimmy sputters and flops over, Solo tells him that this can stop, but Jimmy refuses to give up. JC clamps on a chinlock and grinds Jimmy down!
Jimmy endures, fights up, but JC wrangles him back down! JC grinds Jimmy down more, but Jimmy still endures. Jimmy fights up, only for JC to squeeze tighter. Solo talks trash the whole time as Jimmy endures, and SmackDown returns to single picture. The fans rally harder and harder as Jimmy stands! Jimmy JAWBREAKERS free! But JC ELBOWS, JABS, and YUKON LARIATS! Then GACHIMUCHI MOONSAULT! Jimmy sputters and scrambles away, but JC smirks as he stalks Jimmy to the ropes. JC CHOKES Jimmy, lets off as the ref counts, and Solo asks again. Jimmy says no, so Solo says Jimmy isn’t done, so JC needs to kick his ass more.
JC puts Jimmy in a corner, UPPERCUTS, and then brings him around to whip corner to corner. Jimmy goes up, over, and then SAMOAN DROPS! The fans fire up as Solo is upset and confused as to how Jimmy has more to give. The fans rally again, and both men stand. Jimmy counter punches! Then HEADBUTTS! Then mule kicks, pops ‘n’ locks and UPPERCUTS! Jimmy dodges a lariat, fireman’s carries again, but JC slips free! JC JABS while Jimmy kicks low! Jimmy rebounds, JC blocks the kick and spins him, but Jimmy DRAGON WHIPS! JC staggers to a corner and Jimmy CHOPS! Jimmy whips corner to corner, JC reverses, but Jimmy ELBOWS JC1
Jimmy goes up, up, and USO IN THE WIND! Cover, TWO!! JC stays in this and Jimmy is stunned! The fans rally more as Jimmy and JC go to corners. Jimmy says, “UCE! OH!” Jimmy runs in, but JC catches him to a waistlock! Jimmy fires elbows, whips, but JC reverses and reels Jimmy in, ATHLETIC PLEX! Cover, TWO! Jimmy survives and Solo says it’s alright. JC whips Jimmy to the corner, runs in, but Jimmy BOOTS JC! And then SUPERKICKS! And then SUPERKICKS again! JC still comes back, but Jimmy dodges to SPEAR! The fans fire up as Jimmy hurries up a corner! Solo distracts from the apron! The fans boo, and now Fatu is up!
Jimmy hops down before Jacob can do anything. They glare at each other, but Jimmy dodges JC! JC CLOBBERS Fatu! Roll-up, JIMMY WINS!!
Winner: Jimmy Uso, by pinfall
#BigJim uses the numbers game against Solo’s side, and now he’s got a win over a former Olympian and multi-time champion from NJPW! JC blames Fatu for this, Fatu doesn’t wanna hear it, and Solo does his best to smooth things over. But will Solo’s team lose all control before he ever becomes a champion?
Zelina Vega crosses paths with Giulia.
The Women’s United States Champion tells the Beautiful Madness that she made her intentions very clear last week. Now allow Zelina to make her intentions very clear: Zelina has worked her ass off to have the title. If Giulia wants her shot, then pry it from her lifeless body. Zelina is not giving this up for anything. Giulia says no, she likes Zelina. Zelina has confidence. Yes, well… La Muneca heads out to handle business with the Green Administration. Will Zelina survive now that Chelsea has gotten rid of the rules? Or will Piper Niven help Madam President Green make SmackDown a hot mess again?
Jacob Fatu returns backstage.
He is in no mood, but Damian Priest walks over anyway. The Archer of Infamy says it’s tough working with family. What Fatu is going through, he’s been there, and he doesn’t envy it. But regardless of the situation, man to man, face to face, Priest wants Fatu to know that at some point, Priest is coming for the US Championship. Fatu says Priest can line it up. Because if Priest doesn’t handle business with Fatu, he’s send to the back of the line with it. YADADA mean? Fatu heads out, when and where will these monstrous men battle it out?
Bakersfield Brawl: Zelina Vega VS Piper Niven w/ The Green Administration!
SmackDown returns as the WWE Women’s US Champion makes her entrance. The bell rings and the fans rally up. The two tie up, Piper SHOVES Zelina down, and then grins as she flexes. Zelina brushes that off, resets with Piper, and they tie up again. Piper SHOVES Zelina away and Zelina goes to the outside. Piper salutes but Zelina brings something out from under the ring! Piper storms her way over, and SMACK! Kendo stick! Zelina uses Chelsea’s tricks against her, SMACK and SMACK for Piper! Piper grabs the stick to HEADBUTT Zelina! Piper snarls and storms up to bring Zelina around. Piper scoops, but Zelina slips free!
Zelina has the stick again! SMACK! Zelina then adds a CODE BREAKER! Cover, TWO! Piper is tougher than that but she bails out of the ring. The fans rally for Zelina and call for tables. Chelsea says no they don’t! Zelina WRECKS Piper with a dropkick, then DOUBLE STOMPS her down! Zelina hurries to go up the steps, then she FLYING- NO! Piper stops the rana to swing Zelina up and around. ELECTRIC CHAIR SLAM on the apron! Zelina sputters, Piper goes up the ramp, and then Piper runs downhill! SPLASH against the LED! The Green Administration is standing tall while SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and both women are down. Chelsea shouts for Piper to get up so Piper rises. Piper goes to a corner, and she brings a chain over! The fans rally but Piper uses the chain to CHOKE- NO, Zelina blocks the chain, but Piper makes it a GAG! Piper still chokes Zelina, brings her to a corner, and BOOTS her into the buckles! Zelina is in a daze, and Piper teases fans by taking off her suit jacket. Piper throws the jacket aside, grabs a chair, and she sits it up at center. Piper drags Zelina up and over, coops her, and salutes for the FULL METAL- DDT COUNTER!! Zelina turns things around, hurries to cover, but Piper flops right out of the ring!
Chelsea stresses out but Zelina now goes to the apron. Then she climbs up the corner, and she ARIHARA MOONSAULTS! Down goes The Green Administration! Zelina hurries back up, but Piper SLAPS her first! Piper has Zelina stuck up top and climbs up to get her. The fans rally, Piper brings Zelina to the top rope, but Zelina fires body shots! Zelina HEADBUTTS again and again, then SMACKS Piper off buckles! Zelina climbs up, and she hops on for the SUPER CODE RED!!! Cover, ALBA BREAKS IT! Then Chelsea drags Zelina out! There’s nothing to stop them from mugging Zelina! The fans boo but this is why Chelsea had this match made to start with!
Piper shouts to Alba, “GET THE TABLES!” Alba fetches exactly that and the fans fire up! The table is put in the ring, Piper scoops Zelina, PIPER DRIVER on the floor! Zelina sputters but The Green Administration isn’t done with her! The table is set up near a corner, Piper pushes Zelina in, and Chelsea says the people get what they want! Piper puts Zelina on the table, waves goodbye, then goes up the corner. But wait! GIULIA is here?! She DOUBLE LARIATS Alba & Chelsea! And Zelina gets under Piper! Piper holds on, but Giulia uses a kendo stick to SMACK Piper’s hands! Piper loses her grip, Zelina POWERBOMBS Piper down through the table!! Cover, ZELINA WINS!!
Winner: Zelina Vega, by pinfall
Giulia grins as she helps Zelina survive. But was this less about helping Zelina so much as helping herself? YEP! She HEADBUTTS Zelina and reels her in! NORTHERN LIGHTS BOMB!! Giulia is no fool, it is easier to beat a champion who is all alone than one with minions hanging around. Will Giulia soon take all the gold for herself once she becomes Miss Money in the Bank?
Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes meet backstage.
The American Nightmare asks how Main Event Jey is doing. A bit banged up from Monday but he’ll be fine. How about Cody? He looks good. And then Jimmy joins in. They shake hands and Jimmy asks if Jey is okay. Jey says of course! What does everyone keep asking? Jimmy says he has a match tomorrow and a big title match on Monday! They just want to make sure The YEET Man is ready to YEET. Jey says yeah, that’s what champs do. But the only thing they need to worry about tonight is what John Cena & Logan Paul are gonna say. After that, they handle tomorrow. YEET? YEET! Jey heads out, but will he and Cody handle business? Or will they get handled instead?
Aleister Black speaks.
“No. I can’t let it go. Initially, I had convinced myself that someone of your standing, someone that’s so loved by the WWE Universe, using the Black Mass was almost respectful. And in a weird way I almost respect it, but the longer I think about it, the more I think that you stole something from me. And that does not sit well with me. It’s funny what the human mind can do. But now, I wanna take away all this security that you had in that match. No Shinsuke Nakamura, no relaxed rules. Just you, and me. And all the shadows that are there. And I will drag you into the light, and see what’s left of you.
“But if you beat me, LA Knight, I will look you in the eyes, I will shake your hand, and I will accept defeat.” The Dark Father wants the Mega Star to earn his respect, can he do it?
LA Knight VS Aleister Black!
SmackDown returns as Knight makes his entrance, and he grabs a mic. “LEMME TALK TO YA! It’s that time of the year again. Yeah.” “YEAH!” “It’s MITB season!” “YEAH!” “And I think about it, and you do a little bit o’ math here, yeah.” “YEAH!” “This is my third year in a row being in MITB.” “YEAH!” “What’s that, sir? You said third time’s the charm?” “YEAH!” “Whatcha think, third time’s the charm?” “YEAH!” Knight ain’t satisfied with that. He looks at five guys running out here, like Penta. We like Penta, right? He’ll do everything under the sun to try and reach up and grab that case. “YEAH!”
There’s Andrade. They like him a bit, right? Another guy who’s gonna do every possible thing he can to get up there. Well, everyone’s gonna do everything they can, but those guys take it to another level. But those guys, we respect them a little bit, but then we get to the “Goons.” Then we get to… El Grande Americano Chad Gable. The fans are torn and Knight asks him which is it? Do we like him or not? The fans are still conflicted, but Knight says dummy number two is Solo Sikoa. Everyone hates him! Knight feels the same! And Solo, they’ve done this a million times, and Knight can drop him on his head one more time to climb up the ladder and take the briefcase.
But then there’s dummy number three. Knight thinks about a men he hasn’t really had interactions with, a man who has gotten crewed up and that is Seth Rollins. The fans are torn again, but Knight says Rollins has been here, done that, had the case and cashed in. He wants to #BurnItDown! But Rollins has to understand that there is nothing hotter than a night in LA with LA Knight, YEAH! And what that means Rollins won’t be burning anything done, ROLLINS gets burned down by this man, YEAH! Before that, we have tonight, Aleister Black. Aleister had a shot, and Knight understands. This is a big deal! MITB is a big deal!
MITB can make or break careers, so Knight gets why Aleister’s feelings got hurt when Knight “stole” the win. But it was a Triple Threat, Knight had to do what he had to do and got the job done. If that hurt Aleister’s feeling, sorry. But now he’s set himself up to get those feelings hurt one more time, YEAH! And you know that coming into California, Bakersfield, Aleister will be home on Saturday watching whose game this is, with everybody saying L! A! KNIGHT! YEAH!! But then Aleister makes his entrance. Will the Mega Star still shine? Or is he about to #FadeToBlack? We find out, after the break.
SmackDown returns and the bell rings. The two circle, the fans rally, and the two tie up. Knight headlocks, Aleister powers up and out, then Aleister drops down and hurdles over. Knight stops and waistlocks, Aleister switches, and they go to ropes. Knight bucks the O’Conner, but runs up into a victory roll! TWO, the two stand, and Knight avoids a boot to flip and sunset! TWO, and Knight blocks a shot, only for Aleister to stop the BFT! Knight comes back, but narrowly avoids the Black Mass! The fans cheer the standoff as the two reset. The two circle again, tie up, and they go around. They end up on the ropes, in a corner, then the ropes again.
The fans cheer as they go around and around and make a full lap! And then they keep going! They finally stay in a corner, the ref counts, and Knight slowly lets off. Aleister shoves, Knight shoves, and Aleister hits a headlock takeover. Aleister grinds Knight down but Knight fights up. The fans rally, Knight stands up and fires body shots. Knight powers up and out, then he CLOBBERS Aleister! The fans rally, Knight stomps Aleister, and then stalks him. Knight brings Aleister up, snap suplexes, then covers, ONE!! Aleister is tougher than that but the fans rally. Knight brings Aleister up, bumps him off buckles, and RAMS into Aleister!
The ref counts as Knight RAMS Aleister again and again. Knight whips corner to corner, Aleister KICKS him in return! Aleister waistlocks, Knight elbows free, kicks, but Aleister denies the DDET! Knight UP KICKS, but then Aleister ROUND KICKS! Aleister runs, but into a LARIAT! Cover, TWO! The fans rally while both men catch their breath. Knight storms up on Aleister, drags him up, but Aleister JAWBREAKERS! Knight scoops, Aleister lands out, they throw hands, and Aleister shoves Knight to a corner. Knight kicks but Aleister blocks to JUMP KNEE! Cover, TWO! Knight stays in this but he might be seeing stars.
Aleister stalks Knight, brings him around, and KICKS him against ropes! Knight goes to a corner, Aleister BOOTS him, and Aleister fires forearms. Aleister brings Knight in for a snap suplex! Cover, TWO! Knight stays in this but Aleister stays on him. Knight fires hands, Aleister fires a strike fest! LEG SWEEP! Aleister runs to SLIDING KNEE! Aleister handsprings, goes up, but Knight LRAIATS Aleister and himself up and out! The fans fire up while both men are down, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns again and Aleister FLYING SUNSET FLIPS, but Knight rolls through! Aleister avoids the boot, kips up and BOOTS back! Then QUEBRADA! Cover, TWO! Knight stays in this and Aleister is stunned! Aleister waits on Knight while the fans declare, “This is Awesome!” Aleister aims, Knght ducks the Black Mass, but Aleister denies the BFT! Knight dodges Aleister to hit the JUMPING NECKBREAKER! POP-UP POWERSLAM! The fans fire up and Knight climbs, then spells it out! “L! A! KNIGHT! YEAH!!” BOX JUMP ELBOW DROP, but Knight blocks the boot! Knight rolls Aleister to his feet, spins him around, and tortuer racks!
The fans fire up for Knights’ BURNING- NO, Aleister lands out! Knight narrowly deflects the boot to roll Aleister up! TWO, and both men hurry to their feet! Knight shoves, Aleister fires a haymaker, Knight fires back, and they go back and forth with fists! Aleister BOOTS Knight’s lariat, fires more strikes, but Knight shoves him away again. The BOOT hits on the return, then Aleister goes up again! But Knight turns it into a torture rack! BURNING HAMMER!! But Aleister flops out of the ring! The fans fire up, but wait! SETH ROLLINS CURB STOMPS KNIGHT!!
Winner: LA Knight, by disqualification
The Visionary must’ve heard Knight mention him, and so “dummy number three” just gave Knight his first interaction! The fans chant for Punk, but Aleister steps in Rollins’ way instead! The fans fire up for that stare down, but then here comes Bron Breakker!! SPEAR on Aleister!! Rollins TOSSES Aleister out, and then a SENTON from Bronson Reed onto Knight! The fans boo but Bron builds up speed to SPEAR Knight!! Rollins tells Knight this is what he was talking about! You stand in Rollins’ way, you don’t stay standing! Will Rollins bring his behemoths with him to absolutely bulldoze the ladder match?
Nick Aldis & Adam Pearce speak.
The SmackDown General Manager says, “In the WWE, things tend to move fast. This week, we’re climbing the ladder at Money in the Bank, and next week, we’re kicking off the King and Queen of the Ring Tournaments.” The Raw General Manager says, “This year, it’s bigger than ever. The tournament begins with four Fatal 4 Way matches in the men’s and women’s divisions, and the winners advance.” Aldis says from there, it is a co-branded single elimination tournament with the semifinals and finals. Those finals take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for Night of Champions. And the stakes could not be higher!
The King and Queen of the Rings get title matches on their respective brands for the biggest show of the summer, SummerSlam! Aldis & Pearce wish everyone luck, and may the best man and woman win. With so many spots open, who gets in, and who makes it to the Night of Champions?
Backstage interview with Jade Cargill.
Byron Saxton is with The Storm, and knows that while she would’ve loved to been in MITB, how good does it feel to know she is in the Queen of Ring? Jade says it feels great. She understands she won’t have the chance to climb the ladder and grab the briefcase, but she’ll keep climbing the ranks. She is The Storm, she is in that tournament, and when the dust settles, she will be Queen of the Ring. Then at SummerSlam, she won’t ask for a belt, she’ll take it. On a different note, we saw Bianca Belair refuse to forgive Naomi, but where do things stand between Biansa and Jade? Well, Charlotte Flair walks in and tells Jade as a reminder: Salt and sugar look the same.
That is to say, choose your friends wisely, or don’t have any at all. And as for QOTR, Jade will need a prayer to win. There is only ONE Queen in the WWE. But then Tiffany Stratton walks by and tells them both good luck with that. The WWE Women’s Champion heads to gorilla, what will she have to say the night before a new Miss MITB is crowned?
Legado Del Fantasma meets.
Santos Escobar is in a good mood, but Berto asks him why he brought them here. Santos says, “Family.” After the meeting they had, they agreed they were going to compete at Worlds Collide. And now, Santos has a plan. It is very simple: Worlds Collide, they will prove once and for all, they will establish, before their people, before their country, and before the world, just who owns lucha libre. Want a scoop? It’s Legado taking on Psycho Clown, Pagano and “the one who will always live in the shadow of his father,” El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr, aka Dr. Wagner the Third. They will remove the heart and soul of AAA!
So pay close attention to Santos, because he knows they have the tools to win. That is how it is. They will establish themselves as the ones who own lucha libre. And it only takes two words: Legado y Familia! But will Santos, Angel y Berto truly make themselves the three kings of lucha libre? Or will they be the ones to fall when Worlds Collide?
Backstage interview with American Made.
Byron is now with the Creed Brothers & Chad Gable, and Byron says it is a big day tomorrow for Chad as he challenges El Hijo Del Vikingo for THE AAA Mega Championship. How confident is he going into that match? Oh, confidence is high. He is a bit disappointed he didn’t qualify for MITB, but the WWE found a “suitable replacement” for him in the greatest luchador of all time, El Grande Americano! As for Gable, he will put himself in the history books when he beats Vikingo and win the most prestigious title in all of lucha libre! But then in walks Andrade. El Idolo says in Espanol that Gable wants to beat Vikingo. Gable says, “Si.”
Andrade points out something about Vikingo and Gable keeps saying, “Si,” but Andrade asks, “Si to what?” But then in steps Penta! Penta and Andrade both talk in Espanol that Gable is crazy. Gable says enough! It’s not funny to use Espanol on him! And it won’t be funny when El Grande Americano puts them both through ladders tomorrow! The Creeds agree, but then Aldis steps in. Aldis has everyone stand down. There’s enough going on tonight, so settle this in the ring, tonight. Andrade y Penta are up for that. Will the luchadores put Julius & Brutus in their place? Or will the SmackDown before MITB be American Made?
Tiffany Stratton heads to the ring.
The fans cheer as the WWE Women’s Champion struts out here, then grabs a mic before stepping in the ring. The fans cheer more, Tiff soaks it up, and she says, “Let’s call it for what it is, shall we? Last year, I didn’t just become the youngest Miss MITB. I became the It Girl of WWE, which is why I can see it now. Every single lady in that match is gonna try and pull a Tiffy and pull someone off a ladder, and then reach for the stars. I mean, we can all agree that every single lady in that match is championship material, right?” The fans do cheer that. Tiff says it doesn’t matter, because whoever wins MITB, their world will revolve around Tiff.
“So, ladies, you can win the match, you can trend for one night, but I fear no one can outdo the doer. Because, Bakersfield, what time is it?” “TIFFY TIME!” But then RHEA RIPLEY makes her way out here and the fans fire up for Mami! Rhea joins Tiff in the ring, grabs herself a mic, and the fans cheer on “MAMI! MAMI!” Rhea smiles and says, “Y’know, Tiffy, I’ve never actually been a part of the MITB ladder match before, because the fact is, I never had to.” The fans cheer that. Rhea says she doesn’t know what it feels like to win the contract like Tiff does, but Rhea knows what it feels like to be a champion. And Rhea misses that feeling.
But wait! Here comes La Primera, Stephanie Vaquer! The fans fire up as another of the Miss MITB contenders makes her entrance, followed by Alexa Bliss! And with that signals tonight’s Six Woman Tag! Will the dark, twisted, brutal trio of Vaquer, Bliss & Ripley stand tall just 24 hours before they make the climb? Or will Naomi, Roxie & Giulia make them #ProceedWithCaution?
Six Woman Tag: Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss & Stephanie Vaquer VS Naomi, Roxanne Perez & Giulia!
SmackDown returns and Naomi makes her entrance, followed by Roxie’s entrance, then Giulia’s. The teams sort out and Vaquer starts against Giulia. The fans fire up for this NXT rivalry revisited. They feel things out, knuckle lock, and Vaquer stands on Giulia’s hand to then turn her around. Giulia endures the standing motorcycle stretch, then turns it around so she can KNEE Giulia low. Giulia swings, Vaquer ducks and whips, then blows past to slip around and arm-drag! Giulia is up, Vaquer wheelbarrows and sunsets, but Giulia rebounds off ropes to sunset back! ONE, Vaquer has it! ONE and Giulia has it back! They go back and forth, then break!
Vaquer slips around, drags Giulia down, turns her over, JAPANESE LEG ROLL CLUTCH! ONE, and Giulia runs up, but into a SOBAT! Vaquer snapmares Giulia, then smiles. The fans fire up as Vaquer wraps on the headscissors, but Giulia pops out the back! Giulia ties up the legs, pulls on the arms, ANGELITO STOMP! Cover, TWO! Giulia tags Naomi and she SLIDING LARIATS! Naomi says she’s gonna do it now, and she wraps Vaquer up in headscissors! The fans are torn but Vaquer turns it around to push back for a cover, TWO! Vaquer goes up and over, and now she has the headscissors! But then Roxie & Giulia run in!
Alexa & Rhea intercept, STO for Roxie and an atomic FACEBUSTER for Giulia! The fans fire up as Alexa has Roxie at the ropes and Rhea rear mounts Giulia! Vaquer turns Naomi over, and together, “AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH!” Vaquer gives Naomi DEVIL’S KISSES, Alexa’s SKATEBOARD STOMPS Roxie, and Rhea just ground ‘n’ pounds Giulia! The fans cheer as Vaquer, Rhea & Alexa stand tall while the others regroup. Vaquer chases after Naomi, puts her in the ring, but then Naomi YANKS her into ropes! The fans boo but Naomi bumps Vaquer off buckles. Naomi stomps a mudhole in but the ref counts.
Naomi steps off, but this lets Roxie & Giulia CHOKE Vaquer! The fans boo, Naomi storms over and tags in Roxie. They mug Vaquer, then Roxie digs her boots in. The ref counts, Roxie steps off and DOUBLE STOMPS! Roxie shoves Vaquer to a cover, TWO! Roxie whips Vaquer to the corner, UPPERCUTS, then tags Giulia. They mug Vaquer, then Giulia snap suplexes! Cover, TWO! Tag back to Naomi and she keeps Vaquer from her corner. The fans chant, “We Want Mami!” but Naomi CLUBS and KNEES Vaquer down! Naomi swings on Rhea, misses, then goes back to Vaquer. Naomi back suplexes, Vaquer lands out! Hot tag to Alexa!
The fans fire up for Alexa as she rallies on Naomi, BLASTS Giulia & Roxie, then CLOBBERS Naomi! BASEMENT DDT! Alexa drags Naomi up, but Naomi headlocks. Alexa slips out so the corner bulldog just sends Naomi into buckles! Alexa storms up, Naomi ELBOWS her away, tag to Roxie! Alexa DECKS Roxie, SLAMS Naomi, then Alexa runs to basement DROPKICK! The fans fire up and Alexa goes out to the apron, CANNONBALL onto Giulia & Naomi! But Roxie RAMS Alexa into the steel steps! Roxie says that is why SHE is the Prodigy! The fans boo, but SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Roxie drags Alexa up and into the ring, then storms up on her. Roxie SMACKS Alexa off the mat, then taunts Rhea by holding out Alexa’s hand. Roxie wrenches Alexa to RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Cover, TWO! Roxie is annoyed but she keeps Alexa down. Roxie drags Alexa over, tags Giulia, and they mug Alexa with a CHOP! Giulia drags Alexa around, bumps her off buckles, then whips corner to corner. Alexa hobbles, Giulia runs up and SHOTGUNS her down! Cover, TWO! Giulia goes up the corner, aims, and MISSILE DROPKICKS! Cover, TWO! Giulia tags Naomi and she runs to METEORA! Cover, TWO! Alexa stays in this but Naomi stays on Alexa with a facelock.
Alexa fights back with body shots, but Naomi suplexes. Alexa fights that to a cradle, TWO! Naomi PENALTY KICKS Alexa down! Naomi soaks up the heat, stalks Alexa to the ropes, then CHOKES her! The ref counts, Giulia adds on, but they both stop at 4. Naomi puts Alexa in the corner, fires body shots, then tags Roxie. The mugging continues as they stomp a mudhole into Alexa! The ref reprimands and counts, the stomping stops, and Roxie brings Alexa up. Snap suplex! Cover, TWO! Roxie drags Alexa away from her corner, tags Naomi, and SmackDown returns to single picture. Naomi bumps Alexa off buckles, then stomps and KICKS her!
Naomi digs her boot in, the ref counts, but Naomi steps off at 4. The fans rally, “We Want Mami!” but Naomi runs up. Alexa drop toeholds Naomi into buckles! Alexa crawls, but Naomi hurries to ROUNDHOUSE Vaquer! Naomi picks Alexa up, but Alexa fights and DDTS! The fans fire up while both women are down! Hot tags to Roxie and Rhea! The fans are thunderous as Rhea rallies with LARIAT after LARIAT! Giulia runs up, Rhea dodges to BOOT! Roxie runs up, but Rhea scoops her! FALL AWAY SLAM! Roxie tumbles away, Rhea DROPKICKS Naomi off the apron for good measure! Rhea then drags Roxie up but Roxie JAWBREAKERS!
Roxie runs, tilt-o-whirls, and RUSSIAN- NO, Rhea blocks that, and grins as she ripcords and HOOK KICKS! Then a gut wrench for the Canadian Rack! RAZOR’S EDGE!! Roxie flounders, Rhea basement DROPKICKS! Cover, Naomi breaks it! Vaquer DROPKICKS Naomi! Giulia KNEES Vaquer! Alexa clinches Giulia, TWISTED SISTER ABIGAIL! Roxie ENZIGIRIS Alexa! Rhea HEADBUTTS Roxie! Rhea pump handles, RIP- DDT from Roxie!! All six women are down and the fans fire up! “This is Awesome!” as Rhea and Roxie stir while their teams regroup. Roxie reaches out to Naomi, but then Naomi leaves her hanging!
The fans boo but Naomi knows MITB is what matters, and that is every woman for herself. Giulia has also disappeared, so Roxie is all alone! Alexa ROCKS Roxie with a right! Vaquer wrenches Roxie for SOLE FOOD! Rhea pump handles for the RIPTIDE!! Cover, Rhea’s team wins!
Winners: Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss & Stephanie Vaquer, by pinfall
The spookier team sticks together, and now they’re all rolling into MITB with momentum! But will it be one of these three that takes the briefcase home? Or did Naomi make the smart play?
Solo talks with JC Mateo backstage.
Solo is confident that he’ll win MITB, so long as he has JC and Fatu. JC asks if Solo really trusts Fatu after tonight. Solo says yeah, it’s okay! So long as Fatu follows Solo’s lead, it will all be okay. But will Fatu really follow Solo? Solo tells JC, “My man, you worry too much.” Solo brought Fatu in, Fatu loves Solo, and the thing about Fatu is… He’s not all that smart, y’know? All that man does is think about himself. He is all gas, no brains. Solo laughs at his own joke, and says they just gotta handle business. They leave, but Fatu was around the corner! The Samoan Werewolf heard all of that. Is Solo the one with no brains? Will he also be the one with no contract?
The Wyatt Sick6 speak.
Bo Dallas’ video interrupts Sign of the Night time so he can say, “Grief is not linear. It is not healed by time. It is a festering wound that is continually being ripped open by an echo of a presence that is no more. You don’t forget. You can only accept that which cannot be changed.” The video fuses images of Bo and Bray, and Bo says that he has watched the SmackDown Tag Division. “The loyalty. The trust. The brotherhood. But is that bond unbreakable? From our loss, we have become a family. A ship unshaken by the storm. And yet again, they wanted to forget about us. Like we were never even here. Ignoring the sacrifices.
“Dying to the flesh to become one, we return. Not for nostalgia. Not for closure. But to rip open the wound of apathy and take what we are owed. Your brotherhood will be tested. The time for repentance has passed. Accept your condemnation. We will not be forgotten.”
The SmackDown Tag Division finishes watching this.
And from DIY to MCMG to Fraxiom to the Street Profits, and even GM Aldis, everyone is worried. Gargano says that’s not good. Ciampa says as “the two guys who built this division,” which makes everyone groan, Ciampa says there is no reason for DIY to take the fall! So come clean! Who provoked the Wyatts? Gargano immediately accuses Angelo Dawkins! Montez Ford says hey, look, they’re obviously all afraid. Fraxiom, you’re not fine! Motor City, bring the guns! And DIY, you can’t do this yourselves! But let’s forget about the tag titles for just one second. They have a bigger problem on their hands and that is Wyatt Sick6.
Dawkins says they didn’t get where they are by being scared. If the Wyatts want the smoke, they can get it. Unless y’all forgot that the Profits are the real Bogeymen around here. Ooga booga! The Profits head out, Frazer says there’s no forgetting about the tag titles. But admittedly, the Wyatts do mean business. But they cost Fraxiom, so if Frazer sees Uncle Howdy…! Axiom has Frazer calm down. But yes, Frazer is right. Fraxiom is undefeated, so they will teach the Wyatts what’s what! DIY loves that idea! Go get ’em! MCMG says of course DIY second someone else handling this. MCMG says DIY will get what’s coming to them.
But for now, MCMG will put that on the backburner to get after the Wyatts. Let’s not forget who the veterans are around here, and that’s MCMG. They set the standard, so they’ll bring the fight to the Wyatts. Gargano says another brilliant idea! DIY says they can do that. Aldis, make it so those three teams fight the Wyatts. Aldis says yes, thank you for the input. DIY heads out, and Aldis certainly has a mess to sort out. Who will survive the Wyatts coming for it all? And will the tag titles go along with that?
Andrade & PENTA VS The Creed Brothers w/ Chad Gable!
El Idolo and the Man with No Fear know that whether or not El Grande Americano is really Chad Gable under that mask, Chad Gable definitely doesn’t stand a chance against El Hijo Del Vikingo. But can Andrade y Penta build momentum going into the ladder match together? Or will Julius & Brutus do Chad’s- Er, El Grande’s dirty work for him?
SmackDown returns as Andrade makes his entrance. Then American Made makes their entrance, and the fans chant “You Suck! You Suck!” Andrade y Penta DOUBLE FLY out onto the Creeds! The fans fire up, Andrade fires off on Brutus with forearms while Penta POSTS Julius! Penta THROWS Julius into barriers, Andrade puts Brutus in the ring, and the fans cheer for “Cero Miedo!” Penta revels in that, and Andrade starts against Brutus. The bell rings, Brutus runs up, and Andrade drop toeholds Brutus into buckles! Juius rushes in but Andrade dodges to CLOBBER him with forearms! Andrade kips up, the fans fire up, and Andrade rallies them with “SI! SI! SI!”
Andrade CHOPS Brutus, then runs at Julius, CIEN KNEES! Then CIEN KNEES for Brutus! The fans join in for a “CERO! MIEDO!” Andrade tags Penta, he runs up to headstand and DROPKICK on Julius! Then a headstand and DROPKICK for Brutus! Penta swaggers, but Julius waistlocks! Penta fires off hands, then a CHOP! And another CHOP! And another CHOP! Penta CLUBS Julius, Brutus CLUBS Penta! Brutus snarls, ROCKS Penta, then he tags Julius. The Creeds drag Penta up, but Penta CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS again! Penta CHOPS away on Brutus, then has him on the ropes for a CHOP!
The ref reprimands, Penta whips, but Brutus reverses. Penta KICKS Brutus, then he catches Julius as he runs in! Penta waistlocks Julius and tags Andrade, Andrade GAMANGIRIS! Julius falls, Andrade climbs, but Brutus rushes up! Andrade ROCKS Brutus, Brutus drops down, but he’s a step for Julius to FLYING KNEE! Andrade flops on the top rope, and Julius GUT WRENCH PLEXES him away! The straps come down, the fans boo, but Julius clinches for an OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY! Julius kips up, tags Brutus, and Brutus STANDING MOONSAULTS! Cover, ONE, but Gable is still pleased as SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Brutus stalks Andrade to the apron, drags him up and bends him against the ropes! The ref counts, Brutus lets go at 4, and Andrade flops over. Brutus stomps Andrade, digs his boot into Andrade’s neck, then steps off at 4. Tag to Julius and he drags Andrade around. The Creeds KNEE Andrade back and forth, then Julius sucker punches Penta! The ref reprimands but Julius goes back to Andrade. Andrade JAWBREAKERS free! Andrade CHOPS, CHOPS and CHOPS! Julius trips Andrade onto the ropes! Julius CHOKES Andrade, steps off at 4, then paces around. Julius drags Andrade up to RAM him into the corner!
Tag to Brutus and he runs up to BRUTUS BALL in the corner! Snapmare and a tag to Julius for the SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, TWO! Julius drags Andrade into a chinlock, tags Brutus, and the Creeds mug Andrade. Brutus drags Andrade up to ROCK him with a forearm! And another! And then Brutus TACKLES Andrade so he can SMASH! Brutus stalks Andrade to a corner, eggs him on, and then drags him away from the corner to HAMMER him down! Brutus soaks up the heat, then eggs Andrade on. Andrade sits up, and Brutus clamps on a chinlock. Brutus grinds Andrade back down, thrashes him around, but Andrade fights up.
Brutus smothers Andrade as SmackDown returns to single picture. Andrade fights up again as the fans rally, but Brutus back suplexes, only for Andrade to CROSSBODY! Both men are down, Julius tags in and jumps on a leg! Andrade ENZIGIRIS free! Hot tag to Penta! Penta goes up and CROSSBODIES Julius! Penta keeps moving, ducks ‘n’ dodges then RANAS! Julius tumbles around, Penta KICKS him in the leg! Penta whips, Julius reverses, but Penta goes up and over to BACKSTABBER! Cover, Brutus breaks it! Brutus whips, Penta reverses and out goes Brutus! SUPERKICK for Julius! The fans fire up, but Gable drags Julius to safety!
Andrade protests but the ref keeps Andrade back. Penta storms upon Gable, but Gable grabs at the mask! The fans boo, but EL HIJO DE VIKINGO jumps the railing! Vikingo YANKS Gable down and throws hands! The fans fire up, but Gable knees Vikingo low! Gable whips, Vikingo reverses and he TOSSES Gable over barriers! Vikingo pursues, they brawl more, but Julius rolls Penta up! TWO, and Penta SUPERKICKS! Brutus is in, Andrade SHADOW ELBOWS him! Penta goes up, the ref is busy with Brutus, so Andrade SHADOW ELBOWS Julius! Penta adds a FLYING DESTROYER!! Cover, Penta y Andrade win!
Winners: Andrade & Penta, by pinfall
El Idolo and Penta celebrate together, but wait! Here comes Seth Rollins! He attacked LA Knight just for being in MITB, now he looks to do the same to these two. Penta & Andrade don’t back down, even as Bron & Bronson flank the ring. The fans boo this 3v2 scenario, but the fight is on! Rollins & Bron mug Andrade while Bronson CLOBBERS Penta! The fans chant for Punk, but Rollins sets Andrade up for Bron’s SPEAR!! Bronson scoops Penta to SLAM him, then SENTON him! CURB STOMP for Andrade!! CURB STOMP for Penta!! The fans boo as Rollins has his behemoths drag Penta to a drop zone!
Rollins TOSSES Andrade, Bronson goes up, TSUNAMI!! The producers and refs can’t get in the ring with Bron barking at them, and whatever fines Rollins faces don’t matter with how close he is to having all the power in WWE! Can no one stop the Visionary from taking over the future of the industry?
SmackDown returns and…
Rollins’ crew is still in the ring. Heyman now has the mic to say, “Yea, though we walk through the sold-out hellhole of Bakers b*tches, we fear not the future! Because ladies and gentlemen, like it or not, we ARE the future!” The fans boo but Heyman says he doesn’t understand why they would! Seth Rollins told you even before WrestleMania what this industry was becoming. He told you all what would happen at Mania, and it happened! Rollins told you all they would get Roman Reigns out of the way, and they did! Rollins told you all they would put CM Punk out of Heyman’s misery, and they did!
Don’t they get that whatever Rollins tells them becomes true? Don’t they understand that Rollins is the vanguard of the future of this industry? That this group is the vanguard of the destiny of the WWE!? The fans still boo, and Heyman says they can sit there and boo all they want. “Tomorrow night, Seth Freakin’ Rollins becomes, once again, Mr. Money in the Bank!” The fans boo even more, but Heyman says then, once Rollins does that, at his leisure, at his discretion, when he damn well feels like it, it will be who, what, where, and when! We all know the why! The why is to solidify the POWER that comes with the title!
“And Seth Freakin’ Rollins will then propel this entire industry into a future that is a vision all of his own!” As for Heyman, the greatest honor of his professional and personal life is when he gets to stand here, in this ring, and says, “Ladies and gentlemen, the REIGNING! DEFENDING! UNDI-” Wait! Cody Rhodes makes his way out here! The fans fire up and sing along with the American Nightmare’s song, and he still gets the “WHOA~ OH~!” and pyro. Cody high-fives fans as he goes down the ramp and to the ring. Rollins has Bron & Bronson calm down, even as Cody steps inside. Cody looks at the four, then stares Rollins down.
But now we’re joined by Jey Uso! The fans fire up as Jey makes his way out from the concourse and down through the stands! Jey even gets a little girl to join in on the YEET! Rollins has his faction follow him away again, letting Cody and the World Heavyweight Champion have the ring. Cody & Jey will have one last face-to-face with John Cena & Logan Paul, but can they keep it civil? Or will it pop off 24 hours before MITB? We find out, after the break.
SmackDown returns once more…
Cody & Jey revel in the cheers, and Cody has the mic to say, “So, Bakersfield… Whaddya wanna talk about? Talk about MITB?” “YEET!” “Talk about the Intuit Dome?” “YEET!” “Talk about Main Event Jey Uso!” “YEET!” “Talk about our opponents, John Cena…” The fans boo that name. “And his tag team partner, Logan Paul…!” The fans definitely boo that name. Cody says okay, well, what’d they say last week? Cena was rather aggressive, saying Cody tries too hard. The fans already duel, “Let’s Go, Cena!” “CENA SUCKS!” Cody says Cena called Cody desperate, which was bold coming from Cena. Cena danced his way onto a livestream all, “How do you do, fellow kids?”
We saw Cena kick some man in a nuts, then begging for forgiveness online. Seeing Cena in the ring with Logan in 2025, that was like if Michael PS Hayes was in the ring with the Hardy Boys. Let’s talk about desperate! Desperate is WrestleMania 41, throwing away 20 YEARS of good will so that he could have a record-setting title reign. Tomorrow isn’t about the World Heavyweight Championship, it isn’t about the Undisputed WWE Championship, it is a showdown. What would Jey call that? Jey calls that a YEET DOWN! One time for the one time: Four letters, one word! UH UH, YEET!! But wait! Here comes John Cena!
The fans erupt with “JOHN CENA SUCKS~! JOHN CENA SUCKS~!” as Cena makes his entrance in his Lakers inspired merch for Los Angeles. Cena steps into the ring, has them cut his music, and he looks at the crowd as they duel, “Let’s Go, Cena!” “CENA SUCKS!” Cena of course makes the announcer give him the proper introduction: The Greatest of All Time, the Never-Seen Seventeen, gracing Bakersfield with his presence one last time, he is the Last Real Champion, JOOOOOHN~! CENAAA~! And then LOGAN PAUL slides in! ONE LUCKY PUNCH on Jey!! Then he tries it on Cody, but Cody grabs him for a dragon sleeper!
But Cena BELT SHOTS Cody before he can hit Cross Rhodes! The fans boo but Cena drags Jey up for an ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT!! Cena lets Logan get Cody with the PAULVERIZER! Cena then sets Cody up in the drop zone for Logan as he climbs. Logan hits the FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH! Cena now sets Jey up and Logan goes back up, FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH!! The fans boo as Cena kicks Cody & Jey out of the ring, and then gets himself a mic. Logan picks up the World Heavyweight Championship while Cena says, “Take a good look. NO ONE is coming to save you. I’ve been telling you this for a half of a year! YOUR DREAM of what the WWE is… will be RUINED!
“THIS is your future! I take this home! He takes that to the top!” They raise their belts up, and Cena says he is the Last Real Champion while Logan is the Moment Maker, the One of One, the Inevitable Future Face of the WWE! “Bakersfield, humble yourselves for the humblest! The future World Heavyweight Champion, Logan Paul!” The fans boo as they both hold up the belts again, then set them down. The fans chant “Logan Sucks! Logan Sucks!” Cena and Logan go outside to grab Cody and Jey and put them back in the ring! ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT for Cody! Logan lines up a shot, ONE LUCKY PUNCH for Jey!!
The fans boo, chant “We Want Truth!” but Cena says, “You Can’t Handle the Truth!!” Cena says if you want their truth, their truth is right here, staring them in the face! And there is not a damn thing the fans or anyone that fights for the fans can do about it! “You hypocrites chant for Truth. You are all pathetic LIARS!” The fans still chant “We Want Truth!” but Cena says, “This is why you’re losers. Take a good look, because it’s my last time here in Bakersfield. And remember these words: Winners write the history books! Ladies and gentlemen, your future champion, and the Last Real Champion!”
The two raise the belts up again as the fans boo, but is this really going to be the future of the WWE? Or can someone, anyone, stop it all from happening?
My Thoughts:
A great SmackDown as the go-home to both MITB and Worlds Collide. Though, the most Legado could do for their Six Man Tag was have a promo that didn’t really add much, and Santos kinda repeated himself a bit. There’s also the Six Man Tag of Aerostar, Octagon Jr. & Mr. Iguana VS Dragon Lee, Cruz Del Toro and apparently now Lince Dorado to sub in for Joaquin Wilde. One Six Man Tag surely goes to WWE and the other to AAA, I’m just not sure which one. We did get a bit more Gable VS Vikingo with Vikingo help Penta & Andrade in the main event, but I don’t know how that math works. As wild as it would be, I really don’t think Gable should win the AAA Mega Champion.
Especially if El Grande Americano has the potential to win MITB. While we all know Gable and Grande are one in the same, Grande didn’t show up tonight, so he was safe from the go-home math that happened tonight. Seth Rollins and his faction of course ran roughshod over SmackDown tonight, but I liked the opening promo of Rollins’ faction being confronted by Solo’s. Great bit bringing Jimmy Uso out, but it’s kinda funny Fatu and JC each fell for the “He bumped into me!” misunderstanding. Great win for Jimmy from this, and Solo’s promo later definitely puts the final nail in the coffin for him, Fatu is going to screw Solo over at MITB.
Aleister and LA Knight each had good promos before their match, which was a little rough in the middle but still really good. Rollins of course ruins that match to weaken Knight, but what a great stare down of Aleister and Rollins. As it stands, that won’t be a feud, unless the WWE Draft still happens and moves Aleister (and Zelina) over to Raw. And back to that main event match, of course Rollins and his crew blew that great match up, too. All this math is adding up to Rollins losing, because chances are, CM Punk does show up to screw him over. And so, if it isn’t Grande, I feel like Knight benefits from that since he was the first to take a stomp from Rollins.
Great stuff in the Women’s MITB build, with Tiffany’s promo calling out all six contenders cuing up the six contenders making their entrances for the Six Woman Tag. Awesome match, and great win for the Faces with Naomi (and Giulia more quietly) leaving Roxie alone. Good promo from Zelina with Giulia, and great Bakersfield Brawl. I like that Giulia suckered Zelina in with the assist, because it really is as I said: Better to challenge a champion with no obvious allies than the one with sidekicks. Plus, Chelsea Green can finally move up to the top title with someone else challenging Zelina for the Women’s US Championship. Chelsea and Tiffany interacting while Tiff worries about Miss MITB will be some really fun stuff.
Giulia going right for Zelina takes her out of the running, the Faces did that tonight with their win, and even without the math, Naomi is perhaps the perfect choice for Miss MITB. She has her beef with Tiffany, but also with Jade and Bianca, meaning one or both won’t let Naomi get a clean cash-in. Good promo from Jade and Charlotte to help add to the hype of the King & Queen of the Ring news. Four Fatal 4 Ways makes things happen much faster, but it adds up to the same: eight people from each brand fighting to be in the semifinals and so on, can’t wait to see who else gets in.
Great promo from Bo Dallas, and great response from the teams of SmackDown. DIY play the perfect Heels in this letting the Faces handle the spooky, scary tweeners the Wyatts are, and we will definitely get great stuff out of the different tag matches. And of course, great final faceoff from Cody, Jey, Cena & Logan. In fact, it was very clever for Cena to take all that attention so Logan could get the drop on Jey & Cody. Cena had a very good promo, and he very cleverly touched upon the #WeWantTruth campaign with it. But this obviously has to mean Cena & Logan lose, helping set up Cena VS Cody the rematch for SummerSlam, even with the big Atlanta weekend coming up.
My Score: 8.9/10
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