Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Royal Rumble Results & Report! (1/26/2020)
Houston, we have a Rumble.
Can the Beast run the gauntlet?
Royal Rumble 2020 looks to make history! Not because it is WWE’s first PPV of the new decade, but because the Rumbles STARTS with Lesnar!! Will the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World conquer the Royal Rumble?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Kickoff Show: Sheamus VS Chad Gable; Sheamus wins.
- Kickoff Show: WWE United States Championship: Andrade Almas w/ Zelina Vega VS Humberto Carrillo; Almas wins and retains the WWE United States Championship.
- Falls Count Anywhere Match: Roman Reigns VS Baron Corbin; Reigns wins.
- Women’s Royal Rumble: Charlotte Flair wins and will challenge for a Women’s Championship.
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley VS Lacey Evans; Bayley wins and retains the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
- WWE Universal Championship Strap Match: The Fiend, Bray Wyatt VS Daniel Bryan; The Fiend wins and retains the WWE Universal Championship.
- Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch VS Asuka w/ Kairi Sane; Lynch wins and retains the Raw Women’s Championship.
- Men’s Royal Rumble: Drew McIntyre wins and will challenge for a world championship.
PLAY BY PLAY
It’s the Royal Rumble Kickoff Show!
The Road to WrestleMania officially begins as we join Jonathan Coachman, Charly Caruso, David Otunga and Captain Charisma, Christian, recap and predict everything here in Houston! At the same time, Sam Roberts is with Renee Young and Booker T along the ramp. Everyone is feeling the energy, but will Houston’s own return to the ring in the Royal Rumble itself?
Backstage interview with Bayley!
The not-so-huggable SmackDown Women’s Champion is in no mood. Adorable corn dog commercials aside, Lacey Evans just doesn’t stop getting up when Bayley knocks her down. Is she concerned at all? What? Is everyone buying into the facade? Lacey’s trying to inspire someone sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Bayley’s been there, done that, but life doesn’t work that way. Bayley will show Lacey that dreams don’t come true. And her little brat, Summer, will get to see it for herself! Will Bayley trample all over the dreams of a hard-working mother and Marine?
Kickoff Show: Sheamus VS Chad Gable!
The Celtic Warrior has returned! And he doesn’t look to just kick off the in-ring action, but he looks to kick the heads off of any man that doesn’t measure up to his standards. Will Shorty G show him that there’s nothing Sheamus can do to crush his larger than life spirit?
The bell rings and Sheamus circles with Gable. They tie up, Gable gets a leg but Sheamus throws him off with ease. Gable gets back up and has Houston on his side as he gets a waistlock. Sheamus throws Gable off again, but Gable gets back up. Another circle, Gable wrenches to a wristlock, but Sheamus grabs at hair. Sheamus throws big forearms and wrenches Gable back. Gable endures the wristlock, rolls, bridges, handsprings, but Sheamus just throws him down by his hair! Sheamus gets a headlock takeover but Gable headscissors out. Sheamus tries again but Gable again headscissors. Gable headlocks to reverse roles, but Sheamus denies the takeover to then run Gable over! Sheamus clubs Gable but Gable waistlocks. They end up on the ropes and the ref calls for a break, but Sheamus elbows out hard.
Sheamus throws uppercuts and whips Gable corner to corner. Gable goes up and over then dodges to crossbody Sheamus and himself out of the ring! Fans fire up as Gable throws hands on Sheamus. Sheamus hits back and they brawl outside the ring. Sheamus knees and clubs Gable then puts him in the ring. Gable gets around Sheamus, O’Conner roll, TWO! Gable trips Sheamus and has the leg! Sheamus kicks Gable away to a corner, then rams him into the post! Gable staggers into Sheamus’ scoop, shoulder breaker! Gable’s ear is also bleeding, so he’ll be showing the marks from this match sure enough. Sheamus gets Gable to the ropes, and stomps away on Gable’s arms! Gable goes to a corner but Sheamus pulls his arm against the ropes. Sheamus stops at the ref’s count of 4 but he’s right back on the arms.
Gable still throws punches and CHOPS to back Sheamus down. Gable run but into a big elbow! Sheamus grabs the arm for a mounted key lock, torturing the arm of Gable. Royal Rumble goes picture in picture as Gable endures the armlock. Sheamus keeps pulling back on the arm but Gable fights his way up. Gable throws body shots but Sheamus throws him back down. Gable endures as Sheamus pulls on the fingers as hard as he can! We return to single picture as Sheamus shifts back to the keylock. Fans rally up as Gable fights to his feet. Gable throws hands and stomps and gets free, only for Sheamus to jam his arm! Sheamus clobbers Gable down then soaks up the heat in Houston. Sheamus drags Gable around to stomp those arms again. Sheamus stands over Gable to torture the arm more! The fingers are bending back so far and Gable can’t get free.
Sheamus keeps on the hand but fans rally behind Gable. Gable CHOPS and forearms and stomps to get free! Gable gets the leg, but Sheamus throws him out of the ring! Gable is right back but Gable kicks the arm! Sheamus turns Gable around on the ropes to stop beating Gable’s chest like a drum! Sheamus goes all the way to 10 and then past that! Sheamus lets Gable go and Gable flops to the floor. Sheamus keeps beating Gable in the chest on the outside! Sheamus drags Gable into the ring and shouts, “Are you not entertained?!” Houston is actually fairly entertained. Sheamus kicks Gable around on the ground and tells Gable, “You’re a rat! You don’t belong in this ring!” Sheamus sees Shorty G as a disease, but Gable CHOPS him back! And SLAPS him in the face! And again!
Gable throws big forearms, Sheamus shoves but Gable kicks him back! Sheamus reels Gable in, Gable lands on his feet out of the suplex, and dropkicks Sheamus’ legs out! Sheamus is frustrated that Gable is giving him this much of a fight. Gable CHOPS and CHOPS again! Gable backs Sheamus into a corner and fires off, then hits a rolling heel kick! And another! Gable sits Sheamus down and stomps away on his leg! Gable is getting back on Sheamus for all the arm torture! Gable fires up and fans fire up with him. Gable goes corner to corner, for another rolling kick! Gable climbs up top but Sheamus rises, and catches the moonsault! But Gable turns it into a tornado DDT! Gable hurries back up with Sheamus down, MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO!! Sheamus still lives and Gable can’t believe it.
Gable stalks up behind Sheamus but Sheamus elbows the waistlock away. Sheamus knees Gable in that bad ear, but Gable dodges the boot to waistlock, roll and CHAOS THEORY!! Cover, TWO!?! Sheamus survives but Gable is after that leg! Gable tweaks the knee over and over, but Sheamus grabs ropes. Sheamus crawls to the apron, hotshots an arm, then hotshots Gable! Gable flings off the ropes and Sheamus hobbles up top. Sheamus leaps, into an ANKLE LOCK! Gable pulls on the leg but Sheamus kicks with the other. Gable lets go but then runs corner to corner, and drops under the Brogue to get the leg again! Gable has the Ankle Lock again but Sheamus still uses the free leg. It’s not enough as Gable holds on! Gable wrenches the foot but Sheamus gets the ROPEBREAK!
Gable stomps and punches Sheamus in the ring, then brings him up. The ref tells them to break but Sheamus kicks the bad arm! And hoists Gable up, but Gable swings to crucifix pin! TWO, BROGUE!! Sheamus covers, Sheamus wins!
Winner: Sheamus, by pinfall
The Fella is back! Gable put up a fight that was pound for pound bigger, but that still wasn’t enough to stop Sheamus. Will Sheamus continue to kick heads off as he continues his return?
Kickoff Show: WWE United States Championship: Andrade Almas w/ Zelina Vega VS Humberto Carrillo!
El Idolo looked to destroy the legacy of Rey Mysterio once and for all, but Ultimo Ninja put a stop to that! Now, Carrillo has a shot at El Campeon for the title. Will we have un campeon nuevo? Or will Almas and Zelina find a way to come away with the gold again?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and this heated title match in Houston begins!
Almas shoves Carrillo, Carrillo shoves Almas, and then they tie up. Almas waistlocks and throws Carrillo down, but Carrillo slips out to switch. Almas switches back, Carrillo escapes a headlock but so does Almas. Carrillo sweeps and covers, ONE, Almas knocks Carrillo down but Carrillo avoids the stomp! Fans fire up after seeing that fast and furious exchange but the two fire off again! Almas kicks and haymakers but Carrillo dodges in the corner. Carrillo comes back, handsprings off the ropes and arm-drags Almas away! Carrillo hurries after Almas and handsprings again for another arm-drag! Almas bails out but Carrillo builds speed, and slides over the top of Almas. Almas puts Carrillo on the apron and sweeps the legs! Carrillo lands hard, but he ducks a clothesline to kick Almas back!
Carrillo gets in the ring, swings a dropkick back out, then goes to the corner. Almas hurries after and shoves Carrillo right off! Houston boos but Zelina cheers as Almas goes after Carrillo. Almas brings Carrillo up to CHOP as we go picture in picture again. Almas puts Carrillo in the ring to stomp around. Almas throws forearms but Carrillo kicks back. Almas climbs up and brings Carrillo in with a dragon sleeper, for an inverted tornado DDT! Cover, TWO, and Zelina argues with the ref. Almas shouts he es El Campeon, then he stomps Carrillo more. Almas runs and basement dropkicks Carrillo back down! Carrillo crawls to ropes but Almas brings him up for a draping armbar! The ref counts and Almas lets go at 4, to then stomp Carrillo down more.
Almas wrenches Carrillo’s arm and grinds him into the mat, but fans rally up. Carrillo fights up and out but Almas just wrangles him abck down for another armlock. Carrillo endures and fans rally up, even as Almas leans back. Carrillo fights up again and throws body shots until he’s free. Carrillo runs, wheelbarrows and arm-drags Almas, but Almas comes back with a hard elbow! Almas catches his breath while fans boo. Almas drags Carrillo up for big forearms and a CHOP! Carrillo CHOPS back so Almas knees low. Almas whps but Carrillo kicks back and springboards high, only for Almas to throw him onto the mat! Almas wraps up the legs and rolls for a modified surfboard cover, TWO! Almas tries again, TWO!
Carrillo bridges out of this move, but Almas uses the arms to hoist him up! Carrillo sunset flips, TWO, and Almas kicks low. Almas wants to be Latino Heat but Carrillo slips out. Carrillo elbows and runs, and handsprings out of the back drop to crossbody! Carrillo rolls, kicks and enziguris! Almas is down and fans fire up! Fans rally as Carrillo somersault moonsaults, but onto knees! Almas has Carrillo in a corner, stomps a mudhole into Carrillo, then runs corner to corner. Fans boo but Carrillo follows! Almas puts Carrillo on the apron, blocks a kick and forearms back, but then Carrillo jumps up and over the baseball slide to ASAI MOONSAULT! Direct hit wipes both men out and Zelina is panicking!
Both men are down as the ring count begins, but Carrillo gets Almas up and in at 5. Carrillo aims, springboards, and cradlse to a cover! ONE, crucifix, TWO! Almas kicks low again and insists he’ll hit the hat trick. Uno amigo! Dos amigos! But Almas brags for too long, Carrillo gets the third amigo! Carrillo heads up top, MOONSAULT, but sees the boots coming! Almas ducks his counter kick to school boy Carrillo into buckles! Zelina fires up and fans rally as Almas runs corner to corner. CIEN SHADOWS! Cover, TWO!! Carrillo survives but Almas just grins. Zelina is upset but Almas gets to his feet. Zelina coaches Almas as he drags Carrill up. Hammerlock but cradle counter! TWO, and Almas ROCKS Carrillo with rights! But Carrillo gives them back!
Almas forearms, Carrillo wobbles, but Carrillo hits back! Almas CHOPS, Carrillo CHOPS back! And again! Almas throws forearms, runs but into a SUPERKICK! Cover, TWO!! Almas survives and Carrillo can’t believe it! Carrillo gets up, somersaults and moonsaults! Cover, TWO! Carrillo keeps his focus as he drags Almas up. Carrillo throws a forearm as they’re both on their knees. Almas CHOPS back! Carrillo and Almas continue to brawl, and Almas throws elbows from all sides. Almas runs, ducks a kick, but Carrillo sees the boot and elbow coming. Almas ducks the kick and the enziguri but Carrillo whips, only for Almas to reverse. Carrillo goes up and out to the apron, elbows Almas back, then climbs up top! Almas ROCKS Carrillo with an enziguri first!
Almas climbs up now, drags Carrillo up to join him, and fans anticipate something crazy as both men CHOP each other. Carrillo stands up, and SUPER STEINERS Almas down! Carrillo crawls to a cover, TWO!! Almas survives and Zelina is stressed but relieved. Fans rally up as Carrillo crawls after Almas. Carrillo brings Almas up and around, but Almas jawbreakers! Carrillo kicks and fireman’s carries, but Almas slips out. Carrillo lands on his feet out of the back suplex, then huricanranas for a cover, but Almas sunset flips through! Almas wins!!
Winner: Andrade Almas, by pinfall; still WWE United States Champion
Even Zelina is shocked! El Idolo stays El Campeon, and Carrillo is beside himself! Will Carrillo ever get even with Almas? Will Almas be stopped on the Road to WrestleMania?
R-Truth heads to the ring!
But Booker, Renee and Roberts stop him. Where is he going? The ring. For what? The Rumble! But it’s not even happening yet, this is the kickoff show. And didn’t Truth say he’d stay out because of Brock? Wait is Booker and them not in the Rumble? No! But Truth says Lesnar may have taken him to Sioux Falls, but here’s a spoiler: Paul Heyman talks the whole match. But Truth, you said you weren’t going to compete. Maybe 2021 but not this year. The affidavits he gets confuse him. What affidavits? Well first they say Truth is in but then he’s not, and then there’s “stigmulations” of Truth, Heyman and Lesnar.
Well Truth knows what Lesnar can do, so why would he want back in? Truth ain’t going nowhere with Lesnar. Sioux Falls- NO this is Houston. H-Town! But Truth is sure it’ll go different this time. He’s reppin’ his childhood hero, John Cena. You Can’t See Me! Um… How is…? Well, Truth did his campaigning for the Rumble, but whether or not he’s in it, let’s wait and see who can stand up to The Beast.
Backstage interview with Charlotte Flair!
The Queen was in the previous Women’s Royal Rumble, only to be surprised just like everyone else by Becky Lynch jumping in and winning it all. “Last year, I think I let my emotions get the better of me.” Charlotte obsessed over that match and that WrestleManai sign moment. She could feel it, until she couldn’t. This year, she sees differently. She doesn’t see 29 competitors, just numbers. When they look at Charlotte, they will only see the Queen. Will Charlotte get back on the Road to WrestleMania here tonight?
Backstage interview with Kofi Kingston!
He’s back in the Men’s Royal Rumble match! The Royal Rumble is so exciting because it is the one-way ticket to WrestleMania! Kofimania got going around this time last year, but that’s the past. What matters tonight is the Rumble! Does Kofi have his number? He doesn’t! That’s okay because that’s the excitement of this match! Kofi stays ready, he wants back into WrestleMania. Does the New Day have a strategy? Of course, it’s being a team! And everyone always wonders, “What if it’s just you two?” Then ring the bell, because when one wins, we all win! Woods doesn’t need to even be in the Rumble to win it with his boys. Tonight is a big night, but will Kofi and/or Big E punch their ticket to the main event?
Let the countdown begin!
“Hear that? Time’s up.” The Royal Rumble match “ain’t no walk in the park.” Whether you’re first, last, man, woman, big, small, “Beast or Queen,” this is the biggest opportunity you’ll ever have. And even if you’re on top as a champion now, there are so many people coming after you, that could all change in one night. The Man VS The Empress. The Fiend VS The Movement. History and glory come with victory as you “show them other sum-bishes” what you’re made off. This is Texas, where everything is bigger and badder. So what are you here for? Because we’re here to Rumble. “Now gimme a hell yeah.”
Falls Count Anywhere Match: Roman Reigns VS Baron Corbin!
Even before attempting the grueling 30-Man Royal Rumble, The Big Dog and the Wolf King look to settle things! In a match that can go anywhere and everywhere in Minute Maid Park, where will Roman and Corbin find themselves after everything is said and done?
Before a bell ever rings, Roman rushes Corbin’s palanquin and goes after the King’s men! Corbin goes after Roman and the bell rings! Corbin throws Roman but Roman throws Corbin into the steel steps! Fans are fired up already as Roman seethes over Corbin. Roman drags Corbin up and into the ring and gives him punches in the corner. Roman gets all the way to 10 then scoops but Corbin bails out. Roman hurries over but Corbin throws a big right hand to rock Roman! Corbin starts to retreat to the fans, but Roman headbutts him down first! Roman throws BIG uppercuts and rocks Corbin in return. Roman stalks Corbin and gives him another uppercut! Roman puts Corbin in the ring, back suplexes high and hard! Cover, TWO, but Roman keeps his cool.
Roman watches Corbin writhe as fans fire up. Roman already locks ‘n’ loads as Corbin rises! But Corbin dodges the punch to DEEP SIX! Cover, TWO! It won’t be that easy for King Corbin tonight! Corbin snarls as he drags Roman up and out of the ring. Corbin throws Roman into barriers! Fans are rowdy as Corbin grabs steel steps and comes around to RAM them into Roman’s head! Fans boo Corbin as he mocks Roman’s pose. Corbin clears the Spanish announce table before going back after Roman. Corbin brings Roman over but Roman blocks the desk bump to give it to Corbin! Roman throws big hands and Corbin stumbles all the way into the crowd. Roman stalks after Corbin and throws hands right in front of the fans!
Roman bounces Corbin off railing and keeps punching his way deeper into Houston. Fans love the up close experience they’re getting as Corbin staggers away. Roman throws more hands and even headbutts. Corbin staggers his way around the way but Roman throws more hands. They loop back to ringside and Corbin uses the RING BELL! Corbin has control back as he CHOKE SLAMS Roman onto the German desk! The desk stays up but Corbin clears chairs out to cover! TWO and Corbin is furious! Fans rally up as Corbin throws a tantrum! Corbin shouts at the German commentary team before bringing Roman up and around to the Spanish desk. Roman uppercuts Corbin and rocks him! Roman reloads, but no Superman Punch! CHOKE SLAM THROUGH the desk!! Cover, TWO!! Roman survives and Corbin is furious again!
Corbin calms down as he looms over Roman. Corbin has an idea and brings Roman over. Corbin dumps Roman into the crowd and then drags him further along. Corbin’s aim seems to be something in the distance, and he punches Roman along the way. Corbin throws haymaker after haymaker as they seem to be heading to the technical area. Fans cheer for Roman but Corbin just keeps throwing forearms and right hands. Fans boo Corbin as he continues to mock Roman’s poses. Corbin continues bringing Roman on the journey to the technical area, throwing him into big equipment trunks! Corbin clears out the international commentary and fans are fired up as tables are about to be reintroduced. But it’s Roman who fireman’s carries Corbin for a Samoan Drop through a table! You can hear the Chinese announce team freaking out as much as the fans after that one! Mostly because that was their table.
Both men rise from the wreckage, and Roman fireman’s carries again! ANOTHER Samoan Drop through a table!! Cover, TWO!! Corbin survives but that just means Roman won’t stop. Chinese and French tables are gone, but the rest are spared as Corbin RAMS Roman into trunks! Corbin staggers away in retreat and goes up to the main production hub. Roman stalks after him and borrows a chair. But wait, the King’s knights appear! The GLORIOUS Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler attack! There are no disqualifications but there is such a thing as playing fair! Fans boo as Roode and Ziggler have cuffs! But here come the USOS! NOW it’s fair as the Bloodline supports itself!
Jimmy and Jey throw hands with Roode-Dolph, only for Roode-Dolph to throw them over trunks! But Jey throws hands back on Roode! Ziggler SUPERKICKS Jey down! Fans boo as Roode-Dolph drag Jey up and over to throw into a stack of boxes! Whatever was in those boxes topples over and is probably damaged but that’s still not enough for Corbin’s court (jesters). Ziggler uses a trash can and its lid to beat Jey down, then Roode stomps him. Roode sets up railing as a bridge, and with Ziggler’s help, they bring him over, only for JIMMY to fly in outta nowhere!! Jimmy wipes all three men out, but then Corbin back suplexes Jimmy onto the railing bridge! SUPERMAN PUNCH outta nowhere! Corbin staggers and fans fire up for Roman as he reloads, SUPERMAN PUNCH! Roman stalks Corbin towards another clearing. Are those porta-potties? Roman throws Corbin into one! And again!
Fans are thunderous for The Big Dog as he gets an idea. Roman opens one! Luckily it was vacant. Roman puts Corbin in, and slams the door closed! The “throne” is now occupied, and Roman brings the potty around the way. Roman gives it a spin before pushing it over! Not quite how anyone expected Corbin to be dethroned, but it was appropriate. Fans lose their minds as Corbin flops out of the potty. Roman rocks Corbin with more uppercuts! Hopefully Corbin washed his hands before passing through the crowd. Roman rocks Corbin again! They keep going, uppercut after uppercut forcing Corbin down the way. Corbin manages to stay standing, and now we end up by the dugout! Roman rains down rights as Houston gets hot!
Corbin stumbles around, but uses a chair to jab and SMACK Roman on the back! They end up on top of the dugout, and fans boo as Corbin gives Roman another chair shot! And then another! Corbin is satisfied with the double as he drags Roman up. But Roman throws a forearm first! And a third SUPERMAN PUNCH! Roman lets out the battle cry, and SPEARS Corbin down! Cover, Roman wins!
Winner: Roman Reigns, by pinfall
The Big Dog strikes Corbin out and has conquered the King! But after going this hard in their match, will either man make it through the Royal Rumble match itself?
Kevin Owens talks with Samoa Joe backstage.
They’re both very excited for tonight. Houston is a good place for Kevin, as he’s won titles here. He’ll keep that string going when he eliminates Seth Rollins and wins the Rumble. Well that strikes a nerve. But Joe wants to focus on the positive: getting rid of Rollins. The only negative: if Kevin gets in Joe’s way of winning the Rumble, Joe won’t hesitate to throw him out. Yes, every man for himself. Kevin remembers when Joe warned him last week. But will they be able to keep priorities straight of denying the Monday Night Messiah his destiny?
Backstage interview with Fire & Desire!
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville are both ready to compete in the Women’s Rumble. A tag team like them aren’t like Kevin and Joe. If it comes down to the two of them, Sonya will sacrifice herself for her best friend. Mandy seems a big surprised to hear that. Will that come to happen?
WWE mourns the loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Bryant.
In a shocking helicopter crash, the basketball legend, his second oldest daughter, and half a dozen more people were lost today. The WWE, and even us here at the Chairshot, offer condolences to the Bryant family and all the families of those lost today.
The 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble Match!
30 women compete for the golden ticket that will lead to a golden opportunity at WrestleMania 36! Will the Queen claim her throne? Or will another take it from her just like in 2019?
First out, it’s Alexa Bliss! And joining the Goddess is NXT’s EST, Bianca Belair! Will either of these women make it to the very end of the match?
Alexa and Bianca circle and tie up. Bianca scoops and heads for ropes but Alexa slips out. Alexa tries to lift Bianca but Bianca forearms out. Bianca whips, Alexa reverses, but Bianca goes up, over, handsprings and runs back in to RAM Alexa into the corner! Bianca grinds in harder then puts Alexa up top. Bianca climbs to join Alexa and DECKS her with a right! And another! Alexa SLAPS Bianca back! Alexa SLAPS, rocks and dropkicks Bianca down! Fans fire up as Alexa sees Bianca get right back up. “Girl, uh-uh.” Things speed up, Bianca blocks the tilt-o-whirl, but Alexa fights! Bianca drops her with a backbreaker! Then handsprings to splash! Bianca kips up as the countdown hits zero to bring out #3: MIGHTY MOLLY HOLLY!
Molly Holly was here last year, but she’s back as her superhero self! The Hurricane would be proud. Molly fires off on both women, and throws Bianca! Bianca stays on the apron and comes after Molly again. Alexa and Bianca work together but Molly dodges to double clothesline! Molly climbs up top but Alexa goes after her. Molly kicks her away then adjusts, to DOUBLE crossobody! Fans cheer as Molly shows that she’s still got it. But the countdown returns already and we get #4: Nikki Cross! Lexi’s bestie is here! The Loony Lass rushes the ring to go after Molly and Bianca! Fans fire up as Bliss-Cross takes over, double corner attacks! And again, for CHOPS! Molly and Bianca try to turn the tables but are both put on the aprons. Nikki celebrates as if they’ve won, but not quite yet.
Bianca and Molly return, a scoop slam for Alexa, and a Kiss of Death sends Nikki ONTO Alexa! Bianca and Molly push Nikki but Alexa saves her friend. Bliss-Cross keep each other safe as they brawl with Molly and Bianca. Nikki dropkicks Molly but Bianca SPEARS Nikki! Alexa gives Bianca a Sunset Flip BOMB but Molly blockbusters Alexa! All four women are down, and here comes #5! It’s… Lana!? The Ravishing Russian soaks up all the heat as she has a mic. Lana tells Houston that they are welcoming the greatest woman in WWE history! A new year and a newlywed Lana is confident she will win this for her “hawt, hawt husband,” Bobby Lashley! Lana gets in to BOOT Alexa and facebuster Nikki! Lana takes advantage of Molly with a scoop but Molly holds on tight. We get another countdown and #6: Mercedes Martinez! NXT has another representative as Mean Ms. Martinez makes her way to the ring.
Bianca and Lana fight in one corner as Mercedes KNEES Molly down! SPINE BUSTER for Nikki! Wheelbarrow slam for Alexa! Bianca swings on Mercedes but into a German Suplex! Lana clobbers Mercedes from behind but Mercedes hits her back! Butterfly suplex! Mercedes hoists Lana up and over the rope, but Lana hits back. Mercedes throws forearm after forearm, sweeps and pushes! Lana holds on for her life as we get #7: LIV MORGAN! Karma is a bitch, and Liv has one target in mind! Liv SPEARS Lana and ELIMINATES her! If nothing else, Liv screwed over the Ravishing One. But Liv turns around for Mercedes to scoop and put her outside! Liv ROCKS Mercedes with a right, but Lana pulls Liv off! Lana ELIMINATES Liv! Fans boo but the cat fight is on!
Liv throws furious right hands down on Lana and the referees hurry to stop this! Nothing has been settled between them, but we have to worry about entrant #8! It’s… Mandy Rose! The Golden Goddess, the Desire in Fire & Desire, heats things up as she heads right for the ring. Molly goes after Mercedes and Alexa struggles against Bianca. Mandy gets in to see what’s what, but Nikki has beef with her still. Nikki fires up and runs but Mandy just knocks her over! Mandy gives Nikki a Knee from a Rose! Mandy SLAPS Nikki around and even dead lifts Nikki up and out! But Nikki holds on to counter punch and shoulder in. Nikki dropkicks and gets back in, taking off the vest! Fans fire up with Nikki as she crossbodies Mandy! The countdown hits and we get #9: Candice LeRae!
Candice heads right to the top of the corner to fly and dropkick Mercedes! And boot Nikki to dropkick her down! LIONSAULT! Mandy clubs Molly and Bianca while Alexa stomps Mercedes. Nikki resists but Bianca ELIMINATES Mighty Molly! Mandy grabs Alexa but Alexa whips her out! Mandy flops off the apron, but OTIS is there?! When did he show up!? But either way, he is Mandy’s living life raft and she stands on Otis’ belly to get back in! Fans love the love story as Mandy gets back at Alexa with right hands! The countdown returns and we get #10: Sonya Deville! Fire joins Desire as we’re now one-third of the way into the match. Sonya throws hands on Candice and Bianca, and Nikki gets knees! Nikki ends up on the apron but is not eliminated.
Mercedes keeps on Nikki while Fire & Desire work on Candice! Candice holds on and Nikki gets back in. Bianca is on Alexa by default. Mercedes and Sonya brawl with big hands! Mercedes CHOPS Sonya but Sonya fires off kicks. Mercedes trips and rolls Sonya to suplex, but Sonya slips out. Sonya kicks low, and works with Mandy to go after Mercedes. Fire & Desire double team, the high low attack! They drag Mercedes up and throw her out, they ELIMINATE Mercedes together! But now we get #11: Kairi Sane! The Pirate Princess sets sail in hopes of giving the Kabuki Warriors a back-up plan. Kairi climbs up top to simply hop in and hypnotize Bliss-Cross with her umbrella. Kairi dodges and DOUBLE SPEARS them down!
Sonya kicks low but Kairi comes back to headscissor! Mandy throws hands but gets hands and an ax kick! BLOCKBUSTER! Bianca is up and kicks Kairi, they’re no strangers from their NXT days. Kairi counters the suplex to a DDT! Otis checks on Mandy as Kairi and Candice go after each other. Kairi ALABAMA SLAMS Candice while we get the countdown. #12 is… The HBIC! InSANE Elbow hits as Mia Yim heads to the ring! And Mia goes right at Kairi with a neckbreaker! Nikki better Protect Ya Neck! Mia hauls Nikki up but can’t get her out before Alexa saves Nikki. Bianca has Alexa, scoops her, but Nikki saves Alexa from the strength of EST! Nikki hops on for a wild sleeper, but Bianca puts her outside. Otis even coaches Bianca on as Bianca uses Alexa to ELIMINATE Nikki!
Alexa grabs Bianca’s hair! Alexa ROCKS Bianca and gets in the ring. Alexa SLAPS, ROCKS and whips Mandy, but Otis is there again. Sonya hits Mandy by accident! But Otis saves her again! Bianca throws Sonya out ONTO Otis, and ELIMINATES Fire & Desire at the same time! The countdown returns and we get lucky #13: Dana Brooke! This match just got some #FlexAppeal as Dana rushes the ring. Dana hotshots Mia then decks Candice. Dana climbs up top and SWANTONS onto Mia, before handspring splashing Bianca. Enziguri for Mia and then a clothesline for Candice, Dana is not slowing down. Mia avoids the fireman’s carry to fire off strikes and a PELE! Candice boots Bianca but Bianca hits back.
Kairi helps Dana go after Mia, but then Dana goes after Kairi. Bianca trophy lifts Candice and throws her out to ELIMINATE her! And that is why she is the EST, with FIVE eliminations. Kairi climbs up top from the inside but Alexa is after her! It is a big smol fight up top and Kairi trips Alexa up. But Alexa slips out to ROCK Kairi! Kairi falls down and that means Alexa ELIMINATES Kairi! The countdown returns and we get #14: TAMINA! The Daughter of Superfly SUPERKICKS Dana! Then rocks Mia and SUPERKICKS Alexa! Bianca is too fast for that, and now the two strongest women in this match stare down. And throw hands! Tamina rocks Bianca then runs in, but Bianca throws and ELIMINATES Tamina! But then Alexa KICKS Bianca from behind! The countdown gives us #15, the halfway point… Dakota Kai! Things just kicked up a notch as the evil Kiwi gets in the ring.
Dana is after her right away but Dakota throws hands and feet. Dakota trips Dana and ax kicks her down! Mia is after Alexa as Dakota whips Dana. Dakota goes Around the World to BOOT Dana down! Mia runs in but Alexa puts her on the apron, and ROCKS Mia to ELIMINATE her! The Goddess and Bianca are running the gauntlet as the first two still in this match. As such, they go after each other as we get #16: Chelsea Green! Robert Stone Brand worked out a HUGE moment for her to return to in-ring action! The Hot Mess slides in to grab Dakota and Dana! Chelsea ELIMINATES Dakota, but then Alexa ELIMINATES Chelsea! Robert Stone should’ve come up with a better business plan than this. Dana hits Alexa and lifts her up, but Alexa fights free!
Alexa ducks Dana, and Bianca SPEARS Dana, they ELIMINATE Dana! The first two are still here and fans are loving this! Alexa and Bianca go after each other again, Bianca fireman’s carries but Alexa flails free. STO and then Alexa takes her time going up top. She was smart to go through the ropes, before the Twisted Bliss! But onto KNEES! Bianca lifts Alexa but Alexa headscissors! They’re both on the apron! They’re brawling with big hands and stomps. The hair comes into play again! Tug-o-war results in Alexa being SMACKED into the post, and falling to the floor! Bianca ELIMINATES Alexa!! Houston cannot believe that The EST is still in this match! But now we start fresh with #17: CHARLOTTE FLAIR! The Queen appears at just the right time as Bianca has already been through so much.
Charlotte runs in but Bianca dodges, only for Bianca to run into a backbreaker and CHOPS! Charlotte fires off those Flair Chops to stagger Bianca again and again! Exploder and a kip up, Charlotte’s showing off already. Bianca manages to get up and dodge again, sending Charlotte into buckles! Things might be even already, but now we get #18: NAOMI! The Glow returns and Houston is feeling it! Naomi makes her in-ring return in the biggest moment possible, and she dodges Charlotte to headscissor Bianca! Naomi slides to duck the boot and slips out of the back suplex, but dropkicks cancel out. Double kip ups and Charlotte has to respect Naomi for that. The two veterans go after Bianca and double suplex her up and down. Then Charlotte CHOPS Naomi to take the spotlight for herself.
Charlotte grinds a boot into Naomi but here comes #19: BETH PHOENIX! Another amazing in-ring return as the Glamazon has just shook The Queen. Charlotte has to keep on Naomi but she turns around for Beth to go after! Beth runs Naomi over then bumps Charlotte off buckles. Beth blocks punches to scoop Naomi and bring her to ropes. Naomi holds on and fights them both off, to springboard double crossbody! Bianca hangs back to catch her breath but fans fire up for Naomi. Beth stomps Bianca and Naomi puts Charlotte in the corner to grind a boot in. Bianca puts Beth up top and clubs her against the post. Charlotte fights Naomi off but Naomi is right back on her with kicks. Charlotte buckle bumps Naomi but here comes #20: TONI STORM!
The Lightning From Down Under may not be NXT Women’s Champion here, but she’s looking for another shot. Toni gets in and rallies with big forearms on Naomi, then throws forearms and stomps on Charlotte! Beth and Bianca struggle against each other as Charlotte CHOPS Toni back! Charlotte bumps Toni off buckles but Naomi kicks away on Charlotte. Charlotte stacks Naomi in with Toni and double corner clotheslines them! Bianca is up top and Charlotte takes advantage, and ELIMINATES her with a BOOT! Fans are even more shocked than when Bianca eliminated Alexa! Bianca sets records for the Women’s Rumble but now Beth brawls with Charlotte. The count begins again and we get #21: Kelly Kelly! Another classic returns while Charlotte keeps on Beth.
Kelly watches the others very closely, and she Thesz Presses Naomi! Toni is on her with a whip but Kelly headscissors and goes around and around before throwing her down! Fans fire up as Kelly gives Toni some booty! But then Charlotte CLOBBERS Kelly, only for Beth to be on her right away! Beth throws Charlotte over and stomps away but Charlotte holds on for dear life! Not even biting at the fingers does it yet. Beth keeps trying while Kelly has Toni and Naomi hangs back. We get #22 already with Sarah Logan! The Kentucky Viking sees her prey and heads for the ring! Charlotte gives Beth an Exploder, but Sarah SPEARS Charlotte into a corner! Sarah throws hands and scraps with Charlotte. Charlotte fights her off and Beth is after Sarah with Toni’s help. Sarah fights them both off but Charlotte BOOTS and ELIMINATES Sarah!
But then Kelly goes after Charlotte! The Queen will NOT let Barbie Blank beat her! Charlotte throws Kelly out but Kelly SLAPS Charlotte. Charlotte’s pissed now, and DECKS Kelly! Charlotte ELIMINATES Kelly Kelly, and glares at everyone else in the ring. Beth finds herself in 3v1 but now #23 enters. It’s… NATALYA! Beth’s best bud is here, but will the catty Queen of Harts help her out? DISCUS for Charlotte! Lariat for Toni and Naomi! Beth helps Natty as they go after Charlotte. Charlotte throws big forearms and Beth has a bleeding spot somewhere on her head. But Beth still helps Natty grab Charlotte for a DOUBLE BOMB! Natty then goes after Naomi with help from Toni! Naomi is stuck up top and holding on tight but Beth helps out, too. Fans rally as the countdown begins again. #24 is… Xia Li!
NXT’s spicy martial artist is fired up already as she rushes the ring. Xia BOOTS Natty down, back kicks and counter kicks Beth down! Toni avoids the sweep but not the heel kick! Charlotte kicks Xia and then fires herself up. Xia slips out of the exploder to dynamic dropkick Charlotte down! Fans fire up with the spicy style as Xia scoops Charlotte. Charlotte holds on and pushes Xia into buckles. Charlotte scoops Xia and puts her up top, but Xia holds on for her life. Natty has Naomi and Beth has Toni but everyone is fighting back. The countdown gives us #25: Zelina Vega! La Muneca shifts gears, and changes clothes from earlier, to see if she can find success for herself. Zelina dodges Naomi and hits a tilt-o-whirl DDT! Zelina gives Beth forearms but her code breaker is blocked! Beth puts Zelina up top but Zelina leaps back for a flying headscisosrs! Zelina block kicks Toni then hits a basement DDT!
Zelina has Toni in the corner while Charlotte is in trouble! Beth helps Xia and Natty to drag Charlotte over! Charlotte holds on for dear life and Naomi goes after the other three. The countdown returns and we get #26: Shotzi Blackheart! The newest face in NXT is already going to make a big impression as she’s in the Rumble! Shotzi throws Toni but Toni throws her, only for Shotzi to enziguri! Natty and Beth lift Naomi together, but Naomi lands on the apron safely to ROUNDHOUSE Beth back! Natty SLAPS Naomi, but Naomi manages to walk down the steel steps and LEAP to the barriers! Naomi’s safe! Naomi climbs inch by inch to keep her feet off the floor, and have a seat! Fans are loving this! Meanwhile, Shotzi fights with Xia while Zelina holds on against Beth and Toni.
Naomi scoots her way from barrier to commentary as Charlotte has Natty. The countdown returns as Naomi jumps to the announce desk for a breather. #27 is the FABULOUS Carmella! The Princess of Staten Island moonwalks her way to the ring while Naomi assesses her own situation. Carmella dodges and headscissors Natty! Kelly Kelly would be proud of how Mella has improved upon that move! Carmella throws Natty into Beth and gives them both a Fabulous mudhole stomping! Naomi transfers announce desks as Carmella hits the Fabulous Bronco Buster! But then Charlotte gives Carmella NATURAL SELECTION! But Natty is after Charlotte and feeds her to Beth’s chicken wings. GLAM SLAM! Natty basement dropkicks to add on as Naomi again transfers desk.
Charlotte is throw into the post and falls out, but through the ropes! Charlotte is NOT out of the match. The countdown returns and now we get #28: Tegan Nox! The Shiniest Wizard doesn’t have Dakota to go after, so she’ll just go after glory instead. Tegan rallies on whoever comes close, and manages to CANNONBALL onto Beth. Tegan gives Zelina a Choke Slam and she uppdercuts Toni. Beth gets Tegan for a GLAM SLAM! Toni HEADBUTTS Natty but falls down, too. Beth gets up, and doesn’t even care that her hair is half crimson as she goes after Toni herself. The countdown begins and we get #29: Santina?! Santino’s “twin sister” is back! Beth can’t believe it any more than we can.
Santina wants a high-five from Beth but Beth is in no mood. Back in the day, Santina eliminated Beth to become Ms. WrestleMania, among other things. But while Santina mouths off on Beth, Natty gets up. Santina is surrounded, so Santina takes out MRS. Cobra! The stares scare Santina and Cobra so bad, Cobra bites Santina! Santina tumbles over and out and ELIMINATES herself! Beth and Natty leave Santina be and go after Shotzi and Xia. But finally, we get #30… SHAYNA BASZLER! The Queen of Spades and two-time NXT Women’s Champion looks to add on to her already amazing career! Shayna sees Charlotte and throws her into steel steps! Tegan fights off Beth while Shotzi holds on. Shayna decks Natty, Beth and throws Xia out to ELIMINATE Xia! No more spice as Shayna gut wrenches and ELIMINATES Tegan!
Zelina runs in, but gets the KIRAFUDA! Shaynan makes Zelina take a nap but Shotzi gets Shayna again! But Shayna is ready this time, and headscissors Shotzi out to ELIMINATE her first! Now the Queen and the new kid are even from NXT. Oh and Naomi has figure out how to get back to the ring! She’s using a desk cover as a bridge! Naomi carefully steps on the cover while Carmella talks trash to Shayna. Naomi hurries to walk the tight rope, and she’s back! Shayna blocks the Fabulous kick to lift and ELIMINATE Carmella! Toni runs into Shayna’s grip and gets thrown, Shayna ELIMINATES Toni! But Naomi is up top and LEAPS in! Shayna gets under and blocks the Rear View, to throw and ELIMINATE Naomi! Shayna has SEVEN eliminations already!
But now Shayna comes face to face with Beth and Natty. They go hand for hand, then Shayna whips Beth to kick low. Shayna runs, into a lift! HART ATTACK! Fans fire up for the classic, but then Beth throws and ELIMINATES Natty!! The Glamazon is finally going every woman for themselves! Beth and Shayna fight, Shayna manages to get Beth upside-down, but Charlotte returns! Charlotte dumps Shayna out but no one falls! And now Queen of Spades meets Queen of Queens! Fans are dueling but it’s clear Shayna is a favorite. Beth grabs at Charlotte and almost throws her out! Shayna runs at Beth, Beth ducks and whips but Shayna whips and ELIMINATES Beth! Charlotte skins the cat to headscissor but Shayna blocks! Shayna and Charlotte struggle, but Charlotte keeps hold! Shayna comes back again, another skin the cat, to headscissor and ELIMINATE Shayna!! Charlotte wins!!
Winner: Charlotte Flair at #17; will go to WrestleMania to challenge a Women’s Champion of her choosing
The Queen of Queens indeed! Charlotte Flair vowed to win it all, and now she has! Charly Caruso interviews Charlotte in the ring, and now she has her shot at a title of her choice. Any plans yet for who she’ll challenge? “I can tell you this: since day one, I have been a diamond cut to last! And whether any of you wanted me to win, or wanted me to lose, tonight, I reminded all of you that this is MY division. WOO~!” A strong message sent but Charlotte is playing this one close to the vest. But which title will she go after? And who will even be the champions by then?
Backstage interview with Baron Corbin.
The Wolf King complains about his match with Roman Reigns. Roman relied on his Bloodline and made a mockery of their match! Roman is so scared of Corbin, he had to go and get his cousins to “get the job done.” Corbin promises that in the Rumble, he’ll take Roman and throw him out to win and main event Mania! Hypocrisy aside, will Corbin find a way to avenge his defeat? Or will he just lose to the Big Dog twice in the same night?
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley VS Lacey Evans!
Bayley has been a bad, bad influence on the Women’s Division, and now the Model Soldier wants to show her what a real role model is like. But will the combined powers of being a mother and a Marine make Lacey a champion? Or will #NoMoreHugs Bayley only hug that title tighter after tonight?
Introductions are made, the belt is raised, and this grudge match of sassy and smug begins!
Bayley and Lacey circle and tie up and Lacey puts Bayley in the corner. Lacey throws Bayley across the ring then bumps her off the buckles over and over, before throwing her again! Cover, ONE, but Lacey keeps on Bayley with knee drops! Lacey tries another cover, ONE! Bayley scrambles to ropes to yank Lacey into them! Lacey backs away as she gasps for air but Bayley goes to expose a buckle! The ref reprimands Bayley before Lacey runs in. Bayley puts Lacey on the apron but Lacey sweeps the legs! Lacey slingshots to drop the elbow! Bayley ducks the knee and speeds up, but her leg gets clipped. Lacey thinks Bayley is playing possum or something, but Bayley backs away to a corner.
The ref checks on Bayley, and Lacey shows some compassion, only for Bayley to DECK her! Seems Lacey was right all along. Bayley laughs as she baits Lacey back in for a buckle flapjack! Bayley heads up top fast, Macho Elbow! Cover, TWO! Bayley blames little Summer Evans for what’s next. That is to say, Bayley raining down rights all over Lacey’s head! Bayley then stomps Lacey around and even jumps on her back to knock her down. Cover, ONE, but Bayley drags Lacey into the corner. Bayley puts Lacey on the ropes and chokes her! The ref counts, Bayley lets up at 4, and then wraps on with a sleeper hold. Lacey endures and fans rally up, but Bayley throws Lacey into a corner. Bayley brings Lacey out and snap suplexes! Cover, ONE, but Bayley keeps her focus.
Bayley chinlocks and Lacey endures again. Fans rally again but Bayley mocks that she can’t hear the “idiots.” Lacey fights up but Bayley shoves her to ropes, only for Lacey to headscissor her away! Bayley comes back and clamps on with another chinlock, and she grinds Lacey back down. Lacey fights her way back up as fans rally again. Lacey backs Bayley into buckles and is free to give a corner clothesline. But Bayley comes back with a lariat of her own! Cover, TWO! Now Bayley grows frustrated as she stalks behind the Sassy Southern Belle. Bayley mocks Lacey, “C’mon, Mommy!” Fans rally for Lacey but Bayley mocks them, too. Lacey hits back with forearms and runs, but Bayley runs her over! Bayley covers, TWO!
Bayley rains down right hands to keep Lacey down, but lets up at the ref’s count. Bayley wraps on a new chinlock but Lacey fights up again, only for Bayley to throw her back into a corner. Bayley runs in, Lacey drop toeholds Bayley into buckles! Bayley puts Lacey on the apron but Lacey pulls hair! Lacey dodges the shoulder to knee back, then slingshot school girl, TWO! Bayley elbows back then climbs up top, to mock the salute. Bayley crossbodies but FLOPS! Lacey catches her breath as Bayley flounders around, and Lacey rallies with big lariats! Lacey kicks, wrenches and wrings Bayley out! Then hits a Penalty Kick! Fans fire up with Lacey as she runs in and hits the swinging bronco buster! Lacey keeps going, slingshot wrecking ball dropkick!
Lacey catches herself before falling to the floor, and gets back up top. Lacey slingshots in but collides with Bayley! Bayley scrambles out of the way and laughs, but then Lacey slingshots out! Bayley gets clear to throw Lacey into barriers! Bayley keeps one step ahead of Lacey as they come near the Evans family. Summer checks on Mama Lacey but Bayley is throwing hands! Bayley throws Lacey back into barriers then into the ring. Bayley clamps on but Lacey blocks the suplex. Bayley clubs away but Lacey fights out. Lacey kicks, spins Bayley around and drops her with a neckbreaker! Lacey standing moonsaults, then transitions to the corner! Salute to the Sassiest Moonsault Ever ONTO BOOTS! Bayley covers fast, Bayley grabs tights! Bayley wins!!
Winner: Bayley, by pinfall; still SmackDown Women’s Champion
Snatching victory from jaws of defeat, Bayley survives to extend the reign! Will Charlotte choose to come back over to SmackDown for that belt? Or will Bayley be able to coast on the Road to WrestleMania?
WWE Universal Championship Strap Match: The Fiend, Bray Wyatt VS Daniel Bryan!
The living nightmare is back again, but the Yes Movement won’t let him slip away so easily. The leather strap will keep these two connected to each other physically, like a manifestation of whatever force has kept them connected to each other in their careers. But will the connection finally be broken when one wins to have the title strapped around their waist?
The introductions are made, the Fiend’s custom championship is raised, and the strap is on to begin this brutal rematch!
Fans are already fired up as Bryan and Fiend stare down. They circle, tugging at the strap. Bryan lets himself be reeled in so he can throw forearms. The Fiend puts Bryan in a corner but Bryan hits back and throws Yes Kicks in the corner! Bryan climbs up to rain down punches, but Fiend stops it at 5 to BOMB Bryan down! The Fiend grabs himself a length of the strap to LASH Bryan on the back! And on the shoulders! This was Bryan’s decision and now it’s coming back to haunt him. The Fiend slaps and lashes Bryan more against the ropes, then brings him up for a headbutt. Bryan steadies himself but The Fiend grabs him by the nape of the neck. The Fiend whips but Bryan kicks back. Bryan sends The Fiend through the ropes and dropkicks him, to then use the strap as a slingshot, only for his dive to be sent into the barriers!
The Fiend uses the strap to whip Bryan into a post! The Fiend LASHES Bryan again and appreciates fans cheering, “YOWIE WOWIE!” The Fiend lashes Bryan against the apron and fans are freaking out as Bryan is lashed to the floor. The Fiend puts Bryan in the ring and follows after. The Fiend LASHES Bryan while he’s down, then drags him up. The Fiend hoists Bryan onto the top rope backwards to LASH him again! Bryan barely holds onto the top but The Fiend keeps lashing him. Bryan is put in a Tree of Woe, and The Fiend LASHES his stomach! And then his back as Bryan climbs up! Bryan flops out of the Tree and The Fiend revels in this moment. The Fiend laughs as he brings Bryan up for a BIG Urenage! And the neck crank! And more lashing! Bryan’s body is so red already but The Fiend isn’t done with him.
The Fiend gets the fans to get louder as he spider walks, laughing all the way. But Bryan kicks back from the floor! The Fiend headbutts and has Bryan in position, but no Sister Abigail as Bryan ROUNDHOUSES! And then hits a KNEE PLUS! Cover, TWO!! The Fiend survives but both men are down. The Fiend springs right up but Bryan sends him right out! Bryan heads up top and LEAPS to clobber The Fiend! Bryan fires off more hands on The Fiend until The Fiend shoves him away. The Fiend throws Bryan into steel steps! And then at the corner, but Bryan slides through! Bryan uses the strap to YANK The Fiend into the post! And again! And again! It’s like a painful paddle ball! Bryan crawls back through to the other side for a flying knee off the apron! But the Fiend comes back right away to LARIAT Bryan down! The Fiend again lashes Bryan over and over, and over, and over!
The Fiend clears off the German announce desk and puts Bryan on the desk. The Fiend hops up to join Bryan, but Bryan LOW BLOWS! No disqualifications, after all! Bryan keeps kicking and then gives The Fiend a DDT onto the table! The table stays solid, but Bryan is able to sit up. Bryan finally measures a length of leather for himself, and LASHES The Fiend on the back! Over and over, in return for everything The Fiend has done! Again and again and again and again, until Bryan has to catch his breath, and even more after! The Fiend flops off the desk but Bryan stays close. Fans rally up as Bryan puts The Fiend back in the ring. Bryan has to climb in from the inside, and then leaps for a big missile dropkick! And a kip up! Fans cheer as Bryan gives The Fiend more Yes Kicks, alternating with strap lashes! Kick, lash, kick, lash, repeat! Then just lashing before the BUZZSAW!
The Fiend is down but then right back up! And he’s egging Bryan on! Bryan LASHES and BUZZSAWS! Then he gives The Fiend a string of Danielson Stomps! Fans are thunderous as Bryan aims from the corner. “YES! YES! YES!” The Fiend rises, but he catches the Knee Plus into SISTER ABIGAIL! Cover, TWO!! Houston cannot believe what they just saw! Even The Fiend needs a moment to think about that one. The Fiend slaps himself for being too sloppy. The Fiend gets up to lash Bryan more, then drags Bryan up. Bryan SLAPS The Fiend, the Fiend SLAPS back! Then uses the strap to stand Bryan up, only for Bryan to boot him back! Bryan hops up, MANDIBLE CLAW! But Bryan endures it enough for a draping armbar!! No ropebreaks so now The Fiend just has to endure.
The Fiend drags Bryan up by his jaw, then smother him in the middle of the ring! Bryan reaches, wraps around, and drags The Fiend down into the LeBelle Lock!! WITH THE STRAP!! The Fiend is bent way, way back and Houston is thunderous again! The Fiend shifts his weight to throw hands on Bryan! Bryan endures and guards as best he can, but The Fiend uses headbutts, too. The Fiend gets up to lash Bryan more and more, but the fans haven’t given up hope. They duel, “Let’s Go, Bryan!” “Let Him In!” as The Fiend laughs and brings Bryan back up. Sister- NO! Roll-up!! TWO, Bryan dodges the Fiend to KNEE PLUS! Cover, TWO!! The Fiend still survives and Houston can’t believe it!
But Bryan keeps his focus and fires himself up again. The fans are with him, but The Fiend gets up right away! Bryan and The Fiend stare down, and Bryan lashes away! The Fiend doesn’t feel any of it, he just clamps onto the mandible! Bryan fights back, but Mandible SLAM! Cover, The Fiend wins!!
Winner: The Fiend, Bray Wyatt, by pinfall; still WWE Universal Champion
The nightmare is not over! Bryan put up the best fight anyone has yet, but it still wasn’t enough. What will it take for anyone to overcome this bottomless pit of darkness?
As for Bryan, the Fiend leaves him be, and referees come out to check on him. Bryan stands on his own power, and fans cheer him on. Bryan survives another encounter with The Fiend, and his body shows the marks left by that strap. But will Bryan be able to remain unchanged in spirit?
Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch VS Asuka w/ Kairi Sane!
The Man remembers when The Empress of Tomorrow beat her last year for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. And yet, one year hence, it is Becky as the Raw Women’s Champion and Asuka challenging her again. Will things go the same way as before? Or will Becky finally settle the score and get a win over her biggest obstacle?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and this epic rematch from Royal Rumble 2019 begins!
Fans duel already, “Let’s Go, Becky!” “Asuka Two Belts!” as Becky and Asuka circle. They approach then back away then tie up. Becky facelocks, Asuka slips out to wristlock but Becky moves around to get the arm. Asuka gets away before Becky could put on her submission hold, and the two go again. Asuka wants them arm and then waistlocks, but Bekcy headlocks and hits the takeover. Asuka headscissors but Becky pops out. Becky dodges the boot but not the roll up, TWO! Becky does avoid the buzzsaw, and fans cheer this stand off. Asuka and Becky circle again, and Asuka waistlocks to O’Conner roll. TWO, Asuka dodges Becky’s sweep and things speed up. Becky dodges a dropkick to run Asuka over! Asuka bails out as fans fire up but Kairi comes over to check on Asuka.
Becky runs but the baseball slide is spun around for a kick! Asuka hops into the ring and soaks up the cheers and jeers, but Becky dodges the hip attack for a rope-assisted Disarm-Her! Becky lets up at 4 to climb up top and missile dropkick Asuka down! Cover, TWO! Becky keeps her cool while Kairi coaches Asuka. Each woman has an arm to worry about but Becky focuses. Asuka shoves Becky away but Becky sends her out. Becky shoulders out but into Asuka’s headlock and neckbreaker! The ropes fling Becky all around, Asuka ROUNDHOUSES Becky back in! Kairi cheers Asuka-nee as Asuka goes in the ring. Asuka grabs Becky’s arm and drags her up. Asuka toys with Becky as she scuffs her head with her foot. Becky grabs the leg to throw hands!
Becky whips Asuka but Asuka goes up and dropkicks back! Cover, TWO! Asuka grows frustrated but Kairi coaches her own. Asuka waistlocks but Becky grabs the ropes. Asuka throws forearms and then throws Becky down, Shining Wizard! Cover, TWO! Asuka grows more frustrated but she grabs at Becky’s arm. Becky knows the Asuka Lock is coming and she works to avoid the sleeper part. Fans rally and duel as Becky fights her way up. Becky bumps free and throws hands. Becky whips but Asuka reverses, only for Becky to elbow her away. Asuka blocks the boot but not the forearm! Asuka runs back in but gets knees to her back! And a bulldog! Becky keeps moving, basement dropkick! Cover, TWO! Becky glares at Kairi as Kairi continues to coach Asuka.
Becky runs in at Asuka and throws big forearms. Becky bumps Asuka off buckles then runs in again, but is put on the apron. Asuka throws a forearm but gets a kick! Becky drags Asuka out and glares at Kairi again. Asuka holds on against the Becksploder, then manages a standing switch. Becky holds on now to resist the German Suplex. Becky turns things aruond again, SUPER GOURD BUSTER to the floor! Kairi checks on Asuka as fans rally and cheer. Becky aims from the apron as Asuka rises, running missile dropkick! Becky drags Asuka up and gives her BECKSPLODER into the barriers! The Lass Kicker is making sure Asuka pays for everything up to this point. Becky climbs up top and drops The Man’s Leg! Cover, TWO!! Asuka survives but barely!
Becky is beside herself but Kairi is also worried. Asuka clutches her bad arm but Becky won’t show mercy. Becky throws forearms and Asuka shakes her head. Asuka flounders but she’s still standing back up. Becky fires uppercuts, but Asuka back slides! TWO, buzzsaw misses, pop-up knee doesn’t! Becky flounders now and Asuka fires up to waistlock. Becky elbows out of the waistlock but Asuka fires off palm strikes! The kick is blocked but so is the Becksploder. Becky tries a normal suplex, but Asuka blocks to also fisherman. Fisherman’s DROP! Cover, TWO!! Becky lives but Asuka is too exhausted to be angry. Kairi is concerned enough for the two of them as Asuka crawls after Becky.
Becky is under the bottom rope but Asuka won’t let her be safe out there. Asuka drags Becky up, scoops but Becky slips out to shove her. Asuka stops herself and fires off mule kicks. Asuka runs post to post to hip attack Becky into one! Becky is down but Asuka won’t let up. Asuka climbs and drags Becky to the top rope, only for Becky to fight back! The two brawl, Asuka bumps Becky off buckles. Asuka tries again, and gets Becky up. Becky fights back and hotshots Asuka, for the jump kick! And then Becky slides in and jumps up to give Asuka a SUPER MAN HANDLE SLAM! Cover, TWO!! Kairi is relieved and Becky is frustrated that Asuka survived! Becky drags herself back up top but Asuka counters her leap with a CODE BREAKER! Cover, TWO! Into an ARMBAR!
Becky flails and reaches but Asuka pulls harder. Becky rolls, TWO, into the ASUKA LOCK! Becky won’t let history repeat itself, she reaches out with a foot for the ROPEBREAK! Asuka drags Becky back up, German Suplex! Asuka gives fast kicks to Becky’s face! Then a PUNT! The ref stops Asuka to check on Becky but fans are as upset as Asuka. If Becky is knocked out, shouldn’t Asuka win? Becky revives in time to tell the ref not to end this match! Asuka sits Becky up to kick away! Becky just eggs her on! BUZZSAW! Cover, TWO!?! Becky survives and Asuka is getting angry. But then Asuka grins as she drags Becky back up. Fans rally and duel as Asuka clamps on, but Becky slips out of the Asuka Lock to DISARM-HER! No, Asuka resists, rolls, covers, TWO!
Becky ducks a kick to get an arm, but has to settle for an inverted DDT! Cover, TWO! Both women are down and Kairi grows more and more concerned. Becky and Asuka stir as the standing count begins. The count rises as the fans rally up. Becky and Asuka head for each other at 5 and use each other to stand up at 6. Becky throws hands but Asuka throws many. Asuka’s back hand misses but she denies Becky the armbar by shoving her at the ref! But Becky sees what’s coming and mule kicks Asuka! The green mist flies into the air! DISARM-HER!!! Asuka flails, reaches, but TAPS! Becky WINS!!
Winner: Becky Lynch, by submission; still Raw Women’s Champion
The debt has been settled, and the Straight Fire still burns! Becky truly was ready for Asuka! But now, will she be ready for The Queen? Or will she be able to start fresh on this new Road to WrestleMania?
The Street Profits are hyped!
Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins are loving WrestleMania season! Roman reigned supreme, Montez’s lady did her thang, the women have been going hard all night and The Fiend is still- Pause button, fam. Slow it down. Right, there is still the Men’s Royal Rumble to close out. And Ford is ready to see who out of the 30 wins. Will it be the Beast, BRROCK, LESNARR?! Maybe someone surprises us, such as… Shinsuke Nakamura? Samoa Joe? The One and Only, Ricochet? Wait, one and only? After that kick Lesnar gave him, that name might refer to something else. But one way or another, only one will be immortalized forever by this match!
Booker T heads to the ring!
Houston explodes for their hometown hero! Booker T joins commentary for this very special occasion, but does that mean he still isn’t joining the Rumble match?
BREAKING NEWS!
Bobby Lashley and Rusev encountered each other in the parking lot and could not help themselves! They brawled, and while no one was seriously injured, they are suspended from tonight’s Rumble match. That means there are two huge spots open in tonight’s match, who takes their place?
The 2020 Men’s Royal Rumble Match!
This 30-man battle royal always makes history, but tonight is even more historic! That’s because the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Champion, BRRROCK! LESNARRR! Will start us off! He and Heyman make their way out to the ring, bringing into question: If Brock somehow, someway wins this match, what does the WrestleMania main event scene look like?
But first, we learn who #2 is. And ladies and gentlemen, it’s ELIAS! The Drifter makes his way out, playing his guitar, and says “Houston, we have a problem.” Elias says there is a brain-dead gorilla and his fat zookeeper walking around. But there is an undeniable truth that everyone surely knows. And that is WWE really stands for Walk With Elias! Elias hears the fans singing for him Seven Nation Army style, and Elias wants Lesnar to hear it all. Elias sings for Lesnar a little song, “Sacrificial Lamb.” Please, clap along. Houston does and Elias begins. “The sacrificial lamb is headed to the ring. But before I do, I’ve got one more song to sing. Brock Lesnar’s pacing, he’s ready to attack. Heyman, keep your damn mouth shut or I’ll smash a guitar on your back.”
Lesnar is annoyed and goes after Elias! There is a brawl before the Rumble, and then things end up in the ring! Lesnar gets Elias down and hammers away! He gets Elias in a corner and rams his shoulder in! Elias tries to fight back but Lesnar waistlocks for a German Suplex! Suplex City is already here! Elias sits up but Lesnar looms over him. Heyman hands Lesnar the guitar and Lesnar SMASHES it on Elias! Lesnar drags Elias up and throw shim out, Lesnar ELIMINATES Elias! That’s one for one, and Heyman rubs it in by holding up the world title. Lesnar just rests as the countdown begins. Entrant #3: Erick Rowan! Big Red has been on a rampage of sorts, and he puts his pet on the ring steps. Lesnar is ready and Rowan rushes the ring.
Rowan denies the suplex once, but then Lesnar clotheslines Rowan out and ELIMINATES him! Fans can’t believe how easily The Beast dealt with Big Red! It almost doesn’t seem fair to Rowan, but he takes his pet and leaves. Lesnar encourages fans to make nose as we get #4: the GLORIOUS Robert Roode! Roode did a lot of work tonight already in trying to help King Corbin, but there doesn’t look to be an help in return. Roode takes his time preparing for Lesnar, then runs in and dodgse to throw hands. Lesnar kicks and whips but Roode boots back. Roode runs into a LARIAT! Lesnar gets annoyed now and he hoists Roode up, F5! Lesnar drags Roode up to throw him out and ELIMINATE him! Three already, and he waits for the countdown.
Entrant #5 is JOHN MORRISON! The Guru of Greatness is back in the Rumble, but he and Lesnar are throwing boots already! Lesnar grabs Morrison to OVERHEAD SUPLEX and ELIMINATE Morrison already! Lesnar holds up his title for himself just to gloat. The countdown returns and gives us #6: The New Day’s Kofi Kingston! Kingston lost in less than 10 seconds for Lesnar to become world champion. Can Kofi last longer in this match? Kofi runs in, dodges and mule kicks! And throws fast hands! Fans are fired up but Lesnar puts Kofi in a corner! And then throws him around! Kofi gets to another corner but Lesnar is on him with a German Suplex! To think that’s only the second one of those in this match. Lesnar takes his time with Kofi now, grinning as he brings Kofi up.
Lesnar rams Kofi into a corner but the countdown brings us #7: Rey Mysterio! And given the Batman inspired gear, you know Mysterio is here for vengeance of his own! Lesnar keeps an eye on Kofi as Mysterio marches to the ring. Mysterio hops in, throws kicks and forearms, then runs to slide under and dropkick low! Lesnar stays up to shove Mysterio down hard! Lesnar whips Mysterio into Kofi and then brings them both up. Lesnar double whips them to double clothesline! Lesnar catches his breath while smiling. Lesnar lifts and German Suplexes Mysterio! That’s the third one. Lesnar stalks Kofi and brings him, the fourth German Suplex! Lesnar doesn’t even seem to care that the countdown brings out #8: Big E!
Kofi and Mysterio flop out of the ring but under the ropes, so they’re safe. Big E hurries out to help both men up. The three of them decide to unite against their common enemy! Fans are fired up for that, too! Lesnar fights but that’s 3v1! They throw hands, he shoves them away, TROUBLE IN PARADISE! Big E scoops Lesnar, for the BIG ENDING! And Lesnar’s on the ropes, 619!! Lesnar is still in the ring, Big E rams him! Mysterio uses Big E for Poetry in Motion, but he gets caught and tossed! Lesnar ELIMINATES Mysterio! Lesnar uses Big E as a step, BEAST in Motion to clobber Kofi! Big E gets up, but Lesnar dodges to clothesline and ELIMINATE him! Houston is shocked and even disgusted that Lesnar is doing all this.
Lesnar looms over Kofi, drags him up, and gives him an F5 to ELIMINATE him! No miracle saves here as the countdown brings out #9: Cesaro! The Swiss Cyborg shows no hesitation and Lesnar likes that. Cesaro dodges, throws European Uppercut after uppercut! Lesnar knees low then throws more knees to standard suplex Cesaro. Clothesline, Lesnar ELIMINATES Cesaro! Lesnar gets to gloat again as we wait for the countdown. We’re one-third of the way with #10: Shelton Benjamin! An old friend, oddly enough. Heyman even shakes hands and hugs Benjamin to celebrate this reunion. Benjamin and Lesnar do shake hands and hug it out, because Benjamin is going to be Team Heyman! But then Lesnar GERMAN SUPLEXES and CLOTHESLINES Benjamin to ELIMINATE him! There are no friends in the Rumble!
Lesnar relaxes as the countdown starts again. We get #11: Shinsuke Nakamura! The Intercontinental Champion has won a Rumble already, but will he even get close this time? Nakamura gets in, dodges Lesnar and fires off a strike fest! The knees and the roundhouse rock Lesnar! But no Kinshasa, Lesnar lifts, throws and ELIMINATES Nakamura! Even the King of Strong Style was apparently “too easy” for The Beast. The countdown returns and brings #12: MVP! Montel Vontavius Porter is back in a shout out to Black Panther, but is his return to the WWE going to go well? MVP chases Heyman for some reason, but Lesnar grabs MVP first! MVP hotshots Lesnar and throws hands! And a throat chop! But Lesnar kicks, lifts, and hits another F5!
Lesnar was having fun but no more, as he throws out and ELIMINATES MVP! An astounding and upsetting ELEVEN eliminations as we get to #13: KEITH LEE!! The Limitless One and NXT North American Champion looks to make all of Houston #BaskInHisGlory! Fans are thunderous and even Lesnar has to take a step back. Lesnar and Lee stare down, but then Lesnar throws big knees. Lesnar whips, Lee reverses and they collide. Lee runs to run Lesnar over! Lesnar is shocked! Lee corner splashes, rolls and forearms Lesnar! Lee whips Lesnar corner to corner but Lesnar comes back, double clotheslines collide! Lee is the first man to get Lesnar down, and fans are thunderous as we get #14: BRAUN!! The Monster Among Men looks to capitalize as he finally gets after Lesnar again!
Lesnar is gasping as Strowman runs in to corner splash! But Strowman hits Lee, too, then comes back for Lesnar! Strowman SHOTGUN DROPKICKS Lee! Lee falls out under the bottom rope so he is safe, but then fans want to see Strowman take a lap! Strowman pleases his fans as he goes out the bottom rope to run Lee over! And then he gets in to still run Lesnar over! Strowman drags Lesnar up and scoops, but Lesnar slips out to German Suplex! Five suplexes, and now a sixth for Lee! Seventh for Strowman! Eighth for Lee! Lesnar gets back at them both, but he tires himself out for it. Strowman and Lee stand first, being fresher, but they encounter each other. They stare down and start throwing hands! Lesnar ELIMINATES them both!! Lesnar is sneaky as he is strong, and now he reaches the halfway point of this match with #15: Ricochet!
The One and Only is the Red Robin as he runs into the ring and springboards! Crossbody, but he’s caught! Lesnar gives Ricochet a backbreaker, only because he didn’t have the energy for an F5. Lesnar reminds Ricochet that he’s still not scared, and uses a German Suplex to do it! That’s nine, and Lesnar grins again. But the countdown returns and brings #16: DREW MCINTYRE! The Scottish Stud has wanted after a world championship, and he gets his chance to make his case. Lesnar stares down with McIntyre, no longer considering Ricochet a factor. McIntyre calls out the “Son of a b*tch” and dares him to fight. Lesnar takes off the gloves because a fight is what we’re getting. Ricochet LOW BLOWS and then McIntyre CLAYMORES Lesnar! They ELIMINATE LESNAR!! Houston is ELECTRIC as Lesnar finally pays for the crap he’s given everyone else!
Now it’s McIntyre who grins as he’s the one looking down on The Beast. But then Ricochet missile dropkicks McIntyre! Standing shooting star! But McIntyre catches Ricochet! To throw and ELIMINATE Ricochet! And then McIntyre goes back to staring at Lesnar. The countdown returns and we get #17: The Miz! The Rumble gets even more Awesome now, and hopes to sneak in while McIntyre is staring at Lesnar. McIntyre dodges and Future Shocks Miz! McIntyre stares at Lesnar again before giving us his own countdown. Miz rises to get a CLAYMORE! McIntyre throws and ELIMINATES Miz! Lesnar finally stands up and McIntyre just stares at him. Houston mocks Lesnar with “Hey~ hey~ hey~! Good-bye~!” Lesnar tells McIntyre this isn’t over, and now we get #18: AJ Styles!
The Phenomenal One also has a bone to pick with McIntyre as he returns to the Rumble. Styles and McIntyre start throwing hands, and then McIntyre puts Styles in a corner. Styles dodges, McIntyre puts him on the apron but Styles hits back. Styles springboards but McIntyre gets under. Styles kicks away on McIntyre’s leg then runs, into a big shoulder! McIntyre drags Styles up to dead lift suplex! Styles fights free, goes after the leg, Calf Crusher! The countdown brings #19: Dolph Ziggler! The Show-Off hurries to take advantage now that McIntyre isn’t alone. These two also have beef, Styles chop blocks McIntyre! Ziggler scrapes laces on McIntyre’s face, and he mugs McIntyre with Styles’ help. But then Ziggler DECKS Styles! McIntyre THROWS Ziggler across the ring!
McIntyre is mad now as he brings Ziggler up to CHOP! McIntyre CHOPS Styles, too! The countdown brings #20: Karl Anderson! The OC goes after McIntyre with big hands! Ziggler hangs back as Styles and Anderson both get caught! SUPERKICK takes McIntyre down! Ziggler tries to get McIntyre over, and the OC help out. But then they go after Ziggler as payback for a moment ago, SPINE BUSTER! The OC go after the Show-Off and McIntyre but that’s easier said than down. Ziggler skins the cat but Anderson is on him with stomps. The countdown brings #21: EDGE!?! The Royal Rumble just got Rated R! Even Edge seems shocked he’s back in action, and he’s not going to let this moment slip away. Edge gets in to SPEAR Ziggler! And SPEAR Anderson!
Edge whips McIntyre to a corner to then hit a running knee smash and a SPEAR! Edge and Styles stare down, and Houston is losing its mind over a moment we thought we’d never get. Styles fires off a Phenomenal Blitz but Edge kicks low. Styles PELES and Edge goes to a corner. Styles whips corner to corner but Edge stops himself to SPEAR Styles! The countdown brings us #22: Baron Corbin! The Wolf King comes back to redeem himself, and Ziggler is already after Edge. Corbin and his court (jester) go after Edge while Anderson goes after McIntyre. Anderson goes after Corbin but gets the Choke Slam Backbreaker! Corbin throws Anderson but Anderson stays on the apron. Corbin throws hands on Styles while McIntyre CHOPS Ziggler!
Edge has Anderson but Corbin goes after Edge. Ziggler holds on for his life and Corbin saves him. Anderson uppercuts McIntyre, Edge throws and ELIMINATES Styles! Again, even Edge seems a bit surprised, but he hangs back as we get #23: “Bro…” Matt Riddle is here! And Riddle takes his time getting in and kicking off the flip-flops. Riddle kicks Corbin then McIntyre then Anderson! McIntyre focuses on McIntyre with Bro Kicks! Then the Bro-Saw! Edge runs in, but gets a Final Flash! But Corbin throws and ELIMINATES Riddle! Corbin mocks the Bro special, but then goes after Edge. We already get #24: Luke Gallows! The Good Brothers are united in this match against Corbin! Big boots all around and then Gallows rains hands on Ziggler!
Corbin drags Edge up but Edge throws hands, too! Edge runs into a DEEP SIX! But McIntyre throws and ELIMINATES Corbin! The King is shocked but the OC go after McIntyre! They mug McIntyre before going after Edge. Nostalgia gets MAGIC KILLER! But now we have #25: Randy Orton! The Viper is another enemy of the OC, but there’s a certain something else that could be happening here… Orton gets in and gives Gallows and RKO! Then an RKO for Anderson! It’s RATED RKO, for that matter, as they both ELIMINATE the OC! Orton still can’t believe Edge is back, even seeing it in person. They go after McIntyre and Ziggler as we get #26: Roman Reigns! The Big Dog is back, not having to worry about Corbin now.
McIntyre fights off Edge but Roman is right on him with uppercuts! Uppercut for Orton, uppercut for Ziggler, SPEAR! Roman throws Ziggler out and ELIMINATES him! The King’s Court is completely cleared out, and Roman gives McIntyre a buckle bump. McIntyre blocks the next one to give it to Roman, and then more and more! McIntyre CHOPS Roman, but Roman shrugs it off. Roman ROCKS McIntyre with the uppercut, and we get #27: Kevin Owens! The Prizefighter rushes the ring to go after McIntyre with fast hands, then a clothesline for Orton! Kevin skips Edge to CANNONBALL Roman! Then he CANNONBALLS Edge anyway. McIntyre runs in, into a POP-UP BOMB! Roman is up to get a SUPERKICK and thrown. Roman avoids the bomb but not the STUNNER!
But Kevin forgets Orton, or does he? STUNNER for Orton! Kevin is on Edge as we get #28: Aleister Black! Could the Embodiment of the End come out headed for Gold? Aleister picks a fight with Kevin and throws hands, but Kevin CHOPS him back. Kevin whips, Aleister moonsaults but Kevin ducks, only to get a boot! Edge waistlocks, Aleister standing switches and shoves Edge to knee him down. McIntyre is on Aleister with a Glasgow Kiss headbutt! McIntyre aims from a corner, but runs into a BLACK MASS! Aleister goes after Kevin in a corner, but Kevin fights back. Roman hobbles over to Kevin but gets hands. Orton stomps McIntyre as we get #29: Samoa Joe! The understanding between Joe and Kevin is going to be put to the test, but Joe puts Aleister to the test with fists and kicks! Aleister BOOTS back!
Aleister runs in, Joe dodges, Aleister elbows back but Joe PELES! McIntyre lifts Orton but Orton slips out. Kevin CANNONBALLS Aleister to help Joe. But then the two allies mutually decide to throw hands with each other! Kevin runs, into an atomic drop! Joe BOOTS Kevin down, but here comes #30: SETH ROLLINS! The Monday Night Messiah doesn’t come alone, either, as he has Buddy Murphy and the Authors of Pain! Joe and Kevin see them coming and decide to handle business. They go out under the ropes to go after all four! That’s a bit too much, and they get beat down. Rollins makes sure the AOP and Murphy are focused on the other men in the rumble. They drag Edge and Orton out from under to throw into barriers! And the announce desks!
Rollins gives McIntyre a CURB STOMP! Rollins throws hands on Aleister, then looks at Roman. Old friendships mean nothing, mule kick to CURB STOMP! Rollins drags Roman up but Aleister kicks Rollins in the back! Aleister fires off hands but Rollins knees low. Aleister roundhouses Rollins then springboards, but Murphy trips him up! Murphy gets revenge on Aleister, and Rollins gives Aleister a mule kick! Rollins throws out and ELIMINATES Aleister! Rollins drags Kevin up but Kevin hits a STUNNER! Kevin throws Rollins but the AOP catch him! Rollins is put in so Kevin goes after AOP! Akam and Rezar hold Kevin, Rollins throws and ELIMINATES Kevin! Joe gets the COQUINA CLUTCH! Rollins flails but Murphy enziguris! Joe gets mad and DECKS Murphy, but Rollins ELIMINATES Joe!
The AOP add on but Aleister helps out. Kevin leaps in and now these six brawl to the ramp! Rollins shouts at his disciples but they’ve left. Now it’s just Rollins, Roman, McIntyre, Edge and Orton. And by that, we should say it’s Rollins VS Roman, McIntyre, Edge and Orton. Rollins tries to get Roman back on his side, showing the Shield fist bump. Roman gives Rollins a SUPERMAN PUNCH! Then Edge drags Rollins up to whip into Orton’s spinning powerslam! McIntyre aims at Rollins, CLAYMORE! McIntyre takes Rollins to throw out and ELIMINATE! And now, we have our final four. Only McIntyre has yet to win a Royal Rumble, could this be his moment? Rated RKO coordinates, and they go after Roman and McIntyre with fists!
McIntyre turns things around while Orton rams Roman into a post! Back2back backbreaker, and then Orton helps Edge with McIntyre. Fans chant “This is Awesome!” as McIntyre headbutts Orton. RKO OUTTA NOWHERE! Edge aims from the corner as McIntyre rises, SPEAR! Rated RKO coordinate again as they drag McIntyre up. They give McIntyre the DOUBLE RKO for old times’ sake. But then Orton coils and stalks Edge. Edge sees it just in time, so Orton just shrugs that he was just joking. But then Edge throws out and ELIMINATES Orton! The ultimate opportunist returns! Orton lets it slide, and now we have our final three. “You Still Got It,” Edge! Edge and Roman stare down as two masters of the Spear, and they start throwing hands! Big uppercut and a SUPERMAN PUNCH from Roman!
And speaking of Spears, Roman aims from the corner. Edge slowly rises, lets out the battle cry, but Edge jumps over the spear to GIVE the SPEAR! Edge brings Roman up and throws him out, but Roman hangs on! Edge builds speed but Roman avoids the shoulder to kick back. Roman drags Edge over the top and they’re both on the apron. They brawl on the edge, and even wobble. Roman uppercuts and ELIMINATES Edge! Fans boo, but McIntyre runs over. Roman punches back, then SUPERMAN PUNCHES! Roman throws McIntyre but McIntyre blocks! McIntyre elbows Roman away, CLAYMORE!! McIntyre throws Roman out, and WINS!!
Winner: Drew McIntyre, at #16; will go to WrestleMania to challenge for a world championship
Finally! The unstoppable Scottish stallion has won the race! He has won the Royal Rumble! He has won a chance to go after a world championship! Lesnar did so much as #1, but it was Sweet Sixteen that shut him down. Will McIntyre come back for more and take that title from The Beast?
My Thoughts:
WOW! What a great Royal Rumble PPV! Honestly, nothing disappointed me. The status quo for titles may have been kept, but it was all done in the best ways possible. Namely, all the matches were great so that you can’t really complain. Almas VS Carrillo was a lot of fun, and Almas wins clean so that it doesn’t really hurt anything. And while Carrillo is great, I wasn’t confident he’d win anyway. The same goes for Lacey Evans against Bayley. Another really good match, and obviously WWE is giving Lacey a solid push with her getting a full-on corn dog commercial. Lacey will be champion someday, but once the Four Horsewomen are all done with the belts. Becky VS Asuka was a great match, no less than equal to their first match last year. But naturally, Becky wins to finally get that very important win over Asuka. Now Becky can start fresh (maybe) for this year’s Mania and thereafter.
The strap match for the Universal Championship was some great stuff, too. While the Rollins VS Fiend matches went a bit above and beyond on how believable a horror move match could go, this one did it right. For one, no more red lights! We could actually see things as we should! And Bryan wasn’t doling out Knee Plus after Knee Plus or even as many Danielson Stomps as I expected, and that was fine. Bryan does technically endure the Mandible Claw for a bit longer than expected, and that was actually good, too. In the end, The Fiend retains so that the custom Fiend face belt is worth the money they spent. But also, there has to be something bigger coming down the line for Bray at Mania, so hopefully Elimination Chamber and Super Showdown, which are both surprisingly in February, can set something up.
Sheamus VS Gable was alright, but that’s why it was a kickoff show match. Not really sure we needed that over some other match, but the kickoff show needed two matches so there it is. Roman VS Corbin as a Falls Count Anywhere was WAY better than I would’ve expected. Obviously their allies get involved, but it was to great effect. Naturally Roman wins, though both men also have their parts in the Men’s Rumble. Hopefully this ends this rivalry, because I do NOT want that Dog Food Match to somehow come back around.
The Women’s Rumble was great, and I loved that Bianca Belair got to do as much as she did. Beth Phoenix was another great part, especially since she powered through a pretty good cut in the back of her head. But when Charlotte was the one to get rid of Bianca and quickly deal with Sarah Logan, it should’ve been clear she would win. Charlotte has a big choice that will rightfully hype up Raw tomorrow night, but I just hope we don’t get redundant and have her face Becky again. I’m sure Fox will like having Charlotte on SmackDown for the Mania build and will put up big money for that. That way, Becky really can start fresh, as I’ve said. Honestly, I wonder if there’s anything planned in the Elimination Chamber this year.
Then the Men’s Rumble, it really was a “tale of two matches” as Michael Cole was told to say. Lesnar’s half was frustrating, but for the purpose of a perfect pay off. I didn’t like that he dealt with some legit big names, and big bodies, so quickly. As I watched, I wondered why no one just kicked Lesnar in the balls, and then I realized that it was so Ricochet could get that spot. And I am riding very high after I got my wish of Drew Freakin’ McIntyre using a Claymore to launch Lesnar out of the ring! And much like Charlotte getting rid of Bianca, it should’ve been clear that the one to eliminate Lesnar would go on to win. But we got some amazing moments along the way, namely EDGE! I don’t think he was meant to eliminate Styles the way Edge himself reacted, but things happen. Rated RKO reuniting and the story of the Raw Civil War getting their time was good, too. I think Aleister is joining the fight on the side of Joe and Kevin given what we saw tonight. A lot of great stuff, I just hope someone convinces Vince not to screw McIntyre over.
My Score: 9.5/10
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Time to fill out the Fyter Fest Fatal 4!
Claudio Castagnoli or Komander, Mascara Dorada or Hechicero, who will advance to the AEW International Championship Fatal 4 Way?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- AEW International Championship Fatal 4 Way Qualifier: Claudio Castagnoli VS Komander w/ Alex Abrahantes; Claudio wins and advances to Fyter Fest.
- Six Man Tag: Roppongi Vice & Konosuke Takeshita w/ The Don Callis Family VS Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Tomohiro Ishii; RPG Vice & Konosuke win.
- AEW Continental Championship Eliminator: Kazuchika Okada VS Anthony Bowens; Okada wins and denies Bowens a title match.
- Mina Shirakawa VS Skye Blue; Mina wins.
- Gates of Agony VS GMO Kaminari & Cosmo Orion; Gates of Agony win.
- Six Man Tag: La Faccion Ingobernable VS AR Fox & Top Flight; LFI wins.
- AEW International Championship Fatal 4 Way Qualifier: Mascara Dorada VS Hechicero; Dorada wins and advances to Fyter Fest.
PLAY BY PLAY
AEW International Championship Fatal 4 Way Qualifier: Claudio Castagnoli VS Komander w/ Alex Abrahantes!
The Swiss Cyborg and the “Space Commander” had a bit of a confrontation on Wednesday Night Dynamite during the Mixed Six Tag, but this dates back to the Continental Classic and the Miracle on 34th Street! Komander cost Claudio his title opportunity then, will he do it again now? Or will nothing stop this Death Rider from going after Kenny Omega’s gold?
The bell rings and the fans rally as the two circle. Komander and Claudio tie up, and Claudio puts Komander on the ropes. The ref counts, the fans rally for Komander, but Claudio CHOPS! Claudio kicks low, UPPERCUTS and stomps away in the corner! The ref counts, the fans boo, but Claudio stops. Abrahantes coaches Komander but Claudio CHOPS! Komander goes to a corner, he shoves Claudio but Claudio CHOPS again! Komander CHOPS! And fires body shots! And repeat! Komander backs Claudio down, headlocks, but Claudio powers out. Claudio RAMS Komander, then THROWS him down!
The fans boo but Claudio just scowls. Claudio grabs at Komander but Komander lifts and leaps to tilt-o-whirl RANA! The fans fire up and Komander ENZIGIRIS! Claudio goes to a corner, Komander goes to the other end! Komander tightrope walks, ARABIAN PRESS HOTSHOT! Claudio staggers, Komander springboards, FLYING- NO, Claudio turns rana into GIANT SWING! The fans count along, Claudio TOSSES Komander at seven! The fans boo, they wanted a longer swing, but Claudio kicks Komander to the outside. Claudio soaks up heat from El Paso as he SMACKS Komander off barriers! And then CHOPS him!
Komander staggers away but Claudio is right on him for a CHOP! Claudio whips Komander into the riling, refreshes the ring count, and storms back up on Komander. The fans chant “SI SE PUEDES!” and Komander fires CHOP after CHOP! Komander kicks but Claudio KNEES low! Claudio hits a BARRIER BACK SUPLEX! Komander flops down. Claudio taunts him, and he drags Komander up and into the ring. Claudio stalks Komander to a corner, the fans rally up, and Claudio whips corner to corner. Komander goes up and out, then KICKS Claudio to ROCK him! Komander springboards to stand on Claudio, then he springboards again for a FLYING ARM-DRAG!
The fans are thunderous as things speed up! Tilt-o-whirl RANA and Claudio tumbles out! Komander DIVES! Direct hit on Claudio and the fans fire up again! Komander hurries back inside, the fans get even hotter, and Komander climbs a corner! Tightrope walk, but Claudio is in! Komander leaps, but into a BACKBREAKER! BACKBREAKER! BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!! Or as El Paso reminds us, “DOS! DOS! DOS!” Claudio digs his knee into Komander’s back while putting on the HALF CRAB! Komander endures, the fans taunt Claudio, and Komander fights around. Claudio stomps him down, then reels him in.
Claudio lifts, but Komander slips free to hit a FACEBUSTER! The fans fire up as Komander goes up! Tightrope walk, CIELITO- NO, Claudio moves! Komander lands on his feet, runs up, but Claudio RAMS him! And fireman’s carries to the apron! Claudio goes up the corner and the fans get worried. Claudio says this will end it! But Komander shifts to SUPER DUPER STEINER!! Cover, TWO!! Claudio survives and Komander can’t believe it! The fans rally and Komander climbs up the corner! But Claudio runs up, so Komander jumps down, springboards, SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO!! Claudio survives again but Komander won’t stop!
The fans rally, Komander aims, and he runs corner to corner to go up, up, and PHOENIX- UPPERCUT!! Claudio reels Komander in, GOTCH NEUTRALIZER!! Cover, Claudio wins!
Winner: Claudio Castagnoli, by pinfall (advances to Fyter Fest)
Komander tried to fly higher and higher, but he only came crashing down to Earth! Will Claudio follow in Moxley’s footsteps and become a champion?
AEW shares footage from after Dynamite.
Prince Nana talked with Swerve Strickland about the Ospreay and Hangman situation, and Renee Paquette walks over to ask them about that. Can he work with Ospreay and Hangman to finally bring down the Death Riders? Swerve says he is going to clear up this misconception. He owned up to what he did, he said he deserved what happened. But that doesn’t make them friends or a team, and they never will be. But then Ospreay barges in and says he has his own question: Who is the bigger threat to AEW? The Death Riders? Or Hangman Page? The only time Swerve was beefing with Hangman was because they both wanted the same opportunities. Tell Ospreay he’s lying.
Swerve had the world title! He did it! He became AEW’s first Black world champion! And he wore that title with pride! But is Swerve happy that Moxley’s stuck it in some briefcase? Because Ospreay isn’t. Ospreay says that belt should be around the best wrestler in the world right now, and right now that is Hangman! Swerve says, “No, it’s not.” Swerve has beat Hangman twice. But did Swerve beat Moxley? Has Ospreay beat Swerve? Swerve says the truth hurts, don’t it? But this team Ospreay is trying to put together to go against the Death Riders, Swerve just did that at Double or Nothing, Anarchy in the Arena, Swerve is done with that.
Swerve says Ospreay is delusional, but Ospreay won’t let Swerve leave because he’s not done talking. Swerve shoves Ospreay, so Ospreay hits back! They brawl right in the parking lot! Swerve sends Ospreay into railing, Ospreay comes back for ore! Ospreay says they are on the same team, whether Swerve likes it or not! Will Swerve, Ospreay, Hangman, and the rest of the roster put their personal history aside to finally and truly save the soul of AEW?
Six Man Tag: Roppongi Vice & Konosuke Takeshita w/ The Don Callis Family VS Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Tomohiro Ishii!
After the confrontation during the TNT Championship match, Paragon battles RPG Vice, but with some added names to the mix! RPG Vice brings in NEVER Openweight Champion, Konosuke Takeshita, while Roddy & Kyle conglomerate with NJPW Strong Openweight Champion, Tomohiro Ishii! Could this Six Man Tag open some doors to more golden opportunities?
The Don Callis Family doesn’t wait for anything, they just go after Ishii & Paragon! The fans boo but Konosuke THROWS Ishii into railing! RPG Vice beat up on Paragon, and they throw Roddy out so they can mug Kyle! The fans boo more but Rocky slides to do his soccer celebration. Trent then PLANCHAS, but Kyle KNEES him outta the air! Rocky DIVES on Kyle, but Roddy give shim a BARRIER BACKBREAKER! Roddy CHOPS Trent, Ishii CHOPS Trent, repeat! They make Trent sit down, they CHOP away more, then Roddy KNEES Konosuke! He and Ishii add The Alpha to this, and Kyle is on the apron! DOUBLE MISSILE DROPKICK!
The fans fire up, Callis is upset, but Roddy puts Trent in the ring. This is finally a match and Roddy CHOPS Trent! Tag to Kyle, BACKBREAKER AND KNEE DROP COMBO! Kyle clamps onto Trent, he tags Ishii, and they mug Trent. Ishii CHOPS Rocky, the fans cheer, and Ishii CHOPS again! Ishii talks trash on Konosuke, then he bumps Rocky off buckles. Tag to Roddy, Roddy CLUBS Rocky but Rocky fires body shots and KICKS! Tag to Trent and now RPG Vice double whip Roddy. Trent runs up but Roddy dodges the splash! Roddy picks Rocky up to RAM him into Trent, then he hits a BACKBREAKER on Rocky! But Konosuke jumps in and BOOTS Roddy!
The ref reprimand but Konosuke throws hands on Roddy. The refbacks Konosuke off, but that lets Callis get a cheap shot! The fans boo that jackal, but Trent CHOPS Roddy in the corner. Roddy CHOPS back, but Konosuke fires hands! The fans boo as Trent CLAWS Roddy’s face, and Collision goes picture in picture.
The ref reprimands so Trent lets go, but Rocky BITES Roddy’s forehead! Roddy fights back, CHOPS Trent, then he runs, but into a fireman’s carry and DEATH VALLEY DRIVER! Cover, TWO! Trent is frustrated but Roddy kicks at him. Trent stomps Roddy, tags Rocky, and Rocky KNEES Roddy to a corner. Rocky CHOPS, CHOPS, and CHOPS! Roddy CHOPS, CHOPS, and CHOPS! Rocky TACKLES Roddy, tags Konosuke, and they split the wishbone! Konosuke clamps onto Roddy with a HALF CRAB! Roddy endures, reaches out, and fights his way to the ROPEBREAK! Konosuke lets go and tags Trent.
Trent stalks Roddy, CHOKES him on the ropes, but lets off as the ref counts. Roddy gets up to CHOP! And kick low! But Trent keeps him cornered! Trent ROCKS Roddy, then he tags Konosuke. They stomp away on Roddy, dig their boots in, then step off as the ref counts. Konosuke drags Roddy up, snapmares him into a chinlock, and he grinds Roddy down. Konosuke shifts to a COBRA CLUTCH, but Roddy still endures. Collision returns to single picture, fights up, and he fires body shots.
Konosuke CLAWS Roddy’s eyes, whips him, and scoops, but Roddy slips free! ANGLE SLAM! Both men are down and the fans fire up! A standing count starts, but we get hot tags to Kyle and Trent! Kyle BOOTS Trent, KICKS Trent, then KICKS again! Rocky is in, Kyle BOOTS and fires off more strikes! SWEEP THE LEGS! The fans fire up while Rocky bails out. Kyle runs and ROCKS Trent, then wrenches to an ELBOW BREAKER! Kyle whips, Trent reverses but Kyle slips up and under to KNEE and GERMAN SUPLEX! AX & SMASH! Cover, Konosuke breaks it with a deadlift! Kyle fights free with elbows, but Konosuke ROCKS him in return!
Konosuke runs, Kyle KNEES him at the ropes! Konosuke falls out, Rocky runs in, but Kyle DUMPS Rocky! Kyle tags Ishii so he can FLYING KNEE Rocky down! Ishii stalks Trent, brings him up, but Trent fires a forearm! No effect! Trent fires another, and another, but Ishii DECKS Trent! Konosuke tags in, and the fans fire up as these two DOUBLE LARIAT! And DOUBLE LARIAT! Konosuke BOOTS Ishii, GERMAN SUPLEXES, and then Rocky BLASTS Paragon! Trent sends Rocky in but Ishii puts him on the apron. Trent runs up, ENZIGIRI LARIAT COMBO! Then Trent scoops and SLAMS Ishii, and Konosuke fires up!
Konosuke climbs while Rocky holds Ishii in place. But Paragon TOSS RPG Vice! Roddy ROCKS and CHOPS Konosuke, fireman’s carries him, and gives him a GUT BUSTER DROP! Kyle KICKS, Ishii SLIDING LARIATS! Cover, TWO!! Konosuke survives but Ishii roars! Ishii reels Konosuke in, Konosuke wrenches out, but Ishii ROCKS him first! Ishii reels Konosuke back in, but Konosuke suplexes! Ishii slips free, ducks an elbow, but the ALPHA ELBOW hits! BLUE THUDNER BOMB!! Cover, Roddy BOOTS it apart! Rocky runs up, Roddy blocks one kick and ducks the next, but the REWIND HEEL finds him!
Kyle fires knees on Rocky! Rocky avoids a sweep to KNEE, but Kyle LARIATS on return! Trent is back but Kyle wrenches. Trent CLAWS Kyle’s face, then SNAP HALF ‘N’ HALF! Ishii LARIATS Trent! Konosuke ROCKS Ishii! Ishii HEADBUTTS Konosuke! Konosuke ALPHA ELBOWS again! Ishii RISING UPPERCUTS! The fans fire up with Ishii and he suplexes, but Konosuke knees free! Konosuke shoves Ishii into the ref! Callis laughs as Konosuke then KNEES Ishii down! Konosuke winds up, but Ishii slips around! Konosuke switches, Ishii switches, but Rocky LOW BLOWS Ishii!! The fans boo but Konosuke hits the RAGING FIRE!! Cover, Don Callis Family wins!!
Winners: Konosuke Takeshita & Roppongi Vice, by pinfall
Underhanded as it was, that was still a win for the family! And bigger than that, the NEVER Openweight Champion just pinned the NJPW Strong Openweight Champion! Will The Alpha look to take the Stone Pitbull’s gold the next time they meet?
AEW Continental Championship Eliminator: Kazuchika Okada VS Anthony Bowens!
From one title opportunity to another, The Rainmaker moves on through the roster after successfully retaining at Double or Nothing. But now, the Pride of Professional Wrestling steps up to the plate! Will this be a homerun for the 5 Tool Player? Or will it take more than just Bowens’ combination of power, athleticism, intelligence, the look, and The It Factor to earn a golden ticket?
The bell rings and the fans cheer already as Bowens and Okada circle. They tie up, are in a deadlock, but Okada’s height gives him the leverage to put Bowens on ropes. The ref counts, Okada lets off, and he fakes the chop to pat Bowens on the shoulder. The fans applaud and Bowens does admit that’s clever. The two reset, circle, and tie up. Bowens digs his heels in and now he pushes Okada back with that power! The ref counts again, and Bowens fakes the chop to throw up the scissors. The fans are torn but Okada shoves Bowens. Bowens shoves back! Bowens wants Okada to wrestle, but Okada kicks low.
Okada headlocks, Bowens powers up and out, then Bowens drops down. Okada ducks ‘n’ whips Bowens but Bowens hurdles! Bowens mule kicks, front kicks, runs and FAMOUSERS! The fans fire up and Bowens stalks Okada. Okada rises, Bowens fireman’s carries, USHIGOROSHI! Cover, TWO! Okada knows that move from his old friend, Goto. Bowens has the fans singing, “Oh~ Scissor Me, Bowens~!” Bowens CHOPS, whips, but Okada ducks ‘n’ dodges and slides out! Okada wants a breather, but Bowens says nope. Bowens goes out and storms up on Okada to CHOP! Okada ROCKS Bowens! Bowens ROCKS Okada!
The ring count climbs as the forearms go back and forth, Bowens fires a flurry then ROCKS Okada! Okada hobbles away, Bowens refreshes the ring count, but then Okada kicks and DDTS to the floor! Okada suckered Bowens in and watches him writhe while Collision goes picture in picture.
Okada paces, then he goes back into the ring. Bowens drags himself up as the count hits 5 of 10. Bowens leans on railing, hobbles his way back to the ring, and slides in at 8! Okada is right on Bowens for a NECKBREAKER! Cocky cover, ONE!! Bowens is tougher than that, but Okada isn’t bothered as he stalks Bowens to a corner. Okada CHOPS, but Bowens snarls. Bowens fires forearms, but Okada ROCKS him in return! Okada whips corner to corner, runs in, and ELBOWS Bowens! Bowens staggers and falls, and Okada pushes him to a cover. TWO, but Okada stays calm as he clamps on with a chinlock. Bowens endures as Collision goes to break.
Collision returns as Okada brings Bowens up to scoop and SLAM! Okada goes to the corner, climbs up, and MACHO ELBOWS! The fans fire up as Okada winds it up, and we get the Rainmaker MIDDLE FINGER! Okada shoves it in Bowens’ face, but Bowens uses his scissor fingers to grab Okada’s! Bowens rises up, and he CHOPS! CHOPS! CHOPS! Okada blocks the superkick, ripcord, but Bowens ducks the lariat! STRAITJACKET NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Okada stays in this but Bowens drags him to a drop zone. The fans rally as Bowens climbs up, but Okada ROCKS Bowens first! Okada climbs up, but Bowens CLUBS Okada.
Okada hops down, Bowens adjusts, but now Okada CLUBS Bowens! Okada climbs up, but Bowens slips under to SUPERKICK a leg out! ENZIGIRI as Okada is in the Tree of Woe! DRAPING SIDEWINDER!! Cover, TWO!! Okada survives and Bowens grows frustrated. The fans rally up and Bowens brings Okada up. Clinch and- NO, Okada fights with elbows! Okada shoves Bowens, but Bowens kicks low! Bowens whips, Okada reverse, but Bowens avoids the dropkick! Jackknife bridge, TWO! Okada escapes, stands, but Bowens gets him for a backslide! TWO, Okada goes to a corner, and Bowens runs up. Okada pops Bowens up for the REVERSE NECKBREAKER!
The fans rally up again while Okada scowls. Okada clamps on with the MONEY CLIP! “This is Awesome!” as Bowens endures! Bowens fights up, RAMS Okada into a corner, and he is free! Bowens CHOPS, but Okada just gets mad. Okada BOOTS Bowens, CLUBS away on Bowens at the ropes, but the ref counts. Okada stops, but Bowens BOOTS! And CHOPS, CHOPS, CHOPS! Bowens kicks low, HAMMERS and CLUBS away on Okada, then CLUBS him down! The fans fire up with Bowens, he goes to a corner and runs up, but Okada ducks the lariat! Ripcord and RAIN- NO, Bowens ducks and spins, but Okada stops the Molly Whop!
Okada slips around Bowens now, ROLLING- ELBOW, but from Bowens! ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS, SUPERKICK! Okada is down and the fans fire up! Bowens demands Okada get up, and now MOLLY- DROPKICK from Okada! Ripcord and RAINMAKER!! Cover, Okada wins!
Winner: Kazuchika Okada, by pinfall (denies Anthony Bowens a title opportunity)
The Rainmaker continues to be undefeated not just in 2025 but as the Continental Champion. Will anyone ever slow Okada down? Bowens came close, what more will it take for him to be a contender?
Backstage interview with Daniel Garcia & Matt Menard.
Lexy Nair is with Red Death & Daddy Magic, and asks after that tough loss to FTR at Double or Nothing, what is next for Garcia? Garcia says a tough loss is an understatement. That was one of the hardest tag matches- Menard cuts Danny off there. Menard wants Garcia to think. Garcia has been moving around this whole week. Garcia wants others to fight his battles for him, but what did he think was gonna happen? Is that the first match he’s ever lost? Does Garcia think it’ll be the last? Don Callis interrupts Menard’s rant to ask, “Is this your version of an inspirational speech?” Then he asks Garcia, “What’re you doing with this guy?”
Garcia says Menard is his mentor. Oh, wow, [Censored] Magic is his mentor? Callis says Garcia is a Lamborghini. If you need to tune the Lamborghini up, you don’t take it to someone who’s never been under the hood, you take it to the number one mechanic, and that’s Don Callis. Garcia should join the family, instead of listening to this. Menard says let’s ask Kenny Omega or Will Ospreay how good of a “mentor” Callis is, huh? Garcia says he is sick of old men telling him how to do his career. Garcia tells Callis to get his “boiled hot dog looking ass” out of his face. Archer gets heated, but Callis has him stand down.
Callis says Garcia is right about one thing: he is an old man; a RICH, SUCCESSFUL old man! But the Family wants volunteers, not hostages. He is just asking Garcia to do something he hasn’t been doing for awhile, and that is think. Callis leaves Garcia to think on this offer, will the answer still be no?
Tony Schiavone is in the ring.
Collision returns and Schiavone welcomes us back, and he also says this has been a great crowd in El Paso. The fans cheer, and Schiavone says the fans all around the world, please welcome out… FTR. The fans boo now as Cash Wheeler, Dax Harwood & Stokely Hathaway make their way out to the ring. Their win at Double or Nothing has made them THE winningest tag team in AEW history, and Nigel on commentary says he learned just how good they are. He just hopes FTR holds up their end of the agreement to just leave commentary alone. Stokely still rudely takes the mic from Schiavone, and he excuses Schiavone back to the desk.
Stokely says, “Sunday at Double or Nothing, FTR proved once again that they are the greatest tag team alive today.” The fans boo, but Stokely says FTR proved they are indeed Living Legend Killers, and more importantly, they proved they are right about Nigel McGuinness. Behind that commentary desk is where he belongs! They give Nigel an A for effort but a D for execution. But Stokely moves on from that. They are in El Paso, Texas! That Mexican border is just a hop, skip and a jump away. And FTR, out of the goodness of their hearts, because they are good guys, have issued an open challenge to any tag team south of the border!
Stokely has the full terms of that contract right here! He hands it to Cash to hold for him, and Stokely reads it. “Andale, andale, mami, eya eya OOOOH~! What’s poppin’ tonight?” But wait! Atlantis Jr. is here! The fans fire up as he and Templario of CMLL make their way to the ring! The luchadores are ready to go right here and now, but FTR has them back up. Cash says they respect both men so much. They are big fan of Atlantis’ father, a huge legend in lucha libre! But what everyone might know is that FTR are living lucha legends themselves. See, they had gold down in how you say, “Mehico,” and well…
They’ve been “Seven Star FTR’ for a little too long. Maybe they become Eight Stars? Maybe they go to CMLL and add that gold? These two can be a nice little warm-up for that! Dax says hold on, hold on. Does this mic work? Dax claims it isn’t good enough for him, so he gets a new mic. Dax says there is no issue here. He is Dax, nice to meet you. That’s Cash, that’s Big Stoke, but the fans say they’re really “CULERO~! CULERO~!” Dax says hold on, hold on. FTR are really big stars in the USA. Everywhere they go, people recognize them. Maybe now that AEW and CMLL have their joint show on June 18th, Arena Mexico, Dax needs to get to know them.
So the first question is, FTR is big in USA, but how does it feel being recognized by your countrymen? Dax pulls the usual interrupting shtick, because he says the “Mighty Morphing Power Ranger” masks keep people from knowing who they are! The next question is, in Arena Mexico, Grand Slam, HUGE conglomeration between their companies, what would their dream match be? Because Dax is pretty sure that has to be with a big star team, like FTR! Unfortunately, Tony Khan has bigger plans than that for FTR, so they can’t wrestle Atlantis y Templario. But again. big fan of Atlantis Sr, the OG. He’s had great matches as a FIVE-TIME CMLL World Tag Team Champoin.
And even still today, Atlantis Sr, at 62 years old, is still wrestling! Impressive! Can Dax send a message to him? Please tell your dad, “Keep your old ass at home and not mess with FTR.” The fans boo but Atlantis Jr. takes the mic! Atlantis says his dad isn’t here to defend himself, but Atlantis Jr. is! If FTR wants to say something, then just say it, PERRO! FTR wants the CMLL guys to calm down, they don’t want trouble. This is all about AEW and CMLL teaming up. The fans still let FTR have it, but then FTR sucker punch the luchadores! The fans boo as they get Templario up! But Atlantis GAMANGIRIS Cash off the corner!
Atlantis climbs, Templario gets free, CROSSBODY onto Dax! Templario uses Atlantis as a step to launch and DROPKICK Cash! The fans fire up as Atlantis runs, get a boost, and he DOUBLE DROPKICKS FTR! The fans fire up and then Templario FOSBURY FLOPS out onto the #TopGuys! Atlantis tells FTR, you do NOT disrespect his familia! These two are the stars of lucha, so see you very soon, because they are gonna kick your ass!! The fans fire up for that one! When and where will the second generation sensation and the Lion Warrior show FTR what lucha is all about?
Mina Shirakawa VS Skye Blue!
The Fighting Gravure Idol may have fallen short at Double or Nothing, but she won’t stop until she’s on top! Will AEW be all about #MinaNow? Or will the Chicago Skye rain on Mina’s parade?
The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, go around, and then break. The fans rally as Mina and Skye reset, tie up, and Skye waistlocks to trip Mina! Skye scuffs Mina, taunts her, but the fans rally up. Mina fires a forearm! Skye fires back! The forearms go back and forth as the fans duel! Mina fires a flurry, runs, but Skye kicks low! Skye snap suplexes, then runs to PENALTY- NO, Mina ducks the kick, rolls Skye, then dodges Skye to slide and shake. Skye stomps Mina, mocks the shimmy, then stomps Mina more! Skye CLUBS Mina, whips her to a corner, and the fans rally as Skye runs in. Mina slips outside to bumps Skye off buckles!
Mina goes up, and AX HANDLES Skye down! The fans rally, Mina brings Skye around to SOBAT! Mina knuckle locks, and she goes up, up, and shakes around before a FLYING KNEE DROP! Cover, TWO! Skye scrambles away to the apron but Mina runs up. Skye avoids the shoulder to KNEE Mina, then brings her out to the apron. But Mina wrenches free, ROUNDHOUSES, and she waistlocks! Skye fights with elbows, catches Mina, and APRON FLATLINERS! Mina sputters and the fans are torn while Collision goes picture in picture.
Skye drags Mina off the apron to SMACK her off the apron! Skye stalks Mina, brings her around to the barriers, and CHOPS! Skye stalks Mina again, but Mina ROCKS Skye! Mina whips Skye into railing, then winds up to CHOP! The ring count climbs but Mina brings Skye around. Skye CLAWS Mina’s eyes! Skye puts Mina in, covers, TWO! Mina is still in this but Skye rains down fists! Skye then covers, TWO! Skye is annoyed but she drags Mina up to bump her off buckles. Skye digs her boot in, but steps off as the ref counts. Mina sputters, Skye runs and handsprings to ROCK Mina! Skye then brings Mina around to snap suplex! Cover, TWO!
Skye frowns but she drags Mina up. Skye puts Mina in the corner, puts her up top, then CHOPS! Skye climbs up, brings Mina in, but Mina fights the suplex! Mina fires body shots, then ROCKS Skye! Skye falls back, but she rushes up, into a BOOT! Mina reels Skye in, TORNADO DDT! Collision returns to single picture and Mina runs up, SHINING WIZARD! The fans fire up as Skye flounders to ropes. Mina ROLLING ELBOWS! Skye flounders, stands, and into a NECKBREAKER DROP! Skye gets up, Mina blocks a kick to DRAGON SCREW! The fans fire up, Mina brings Skye around, and she steps through.
Skye boots Mina away to a corner, runs up, but Mina slips out! Mina ducks, ROCKS Skye, and goes up to FLYING0 NO, Skye blocks the kick to ROCK Mina! Skye tucks Mina in, CHEEKY NANDOS! Skye grins, then gets under Mina to bring her off the corner! SIT OUT POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO!! Mina survives and Skye seethes. The fans duel, Skye fireman’s carries, but Mina slips free! Mina fires a flurry, but she’s running on fumes! Skye ROCKS Mina, runs, but Mina ELBOWS her! Mina runs, Skye SHINING WIZARDS at the ropes! Skye keeps moving, btu Mina follows! Skye SUPERKICKS! Skye runs, but into an URAKEN!!
Mina roars while Skye flops down! The fans fire up and Mina hurries to go up a corner. The fans fire up more as Skye stands, and Mina FLYING SLINGBLADES! Cover, TWO!! Skye survives, the fans rally, and Mina dragon sleepers! GLAMO- NO, Skye slips free to full nelson! But Mina victory rolls, TWO! Skye has the cover, TWO! Mina stands, Skye blocks a kick and KNEES her! But Mina ROLLING ELBOWS! And URAKENS! And then dragon sleepers! GLAMOROUS DRIVER MINA!! Cover, Mina wins!
Winner: Mina Shirakawa, by pinfall
Redemption from Double or Nothing, but wait! Julia Hart CLOBBERS Mina! The sinister friend of Skye puts Mina int he HARTLESS LOCK! Skye adds stomps, but wait! Here comes Toni Storm! The Timeless AEW Women’s World Champion is here to save her friend! GERMAN SUPLEX for Skye! Julia lets Mina go, but that lets Toni TOSS her! Toni has a close-up, but Julia saves Skye from the Sweet Hip Music! Toni tells the “slop tarts” that they will get theirs! When and where will Toni & Mina have a co-starring role against these spooky BFFs?
Gates of Agony VS GMO Kaminari & Cosmo Orion!
Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona have been pursuing gold ever since moving on from ROH, but they’ve been just out of reach. Will they run right through Aerospace to have another chance?
The teams sort out, and Cosmo starts against Kaun. The fans sing for their local guy, but Kaun TOSSES Cosmo to a corner, CHOPS him, then laughs and applauds. But Cosmo BOOTS, ENZIGIRIS, and then dodges! Cosmo runs, hurdles, but Kaun ELBOWS Cosmo down. Kaun then clinches for the URENAGE BACKBREAKER! And then a RUNNING SUPLEX! The fans are torn but Kaun grins, and stalks Cosmo. Kaun whips but Cosmo RAN- NO! Kaun stops the rana, to BUCKLE BOMB! Tag to Liona, and the Gates TOSS Cosmo to his corner! The fans fire up and Cosmo tags GMO. GMO goes up, hesitates, but he AX HANDLES Liona!
Liona isn’t even bothered, and GMO clutches his hands! Liona BODY SHOTS GMO again and again, then fires off in a corner! The fans rally, the ref counts, and Liona stops to roars and storm around. GMO gets up and dodges Liona, then DROPKICKS! Liona frowns, GMO panics, but Liona CLOBBERS him! Kaun steps in and SHOTGUNS Cosmo! Aerospace are in the corners, Liona HIP ATTACKS GM and Kaun METEORAS Cosmo! Then OPEN THE GATES! They stack GMO & Orion, cover, and win!
Winners: The Gates of Agony, by pinfall
Kaun says, “That is YOUR fault, what happened tonight! That’s on you!” Is Kaun blaming the AEW World Tag Team Champions, the Hurt Syndicate?
Max Caster met with fans today.
It was the AEW All Elite Experience in El Paso that Platinum Max tried to teach fans his chant: Let’s Go, Max! You’re the Best Wrestler Alive! Some picked up on it, but it seemed like most didn’t care. Caster says that’s right! They love him! Now, anyone who wants pictures is welcome, but he needs them to sign his petition to make AEW recognize him as THE Best Wrestler Alive. Is that okay with everyone? The fans seem okay with that, and they sign up. Caster has the fans line up, then he runs for it! He just wanted the signatures! Will someone, anyone, ever humble him?
Six Man Tag: La Faccion Ingobernable VS AR Fox & Top Flight!
LFI is finally at full power as Rush, Dralistico y Beast Mortos team together again, ready to take over AEW once and for all. But will these bulls stampede all the way to the top? Or will the big money trio prove they’re worthy of the gold?
LFI doesn’t wait for anything to sort out, they go right after Fox & Top Flight! They toss Darius aside, mug Dante and Fox, then they TOSS Fox out! Leila Grey hurries away so as not to get run over! Dralistico y Mortos mug Fox, Rush rips a buckle pad away, and then they send Fox in! Rush CHOPS Fox, CHOPS him again, then goes for the bare steel! Fox stops that to fire back! Fox goes Matrix to then PELE! Mortos SMACKS Fox, Dralistico shoves him down, and the mugging continues! The fans are torn but LFI double whips Fox. Fox stops himself at the ropes, Dralistico runs up, and Fox TOSSES him out! Mortos runs up but is put on the apron!
Fox sweeps the legs, then he runs to SLINGSHOT STOMP Mortos, and CANNONBALL onto Dralistico! But Rush CLOBBESR Fox! Darius DIVES onto Rush! Dante DIVES onto Mortos! The fans fire up with Angel Dorado and he slides in. Darius puts Rush in, Dante somersaults and SATELLITE DDTS! Cover, TWO! Rush survives and Mortos WHEEL KICKS Dante down! But Darius runs in, runs past Mortos, and he TIGER WALL KICKS using the corner! Dralistico runs up to DREAMCAST KICK! Fox BOOTS Dralistico! Rush THROWS Fox up and over into the corner! LFI stands tall, the fans cheer them on, and Mortos puts Fox in a corner.
Mortos CHOPS Fox, Rush tags in and he CHOPS! Rush whips Fox to then LARIAT him down! Rush whips Fox to the bare buckle, then SPLASHES! Fox flops down, Ruch ROCKS him! Rush then goes corner to corner, “No pasa nada, PERRO!” But he just feints the dropkick to BOOT Fox! Rush rolls back to tranquilo, and El Paso fires up while Collision goes picture in picture.
Rush soaks up cheers, brings Fox up, then he GRINDS Fox’s face off ropes! Rush argues with the ref, Dralistico holds Fox against ropes, and Rush SMACKS Fox down! Rush wrenches Fox, tags Mortos, and they mug Fox in the corner. Mortos whips Fox to a corner, UPPERCUTS, LARIATS, and GAMANGIRIS! Then he SNAP POWERSLAMS Fox down! Cover, TWO!! Fox survives but Mortos is on him with a chinlock. Mortos grinds Fox down, but Fox fights up to his feet. LFI rushes in to BLAST Top Flight! Rush sends Darius into steel steps! Dante fights back with forearms! Rush whips Dante into railing hard!
Mortos stomps Fox in the corner, tags Dralistico in, and Dralistico whips Fox back into the corner. Dralistico ELBOWS Fox, sits him down, and runs side to side for a SUPERKICK! Dralistico lounges up top and Collision goes to break.
Collision returns and Mortos has Fox in a facelock. Mortos KNEES Fox low, then he SPITS at Top Fight! The ref keeps Top Flight back, but that lets Rush help Mortos whip Fox to a corner! Rush sends Mortos in, LARIAT! Rush sends Dralistico in, SPLASH! Rush adds a SPALSH of his own! Snapmare and TRIPLE BASEMENT DROPKICK! Mortos covers, TWO!! Fox survives and the fans fire up! Mortos whips Fox to the corner, Fox BLASTS Dralistico and BOOTS RusH! Fox BOOTS Mortos, goes up, up, and CANNONBALLS! The fans fire up while both men crawl! Hot tags to Dralistico and Darius!
The fans fire up as the Air Wolf rallies on LFI! He BOOTS Dralistico, runs, and HOTSHOT BULLDOGS! GAMANGIRI for Rush! SUPERKICK for Dralistico! Step-in FLATLINER! Cover, Mortos breaks it! Dante waistlocks Mortos, Mortos backs Dante down but Dante sends him into the bare buckle! Dante runs up, Mortos puts Dante on the apron but Dante goes up, over, around and GAMANGIRI! Darius waistlocks, Dante steps in, but Mortos fights! He still ends up in the SHOTGUN GERMAN! Rush shoves Dante, Darius gives Dante the boost up and over, then Darius kicks off of Dante to TORNADO DDT Rush!
The fans rally, Fox joins in, and Top Flight sends him in at Dralistico! A-LIST LARIAT! Dante RAMS Dralistico, Darius UPPERCUTS, then Fox skins the cat to SWINGING DROPKICK! RIPCORD CUTTER!! Cover, TWO!! Dralistico survives and the fans fire up again! Top Flight regroup, Darius brings Dralistico up and Dante climbs. But Dralistico shoves Darius into the ropes to trip Dante up! SUPERKICK for Darius! Then a springboard FLYING DESTROYER!! Cover, Fox breaks it! Rush runs up, Fox goes Matrix but Mortos SOBATS! Mortos KNEE SMASHES and Rush GERMAN SUPLEXES Fox away!
The fans fire up again and Dralistico sets up in the corner. Dante runs in, Dralistico dodges for Rush to ROCK him! Dralistico springboards to FLYING CODE BREAKER! Dante flounders out, Dralistico FLIES to take Fox down! The fans fire up again as Rush now wrenches Darius and sends him to Mortos, POP-UP SAMOAN DROP! Darius is in the corner, Mortos DIVES onto Dante! “This is Awesome!” as now Rush brings Darius around. Rush stomps away in the corner, then “You mess with the bull…!” BULL’S HORNS!! Cover, LFI wins!
Winners: La Faccion Ingobernable, by pinfall
The ungovernable trio takes the win, and perhaps now they take the lead in the title chase. But Rush isn’t done, he grabs his favorite green cables! He LASHES Darius, CHOKES him, and the ref reprimands! LFI mugs Darius, but here comes Speedball & Komander! The fans fire up as Bailey SUPERKICKS Mortos and Komander brawls with Dralistico! Rush lets Darius go so he can brawl with Bailey, but Mortos is back! The 3v2 goes LFI’s way, but Fox and Dante are back! Now it’s 5v2! LFI is sent into retreat, what will this mean for the title chase for the Summer?
Mark Briscoe speaks.
“Wednesday night, Mixed Six Tag Team match, and I took the L. Jon Moxley, you caught me in your little bulldog choke, ref called for the bell, ding ding ding. It happened. Now, Thursday, my five-year-old son comes up to me when I get home, and he said, ‘Daddy, did you quit last night?’ I said, ‘Son, no, I did not quit. I would never quit. You win some and you lose some in life, but you never quit, and I did not quit!’ But you see the predicament I’m in now, as my kids are doubting me. Mox, I want you one on one, Denver, Dynamite. This ain’t about that title you got. This is about something bigger than that for me.
“So I’m have to line the kids up in front of the TV, and they gonna watch me whoop a man’s ass! So Mox, you better be ready to man up!” The Sussex County Chicken is ready to run wild, but will he tear down the Maniac AEW World Champion for Fyter Fest?
BREAKING NEWS for Fyter Fest!
Not only do we have Moxley VS Briscoe in a non-title match, but with all the wild action tonight, there are many tag matches to be had! LFI will take on Speedball, Komander, and the returning Kevin Knight in a Six Man Tag! Julia Hart & Skye Blue will battle Toni Storm & Mina Shirakawa, with Mercedes Mone watching from commentary! And FTR will have no choice but to face Atlantis Jr. y Templario, just weeks before Grand Slam: Mexico! Plus, “The Toxic Spider,” Thekla, will have her AEW in-ring debut, and The Hurt Syndicate will address what, and perhaps who, is next for their business agenda! A HUGE FOUR HOUR NIGHT, don’t miss a moment!
AEW International Championship Fatal 4 Way Qualifier: Mascara Dorada VS Hechicero!
Brody King qualified on Wednesday, and Claudio qualified earlier tonight. One represents the USA, the other represents Switzerland, and Kenny Omega represents Canada as the champion. Mexico will have a contender, but will it be the Second King of the Ropes or the Alchemist of Lucha that joins the Fyter Fest Fatal 4?
The bell rings and the two circle. Dorada offers a handshake, Hechi reaches out, and he tentatively takes it. The two circle, then Hechi slides to dazzle with his magic. The two knuckle lock, Hechi wrenches and wrangles Dorada fast. Dorada fights up, wrenches back, but Hechi spins and slips through to break free. The fans cheer, and the two reset. They knuckle lock, Dorada rolls to get a leg in a toehold, then he ties the legs up for a modified deathlock. Hechi powers up to push through, and he hits a KNEE JAMMER! Dorada grabs at Hechi but Hechi shoves him down. Hechi CHOPS Dorada, but Dorada KICKS and KICKS!
Hechi blocks a kick to TWIST the foot, then he hits a spinning toehold! Dorada still CHOPS, KICKS, but Hechi shifts to a headlock. Dorada slips out to hammerlock, facelock, then fireman’s carry takeover. Dorada clamps on headscissors, then pulls on the arms! Hechi rolls back, O’Conner Roll into a wheelbarrow, but Dorada arm-drags free! Dorada kips up and the fans cheer the standoff! Dorada and Hechi tie up, Hechi waistlocks then shoves Dorada to ropes. Hchi then runs past, but Dorada ducks a lariat. Dorada hurdles, only for Hechi to catch him in a FLAPJACK! Hechi clamps onto legs, CHOPS Dorada on the back, and he has the arms!
The fans cheer as Hechi pulls Dorada into the ROMERO SPECIAL! Dorada endures, fights to get his arms free, and he stands on Hechi’s legs! Dorada turns things around on Hechi to have the legs, then the arms! Up, up, and away into the ROMERO SPECIAL! The fans cheer, but now Hechi fights free! Hechi rolls Dorada to pull him around by an arm. A bit of a stumble but Hechi still whips Dorada, blows past, and then slides out! Dorada runs to slide out, but Hechi slides in! Hechi toys with Dorada, Dorada slides in, and then Dorada and Hechi continue their cat ‘n’ mouse. Dorada fakes a springboard and Hechi slides out!
Dorada runs up to the corner to FLYING RANA! The fans fire up and Dorada puts Hechi back in. Dorada climbs as the fans rally, and Dorada uses the corner so he can DOUBLE JUMP FLYING RANA! The fans fire up as things keep moving, and Hechi HEADSCISSOR LEG DROPS!! Dorada staggers up, Hehich runs up and KNEES him in the corner! Dorada flops down, the fans rally up, and Hechi fires up! Hechi brings Dorada up, whips him to a corner, and LARIATS as Collision goes picture in picture.
Hechi LARIATS again, and again, and then JABS! JABS! JABS! Dorada drops but Hechi DECKS him all the same! Dorada flops out of the ring, Hechi pursues, and Hechi brings Dorada around to RAM into steel steps! Dorada hobbles and falls but the fans rally up for Hechi. Hechi drags Dorada up, fireman’s carries, and hits SNAKE EYES off the apron! Hechi puts Dorada in the ring, brings him around, and pulls at the mask?! The ref reprimands and Hechi stops to chicken wing Dorada’s arm. Hechi keeps pulling at the mask’s strings, but the ref reprimands. The fans boo and give thumbs down, so Hechi stops.
Hechi drags Dorada up, pump handles, and hits a BIG suplex! Cover, TWO! Dorada stays in this and Hechi is annoyed. Hechi kicks Dorada around, brings him up, and puts him in a corner to CHOP! Dorada sputters, Hechi runs up, but Dorada BOOTS him! And RANAS him! But Hechi comes back to LARIAT! Dorada is all folded up but Hechi stomps him. Hechi drags Dorada into a motorcycle stretch. Dorada endures, fights up, and Collision returns to single picture. Hechi shoves Dorada to a corner, fires body shots and a CHOP! The ref counts, Hechi whips, but Dorada reverses. Dorada runs in but Hechi puts him on the apron!
Hechi takes a swing but Dorada GAMANGIRIS! Then he slingshots, hops on, but Hechi reverses the momentum! Dorada lands out, avoids the boot, then he runs in and tilt-o-whirl RANAS! Hechi tumbles out, the fans fire up, and Dorada builds speed to TORNILLO!! The fans fire up and Dorada high-fives the front row. The fans rally, Dorada storms up on Hechi, and he puts Hechi in the ring. Dorada aims from the apron, goes up, up, and CROSSBODIES! Then he tilt-o-whirls, but Hechi throws him away to wheelbarrow! Victory roll, and POP-UP into the REAR NAKED CHOKE! Dorada endures, fights through to ghost pin, TWO!
Hechi has a cradle, TWO! Ghost pin, TWO! Chicken wing and SEATBELT, TWO! Dorada has a press, TWO! The fans fire up as both men stand. They both run in, and DOUBLE BOOTS take them both down again! The fans rally up while Hechi and Dorada stir. Dorada goes to a corner, runs in at Hechi, but Hechi puts him up top! Dorada backflips away but Hechi DISCUS SHOULDERS him down! Hechi knuckle locks, Dorada lifts but Hechi uses that to rock back and YANK Dorada up to a torture rack! But Dorada tilt-o-whirls through to RANA! Somersault and CODE RED!! Cover, TWO!! The fans fire up as Hechi survives!
Hechi crawls to the ropes, Dorada aims and builds speed. Hechi avoids the boot to CHOP, and DRAPING DRAGON SCREW! Dorada keeps the leg trapped, and he stands on it to STOMP it down! Dorada writhes but Hechi climbs, FLYING ELBOW! Cover, TWO!! Dorada survives and the fans fire up again! Hechi huffs ‘n’ puffs and he watches Dorada. Hechi wants the mask, but Dorada CHOPS! Dorada fires up, but Hechi CHOPS in return! Dorada rebounds to CHOP! Hechi nods and JABS! JABS! JABS! Then CHOPS! Hechi runs, but into a scoop and LUMBAR CHECK! The fans fire up as Hechi is now in a drop zone!
Dorada goes up, up, and aims for the DIVING- NO, Hechi dodges, and he dropkicks the leg out! Hechi brings Dorada around, puts him up top, and uses that to Electric Chair Lift! They go up higher, but Dorada fires hands! Dorada hops down, GAMANGIRIS, and then he goes back up! SUPER POISON-RANA!! Dorada puts Hechi in the drop zone, goes back up top, and he SHOOTING STARS!! Cover, DORADA WINS!
Winner: Mascara Dorada, by pinfall (advances to Fyter Fest)
And there you have it! The Golden Mask 2 is now part of a golden opportunity! Will Dorada take the title from Kenny? Will it be Brody or Claudio instead? Or will the Best Bout Machine find a way to still be champion?
My Thoughts:
A great episode of Collision, even with it being prerecorded and then further delayed because of NBA Playoffs. A lot of last minute build to Fyter Fest, and I don’t even mean the qualifiers. Both qualifiers were awesome, and while I figured Claudio would win against Komander, I’m pleasantly surprised Mascara Dorada beat Hechicero in a great main event. That’s now technically three Faces and one Heel for the Fatal 4 Way, and just for the sake of story, I would hope the Death Riders don’t get more gold. They need to stay desperate about holding onto THE AEW World Championship while the proverbial walls are closing in.
Speaking of which, great promo from Mark Briscoe to call out Moxley, and they are going to have a great match, even with no title stakes on the line. And also a very good promo from Swerve with Ospreay to add their own tensions to this team-up story. Swerve doesn’t want to work with Hangman, he wants Ospreay to back off, but Ospreay is the one speaking sense again. Ospreay, Hangman and Swerve are the big 3 in terms of Faces, and then, whenever Darby Allin returns, that is quite the fearsome four to take on the Death Riders.
But the “last minute” stuff is the other tag matches they made for that HUGE four hour show. Mina of course beat Skye Blue, and I should’ve figured Julia would show up. Good save from Toni, and they’ll have a good tag match that I would think Toni & Mina win. Unless Mone gets involved, because she will be there on commentary. Great Six Man Tag of LFI VS Fox & Top Flight, and a very good win for LFI. Speedball & Komander making the save was good stuff, and I appreciate Kevin Knight will be joining in since he’ll be back from Japan by Wednesday.
Gates of Agony of course win their match, and I do feel they need another chance back to the tag titles. FTR had a very good promo with Atlantis y Templario, and that tag match could be a show stealer. It really should also lead into something bigger for Grand Slam: Mexico. FTR did mention they want tag titles, and the CMLL World Tag Team Champions are Los Nuevos Ingobernables, aka the NEW Ungovernables, Angel de Oro y Niebla Roja. I wonder if they’ll interact with LFI at all…
Great Six Man Tag of Don Callis Family VS Ishii & Paragon, but I figured the Family would win. Konosuke pinning Ishii really should lead to Konosuke challenging for the NJPW Strong title at either the next NJPW event in America, or even through AEW. Good promo from Garcia with Menard and Callis. Menard is being a bit harsh on Garcia, but I would hope Garcia doesn’t join up with the Callis Family. I’m just not sure how well Garcia fairs in a feud against them when his backup is sadly just Daddy Magic while the Callis Family has the most members it has ever had.
Hilarious promo from Caster where he is really trying hard with this Best Wrestler Alive thing, but in a new direction. I’m sure he’ll try getting fellow wrestlers to sign that, only to get beat up like with his Open Challenge. And an awesome match from Okada VS Bowens, even with it just being an Eliminator. Okada still wins as there might still be pans of Okada VS Omega, Winner Takes All, but Okada’s gotta have someone at least challenge him along the way. If nothing else, test the waters of what a 20 minute draw does for the eliminator and give someone a shot at the Continental Championship for the FOUR HOUR “Summer Blockbuster” on June 11th.
My Score: 8.8/10
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Could this be the biggEST and strongEST SmackDown of the year?
SmackDown in Knoxville sees the returns of Bianca Belair, Cody Rhodes and John Cena, along with some final Money in the Bank qualifiers!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Jade Cargill VS Naomi VS Nia Jax; Naomi wins and advances to Money in the Bank.
- R-Truth VS JC Mateo w/ Solo Sikoa; Mateo wins.
- Rey Fenix & Je’Von Evans VS Los Garza w/ Santos Escobar; Los Garza win.
- Zelina Vega VS Alba Fyre w/ The Green Administration; Zelina wins.
- Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Carmelo Hayes VS Andrade VS Jacob Fatu; Andrade wins and advances to Money in the Bank.
PLAY BY PLAY
Bianca Belair is here!
Knoxville fires up for their strongEST, fastEST, quickEST, toughEST, roughEST, and greatEST hometown hero as she struts out to the ring. Bianca high-fives and hugs fans along the ramp, as well as mom and dad at ringside. Bianca then grabs a mic to say, “Man, it feels good to be in Knoxville!” The fans cheer and chant for “EST! EST!” Bianca says she loves them so much. And she couldn’t come out here without singing Rocky Top! Y’all ready? The fans cheer, and the music plays! Bianca conducts the fans as they sing for the University of Tennessee. In fact, the Lady Vols softball team is playing in the Super Regionals right now!
Bianca smiles and says this city is so special to her. Not just because it is her hometown, but because it is her safe space. She has her love and support from mom ‘n’ dad, and has all the fans who show up and show out for her. With everything Bianca’s been going through, losing at Mania, getting injured, losing tag titles and friends along the way, she just wanted to come back home to her safe space. The fans cheer, and Bianca says she came home to heal. While she’s not 100%, she is doing everything she can to get back to the ring and continue to show us why she is the EST of Tennessee and of WWE! The fans cheer that!
Bianca says with all that said, Knoxville, welcome to Friday Night SmackDown! But wait, she’s interrupted by Naomi! The fans boo but Naomi says, “Oh my gosh~! Finally! B, I am so glad you finally here on SmackDown!” Bianca says now is not the time, Naomi. Naomi asks Bianca to please hear her out. It has been way too long. Not a day has gone by when Naomi doesn’t think about what happened to them. What is there to talk about? What could Naomi say? What could she want from Bianca? The fans chant “YOU SUCK!” at Naomi, and Naomi says she just wants forgiveness. She is begging for it!
Naomi knows things go toff the rails, but she is here because she wants to fix it, she is trying to fix it, but she alone can’t fix it. Months have gone by, and Naomi has tried to communicate, to say the past can be the past and that they can move forward. Bianca has not responded back to Naomi once. Naomi even visited Bianca’s parent’s house! But no one would answer! WHAT?! Mom ‘n’ Dad don’t know about that, but Naomi says no one was home, so she let herself in! Naomi looked through the photo albums, the one right on the front coffee table. And in those photos, Bianca looked so happy. It reminded Naomi of how they were as tag team champions.
Bianca stops Naomi there. Naomi, Bianca will make this perfectly clear. They were best friends, but Naomi betrayed Bianca’s trust. Naomi took their friend, Jade, and threw her onto a car, then lied about it for months! Bianca said she was done with Naomi, she meant that, and if Naomi ever comes near her family again, what Naomi did to Jade will be nothing compared to what Bianca does to Naomi. The fans fire up for that! Naomi gets emotional, but then she gets mad. “Y’know, Bianca, it wouldn’t be good for you and your mama to be in a wheelchair.” The fans boo as Naomi laughs maniacally. Naomi says she’d hate if something happened to Bianca here and now!
Naomi storms up on Bianca, but then JADE makes her way out here! Naomi is even angrier now, but this Storm starts throwing hands! The fans fire up as Jade BOOTS Naomi down! Bianca and Jade look to each other, neither really saying or doing anything. Naomi runs up but Jade TOSSES her out! Jade and Bianca look to each other again, but then here comes NIA! The Irresistible Force won’t be left out of this, especially when this is the Women’s Triple Threat Qualifier for the night! This match now opens the night, who earns SmackDown’s final golden ticket to the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match?
Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Jade Cargill VS Naomi VS Nia Jax!
SmackDown returns, this match is already going, and Naomi POSTS Nia! Naomi stalks Jade, rains down forearms, and the fans boo. Naomi stomps to BITE Jade’s hand! Jade still fights back, so Naomi has the arms to STOMP Jade down! Naomi flexes, the fans boo, and Naomi puts Jade in a corer. Naomi runs to DROPKICK Jade in the corner! Naomi SLAPS Jade, drags her into the drop zone, then goes up, up, and twerks! HIP DROP! Naomi covers, ROPEBREAK! Naomi is annoyed but she sits Jade up to stomp a mudhole in. But Nia runs up! Naomi dodges, the HIP ATTACK hits Jade! Naomi goes to the apron to ROUNDHOUES Nia!
Naomi reels Nia in for a HEATSEEKER! Nia flops to the floor, the fans rally for Jade, but Naomi kicks her around. Naomi goes up the corner, leaps, but Jade catches her! Jade FALL AWAY SLAMS Naomi, then kips up! Knoxville fires up with Jade and she runs up to LARIAT! And ELBOW! And SCRAPBUSTER! Cover, Nia breaks it! The fans boo but Nai huffs ‘n’ puffs and drags Naomi up. Nia whips Naomi, pops her up and HEADBUTTS her down! Then she SAMOAN DROPS Naomi! Nia soaks up heat, then lines the two up. Naomi grabs at Nia’s leg but Nia CLUBS her down! Nia stomps Jade for good measure, then drops a leg, brother!
Nia TOSSES Jade out, then goes up the corner. Nia SUPER LEG DROPS on Naomi!! Cover, TWO!!! Naomi survives and Nia is shocked! The fans rally while Nia stalks Naomi. Naomi clings to ropes as Nia pulls at her arm. Nia CLUBS Naomi, whips her to ropes, then SAMOAN DROP- NO, Naomi makes it a CRUCIFIX DRIVER! Ghost pin, TWO!! Nia survives the sudden turnaround, Naomi sees Jade crawling in, and Naomi goes after her as SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Naomi KICKS Nia while she’s down, then kicks her more. Naomi puts Nia in a corner, CHOKES her on the ropes, then clamps on with a SLEEPER! Nia THROWS Naomi away, then TOSSES her out. Nia soaks up heat, but Jade runs in and rolls Nia up! TWO! Nia stands, and she HEADBUTTS Jade down! Nia looms over Jade, drags her up, but Jade fires forearms! Jade backs Nia down, then runs, and she CLOBBERS Nia outta the ring! Jade fires up and has the fans with her. Jade drags Naomi up from the apron but Naomi fires hands. Nia is back to HIP ATTACK Jade against the POST! Nia soaks up more heat, then taunts Naomi.
Naomi stands on the apron, argues with Nia, but they apparently agree to mug Jade for both their benefit. They put Jade in the corner, Naomi digs her boot in, and then Nia sends Naomi in for a SPALSH! Nia adds a SPLASH of her own! Naomi snapmares Jade, runs, and SLIDING LARIATS! Jade sputters and Nia taunts her. Nia and Naomi soak up the heat together, but Jade fights back! Nia HEADBUTTS Jade down! Nia drags Jade up, and Naomi KICKS Jade low! They soak up more heat, talk trash on Jade, and SmackDown returns to single picture. Nia scoops and SIDEWALK SLAMS! Naomi runs to SPLIT LEG DROP! Cover, but Nia drags Naomi away!
Nia and Naomi argue again, and then Naomi rolls Nia up! ONE, and Nia grabs Naomi to shove her to a corner! Nia SPLASHES, then pushes Naomi down. Nia runs to SENTON! Nia grins while Naomi sputters and the fans rally up. Jade rises to fire forearms on Nia! Then she ELBOWS Naomi in a corner! She ELBOWS Nia, but then Nia follows Jade! Jade dodges so Nia SPLASHES Naomi! Jade then SUPERKICKS! Nia wobbles, Jade SUPERKICKS again! And SPINEBUSTERS! But Naomi METEORAS! Cover, TWO! Jade survives and the fans rally up. Naomi goes up, SPLIT- LEG MOONSAULT on Nia! But Jade has Naomi in the chicken wings!
Jade brings Naomi around, JADED!! Cover, Nia CLOBBERS them both! The fans rally while all three women are down! Nia climbs a corner, Jade is after her with forearms! Naomi joins in, drags Jade back, but now they trade shots! Nia DOUBLE CROSSBODIES! Cover on Jade, TWO! Cover on Naomi, TWO! Nia grows frustrated but the fans rally up again. Nia drag Naomi up, fireman’s carries, and she climbs the corner! The fans already anticipate what’s coming, SUPER SAMOAN DROP!! Cover, JADE FROG SPLASHES IN!! Cover, TWO!!! The fans fire up while all three women are down again! “This is Awesome!”
Jade rises, she clamps onto Nia, but Nia HEADBUTTs her! And HEADBUTTS Naomi! Jade BOOTS Nia down! Cover, TWO! Jade runs up on Naomi but Naomi BOOTS her! Naoim goes up top but Jade is right on her! They fight for control, but then Nia joins in! TOWER OF DOOM!! Nia double stacks her opponents, for a A-NIA-LATOR!! Naomi avoids it, Jade takes it all! Naomi ghost pins Nia, AND WINS!!
Winner: Naomi, by pinfall (advances to Money in the Bank)
Nia did a lot of the damage, but it is Naomi who wins out! Will everyone in the Women’s MITB Ladder Match now have to #ProceedWithCaution?
Solo Sikoa’s crew arrives.
Solo says they will win Money in the Bank together! Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa, whichever one wins MITB wins it fof the family! But then they hear R-Truth talking to… Lil’ Jimmy? Solo says Truth’s childhood hero beats him, and now he’s talking to ghosts. Truth taps Solo on the shoulder and asks if there’s something Solo wants to say. Solo says Truth is crazy touching him. JC Mateo steps up but Solo has him stand down. Truth says he wants to be honest. He’s never seen JC a day before in his life. Is this Solo’s son? He’s husky! Truth asks if he can teach Solo’s husky son a lesson in the ring. Solo says that sounds good to him.
Truth says he’ll go talk to Nick Aldis. “Boy, y’all big boneded!” Truth heads off, and Solo says don’t worry, they’ll take care of him. Let’s have fun. Fatu says keep it 100. They can have their fun, he’s got his own business to take care of. Yadada mean? The Imperial Unit against Truth, Samoan Werewolf in a qualifier, will everything go the family’s way?
Chelsea Green confronts Nick Aldis.
The Hot Mess hides behind a cardboard cutout of herself as she tells the SmackDown General Manager, “What happened on Saturday night was a deliberate-” Piper Niven has to direct Chelsea to point at Aldis, and Aldis says he can’t quite understand her from behind the cardboard mask. Piper holds the mask between Chelsea and camera, though we do get a glimpse of her fancy headgear. Chelsea repeats herself, but Aldis says she needs to be looking at him when they talk. Chelsea hides her face in shame, but she says it is still a deliberate hitjob put on by vicious Zelina Vega! Even her Secret Her-vice could not stop it!
Chelsea demands that Zelina be suspended, stripped of her title, and that Chelsea be reinstated as the champion! Chelsea, no need to be so ugly about this. Gasp! Aldis says what he means is, no suspensions, and we can talk a rematch down the road once Chelsea is medically cleared. Then he is doing nothing for what Zelina did to Chelsea?! Alba says if he won’t, then they will! Yeah, Zelina VS Alba! Tonight! Alba is a bit surprised, but Aldis says, “Chelsea knows best. Alba VS Zelina, I actually like the sound of that. I will make that official right now, if you do one thing for me. Please leave me alone.”
The Green Administration hurries away, but will Alba make sure Chelsea brand justice is served? Or will La Muneca just keep racking up the wins?
Backstage interview with Tiffany Stratton.
Byron Saxton is with the WWE Women’s Champion, and says that MITB is around the corner. Tiff successfully cashed in her own contract to become champion, but how is she handling the pressure of knowing the same thing could happen to her? Tiff says she can’t wait to see who wins MITB. Then she can handle the pressure by being prepared. Having this title makes her the top threat to the division, but let’s be fair. She’s always been the girl everyone has been obsessed with. So whoever wins, targeting her will be a big mistake. But then in steps Naomi.
Naomi says if Tiff thought Nia was a problem, then she ain’t seen nothing yet. Naomi vows to win MITB and cash in for Tiff’s title, wherever and whenever she wants. And in case Lil’ Miss Tiffy forgot, when Naomi was fighting for a championship, Tiff stayed in Naomi’s way. Wanna know what happens when people play with Naomi? Just ask Jade. Naomi heads out, and Alexa Bliss steps in. Alexa says she wouldn’t be so worried about Naomi. Be worried about Alexa. Alexa heads out now, Tiff clutches to the title a little bit tighter, who will be trying to run the clock out on Tiffy Time?
R-Truth VS JC Mateo w/ Solo Sikoa!
To Solo’s point, #RonCena could not make John Cena see the light at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and Truth might be relapsing if he’s talking to Lil’ Jimmy again. But will Truth relapse so far that we get the R-Truth that was once United States Champion? Or will a Tour of the Islands send Truth off the deep end?
SmackDown returns and JC makes his entrance, Solo backing him up. The bell rings and Truth runs up, only for JC to RAM him into a corner! JC RAMS Truth again and again, then lets off. JC whips corner to corner hard and Truth falls in a heap! JC whips corner to corner again just as hard, and Truth falls in a heap again. Solo talks trash but the fans rally behind Truth. JC runs up but Truth dodges! Truth SHOULDER TACKLES! JC stays up, so Truth runs and SHOULDER TACKLES! “What’s Up?” Truth runs, ducks ‘n’ dodges, and SHOULDER TACKLES! Then he hits the SPIN OUT- CROSSBODY! JC then gets up to GACHIMUCHI MOONSAULT!
JC smirks as he looms over Truth, and Solo says to finish this off now. JC runs to SENTON but Truth moves! Truth calls for it! “YOU CAN’T SEE ME!” FIVE KNUCKLE SHUFFLE! Truth fireman’s carries JC, but JC is too much! Truth falls over again! Solo laughs, JC whips, TOUR OF THE ISLANDS!! Cover, JC wins!
Winner: JC Mateo, by pinfall
Truth tried to be like John Cena of old, but it just wasn’t meant to be. JC beats up on Truth more, then stands him up for Solo! But here comes BIG Jim! Jimmy has a chair, he runs JC off, but Solo stands his ground. Solo says his brother wouldn’t hit him with that chair, would he? Jimmy steps to Solo so Solo steps out, but that lets JC CLOBBER Jimmy! But then Solo has JC stand down! They’re family! Solo and JC leave, leaving Jimmy wondering what this is about. Will Jimmy make it clear to Solo that Jimmy’s not the one who has to come to his senses?
The Street Profits are here!
The WWE Tag Team Champions walk through the smoke to be on stage and the fans cheer. Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford hold up the titles, walk to the ring, then step inside. The fans cheer as they hold up the belts again, then the Profits grab the mics. Ford says, “Knoxville, Tennessee, oh I love everything about you, and what I have, too. But lemme rap to y’all real fast. This tag team division that we’re a part of, the greatest tag team division on any brand, any promotion… It’s on fire right now.” Dawkins says, “Talk to ’em.” Ford says, “But just like how the gorilla fears us, make no mistake about it, let’s not forget who’s leading the charge right now: The Street Profits.”
The fans cheer, and Dawkins says hey, they got all the teams coming at ’em! DIY, Motor City Machine Guns, Fraxiom, and now… The Wyatts?! The fans cheer that, and Ford says that’s sick. But what big bro is saying, it don’t matter who it is, the Profits will defend against anybody. Well hold on, here comes Fraxiom! Nathan Frazer & Axiom go to the ring to stand with the Profits, and they have mics. Frazer says alright, since the Profits are talking about defending the titles, well, Frazer & Axiom didn’t exactly get a fair shake. Ford says, “Fraxiom, is it?” He congratulates them for being on a roll, but up until the Wyatt Sick6 got in the Profits’ business…
Yeah, the Profits had them beat. Wow, oh, okay. Sure, maybe… But maybe not. Thanks to the Wyatts, we’ll never know. And now that those shenanigans are behind us, it is fair to say that Fraxiom and the Profits need to run it back! The fans like the sound of that! But wait, here come the Machine Guns! Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin have mics, and Shelley says okay, hold on, sorry to interrupt. Fraxiom’s entire basis for a rematch is that the Profits never beat them. Well, last time Shelley checked, the Profits never beat MCMG! So if they’re handing out title matches, MCMG will take one. But naturally, here comes DIY!
Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, and Candice LeRae have their own mics, and the Poison Pixie says no no no no. She is pretty sure “you losers” have had a million chances, and “the nerds” just got here. Whoa, hold on? Just got here? Sounds like Candice just got back, so she should do us a favor and shut up. Gargano says you shut up, idiot! The reason DIY brought in Gargano’s beautiful wife is to even the odds against all of what this is! Everyone can see there is a conspiracy in the tag team division to hold down the BTTITW! And now with the Wyatts showing up- Ciampa has Gargano ixnay on the amily-fay.
Do not talk about you know who, scratch that, let’s get to business. All these teams have all KILLED the tag division that DIY built! Matter of fact, let us hold a moment of silence for the death of the SmackDown Tag Division. Everyone, stand up, bow your heads, and give a moment of silence… now. OH NO! The lights go out! All the teams panic, because when the lights turn on, UNCLE HOWDY is on the corner! Howdy laughs, because the rest of the Wyatts flank the ring! Erick Rowan drags MCMG out to DOUBLE LARIAT! Dexter Lumis is up top to CANNONBALL onto the Profits and Gargano! Joe Gacy is in, and he handsprings to bring Fraxiom to the UPSIDE-DOWN!!
Lumis then runs, POWERBOMB SENTON COMBO on Axiom! Ciampa freaks out, turns around, and Nikki Cross is there! CROSSBODY onto Candice! The fans fire up, and Howdy has Frazer for SISTER ABIGAIL! “We’re here!!” It is just as the Profits said, and now it is clear. Will some killer combination of the Wyatts go right after the gold?
Rey Fenix & Je’Von Evans VS Los Garza w/ Santos Escobar!
Worlds Collide is just over a week away, and all four of these men will be involved. The Immortal Firebird and the Young OG are going after the NXT North American Championship in a Fatal 4 Way while Legado Del Fantasma will be taking on AAA’s Pagano, Psycho Clown y El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. Who will be heading for Los Angeles with all the momentum behind them?
Speaking of that North American Championship, the champion is here! Ethan Page joins commentary and says what a year for him, to be honest. Wade says that title has never looked better than on Ethan’s shoulder. Fenix makes his entrance now, followed by Je’Von’s. The teams sort out and Fenix starts against Angel. Angel and Fenix circle, the fans rally up, and the two tie up. Angel fires a forearm, Fenix fires back, repeat! Fenix gets the edge but Angel shoves then drops down. Fenix cartwheels over the dropdown, then comes back, ducks ‘n’ dodges, and RANAS! Angel tumbles, the fans fire up, and Fenix somersaults, but into a fireman’s carry!
Fenix slips free, ripcords to ROUNDHOUSE, but Angel HEADBUTTS! Both men stagger back, tags to Berto and Je’Von! Je’Von dodges and springboards to BOUNCY~ roll-up! TWO, and Berto mule kicks! Berto CLUBS Je’Von, whips, but Je’Von reverses and slips around. Berto bucks the O’Conner, springboards and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Berto drags Je’Von up, but Je’Von kicks! Berto blocks, but the ENZIGIRI hits! Je’Von runs up, and BOUNCY~ RANAS! The fans fire up and Je’Von DROPKICKS! Berto bails out, Angel runs in, but Je’Von goes Matrix to dodge! Je’Von kips up, and STUNNERS! Angel flops back and the fans fire up!
Los Garza regroups, Je’Von tags Fenix, and they build speed, but have to dodge Angel first. Fenix SOBATS, Je’Von KICKS, and both men ENZIGIRI! Berto is up top, he leaps, but into DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! Cover, TWO! Fenix runs to basement CALF KICK! Cover, TWO! Berto stays in this for Los Garza while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Fenix drags Berto up to RAM him into the corner. Tag to Je’Von and they mug Berto. Berto fires hands back on Je’Von, but Je’Von headlocks. Berto powers up and out and Angel tags in. Berto drop toeholds Je’Von into Angel’s KNEE at the ropes! Angel TEARS OFF HIS PANTS! Angel drapes those over Je’Von before he KICKS Je’Von in the side! Angel stalks Je’Von to the corner, tags Berto, and they shove Je’Von for a double hip toss, TU LO SABE! Then DOUBLE SUPERKICK! Berto covers, TWO! Berto argues the count but the ref defends it. Berto shoves Je’Von to ELBOW him down! Berto then DUMPS Je’Von down to be under the ropes.
Tag to Angel and Berto sits Je’Von up on the apron. Angel runs to KNEE Je’Von down! Santos joins in with Los Garza as they soak up the heat, and Angel drags Je’Von back in. Angel stands Je’Von up, hoists him to the top rope, then climbs up behind him. Angel CLUBS away on Je’Von, mocks the clapping, and he THROWS Je’Von down. Angel KICKS Je’Von in the arm and Je’Von clutches his hand. Angel drags Je’Von to the ropes, CHOKES him, and the ref reprimands. The ref counts, Angel steps off at 4, and Berto BOOTS Je’Von down. ANgel clamps onto Je’Von with an armlock and chinbar but Je’Von reaches for Fenix.
Angel keeps hold of Je’Von but Je’Von fires hands! SmackDown returns to single picture as Je’Von dodges the lariat, leaps, but Angel catches him! Angel puts Je’Von in a corner and through ropes. Angel pulls an arm and leg against the ropes, but stops as the ref counts. Angel runs to KNEE Je’Von in the ribs! Je’Von slumps to the apron, and Angel sucker punches Fenix! Angel goes back for Je’Von but Je’Von fires body shots! Angel blocks a kick, slips around and Gory Especials! Angel walks over, tags Berto, and Berto slingshots, GARZA ESPECIAL! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up for Je’Von but Berto clamps onto him with a chinlock.
Je’Von endures, even as Berto traps an arm. Je’Von fights up, pries the hold open, and he arm-drags Berto! Je’Von leaps but Berto grabs a leg! Ethan laughs from commentary, but Je’Von kicks free to SUPERKICK! Both men are down, Je’Von and Berto crawl, hot tags to Angel and Fenix! The fans fire up as Fenix rallies on Angel with forearms! Fenix then dodges a shot to springboard and FLYING ARM-DRAG, to a DOUBLE STOMP! Fenix fires off KICKS on Berto, then fires up with Knoxville! Fenix uses Berto to jump up and RANA Angel! Fenix then goes corner to corner to JUMP SOBAT! Fenix fires hands, shoves Angel aside, then goes up.
Fenix springboards to QUEBRADA! Cover, Berto breaks it! Berto whips Fenix, Fenix goes Spider-Man, and Je’Von tags in! Fenix says HASTA LA VISTA, BABY! Angel is up, he pops Fenix up to KICK him! But Je’Von springboards to FLYING LARIAT! The fans fire up, Berto springboards to FLYING CHUCK! All four men are down and the fans fire up again! “This is Awesome!” as Angel and Je’Von crawl. Angel CHOPS Je’Von, Je’Von CHOPS back, and the fans “WOO~!” Angel CHOPS again, so Je’Von CHOPS again! Angel fires a forearm, Je’Von fires back, and they go around with forearm after forearm! The fans fire up, Angel CHOPS, a
nd Je’Von SUPER PUNCHES!
Je’Von runs, BOUNCY- NO, Angel makes it a SIT OUT POWERBOMB!! Cover, TWO!! Ethan is surprised and the fans rally up. Angel hoists Je’Von up top, tags Berto in, and they hoist Je’Von up even higher! But Fenix SHORYUKENS Angel down! Je’Von fires hands on Berto and SHOVES him down! Fenix climbs up to join Je’Von now, and ADIOS AMIGO DOUBLE STOMPS for Angel! Je’Von adjusts, to SUPER DUPER SWANTON onto Los Garza! Ethan says don’t get closer, keep this in the ring! He taunts both his challengers, Fenix and Je’Von stand down to put Los Garza in the ring. The fans rally up, but then Ethan CLOBBERS Fenix & Je’Von!
Ethan TOSSES Fenix over the desk! But Je’Von SUPERKICKS Ethan down! The fans fire up, Je’Von hurries in, and he dodges Angel! But Berto rolls Je’Von up, TWO!! Je’Von dodges Berto, rebound and RED DOT!! Berto is down, Angel gets up, but Je’Von DECKS him! Je’Von goes up, up, but Santos distracts the ref! Ethan SHOVES Je’Von down! The fans boo but Berto tags Angel! Los Garza hoists Je’Von up for M T Y!! Cover, Los Garza win!
Winners: Los Garza, by pinfall
All Ego grins as he screws over two of his three challengers, and now Legado is rolling towards Worlds Collide. But will these rudos get everything they deserve in LA?
The Wyatts speak.
“We won’t stop. Not until we get what’s owed.” A simple yet ominous threat, are the tag titles only the beginning?
Zelina Vega VS Alba Fyre w/ The Green Administration!
La Muneca held onto the WWE Women’s US Championship by smacking The Hot Mess in the face with a foot, and obviously Chelsea is not happy with it. But will Alba get payback on behalf of her fearless leader? Or will things only get uglier for the Green Regime?
The bell rings and Piper distracts Zelina so Alba can CLOBBER her! Alba fires off hands, then bumps Zelina off buckles. Alba bumps Zelina off more buckles, then more buckles! And then the fourth corner! Chelsea says Zelina should’ve never messed with her! Alba fireman’s carries but Zelina fights free. Zelina KICKS Alba, KICKS again, then KICKS, but Alba CLUBS Zelina. Alba whips, scoops, and- NO, Zelina swings through to RANA! Cover, ONE! Zelina headlocks but Alba fights up and lifts Zelina. Zelina holds on but Alba powers up and out to RUN Zelina over! The fans boo but Chelsea cheers as Alba stalks Zelina.
Alba ROCKS Zelina, whips her to ropes, but Zelina wheelbarrows and arm-drags! Zelina then runs up on Alba in the corner and rains down fists! Alba shoves Zelina away at three, but Zelina comes right back to rain down more shots! Alba stops Zelina at four now, but Zelina wants another go! Alba stops Zelina at four again, and RAMS her into the corner! The fans boo but Alba grins. Zelina BOOTS Alba, goes up, and FLYING RANAS! Alba tumbles out, Piper helps her up, and Zelina goes to the apron. Alba trips Zelina up, spins and ROCKS Zelina, then gets her up. Gory Especial, but Zelina flips through to arm-drag Alba onto ropes!
The fans fire up as Zelina dials up, but Chelsea is on the apron! The ref argues with Chelsea while Zelina redials, but Piper trips her up! The fans boo but Alba SUPERKICKS Zelina! Alba salutes to Chelsea, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Alba stands on Zelina’s hair while pulling Zelina’s arms! The ref reprimands, Alba steps off, and she drags Zelina up to suplex for the GOURD BUSTER! Cover, TWO! Zelina stays in this and Chelsea argues with the ref. The ref says the count is fair, so Alba clamps onto Zelina with a COBRA CLUTCH! Zelina endures, the fans rally, and Zelina fights up. Zelina fires body shots, Alba ripcords and wrenches to SUPERKICK! Zelina rebounds to SHINING WIZARD! Both women fall and the fans fire up! Piper coaches Zelina, the fans rally up, and both women rise up. Alba is on Zelina and brings her to a corner, but Zelina buckle bumps Alba first!
The fans rally as Alba stalks Zelina, but Zelina bumps her off buckles again! Alba tries again, but Zelina ELBOWS Alba away. Then BOOTS her away! Zelina fires forearms on Alba, backs her down, then whips. Alba reverses but Zelina dodges to LARIAT! The fans fire up as Zelina LARIATS again! Zelina blocks a kick, ELBOWS Alba, but Alba blocks the saido. But Zelina keeps Alba from running, SNAP SAIDO! The fans rally for Zelina as she runs corner to corner, METEORA! Zelina pushes Alba out and goes up top! The fans cheer for some Latina Heat, and METEORA! Cover, TWO! Alba survives and Chelsea is relieved.
Zelina grows frustrated, but she goes back for Alba. Zelina reels Alba in, suplexes, but Alba blocks! Alba knees low, suplexes, but Zelina hits STUN DOG MILLIONAIRE! Alba is down, Zelina goes up, MOONSAULT FLOPS! Alba goes up now, and she SWANTON BOMBS! Cover, TWO!?! Zelina survives and shocks Alba! Chelsea is upset again but Alba hurries to bring Zelina up. Alba KICKS Zelina out, and now Chelsea takes off her face mask?! She tells Piper to stand Zelina up! Piper does as told, and Chelsea takes a swing, but Zelina ducks! The face mask SMACKS Piper!! Chelsea is shocked, then furious, and then she chases after Zelina!
Zelina slips into the ring, Chelsea gets on the apron, but Zelina sends Alba at her! They almost collide, and then Zelina rolls Alba up! Zelina hops on, CODE RED!! Cover, Zelina wins!!
Winner: Zelina Vega, by pinfall
Chelsea tried so hard to screw Zelina over that she just screwed up her own team! Zelina survives again, will no one take down the Vega Administration?
The Miz pep talks Carmelo Hayes.
Melo looks good, and he just has to follow the plan. If Melo follows that plan, with no mistakes, they will win. Melo says he knows what he’s doing. Miz asks if he really does. Because Miz has taken Black Mass after Black Mass, sacrificing himself for Melo. Does Melo understand? Miz gave up this chance at MITB for Melo! Miz has already done it twice! If Melo wins this match tonight, Miz will guide Melo to make sure “we are Mr. MITB.” Wait, we? Miz says, “Who do you think got you in this position?” Melo says Melo did. Melo appreciates everything Miz has done for him, from sacrificing to taking hits for him, and helping him win the Andre the Giant Battle Royal.
But nobody told Miz to do that. Melo will run the play exactly as Miz designed it, but what brought Melo to the dance is Melo’s talent. Melo goes out there and does it better than anybody else. Melo puts up 40 points on a bad day, because he is H1M. And Miz just needs to let Melo be H1M. They good? Miz nods, and Melo says okay, let’s do the thing. They are Melo Don’t Miz and they are Awes-H1M. Miz still nods, but he doesn’t seem genuinely happy. Will Miz let Melo be Melo? Even if that means letting H1M fail?
Giulia speaks.
“Throughout my entire career, even back when I started in Japan, I had one goal… It’s not to be ‘the best.’ Everyone says that. It’s hollow and empty. My goal is to be indisputable. You can love me or hate me, admiration or disgust, it means nothing. But I’m impossible to deny. My opponent doesn’t matter, because I only view them as an opportunity to build my legacy. Evidence you cannot refute. SmackDown, you will see. I will hit harder, move faster, think sharper, and conquer everything, just like I’ve always done. The question isn’t, ‘Who’s going to let me?” It’s, ‘Who’s going to stop me?'” She adds in Japanese, “If you can stop it, stop it.”
Will SmackDown and all of the WWE soon succumb to The Beautiful Madness?
Zelina returns backstage.
She refreshes for a second, but Giulia is there! And Giulia says she sees Zelina, but she also sees that title more. Zelina scoffs and leaves. Could Giulia be aiming for everything once she becomes Ms. Money in the Bank?
Damian Priest is here!
Knoxville cheers as The Archer of Infamy heads to the ring, victorious from Saturday Night’s Main Event and that brutal Steel Cage match. Priest grabs a mic to tell Tennessee, “Ever since I beat Drew on Saturday, it’s like I’m breathing in fresh air. Y’know, there was a time when I lived on the street, if we were beefing with another street, that war could go for years. But in WWE, you have a beef with somebody, you have a match and it’s over. But with Drew and I, we went well over a year, and that’s not normal. But we took that beef into a cage. Now, I can feel it, you can se it on my face, we went to war.
“At the end of this war, at Saturday Night’s Main Event, I gave him a Con-Chair-To, I walked out the door, and I put his ass in the past.” The fans cheer that. Priest says now he knows Drew is somewhere recovering from his scrambled brains, but he knows Drew is watching, so this is for Drew. “I still can’t stand yo ass. But the Drew McIntyre that stepped in that cage wasn’t the guy that hides behind his phone on social media. That was the old Drew, the warrior, and I appreciate that.” The fans applaud, and Priest says he won’t ask what is next for himself, he’ll just tell us all. And it is the same thing he wanted when he came to SmackDown: Championships!
The fans cheer, and Priest says this war with Drew cost him an opportunity at being in MITB. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his eyes on a certain champion. Somebody who he has unfinished business with, and a champion he considers the most badass. The fans know that means Fatu, and he knows they know! Priest calls out Jacob Fatu! Priest respects Fatu. Priest knows where Fatu came from, what Fatu had to live through, how it feels to stand in this ring as a champion. Real talk, Priest is proud of Fatu, he congratulates Fatu, that’s real. But what Priest doesn’t respect is the crew that follows him around.
Wait, check that. What Priest doesn’t respect is the crew Fatu follows around. Priest knows at some point, they will get in this ring, handle business, but that’s for them. As for Fatu’s so-called family, if they wanna get involved, they can catch a fresh one, too. Priest won’t make it just a nickname or moniker, he wants this to be fact! Priest is and forever will be EL CAMPEON! The fans cheer that! But will the Archer soon take aim at the Samoan Werewolf? Well, speaking of, Fatu makes his way out here for tonight’s other Triple Threat Qualifier! Fatu nods to Priest, but if Fatu wins his way into the ladder match, will this showdown have to wait a little longer?
Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Carmelo Hayes VS Andrade VS Jacob Fatu!
SmackDown returns and El Idolo makes his entrance, followed by H1M. The bell rings and Miz distracts Fatu and Melo attacks! Fatu ELBOWS Melo away, Andrade is on Melo with forearms, and then Fatu adds a LARIAT! Fatu looms mover Melo but then turns to stare down Andrade. The fans rally as these two step up. Andrade fires forearms but Fatu SHOVES him to a corner. Fatu runs up, Andrade dodges then whips. Fatu reverses, Andrade goes up and out to then ROCK Fatu! Andrade goes up, up, and CROSSBODIES! Cover, ONE! Melo CLUBS Andrade, TOSSES him out, and then CLUBS away on Fatu!
Miz says that’s the way! Melo HAMMERS and CHOPS, then whips, but Fatu blocks! Fatu whips Melo, Melo springboards, but into an UPPERCUT! The fans fire up and Fatu sees Melo go outside. Fatu builds speed, but Miz trips him up! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, but Fatu drags Miz into the ring! Melo goes to roll Fatu up but Fatu stays up! Fatu YANKS Melo up, scoops, but Melo slips free! Melo SUPERKICKS and Miz DUMPS Fatu out! The fans boo but Melo builds speed, only for Andrade to LARIAT! The fans cheer, and now Miz sees he is in trouble. Fatu snarls, but Andrade DIVES, into a HAYMAKER!
Fatu then SUPERKICKS Miz! Fatu THROWS Miz into barriers! The fans fire up and Fatu grins. Fatu runs in, HIP ATTACK against the barriers! The Samoan Werewolf has dominated three men at once and the fans fire up while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Miz sputters and Fatu leaves him behind to go around the way. Melo is there to kick Fatu, RAM Fatu, but Fatu blocks another whip! Fatu ROCKS Melo and Melo staggers away. Fatu stalks Melo, Melo checks on Miz, but Fatu ROCKS Melo! Andrade goes after Fatu now, but Fatu THROWS Andrade into barriers! The fans cheer as Fatu lets Andrade go to the ring. Fatu brings Melo up, SMACKS him off the desk, then pushes him down. Fatu clears the desk off, but Melo CLUBS Fatu against the desk! Melo storms into the ring, brings Andrade up, but Andrade RAMS Melo into the corner! Andrade RAMS Melo, CHOPS Melo, then stalks Melo.
Andrade whips Melo, Melo reverses and Andrade hits buckles hard! Melo CHOPS Andrade down! Melo brings Andrade up, soaks up some heat, then makes it Latino Heat. But Andrade blocks the suplex to suplex Melo! Andrade hangs Melo out to dry, and Melo flops to the apron. Fatu is back but Andrade fires forearms first! Andrade whips, Fatu reverses, and Fatu BODY CHECKS Andrade! Fatu geeks out and the fans are with him while he stalks Andrade. Fatu drags Andrade up to HEADBUTT him into the corner. Fatu shoves Melo off the apron, then he HEADBUTTS Andrade again. Andrade sputters but Fatu is all fired up.
Fatu CHOPS Andrade, UPPERCUTS, and HEADBUTTS him again! Andrade CHOPS in return! SmackDown returns to single picture and Andrade CHOPS, CHOPS, CHOPS! Fatu UPPERCUTS and Andrade falls back! Melo stomps Andrade in the corner, then tells Fatu to come on in. Fatu runs up, but Andrade gets away! Hip attack hits buckles! Melo ENZIGIRIS Fatu, Andrade runs to dodge Melo and FLYING FOREARM! The fans fire up as Andrade kips up! Andrade has targets in the corners, and he rallies the fans with “SI! SI! SI!” CIEN KNEES for Fatu! CIEN- NO, Melo tilt-o-whirls and LA MYSTICA! Cover, TWO!
The fans rally, Melo runs to stomp away on Fatu, then he brings Andrade up. Fatu stands to CLOBBER Melo! Andrade SUPERKICKS Fatu! The fans rally, Melo brings Andrade up and springboards, but Andrade stops him at the ropes! SECOND ROPE SPANISH FLY! But Fatu SENTONS Andrade! The fans fire up as Fatu SENTONS Melo! Fatu drags Melo to a drop zone, then goes to the corner! The fans rally for Fatu as he goes up, up, but Andrade YANKS him down! Andrade goes up top, MOONSAULT DOUBLE!! Cover, Melo breaks it! The fans rally while all three are down! “This is Awesome!” as the three stir.
Melo brings Fatu and Andrade around, and he fires forearms on each of them. Andrade fires back on Melo, then Fatu UPPERCUTS! Andrade ROCKS Fatu, but Fatu UPPERCUTS Andrade! The fans rally as the three rise, and Melo springboards! DOUBLE FADE AWAY DDT!! Cover on Andrade, Fatu breaks it! Melo and Fatu stare down, and they run up! Melo dodges to hit the FIRST 48! Andrade adds a POISON-RANA! Melo slips around Andrade to KNEE and suplex, CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Andrade survives and Melo grows frustrated. The fans rally for Fatu while Melo shakes his hands out. Andrade is on the apron but Melo rises.
Melo brings Andrade up but Andrade trips Melo! They go out to brawl, and Melo SUPERKICKS Andrade down! But Fatu SUPERKICKS Melo! The fans fire up for Fatu as he lines up a shot. Fatu gets the fans even more fired up, then he geeks out! Fatu runs in the full length, but Andrade & Melo move! HIP ATTACK through barriers!! The fans go nuts as Fatu crashes into the timekeeper’s area! Fatu sputters as SmackDown goes back to picture in picture.
Fatu stirs while Andrade and Melo go to the ring. They roll in, Melo grabs at Andrade and vice-versa. Melo fires a forearm, then goes back outside. Andrade goes to the opposite end while Melo looks under the ring. Melo makes Knoxville happy by bringing out a table! But then Melo makes them mad by dropping it! Melo goes after Andrade but Andrade ROCKS him first! Andrade brings out a chair! Andrade aims, but Melo dropkicks the legs out! Andrade crawls, Melo shakes his head, and he grabs the chair now. Melo aims, but Andrade kicks Melo low! Andrade and Melo go into the ring, and Andrade puts Melo in a drop zone.
Andrade goes up the corner, but Melo trips him up! Andrade is stuck up top and Melo hits the SLINGSHOT PLEX! Melo flexes, then decides to step through on the legs! Andrade cradles that, TWO! Melo and Andrade stand, DOUBLE LARIATS collide! Both men fall and the fans look for Fatu. SmackDown returns to single picture as the fans rally, Melo and Andrade sit up, and Melo CHOPS! Andrade ROCKS Melo, then rolls away. Melo hurries to clamp onto Andrade with a facelock, but Andrade RAMS him into a corner! Andrade puts Melo up top but Melo fires forearms. Andrade drops back, Melo aims, but Andrade GAMANGIRIS!
The fans still want tables but Andrade climbs up to get Melo. They’re on the very top, but Fatu is back! Fatu makes the SUPER SPANISH FLY part ROCKER LAUNCHER!! The fans are thunderous as Fatu goes up now! SWANTON BOMB onto Melo! Cover, Andrade breaks it!! The fans rally up again and still want tables. Fatu runs at Andrade to SPLASH! Then Fatu runs at Melo, but Melo BOOTS him! Melo runs up, but into a pop-up! Melo fights the Samoan Drop, and Andrade adds the SHADOW ELBOW! But Melo makes it a ghost pin! Andrade adds a stack, TWO!!! Fatu survives the double cover, but here come Solo & JC!
The fans boo as Solo is here to coach Fatu up. Melo and Andrade trade forearms, then Melo dodges to springboard, FLYING LARIAT! Cover, Fatu breaks it! Fatu snarls, drags Melo up, and he HEADBUTTS Melo! Fatu finally notices Solo & JC, but Fatu puts Melo up top. Fatu CHOPS Melo, then he fireman’s carries Andrade. Fatu adds Melo to this, but Melo slips free. SAMOAN DROP for Andrade, and then Fatu goes to the corner. Solo says Fatu’s got this now! BEST MOONSAULT EVER FLOPS and Melo hits NOTHING BUT NET!! Cover, ANDRADE BREAKS IT! Andrade underhooks Melo, THE MESS- NO, Melo RANAS through! Cover, TWO!!
Andrade has a cover, TWO! Melo has a cover, TWO! Andrade has it, TWO! Both men stand, SHADOW ELBOW! FIRST 48!! SHADOW ELBOW AGAIN!! All three men are down and the fans are thunderous! Fatu crawls, Melo rolls to a corner, and Andrade stirs. Fatu rises, he brings Andrade up, IMPALER DDT! Then Fatu has Melo to RAM him into a corner. Fatu runs and HIP ATTACKS Melo! Andrade is up, Fatu hits him with another IMPALER DDT! Fatu puts Andrade in the drop zone, and he hits the BEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Solo says yeah, do that again! The fans boo but Fatu glares at Solo. JC says do what Solo is saying, Fatu!
But wait! Jimmy YANKS JC down, and SUPERKICKS him! The fans fire up, and then Melo RAMS Fatu into Solo! Then FIRST 48! But Andrade rolls Melo into THE MESSAGE!! Cover, ANDRADE WINS!!
Winner: Andrade, by pinfall (advances to Money in the Bank)
Solo just screwed things up for Fatu! Solo does his best to keep the peace between Fatu and JC, but the point is: Andrade is headed to Los Angeles! Will he make this El Idolo in the Bank?
Backstage interview with LA Knight.
Byron Saxton segues from congratulating Andrade for qualifying to welcoming in someone who already has qualified, but The Mega Star says, “My gawd. What is it with punching tickets around here? Everybody talks about punching tickets. WWE Instagram, punched tickets. Commentary, punched tickets. You’re talking about punched tickets. I guess I punched my ticket to MITB, it’s only eight days away. A few other guys who punched tickets, who are they? You got Andrade, you got Penta, you got what’s his name, Seth Rollins. You got Solo Sikoa! They’re all in it! They all punched their tickets!
“And everybody’s gonna be climbing that ladder, trying to get up, put everything on the line that they can. Now, if this was a one-on-one match, I’d go ahead and call my shot, and I’d say I’m gonna run up there, grab the case, and cash it in. But you gotta understand, this is my third year in a row, so I understand what this is. You can call me the vet in this match. Some people say maybe that Seth is the vet in this, but they would be wrong. For three years in a row now, you’re talking about the most robust and the most recent experience, YEAH. And what that means is now it’s anybody’s game. Anybody can come out with it, and I understand that.
“But with or without the case, what you need to understand is that the WWE title, the world title, they’re all in my future. With the way I’ve been running, at this point, they should be in my past, maybe even my present. Why don’tcha go ahead and punch that ticket? While we’re talking about-” Knight stops himself when he spots someone walking in. It’s Aleister Black! And Aleister says that win was supposed to be his. But he tells Knight, “You’re welcome, though.” The Dark Father lets the Mega Star shine, if only for now. Will LA win big in LA when we finally reach MITB?
Fatu and Solo regroup backstage.
Solo wants Fatu to listen. He was just trying to help. Fatu tells Solo to listen. For the last time, Fatu does not need his help! Fatu storms off, JC steps in, but Solo has nothing else to say. Is the Samoan Werewolf going to break away from this dysfunctional “family?”
Cody Rhodes is here!
Knoxville fires up and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~!” Cody gets his pyro, high-fives fans along the ramp and the front row, and even signs autographs. Cody goes to the ring, grabs a mic, and he hears the fans chant his name. Cody fires the fans up more, then hears them sing, “Cody! Cody Rhooodes~! Cody! Cody Rhooodes~!” Cody says, “So, Knoxville! Whaddya wanna talk about?” The fans cheer, and Cody says, “I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that we could talk about the record crowd here this evening!” The fans cheer that, too! Cody says he loves them, too, thank you very much.
Cody says they could also talk about WrestleMania 41. The fans boo, but Cody says after WrestleMania 41, he went home, he drowned his sorrows, might’ve touched the “Tennessee Cough Syrup” a little bit, and he had a moment of doubt. He reached out to a friend. A friend who helps him prepare to wonderful audiences like this one here, or speaking to everyone at home. Cody asked him, “Was I a good champion?” The fans cheer for that, but Cody says the friend told him wasn’t quite as simple as yes or no.
The friend told him, “With everything that you faced here in the ring in front of all the fans, and with everything that you faced behind the scenes, being pulled in different directions, the waters that you had to navigate that no champion has ever had to navigate, yes, I feel that you were a good champion.” Cody says he felt good hearing that, it turned into a hopeful moment, the silver lining on a dark cloud. Cody looked back on his whole year. He thought about AJ Styles faking retirement to get the drop on him. Cody thought about his friend, Kevin Owens, sucker punching him against his bus while Cody’s family slept inside.
Cody thought about his boss, Triple H, who pushed Cody to the limit, and sees something in Cody that Cody doesn’t even see in himself. Cody even thought about The Final Boss, how he asked Cody for his soul, and the entire world wondering what that meant. As preposterous as that sounded, The Rock was 100% serious. No matter how many times Cody said no, the offer still stands. And Cody also thought about John Cena. The fans initially boo, but the “Let’s Go, Cena!” “CENA SUCKS!” starts up. Cody takes a moment, and then he says, “I thought about John Cena doing exactly what he said he was going to do. He forced me to make a choice, and I hesitated.
“I don’t know if John Cena is going to ‘ruin’ professional wrestling. But if he does, then I’m partially to blame. Now, I know, I’d love to say this to John Cena’s face. Not sure if he’s going to come out here right now, but if you are listening, if you are listening, Champ, I need you to know that I will never hesitate with you again!” The fans cheer that, and Cody says no matter how much Cena will tout the amount of days he has left, how much Cena will talk about what remains before he absconds with the WWE Championship and leaves all of us forever, that is NOT Cena’s expiration date! That is on the other side of Cody’s corneas, and it will burn Cena’s ass up!
The fans fire up for that, and Cody calms it down. Cody apologizes for that. This is his first night back on SmackDown, he is getting worked up. He thought so much about what he could do, what he could do for the fans. Hell, how about a surprise? The fans already “YEET! YEET! YEET!” so Cody says they’re hungry for it. Let’s yeet. Well, hold on, that’d be a very big surprise. That’d be the biggest surprise. That’d be Cody’s partner riding into battle for MITB, and hell YES he is here! Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the World Heavyweight Champion, MAIN EVENT JEY USO! The fans go wild as Jey makes his way in from the pavilion!
The fans sing along with Day One Ish and bounce for that YEET! Jey makes his way down through the crowd to ringside, one verse at a time, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Jey joins Cody in the ring now, mic in hand. Cody and Jey hear the fans want an encore, so we get even more YEET! But then John Cena makes his entrance to ruin the fun! The fans sing “JOHN CENA SUUUCKS~!” even though he wears that University of Tennessee orange and white. Cena goes to the ring, towel draped over his head, then grabs a mic before he joins Cody and Jey in the ring. Cena hears the fans boo, and he says, “I’m upset, too. If it isn’t professional wrestling’s biggest wannabes!” Cena tells Cody he is nothing more than a Cena Wannabe, and that Jey is nothing more than a Cena Wannabe.
The fans boo but Cena says they both wanna be Cena so bad, it makes him sick! Cody wants Cena’s fame, Jey wants Cena’s money, but they will get neither because Cody is too desperate and Jey is too lazy! There is only ONE other human being in the WWE who embodies hustle, loyalty and respect, and he’s got the fortune, fame and followers to back that up! Surprise, losers! Cena’s partner is here, too! The fans boo already, because “EY YO~!” Logan Paul IS here! The Maverick swaggers his way out, and Cena gives him a proper introduction. “Oh, you mad? You’re mad because Logan Paul does WWE better than any professional wrestler?”
Cena says Logan doesn’t need to pay his dues, because he is paying Jey’s mortgage! Everybody in this building did NOT come to see Jey! They came to see John Cena and Logan Paul! Logan asks, “What the hell you crying about, Knoxville? Look! I could walk on water, and y’all would still find a way to tell me it’s because I can’t swim! John Cena speaks the language of Logan Paul, and that is the truth! The truth! It is right in front of you! You deny it all you want, but look around, you stupid, stupid, simple Tennessee people! This is a moment in history! All of you get to witness the moment that John Cena stood side-by-side in the ring with Logan Paul.
“And look, all of you will live long, pathetic, miserable lives. But at least you will get to say that you saw that.” The fans tell Logan to STFU, and Cena tells Logan to ignore it. Logan says yeah, yeah, they’re so ungrateful. They don’t know what’s good for them. There is one problem, though. This does seem too perfect. The problem is… Logan should be standing next to THE WWE Champion as THE World Heavyweight Champion! Logan should’ve been the one to leave Saturday Night’s Main Event with that title around his waist. But look at him, Jey. Jey got lucky. Jey got lucky! He knows it, Logan knows, it, the fans know it, CODY knows it!
Jey needed Cody to save him! When Cody interfered with the match cuz these two cheaters can’t do a single thing in this business without it being handed to them! “These two nepo babies were born on third, thinking they hit a triple.” Logan points to himself and says, “Self-made man!” He points to Cena and says, “Self-made man!” Five years ago, nobody every would’ve believed Logan Paul would be a WWE superstar. And they certainly never ever would’ve believed that he’d be teaming with the Greatest Of All Time! But look at Logan now. He’s not just a superstar, he is THE superstar! His time is now! Cena told us that his time is almost up!
Cena is the Last Real Champion, Logan is the inevitable face of the WWE! So Jey, Cody, at MITB, if you want some, come get some. Jey tells Logan they don’t gotta wait! They can handle this right now! UH UH, YEET!! The mics drop, Cena and Logan talk this out, and Logan wants to throw hands while Cena wants to leave. Cody asks what they’re arguing about. They gonna go to the back so Logan can polish Cena’s Peacemaker? Now it’s a fight! The fans fire up as the hands are flying! Logan TOSSES Jey, Cena picks Cody up! Cody slips free, Jey is back to SUPERKICK! Cody hits the DISASTER KICK! Cena bails out, Jey PLANCHAS out onto him!
Logan goes to the apron, slingshot and- NO, Cody dodges the “Snapshot” Lariat and Jey SUPERKICKS Logan! Then Jey sets Logan up for the CODE D!! The fans fire up as Cody picks up the WWE Championship! Will Cody and Jey make it through Logan and Cena to then clear a path for the American Nightmare’s redemption? Or will Cena & Logan ruin wrestling together?
My Thoughts:
A very good SmackDown, but maybe with some wheel-spinning. As fun as Chelsea Green continues to be, can’t we move on from her and Zelina? Or are we about to do that with tonight’s win over Alba and then Giulia confronting her? Ironically, that seems to give away Giulia isn’t winning MITB. Giulia had a good promo video right before but they undercut it by giving us that confrontation. That said, Giulia deserves to be all the champions, but I suppose starting with the Women’s US Championship would be a good route. Very good promo from Bianca and Naomi to not just have Bianca’s homecoming, but to keep the feud between them alive.
The Women’s Triple Threat had a slow start but it turned out to be a very good match. Great win for Naomi, and good promo from her, Tiffany and Alexa to tease potential MITB winners. Great stuff in the tag match to build Worlds Collide just a touch. We only got one moment of Berto being passive aggressive towards Santos, and then Ethan Page screwing the Faces over, but that was still enough for the North American Championship. Of course, it depends on how many fans watch not just Raw and SmackDown but also NXT so that the fans already understand the story. But as someone who does, I do appreciate they’re bringing NXT story onto SmackDown.
Good promo from Priest to give some shoot respect to Drew and Fatu, but Priest wanting after the US title kinda gave away what was happening with the Men’s Triple Threat. It was a great Triple Threat, but of course Solo & JC cost Fatu. That team is just one moment away from breaking up, and it might be at MITB when Solo just expects Fatu to help him win the briefcase and Fatu refuses. And Fatu VS Priest will still be awesome whenever it happens. Good promo from Knight, and a good bit from Aleister with him, which I suppose means that’s the next feud for them. Was kinda hoping for Aleister VS Nakamura but that really depends if Nakamura is sticking with WWE or going home to Japan via Pro-Wrestling NOAH as rumored.
R-Truth relapsing to talking to Lil’ Jimmy is certainly a choice. I kinda wish he’d keep up the “Ron Cena” stuff, or they’d let Jeff Cobb do his own John Cena bit from NJPW, but I guess some things in WWE still won’t change. And closing with a big promo segment was also certainly a choice. Cody still did a good job, and nice surprise to have Jey show up. Not sure they needed to take a commercial break for Jey’s entrance, especially when they were obviously going to let Jey do his YEET encore. And Cena really must be brainwashed to put Logan over as if Logan’s on par with peak Cena. But naturally a brawl happened and the Faces stood tall.
Don’t count this as go-home math yet, they could easily revisit this on Raw and even next week on SmackDown. Even then, I still feel like Jey and Cody should win at MITB to properly set up Cody VS Cena 2 at SummerSlam. Raw on June 9th is still the move for the World Heavyweight Championship, but there’s also Saturday Night’s Main Event in July, who knows if Jey makes it to SummerSlam as champion.
My Score: 8.7/10
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